Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has revealed that Ukraine is committed to reinstating medical scholarship programs for Ghanaian students once the ongoing war with Russia comes to an end.
He made this known after separate discussions with the Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Georgia during the Raisina Dialogue in India.
In a Facebook post, Ablakwa stated that Ukraine is keen on strengthening its educational partnership with Ghana and expanding bilateral agreements in the sector.
“Ukraine is seeking to restore medical scholarship opportunities and an expanded bilateral educational partnership agreement with Ghana after the war,” he wrote.
The discussions also explored mutually beneficial agribusiness ventures, particularly as Ukraine works towards reviving its economy.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister reassured that his country remains committed to ending the conflict with Russia, stressing that Ukraine does not intend to be an obstacle to lasting peace.
Meanwhile, Ablakwa noted that Georgia is considering opening a diplomatic mission in Accra as part of efforts to deepen relations with Ghana.
“I am deeply grateful to His Excellency Andrii Sybiha of Ukraine and Her Excellency Maka Botchorishvili of Georgia for their warmth and great respect for Ghana,” Ablakwa added.
A meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House took a tense turn as the two leaders clashed over Ukraine’s approach to peace talks with Russia.
During the Oval Office discussion, Trump made it clear that continued American support was contingent on Ukraine’s willingness to negotiate. “Make a deal or we’re out,” he warned, hinting at a potential shift in U.S. policy regarding the ongoing war.
He also accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” and suggested that Ukraine should show more appreciation for the aid it has received from the United States.
Zelensky, however, pushed back, maintaining that Ukraine “should not compromise” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, standing firm against any forced settlement.
The talks ended without an agreement, and Zelensky left the White House without signing a minerals deal that had been a central part of the discussions. Plans for a joint news conference with Trump were also scrapped, and Zelensky departed without addressing reporters.
Shortly after, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, writing, “He can come back when he is ready for peace.”
Vice President JD Vance also questioned whether Zelensky had demonstrated sufficient gratitude for America’s continued support throughout the war.
In a tragic escalation,Ukrainian capital Kyiv witnessed severe damage to a prominent children’s hospital from Russian airstrikes, resulting in at least 31 fatalities across the country during an early morning barrage.
The airstrikes, unusually occurring in daylight, claimed the lives of at least 17 individuals in Kyiv alone. Among the casualties were two individuals at the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital, the largest pediatric facility in Ukraine, which suffered extensive damage from the explosion.
In central Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih, the head of the military administration reported a death toll of at least 10, while three more lost their lives in the eastern town of Pokrovsk and one in Dnipro.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, currently in Poland where he has signed a security pact, expressed a firm commitment to respond to the attacks.
“Different cities: Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk. More than 40 missiles of various types. Residential buildings, infrastructure and a children’s hospital were damaged,” Mr Zelensky wrote earlier on social media.
Lesia Lysytsia, a doctor at the children’s hospital, told the BBC the moment the missile struck was “like in a film” with a “big light, then an awful sound”.
This image shows the extent of the damage to the children’s hospital
“One part of the hospital was destroyed and there was a fire in another. It’s really very damaged – maybe 60-70% of the hospital,” she said.
Pictures from the scene showed young children – some with IV drips – sitting outside the hospital as it was evacuated. Dr Lysytsia said Ohmatdyt is a big hospital which carries out many functions, including cancer treatment and organ transplants.
“Now we are in the process of evacuating patients to the nearest hospital.. [but] many patients are intubated and on ventilators and cannot have contact with other patients or go outside,” she said.
Hospital staff informed Ukrainian television that approximately 20 children were receiving treatment in the ward that was struck.
Following the initial attack, another explosion shook the nearby vicinity, prompting hundreds of individuals to seek refuge in an underground passageway.
President Zelensky posted on social media, expressing concern that individuals were trapped beneath the debris of the hospital.
Vitaliy Klitschko, Kyiv’s mayor, told the Reuters news agency from the hospital that the bombardment was “one of the the worst attacks” on the capital since the start of the war.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported via social media that a maternity unit in Kyiv suffered partial destruction from falling debris, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and injuries to three others.
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina, as announced by the Women’s Tennis Association, will wear a black ribbon during her Wimbledon round of 16 match on Monday afternoon to honor the victims.
In another part of the country, Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvy Rih’s military administration, stated on Telegram that an attack on the city had claimed the lives of at least 10 people and left 31 others wounded, with 10 in critical condition.
Kryvy Rih, President Zelensky’s hometown, has faced repeated assaults from Russia since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Sergiy Lysak, head of the Dnipro region, reported one fatality and six injuries in Dnipro city, noting that a high-rise building and a business were among the targets hit.
In Pokrovsk, located in the eastern Donetsk region, three individuals lost their lives. Russian forces have recently seized control of several villages in this area.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Moscow for a two-day state visit,scheduled to meet President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Monday for talks.
This visit coincided with Russian airstrikes that Ukraine alleges targeted civilian infrastructure, though Russia claims they aimed at military sites.
Swiss President Viola Amherd announced on Monday that representatives from ninety countries worldwide are expected to participate in a conference dedicated to forging a path to sustainable peace in Ukraine.
However, Russia will not be among the attendees.
The conference, scheduled for June 15–16, aims to foster discussions and agreements towards resolving the ongoing conflict, which began nearly 28 months ago with the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.
Despite being hosted at Kyiv’s request, Russia will not be attending the conference organised by Switzerland.
Bern had previously stated that Russia was not invited, as it had indicated a lack of interest in participating.
Moscow contends that Switzerland’s alignment with sanctions imposed by the European Union disqualifies it from neutrality.
Nevertheless, the Swiss government has asserted that the conference’s objective is to collaboratively outline a roadmap for involving both Russia and Ukraine in future peace efforts.
Invitation list Amherd said that “a handful” of the confirmed participants are from organisations like the United Nations, with the rest representing countries, about half of which are sending a head of state or government.
US President Joe Biden will not but the White House will instead send Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
Amherd denied that Switzerland was “disappointed” that fewer than 100 countries would attend after about 160 invitations were sent.
Swiss officials revealed that Brazil and China declared their intention not to participate unless all sides, including Russia, were represented at the conference.
This decision came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Beijing, in collaboration with Russia, of attempting to sabotage the summit by exerting pressure on other nations to abstain from attending.
United States President Joe Biden has apologized to UkrainianPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyyfor previous delays in Washington’s aid to Kyiv, emphasizing that the US will continue to support Ukraine.
The two leaders met on Friday in Paris during the D-Day anniversary celebrations, where President Biden announced a $225 million aid package to help rebuild Ukraine’s electric grid.
Biden emphasised that the US will continue to stand with Ukraine against the Russian invasion. “We’re still in – completely, thoroughly,” he said.
Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars to Kyiv to help fend off the Russian offensive that began in February 2022.
But earlier this year, funds available for the Biden administration to help Ukraine began to dwindle during an impasse in Congress to authorise new aid.
Some right-wing lawmakers have been sceptical of US support for Ukraine. Further complicating matters, legislators tried to link Ukraine aid to other issues, including assistance to Israel and domestic priorities.
After months of negotiations between the White House and congressional leaders, lawmakers passed a $61bn Ukraine funding bill in April that Biden signed into law.
The legislation also provided $14bn in military aid to Israel.
“I apologise for the weeks of not knowing what’s going on in terms of funding,” Biden told Zelenskyy, blaming “very conservative” members ofCongress for holding up the funding bill.
Russia’s invasion of Ukrainein February 2022 not only ignited global condemnation but also prompted a series of sanctions aimed at undermining the Kremlin’s capacity to wage war against its neighbouring country.
These measures included freezing Russia’s assets abroad, isolating its economy from the global financial system, and directing sanctions specifically towards its energy exports.
I can remember Western officials and commentators describing the sanctions as “crippling,” “debilitating,” and “unprecedented.”
With adjectives like these filling the airwaves, the situation seemed clear.
There was surely no way that Russia’s economy would withstand the pressure.
Faced with the prospect of an economic collapse, the Kremlin would be forced to back down and withdraw its troops.
After twenty-seven months, the conflict persists. Surprisingly, Russia’s economy is not weak but rather flourishing.
The International Monetary Fund forecasts a growth rate of 3.2% for Russia this year, surpassing that of any advanced economy.
Despite being described as “debilitating,” sanctions have not led to shortages in Russian stores.
Supermarket shelves remain well-stocked.
However, inflation is a concern, and some Western companies have withdrawn from the Russian market in response to the invasion of Ukraine, leading to certain products no longer being available for sale.
But many of their products still find their way into Russia through a variety of routes. If you look hard enough, you can still find American cola in Russian stores.
While CEOs from Europe and America may be less inclined to attend Russia’s annual showcase economic event, the organisers of this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum assert that delegates from over 130 countries and territories are participating.
Despite the challenges posed by Western sanctions, the Russian economy has pivoted towards developing new markets in the East and the Global South.
Russian officials are keen to highlight that attempts to politically and economically isolate Russia have not yielded the desired results.
“It looks like the Russian economy managed to adjust to very unfavourable external conditions,” says Yevgeny Nadorshin, senior economist at PF Capital. ”Without any doubt, sanctions broke a lot in the mechanism of operation inside the economy. But a lot has been restored. Adaptation is happening.”
Workaround
Does this mean that sanctions have failed? “The big issue was our understanding of what sanctions can and cannot do,” says Elina Ribakova, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
“It’s not like flipping a switch and Russia disappears. What sanctions can do is throw a country off balance temporarily until it finds a way to work around the sanctions, until it finds alternative ways to get shipments or sell its oil.
We’re eactly in that space where Russia has found a workaround.”
Moscow has redirected its oil exports from Europe to China and India. In December 2022, G7 and EU leaders introduced a price cap plan aimed at limiting the revenue Russia earns from its oil exports by trying to keep it below $60 a barrel.
But Western experts concede that Russia has been able to circumvent this quite easily.
The story of the price cap highlights a dilemma for the US and its partners.
Recognising that Russia is one of the largest players on the global energy market, they have tried to keep Russian oil flowing to avoid hiking energy prices. The result of that is that Moscow is still making money.
“In a way, we refused to properly sanction Russian oil,” Elina Ribakova concludes. “This price cap is an attempt to have our cake and eat it.
The priorities are to allow Russian oil to enter the market and to reduce Russia’s revenue. And when these two priorities conflict, unfortunately, the first one wins.
This substantial revenue stream enables Russia to sustain its operations, including the ongoing conflict.”
Russia has emerged as China’s primary oil supplier, underscoring the significance of their economic relationship beyond energy exports. China has become a crucial lifeline for the Russian economy, with bilateral trade reaching a staggering $240 billion last year.
A stroll through the streets of St. Petersburg or Moscow reveals the profound impact of China on a Russia affected by sanctions.
Electronics stores are brimming with Chinese tablets, gadgets, and mobile phones, while Chinese car dealers have gained dominance in the local automotive market.
The Ukrainian prisoners, including four people who were not soldiers, were brought back to the northern Sumy region on buses. They shouted happily as they got off the boat and called their families to say they were back home. Some people knelt down and kissed the ground, while others covered themselves with yellow-blue flags.
They hugged each other and started crying. Many looked very thin and wore clothes that were not good.
The exchange was the fourth time this year that prisoners were swapped, and it was the 52nd time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The Foreign Ministry in Kyiv said that the United Arab Emirates helped to arrange the release of 150 prisoners of war.
Both sides are blaming each other for a decrease in the swaps.
Ukraine has asked Russia before to exchange all prisoners and there are weekly protests in Ukraine asking for the release of prisoners of war. A Ukrainian official named Vitalii Matviienko said that Ukraine is always prepared to coordinate exchanges at the headquarters.
Tatyana Moskalkova, who is responsible for protecting people’s rights in Russia, said that Kyiv is asking for new things without explaining what they are.
On Friday, one of the people who came back to Ukraine was Roman Onyschuk. He works in IT and he joined the Ukrainian forces as a volunteer when the Russian invasion began. He was caught in March 2022 in the Kharkiv area.
“I just want to listen to my wife and son talking. ” He said he missed his friend’s birthday three times. He was in captivity for over 800 days and did not talk to his family. He doesn’t know what city they are in now.
“It’s a bit too much to handle,” Onyschuk said.
Ukraine has received a total of 3,210 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians back since the war began, including those coming back on Friday.
Ukraine and Russia do not say how many prisoners of war there are.
Dmytro Kantypenko was taken as a prisoner on Snake Island in the Black Sea at the beginning of the war. He was one of the people who were released on Friday. He called his mother to tell her that he was back in Ukraine.
“He said he will come home soon and wiped his tears. ” He found out that his wife had gone to Lithuania with their son. The Kantypenko family is from Izium in the Kharkiv region, which was taken over by Russia.
Kantypenko said that the Russians unexpectedly woke him up in the middle of the night without saying why, and gave him only a little time to get dressed before leaving.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs says that at least one-third of Ukrainians who came back home had injuries, severe illnesses, or disabilities.
On Friday, 19 Ukrainian fighters came back from Snake Island, 14 people were released from Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and 10 fighters returned from Mariupol city which was taken by Russia.
Five women were released from being prisoners in Ukraine. One of them was Nataliia Manuilova, who was a cook in the Azov regiment and was held captive for over two years. The Russians grabbed her from her home in Mariupol, put a bag over her head, and tied her hands, she said.
I don’t like them. “They stole two years of my life,” she said, hugging her son on Friday. Nataliia Manuilova said, “I can’t believe how much he has grown up. ”
The prisoners traveled through little towns. Then they went to Sumy where they would go to hospitals for two weeks to get better.
Ukrainians with blue and yellow flags went out on the streets and cheered loudly for their military members returning home.
Belgium promised to give money to Ukraine and also said they will provide 30 fighter jets in the next four years.
“We need to use the first F-16 on the battlefield this year to strengthen our positions,” Zelenskyy said.
After that, he went to Portugal and said it was important for Ukraine’s supporters not to be tricked by Russia and to keep fighting the war.
The Russian army is attacking Ukraine in the east and northeast. This is the biggest test for Ukraine’s military since Russia invaded in February 2022.
Ukraine’s Western friends are taking a long time to help them. The US military aid is also delayed. This has made Ukraine vulnerable to Russia’s larger army and air force.
European countries have been talking about sending soldiers to help Ukraine. They have also been discussing giving Ukrainian money that Russia has taken, which has made Russia very angry.
Putin has said many times that the West should not join the fight more, and he has talked about the possibility of a nuclear war.
Putin said that using these weapons would depend on information from Western intelligence and involve NATO military personnel. He also warned NATO about the potential consequences.
He said that leaders of countries in NATO, especially those in Europe, should be careful about their actions. He also mentioned that smaller countries with crowded populations should be extra cautious.
The Netherlands said they will work fast with important EU countries to put together a Patriot air defense system. Zelenskyy thinks this is very important to stop Russia from attacking Ukraine’s power grid, cities, and also military targets with powerful glide bombs.
NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg said he was glad about the decision, but he also said that there was still a lot of work to do.
“We have seen some improvements, but Ukraine urgently needs more progress and more air defense systems,” said Stoltenberg as he went into a meeting with EU defense ministers.
Before going back to Ukraine, Zelenskyy went to Portugal and signed a new agreement between the two countries. Portugal is not very rich and has a smaller military than other countries in the European Union. The leader of Portugal, Luis Montenegro, said that they are giving more money and military help to Kyiv, which is the capital of Ukraine. This is part of a big plan to work together.
