Alex Wong | Getty Images The Pentagon said Wednesday that Ukraine has not yet lost Donbas to Russia after weeks of heavy fighting. “It’s very intense,” U.S. Army Gen. Mark Miley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon. “A lot of violence, tens of thousands of artillery shots every 24 hours and a lot of casualties on both sides, a lot of destruction of villages,” he added. Milley said Russia has advanced only about 10 miles in the past three months. “It’s not lost yet. The Ukrainians are making the Russians pay for every centimeter of territory they gain,” he added. — Amanda Macias
Concerns about Ukraine’s lease resurface as the war in Russia continues
Screenshot showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his televised address where he said that if the Russian threat to shipping in the Black Sea can be removed, it will ease the severity of the global food crisis. Igor Golovniov | Lightrocket | Getty Images Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s firing of senior officials shines an uncomfortable light on an issue the Biden administration has largely ignored since the war with Russia broke out: Ukraine’s history of rampant corruption and unstable governance. As it moves forward with providing tens of billions of dollars in military, economic and direct financial support to Ukraine and encourages its allies to do the same, the Biden administration is again confronting long-standing concerns about Ukraine’s suitability as a recipient of massive infusions of American aid. Those issues, which go back decades and were no small part of former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, had been largely at the fore in the immediate run-up to Russia’s invasion and in the early months of the conflict as the US and partners they rallied to defend Ukraine. But Zelensky’s firings over the weekend of his top prosecutor, intelligence chief and other senior officials reignited those concerns and may have inadvertently brought new attention to allegations of high-level corruption in Kyiv made by an outspoken US lawmaker. It’s a delicate issue for the Biden administration. With billions in aid flowing to Ukraine, the White House continues to prop up the Zelenskyi administration to an American public increasingly focused on domestic issues such as high gas prices and inflation. High-profile supporters of Ukraine in both parties also want to avoid a backlash that could make it harder to approve future aid packages. — Associated Press
Ukraine’s first lady is pushing Congress for more weapons in the fight against Russia
First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska speaks to members of the US Congress about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in the Auditorium of the US Capitol Visitor Center on July 20, 2022, in Washington, DC. Saul Loeb AFP | Getty Images Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska has urged bipartisan lawmakers to send more weapons to her homeland as it fends off a full-scale invasion by Russia. Zelenska spoke to members of Congress from the same chamber as her husband, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, did in March. It appeared virtually, as the Russian war had just begun. “I’m asking something now that I never wanted to ask,” Zelenska said at the US Capitol. “I am asking for weapons, weapons that will not be used to wage war on someone else’s land, but to protect their home and the right to wake up alive in that home.” Zelenska began her 15-minute speech with a photo slideshow of Ukrainian children killed by Russian missile and shelling across the country. “I’m asking for air defense systems so that the missiles don’t kill,” Zelenska said before a backdrop of graphic and disturbing images of destroyed Ukrainian roads. — Amanda Macias
A father mourns his son as a Russian attack kills three in Kharkiv
Editor’s Note — The following post depicts graphic images of death in Kharkiv following a Russian missile attack. A father mourns his teenage son after Russian missile strikes on Kharkiv, killing three people. EDITORS’ NOTE: Graphic content: Relatives kneel next to the body of a teenager who died in a Russian missile attack at a bus stop in Saltivka, a northern district of Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv on July 20, 2022 amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sergey Bobok | AFP | Getty Images (EDITORS NOTE: Image depicts death) A father kisses the body of his son who was killed during a shelling attack in Saltivka district in the northern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, July 20, 2022. (Photo by Narciso Contreras/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images ) Narciso Contreras | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images (EDITORS NOTE: Image depicts death) Police assist a father as he mourns in front of the body of his teenage son who was killed during a bombing attack in the Saltivka district of the northern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, July 20, 2022. (Photo by Narciso Contreras/ Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Narciso Contreras | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Funeral workers collect the body of a teenager as his father mourns in front of his body after a shelling attack in the Saltivka neighborhood in the north of Kharkiv city, Ukraine, July 20, 2022. Narciso Contreras | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images — Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The US will send four more mobile missile systems to Ukraine
U.S. soldiers assigned to the 65th Field Artillery Brigade fire a High Mobility Artillery Missile System (HIMARS) during a joint live-fire exercise with Kuwaiti ground forces, Jan. 8, 2019, near Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Courtesy: US Department of Defense Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US will send four more High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems, or HIMARS, to Ukraine. “Later this week, we will present the next package of arms, ammunition and equipment for Ukraine for the withdrawal of the presidency,” Austin said during his opening remarks to the fourth Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine. “It will include four more advanced HIMARS missile systems, which the Ukrainians use so effectively and which have made such a difference on the battlefield,” Austin said, adding that the next package will bring the total number of HIMARS for Ukraine to 16. . HIMARS, manufactured by defense giant Lockheed Martin, are designed to launch a variety of missiles from a mobile 5-tonne truck. The official said US troops will continue to train Ukrainian forces on how to use the platform outside of Ukraine. Last week, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said HIMARS were used to destroy more than 30 Russian military installations. — Amanda Macias
Russia’s Ukraine Aims Could Go Beyond Donbass, Russian Foreign Minister Warns
