April 13, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news | CNN

April 13, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

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What we covered

  • The US and EU have pledged a combined $1.3 billion more in military aid for Ukraine. It includes weapons and fuel and comes as Russia prepares to launch an eastern offensive.
  • Conflicting claims have emerged about a Russian warship that Russia says was evacuated due to a fire, but which a Ukrainian official said was hit by a missile strike.
  • Ukraine says its last two remaining units in Mariupol have been able to join forces thanks to a “risky maneuver,” bolstering their resistance against Russian forces.
  • President Joe Biden’s declaration that a genocide is underway in Ukraine won’t change US policy and shouldn’t be confusing to other world leaders, the White House said.
  • Ukrainian officials say more than 100 bodies have been discovered, some tortured, after Russian forces left the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine.
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The Pentagon is figuring out how to arm Ukraine faster

The Pentagon hosted the CEOs of the US military’s eight largest prime contractors Wednesday to figure out how to arm Ukraine faster, according to a readout of the classified meeting. 

The roundtable discussion, led by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, focused on the Pentagon’s objectives to keep supplying Ukraine with arms while also being able to maintain the readiness of US forces and support the defense of allies.

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.

Supply chain issues: On Tuesday, a defense industry official told CNN the major weapons manufacturers are facing severe supply chain issues and a lack of affordable labor. Manufacturing capacity could face additional challenges as Ukraine contracts compete with increased US defense spending for the current output, the official said.

The classified roundtable was meant in part to address those concerns in an ongoing series of discussions between the Pentagon and the largest weapons manufacturers.

Those included Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dynamics and others.

Getting weapons in faster: But it was primarily focused on the goal of “accelerating production” of weapons for Ukraine, including systems that can be shipped quickly and used effectively with minimal training.

A senior defense official said Wednesday the massive shipments of weapons to Ukraine, including thousands of Javelin anti-armor missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, have not affected the readiness of US forces.

Russian warship evacuated in Black Sea was involved in Snake Island exchange

A Russian warship that was evacuated in the Black Sea on Wednesday was one of the vessels involved in the famous exchange at Snake Island in February, according to a Ukrainian presidential adviser.

The island was hit by Russian missile strikes after Ukrainian defenders responded to the threat of Russian invasion with the words: “Russian warship, go f*** yourself.”

Some context: Conflicting reports have emerged from the Russians and Ukrainians about the incident onboard the Moskva on Wednesday. Russia said in state media the cruiser was evacuated after a fire onboard detonated ammunition. The Odesa state regional administrator claimed it was hit by Ukrainian missiles. CNN is unable to independently verify what took place. 

However, comments from Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy, suggest there is confusion over what occurred.

The ship is currently in the Black Sea basin, he added.

Regarding the February Snake Island incident, Arestovych confirmed the Moskva was involved. “Yes specifically this one, it was firing at the defenders. It’s the flagship of the (Russian) navy,” he said.

Why the Biden administration is giving new, heavier weapons to Ukraine

For the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US is providing Kyiv with the types of high-power capabilities some Biden administration officials viewed as too much of an escalation risk a few short weeks ago.

The $800 million list is driven not only by direct requests from Ukraine, but also in preparation for a new type of fight on the open plains of southeast Ukraine right next to Russia, terrain that plays into Russia’s natural military advantages.

The new weapons package represents the starkest sign to date that the war in Ukraine is shifting — and with it the weapons Ukraine will need if it hopes to continue to stymie a Russian military that has regrouped and resupplied after its initial failures in the opening weeks of the war.

What the package includes:

  • The Biden administration said the package included 11 Mi-17 helicopters that had initially been earmarked for Afghanistan
  • 18 155 mm Howitzer cannons
  • 300 more Switchblade drones
  • And radar systems capable of tracking incoming fire and pinpointing its origin

This package stands out from previous security assistance in part because this tranche includes more sophisticated and heavier-duty weaponry than previous shipments.

Read the full story:

Polish Mi-17 helicopters are seen during Dragon-17 military exercises at the military range near Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, September 21, 2017. Agencja Gazeta/Cezary Aszkielowicz via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. POLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN POLAND.