On Monday, Zelenskyy made a deal with Spain to give Ukraine 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) for weapons and soldiers in 2024, and 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) by 2027.
Providing aid to both sides is important because the 27 countries in the group are having trouble getting Hungary to agree to the EU giving a lot of money in military aid to Kyiv.
The Hungarian government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stopped about 6. 5 billion euros ($7 billion) from being used. Orban is known for being a strong supporter of Russia in the European Union. Each individual country has the power to stop decisions, and Hungary has been blocking money meant to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses for a long time.
“We have the money and the ability, but we still need to make decisions about giving aid to Ukraine,” explained Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy leader.
Zelenskyy talked with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, and got money and a security agreement. The agreement means Ukraine will get military help until it joins NATO.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs seven more US air defence systems because Russia attacked in Kharkiv.
Putin says that the Russian government’s soldiers are trying to create a “buffer zone” in Kharkiv to stop Ukraine from attacking across the border there.
The Defense Minister of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, met with other EU leaders and said that a Patriot system will be built quickly. The Netherlands has some important parts for the system, and other EU countries will add more parts and weapons.
“Ukraine is also joining Europe in the fight,” she said.
Zelenskyy was going to travel to Belgium and Spain but he had to cancel his trips because Russia attacked Ukraine and the Ukrainian military is facing a difficult situation.
In other news, the head of the UN’s atomic agency was in Kaliningrad, Russia to discuss safety concerns related to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.
The Russian army took control of the plant at the beginning of the war. None of the reactors have been running since then. Regular bombing near Europe’s biggest nuclear plant has made people around the world worried about keeping the plant safe from danger.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, met with Alexei Likhachyov, who leads Russia’s nuclear energy company, Rosatom. The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that Grossi said they agree on what needs to be done to make the nuclear plant safer, but right now it doesn’t seem possible to start it again.
Likhachyov repeated that he wants to reopen the plant, and also promised that it is ” completely safe” as it is now.
Three people who know about the conversations in Putin’s circle said that the experienced Russian leader had talked to a few advisers about being annoyed with what he sees as Western attempts to stop negotiations and the Ukrainian President’s decision to not have talks.
Another person who knows Putin well said that Putin is willing to keep fighting for as long as necessary, but he is also open to stopping the war and having a ceasefire.
He, like the others mentioned in this story, spoke anonymously because the topic is sensitive.
Reuters talked to five people who have worked closely with Putin in politics and business for this story. The fifth source did not say anything about stopping the war where it is now.
Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said that Russia is open to talking to achieve its goals. He also said that Russia doesn’t want to be in a never-ending war.
Some people think that when economist Andrei Belousov was appointed as Russia’s defense minister last week, it meant that Russia is getting ready for a long war by focusing on the economy.
It happened after Russia kept fighting and gaining more land in the past few weeks.
However, the people said that Putin, who was elected again in March for another six years, would prefer to use Russia’s current progress to end the war. They did not talk about the new defence minister directly.
Two people who know about conversations in the top levels of the Russian government said that Putin thinks that the progress in the war is good enough to convince the Russian people that they have won.
The biggest fight in Europe since World War Two has caused many deaths on both sides, and has resulted in Western countries punishing Russia’s economy.
Three people said that Putin knew that making big new advances would need another nationwide mobilization, but he didn’t want that. One person, who knows Putin, said that his popularity went down after the first mobilization in September 2022.
The government asked some people to join the military in Russia, and it scared many people. As a result, hundreds of thousands of young men left the country. Surveys showed that fewer people liked Putin than before.
Peskov said that Russia doesn’t need to call up its regular army and instead is getting people to volunteer to join the armed forces as contractors.
The chances of stopping the fighting or having a discussion about peace right now are unlikely.
Zelenskyy has said many times that he will not agree to peace on Putin’s terms. He promised to recapture land that was taken, including Crimea, which Russia took over in 2014. In 2022, he made a rule that said having discussions with Putin is not allowed.
Ukraine is getting ready for a meeting in Switzerland next month. The meeting is about getting countries to agree on how to stop the war. The meeting was organized by Zelenskyy, who said that Putin should not come. Switzerland did not ask Russia to come.
Moscow said the discussions are not believable if they are not involved. Ukraine and Switzerland want Russia’s friends, including China, to come to the meeting.
On May 17th, while talking in China, Putin mentioned that Ukraine might use the talks in Switzerland to get more countries to support Zelenskyy’s request for Russia to completely withdraw. Putin thinks this demand is more of a forced condition than a real effort to make peace.
The Swiss foreign ministry did not reply right away when asked for a comment.
We are prepared to talk. “We never said no,” Putin said in China.
The Kremlin is not talking about how its military operation in Ukraine is going. But, they have said that they are willing to have talks based on the current situation in Ukraine.
When asked about this story, a spokesperson from the US State Department said that any plan for peace in Ukraine should follow the country’s borders that are recognized around the world. They also said that Russia is the only thing stopping peace in Ukraine.
“The Kremlin has not shown any real interest in stopping the war, on the contrary,” the spokesperson said.
In the past, Kyiv didn’t believe Russia was really ready to talk because it seemed like Russia was trying to blame them for the war.
Kyiv says Putin cannot be trusted to keep any deal because his team denied planning a war before invading Ukraine in 2022.
Russia and Ukraine are worried that the other side will use a ceasefire to get more weapons.
Kyiv and the countries that support it are hoping that a $61 billion aid package from the US and more military aid from Europe will help turn around what Zelenskiy called “one of the toughest times” in the war.
Ukraine is having trouble getting enough ammunition because the US is taking a long time to approve it. They are also having a hard time finding enough soldiers, so they have decided to lower the age for drafting men to 25 instead of 27.
Land or area
Putin is not willing to change his mind about securing any progress on the battlefield in a deal, according to all the sources.
Putin is okay with keeping the land he has now and stopping the fighting at the current front lines. Four people said this.
One person said Putin will claim we won and that NATO attacked us but we kept our independence. They also said Putin will say we have a road to Crimea, which is true.
Stopping the fighting where it is now would mean that Russia keeps control of big parts of four Ukrainian regions that he took in September 2022, but doesn’t have complete control over any of them.
This plan would not meet Moscow’s goals when it said it controlled all of four regions in Ukraine – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
Peskov said that Russia won’t give back the four regions because they are now part of Russia according to its constitution.
Another reason why the leader of Russia wants the war to end is because the longer it goes on, the more experienced soldiers will come back to Russia. These soldiers may not be happy with the jobs and money they can get after the war, and this could cause problems in society. This information comes from someone who has worked with Putin.
‘Russia will keep moving forward’
In February, three people from Russia told Reuters that the United States said no to Putin’s idea of stopping the war with a ceasefire.
If there’s no agreement to stop fighting, Putin wants to take over as much land as he can to make Ukraine feel more pressure. He also wants to take advantage of any sudden chances to get even more land, according to three people.
Russian forces are in charge of about 18% of Ukraine and recently moved into the northeastern region of Kharkiv.
Putin thinks that Russia has a lot more people than Ukraine, so they will have more soldiers without needing to call everyone to join the military. The soldiers will also get paid a lot of money to persuade them to join.
“Russia will continue to advance,” said the person who has experience working with Putin.
Putin will take more land little by little until Zelenskyy makes a deal to stop. The Russian leader thinks the West won’t give Ukraine enough weapons, which will make Ukraine feel less confident.
Leaders from the US and Europe have promised to support Ukraine until it is safe and its independence is protected. NATO countries and their friends are working to speed up the delivery of weapons.
The State Department said that Russia can stop the war by pulling its army out of Ukraine, instead of attacking Ukraine’s cities, ports, and people every day.
All five sources said that Putin told his advisers that he doesn’t plan to take over any NATO territory, which is the same thing he has said publicly. Two sources said that Russia is worried about the situation in Ukraine getting worse and possibly leading to a conflict with the West, including a nuclear conflict.
The State Department said that the United States has not changed its plan for nuclear weapons, and has not seen any indication that Russia is getting ready to use a nuclear weapon.
“We are still watching the situation carefully and are prepared,” said the spokesperson.
Ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid have caused the country’s leaders to introduce nationwide rolling blackouts. If there aren’t enough ways to protect against attacks and make repairs, the shortages could get even worse when more people need things in the late summer and winter.
The Russian airstrikes hitting the power system since March have caused blackouts to happen again in Kyiv, the capital city. This hadn’t happened since the first year of the war. There were some attacks in April and May that damaged a big power plant in Kyiv and targeted other power facilities in different areas.
Half of Ukraine’s energy system was broken, according to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Whole buildings in the main city lost power. The city’s military leaders said that at least 10% of people had their electricity or water cut off.
For a lot of people, this is a small example of what could happen if Ukraine doesn’t find other ways to get electricity before winter.
Early on Wednesday morning, a Russian drone attack caused a power outage in the city of Sumy in northern Ukraine. The city of about 250,000 people got some of its power back in the morning as workers quickly fixed the damage, according to local officials.
The power grid keeps getting attacked and there’s no good way to stop it. So, we can’t quickly fix the electricity shortages, according to Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. Ukraine is asking Western friends for more air defense systems and spare parts to repair its old Soviet factories.
“We are losing more and more power with each attack, so our power generation is decreasing,” said Halushchenko on Tuesday outside a coal-fired plant in central Ukraine that was destroyed in an attack on April 11th. Until the military can protect the plant from more attacks, trying to fix it would be pointless.
The minister wondered if it was a good idea to fix the power stations if the Russians would just attack again and we couldn’t protect ourselves.
The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock went with him to the plant, showing how much Ukraine really needs to fix their power problem fast.
The grid will have its first big test in July and August when people use a lot of electricity because of the summer heat. It will be a challenge for the grid because the amount of electricity used will be similar to what is used in the winter when it’s very cold.
In mid-May, people in Kyiv started to experience the results of Russia’s attacks. A sudden cold weather caused people to use more electricity. This made Ukrenergo, the main company that manages the power grid, to have to turn off electricity in some areas of the country. Ukraine doesn’t have enough electricity for peak times in the evening, and it can’t get enough from other countries like Poland, Slovakia, and Romania.
The plant was attacked on April 11 and it destroyed the machines that make electricity. This is what Yevhen Harkavyi, the technical director of Centerenergo, who runs the plant, said.
On that day, five missiles hit the building. Workers were still removing debris on Tuesday while fluffy poplar cotton fell through a hole in the roof like snow.
Harkavyi said the goal for winter is to fix as much power generation as they can. He admitted that it’s not clear how it will happen. He said, “The situation is already too difficult. “
Ukraine wants to get parts from old German factories that are no longer in use. Harkavyi said that Ukrainian teams went to Germany to check the equipment. It was turned off because it doesn’t meet EU environmental rules. European friends might not want to spend money on Ukraine’s coal energy because they are trying to be more eco-friendly. We will have to wait and see what they decide.
The teams are still figuring out how to bring the equipment back to Ukraine, he said.
“He said this is the first question. ” Ukraine wants air defense systems for protection. They are asking for help from Mrs. The Minister (Baerbock) has seen a lot of destruction and will ask the whole world for help.
This will be the fourth time the United States is giving military help to Ukraine since Congress approved a foreign aid bill last month. The Biden administration has promised to provide weapons regularly and get them to Ukraine’s military quickly.
The package has rocket systems and artillery rounds, as said by two US officials. More things in the aid package are anti-tank weapons like Javelin and AT-4, landmines, vehicles, guns, and bullets for the guns. This was said by an official. Both officials talked in secret to give information about the aid package before it was announced to the public.
Every month, around 50 defense leaders from Europe and other places meet on Mondays to work together to give more military help to Ukraine. At the most recent meeting, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Ukraine is facing a tough situation because Russia is attacking Kharkiv, which is the second biggest city in Ukraine. He promised to keep moving weapons every week.
Russia has tried to use Ukraine’s lack of soldiers and weapons to their advantage while Ukraine waits for more help from the US, which was taking a long time to come because of delays in Congress. The Ukrainian military was forced to retreat in some areas, while Russia attacked their power grid and civilian areas.
It also said it would provide $6 billion in funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. This money is used to pay for contracts with the defense industry that last a long time. This means that the weapons might not arrive for many months or even years.
The US has given almost $51 billion in military help to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022 with the latest package.
At least 16 people were hurt when S-300 missiles hit Kharkiv city, according to the regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. 15 big booms echoed through the city of about 1 million people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was very cruel. He is frustrated that the country’s Western partners have not given them enough air defense systems to stop the attacks after more than two years of war.
Kharkiv is the main city in the Kharkiv region and is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the Russian border. Recently, the soldiers from Moscow have taken control of villages in the region as part of a big effort. Some experts think they may be trying to get close enough to the city to use artillery.
In Ukraine, there is a big battle going on with Russia. Ukrainian forces are outnumbered and outgunned along a 1,000-kilometer front line.
Ukraine doesn’t have enough air defenses and is waiting for help from Western countries. Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s power grid and civilian areas, causing the Ukrainian army to lose ground in some areas. Kyiv had more power cuts on Thursday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the attacks showed that Ukraine really needs more US-made Patriot systems to protect its airspace right away. Germany promised to provide one missile system, but it’s important to get six more quickly for Ukraine’s safety and for peace in Europe. Kuleba wrote this on the social media platform X.
Zelenskyy said that there has been a lot of fighting in Kharkiv and the nearby Donetsk region. In February, Ukraine’s defenders left Avdiivka, which was an important place for them. The Kremlin really wants to take over all of Donetsk, even the parts that are currently under someone else’s control.
At the same time, Russian soldiers have entered the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, possibly to spread out Ukraine’s tired army.
About 1,500 people, including 200 children, have been taken out of Bilopillia and Vorozhba towns because of an emergency, as told by the governor of the area. Volodymyr Artiukh Simple: Volodymyr Artiukh.
Zelenskyy said the fighting is mainly happening at the whole border area.
In Liubotyn, a small town near Kharkiv city, Russian missiles hit the town’s center and hurt eight people.
Russia’s defense ministry announced on Thursday that their forces have gained control of the Donetsk settlement of Andriivka. This area had been held by Ukrainian forces since heavy fighting in September, which left the village destroyed.
In Donetsk, Russian troops said they are making progress near Chasiv Yar, Konstantinovka, and Rozdolivka.
We could not confirm the claims on our own. Recent progress made by Russia has been small and gradual.
Ukraine is looking at Russian areas near its border. Russia’s defense ministry said on Thursday that they have shot down 35 Ukrainian rockets and three drones over the Belgorod region. The leader of the local government, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that a drone was shot down and exploded, killing a woman inside a house.
“Russia has to give money for the damage caused by the war,” said Jan Lipavsky, Czech Republic’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, as he revealed the exact amount on X.
The European Council agreed to give money to Ukraine on Tuesday. This comes about two months after deciding to use the money from assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars that were frozen when Russia started a large war against Ukraine in February 2022.
In reaction to the move, Kirill Logvinov, who leads Russia’s constant mission to the EU, claimed that the EU Council had “officially raised stealing to the level of tools in its foreign policy. “
The comment was from an interview translated by Tass, a Russian news agency. Logvinov said that the outcome of the EU’s decision will be hard to predict and could affect the eurozone, the economies of the EU countries, and the investments in the region.
