US announces another $350 million in security assistance for Ukraine

March 20, 2023 - Xi and Putin meet in Moscow as Russia's war in Ukraine continues

By Kathleen Magramo, Eliza Mackintosh, Aditi Sangal, Mike Hayes, Leinz Vales and Elise Hammond, CNN

Updated 12:03 a.m. ET, March 21, 2023
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7:28 p.m. ET, March 20, 2023

US announces another $350 million in security assistance for Ukraine

From CNN's Natasha Bertrand

The Biden administration has authorized an additional $350 million in security aid for Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday.

The Presidential Drawdown includes “more ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS and howitzers that Ukraine is using to defend itself, as well as ammunition for Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, HARM missiles, anti-tank weapons, riverine boats, and other equipment,” Blinken said in a statement.

Drawdown packages are pulled directly from US weapons stocks and can be shipped quickly to Ukraine. 

Blinken on Monday reiterated that the US will stand with Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”

“Russia alone could end its war today,” he said. “Until Russia does, we will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

More context: The last Presidential Drawdown of US equipment for Ukraine was announced earlier this month, and was valued at $400 million. That package included, for the first time, Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges, a system used to launch bridges to cross trenches and narrow water obstacles.

The US has committed more than $32 billion in Presidential Drawdown funds to aid Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began more than one year ago.

10:52 a.m. ET, March 20, 2023

EU members agree to provide ammunition for Ukraine, Estonian defense minister says

From Inke Kappeler in Berlin, Svitlana Vlasova in Kyiv, Sarah Dean in London and Xiaofei Xu in Paris

Estonia's Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, on March 20.
Estonia's Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, on March 20. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

European Union member states have agreed on the joint procurement of one million rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition for Ukraine, Estonia’s Defense Minister said Monday.

Following a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels, Hanno Pevkur tweeted that “political consensus had been reached – 1 million rounds of 155mm to Ukraine."

As the war stretches into its second year, Ukraine is burning through ammunition faster than the US and NATO can currently produce it.

Speaking after the meeting in Brussels, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he was confident ammunition production can be increased quickly.

Pistorius said he will be awaiting offers from ammunition manufacturers until the end of March, noting the importance of speed when it comes to supplying Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the meeting “the highest priority need is artillery ammunition. It is not only about the quantity, but also about the speed of delivery. The sooner we get as many shells as possible, the more lives will be saved,” according to a readout from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. 

Before the meeting, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell told reporters he was confident production capacity could be increased to provide 2 billion euros (or about $2.1 billion) worth of ammunition.

“In order to increase our production capacity there has to be clear prospects for demand. That is why, there are three tracks that go together," Borrell said, according to remarks published online. “First, the ones [ammunitions] that we already have. Second, the ones that have to be produced. Third, the industrial capacity to produce more. It is one after the other and all together, it makes a comprehensive and coherent package. Funding is there. Capacities are there. They have to be increased and Member States have to act together in order to be more efficient."

The European Union’s 2 billion euro ammunition plan for Ukraine is “a very strong step to protect European security,” Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, tweeted Monday in response to the announcement.

The EU has not yet provided further details of the agreement.

2:36 p.m. ET, March 20, 2023

Russia and China have "similar goals," Xi tells Putin

From CNN's Xiaofei Xu in Paris and Wayne Chang in Hong Kong

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 20.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 20. (Russian Presidential Press Service/Reuters)

China and Russia "share similar goals," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday during a visit to Moscow.

"It is true that both of our countries share the same, or some similar goals. We have exerted efforts for the prosperity of our respective countries…we can cooperate and work together to achieve our goals," Xi said.

"I'm very happy that I can visit Russia again, at your invitation. And that Russia is the first country that I visited after my re-election as China's President," Xi told Putin.

Xi also expressed support for Putin to be reelected.

"I know that the Russia presidential election is next year. Russia's development has significantly improved under your firm leadership. I believe that the Russian people will continue to strongly support you,” he said.

Xi said China “highly values” China-Russia ties and that both countries can cooperate to fulfill their development goals.

 

10:07 a.m. ET, March 20, 2023

German soldier transport vehicles are on the way to Ukraine, defense minister says

From Inke Kappeler in Berlin

A delivery of German Marder infantry fighting vehicles is on its way to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on the sidelines of an EU Foreign and Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday. 

Germany announced in January it would provide Ukraine with 40 of the Marder vehicles. Later that month, it said Ukrainian soldiers had arrived in Germany for training on the vehicles.

More on the vehicles: The Marder is designed to move soldiers around the battlefield. It has been used by the German military since the early 1970s but continuously upgraded. The German military is in the process of phasing it out, but hundreds are still in service.

10:52 a.m. ET, March 20, 2023

Putin welcomes Xi to the Kremlin and says leaders will discuss China’s proposals on Ukraine

From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 20.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 20. (VGTRK)

In remarks at the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“In the last few years, China has made a colossal leap forward,” Putin told Xi, sitting beside him. “In the whole world, this evokes interest, and unfortunately even envy.”

He continued, “Symbolically, we met here 10 years during your first visit as an elected representative of China. In this time, we made progress in relations. We have many common interests and goals.”

Putin also told Xi that Russia is ready to discuss Beijing's proposals for resolving the crisis in Ukraine, saying that Moscow has "studied closely" the proposals.

"Of course, we will have an opportunity to discuss this issue. We know that you are based on the principles of justice and commitment to the fundamental points of international law,” Putin said. 

“You are also aware that we are always open to the negotiation process. We will certainly discuss all these issues, including your initiative,” he added.

Putin also said that he respects China’s balanced approach to the issue.