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference as he meets with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara, Turkey on June 8, 2022. Umit Bektash | Reuters If Ukraine receives long-range weapons from Western countries, Moscow could expand the geography and scope of its “special military operation,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday. Speaking to Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia’s English-language news agency RT, Lavrov said Moscow’s goals in Ukraine remain the same as those announced by President Vladimir Putin at the start of Russia’s invasion — or “special military operation ». as he calls the invasion — but suggested it could be extended. “The President said very clearly, as you quoted him – de-Nazification, demilitarization in the sense that there are no threats to our security, military threats from the territory of Ukraine, this task remains,” the minister said, state news agency RIA reported News. . President Putin initially claimed — falsely — that Moscow’s mission in Ukraine was to “liberate” the government in Kyiv, a claim widely rejected by the international community, but Russia has since changed its stance, saying its main goal was to “liberate” Donbas, where two pro-Russian, self-proclaimed “republics” — known as the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) — are located. Lavrov said that if the West continued to pump weapons into Ukraine, such as US High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS), then “this means that geographical tasks will be extended even further from the current line” in the Donbass, referring to the occupied by Russia. Kherson in the south and Zaporizhia, both of which lie beyond the territory of Donbass in eastern Ukraine. “Now the geography is different. This is far from being only the DPR and the LPR, it is also the Kherson region, the Zaporizhzhia region and a number of other territories, and this process continues, and continues consistently and persistently” , Lavrov said. “We cannot allow the part of Ukraine that Zelensky will control or whoever replaces him to have weapons that will pose a direct threat to our territory and the territory of those republics that have declared their independence, those that want their future they decide for themselves.” concluded. — Holly Elliott
“Russia is blackmailing us,” EU says as it asks member states to provide energy
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference after the College meeting on the “Save gas for a safe winter” package at the EU headquarters in Brussels on July 20, 2022. John Thys | AFP | Getty Images European countries are being asked to cut gas consumption by at least 15% by next spring as part of a wider plan to deal with reduced supplies from Russia. The plan comes as Russian energy giant Gazprom claims it cannot fulfill gas contracts with the bloc – a major headache for European nations given that they are so dependent on Russian energy…
title: “Latest News On Russia And The War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-14” author: “June Shortell”
Uniper, the first in Germany to sound the alarm over rising energy bills, submitted a bailout application for state support earlier this month. Read more here. —Katrina Bishop
Zelensky alludes to the grain deal with Turkey
In this photo, a screen shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech to members of the International Court of Justice in The Hague. He accused the Russian authorities of war crimes and international terrorism. Igor Golovniov | Lightrocket | Getty Images In his regular nightly address on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hinted at the prospect of a deal in Istanbul later on Friday. “Tomorrow we expect news about our state from Turkey — about the unblocking of our ports,” he said. Millions of tons of wheat are stuck in the country. Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest exporters of wheat, and Russian forces have blockaded the Black Sea, where grain silos are located at key Ukrainian ports. —Matt Clints
Turkey says Russia and Ukraine are close to signing a grain export deal
A farm implement harvests grain in the field as the Russian-Ukrainian war continues in Odesa, Ukraine on July 4, 2022. Methane Acta | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images A UN-backed deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports could be signed on Friday, easing the global food crisis caused by the conflict in Eastern Europe. The signing will reportedly take place at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace in Turkey, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman telling reporters on Thursday that Russia and Ukraine had reached an agreement. International observers are wary of the deal, and Russia will be watched closely to make sure it lives up to its side of the deal. Grain exporters in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa have been unable to export their products because of the war, fueling a global shortage of the commodity and driving up food prices. The agreement will reportedly allow Ukrainian ships to guide ships through the mined waters, with a local ceasefire in place so Russia does not attack. Turkish officials are also expected to inspect shipments to rule out any arms smuggling. Moscow, which blames Ukraine for placing the mines, is also expected to restart its own Black Sea grain exports as part of the deal. —Matt Clints
Russia Deliberately Shipped Food to Ukraine, State Department Says
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech in front of the “Motherland, Courage, Honor” monument near the headquarters of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (SVR), in Moscow, Russia, June 30, 2022. Aleksey Nikolsky | Kremlin Sputnik | via Reuters The State Department condemned Russian attacks on Ukrainian agricultural facilities and the months-long embargo on food exports. For months, Russian warships have blockaded Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. “To date, Russia has weaponized food during this conflict. They have destroyed agricultural facilities and prevented millions of tons of Ukrainian grain from reaching those who need it,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a daily press briefing. “It is a reflection of Russia’s indifference to lives and livelihoods not only in the region but far beyond,” he added. Price’s comments come after an announcement that the United Nations, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine will soon sign an agreement that will open a maritime corridor for Ukraine’s grain exports. “We should never have been in this position in the first place. This was a deliberate decision on the part of the Russian Federation to weaponize food,” Price said. — Amanda Macias
The first lady of Ukraine meets HP representatives and receives computers for students
First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska arrives to deliver a speech to members of the United States Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on July 20, 2022. Michael Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska met with representatives of HP and the Global Business Coalition for Education this week to accept a donation of computers for children, students and healthcare providers in Ukraine. “We are very grateful for the support of HP and the Global Business Coalition for Education,” Zelenska wrote in a statement about the $30 million HP initiative. “Their efforts and contribution will help students in Ukraine and beyond to continue learning and prepare for the future, like any other youth in the world,” he added. Enrique Lores, CEO of HP, said the Palo Alto-based company will continue to mobilize technological resources for Ukraine. “Through our partnership with the Global Education Business Coalition, we will put personal computers in the hands of students and families who have been displaced from their homes and classrooms,” Lores wrote in a statement. — Amanda Macias