The Biden administration wants the EU and its 27 member countries to help Ukraine by taking money from Russia’s frozen assets, potentially by taking the money for themselves.
Those who disagree with the plan to transfer Russian assets to Ukraine say it might not be allowed by law and could have bad effects on the euro. If the EU takes the assets, Russia might take European stuff in return.
The EU wants to help Ukraine without getting involved in Russia’s business. They are avoiding the difficult questions and giving support to Kyiv instead.
“Sweden’s Anders Ahnlid said that Ukraine could use the 2 to 4 billion euros of extra money each year for rebuilding, without breaking any rules. “
Since the war started, the EU, Group of Seven and other US allies have frozen $282 billion in assets from the Central Bank of Russia. Most of the money, about two thirds, is held in the EU’s territory, the EU Council reported in February.
The EU will use 90% of the money from unexpected profits to help Ukraine with its military.
Some of the money will be used to help Ukraine’s defense industry and rebuild things. The EU said they will collect money twice a year from accounts in Russia.
Last month, President Biden approved the REPO for Ukrainians Act. This law lets the US give Russian money to Ukraine to help with rebuilding. It’s part of a big bill that spends money on keeping the country safe. A group of senators from both political parties is asking Biden to use his power to put the new law into effect before the G7 meeting in June.
Annalena Baerbock asked for help from other countries to send more air defense systems to Berlin because Russia is attacking Ukraine with missiles, glide bombs, and rockets. Germany gives the second most military help to Ukraine after the United States.
Ukraine’s soldiers don’t have enough people and are trying to stop a strong attack from Russia at the border. This is a very important part of the war, which has been going on for three years.
Germany promised to give Ukraine another US-made Patriot battery, but Ukraine still doesn’t have enough air defenses to protect against the Russian attack.
The Kremlin’s forces have used their advantage in the sky to weaken Ukraine’s power grid. They hope to make Ukrainian people feel tired and disrupt the defense industry.
Baerbock visited a power plant in Ukraine with the Ukrainian Energy Minister. The plant was badly damaged on April 11. At the damaged inside of the plant, employees of Centrenergo, a government company that runs the plant, were still cleaning up debris a few weeks after it was hit.
“We need air defence to protect our warriors and cities from threats. It’s important to have additional defence systems to make things easier for us,” Zelenskyy said on social media on Monday.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine still has control of the disputed areas, but Russia says it has taken some border villages.
We couldn’t confirm either side’s claims about the fighting on the battlefield on our own.
Baerbock had plans to go to Kharkiv on Tuesday but she had to cancel the trip because it wasn’t safe, according to the German news agency dpa. Nearly 11,000 people have left Kharkiv border areas because of Russia’s attack on May 10th.
A drone attack from Russia damaged many trucks, buses, and other vehicles in Kharkiv city. The regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said that over 25 vehicles were damaged. Seven people got hurt, he said.
Ukraine’s military leaders said that the number of Russian attacks in Kharkiv slowed down on Monday, but the fighting still continued.
Russian soldiers are spying and attacking in Ukraine’s Sumy and Chernihiv regions. They are shooting at villages near the border and putting down more mines, said Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military. The front line is about 1,000 kilometers or 620 miles long.
Baerbock was supposed to meet with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv. The German leader, Olaf Scholz, has been saying no to Ukraine’s request for Taurus missiles. These missiles can fly for 500 kilometers and are hard to detect.
The missiles made in Germany and Sweden can travel a long distance and could hit targets far inside Russia if launched from Ukraine. But Berlin doesn’t want to send the missiles because it might make them get involved in the war.
A think tank in Washington said that Ukraine is not allowed to attack Russia, so they can’t stop Russian troops and equipment from getting ready to attack Ukraine.
An object to form a compound is a big problem for the US. Western decisions are making it hard for Ukraine to protect itself from Russian attacks in northern Kharkiv and other places near the border. The Institute for the Study of War said this on Monday.
Baerbock said that Ukraine should join the European Union because of Russia’s illegal war.
Ukraine has done really well and needs to keep making changes to the legal system, fighting corruption, and protecting freedom of the media.
Germany is going to have a meeting to help Ukraine rebuild next month. Rebuilding the country will cost a lot of money, maybe hundreds of billions of dollars.
Russia said it stopped about 60 drones and missiles from coming into its land, while Ukraine said it destroyed more than 30 Russian drones. At least four people died in an attack near Kharkiv on Sunday as Russia continued its renewed attack in Ukraine’s northeast.
The Russian military said they destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones in the southern Krasnodar region.
The military said pieces of a drone hit an oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban, but it didn’t cause a fire or any damage. Astra news released videos that seemed to show a big blast at the refinery caused by a drone. The videos could not be checked by someone else to make sure they are real.
Ukrainian drones destroyed nine missiles and a drone over Russia-controlled Crimea, and cut off power in the city of Sevastopol.
Three more flying machines were destroyed over the Belgorod area, which is next to Ukraine. According to Gov Vyacheslav Gladkov, a drone fell and caught fire on a church roof, but no one got hurt.
The governor of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, said that one person died and 16 were hurt when a Ukrainian drone hit a small bus on Sunday morning.
In the Kharkiv area, where Moscow recently started a new attack, the local governor. Oleh Syniehubov reported on Sunday morning that one person was killed and 11 were injured from the bombing the day before.
On Sunday, Syniehubov said that a Russian attack on the edge of the regional capital, Kharkiv, killed four people and injured 15.
Russia attacked in the Kharkiv area last week, making things even harder for Ukraine’s small army. They are still waiting for important weapons and ammo from their Western allies. Ukraine’s stretched thin military is trying to stop Russia on a new battlefront by using drones with bombs to destroy their military vehicles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a visit to China that Russia’s attack in the Kharkiv region is meant to make a safe area, but they don’t want to take over the city.
During their meeting, Putin and Xi strengthened their strong partnership and criticized US military alliances in Asia and the Pacific region. They are working closely together as both countries face tensions with the West.
Putin is visiting a close friend for two days while his country’s forces are attacking northeastern Ukraine. This is the biggest attack on the border since they invaded in February. 24, 2022 n On the 24th of January, 2022.
China says it is neutral in the conflict, but it supports Russia’s view that the West provoked Russia to attack Ukraine. China also provides Russia with important parts for making weapons.
A statement from Putin and Xi said they both think the Ukrainian crisis needs to be solved by getting rid of the things that caused it.
The Kremlin keeps saying Ukraine’s leaders are connected to Nazis, even though the country has a democratically elected Jewish president who lost family in the Holocaust. Many Ukrainians want to make their country more democratic, reduce corruption, and get closer to the West. But the Kremlin still accuses them of being linked to Nazism.
It wasn’t clear if the statement meant China was supporting Russia’s claim about Nazi influence in Ukraine.
But the statement also said that both sides agreed it’s important to teach people the right way to understand history, and to protect monuments that remember the fight against fascism. They also strongly condemn anyone who tries to glorify or bring back Nazi beliefs or militarism. This is similar to Russia’s belief that Western countries don’t give enough credit to the Red Army for defeating Nazi Germany.
In 2023, China suggested a plan for peace. The plan asked for fighting to stop and for Russia and Ukraine to have discussions. However, Ukraine and the West did not accept the plan because it did not ask Russia to leave the parts of Ukraine that it has taken over.
The visit was mainly a symbol of the partnership between two countries that both have issues in their relationships with the US and Europe.
“Both sides want to show that they are not going to stop supporting each other, even with the pressure they are getting from the US,” said Hoo Tiang Boon, a professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore who studies Chinese foreign policy.
Both leaders said they want the war in Ukraine to stop, but they didn’t suggest any new ideas during their public speeches on Thursday afternoon.
“China wants Europe to be peaceful and stable again. We will help make this happen,” Xi said while standing next to Putin.
He said the same thing as China did last year when it proposed a plan to stop the war in Ukraine.
Putin said he will tell the Chinese leader all about what’s happening in Ukraine. He also said he’s thankful for the Chinese government’s help in trying to solve the situation. He mentioned that they will talk more about foreign policy when they meet again on Thursday.
After Russia attacked Ukraine last week, the war has become very serious. Ukraine’s military is running low on weapons and is waiting for the United States to send them more anti-aircraft missiles and artillery shells.
China and Russia released a statement together. They criticized the US foreign policy and the alliances that the US has made. They said these alliances show a mindset like the Cold War.
“Both sides are very worried about how AUKUS could affect the stability of the Asia-Pacific region,” according to the statement. AUKUS stands for Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
China and Russia say the US is putting medium-range missiles in Asia-Pacific during joint exercises with other countries. They said the US actions in Asia were “shifting the power balance” and “putting all countries in the region at risk. ”
The meeting on Thursday showed that they are still good friends and have a strong relationship. They made this agreement in 2022, before Russia attacked Ukraine.
After that, Russia started relying more on China for its economy because Western sanctions stopped it from trading with many other countries. China traded a lot with Russia last year, which helped them deal with some of the negative effects of sanctions.
Moscow is sending most of its energy to China and getting high-tech parts for its military from Chinese companies to avoid sanctions from the West.
“I and President Putin both think we should work together to find ways our countries can benefit from each other, and become more connected. We should appreciate each other’s successes. ”
During their meeting, Xi said congratulations to Putin for being elected as leader for the fifth time and they both celebrated the 75 years of friendship between Soviet Union and China. The friendship started after a war in 1949. Putin had no real competition in the election for president, and, like Xi, hasn’t said who might take over after him.
On the day before the visit, Putin mentioned in an interview.
In the past few days, Russian troops have taken over about 100 to 125 square kilometers of land in the Kharkiv region, including seven villages, in attacks along the northeastern border. This information comes from analysts who follow open sources. Even though many villages were already empty, thousands of people in the area have run away from the fighting.
The Kremlin’s forces are trying hard to move further into the eastern part of Donetsk, which is partly controlled by them. The main target of the Russian attacks on Tuesday was a town called Pokrovsk, just inside the border of Ukraine in Donetsk. The Ukrainian general staff reported that the Kremlin’s forces launched 24 assaults in that area.
Experts say this is a very dangerous time for Ukraine, even more dangerous than when Russia invaded in February 2022. President Zelenskyy is asking for more air defense systems to protect people from Russian attacks in the northeast.
“We understand that this is a difficult time,” Blinken said in Ukraine where he met with Zelenskyy. He said that American military help will really help against Russia’s ongoing aggression in battle.
The visit comes soon after Congress approved a delayed aid package of US$60 billion for Ukraine to help replace their depleted artillery and air defense systems.
“Some of it is coming soon,” Blinken said, “and some of it has already reached Ukraine. ”
Authorities say that more than 7,500 people have been moved out of the area. At the same time, the Russian forces are moving towards the northern border areas of Sumy and Chernihiv, according to Ukrainian officials. The soldiers in Kyiv are having a hard time stopping them because they have fewer weapons and soldiers.
Soldiers fought in the streets on the edge of Vovchansk, a big town in the Kharkiv area, said Gov Oleh Syniehubov on TV. On Tuesday, two regular people were killed in a Russian attack.
The UN human rights office said the fighting is causing a lot of damage.
“We are very worried about the situation for people in Ukraine,” Liz Throssell, who speaks for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in Geneva. “In Kharkiv region, things are really bad. ”
Zelenskyy said thank you to Blinken for the help from the US, but also said that they need more help. They urgently need two Patriot air defense systems to protect Kharkiv.
“The people are being attacked, including civilians and warriors. ” “He said they are in danger of Russian missiles. ”
The US official said that weapons like cannons, defense planes, and long-range missiles have been given, some are now at the front, and he told this to reporters while traveling with the secretary on a train from Poland. He didn’t want his name to be shared before Blinken’s meetings.
Before the trip, US officials said that President Joe Biden signed a law to give $1. 4 billion for short-term military help and $6 billion for long-term help.
Blinken visited Kyiv for the fourth time since Russian troops came in. He told the Ukrainian Prime Minister that the US plans to keep helping Ukraine even after the war is over.
“The United States is committed to helping Ukraine do well, both in winning battles and in building a strong country for peace,” Blinken said.
The government is “working to speed up” the delivery of weapons to the United States, according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
However, the US’s late help, especially since the conflict between Israel and Hamas started and has been the main focus of top government officials, has caused serious worries in Kyiv and Europe. Blinken has gone to the Middle East seven times since the fighting in Gaza started in October. He went to Kyiv in September for the last time.
Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had lunch at a pizza restaurant in Kyiv that was created by Ukrainian veterans. Blinken said the food was really good. Last time Blinken visited, they ate at a newly reopened McDonald’s.
The state’s secretary was supposed to talk about Ukraine’s great achievements in the war on Tuesday. It is meant to add to a speech by Blinken in Helsinki, Finland last year, where he criticized Putin for Russia’s failures in starting the war.
Since the Helsinki speech, Russia has increased its attacks, especially as the US House of Representatives did not take action on the aid package for a long time, causing a stop in most US assistance. Recently, there have been more attacks as Russia tries to take advantage of Ukraine’s lack of people and weapons while new help is on the way.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to visit China for two days this week, as said by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Beijing has supported Moscow in the war and has sent equipment and electronics that could help Russia in the war, but they have not sent weapons.
Blinken told Zelenskyy that a powerful, successful, and free Ukraine is the best way to show Putin he’s wrong and the best way to make sure your future is secure.
The senior US official said that even though Ukraine has had some problems lately, they could still achieve important wins. This means that Russia is working to get back half of the land it lost at the beginning of the war. They also want to make their economy stronger and improve how goods are moved and sold, especially by winning battles in the Black Sea.
During a meeting of the 31-nation alliance’s leaders, Admiral Rob Bauer, who leads the NATO Military Committee, said that President Vladimir Putin is afraid of democracy. This year, many countries are having elections, which may be why Putin started the war.
NATO leaders are going to discuss plans for the largest military exercises in Europe since the Cold War during a two-day meeting in Brussels. The wargames are a way for NATO to show they are strong and committed to protecting all their friends from being attacked.
As the war slows down, and with the US and European Union having trouble agreeing on funding for Ukraine’s struggling economy because of political disagreements, Bauer asked for everyone in society to work together to solve the problem, not just the military.
We need people and organizations to change how they think. In the past, everything could be planned and controlled. But now, anything can happen at any time. “We are entering a time where we should be ready for surprises,” he said as the meeting started.
On Monday, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said that the government will send 20,000 soldiers to join NATO military exercises called “Steadfast Defender. ” They will be sent to eastern Europe from February to June.
The UK will send fast planes and planes that watch, along with ships and submarines.
Allies are giving military supplies to Ukraine, which is using up ammunition. So, Norway is giving 2 billion kroner to make more ammunition because they need a lot of it.
Norway’s Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said that it’s important to have a stronger defense industry to help Ukraine and protect our own security.
Half of the money will be given to Nammo, a company in Norway that makes ammunition, rocket engines, and space stuff. The Prime Minister said the money will help them make more artillery ammunition.
In Brussels, Bauer said NATO will keep helping Ukraine for a long time.
“Today is the 693rd day of a war that Russia thought would only last three days. ” “We will support Ukraine every day because the result of this war will affect the whole world,” he said.
“According to Bauer, this war isn’t really about Russia being threatened by Ukraine or NATO. ” This war is because Russia is scared of something stronger than any weapon – democracy. If the people in Ukraine can have freedom to make choices, then people in Russia will soon want them too.
