- US pledges $2 billion in military aid to Ukraine
- Russia captures three more settlements, advances deeper into Ukraine
- Blinken promises expedited delivery of weapons to Ukraine frontline
During a visit to Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken proclaimed an additional $2 billion in military aid for the conflict. Russia has claimed to have seized three more settlements and is advancing deeper into Ukrainian territory, both of which are critical developments in the conflict.
Blinken stated on Wednesday, alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, at a joint news conference in Kyiv that the additional $61 billion in US aid authorized by Congress last month would be invested in Ukraine’s industrial base.
His declaration was that the United States and Ukraine had completed the “heavy lifting” on a bilateral security agreement, with a signing anticipated within the coming weeks. He stated that the United States was expediting the delivery of ammunition, armoured vehicles, missiles, and air defences to Ukraine so they could reach the front lines as soon as possible.
His remarks were made as Ukrainian forces struggle to repel a renewed Russian offensive along the lengthy front line, where they are being overextended. On Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian forces had captured Robotyne in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and Hlyboke and Lukyantsi in the northeastern Kharkiv region. These captures are the most recent in a series of incremental gains that have alarmed Kyiv.
Ukraine announced that some troops had been withdrawn from the Kharkiv region, where Russian forces unexpectedly launched an offensive this month, shelling border settlements.
“Due to enemy fire impact and assault actions, maneuvers were executed in specific locations in the Vovchansk and Lukyantsi regions to evacuate units to more advantageous positions and save the lives of our soldiers,” a military spokesman stated on state television.
According to Ukrainian authorities, in the northeastern region, Russian forces have deployed more than 30,000 personnel. The emergency services have evacuated approximately 8,000 individuals, most of whom are infants, women, older people, or those with limited mobility.
As per the regional governor, a minimum of two individuals perished in a Russian air assault on the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine.
Blinken stated in a speech on Wednesday at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, “Putin is intensifying yet another offensive against Ukraine in Kharkiv and across the east by sending wave after wave of Russian soldiers, Iranian drones, North Korean artillery, and tanks, missiles, and fighter jets constructed with Chinese-supplied machinery and components.”
“Today, we are in your presence. “Moreover, we shall remain by your side until Ukraine’s security, sovereignty, and autonomy are all assured,” he added.
Increasing ‘alarm’
In light of Russia’s escalating aggression, the press secretary for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that the leader had rescheduled all forthcoming international travel. Prior to this, the president had canceled an upcoming trip to Spain and Portugal.
Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated at a news briefing in Moscow that Blinken’s visit to Kiev appeared to indicate that Washington was becoming increasingly alarmed by the situation on the front lines.
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Zakharova stated, “It is evident that the situation on the front and the military failures of the Ukrainian armed forces are causing the Biden administration increasing concern.”
“Armaments of any kind will not prevent the collapse of Zelenskyy’s criminal regime.” “Every piece of military hardware supplied to Ukraine will be obliterated,” she declared.
Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its aerial defence systems had intercepted and destroyed ten ATACMS missiles over the annexed Crimean Peninsula and seventeen drones across multiple frontier regions.
Additionally, the closure of two airports in the Tatarstan region, situated approximately 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) within Russian territory, was necessitated by drone assaults from Ukraine.