Related article Why the Biden administration is giving new, heavier weapons to Ukraine

Heartbreaking moment as mother finds body of her son dumped in a well

A mother reacts as police members exhume the body of her son from a well in the town of Buzova, Ukraine, on April 10.

The heart-wrenching moment when a Ukrainian mother’s worst fears come true — the discovery of her son’s lifeless body, dumped in a shallow well after the retreat of Russian forces — has been documented on video. 

The distressing scene witnessed by journalists from AFP on Sunday in the town Buzova, a liberated village near the capital, Kyiv, encapsulates the personal human tragedy of Russia’s war on Ukraine. 

Her sobs intensify as she grasps at the rubble and dirt surrounding the pit.

The video shows police pulling her son’s body from the well and wrapping him in a white body bag. 

Upon seeing his body the woman tries to force past a makeshift cordon. Four men hold her back. “I won’t leave,” she cries out. 

One other male body was also found in the well, which was located outside a razed gas station along the route of the Russian retreat in that area, according to AFP. 

Taras Didych, head of the Dmytrivka community, said in the video that both men were residents of the village and members of the Territorial Defense. 

How the men came to die was not immediately apparent, but Didyich told Ukrainian television another grave with dozens of civilians was found last Saturday in the village after the area had been occupied by Russian forces for several weeks, Reuters reported.

The total number of dead is yet to be confirmed, he said.

Ukraine claims it hit a Russian warship with a missile strike. Russia says otherwise

A satellite image shows Russian warship the Moskva in the port of Sevastopol, Crimea on April 7.

Conflicting reports have emerged from the Russians and Ukrainians about an incident involving a Russian warship in the Black Sea. 

No evidence has emerged to support either claim and CNN is unable to independently verify what took place. 

What the Russians say: The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Wednesday that the warship Moskva was evacuated after a fire onboard detonated ammunition, seriously damaging the vessel, according to Russian state media.

What the Ukrainians say: Hours earlier, Odesa state regional administrator Maxim Marchenko claimed in a post on Telegram that Ukrainian forces hit the ship with “Neptune” missiles causing serious damage to it.

Poor weather: Due to large storms over the Black Sea obscuring satellite imagery and sensory satellite data, CNN has not been able to visually confirm the ship has been hit. The Russian Defense Ministry has also not posted any official statement to its Telegram channel acknowledging the evacuation, or fire onboard.

Russian state media outlets TASS and RIA reported the ship’s crew was evacuated and that the cause of the fire was still being established. According to the Defense Ministry, the Moskva is a missile cruiser that was built and commissioned in 1982.

Satellite images from Maxar Technologies showed the ship just northwest of Sevastopol, Crimea on April 10.

It's 3 a.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know

US President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday that the US was sending an additional $800 million worth of weapons, ammunition and other security assistance.

The new equipment includes “artillery systems, artillery rounds, and armored personnel carriers,” the statement from Biden read. 

The European Union also approved an additional 500 million euros ($544 million USD) for military equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Wednesday, according to a news release from the European Council of the European Union.    

The additional 500 million euros brings the total financial assistance from the European Union for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to 1.5 billion euros, the release states.

Here are more of the latest headlines from the Russia-Ukraine conflict:

  • White House: Biden declaring “genocide” in Ukraine won’t change policy and shouldn’t confuse world leaders: US President Biden’s declaration that a genocide is underway in Ukraine won’t change US policy and shouldn’t be confusing to other world leaders, the White House insisted Wednesday. Biden made the remark as observers gain greater access to devastated areas of Ukraine, and was speaking to “what we all see, what he feels as clear as day in terms of the atrocities happening on the ground,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. She was speaking a day after Biden made the remark in Iowa, first in passing during a speech about ethanol and later more directly on a tarmac. Psaki said the legal process for determining whether genocide was underway would proceed. But she said Biden was voicing his views as the US president, not just a personal stance. “He’s the President and we are here to implement his views,” she said.
  • US will likely determine genocide has been committed in Ukraine, State Department official says: A top US State Department official said Wednesday that it is likely the United States will ultimately determine that genocide has been committed in Ukraine. In an interview with CNN Newsroom, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said Biden “spoke from his heart when he called what we’re seeing in Ukraine genocide by the Russian Federation and its forces.” Nuland said that the US has “a process of collecting evidence over time” in order to make a formal government determination of genocide.
  • Russia announces retaliatory sanctions on 398 members of US Congress: Russia said Wednesday that it had imposed sanctions on 398 members of the US Congress in retaliation against Washington blacklisting hundreds of Russian lawmakers last month.  Moscow’s “mirror sanctions” include “the leadership and committee chairmen of the lower house of the U.S. Congress,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. The US Treasury Department on March 24 announced sanctions against 328 members of the 450-seat Russian State Duma — the lower level of the two-tiered Russian Parliament. 
  • Russian military threatens to strike Ukrainian “decision-making centers”: The Russian military in a statement Wednesday threatened to strike Ukrainian “decision-making centers” — including those in Ukraine’s capital — in response to what Russia said were “attempts of sabotage and strikes” on Russian territory. “We see attempts of sabotage and strikes by Ukrainian troops on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation,” said Russian Ministry of Defense spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, in a statement. “If such cases continue, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will strike at decision-making centers, including in Kyiv, from which the Russian army has thus far refrained.” Russia, earlier this month, accused Ukraine of mounting a helicopter attack on a fuel depot inside Russian territory. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has neither confirmed nor denied the attack.
  • US military looking at options to train Ukrainians on Switchblade drones and other systems: The Pentagon is examining options for how it can train more Ukrainian forces to use Switchblade drones that the US is providing to the Ukrainian military, according to a senior defense official. Future trainings might occur with the US troops who have deployed to bolster NATO’s eastern flank over the past several months amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the official told reporters Wednesday. The Pentagon was looking at “a range of options” for training Ukraine on the Switchblade drones and other weapons systems, the official said, on top of the trainings that occurred with Ukrainians who already were in the United States for previously scheduled engagements.
  • Russia could relaunch offensive to “conquer” Donbas region in days, French military spokesperson says: The Russian military is potentially preparing for a “large-scale offensive” in the east of Ukraine in the coming days, French military spokesperson Col. Pascal Lanni said on Wednesday. “Within the next few days, 10 days or so maybe, Russia could relaunch its efforts with a large-scale offensive in the east and south to conquer the Donetsk and Luhansk regions […] or even to push as far as the Dnipro [river] if its capacities allow it,” Lanni told journalists. He also noted that there were “no significant advances at this stage in terms of territorial gains for the Russian forces on the eastern front.”

President Duque: Colombia ready to step up energy supplies to the west to replace Russian imports

Colombian President Iván Duque speaks to media ahead of the closing bell ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan on April 11.

Colombia is ready to play a central role in helping supply Western countries with energy resources after the gaps caused by sanctions on Russia, Colombian President Iván Duque told CNN.

Duque listed three areas where Colombia would be ready to increase production: traditional oil and gas extraction, renewables such as clean hydrogen, and coal.

“Colombia today immediately can have an increase on coal. … We have some of the biggest resources in the world, and we don’t use it [for power production],” Duque told Quest while he announced that Colombia will increase coal supplies to Germany — which recently approved plans to phase out Russian coal imports – following direct conversations between Duque and Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Asked about US President Biden’s use of the world “genocide” to describe Russian actions in Ukraine, Duque told Quest he agreed with his US counterpart. “What is happening in Ukraine is a genocide. And it has to stop. … This is insane,” Duque told Quest.

Duque is in New York City on a three-day visit to promote foreign investment in Colombia and present his government’s actions on security and the war on drugs, the Colombian President’s office said in a statement.

He visited the New York Stock Exchange and participated in meetings at the UN Security Council on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

White House: US in early talks to send high-ranking official to Ukraine, decision far from finalized

US officials have internally had preliminary discussions about sending a high-ranking member of the administration to Ukraine, according to a source familiar with the talks.

While President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are unlikely to visit Kyiv anytime soon, officials have discussed sending Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin or Secretary of State Antony Blinken. But a decision is far from finalized and the visit could ultimately not materialize.  