Intense shelling happened at night in Vovchansk, in the Kharkiv region. It’s less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border, according to the regional governor. Oleh Syniehubov talked. The attack made officials start moving out about 3,000 people.
Early in the morning, Russian soldiers tried to break through the Ukrainian defense near Vovchansk. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said they sent extra troops to stop the attack.
Experts said that the attack might be the beginning of Russia trying to make a safe area along its border with Ukraine to stop attacks from Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin said he wanted to do this earlier this year.
Ukraine knew that Russia was putting together a lot of soldiers near the border in the northeast, near Kharkiv and Sumy regions. The Kremlin’s forces are attacking eastern Ukraine, and Ukrainian intelligence officials think they will also attack in the northeast.
“The whole town is being heavily bombed right now, it’s not safe to stay here,” said Tamaz Hambarishvili, the leader of Vovchansk town, to Ukraine’s Hromadske Radio.
The Ukrainian military is still fighting against Russian spy and attack groups, even in the afternoon.
The bombing hit areas in seven parts of Ukraine, including Kyiv and some areas in the south and west. It damaged homes and the country’s train system, according to officials. Officials say three people, including a little girl who is 8 years old, got hurt.
Russia has often attacked Ukraine’s energy systems during the war, which has been going on for three years and has caused the deaths of thousands of people. The Kremlin’s forces want to cut off the power supply to Ukrainian factories, especially those that make weapons, to weaken the country and make its people feel hopeless.
Officials say that the Russian attacks have caused a lot of damage to almost half of Ukraine’s power infrastructure since February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Andrii Herus, the chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Committee on Energy and Housing Services, says that the total damage is $12.5 billion, and $1 billion of that happened in the last two weeks.
The heavy attacks use up Ukraine’s air defenses ammo. They need more support from Western countries. Ukraine officials are asking for more air defense systems like the Patriots that NATO uses.
Zelenskyy said that the attacks happened on a special day for Ukraine and compared the country’s current struggle to World War II. He said on social media that only a united world can stop Putin. Ukraine decided to change the date of the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism so it wouldn’t be on the same day as Russia’s Victory Day on May 9.
Russia severely damaged Ukraine’s energy system during the “blackout winter” of 2022-23. In March, some attacks happened, and one of them completely destroyed a big power plant near Kyiv.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said the attacks were because Ukraine had attacked Russian oil refineries first. On Wednesday, there was an attack on an oil terminal in Ukraine. Five workers got hurt and a fire started. The authorities in the Luhansk region, which is partly controlled by Russia, said this.
Russian attacks have been happening less often lately, but Ukrainian officials think that Russia is gathering supplies for a big attack that could happen soon.
The company that manages the country’s electrical grid, Ukrenergo, said that the power facilities in Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Poltava, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions were damaged.
Two power plants were attacked in the Lviv region, which is in the far west of the country and far away from where the fighting is happening, the regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyi said.
DTEK, the largest private energy supplier in Ukraine, said that the attack caused significant damage to equipment at three of its thermal power plants.
DTEK said the company’s facilities have been attacked five times in the past six weeks. Since February 2022, Russia’s invasion has attacked the company’s assets about 180 times, hurting 51 workers and killing three.
Russia fired 55 missiles and 21 Shahed drones last night, according to the Ukrainian air force. Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said that their defenses stopped 39 missiles and 20 drones.
The railway station in Kherson was damaged by Russian forces, and the train tracks were also affected, according to Ukrzaliznytsia, the national railway operator.
On Wednesday, an attack happened at a school in northeastern Kharkiv, and five people, including three children, were hurt. Governor Oleh Syniehubov shared the news on social media. The Mayor of the city, Ihor Terekhov, said that one of the kids was very sick and needs urgent help.
Two high-ranking officers in Ukraine’s State Guard, who protect important people, were arrested for allegedly carrying out a plan made by Russia’s security service. The colonels were hired before Russia’s big attack on Ukraine in February 2022, as stated.
It said that the leader of the State Security Service, Vasyl Maliuk, mentioned a plan for an attack before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fifth inauguration on Tuesday. Maliuk said he watched closely as the secret plan was followed.
Ukrainians have accused Russia of trying to kill Zelenskyy before. Zelensky said in 2022 that there have been at least 10 tries to kill him as the war with Russia goes into a third year.
Last month, prosecutors in Poland said they arrested a Polish man who was accused of being prepared to spy for the Russian military intelligence and plan to kill Zelenskyy.
The committee made this known after Oleksandr Pielieshenko, who won the European weightlifting championship twice, also passed away while fighting in the war in Ukraine.
Pielieshenko “was killed in the war against the enemy” last Sunday, the committee announced on Telegram. He was thirty years old.
He joined the military of Ukraine when Russia first invaded.
Pielieshenko returned to competing in 2015 after being suspended for doping, and then won the 2016 European championship in the under-85 kilogram category by just one kilogram. He won the title again in 2017 in Split.
Pielieshenko almost won an Olympic medal in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro Games, but he came in fourth place, just five kilograms away from getting a medal. He broke the rules again in 2018 by using drugs to cheat.
The Ukrainian weightlifting federation said on Facebook that they are very sad to announce that Oleksandr Pielieshenko, a respected sports master in Ukraine and a two-time European weightlifting champion, has passed away today.
National coach Viktor Slobodianiuk wrote on Facebook, “War brings out the best in us. ” This is a big loss for all the weightlifters in Ukraine. Heroes live forever.
”Over 400 Ukrainian athletes and officials have died in the war”. Mr Slobodianiuk noted
Pielieshenko “was killed in the war against the enemy” last Sunday, the committee announced on Telegram. He was thirty years old.
He joined the military of Ukraine when Russia first invaded.
Pielieshenko returned to competing in 2015 after being suspended for doping, and then won the 2016 European championship in the under-85 kilogram category by just one kilogram. He won the title again in 2017 in Split.
Pielieshenko almost won an Olympic medal in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro Games, but he came in fourth place, just five kilograms away from getting a medal. He broke the rules again in 2018 by using drugs to cheat.
National coach Viktor Slobodianiuk wrote on Facebook, “War brings out the best in us. ” This is a big loss for all the weightlifters in Ukraine. Heroes live forever.
Over 400 Ukrainian athletes and officials have died in the war.
The situation in eastern Ukraine is getting worse, but the local defenders are standing strong against a big push from Russia’s stronger and better-equipped forces, according to a top Ukrainian military official on Thursday.
Russia has gathered soldiers in Donetsk to try to break through Ukraine’s defenses, said Nazar Voloshyn, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s strategic command in the eastern part of the country.
“Voloshyn said on TV that the enemy is trying to take control and break through our defense. ”
He said the enemy is attacking in many places and they have made some progress. “The situation is constantly changing. ”
Russia has put Ukraine in a difficult position in the fighting because Kyiv doesn’t have enough soldiers and weapons. Ukrainian troops are hurrying to build more barriers and protection along the 1,000-kilometer front line.
Ukraine has been facing more and more problems because their military has been waiting for important new military help from the United States. The support got delayed in Washington for six months.
Ukrainian soldiers left Avdiivka, a city in Donetsk, in February because they were tired and their spirits were low from constant attacks by Russia. Since then, the Kremlin’s army has used its military power to capture many villages in the area, forcing them to surrender. They want to take control of the parts of Donetsk that they don’t already have.
The Donetsk and Luhansk regions, when combined, create the Donbas, a large industrial area next to Russia. President Vladimir Putin has targeted this area since the start of the war and Moscow-supported separatists have been fighting there since 2014.
Russia attacked Odesa again, using missiles and hurting 14 people.
The attack struck a place where Ukraine’s biggest private delivery company, Nova Poshta, sorts packages. The company said no workers got hurt, but the strike caused a big fire to start.
On Monday, six people died in a Russian missile attack on Odesa, and two days later three people were killed when the Russian forces attacked civilian buildings.
Long-range attacks have been a big part of Europe’s largest conflict since World War II, which has mostly been about wearing down the enemy. Kyiv leaders are asking for more air defense systems from Ukraine’s Western friends, but they haven’t received them quickly.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Russia has fired over 300 missiles, nearly 300 drones, and more than 3,200 guided bombs at Ukraine just in April.
Odesa is an important place for shipping lots of Ukrainian grain to other countries through the Black Sea. Russia has attacked Odesa many times. Thursday marked the 10th year since the fighting in the city between people who supported Russia and those who didn’t. 48 people died in the clashes.
Ukraine has sent more advanced drones far away to attack Russia. They are targeting important places in Russia like buildings and roads that help the Russian economy and military.
The leaders of three areas in Russia said that Ukrainian drones attacked energy plants and caused damage during the night. The Governor of Oryol region. Andrei Klychkov said the power lines and other energy equipment were damaged in two towns. The Smolensk and Kursk leaders said one building was damaged in each area.
The Russian Defense Ministry said they shot down Ukrainian drones in some areas of Russia. It said that most of the planes were stopped in Bryansk, and five of them were shot down.
In other news, Zelenskyy said there will be a meeting to make peace for Ukraine at a fancy resort by a lake in Switzerland on June 15 and 16.
Zelenskyy said he thinks leaders from all over the world will come to the meeting to talk about how to bring long-lasting peace to Ukraine in a fair way, following the rules of the UN and international law.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry said that over 160 groups of people are coming, including international organizations, but Russia hasn’t been asked to come yet.
Switzerland wants Russia to join in, but Russia keeps saying it doesn’t want to. However, Switzerland still thinks it’s important for Russia to be included.
Lidia Stepanivna Lomikovska and her family left their town Ocheretyne in eastern Donetsk because Russian troops entered and there was a lot of fighting. They left last week.
Russians are moving forward in the region and attacking Kyiv’s weak and low on ammunition forces with weapons like artillery, drones and bombs.
“I woke up and there were gunshots all around me – it was really scary,” Lomikovska said in a video interview posted by the National Police of Donetsk region.
During the confusion of leaving, Lomikovska got separated from her son and two daughters-in-law. One of them, Olha Lomikovska, got hurt by shrapnel a few days before. The young family members chose to take the smaller roads, but Lydia wanted to stay on the big road.
She used a cane and a piece of wood to help her walk, and she didn’t eat or drink all day. She did this to reach the Ukrainian lines.
I fell into some plants when I lost my balance. I took a short nap and then kept on walking. And then, I fell for the second time. Then I stood up and told myself, “I have to keep moving, step by step,” said Lomikovska.
Pavlo Diachenko, who speaks for the police in Donetsk, said Lomikovska was rescued when Ukrainian soldiers saw her walking along the road in the evening. They gave her to the “White Angels,” a police group that helps people who live in dangerous areas. They took her to a safe place for people who had to leave their homes and called her family.
“I made it through that war,” she said talking about World War II. “I also had to be in the war, and now I have nothing left. ”
“That war was different from this one. ” I saw the war. No houses caught fire. “But everything is burning now,” she said to the person who saved her.
In a surprising turn of events, the head of a big bank in Ukraine said on his messaging app that the bank will buy a house for the older retiree.
“Monobank will purchase a house for Lydia Stepanivna and she will live in it until this abomination is gone from our land,” said Oleh Horokhovskyi.
The parts from a missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Jan. 2 were from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, according to a report by United Nations sanctions monitors to a Security Council committee. This was seen by Reuters on Monday.
The UN says they found pieces of a missile in Ukraine that came from North Korea, breaking the rules about weapons.
North Korea, also called the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), has been punished by the UN since 2006 for its missile and nuclear projects, and the punishments have gotten tougher over time.
Three people went to Ukraine to check the debris and they didn’t find any proof that Russia made the missile. They couldn’t figure out where the missile came from or who launched it on their own.
Ukrainian authorities said that the missile was launched from Russia. They wrote this in a report to the Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee on April 25th.
They said that if the missile was in a place controlled by Russia, it would probably mean that people from Russia bought it. This would break the rule that stops North Korea from getting weapons, which was made in 2006.
The US and other countries say North Korea gave weapons to Russia to use against Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have said they didn’t do it, but they promised to make their military relationship stronger last year.
In February, the US said that Russia used missiles from North Korea to attack Ukraine many times.
The UN people who watch over things said that North Korea tested the Hwasong-11 series missiles in 2019.
Russia said no to renewing the UN sanctions monitors that have been keeping an eye on North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs for 15 years. The current group of experts will have to stop working on Tuesday.
Within a few days of January, The Kharkiv region prosecutor’s office showed parts of a missile to the media after an attack. They said the missile was not from Russia and it might have been given to them by North Korea.
On Saturday, Russia unleashed a volley of missiles targeting Ukrainian power facilities, striking locations in both the central and western regions of the country.
This onslaught inflicted damage to equipment and resulted in injuries to at least one energy worker, according to officials.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko conveyed via the Telegram messaging app that the Russian strikes specifically targeted the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine, as well as the western regions of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk.
DTEK, Ukraine’s leading private energy company, reported that four of its thermal power stations bore the brunt of the attacks.
“The enemy again massively shelled the Ukrainian energy facilities,” DTEK said in a statement. “The company’s equipment was seriously damaged. At this very moment, energy workers are trying to eliminate the consequences of the attack.”
Galushchenko reported that one energy worker sustained injuries, while DTEK confirmed casualties without providing further details.
The commander of the Ukrainian air force revealed that Russia conducted coordinated overnight strikes, deploying a total of 34 cruise and ballistic missiles, of which Ukrainian air defense successfully intercepted 21.
Since March 22, Russian forces have intensified their attacks on Ukraine’s power infrastructure, targeting thermal and hydropower stations almost daily.
Officials stated that Ukraine has lost approximately 80% of its thermal generation capacity and about 35% of its hydropower capacity. The country’s energy system had already been weakened by a Russian air campaign during the initial phase of the war in February 2022.
Despite mild spring weather in recent weeks, Ukraine has been grappling with an electricity deficit, leading the government to implement scheduled blackouts in various regions and resort to emergency electricity imports.
Governor Serhiy Lysak reported that Ukrainian air defense successfully intercepted 13 Russian missiles in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
“Unfortunately, we could not avoid the consequences. Energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk and Kryvyi Rih regions were damaged, fires broke out.”
Lysak noted that the city of Kryvyi Rih experienced disruptions to its water supply.
Meanwhile, in the western regions of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk, firefighters were tackling extensive fires at multiple energy facilities, as reported by regional officials.
“It is difficult for the energy system to maintain the production and consumption balance. We have to help,” said Maksym Kozytskyi, Lviv regional governor, urging residents to save electricity, especially during the peak evening hours.
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Ukrainian leaders have finally got the new missiles they have been wanting for a long time. These missiles have a striking distance of up to 300 kilometers, which is almost double the range of the mid-range version they got from the US last October. One official said that the US will give more of these missiles as part of a new military aid deal signed by President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
Biden agreed to send a lot of powerful missiles to the military in February. In March, the US said they would give a lot of money to send even more of these missiles.
Two US officials, who did not want to share their names, talked about the missile delivery before it was made public. They didn’t say how many missiles were given last month or in the latest aid package, which is worth around US$1 billion.
Ukraine doesn’t have enough weapons and Russia is attacking more and more. Ukraine wanted the long-range missile system because it can help them attack Russian targets from far away, while keeping their own forces safe.