More on Beijing's proposal: Western leaders have expressed skepticism about China’s potential role as a peacemaker and its claimed neutrality. The United States and its allies have instead since last month warned that China is considering sending lethal aid to Russia for its war effort, which Beijing has denied.

Watch the moment here:

9:49 a.m. ET, March 20, 2023

Xi and Putin meeting is underway in Moscow

From CNN's Stephanie Halasz

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is meeting with President Vladimir Putin now, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti.

9:01 a.m. ET, March 20, 2023

White House watching Xi and Putin meeting "very, very closely" as it warns against potential ceasefire calls

From CNN's Betsy Klein

The Biden administration said it is watching China’s President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow “very, very closely” as top officials express concerns about any calls for a ceasefire at this time.

“A ceasefire called right now would basically just ratify Russia's conquest and give Mr. Putin more time to really equip and retrain and restart operations at a time and a place of his choosing,” John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, told Kaitlan Collins during an appearance on “CNN This Morning.”

He said the US would “reject” any calls for a ceasefire out of the high-stakes meeting as he reiterated that it would not be “in China’s best interest” to provide arms to Ukraine.

The Russia-China relationship, Kirby said, is “a marriage of convenience, not of affection.”

“These are two countries that don't have a heck of a whole lot of trust between one another, but they find common cause in pushing back on the West, in pushing back on American leadership,” he said.

Kirby said the US has not seen any confirmation of a call between Xi and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, but encouraged a discussion.

“If you're going to go to Moscow, and you're going to sit down for three days with President Putin, and you're going to get his perspective on a war that he started, and that he could finish today. You ought to pick up the phone at the very least, and talk to President Zelensky and get the Ukrainian perspective here,” he said.

Kirby downplayed Putin’s weekend trip to Mariupol, Ukraine, noting it was “far away from the front lines of the fighting” in Ukraine.

“It was a convenient excuse for him to go in advance of Xi's visit to show that he's still the commander-in-chief, that he's still in charge, and that his military still has occupied territory inside Ukraine. There's no doubt that, that he could see for himself — or we would hope that he would see for himself — how badly his military is actually doing where the fighting is actually occurring,” he said.

8:58 a.m. ET, March 20, 2023

Ukrainian town of Avdiivka could become another Bakhmut, military says

From CNN's Svitlana Vlasova and Tim Lister

An eldery woman stands in front of a destroyed apartment building in the city of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on March 18.
An eldery woman stands in front of a destroyed apartment building in the city of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on March 18. (Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images)

Russian forces continue efforts to cut off the town of Avdiivka — north of the city of Donetsk — and it may soon become "a second Bakhmut," the Ukrainian military says.

"The enemy is constantly trying to surround the town of Avdiivka. I agree with my colleagues from the UK that Avdiivka may soon become a second Bakhmut — it is true," Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi, a military spokesperson, told Ukrainian television Monday. But he added that Russia is "suffering quite serious losses," claiming that it is using "the last of its reserves."

"Over the past day, the enemy lost about three companies/rotas of personnel. All of these attacks are the same type. The enemy attacks from the same position, very predictably. So our guys manage to defend their positions," he said.

Earlier Monday, the UK Defense Ministry said the Russian operation around Avdiivka near the city of Donetsk has made "creeping gains," adding that the Russian attack has been "largely" carried out by the 1st Army Corps of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, made up of "local personnel who will know the terrain well."

There are about 2,000 civilians remaining in Avdiivka, according to Ukrainian officials. Several children had been evacuated, and over the past three weeks alone, 150 people had left the town, Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka Civil-Military Administration, told local TV channel Espresso.

8:25 a.m. ET, March 20, 2023

Ukraine says any Chinese peace plan must begin with Russian withdrawal

From Svitlana Vlasova in Kyiv

Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov gives an interview in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 27.
Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov gives an interview in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 27. (Volodymyr Tarasov/Ukrinform/Future Publishing/Getty Images)

As Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Moscow, Ukraine has reiterated that any future peace plan must be predicated on the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from all Ukrainian territory.

China last month called for both sides to agree to a cessation of hostilities in a 12-point position paper outlining a "political settlement of the Ukraine crisis," which it issued on the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale war.

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said Monday that the formula for the successful implementation of China's "peace plan" would require Moscow to restore Ukraine's "sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity."

"The first and foremost point is the surrender or withdrawal of Russian occupation forces from the territory of Ukraine in accordance with international law and the UN Charter," Danilov said on Twitter.

Oleg Nikolenko, the spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, told CNN that "Ukraine is following closely the Chinese President’s visit to Russia. We expect Beijing to use its influence on Moscow to make it put an end to the aggressive war against Ukraine."

Nikolenko added: "As Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stressed in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart last week, restoring territorial integrity of Ukraine should be at the core of every diplomatic effort. We stand ready to engage in a closer dialogue with China in order to restore peace in Ukraine in accordance with the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, and the latest UNGA resolution on this matter."

More on China's "peace plan": In Beijing's 12-point document, China's Foreign Ministry called for a resumption of peace talks, an end to unilateral sanctions, and stressed its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons — a stance Xi communicated to Western leaders last year.

The plan is part of Beijing's latest efforts to present itself as a neutral peace broker, as it struggles to balance its "no-limits" relationship with Moscow and fraying ties with the West as the war drags on.

But Beijing's claim to neutrality has been severely undermined by its refusal to acknowledge the nature of the conflict — it has so far avoided calling it an "invasion" — and its diplomatic and economic support for Moscow.

CNN's Olga Voitovych contributed reporting to this post.