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Kyiv in recent days. US officials said afterward that Biden was not currently planning a trip of his own. 

A group of Ukrainians tried to take a boat to safety, then Russian rockets came raining down

Vladimir Nesterenko and his father Oleh, seen during happier times prior to Russia's invasion.

All Vladimir Nesterenko wanted to do when he grew up was to play basketball. The brown haired 12-year-old dribbled and shot hoops with his dad Oleh in the village where they lived in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region. He idolized NBA legend Michael Jordan.

His mother Julia Nesterenko was happy to encourage the habit. “We even had a basketball hoop at home,” the 33-year-old told CNN as she described their first family home. It was their “nest,” she said, with a small garden and a vegetable patch.

When Russian forces captured the regional capital, also called Kherson, and its surrounding area soon after the invasion began, the family knew they could not stay, Julia said. Russian checkpoints, armed forces, and officers of the FSB intelligence agency were reportedly flooding the region at the same time as disappearances and detentions of local mayors, journalists, and civilians became rife, according to local officials and rights groups.

It was time “to get out of the occupied territories to safety… in order to survive,” Julia said. Russians had taken over their village, Verkhnii Rohachyk, and the Nesterenko family feared the consequences.

With nothing more than a backpack and their important documents, the family took what appeared to be the easiest route out to Ukrainian-held areas, she said. On April 7, the family of three and 11 other people boarded an evacuation boat, operated by a local resident, crossing the Dnipro River from the southern, Russian-occupied part of Kherson region to the Ukrainian controlled territory on the other side of the river. The Dnipro, one of Europe’s longest waterways, cuts through Ukraine and its Kherson region before flowing into the Black Sea.

The boat crossing, which began at the bank of the fishing village of Pervomaivka, should have been simple. It was the seventh evacuation trip via boat from the village to a Ukrainian-held area on the north bank of the Dnipro River since the war began, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration of Kryvyi Rih, in the neighboring region of Dnipropetrovsk.

Instead, it turned into a bloodbath, according to Julia, two other survivors, a friend of one victim and several regional officials. They described how Russian rockets and gunfire targeted the boat after it unintentionally drifted into the frontline.

Roman Shelest, head of the Kryvyi Rih Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office for Ukraine told CNN that the boat drifted into the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian forces, and was fired upon 70 meters from the shore.

One survivor, who declined to be named due to safety fears, explained that the boat got lost in a smoke screen, believed to have been created by the Russians. CNN has been unable independently to verify this claim.

One of the survivors also said he believed they were hit by Russian Grad rockets.

When the boat’s navigator indicated that the group had drifted close to the Russian-held village of Osokorivka, the morning’s silence was soon punctured with the sound of exploding rockets, the survivors said.

Four people were killed in the attack that day. Oleh was among three to die on the boat; Vladimir died shortly after at a hospital. Another victim was a lawyer who had travelled into Kherson region to rescue her son and deliver humanitarian aid, the lawyer’s friend, Tatyana Denisenko, told CNN.

Photos of the attack’s aftermath showed what looked like the remnants of a rocket on the shore, and bullet and shrapnel holes in the hull of the boat.

The remnants of what appears to have been a rocket, seen on the banks of the Dnipro river.

“Based on the shells and ammunitions we saw in the area and on the shoreline, we could see the direction of shooting – which demonstrates that (they) were coming from the southern direction, and that is the territory occupied at this time and under the control of the armed forces of the Russian Federation,” prosecutor Shelest, who is investigating the attack, told CNN.

CNN has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment. Since the outbreak of war, Russia has repeatedly denied it targets civilians – a claim disproven by attacks on civilians and civilian targets that have been verified by CNN and other news organizations.

Read more.

European Union gives another 500 million euros to Ukraine for military aid

The European Union has approved an additional 500 million euros ($544 million USD) for military equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Wednesday, according to a news release from the European Council of the European Union.  

The additional 500 million euros brings the total financial assistance from the European Union for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to 1.5 billion euros, the release states. The financial assistance was approved through the European Peace Facility, “an off-budget instrument that enhances the EU’s ability to act as a global security provider,” according to the website of the European Commission for the European Union.   