Lawmakers and other people have been asking the US to send weapons to Ukraine, but they didn’t know the weapons were already there because the delivery was kept a secret.
For many months, the US did not want to send long-range missiles to Ukraine because they were worried that Ukraine might use them to attack Russia, which would make Russia very angry and make the conflict worse. That’s why the administration sent the mid-range version in October, which can go about 160 kilometers (100 miles).
Admcould be rewritten as administrator or admiral, depending on the context. Christopher Grady, who is the second in command at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Wednesday that the White House and military planners studied the dangers of giving Ukraine long-range weapons and decided that it was the right time to give them now.
In an interview with The Associated Press, he said that Ukraine can use long-range weapons to target Russian supply points and groups of soldiers who are not at the front lines. Grady did not want to say what kind of weapons were being given, but he said they will be very powerful if used the right way, and he is sure they will be.
Like other advanced weapons given to Ukraine, the government thought about whether using them would make the conflict worse. The government is still saying that the weapons can’t be used to attack things in Russia. At the State Department, spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Wednesday that Biden told his national security team to send the ATACMS to be used in Ukrainian territory.
“I believe it’s the right time, and the boss (Biden) decided it’s the right time to offer these based on where the fight is at this moment,” Grady said on Wednesday. “I believe it was a carefully thought out decision, and we thoroughly examined it. But whenever you bring in a new system or make a change in a conflict, you need to consider how it might make things worse. ”
Ukrainian leaders have not said they received or used long-range ATACMS. However, when Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Congress for passing the new aid bill on Tuesday, he said on the social platform X that Ukraine’s long-range capabilities, artillery, and air defense are very important tools for quickly restoring a just peace.
A US official told Russia last year that if they got long-range missiles and used them in Ukraine, the US would give the same type of missiles to Ukraine.
Russia got weapons from North Korea and used them in Ukraine. This made the Biden administration approve the new long-range missiles.
The US didn’t admit to giving Ukraine long-range missiles until they were used in battle and Ukrainian leaders agreed to tell everyone about it. A government person said that the weapons were used last week to attack the airfield in Dzhankoi, a city in Crimea. Russia took control of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. They were used again overnight to the east of the city of Berdyansk, which is under occupation.
Videos on social media last week showed big explosions at the military airfield, but officials didn’t say if it was the ATACMS.
Ukraine used the weapon because Congress was taking a long time to approve a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine and other countries. Ukraine doesn’t have enough weapons, so they have to limit how much they use. They haven’t gotten the money they need from the US yet.
Now that the war has been going on for three years, Russia took advantage of the US weapons being late and their stronger firepower and army to increase attacks in eastern Ukraine. More and more, they are using bombs guided by satellites that are dropped from planes from far away to attack Ukrainian forces who don’t have enough soldiers and weapons.
Last year, some missiles were given that can travel a medium distance, and more recently some long-range missiles were sent. These missiles have cluster bombs that open in the air and release lots of small bombs instead of just one big bomb. Other missiles that have been sent recently only have one warhead.
One important reason the weapons were sent in March was because the US Army could start using newer ATACMS instead of the older ones. The Army is getting new missiles and can now give its old ones to Ukraine, the official said.
Many Ukrainian men of military age are living in other countries and Ukraine doesn’t have enough soldiers to fight against a bigger and better-equipped enemy, since Russia invaded almost 26 months ago.
Last week, Ukraine made a new law to improve how it gets civilian men to join the army. This should help them defend against Russian troops.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that it doesn’t look good when a man of conscription age goes abroad and shows that he doesn’t care about his country’s survival, but then comes back and wants services from the state.
“It doesn’t work like that. ” Our country is fighting in a war. Living in another country doesn’t mean a person doesn’t have to do things for their own country.
Many people have avoided going to war by leaving the country.
Around 43 million people from Ukraine were living in European Union countries in January 2024. Out of these, approximately 860,000 are adult men, according to the Eurostat database.
In simple words, the suspension means that young men living in other countries won’t be able to update or get new passports or other important papers like marriage certificates.
Law that allows the government to mobilize resources and personnel for national defense or emergencies.
The suspension will stay in place until May 18 when the mobilization law and its rules start. The foreign ministry said this.
According to the mobilization law, all men of military age must go to draft offices either in person or online within the next 60 days to update their information. Young men who are of the right age to join the military in another country will need to have those documents to get help from their country’s embassy.
The suspension means people who want to get urgent help from the consulate before the law starts won’t be able to do so.
Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst from Kyiv, said it seemed like the government was trying to make men follow the new law and give their information to the military.
He said it probably won’t work but eventually many men will have to decide if they want to confirm their Ukrainian citizenship.
Ukraine started a big war and put some new rules in place. They said that men between 18 and 60 years old can’t go to other countries without permission. They also started getting more men ready to join the army.
Russian soldiers are moving forward in eastern Ukraine because the Ukrainian soldiers are tired and running out of supplies. Some of them have been fighting for a long time.
A man from Ukraine who lives in Warsaw and doesn’t want his name to be known, told Reuters on the phone that he thinks stopping the support will make people who are loyal to Kyiv feel left out.
Another Ukrainian person named Anatoly Nezgoduk, who is 21 years old and studying in Canada, said: “I know there is a war in our country, so I can’t say that this move is strange, illegal or wrong. ”
“In a way, this makes me less involved with Ukraine’s official presence in other countries. “
The Senate approved the bill with a vote of 79-18 on Tuesday, after the House had already agreed to it on Saturday. Biden worked with other government leaders to get their support. He will sign the law soon and begin sending weapons to Ukraine. Ukraine is having a hard time fighting against Russia. The new law would give $26 billion to help Israel during times of war and provide help to people in Gaza. It would also give $8 billion to protect Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region from threats by China.
US officials have said that around $1 billion of the aid could be coming soon, and most of it will arrive in the next few weeks.
Senate leader Chuck Schumer said to The Associated Press that if Congress didn’t pass the aid, America would have had problems with the economy, politics, and military.
He said that there are very few things we have done that are as historically important as this.
Schumer said in the Senate that the US will support its allies.
Schumer and McConnell both agreed that passing the law to help Ukraine and Israel was very important. They said it was necessary to make sure it passes, and that there could be serious problems for the US and its friends if Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, is not stopped from being aggressive. They worked with House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is a member of the Republican party, to overcome strong Republican opposition to the aid for Ukraine. In the end, they were able to get a lot of support for the aid from both the House and the Senate.
McConnell said in another interview before the vote that it “is one of the most important days since I started working here. ”
“In this episode, I think we defeated the isolationists,” McConnell said.
The House said “yes” to the package after voting four times on Saturday. The part of the package for Ukraine was approved by a vote of 311-112.
Ukraine really needs help because it is in the middle of a war and Russia keeps attacking. They are getting $61 billion to help with new weapons and support. Ukrainian soldiers are having a hard time because Russia is winning battles and taking over a lot of land.
Biden told the Ukrainian President that the US will send important air defense weapons once the new law is approved.
“The President told me that the package will be approved fast and it will help make our air defense, long-range, and artillery stronger,” Zelenskyy said on Monday.
In order to get more support, the Republicans in the House majority included a bill in the foreign aid package. This bill might stop the social media app TikTok from being used in the US if its Chinese owners do not sell their part of the company within a year. That law was supported by members of both political parties in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The TikTok bill was one of many changes made by Johnson to the package that the Senate approved in February. He did this to try to get the bill through the House, even though many people in his group disagreed with it. Other changes include a rule that $9 billion of the help for Ukraine doesn’t have to be paid back, rules that let the US take Russian bank money to help Ukraine, and laws to punish Iran, Russia, China and bad guys who sell fentanyl.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who usually supports war and military action, voted against the foreign aid package in February. He did this because the package didn’t include a law to stop people from crossing the border. But now he changed his vote, along with some other Republicans. Graham said that if we don’t help Ukraine now, this war will spread, and Americans who are not involved will be involved. If we help Ukraine, it can prevent the war from spreading and keep Americans safe.
Many members of Congress have supported the package since Biden asked for the money last summer. However, leaders in Congress had to deal with a lot of people who disagree with getting involved in foreign wars and think Congress should focus on the increase in people coming across the US-Mexico border instead.
Ohio’s Sen JD Vance, a Republican who supports Donald Trump, said that while many Republicans are backing funding for Ukraine’s defense, more and more Republicans are starting to oppose it.
Vance said, “The United States is trying to do too much at once. This idea is convincing the American people and slowly convincing the Senate, but it won’t happen quickly. ”
The Republican Party is divided between conservatives who doubt the aid and those who strongly support it. This division could be very important for the party leaders’ careers.
McConnell, who really cares about helping Ukraine, said last month that he would quit his position as a leader. He felt like he didn’t agree with many people in his group on helping Ukraine and other problems. Johnson faces getting kicked out of his position because most Republicans didn’t agree with sending help to Ukraine. He placed the bills on the floor after asking for guidance.
Johnson said that after the House approved the bill, he believes that we did a good job and history will think so too.
Some senators in the Senate, just like in the House, don’t want to help Israel because they think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attacked Gaza and killed lots of innocent people. SenatorsBernie Sanders from Vermont and Jeff Merkley from Oregon said no to the package.
“We need to stop being involved in this awful war,” Sanders said.
Exciting video from Reuters showed the tall pole of the TV tower breaking and falling to the ground in a city that has been hit by missile and drone attacks for weeks.
The leader of Ukraine told the US President Joe Biden about the airstrike that happened a few minutes before they talked on the phone.
“He said Russia wants to make the city impossible to live in,” according to a message on the Telegram app.
Later, during his video speech at night, the president said that the attack was a clear attempt to scare people and make the city feel unsafe. It was also an attempt to limit Kharkiv’s ability to communicate and access information. Near the border
The city of Kharkiv is in the northeast and has 1.3 million people. It is only 30 km from the Russian border, which makes it an easy target for missiles and other weapons because Ukraine’s air defenses are not strong.
“Right now, the digital TV signal is not working well,” said the regional governor Oleh Synehubov.
No one got hurt because the workers had found a safe place to stay.
Synehubov said that a missile attack started a fire at a poultry farm near Kharkiv, but no one got hurt. And lawyers said that one person died in the bombing of a village to the southeast of the city.
Reuters recorded a video showing the fallen part of the tower in a nearby forested area. The buildings next to the tower were severely damaged by falling pieces of the tower.
The State Special Communications Service said the tower was partly damaged, possibly from a Kh-59 missile strike.
The message said the TV signal was temporarily not working. They were trying to fix it. They told people to use cable, online TV, or the radio instead.
The video from Reuters did not show the missile hitting, but it did show a big cloud of smoke and the mast falling down.
The video was confirmed by comparing it with another video from a different angle that also showed the top of the tower falling down at the same time.
In early March 2022, Russia attacked Kharkiv’s television tower multiple times after starting a big invasion. The signal was interrupted.
Recently, Moscow has increased its attacks, and Ukraine does not have enough ways to defend against them in the air. Kharkiv and the nearby area have had the strongest attacks.
With strong support, the US gave $61 billion to Ukraine to show they support them in their war. Lawmakers are trying to give more US support to Ukraine soon. Some politicians clapped and waved Ukraine’s flags in the House.
Help for Israel and other friends also got accepted by big margins, and a plan to control TikTok also got approved. Different groups came together to support these bills. The entire package will be sent to the Senate, and they might approve it as early as Tuesday. The President of the United States, Joe Biden, said he will sign it right away.
“I did my job here, and I think history will see it as a good thing,” said tired House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is putting his own job at risk to get the package passed.
Biden said thanks to Johnson, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, and the lawmakers from both parties who voted to prioritize our national security.
“I want the Senate to send this package to me fast so I can sign it and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to help them in battle,” said the president.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he was thankful to both political parties in the House and particularly to Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that he believes is the right choice for history.
“Thank you, America. ” he said on X.
The US Congress showed a lot of activity after months of not getting things done. The Republicans, who have the most power, are arguing about giving aid to Ukraine. They can’t agree because they are divided on the issue. Johnson needed the support of Democrats to make sure that the first big money package for Ukraine got approved. It included funding for the military and for humanitarian aid. The last time a similar package was approved was in December 2022.
The morning started with a serious discussion. Both Republican and Democratic leaders came together to urge quick approval of a plan to support our allies and keep the United States strong in the world. Many people are in the visitor area of the House watching.
“The whole world is watching us, and future generations will decide if what we do is right. ” CongressmanMichael McCaul, a politician from Texas, is in charge of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Going through the House made it easier for Biden to get the money he asked for. He first asked for it in October when Ukraine needed more military supplies.
The Republican-led House had a hard time deciding what to do about helping Ukraine. They wanted to make sure that any help to Ukraine was connected to changes at the U.S-MexicoBut then, they said no to a plan from the Senate that included those changes.
Getting to the end has been really hard for Johnson. It has tested his strength and his support from Republicans. Some are now openly telling him to step down as speaker. Congressional leaders voted on an important decision that could change history. They see it as a necessary sacrifice because US allies are facing wars and threats from Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific region.
“Today, we’re making history with the decisions we make in this House. It can be hard to see the impact of these votes right away, but they will have a big effect in the future,” explained New York Rep Gregory Meeks, a leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “This is a very important moment in history. ”
The people against it, especially the strong conservative Republicans who support Johnson, said the US should work on problems at home like domestic border security and the country’s growing debt. They also said we shouldn’t spend more money on making weapons for other countries, because most of that money goes to American defense companies.
Yet, many world leaders have visited Congress in the past few months, including Zelenskyy and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. They are asking lawmakers to approve the aid. Around the world, many people were doubting if America was really committed to its allies because of the delay.
One of Biden’s main foreign policy goals is to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from taking over more land in Europe. After having private conversations with Johnson, the president agreed to support Johnson’s plan. This allowed the Democrats to help clear the steps needed for a final vote.
“We all have a duty as Americans to protect democracy, no matter our political party,” said Jeffries during the debate.
Most Democrats will probably support helping Ukraine, but some progressive Democrats will probably vote against helping Israel because they want the bombing of Gaza to stop.
Also, Donald Trump, who is expected to be the Republican nominee for president, has been influential in the debate. He has been expressing his opinions through social media and phone calls with lawmakers, and is shifting the Republican Party to a more isolationist position with his “America First” politics.
Ukraine used to get strong support from both political parties in Congress for its defense, but now many Republicans are against giving more help as the war goes on for a third year. Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to remove the money, but it didn’t work.
The very conservative House Freedom Caucus criticized the legislation as an “America Last” foreign wars package and encouraged lawmakers to go against Republican leadership and oppose it because the bills did not have border security measures.
Johnson’s control over being the speaker is becoming less strong. Three Republicans, led by Greene, are supporting a motion to have a vote on removing the speaker. Encouraged by far-right figures, more and more politicians, including Reps, are joining her. Paul Gosar from Arizona and Thomas Massie from Kentucky are asking Johnson to agree to step down on his own.
The package had many things Republicans wanted, which Democrats agreed to or were okay with. Some suggestions have been made. They want the US to take Russia’s frozen bank money to help Ukraine. They also want to punish Iran, Russia, China, and criminal groups that sell fentanyl. Plus, they want to make the company that owns TikTok sell its part to someone else within a year. If they don’t, TikTok might be banned in the US.
However, the strong effort to pass the bills in Congress shows that it’s not just about politics, but also about what’s really happening in Ukraine. Important people who are in charge of the country’s safety are worried about the war in Ukraine. Russia is winning the war because Ukrainian forces don’t have enough soldiers or weapons.
