U.S. will give Ukraine ‘as much as they need’ in military aid, top House Dem says
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he assured Ukraine’s prime minister that additional U.S. aid packages will keep Ukraine stocked with ammo to fight invading Russian forces.
“I told him, my response was ‘as much as they need,'” Hoyer told reporters after leaving a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Capitol Hill.
Shmyhal requested that the U.S. provide “different types of weapons systems, ordinance, ammunition” during the meeting, Hoyer said.
“Obviously we need to keep them in ammunition. They cannot run out of ammunition. We’re going to do that,” he said.
The bipartisan leadership meeting came after Shmyhal met with President Joe Biden at the White House. Following that meeting, Biden announced that the U.S. would send an additional $1.3 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine.
— Kevin Breuninger
White House releases photo of Biden meeting with Ukraine’s prime minister
The White House has released a photo of President Joe Biden’s meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, which took place just before Biden announced a slate of new sanctions on Russia as well as $1.3 billion in new military aid and government assistance for Kyiv.
The meeting was not on Biden’s public schedule and it was not open to press. But the photo of the two men, shown in the classic seated pose in the Oval Office where Biden meets other world leaders, conveys the respect and high esteem the president has for Shmyhal, and by extension, for Ukraine.
— Christina Wilkie
U.S. will send rapidly developed secret “Phoenix Ghost” drones in latest Ukraine package
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby speaks during a news briefing at the Pentagon April 11, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. Kirby spoke on various topics including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Alex Wong | Getty Images
The United States is sending a highly secretive tactical drone to Ukraine in the latest $800 million security package.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the drones were “rapidly developed by the Air Force, in response, specifically to Ukrainian requirements.”
The drones, dubbed “Phoenix Ghost,” are tactical unmanned aerial systems manufactured by Aevex Aerospace in Solana Beach, California. Once the drones are in the region, U.S. troops will have to train Ukrainian forces on how to operate them, Kirby added.
The Pentagon did not provide a timeline for when the drones would arrive in the region.
“It provides similar capabilities to the Switchblade series of unmanned systems, similar capabilities but not exact,” Kirby said of the more than 121 drones included in the latest military assistance package. “There are other differences in the scope of capability for the Phoenix Ghosts, but I’m just not going to be able to get into more detail about those capabilities right now.”
— Amanda Macias
Zelenskyy says 120,000 civilians are blocked from leaving Mariupol
Around 120,000 civilians are blocked from leaving the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
— Reuters
Here’s what’s in the next $800 million weapons package for Ukraine
U.S. Marines with Alpha Battery, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 4th Marines, fire their M777 Lightweight 155mm Howitzer during Exercise Alligator Dagger in Arta Beach, Djibouti, Dec. 18.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Zachery C. Laning | U.S. Marine Corps
The Pentagon detailed the contents of the latest $800 million security package tailored to a renewed Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine.
The eighth U.S. military aid installment includes:
- 72 155mm howitzers
- 144,000 artillery rounds
- 72 tactical vehicles to tow 155mm howitzers
- Over 121 Phoenix Ghost tactical unmanned aerial systems
- Field equipment and spare parts
The United States has committed approximately $3.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked invasion on Feb. 24.
— Amanda Macias
U.S. will send $800 million military package, $500 million in economic aid to Ukraine
The U.S. will send about $1.3 billion in military and direct economic aid to Ukraine, President Joe Biden said.
The Biden administration will provide a new $800 million arms package that includes more heavy artillery, as Russian ramps up its assault on eastern and southern Ukraine. The White House also plans to send $500 million in direct economic aid to Ukraine.
“This package includes heavy artillery weapons, dozens of howitzers and 144,000 rounds of ammunition to go with those howitzers,” Biden said at the White House.
The military aid adds to an $800 million package Biden announced last week. The U.S. also sent $500 million in direct economic assistance last month.
— Amanda Macias
Biden meets with Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyhal
President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as the country fights off a fresh Russian assault.
Biden and Shmyhal spoke before Biden announced a new $800 million military aid package to Ukraine. Biden said he discussed the new arms transfer with Shmyhal.