The 500 million euros will finance personal protective equipment, military equipment, fuel, and first aid kits, the release said.  

“The European Council demands that Russia immediately stop its military aggression in the territory of Ukraine,” the release stated. 

White House: Biden declaring "genocide" in Ukraine won't change policy and shouldn't confuse world leaders

US President Joe Biden speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One at Des Moines International Airport in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday, April 12.

US President Biden’s declaration that a genocide is underway in Ukraine won’t change US policy and shouldn’t be confusing to other world leaders, the White House insisted Wednesday.

Biden made the remark as observers gain greater access to devastated areas of Ukraine, and was speaking to “what we all see, what he feels as clear as day in terms of the atrocities happening on the ground,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

She was speaking a day after Biden made the remark in Iowa, first in passing during a speech about ethanol and later more directly on a tarmac.

Psaki said the legal process for determining whether genocide was underway would proceed. But she said Biden was voicing his views as the US president, not just a personal stance.

“He’s the President and we are here to implement his views,” she said.

Psaki told CNN’s MJ Lee that fellow world leaders shouldn’t be confused by Biden’s statements, which often outpace official US designations — first on war crimes and now on genocide.

“I don’t think anybody is confused about the atrocities of what we’re seeing on the ground,” she said.

“President Putin is brutally targeting civilians and brutalizing a country right now. So the President — this President — was speaking to what those atrocities are,” she said.

She said even an official designation of genocide wouldn’t necessarily change US policy.

“It doesn’t change a policy,” she said. “There would be an international effort to explore that and an investigation at an international level. Those often take many years.”

Polish president: Russian invasion of Ukraine is "not war, it’s terrorism”

Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks during a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky along with the presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia following their talks in Kyiv on Wednesday, April 13.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “not war,” but “terrorism”, and said those who committed war crimes must be punished, after he and Baltic leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Wednesday.   

“The perpetrators of these crimes, both direct and indirect, must be punished. Prosecutors collect evidence in places where mass murders took place. It is inconceivable that such things should happen in the modern world,” he added.  

“There is no dialogue with those who break all the rules”, he said. “I hope that Ukraine will soon become part of the European Union as a free and sovereign state making decisions about itself.” 

Poland has played a key role in helping the people fleeing the war — which has sparked Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since the second world war — taking in 2.68 million Ukrainian refugees since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, according to figures from the Polish Border Guard on Tuesday.   

It marks a significantly warmer stance compared to its response to the last refugee crisis which began in 2015, when it subsequently resisted taking in an EU-proposed quota of migrants seeking refuge from predominantly war-torn Middle Eastern countries.   

“We are Ukraine’s neighbors not only literally, but also in the sense of the common history and understanding of the situation,” Duda said on Wednesday.

Top US State Department official: US will likely determine genocide has been committed in Ukraine

A top US State Department official said Wednesday that it is likely United States will ultimately determine that genocide has been committed in Ukraine. 

In an interview with CNN Newsroom, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said US President Joe Biden “spoke from his heart when he called what we’re seeing in Ukraine genocide by the Russian Federation and its forces.”

Nuland said that the US has “a process of collecting evidence over time” in order to make a formal government determination of genocide.

Asked why sanctions haven’t had a deterrent effect on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nuland replied that it is because Putin “doesn’t care about his people or his country, he only cares about his own imperial ambition.”

“He doesn’t see that what he is doing is not only turning Ukraine into rubble, it’s also turning Russia into a prison,” she said.

Russia announces retaliatory sanctions on 398 members of US Congress

The US Capitol is seen in the evening from the National Mall in Washington, DC on March 8.

Russia said Wednesday that it had imposed sanctions on 398 members of the US Congress in retaliation against Washington blacklisting hundreds of Russian lawmakers last month. 

Moscow’s “mirror sanctions” include “the leadership and committee chairmen of the lower house of the U.S. Congress,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. 

The US Treasury Department on March 24 announced sanctions against 328 members of the 450-seat Russian State Duma — the lower level of the two-tiered Russian Parliament. 