Senate leader Chuck Schumer said that the Senate will start voting on the package on Tuesday. He added that our friends around the world have been waiting for this.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said we need to act quickly. He is working to get support from his party members. “It’s time for the Senate to make history again. “
Ukrainian leaders and experts say that the long-awaited $61 billion military aid package from the US will help Ukraine to buy weapons and slow down Russia’s advances in the war. However, they think that more help will be needed for Ukraine to start fighting back.
The House quickly agreed to give $95 billion in help to Ukraine, Israel, and other US friends. Both Democrats and Republicans worked together to support this, even though some Republicans had been against it for a long time. This aid will help these countries defend themselves from Russia’s big attack.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was thankful for the decision of US lawmakers. He had previously said that Ukraine would not be able to win the war without US funding.
Zelenskyy said on a TV show that the aid would show Russia that Ukraine won’t be like Afghanistan.
The help money will go to the US Senate, and they might make it a law by Tuesday. The US President, Joe Biden, said he would sign it right away.
It might still be a few weeks before it gets to the front line, where it’s really needed.
“In this way, we can prevent (Russian troops) from advancing and decrease the number of our casualties,” said infantry soldier Oleksandr. He has been battling in Avdiivka, a city in Donetsk that Ukraine lost to Russia in February after a lot of fighting.
Ammunition is running out for the Ukrainian military because aid has been delayed. This has made it harder for them to fight, and Russia has used this to their advantage by taking over cities in Ukraine.
“The Russians attack us repeatedly and we get tired, so we have to retreat from our positions. ” Oleksandr told The Associated Press that this has been said many times. He didn’t share his complete name to stay safe. “We don’t have enough bullets to protect the area we need to when attackers come at us. ”
In Kyiv, a lot of people were happy about the US vote because it brought some good news after a difficult time. Russia has been making progress on the front line and increasing attacks on Ukraine’s energy system and other infrastructure.
Our president said we might not win the war without this help. Kateryna Ruda, 43, said, “Thank you very much and yesterday’s event was great. ”
“They want to have weapons and equipment, they really want it. ” We always need to get help. The 26-year-old said that if we don’t get help, our enemy could move closer and reach the center of our city.
Other leaders from Western countries, who have been rushing to find ways to make up for the stopped US military help, also praised Congress’ choice.
Ukraine is using weapons given by NATO countries to attack Russian military power. “This helps all of us be more secure in Europe and North America,” said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on X.
Ursula von der Leyen, who is the President of the European Commission, said that Ukraine should get a lot of support against Russia. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the vote a strong message in these difficult times.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said thanks to House Speaker Mike Johnson and mentioned the delay in Congress. It’s better to be late than to be too late. “I hope Ukraine can still be helped,” he wrote on X.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was not surprising that aid to Ukraine was approved.
Peskov said that the decision will make America richer, but it will also make Ukraine worse off and could lead to more Ukrainian people dying. He blamed the government in Kyiv for this.
“The new aid package will not help, but instead, it will cause more deaths, make the conflict last longer, and bring more suffering and destruction,” said Leonid Slutsky, who leads the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs, in a message on Telegram.
The Institute for the Study of War in Washington said it would be difficult to get US help to the front lines in Ukraine. This could cause more problems for Ukrainian forces as they wait for the help to arrive.
“They think they can stop the Russian attack if they get help from the US quickly,” said the report about the ongoing conflict.
Olexiy Haran, who is a professor at a university in Kyiv, said that Ukraine appreciates help from the US and other Western countries. But, honestly, it’s too late and not enough.
“This is the war’s third year and we still don’t have new airplanes. ” We can’t block the sky because we don’t have enough missiles. He also said that we didn’t even have artillery shells recently.
That’s why things were very hard, and the Russians used it to start attacking. That’s why it’s really important for us. And for sure, if we had gotten it six months earlier, we could have saved the lives of many Ukrainians, including civilians.
Matthew Savill, who is in charge of military studies at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said that the help is good, but it can only make Ukraine’s situation better for now and get them ready to do things in 2025.
“Having stable funding until 2024 and possibly 2025 will make it easier for Ukrainians to make defense plans this year. They’ll also need more plans and money for 2025, especially with the upcoming US election. ”
Zelenskyy said on NBC that Ukraine will need aid packages until they get weapons on the ground.
“We made the decision to give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine one year ago,” he said. “We don’t have the jets in Ukraine yet. “
Air defenses in Russia shot down fifty drones in eight different areas, with 26 being shot down in the Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border. A woman with a broken leg and the man taking care of her died during a big attack. The explosions caused a fire in their home, and they didn’t make it out alive. This happened in Belgorod, Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov posted on the internet.
A woman who was going to have a baby and her unborn child were also killed in the shelling on Saturday.
Drones were also said to be destroyed over several regions in Russia’s west and south, including the Bryansk, Kursk, Tula, Smolensk, Ryazan, and Kaluga regions, as well as in the Moscow region.
Ukrainian officials usually don’t say anything about attacks in Russia. But a lot of the drone attacks seemed to target Russia’s energy facilities.
Vladislav Shapsha, the leader of the Kaluga area, said that a drone attack caused a fire at a power station, and the Governor of Bryansk also mentioned it. Alexander Bogomaz and the governor of Smolensk. Vasily Anokhin said there were also fires at places where fuel and energy are stored.
Lately, Ukrainian drones have been targeting Russian oil refineries and terminals. This is part of increased attacks on Russia’s land.
Ukrainian people who make drones have been making the weapons go farther for a long time. They are doing this because Kyiv wants to make up for not having as many weapons and soldiers as the other side in battle. Drones are a cheaper choice for Ukraine while they wait for more military help from the US.
Russell Bentley, 64, used to work for the Russian news agency Sputnik but is no longer involved in military activities. The people he used to work with and the boss of a TV channel said he died. They called him “a real American. ” He went by the nickname “Texas” and had been in jail for smuggling drugs before he left the United States.
The reason for Bentley’s death is not known yet, but the local police had said earlier that they couldn’t find him from April 8.
Last night, Russia launched seven missiles at Ukraine. The Ukrainian air force was able to stop two missiles and three drones.
The GovernorThe leader of Ukraine’s Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, said that infrastructure was damaged by ballistic missiles last night, but he did not give more information. The Black Sea city was attacked on Friday and the port was damaged, including two places where food is sent out, said President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to the governor, two men were killed in the Russian attack, including an 81-year-old retired man in the city of Vovchansk. Oleh Syniehubov is the leader of the Kharkiv region in Ukraine.
A 60-year-old lady got hurt when a bomb hit a tall apartment building.
Beside the attacks, Ukrainian police are looking for two Ukrainian soldiers who killed a police officer at a checkpoint in Vinnytsia region.
The soldiers started shooting at Maksym Zaretskyi, who is 20 years old, early on Saturday morning when he stopped their car for a regular check. Zaretskyi’s friend got hurt, but he was able to survive the attack.
On social media, Ukraine’s Ground Forces Command said that the two men were in the military. They said Zaretskyi’s death is a big loss and the people who killed him should be punished very harshly.
The Ground Forces Command said they will help with a thorough and fair investigation in any way they can.
In a meeting held online, Mr Stoltenberg said that Nato defense ministers agreed to give more military support to Ukraine, including more air defense. Jens Stoltenberg said that after a meeting about the crisis between Nato and Ukraine on Friday.
He said the group of 32 countries has looked at what equipment they have and some of it can be given to Ukraine.
“He said he thinks Ukraine will announce new air defense abilities soon. ”
The Nato leader said that Nato countries have advanced air defense systems, like Patriot, that they could give to Ukraine. However, he did not say specifically what Ukraine might receive.
Seven people, including two kids, died in Russian missile attacks on Friday, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Ukraine said they shot down a big Russian plane deep in Russia for the first time. Moscow said that a problem with the plane caused the crash. After waiting for a long time, the US Congress is getting closer to passing a $60. 8bn (£49bn) aid bill to help Ukraine.
Germany promised to give Kyiv another US-made Patriot battery from their military supplies.
Ukraine has a few Patriot systems, but they need more to protect their cities from big Russian attacks.
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After the meeting, President Zelensky said: “We need at least seven more air defense systems like Patriot to protect our country. ” They can help many people stay alive and make the situation much better. “you [Nato] have those systems. ”
Russia has been attacking Ukraine for three years now, and it doesn’t look like the war will end soon. It’s the biggest land war in Europe since World War Two.
Mr Zelensky recently said that Ukraine doesn’t have enough weapons and could lose the war without quick help from Western countries.
Ukraine needs help from the US and other Western countries to get advanced weapons in order to keep fighting against Russia, which has a much bigger army and a lot of weapons.
If we don’t have more Patriot air defense missiles to protect against Russian attacks, Ukraine’s power system will be ruined. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that no country can fight without electricity at home, in the factories, and in the front line.
He was talking at a meeting with G7 foreign ministers on the Italian island of Capri. They were discussing Russia’s war in Ukraine and the growing tensions in the Middle East because of Iran’s attack on Israel.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed with Borrell’s request, and said that he wanted the U. Sto also do the same. Congress has agreed to give money to Ukraine, but other countries also need to help out.
“At this time, it’s really important for all the people who support Ukraine to do everything they can to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression,” Blinken said after talking to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, wants to impose more punishments on Iran for its recent attack and to give real support to Ukraine to defend itself from Russia’s invasion.
“Tajani said that if Ukraine doesn’t win, Putin won’t talk about peace. ”
Foreign ministers from several countries were meeting in Capri to talk about wars in Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas. They wanted to send a united message about these conflicts. On Wednesday, leaders from the European Union met in Brussels and promised to increase punishments on Iran for sending drones and missiles to groups in Gaza, Yemen, and Lebanon.
Borrell said the EU will make the sanctions stronger and add more to punish Tehran and stop future attacks on Israel. He also said that Israel should be careful.
“I don’t want to make it sound worse than it is, but we’re very close to a war in the Middle East. It could have big effects on the rest of the world, especially in Europe,” he cautioned. “Please, don’t do it anymore. ”
Kuleba and NATO’s Jens Stoltenberg were at the Capri meeting as visitors. Kuleba said his country needs important help with military equipment like guns, bullets, and defense systems because Russia is moving closer to the border.
He said thank you to Germany for giving Ukraine a new Patriot battery. He also asked the US Congress to approve some money that has been delayed.
“We will work with other countries to help Ukraine get air defence systems. ” “Kuleba said it’s really important. ”
President Joe Biden approved a plan to give Ukraine $61 billion in aid. This shows that both Democrats and Republicans support the funding bill.
Blinken said he wants the bill to be discussed in the House this weekend and emphasized that the US cares a lot about Ukraine doing well.
“If Putin isn’t stopped, he will not only attack Ukraine but also continue with more aggression,” Blinken said after talking with Kuleba. “Other countries might see this and decide to start their own attacks. ” And there will be a lot of fighting and not a lot of peace and safety.
Borrell agreed and said Europe needs to help Ukraine defend itself, not just rely on Washington.
“He said we need to make clear decisions to send more air defense to Ukraine. ” We have Patriots and anti-missile systems. We need to move them from our base to Ukraine to help in the war that is happening there. I think we will do it, but we need to do it fast.
At least 61 people, including two kids, were hurt in the attack this morning, according to Ukrainian emergency services. Chernihiv is a city about 150 kilometers north of the capital, Kyiv. It’s close to the border with Russia and Belarus and has about 250,000 people living there.
Russia bombed Ukraine recently, as the war continued for three years. Ukraine is not getting enough help from Western countries, so it is vulnerable to Russia’s larger forces.
During the winter, Russia didn’t make big progress on the 1,000-kilometer front line. They mainly focused on wearing down the enemy through prolonged fighting. But Ukraine doesn’t have enough artillery ammunition, troops, and armored vehicles. This has allowed the Russian military to slowly move forward, according to military experts.
An important thing for Ukraine is that Washington hasn’t yet approved an aid package of about $60 billion for them. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he will try to push the package through this week.
Ukraine really needs help right now, according to a think tank in Washington called the Institute for the Study of War.
“The ISW said that Russia is changing their tactics in battle because they haven’t received enough military help from the United States, and are using more movement in their fighting instead of staying in one place. ”
Ukraine needs help from the U. Sto keep their position secure. “help, especially with air defense and artillery, that only the US can give quickly and in large amounts,” it said.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, asked Western countries to give his country better air protection, like more Patriot missiles. He said the attack in Chernihiv could have been prevented if Ukraine had better air defense and if the world was more determined to stop Russian aggression.
Zelenskyy said in an interview with PBS that Ukraine didn’t have any more air defense missiles left when it was being attacked with missiles and drones. The attack destroyed one of Ukraine’s biggest power plants, and it’s part of Russia’s recent plan to target energy infrastructure.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the President’s request for more assistance will be repeated as he gets ready to go to a meeting with foreign ministers from the Group of Seven countries in Italy.
“We want to get seven more Patriot batteries to keep our cities and economic centers safe from being destroyed,” Kuleba said in an interview with a German newspaper. “Why is it hard to find seven Patriot batteries. ”
Ukrainian soldiers are making strong defenses and building walls to get ready for a big attack from the Russian army. Officials in Kyiv think the attack could happen as soon as next month.
Ukraine is using far-flying drones and missiles to attack Russian forces and disrupt their war plans.
The Russian army said that they shot down a Ukrainian drone in Tatarstan on Wednesday. In April, Ukraine attacked the same area in Russia that is 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) away from Ukraine.
Ukrainian people who make drones have been making the weapons able to go farther.
Another drone from Ukraine got shot down in the Mordovia region, about 350 kilometers (220 miles) east of Moscow, the ministry said. That is 700 kilometers or 430 miles away from the border of Ukraine.
One hour before the Mordovia attack, the civil aviation authority in Russia stopped flights at airports in two big cities, Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, because they were worried about safety.
Unconfirmed reports say a Ukrainian missile hit an airfield in Crimea that is controlled by a different country. Russian and Ukrainian officials didn’t say for sure that there was an attack, but the local government closed the road to the airfield for a little while. The local mayor said that an explosion shattered the windows of a mosque and a private house in the region, as reported by Russian news agency Tass.
House Speaker Mike Johnson was very determined to defend his aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other allies. Some Republicans were upset about it and wanted him to step down, but he refused to do so.
“I am not quitting,” Johnson said after a difficult morning meeting with other House Republicans at the Capitol.
Johnson called himself a “speaker during a war” and said he would continue to work on a US national security aid plan, even though he would need help from Democrats to pass it, because his own group is not strong enough.
“We are just here doing our work,” Johnson said, calling the idea to remove him “ridiculous . “The information was not useful. ”
On Tuesday, the House Republicans and the speaker’s attitude changed significantly. The leader is trying to gather enough votes to pass the national security aid for Israel, Ukraine, and other overseas allies, even though most of his party doesn’t want to.
Johnson looked more confident after his recent meeting at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump showed his support for Johnson, giving him a boost in his career. During his press conference on Tuesday, Johnson said it was important to make sure that Trump gets re-elected as President while he is on trial in New York for committing a crime.
Johnson talked with President Biden and other leaders in Congress about the new aid package for the US. The plan is to vote on separate bills for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific region. He talked to Biden about it again on Monday night.