Shmyhal was also set to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi while he was in Washington.
— Jacob Pramuk
Biden set to deliver remarks on war in Ukraine
President Joe Biden introduces his budget request for fiscal year 2023 on March 28, 2022 in Washington.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images
President Joe Biden is expected to give an update on the war in Ukraine amid a renewed Russian offensive in the country’s east.
Biden is set to speak from the Roosevelt Room of the White House at 9:45 a.m. E.T. before traveling to Portland and Seattle to discuss his administration’s infrastructure policy plans. His remarks come on the heels of a Wednesday afternoon meeting with his military commanders and national security officials for assessments on global threats as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Ahead of the meeting, Biden said that U.S. security assistance is flowing into the region daily and that allies are “stepping up and amplifying the impact of our response.” The U.S. has authorized $2.6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s war.
What’s more, the White House is expected to announce another substantial security assistance package for Ukraine this week, five U.S officials familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday.
— Amanda Macias
Prime ministers of Spain, Denmark arrive in Kyiv for Zelenskyy visit
Spain and Denmark’s prime ministers visited Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, and made statements of support for the country while visiting areas around the capital that had witnessed Russian atrocities against civilians.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted a video on Twitter from the town of Borodyanka along with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen. In the post he described seeing the “horror and atrocities of Putin’s war on the streets of Borodyanka,” adding, “We will not leave the Ukrainian people alone.”
Frederiksen told press, “We intend to deliver more weapons to Ukraine because that is what is most needed,” and that her office would also focus on prosecuting “war crimes and human rights violations.”
— Natasha Turak
Ukraine proposes talks ‘without conditions’ with Russia over Mariupol evacuations
Ukraine is proposing talks with Russia without conditions in an effort to save lives in the embattled city of Mariupol, a Ukrainian government negotiator said.
“Yes. Without any conditions. We’re ready to hold a “special round of negotiations” right in Mariupol. One on one. Two on two. To save our guys, Azov, military, civilians, children, the living & the wounded. Everyone,” negotiator and presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted.
Another negotiator, David Arakhamia, said in an post online: “Today, in a conversation with the city defenders, a proposal was put forward to hold direct negotiations, on site, on the evacuation of our military garrison,” he said. “For our part, we are ready to arrive for such negotiations at any time as soon as we receive confirmation from the Russian side.”
A few thousand Ukrainian troops and civilians are holed up in Mariupol’s massive Azovstal steel plant under heavy Russian shelling, and have ignored two deadlines from Moscow to surrender in the past week, though some Ukrainian commanders have warned that they may be facing their final days.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called off plans to storm the facility, instead instructing Russian forces to continue blockading it.
Humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians have seen limited success in recent weeks, and fewer civilians able to leave in the last 24 hours than Ukraine’s government had hoped. Around 100,000 civilians are left in the southern port city, down from a pre-invasion population of almost 500,000.
— Natasha Turak
UN says 2,345 killed in Ukraine since start of war, warns death toll is likely higher
Grave diggers shovel soil into the grave of a woman as her husband and son watch on April 20, 2022 in Bucha, Ukraine.
John Moore | Getty Images
The United Nations says it has confirmed 2,345 civilian deaths and 2,919 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24.
Of those killed, the U.N. has identified at least 44 girls and 63 boys, as well as 70 children whose gender is unknown.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Monday that the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, citing delayed reporting due to the armed conflict.
The international body said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.
— Amanda Macias
Slim majority of people in Sweden support joining NATO, poll finds
A majority of Swedes support joining the NATO alliance, a survey by polling institute Novus found.
The poll found 51% of Swedes were in favor of joining the 30-country military group, up from 45% one week prior. It comes as Sweden’s government prepares to debate whether it should apply to join NATO and abandon its long-held policy of neutrality.
From soaring food prices to social unrest, the fallout from the war could be immense
Families prepare to board a train at Kramatorsk central station on Monday to flee the eastern city in the Donbas region.
Fadel Senna | Afp | Getty Images
Whatever happens on the front line in the next few days and weeks, the shock waves from the conflict will continue to reverberate around the globe with both the World Bank and IMF lowering their global growth forecasts.
