Live blog: US prepares $1B weapons package for Ukraine

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

1529 GMT — The United States is preparing a $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine, the first to be sourced from the yet to be signed Ukraine-Israel bill, two US officials told Reuters news agency.

The aid package includes vehicles, Stinger air defence munitions, additional ammunition for high-mobility artillery rocket systems, 155-millimeter artillery ammunition, TOW and Javelin anti-tank munitions and other weapons that can immediately be put to use on the battlefield, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

President Joe Biden had asked the US Congress to provide $60.8 billion in aid to Ukraine, but the initiative stalled when Republicans in the House of Representatives refused to move the measure forward for months.

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1552 GMT — Russian strike on Kharkiv's TV tower is part of an intimidation campaign: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian missile strike that smashed a prominent skyline television tower in Kharkiv was part of the Kremlin’s effort to intimidate Ukraine’s second-largest city, which in recent weeks has come under increasingly frequent attack.

The strike sought to “make the terror visible to the whole city and to try to limit Kharkiv’s connection and access to information,” Zelenskyy said.

The northeastern Kharkiv region straddles the approximately 1,000-kilometre front line where Ukrainian and Russian forces have been locked in battle for more than two years since Moscow attacked Ukraine.

1548 GMT — UK puts its defence industry on 'war footing' as it gives Ukraine $620 million in new military aid

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the country is putting its defence industry on a “war footing” by increasing defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by the end of the decade, amid NATO concerns about possible repercussions of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Sunak announced the increase in spending to well above the 2 percent target set by NATO during a visit to the Polish capital, Warsaw.

It came on the heels of a new pledge to send arms worth 500 million pounds ($620 million) to Ukraine, including missiles, armoured vehicles and ammunition.

1407 GMT — Russia will strike in unexpected places this summer, Ukraine says

Russian troops will strike in unexpected parts of the front when they conduct their summer offensive in Ukraine and could try to advance on the northeastern city of Kharkiv, the commander of Ukraine's National Guard said.

Ukraine's second-largest city has been pounded by missiles and drones in recent weeks, but Kiev's forces will be prepared to thwart any assault, Oleksandr Pivnenko said.

"We are getting ready. Yes, the enemy will give us unpleasant surprises. It will operate in areas where we do not expect it."

1359 GMT — Russia says military 'dispelled the myth of the superiority’ of Western arms

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoygu said his military "dispelled the myth of the superiority” of Western arms during Ukraine’s counteroffensive last year.

“The Kiev regime was unable to achieve its goals in the counteroffensive prepared by NATO instructors,” Shoygu said at the opening of the Defence Ministry Board.

Expressing that enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex have significantly increased their capacity, Shoygu said they also significantly increased the combat capabilities of the armed forces, which he claimed is evidenced by the situation in Ukraine.

1126 GMT — EU lawmakers back Ukraine food import extension, with curbs

The European Parliament voted to back a year-long extension to tariff-free trade for Ukrainian farm produce while introducing new curbs on the level of imports to assuage protesting EU farmers.

The parliament voted by 428 votes to 131 with 44 abstentions in favour of the extension, which will now apply from June 6 after clearing this final procedural hurdle.

The tariff liberalisation, dating from June 2022, was designed to help keep Ukraine's economy afloat as it battles Russian attacks.

0741 GMT — Russian drone strike on Ukraine's Odessa injures nine

A Russian aerial strike on the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa has injured nine people overnight, including four children, Ukrainian officials said.

The port city on the Black Sea has been targeted by Russian missile and drone attacks since the start of the two-year war.

"As a result of Russian terror, residential buildings were damaged and there was a fire," Ukraine's state emergency services said in a post on Telegram.

The cause of the damage was a Russian drone that had been shot down by Ukrainian air defences, the army command for the south of the country said.

The emergency services posted photos and videos showing a building on fire, rescuers sifting through the rubble and consoling residents.

0740 GMT — Russia's Belgorod region says 120 civilians killed by Ukraine strikes since 2022

Russia's Belgorod region which borders Ukraine has said that 120 civilians had been killed there in Ukrainian strikes and 651 people injured since the start of the war over two years ago.

Belgorod has been repeatedly attacked by Ukrainian artillery, drones and proxies over the past year.

Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said 11 children were among the dead and 51 children had been injured, some of them suffering amputations.

"The situation is extremely difficult. The attacks continue. People continue to die," Gladkov said in a video message on Telegram in which he warned citizens to be vigilant during celebrations of Orthodox Easter on May 5.

0738 GMT — China slams 'groundless' US claims of support for Russian military

China has condemned what it called "groundless accusations" by the United States that Beijing is supporting Russia's war in Ukraine.

"The United States has unveiled a large-scale aid bill for Ukraine while also making groundless accusations against normal trade between China and Russia," foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, adding:

0533 GMT — Russia says it has a response ready if West seizes its assets

Russia has a prepared response if the West seizes its frozen assets in favour of Ukraine, Valentina Matvienko, the speaker of the Russian upper house of parliament, said.

Russian senators are ready to consider the corresponding bill without any hesitation, Matvienko told Russian state news agency RIA.

0312 GMT — US to take aim at Chinese banks aiding Russia war effort

The US is drafting sanctions that threaten to cut some Chinese banks off from the global financial system, which officials hope will stop Beijing's commercial support of Russia's military production.

This is according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter.

0133 GMT — US Senate to vote on Ukraine aid after House approval

The US Senate is set to vote on a major aid package for Ukraine, with its passage all but certain after the House of Representatives — following months of wrangling — approved the assistance with broad bipartisan support.

"The task before us is urgent. It is once again the Senate's turn to make history," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said.

The Senate vote should go more smoothly without having to deal with the complicated negotiations and disagreements that plagued the Republican-controlled House.

Biden promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call that Kiev could expect the assistance to arrive "quickly" as they struggle forward in their over-two-year battle against Russia's invasion.

2221 GMT — Ukraine's Zelenskyy says deal with US on ATACMS in place

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed gratitude to US President Joe Biden for his support and leadership in a telephone conversation.

Zelenskyy, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said he noted in the conversation the role of House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries in securing passage of a major military aid bill to Ukraine.

Later, in his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said the legislation, still to be approved by the US Senate and signed by Biden, clarified that Ukraine would be receiving the long-range ATACMS [Army Tactical Missile Systems] it has long sought.

"In the agreement on ATACMS for Ukraine, all the details are in place," he said. "Thank you, Mr. President, thank you Congress, thank you America."

2130 GMT — UK's Sunak to announce uplift in military support for Ukraine

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce a $617 million uplift in military support for Ukraine on a visit to Poland, warning that Russia must be defeated to prevent its troops from pressing further into Europe.

"Defending Ukraine against Russia's brutal ambitions is vital for our security and for all of Europe. If Putin is allowed to succeed in this war of aggression, he will not stop at the Polish border," Sunak said in a statement.

"Ukraine's armed forces continue to fight bravely, but they need our support - and they need it now. Today's package will help ensure Ukraine has what they need to take the fight to Russia," he said before the visit.

Britain will also send what it described as its largest-ever single package of equipment, including 60 boats, more than 1,600 strike and air defence missiles and nearly 4 million rounds of small arms ammunition.

For our live updates from Monday, April 22, click here.