Ukraine-Russia war: Following the US senators’ passage of a $61 billion (£49 billion) support package, Joe Biden informed Volodymyr Zelensky that he would “move quickly” to deliver Ukraine further military aid.
Following months of political impasse in the House, the bill was finally approved by the House of Representatives on Saturday.
If senators pass the bill as predicted on Tuesday, Mr. Biden promised “significant” help for Kyiv, including more air defenses.
The guarantees coincide with the destruction of a Kharkiv TV tower by Russian strikes.
Video captured the red-and-white skyscraper in the eastern Ukrainian city, which is only 19 miles (30 km) from the Russian border, falling moments after Russian missiles struck it on Monday afternoon.
Regional Governor Oleg Syniehubov posted on social media that staff members were in a shelter at the time of the incident, despite local officials claiming there were no injuries.
However, Mr. Syniehubov said that the attack had interfered with local television transmissions.
Russian forces have been attacking Kharkiv from the air nonstop for the past few weeks. President Zelensky stated that it was “Russia’s clear intention to make the city uninhabitable” in a social media post following the strike.
He went on to say that he had alerted President Biden to the strike, claiming that it had occurred just before their Monday conversation.
President Biden stated that his government had a “lasting commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends its freedom against Russian aggression” in a transcript of the call made public by the White House.
Ukraine on maps: Tracking the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Additionally, according to the White House, Mr. Biden pledged to support Ukraine’s efforts to “maintain financial stability, build back critical infrastructure following Russian attacks, and support reform as Ukraine moves forward on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration”.
The aid package, which the House approved on Saturday, consists of “forgivable loans” worth over $9 billion (£7.28 billion) in economic assistance that is forgiven and does not require repayment.
Mr. Zelensky applauded Mr. Biden’s remarks, while Mykhailo Podolyak, the head of Ukraine’s top assistant, stated that the recently increased US aid had provided much-needed encouragement to the war-weary country.
However, Moscow has gained a lot of momentum in the fight in recent weeks and has won several battles in the nation’s east.
Furthermore, Mr. Zelensky has issued a warning, stating that Russia is likely to aim for a significant military victory before Victory Day, which is observed on May 9 in commemoration of the defeat of Nazi Germany.
He proposed that Moscow try to take control of the little Donetsk region town of Chasiv Yar before the holiday. Just west of Bakhmut, a destroyed city that Russia took control of last year following months of brutal combat, is Chasiv Yar.
According to military leaders in Kyiv, if Moscow’s forces manage to take control of Chasiv Yar—which has all but been abandoned by its pre-war population—they would provide a route into the Ukrainian cities of Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk.
Additionally, the Donetsk region’s Novomykhailivka town was reportedly taken over by Russia’s defense ministry on Monday. Although Ukrainian defense officials previously stated that their forces had stopped Russian advances on the settlement, the BBC is unable to independently verify the allegation.
The head of military intelligence in Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, stated to the BBC’s Ukrainian service on Monday that the upcoming weeks would present “a rather difficult situation” for Kyiv’s forces.
The Russian takeover of the town of Avdiivka, Lt Gen Budanov admitted, was “a real success” for them. He did, however, add that although the combat scenario for Ukraine would deteriorate over the next several weeks, it wouldn’t be “catastrophic”.
He went on, “Armageddon will not occur.”
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, was also addressed by President Biden on Monday.
According to an official transcript of the conversation, Ms. von der Leyen’s office stated that the two talked about “their steadfast support for Ukraine as it defends against Russian aggression” and “how sustained international support is vital to Ukraine’s fight for freedom”.
A Russian man who made a critical remark about the invasion of Ukraine to a US newspaper has been sentenced to five years of “correctional labor” in Moscow.
Yuri Kokhovets was charged with disseminating “fakes about the army” after he commented on US-funded Radio Free Europe in February 2022 that was critical of the war and President Vladimir Putin.
This is the first instance of a Russian citizen being prosecuted for giving an opinion to a foreign journalist.
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