Both institutions said the downgrades to their forecasts had been made as they expected supply shocks to intensify, and for commodity prices — of which Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers — to rise dramatically.
What’s more, the Ukraine–Russia region is seen as one of a small handful of global “breadbaskets” (or major food producers) and plays a vital role not only as an exporter of primary staples like wheat, but also as one of the major suppliers of fertilizer worldwide.
The depth of the impact on the global economy depends on how long the war lasts, and the scale of the devastation and disruption that it causes. There are no signs Russia is willing to relent anytime soon, despite being hit with a raft of international sanctions targeting vital sectors of its economy, from oil and gas to its financial system.
Read the full story.
— Holly Ellyatt
How Ukraine’s mud became a secret weapon against Russia
A member of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces stands on a damaged Russian tank on the outskirts of Nova Basan village in Ukraine on April 01, 2022. Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24 coincided with what’s known locally as the “muddy road season,” or “Rasputitsa” in Russian.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The timing of Russia’s invasion, which began on Feb. 24, coincided with what is known locally as the “muddy road season,” or “Rasputitsa” in Russian.
It’s a phenomenon that takes place twice a year, first in spring — when the winter freeze subsides and the country’s terrain and unpaved roads become virtually unpassable as they turn to mud — and then in the fall, when there can be heavy rain.
The mud is seen by military experts to have helped to slow Russia’s advance in parts of the country, particularly the north. Images and videos circulating online have shown Russian tanks, trucks and other armored vehicles stuck and abandoned on muddy roads or fields in Ukraine.
Read the full story.
— Holly Ellyatt
Russia is ‘furiously bombing’ Ukraine’s second-biggest city Kharkiv, mayor says
Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, is under heavy bombardment, its mayor said.
“Huge blasts, the Russian Federation is furiously bombing the city,” Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a televised address, according to a Reuters translation.
Terekhov said that 1 million people remain in the northeastern city and about 30% of the pre-war population have fled — primarily women, children and the elderly.
— Natasha Turak
Zelenskyy says relationship with France’s Le Pen could change if she retracts statements on Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his relationship with French presidential candidate and far-right politician Marine Le Pen could be different if she admits that her previous statements on Ukraine and Vladimir Putin were wrong.
“If the candidate understands that she was wrong, our relationship could change,” Zelenskyy said in an interview on French channel BFMTV.
Le Pen has long been a supporter of Putin, though she has tried to distance herself from that history since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. She was pictured shaking his hand during a Kremlin visit in 2017, and has taken Russian loans for her campaign. She was barred from entering Ukraine since 2017 after trying to justify Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
French presidential election candidate and far-right politician Marine Le Pen met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in March of 2017, bolstering a relationship that has gained Le Pen much criticism.
MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV
Zelenskyy’s comments followed the French presidential debate on Wednesday, which pitted Le Pen against incumbent Emmanuel Macron, just days before the country’s election. The Ukrainian leader said that he has good relations with Macron and “did not want to lose them.”
— Natasha Turak
Putin cancels storming of Mariupol steel plant, instructs it to be sealed off instead
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to ditch its plan to storm the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian troops as well as civilians are encamped. He is opting instead to continue to hermetically seal off the facility via blockade.
“I consider the proposed storming of the industrial zone unnecessary,” Putin said in a televised meeting at the Kremlin with his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu. “I order you to cancel it.” He cited preserving the lives of Russian soldiers in his reasoning.
“There is no need to climb into these catacombs and crawl underground through these industrial facilities,” he said. “Block off this industrial area so that a fly cannot not pass through.”
Putin also urged the Ukrainian fighters left in the massive steel plant complex to lay down their arms, claiming that Russia would treat them with respect. Ukrainian troops have now ignored two Russian deadlines to surrender the southern port city, which has been the site of the most intense fighting since Russia invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24, and has been cut off from water, food, electricity, and heating for nearly two months.
— Natasha Turak
Chechen leader says Mariupol will fall to Russia today
Chechen leader and staunch Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov said that Russia will capture the city of Mariupol today. The southern port city has been the center of the most intense fighting since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February. At least 10,000 Chechen troops are estimated to have been deployed to Ukraine in support of Russia.
