The Pentagon will host leaders from the top eight U.S. arms makers on Wednesday to discuss the industry’s ability to meet Ukraine’s arms needs if the war with Russia lasts for years, two people familiar with the meeting said Tuesday. Demand for arms has risen since the Russian-led invasion of the United States and allied arms shipments to Ukraine. Supply as well as planning for a bigger war are expected to be discussed at the meeting, sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The Pentagon’s acquisition and support bureau’s arms purchaser for the US Department of Defense will host the 90-minute meeting, which is expected to be attended by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, one of the people said. The Pentagon has said that the most useful weapons are smaller systems, such as the Javelin anti-tank missiles and the Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, which Washington and its allies send to Ukraine on an almost daily basis. The intense use, as well as the effectiveness on the battlefield demonstrated by the Ukrainian forces, has sparked interest in renewing these weapons. Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin Corp. jointly produce Javelins, while Raytheon manufactures Stingers. Other leading arms manufacturers include Boeing Co Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and L3Harris Technologies. Before 4 meters06: 51 More than 6,000 alleged war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine are under investigation, the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office said. A total of 6,261 cases have been reported and 191 children confirmed to have been killed, the office added. 8 minutes ago 06:47
The United States will send another $ 750 million worth of weapons to Ukraine
The administration of US President Joe Biden is expected to announce another $ 750 million in military aid to Ukraine as early as Wednesday, two US officials familiar with the matter told Reuters. The equipment will be funded using the Presidental Drawdown Authority, or PDA, in which the president may authorize the transfer of items and services from U.S. stockpiles without congressional approval in response to an emergency. One of the officials said that final decisions on the equipment mix are still being made. US President Joe Biden has spoken to the media after saying that Russia’s war in Ukraine was tantamount to “genocide” and accused President Vladimir Putin of trying to “eliminate the idea of even being Ukrainian”. Photo: Carolyn Kaster / AP A senior congressional aide said the equipment to be announced is likely to include heavy ground artillery systems for Ukraine, including shells. The White House said last week that it had provided more than $ 1.7 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine. The congressman’s aide said some lawmakers had been briefed in the last 24 hours on the impending announcement, which was expected within the next 24 to 48 hours. Weapon missions include Stinger defensive anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles, as well as ammunition and body armor. Before 9 meters06: 46 Here is a selection of some of the latest images that came out of Ukraine today. Volunteers load the bodies of civilians killed in Bhutan into a truck to be transported to a morgue for research on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday. A woman points to a hole in a house after a bombing in the village of Zalissya, northeast of Kiev. Firefighters are working to put out the blaze after a Russian attack destroyed a school building in Kharkov. Nadiya, a 65-year-old local, points to a hole in a house after a bombing in the village of Zalissya, northeast of Kiev. Photo: Genya Savilov / AFP / Getty Images The tail of a missile protrudes from a residential area in Yahidne, near Dnipro, Ukraine. Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka / AP Volunteers load the bodies of civilians killed in Bucha on a truck to be transported to a morgue for research on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine. Photo: Rodrigo Abd / APWomen shaking hands to say goodbye to relatives as they leave by train at Slovyansk Central Station in the Donbas district. Photo: AFP / Getty Images A woman holds a portrait of Dmytro Stefienko, 32, a civilian killed in Bucha on the outskirts of Kiev. Photo: Rodrigo Abd / AP13m before 06:42 Polish President Andrzej Duda and the presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are on their way to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, an adviser to the Polish leader said on Wednesday. “Our countries show support for Ukraine and President Zelensky in this way,” wrote adviser Jakub Kumoch on Twitter. The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, also posted a picture showing himself and his team getting off a Ukrainian train. “I am heading to Kyiv with a strong message of political support and military assistance,” Nauseda wrote on Twitter this morning. “Lithuania will continue to support Ukraine’s struggle for sovereignty and freedom.” We are heading to Kyiv with a strong message of political support and military assistance. Lithuania 🇱🇹 will continue to support 🇺🇦 Ukraine 🇺🇦 ‘s struggle for sovereignty and freedom. Together in victory! pic.twitter.com/WLb5yR5W69 – Gitanas Nausėda (@GitanasNauseda) April 13, 2022 Updated at 06.45 BST 17 minutes ago 06:38
