Here is what is in the next $ 800 million arms package for Ukraine
US Marines with Alpha Battery, 1st Bn. Battalion, 4th Marine Battalion fire their light 155mm M777 howitzer during the Alligator Dagger exercise in Arta Beach, Djibouti, December 18.
US Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Zachery C. Laning US Marine Corps
The Pentagon detailed the contents of the latest $ 800 million security package, in line with Russia’s renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine.
The eighth tranche of US military aid includes:
- 72 155 mm howitzers
- 144,000 artillery shells
- 72 tactical machines for pulling 155 mm howitzers
- Over 121 tactical unmanned aerial vehicles Phoenix Ghost
- Field equipment and spare parts
The United States has provided about $ 3.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the unprovoked invasion of Russia began on February 24.
“Amanda Macias.”
The United States will send a $ 800 million military package and $ 500 million in economic aid to Ukraine
The United States 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 weapons package, which includes more heavy artillery, as Russia intensifies its attack 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, dozens of howitzers and 144,000 rounds of ammunition to go with these howitzers,” Biden told the White House.
Military aid complements the $ 800 million package Biden announced last week. The United States also sent $ 500 million in direct economic aid last month.
“Amanda Macias.”
Biden met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmihal
President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmihal as the country fights a new Russian attack.
Biden and Schmihal spoke before Biden announced a new $ 800 million military aid package for Ukraine. Biden said he had discussed the new arms transfer with Schmihal.
Schmihal also had to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi while in Washington.
“Jacob Pramuk.”
Biden is ready to comment on the war in Ukraine
President Joe Biden presents his request for a budget for the 2023 fiscal year on March 28, 2022 in Washington.
Anna Moneymaker Getty Images
President Joe Biden is expected to provide up-to-date information on the war in Ukraine amid a renewed Russian offensive in the east.
Biden is due to speak from Roosevelt’s White House room at 9:45 a.m. ET before traveling to Portland and Seattle to discuss his administration’s infrastructure policy plans. His remarks came after a meeting Wednesday afternoon with his military commanders and national security officials to assess global threats as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Prior to the meeting, Biden said US security aid was flowing into the region on a daily basis and that the Allies “amplify and amplify the impact of our response.” The United States has authorized $ 2.6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of the Russian war.
Moreover, the White House is expected to announce another significant package of security aid to Ukraine this week, confirmed five US officials familiar with the matter to NBC News on Tuesday.
“Amanda Macias.”
The prime ministers of Spain and Denmark arrive in Kyiv to visit Zelensky
The prime ministers of Spain and Denmark visited Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky, and made statements in support of the country as they visited areas around the capital that witnessed Russian atrocities against civilians.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted a video on Twitter from the town of Borodyanka with his Danish counterpart Mete Frederiksen. In the publication, he described seeing “the horrors and atrocities of Putin’s war on the streets of Borodyanka,” adding: “We will not leave the Ukrainian people alone.”
Frederiksen told the press: “We intend to supply more weapons to Ukraine because it is most necessary,” and that her office will also focus on prosecuting “war crimes and human rights violations.”
– Natasha Turak
Ukraine offers “unconditional” talks with Russia on the evacuation of Mariupol
Ukraine is offering unconditional talks with Russia in an attempt to save lives in the shattered city of Mariupol, a negotiator from the Ukrainian government said.
“Yes. Without any conditions. We are ready to hold a “special round of negotiations” right in Mariupol. One on one. Two for two. To save our boys, Azov, military, civilians, children, alive and wounded. Everyone, “tweeted negotiator and presidential adviser Mihail Podoliak.
Another negotiator, David Arahamia, said in an online post: “Today, in talks with the city’s defenders, a proposal was made to hold direct talks on the ground to evacuate our military garrison,” he said. “For our part, we are ready to arrive for such talks at any time, as soon as we receive confirmation from the Russian side.
Several thousand Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have taken refuge in the massive Azovstal steel production in Mariupol under heavy Russian shelling and have ignored two deadlines from Moscow to surrender in the past week, although some Ukrainian commanders have warned they may face their last days.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday canceled plans to storm the facility instead, instructing Russian forces to continue blocking it.
Humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians have had limited success in recent weeks, and fewer civilians have managed to leave in the last 24 hours than the Ukrainian government had hoped. About 100,000 civilians remained in the southern port city, up from a population of almost 500,000 before the invasion.
– Natasha Turak
UN says 2,345 killed in Ukraine since war warns warn death toll
Gravediggers throw soil at a woman’s grave while 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 wounded in Ukraine since Russia invaded its former Soviet neighbor on February 24.
Of those killed, the UN 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 on Monday that the death toll in Ukraine is likely to be higher, citing delayed reporting due to the armed conflict.
The international organization said most of the civilian casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons, including heavy artillery shelling and multiple rocket launchers, as well as missiles and air strikes.
“Amanda Macias.”
A small majority of people in Sweden support joining NATO, according to a poll
A majority of Swedes support joining NATO, according to a study by the Novus polling institute.
The survey found that 51% of Swedes are in favor of joining a military group from 30 countries, up from 45% a week earlier. This comes as the Swedish government prepares to discuss whether it should apply to join NATO and abandon its long-standing policy of neutrality.
From rising food prices to social unrest, the consequences of the war can be enormous
Families are preparing to board a train at Kramatorsk Central Station on Monday to escape the eastern city of Donbass.
Fadel Sena | Afp | Getty Images
Whatever happens on the front lines in the next few days and weeks, the shockwaves of the conflict will continue to reverberate around the world, with the World Bank and the IMF lowering their forecasts for global growth.
Both institutions said the downgrade was made as they expected supply shocks to intensify and commodity prices, of which Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers, to rise sharply.
Moreover, the Ukraine-Russia region is seen as one of a handful of global breadwinners (or large food producers) and plays a vital role not only as an exporter of basic products such as wheat, but also as one of the main suppliers of fertilizers throughout world.
The depth of the impact on the world economy depends on how long the war lasts and the scale of the devastation and disruption it causes. There are no signs that Russia is ready to back down soon, despite a string of international sanctions targeting vital sectors of its economy, from oil and gas to its financial system.
Read the whole story.
“Holly Eliat.”
How the mud of Ukraine has become a secret weapon against Russia
A member of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Force stands on a damaged Russian tank on the outskirts of the village of Nova Basan in Ukraine on April 1, 2022. Russia’s invasion on February 24 coincided with what is known locally as “muddy road season” or “Rasputitsa” in Russian.
Anatolian Agency Anatolian Agency Getty Images
The timing of the Russian invasion, which began on February 24, coincided with what is locally known as “muddy road season” or “Rasputitsa” in Russian.
This is a phenomenon that occurs twice a year, first in the spring – when winter frosts subside and the country’s terrain and unpaved roads become virtually impassable as they turn to mud – and then in the fall, when there may be heavy rain.
According to military experts, the mud has helped slow Russia’s progress in parts of the country, especially in the north. Images and videos circulating online show Russian tanks, trucks and other armored vehicles stranded and abandoned on muddy roads or fields in Ukraine.
Read the whole story.
“Holly Eliat.”
Russia is “furiously bombing” the second largest city in Ukraine, Kharkiv, the mayor said
Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, has been heavily bombed, the mayor said.
“Huge explosions, the Russian Federation is fiercely bombing the city,” Kharkov Mayor Igor Terekhov said in a televised address, according to a Reuters translation.
Terekhov said 1 million people remain in the northeastern city and about 30% of the pre-war population has fled – mostly women, children and the elderly.
– Natasha Turak
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