After Johnson talked to the president, White House officials said they will wait and see what the speaker’s plan is and wait until it becomes more clear how things will be done.
John Kirby, the spokesperson for national security at the White House, said the speaker’s idea seems like it will really help us give support to Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific region for a lot of different situations.
The person talking is thinking about a difficult way to break up the Senate’s $95 billion aid plan into parts and then vote on each part. Then they would put it back together or send the parts to the Senate for the final approval, and maybe to the White House for the president to sign.
Overall, the speaker would need to gather support from both Republican and Democratic groups in the House to pass each measure.
Also, Johnson is getting ready to propose a new law that includes things Republicans think are important for keeping our country safe. This includes a plan to take some of Russia’s money in American banks to give to Ukraine, and to change the economic help we give to Ukraine into loans instead. It might also have rules to punish Iran for its attack on Israel last weekend, among other things.
The speaker’s new plan does not automatically ruin the chances for Democrats in the House and Senate. Leaders are waiting to see more details before they make a decision. They were supposed to arrive on Tuesday, but as the afternoon went on, it was not certain if they would be able to make it on time.
In a private meeting, Leader Hakeem Jeffries said House Democrats want the full $9 billion in aid that senators included in their package for Gaza. This information was shared by a person who did not want to be named.
Johnson needs help from the Democrats to pass parts of his plan. But the Democrats are not as supportive of Israel anymore because they are upset at the Israeli government for attacking Gaza and causing many deaths. A previous bill from the House GOP reduced the help for Gaza in Israel.
The House Republicans were very angry that Johnson would not be helping with their main goal of making the US Mexico border more secure. Some people thought that Johnson would not be able to go ahead with voting on the package as he had planned for this week.
Rep Debbie Lesko, a Republican from Arizona, said the morning meeting was like a big argument.
The speaker said that the House GOP’s border security bill HR 2 would not be relevant to the package. Rep Chip Roy, R-Texas, who helped create the bill, said it’s up to the House to decide which parts and changes are important.
“Roy said that there are a lot of things that still need to be figured out. ”
The person in charge may be kicked out of their job by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a top supporter of former President Trump. She wants to have a quick vote to remove the speaker from their position, like when Republicans removed their previous speaker, Kevin McCarthy, last year.
Greene hasn’t said if or when she will push for her plan, and hasn’t got much support after last year’s trouble. But on Tuesday, she got support from at least one important person.
Rep Thomas Massie, who is from Kentucky, stood up in the meeting and said that Johnson should leave his position. He mentioned John Boehner, a former House speaker, who quit his job in 2015 to avoid being removed from office. This information was shared by Republicans who were present in the meeting.
“Speaker Johnson needs to step down and let Republicans choose a new Speaker who will prioritize America and pass a Republican agenda,” Greene wrote on social media, thanking Massie for supporting her motion to vacate.
Johnson did not answer, but told the lawmakers that they have to make a choice between two options.
The speaker said they want to pass the package they are suggesting. If they don’t, Democrats might force a vote on a different package in the Senate.
On Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he will work hard to get help for Israel during the war. He will also try to get support for a national security plan that gives money to Ukraine and other allies in Asia.
Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, is facing a lot of pressure from other Republicans as he tries to balance the party’s differing opinions on supporting Kyiv against Moscow’s invasion. The Republican leader has not taken action on a $95 billion package that would help US allies and provide aid to civilians in Ukraine and Gaza. It would also give money to replace weapons given to Taiwan.
Iran attacked Israel on Sunday, putting more pressure on Johnson. But it also gave Johnson a chance to show how important it is to approve the funding.
Johnson spoke to Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” and said that he and the Republicans know it is important to support Israel. He said he will work to approve the aid this week.
“He said they are putting together the details of that package right now. ” “We’re checking the choices and extra problems. ”
Senate leader Chuck Schumer said President Joe Biden talked on the phone Sunday with the top Republicans and Democrats in Congress, including Johnson. The New York Democrat said that all the leaders agreed to help Israel and Ukraine, and hopefully we can figure it out and get it done next week.
“It’s very important for Ukraine, Israel, and the Western countries’ future,” Schumer said.
The White House said Biden talked about how important it is for the House of Representatives to quickly pass the national security supplemental.
Johnson has told other House Republicans that he plans to put together the help for Israel, Ukraine, and Asian allies and get it approved by the House this week. This was stated by a Republican representative. Mike Turner, from Ohio, is the leader of the House Intelligence Committee, and he was on NBC’s “Meet the Press”.
The person speaking wants to pass a law that would give some money to Kyiv as loans, allow the US to use Russian bank money that is frozen, and make other changes to policy. Johnson wants the Biden administration to allow Liquefied Natural Gas exports to be approved again. He also wants changes to be made at the US border with Mexico.
Currently, the only plan that most people in Congress agree on is the one the Senate passed. It includes about $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel.
John Kirby, who works for national security at the White House, asked the speaker to bring that package to a vote in the House as soon as possible.
Kirby said on NBC that we already know what’s happening in Ukraine and don’t need any reminders. “But last night really showed how much danger Israel is in because of where it is located. ”
Johnson went to Florida to meet Trump at his club because he was worried about losing his job. Trump said he likes and supports Johnson and they have a good relationship.
“Johnson said that he and I completely agree on these important agenda items. ” “When discussing help for Ukraine, he has introduced the idea of loaning them items instead of giving them aid, which is an important concept and I think many people agree with it. ”
However, Trump’s “America First” agenda has encouraged many Republicans to support a more isolationist approach. Support for Ukraine has been decreasing for the past two years since the war started. This was once a popular cause, but now it is one of Johnson’s biggest challenges.
When he comes back to Washington on Monday, Johnson will also have to deal with a group of conservatives who are already upset with how he has been leading the House. They are not happy with how much money the government is spending or with a tool the US government uses for surveillance.
Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia who supports conservative ideas, wants Johnson to be removed from his position. She left the Capitol on Friday and told reporters that more people were starting to support her cause. On Sunday, Johnson wanted to give aid, but Greene said it was wrong to make aid for Israel depend on aid for Ukraine.
No other Republicans have said they want to remove Johnson from his position like Greene did, but more and more very conservative people are openly criticizing Johnson and not following his leadership.
At the same time, older GOP politicians who want to help Ukraine are getting impatient because it’s taking a long time to bring the aid to a vote in the House. Kyiv’s soldiers don’t have enough bullets and Russia is gaining confidence as it tries to take over more land in a planned attack. A big missile and drone attack destroyed a big power plant in Ukraine last week. Other power plants were also damaged.
“The same thing that happened in Israel last night happens in Ukraine every night,” said the Congressman. Michael McCaul, a Republican leader of the group that oversees foreign affairs, was on CBS’s “Face the Nation. ”
The differences in opinions have made Johnson work hard to create a plan that both Republicans and Democrats like. Democrats have asked the speaker many times to bring the $95 billion package passed by the Senate in February for a vote.
Progressive Democrats don’t want to send help to Israel because they’re worried it will help their mission.
The Trypilska plant, which provided a lot of electricity for Kyiv, Cherkasy, and Zhytomyr, was hit many times. This caused serious damage to the equipment and started a big fire at the plant. When the first drone came, the workers hid in a shelter to stay safe and alive. This was said by Andrii Hota, who is the director of the state company that operates the plant, Centrenergo.
They saw the plant on fire with lots of smoke and flames all around it. “It’s really scary,” said Hota. Hours later, the rescuers were still clearing away the rubble.
The plant gave electricity to 3 million people. None of them lost power because the grid could handle the low demand for electricity during this time of year. The effects of the strikes may still be noticed in the next few months, especially when people start using air conditioning more in the summer.
At least 10 other attacks last night damaged the power and gas systems in Kharkiv, which is the second biggest city in Ukraine. Dmytro Kuleba, the Foreign Minister, said that over 200,000 people in the area have no electricity because it has been hit many times.
Russia has started attacking Ukrainian energy facilities again, and last month’s attacks caused a lot of the country to lose power. This hasn’t happened since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
The number and precision of the attacks have worried the people in charge of protecting the country and made officials rush to find better ways to defend energy sources. The strikes also showed if Ukraine can make fixes fast.
Ukraine’s leaders asked for more defense systems to protect against attacks from the air, but the supplies are taking a long time to arrive.
“Today, it shows that there are no more missiles to shoot down,” Hota said.
Ukraine’s government has approved a new law on Thursday that will decide how they bring in new soldiers. This comes at a time when they need more soldiers to help protect the country from Russia’s attacks.
The law was passed because Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Officials said that the Trypilska thermal power plant, the biggest power plant in the capital area, was completely destroyed by missile and drone attacks overnight.
Two years after Russia attacked and took over almost a quarter of the country, Kyiv is facing very high stakes. After winning many battles in the first year, the Ukrainian military is now in a tough position. They are outnumbered and outgunned, but they are staying and defending their position.
The country really needs more soldiers and they also need more weapons and bullets. There are also worries about whether they will get enough help from Western countries.
In December, President Zelenskyy said Ukraine is planning to increase its military by up to 500,000 more troops. Army leader Oleksandr Syrskyi changed the number because soldiers can be moved from the back. But the authorities have not mentioned the exact number that is required.
The changed law will help to find all men who are old enough for the military draft. Some people try to avoid being drafted, even in war.
According to the law, men between 18 and 60 years old must have documents proving they joined the military and show them when necessary. Additionally, any man who applies for a government job at an embassy in another country will be signed up for the military.
However, we don’t know how the measure will make sure that all men who are old enough to be drafted are signed up, according to Oksana Zabolotna, who analyzes things for the group Centre for United Actions. She said it does not achieve the main goal.
The law gives soldiers rewards like extra money or help to buy a house or car, but Ukraine doesn’t have the money for that, according to Zabolotna.
It’s not known how many new soldiers the law might create, and it’s also not clear if Ukraine can give weapons to the new soldiers without help from the West because they don’t have enough ammunition.
Overall, one million people from Ukraine are in the military, with about 300,000 of them serving on the front lines.
Politicians took a long time to decide on the mobilization law and people probably won’t like it. About a week ago, Ukraine made it so that men as young as 25 can now be drafted into the military.
The law will start in a month after Zelenskyy signs it, but we don’t know when he will sign it. It took him a long time to approve the law that makes people join the army at a younger age.
Earlier this month, Volodymyr Fesenko, an expert at the Center for Applied Political Studies Penta, said the law is very important for Ukraine to continue fighting against Russia, even though it may be difficult for Ukrainian people.
“He said that many people don’t want their family and friends to go to war, but they still want Ukraine to win. ”
Thursday’s vote happened after the parliamentary defence committee took out an important part of the bill. This part would have made troops who served 36 months in combat leave, which was a promise made by the Ukrainian leaders. Legislator Oleksii Honcharenko said in a message on Telegram that he was surprised by the decision to take out the rule.
The committee told the Defence Ministry to make a new law about sending soldiers home. They want it done in a few months, according to ministry spokesperson Dmytro Lazutkin.
Tired soldiers, who have been on the front lines since Russia invaded in February 2022, cannot take turns to rest. However, it will be hard to create a system for taking breaks due to the large and intense war with Russia.
A soldier who got hurt on the battle field told The Associated Press that his friends really need a break.
“I want the boys to be let go, at least after 3 years. ” The soldier, named Kostyantyn, said he wants the boys to rest because he has no more thoughts.
Ukraine doesn’t have enough well-trained soldiers, and if they send the ones they have home from the front lines, it will make their army weaker.
At the same time, DTEK, a private energy company, said there was a strong attack on power plants and other infrastructure with missiles and drones in several areas during the night.
The Trypilska plant, which provided electricity to Kyiv, Cherkasy, and Zhytomyr regions, was completely shut down and could not supply power.
At least 10 energy facilities in Kharkiv, which is Ukraine’s second-largest city, have been damaged. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that over 200,000 people in the area have no electricity, and Russia is trying to ruin Kharkiv’s infrastructure and make the city have no lights.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attacks were to punish Ukraine for attacking Russia’s energy facilities. Ukraine has been using drones to attack oil refineries in Russia.
During a meeting with the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, in Moscow, Putin said that Russia didn’t attack Ukrainian energy plants during the winter for humanitarian reasons, but had to defend itself after Ukraine attacked their energy facilities.
Four people died and five were hurt in an attack in the city of Mykolaiv on Thursday, according to Vitalii Kim, who is the governor of the region. In Odesa region, four people died and 14 were hurt in missile attacks by Russia on Wednesday evening, according to the governor.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson is arranging with the White House as he plans for the tricky errand of progressing wartime financing for Ukraine and Israel through the House, a best House Republican said Thursday.
House Republican Pioneer Steve Scalise told columnists that Johnson had been talking with White House authorities almost a bundle that would veer off from the Senate’s US$95 billion remote security bundle and incorporate a few Republican requests. It comes after Johnson has deferred for months on progressing help that would give frantically required ammo and weaponry for Kyiv, attempting to discover the correct time to progress a bundle that will be a difficult political lift.
“There’s been no understanding come to,” Scalise said. “Clearly there would ought to an assention come to not fair with the White House, but with our claim individuals.”
Johnson, R-La., is being extended between a Republican conference profoundly separated in its bolster for Ukraine, as well as two presidential contenders at chances over the US’s pose towards the rest of the world. President Joe Biden has more than once chastised Republicans for not making a difference Ukraine, saying they are doing the offering of Russian President Vladimir Putin and harming US security. In the mean time, Donald Trump, the hypothetical Republican candidate, has said he would arrange an conclusion to the struggle as he tries to thrust the US to a more noninterventionist position.
The Republican speaker is set to travel to the previous president’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Friday to meet with Trump and has been counseling him in later weeks on the Ukraine subsidizing to pick up his bolster or at slightest avoid him from straightforwardly restricting the bundle.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican who regularly works closely with House legislators, said this week he and Trump have talked with Johnson “in profundity” almost how to development Ukraine aid. It isn’t clear whether Trump would loan any political bolster, but Mullin said he was trusting to induce the previous president behind the bundle, particularly presently that Johnson’s work is at stake.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, has undermined to undertake to remove Johnson as speaker and cautioned that progressing subsidizing for Ukraine would offer assistance construct her case that GOP officials ought to select a modern speaker.
In the interim, Johnson has been in discussions with the White House approximately enactment that would structure a few of the financing for Kyiv as credits, clear the way for the US to tap solidified Russian central bank resources and incorporate other arrangement changes.
Johnson has too been pushing for the Biden organization to lift a delay on endorsements for Melted Common Gas sends out. At times, he has moreover requested approach changes at the US border with Mexico.
“This gets to be a more perilous world with Russia in Kyiv,” said Rep. Wear Bacon, a Republican who bolsters supporting Ukraine. “So we’re fair ought to discover a theshrewd way to induce a charge passed that we will get out and back to the Senate.”
Still, Johnson is confronting a essentially open disobedience from a bunch of hardline House traditionalists who are disappointed with the way he has driven the House. With a limit and isolated larger part, Johnson has been constrained to work with Democrats to development for all intents and purposes any major enactment.
House Equitable Pioneer Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday that the “as it were way forward” for the House was a vote on the Senate’s national security bundle. He moreover recommended that Democrats would offer assistance Johnson hold onto the speaker’s hammer in case he did so.