Russia’s appointment of new general reflects ‘ineffective pre-war planning’, says UK Foreign Office
Russia’s appointment of a new general as warlord in Ukraine represents an attempt to “concentrate command and control” and reflects “ineffective pre-war planning”, forcing Russia to reassess its operations, the Pentagon said. Βασιλείου. The latest British Secret Service report, released shortly after 6 a.m. GMT, states: Russia’s appointment of General Alexander Dvornikov as commander-in-chief of the war in Ukraine represents an attempt to consolidate command and control. The lack of coherence and coordination of military activity has prevented the Russian invasion to date. Like many senior Russian generals, Dvornikov has previous command experience in Syria. In addition, since 2016 he has ruled the Southern Military District of Russia, which borders the Donbass region of Ukraine. Russian messages have recently highlighted the progressive attacks on Donbas, as Russian forces re-focus eastward. Dvornikov’s election further demonstrates how resolute Ukrainian resistance and ineffective pre-war planning have forced Russia to reassess its operations. Updated at 06.44 BST before 23 p.m. 06:32
Biden accuses Putin of committing genocide in Ukraine
Julian Burger Joe Biden accused Russia of committing genocide in Ukraine, saying that Vladimir Putin “is trying to eliminate the idea of even being Ukrainian.” Biden first used the word incidentally on Tuesday at an Iowa home policy rally on the use of ethanol in gasoline. “Your family budget, your ability to fill your tank, none of this should depend on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide half a world away,” he said. Asked later if he intended to apply the condition to Russian actions in Ukraine, Biden told reporters: “Yes, I called it genocide because it is becoming increasingly clear that Putin is simply trying to eliminate the idea of still being Ukrainian. “And the evidence is growing,” he said. “More evidence comes from the horrific things the Russians have done in Ukraine. And we will only learn more and more about disaster. “We will let the lawyers decide internationally whether he meets the conditions or not, but it certainly seems so to me.” Joe Biden accuses Vladimir Putin of committing genocide in Ukraine – video A prosecutor at The International Criminal Court in The Hague opened a case in February, saying there was a “reasonable basis for believing that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine”. Proving a case under the 1948 Genocide Conventions requires an ‘intention [by the accused] to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group “. Biden has been consistently outspoken in denouncing the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians by Russia, calling Putin a “war criminal” in mid-March. Numerous investigations are underway into Russian atrocities in Ukraine, including the leveling of Mariupol and the execution of civilians in the Kiev suburb of Bucha. True words of a true leader @POTUS. Calling things by their names is necessary to resist evil. We are grateful for the US assistance provided so far and we urgently need more heavy weapons to prevent further Russian atrocities. – Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) April 12, 2022 Updated at 06.41 BST 27 minutes ago 06:28
Russia is accumulating troops on the eastern border, satellite images show
Satellite imagery shows Russia deploying troops and equipment in at least three areas near Ukraine’s eastern border. According to images released by Maxar Technologies, an escort of armored vehicles and trucks was seen on a highway in the village of Vilkhuvatka, near Kharkiv, over the weekend. Multiple development sites and investment equipment were also seen at Kherson Air Force Base on April 7 with some of the vehicles bearing the Z mark. A closer look at an escort of military vehicles is allegedly seen near Bilokurakyne in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine earlier this week. An escort of armored vehicles and trucks appeared on a highway in the village of Vilkhuvatka, near Kharkiv, Ukraine, on April 9. Photo: Satellite Image © 2022 Maxar Tech / AFP / Getty Images An overview of Kherson Air Base with multiple development sites and investment equipment in Kherson on 7 April. Some of the vehicles have the Z mark on them. Photo: APA closer to an escort of military vehicles near Bilokurakyne, Ukraine, on April 11th. Photo: Satellite image © 2022 Maxar Tech / AFP / Getty Images This satellite image, released on April 12, shows buildings burning in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol on April 9. Photo: Satellite image © 2022 …