“Further announcements of Russian countermeasures are planned in the near future,” including adding more Americans to the sanctioned list, Moscow said in Wednesday’s statement.

Ukrainian commanders defending Mariupol say their units were able to link up despite relentless attacks

The commanders of two Ukrainian units defending the besieged port city of Mariupol issued a video statement saying they had been able to join forces, as Russia claimed advances in the city.

Their statement comes as Ukrainian forces remain blockaded inside Mariupol, which has been under weeks of relentless bombardment. The Russian military has repeatedly claimed to have taken strategic positions in the city, but has also faced stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.

Denys Prokopenko, the commander of the Azov Regiment, said his unit had linked up with troops from the 36th Marine Brigade, but acknowledged that some Ukrainian defenders had surrendered. 

“These are real men [of the 36th] who have chosen the path of war,” he said. “Do not make heroes out of deserters and fighters who voluntarily surrendered. They chose the path of shame, and shouldn’t be heroized in any case.”

Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych had said earlier on Wednesday that after a “risky maneuver” the last remaining defenders of the besieged port city of Mariupol have been able to join forces.

“This is what happens when officers do not lose their heads, but firmly maintain command and control of the troops,” Arestovych said.

CNN cannot independently confirm the details of the operation. 

Meanwhile, in a statement Wednesday, Russian Ministry of Defense spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Mariupol’s commercial seaport had been captured. CNN was not independently able to verify that claim.

Analysis: Putin has shown no hint of introspection despite heavy losses in Ukraine

International sanctions may be starting to bite, his troops are seeing “significant” losses in Ukraine and US President Joe Biden just called his war a genocide, but for Russian President Vladimir Putin, everything is still going to plan.

In remarks this week, Putin has shown no hint of introspection, spinning Russia’s pariah status on the international stage as a sort of victory.

Take his remarks in a virtual meeting on Russia’s development of the Arctic. Western oil companies may be abandoning ventures in Russia, taking their technical expertise with them, Biden has slapped a ban on Russian oil, gas and coal imports and the EU, though far from going cold turkey, is looking to decouple from Russian energy.

Putin’s take? The pain inflicted on European energy consumers is a good thing, and Russia will find other markets.

That sort of glass-half-full message may be meant to reassure uneasy Russians. But Putin is also presenting a blithe confidence about how the war in Ukraine is going, despite massive setbacks in the effort to “denazify” Ukraine — the Kremlin leader’s ugly shorthand for overthrowing the democratically-elected government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and ending Ukrainian statehood as we know it.

Read the full analysis here.

France will provide Ukraine with additional military aid

At the request of Kyiv, France will provide Ukraine with a new round of military aid, French Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly said Wednesday. 

The minister did not say what the additional military aid would include.

French President Emmanuel Macron will speak with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, according to the Élysée Palace. 

US President Biden unveils $800 million security package for Ukraine in call with Zelensky

US President Joe Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart Wednesday that the US was sending an additional $800 million worth of weapons, ammunition and other security assistance.

The package will include both new types of weapons and the types of equipment the US has been providing to Ukraine for weeks.

The new equipment includes “artillery systems, artillery rounds, and armored personnel carriers,” the statement from Biden read. 

“I have also approved the transfer of additional helicopters,” he wrote.

The $800 million shipment brings to more than $3 billion the total amount of military assistance the US has provided to Ukraine.

“The steady supply of weapons the United States and its Allies and partners have provided to Ukraine has been critical in sustaining its fight against the Russian invasion. It has helped ensure that Putin failed in his initial war aims to conquer and control Ukraine. We cannot rest now,” Biden wrote in a statement.

The US President said he assured Zelensky that the “American people will continue to stand with the brave Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.”

Russian military threatens to strike Ukrainian "decision-making centers"

The Russian military in a statement Wednesday threatened to strike Ukrainian “decision-making centers” — including those in Ukraine’s capital — in response to what Russia said were “attempts of sabotage and strikes” on Russian territory.

Russia, earlier this month, accused Ukraine of mounting a helicopter attack on a fuel depot inside Russian territory. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has neither confirmed nor denied the attack.

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