Whereas Democrats have influenced Johnson to put the Senate bundle to a vote, they too may be isolated on a vote as a developing number restrict sending Israel hostile weaponry whereas it locks in in a campaign in Gaza that has slaughtered thousands of civilians.
The Biden organization, which would regulate any military financing, has issued strict notices to Israeli Prime Serve Benjamin Netanyahu that future US bolster depends on the quick execution of modern steps to secure civilians and help laborers.
“In the event that we want to anticipate giving Putin a triumph in Europe, the House ought to do the proper thing for vote based system and pass the Senate’s help bundle presently,” Senate Lion’s share Pioneer Chuck Schumer said Thursday in a floor discourse.
According to the governor of Kharkiv, Oleh Syniehubov, six people died and 11 were hurt in missile attacks on the city of Kharkiv, which is the second biggest city in Ukraine. The attack broke buildings where people live, a gas station, and a cafe where little kids go to learn.
On Saturday afternoon, another attack in Kharkiv killed one person and injured another, according to the mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov. Another rocket attack killed a regular person in the southern Odesa region, the governor, Oleh Kiper, said.
Last night, Russia used 32 drones and 6 missiles made in Iran to attack Ukraine. This information was confirmed by the air force commander. The Ukrainian air defense forces destroyed three cruise missiles and 28 drones. General Mykola Oleshchuk told everyone in a message. “Russian murderers keep scaring Ukrainians and attacking Kharkiv and other calm cities,” he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the attacks last night were aimed at Ukraine’s military factories that make and repair armored vehicles, drones, and military airfields, as well as areas where they believe foreign mercenaries are located. The ministry said they reached all of their goals.
Ukraine shot rockets called Vampire at Russia on Saturday morning, according to the report, 10 of them were shot down over Russia’s border in Belgorod by defense systems, according to the ministry.
Belgorod government Vyacheslav Gladkov said that the rockets were destroyed as they were getting close to the city of Belgorod. Belgorod is the main city in the region with the same name. He also said that 12 houses in the city were damaged. In a village close by, a person’s house caught on fire and some other buildings were also harmed, according to Gladkov.
It was not clear from what he said if the buildings were damaged by rocks falling from the stopped rockets or if the rockets actually hit the buildings.
Fights on the land
Russian troops were moving forward in Ukraine, and it was hard for Ukraine’s armed forces to push them back, said Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine’s armed forces.
Syrksyi mentioned that the situation in the Bakhmut area in eastern Donetsk is very difficult. He said Russian soldiers are attacking all the time using groups of soldiers and vehicles.
There are bigfightshappening to the east of the town of Chasiv Yar. Ukraine still controls this town, and it’s close to the city of Bakhmut, which is occupied by enemies.
The Russian army is trying to get past our defenses,but they haven’t been able to take over the town of Chasiv Yar. We are still in control there.
Close to Avdiivka, another city in the Donetsk region controlled by the Russians, the most intense fighting was happening in Pervomaiskyi and Vodyanyi, as reported by the official. He also said that things are very tense in the southern and northeastern parts of the front line.
Last night, Ukraine carried out a big kamikaze drone attack on three important Russian military airfields. There were over 60 explosions reported in the Rostov region where the Morozovsk base is located.
As they got closer to the military base, some of the Ukrainian drones began playing a German song from the 1970s about drinking and staying drunk for seven days.
Approximately 20 Russian soldiers were killed or injured in the attack, according to RBC Ukraine. Additionally, eight planes were damaged.
Frontline bombers like Su-24, Su-24M, and Su-34 are regularly kept at the airfield.
The SBU secret service and the Ukrainian army worked together to carry out the kamikaze drone strike.
The joint special operation had amazing results – at least six Russian military planes were destroyed and eight more were badly damaged, according to a source from RBC Ukraine.
If it’s true, it would be a major hit to Vladimir Putin’s air force during the war.
The Russian side did not confirm or independently analyze the claims.
The attacks happen at a time when people are saying that Russia might send more soldiers to fight against Ukraine.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is getting ready to gather 300,000 soldiers on June 1st.
He didn’t give any more information about the claim.
Russian officials said on Friday that they believe the attack on a concert hall in Moscow is connected to Ukraine. They found photos on a suspect’s phone showing soldiers in Ukrainian uniforms.
After the shooting and fire at the Crocus City Hall concert venue on March 22 that killed 145 people, Russian officials have been trying to say Ukraine is responsible, even though Ukraine says they didn’t do it and a group related to the Islamic State said they did it.
Officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have not shown any proof for the connection as they tried to change the story from the security services’ inability to stop the attack.
Russia’s main law enforcement agency, the Investigative Committee, announced on Friday that they found pictures on one of the suspects’ phones showing people in Ukrainian flag uniforms and destroyed houses in the background.
The phone had a picture of a Ukrainian stamp with a rude message on it, the committee said. It did not show the picture, but it might be about a famous stamp from Kyiv that remembers when Ukrainian soldiers swore at a Russian warship during the 2022 invasion.
The committee also said that one of the suspects sent pictures of the roads and entrances to the concert hall to their boss on February. 24 – two years since Russia attacked Ukraine.
The committee said that the findings may show a connection between the terrorist attack and the special military operation, using the Kremlin’s term for the war. The agency’s statements could not be checked by a different source.
The day after the attack, officials said they caught four men in the Bryansk area next to Ukraine and accused them of doing the shootings. Putin and other officials say the four people were going to Ukraine.
Four people from Tajikistan went to a court in Moscow because they were accused of terrorism. They had signs of being severely beaten. Several people have been arrested as helpers in different parts of Russia, and some people possibly connected to the attackers were also taken into custody in Tajikistan.
This week, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Putin, did not give a response to a report in The Washington Post. The report said that US officials had identified Crocus City Hall as a potential target. Peskov said that this is a matter for the security services.
The attack showed that Putin, who has been in power for 24 years, had a big security problem. He became president by being tough on terrorists from Chechnya.
Many people are wondering how gunmen were able to kill so many people at a large event. Critics think that Russia’s security forces are more concerned with stopping political opposition than dealing with real dangers to the public.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on the Telegram app that its air defense units stopped six Ukrainian drones from carrying out a “terrorist attack. ” It also said that two more drones were taken down near the border region of Belgorod.
A person from Ukraine’s Air Force named Illya Yevlash said on TV that Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian drone called “Forpost. ” He said it was a very advanced and expensive drone in Russia’s weapons.
Yevlash said he was surprised to find such an expensive Forpost attack drone, worth $8 million. It’s rare to find a target like that.
The Forpost drone is described as a Russian version of a spy plane used by Israel for many years. It can fly up to 3 miles high and do surveillance for 16 hours without stopping.
Natalia Humeniuk, who speaks for the Ukrainian forces in the south, said that Russian forces are using drones more often now because the Ukrainian air defense has been able to shoot down at least two A-50 surveillance planes.
She said on national TV that we saw over 200 spying drones in our area from Odesa to Zaporizhzhia in the last day.
“Today there were less of them, but the enemy is still trying to gather information. ” They definitely have to make up for the A-50.
The new mobilization law started the day after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved it. Last year, Ukraine’s government approved it.
It was not clear why Zelenskyy took a long time to sign the law. He didn’t say anything about it publicly, and officials didn’t mention how many new soldiers the country would get or which units they would join.
Compulsory military service has been a big issue in Ukraine for a long time because they don’t have enough soldiers or ammunition, which gives Russia an advantage in battle. Russia has not been able to fully use its advantages because it has problems with having enough workers and planning effectively.
The Russian military said that more people have joined recently because they are angry about the terror attack at a concert hall in Moscow last month that killed over 140 people.
Around 16,000 people have joined in the past 10 days, according to Russia’s Defence Ministry. Its statement could not be checked by someone else to make sure it is true.
A group connected to Islamic State said they were responsible for the attack. The Kremlin says Ukraine and the West were involved in the killings, but they haven’t shown any proof. Ukraine and the West say they had nothing to do with it.
Zelenskyy signed a law to allow younger people to be drafted into the military. This law is different from another law being discussed in parliament that would require more people to join the military. The bill 10449 wants to lower the age when people are drafted into the military and also decide who can be excused from serving. It covers many other areas too. This law, which many people don’t like, is having a tough time getting approved by parliament. Lawmakers have submitted over 1,000 changes to it.
Zelenskyy also approved two other laws about mobilization. One of the laws makes an online list for people who want to join the military.
“These laws only make some parts of the mobilization process different. ” “But there are still many problems that need to be fixed,” said Oksana Zabolotna, an analyst at the Centre for United Actions, a government watchdog in Kyiv.
She said that lowering the age for military service probably won’t help the military reach its goal of 500,000 new recruits.
Around 500,000 men are between 25 and 27 years old. She said that some people are not able to work, some have left, and some are not working right now but can work later. She thinks the new law might reach around 10% of the target.
That is a little progress. Military experts say that the average age of Ukrainian soldiers is about 40, which is similar to Russian soldiers. Some people in Ukraine are concerned that removing young adults from their jobs will make the already struggling economy worse. This is a big problem as Kyiv prepares for a possible attack by the Russian military in the summer.
People were very excited to fight against the Kremlin’s forces at first, but now they are not as interested. However, the majority of people still support the war.
Ukraine doesn’t allow men under 60 to travel to other countries right now. Many Ukrainian men are avoiding military service by staying at home or trying to pay money to not have to go to war. The leaders are saying they don’t have enough soldiers to start attacks, and just enough to defend against strong Russian attacks.
Russia has more people than Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin is willing to make men go to war even if they don’t want to.
Zelenskyy has hardly talked about mobilizing people. In December, he said Ukraine’s army wanted to call up 500,000 more soldiers. But he said he had requested the top leaders to explain the specific information about what is “a very delicate issue” before making a decision on whether to fulfill their request.
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy said that a big mobilization would cost Ukraine about US$13. 4 billionOther things to think about are whether soldiers at the front will come back home for a break or if they will be replaced by other troops.
Zelenskyy and Gen disagreed about whether to get more troops for Ukraine. Valerii Zaluzhnyi was a well-liked leader of Ukraine’s military, but the president replaced him in February.
The Ukrainian Defence Ministry says that in October, the military had almost 800,000 soldiers. That does not involve the National Guard or other groups. In all, 1 million people from Ukraine are wearing uniforms.
At the same time, Ukraine’s air force reported that it destroyed four drones launched by Russia in central provinces during the night.
An 11-year-old boy was hurt in Russia’s attack in Kupiansk and died in the hospital, the Kharkiv regional Governor said.
“We believe that Ukraine should receive more long-term help from NATO instead of relying on short-term, voluntary offers,” said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg before a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers in Brussels.
On Wednesday, Ukraine made the military conscription age lower from 27 to 25 to bring in more soldiers after being at war for over two years. A lack of soldiers and not enough ammunition has helped Russian troops take control.
“We do this because of what’s happening on the battlefield in Ukraine. ” “It’s important,” Stoltenberg told the reporters. “We can see that Russia is trying to win the war by being patient and waiting for us to give up. ”
The idea is for NATO to organize the work of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which is a group of about 50 countries that have been meeting during the war to provide weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. This would be instead of the US European Command.
The general in the United States. Christopher Cavoli is the top military leader for NATO and the head of US European Command. This means that he is the person in charge and will not change. However, Stoltenberg said that there is a need for an official “institutional framework” as the war continues, and NATO can provide it.
NATO is not giving weapons to Ukraine directly, but they will send non-lethal aid like tools to remove explosives, fuel, and medical supplies. This shows a new level of NATO’s involvement in the war.
NATO wants to help Ukraine more, especially because Russia has a strong military, but its members are not willing to promise Ukraine membership in the organization for ultimate security. They also don’t want to get involved in a big war with a country like Russia, which has nuclear weapons.
The new plan is for NATO to work together to help Ukraine and figure out what they need, get promises of help, and have meetings to discuss how to support them. The plan should be approved by US President Joe Biden and other leaders in July.
The Financial Times newspaper said that the plan could cost up to $100 billion over several years, but Stoltenberg did not give any more information.
Western countries said they would help Ukraine, but they did not keep their promises. Europe promised to give 1 million rounds of ammunition, but they didn’t give enough. They also had a fight about money for Ukraine’s struggling economy, and now the help is still stopped in the US.
“It’s not safe to promise things we can’t do,” said Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib when asked how much her country might give to a $100 billion fund. She said we need to talk more about the plan.
Stoltenberg asked Congress to work together and pass a bill that gives $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine. He said that the delay is causing problems on the battlefield.
“He said this is why Ukrainians have to limit the number of artillery shells and are struggling to defend themselves against the powerful Russian military force. ” The Russian soldiers have more bullets and bigger guns than the other soldiers.
A recent attack happened near the cities of Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk in Russia. 12 people were hurt in the attack, which took place about 745 miles east of Ukraine.
Lately, Ukrainian drones have been launching more frequent attacks on Russian refineries and oil terminals, in an effort to cause more damage on Russian land.
Ukrainian experts have been making their drones able to fly farther and carry more weapons, because Ukraine needs more powerful weapons and troops on the battlefield. Drones are a cheaper choice for Ukraine until they get more military help from the US.
Neither side can make a big impact on the 1,000-kilometer front line right now.
Security and intelligence officials from Ukraine said they attacked a place in Yelabuga, Tatarstan where drones are made. They used long-range drones produced in Ukraine. Tatarstan is well-known for having a lot of factories, and one factory near Yelabuga has made drones that explode, which are designed by people from Iran.
Ukrainian officials said that spies were part of an attack on the Nizhnekamsk oil refinery.
The officials talked to The Associated Press but didn’t want their names to be known because they weren’t allowed to talk to the public. It was unusual for officials in Kyiv to admit they were responsible for an attack on Russia, because they usually don’t talk about attacks on Russian soil. Sometimes they might mention them indirectly.
The Associated Press could not check if the claims were true.
Russia often uses Shahed drones to launch air attacks on Ukraine. They send a lot of them at once to try and overcome Ukraine’s air defenses.
Tatarstan officials said the attack didn’t stop factories from working, while Nizhnekamsk’s mayor said the attempt to attack the refinery was stopped by air defenses.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Kyiv is trying to distract people from their losses by trying to attack Russia, in order to show their supporters that they can still fight against Russia.
During a meeting with top military leaders, Shoigu said that Russian soldiers have taken control of over 400 square kilometers (about 155 square miles) since the beginning of the year.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov from the Kremlin said that the Russian army is doing things to make their defenses stronger against these attacks.
“The army is trying to make this danger smaller and eventually get rid of it completely,” he said during a phone call with journalists.
Ukraine has used drones to attack St. and nearby areas before. Petersburg is about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) north of the border. The facilities in Tatarstan, a province on the Volga River, seem to be the farthest target Ukraine has tried to attack.
Last year, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that his country made a weapon that can reach a target 700 kilometers away. It seems like he was talking about a drone attack on Russia.
Last year, Ukraine’s minister for digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, said the government wanted to create a high-tech army of drones. He said that their importance in the war will be clear by the end of this year. Last year, Ukraine taught over 10,000 new people how to fly drones.
Ukraine made dangerous sea drones that hit Russian navy ships in the Black Sea. The attacks that worked well made the Kremlin feel bad. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to choose Adm. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that Alexander Moiseyev is the new leader of the navy.
Putin also chose Vice Admiral as a name. Sergei Pinchuk is now the leader of the navy’s Black Sea Fleet after the previous leader, Adm. , was let go.