The US plans to provide Ukraine with an additional $450 million in aid and advanced weaponry that includes rocket systems.
European Union leaders granted the country candidate status, which moves the war-torn nation closer to its long-sought goal of joining the Western bloc.
The Kremlin said a peace deal with Ukraine isn’t possible until Kyiv accepts all its demands — leaving conditions at a stalemate as Russia’s invasion nears the four-month mark.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck triggered the second stage of the country’s three-phase gas-emergency plan and warned of the potential for Lehman-like contagion.
On the Ground
Ukrainian air defense downed two cruise missiles targeting Odesa on Thursday, the city council said on Telegram. Three cruise missiles launched from occupied Kherson targeted the city of Mykolayiv, hitting industrial and social infrastructure and injuring one person.“Heavy explosions” were heard in the southern seaport, its mayor said.
A day earlier Mykolayiv faced a large-scale rocket attack. “A threat of artillery shelling has been announced in the city,” the mayor wrote on his Telegram account, urging residents to go to shelters “immediately.”
Russian troops seized two more villages south of Lysychansk, in Luhansk, a stronghold Kyiv relies on in its defense in that area.
US Adds Another $450 Million in Weapons, Aid
The US announcement of another $450 million in advanced weaponry and aid to Ukraine is the latest tranche in what has become a multibillion-dollar effort to push back Russia’s invasion.
The new package includes patrol boats, rocket systems and additional ammunition, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
The move comes just weeks after President Joe Biden announced $1 billion in new weapons and support, including high-technology rocket systems meant to allow Ukraine to hit Russian targets from as far as 80 kilometers (50 miles) away.
After required training for Ukraine’s military, some of those weapons are now flowing into the country.
Bloomberg