“Before lunchtime, or after lunch, Azovstal will be completely under the control of the forces of the Russian Federation,” Kadyrov said in an audio message posted online early Thursday, Reuters reported. Azovstal is Mariupol’s sprawling steel plant complex, one of the largest in Europe, currently housing both Ukrainian forces and civilians and seen as the fighters’ last stand in the city.
Ukrainian forces in Mariupol on Wednesday issued a plea for more weapons and support from the West, warning that they were facing their final days, if not hours, in their fight to defend the city — but vowing to fight until the “last drop of blood.”
Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic, at a meeting with commanders of Russia’s 8th combined army of the Southern Military District and special forces units at an operations center in the city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 28, 2022.
Chingis Kondarov | Reuters
Civilian evacuations have been underway from the city for weeks, with many failed attempts at establishing humanitarian corridors, though one was agreed Wednesday. Ukrainian negotiators have said that Kyiv would be willing to negotiate releasing Russian prisoners for safe passage of civilians.
Russian control of the strategically located city would help Moscow link Ukraine’s occupied eastern territories in the Donbas with the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014.
— Natasha Turak
Russia may ramp up attacks ahead of May 9 Victory Day celebrations: U.K. ministry
Russian President Vladimir Putin joins his hands as he holds a meeting at the Catherine’s Hall of the Kremlin in Moscow on April 20, 2022. Russia likely wants to be able to show “significant successes” ahead of their annual May 9 Victory Day celebrations, the British defense ministry said in an intelligence update.
Mikhail Tereshchenko | Afp | Getty Images
Russia likely wants to be able to show “significant successes” ahead of its annual Victory Day celebration on May 9, the British defense ministry said in an intelligence update.
“This could affect how quickly and forcefully they attempt to conduct operations in the run-up to this date,” the U.K. ministry said.
May 9 is of great national importance to Russia, as it marks the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Russian forces are now advancing toward Kramatorsk, the capital of the Donbas region, which continues to suffer from rocket attacks, the ministry said. The Donbas is made up of the two pro-Russian self-declared “republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk.
“High levels of Russian air activity endure as Russia seeks to provide close air support to its offensive in eastern Ukraine, to suppress and destroy Ukrainian air defense capabilities,” the ministry added.
— Chelsea Ong
Ukraine wants to cut off Russia’s ability to finance war with oil and gas sales
Ukraine wants to cut Russia off from financing its military activities with oil revenues, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The plan is to restrict key sectors in Russia — including energy and banking, as well as export-import operations, transport, he said. “The next steps should include an oil embargo and a complete restriction on oil supplies from Russia,” he said during his nightly video address.
Ukrainian and international experts are working to ensure that “Russia will lose the opportunity to finance the military machine,” he added, saying details of the plan were published today.
“We are also working to ensure that all — I emphasize — all Russian officials who support this shameful war receive a logical sanctions response from the democratic world,” the president said.
Ukrainian soldier checks the destruction of the shrapnel in a wall of a village near the frontline of Mykolaiv after a Russian shelling. A plan developed by a team of Ukrainian and international experts to strengthen sanctions against Russia has been published, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Wednesday.
Celestino Arce | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Zelenskyy highlighted his meeting with European Council President Charles Michel, who visited Kyiv on Wednesday.
The two leaders talked about how to address threats to food and energy security in Europe and globally. “Resuming exports of Ukrainian agricultural products and blocking Russia’s ability to blackmail Europe with energy resources are top priorities for everyone on the continent,” he added.
While pointing out that the EU was preparing a sixth package of sanctions, he emphasized that sanctions are not “an end in themselves,” but a tool to motivate Russia to end the war.
Zelenskyy added that the situation in the east and south of Ukraine remains “as severe as possible” and that Russian forces are still trying for some victory through new large-scale offensives — “at least something they can ‘feed’ their propagandists with,” he said.
Russia has been waging information warfare alongside its military operations. NBC News previously reported that Russians have been “fed a steady diet of propaganda” by Russian-state media.
— Chelsea Ong
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