Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin before a meeting, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Reuters)Russia Ukraine War Crisis Live: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday stated that Russia was failing in its war aims and Ukraine is succeeding, Reuters reported. He added that while Russia was continuing to brutalise parts of Ukraine, the country was standing strong.
This came after top US officials, including Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his advisors Sunday in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The US will proved a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 other partner countries, of which some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv, the officials announced.
Blinken also stated that US President Joe Biden will announce his nomination of veteran diplomat Bridget Brink to be the next US ambassador to Ukraine — a decision yet to be confirmed by the Senate. Brink has held various diplomatic positions and was serving as an ambassador to Slovakia since 2019. The Secretary of State also added that American diplomats who left Ukraine before the war would start returning to the country this coming week.
Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine is set to dominate the discussions at the Raisina Dialogue, the flagship conference on geo-politics and geo-economics organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation on April 25-27. At least eight leaders and ministers from Europe are scheduled to be in India over the next couple of days, including Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission.
A boy stands next to a wrecked vehicle in front of an apartment building damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 24, 2022. (Reuters)
A large fire broke out early on Monday at an oil storage facility in the Russian city of Bryansk, the emergencies ministry said, adding that no one was injured.
There was no immediate indication the fire was related to the war in Ukraine, although Russian officials said last week that Ukrainian helicopters hit residential buildings and injured seven people in the area. Read more
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday told reporters that he had spoken to the United Nations chief António Guterres on Friday. He stated that Guterres will deliver a strong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, and the need for a ceasefire and corridors for aid and evacuation of people.
Guterres is set to visit Moscow on Tuesday to meet Putin. He will later visit Zelenskyy in Ukraine.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday said that on their way to Kyiv, it looked like things were beginning to get back to normal, Reuters reported.
He added that the nature of the fight in Ukraine has evolved and the Ukrainians are now in need of long-range fires. The country has also expressed a need for tanks, he said. Austin also stated that they have asked Ukrainian authorities to track weapons as best as possible, as the US doesn't have forces on the ground to track on its own.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday stated that Russia was failing in its war aims, Reuters reported. He added that while Russia was continuing to brutalise parts of Ukraine, the country was standing strong.
Speaking to reporters, Blinken said that a sovereign, independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Russia's Putin.
This came after top US officials, including Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his advisors Sunday in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Sunday told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that US President Joe Biden will announce his nomination of veteran diplomat Bridget Brink to be the next US ambassador to Ukraine — a decision yet to be confirmed by the Senate. Brink has held various diplomatic positions and was serving as an ambassador to Slovakia since 2019.
The Secretary of State also added that American diplomats who left Ukraine before the war would start returning to the country this coming week.
In a meeting shrouded in secrecy, top officials of the United States visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his advisors Sunday, news agency AP reported. The US will proved a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 other partner countries, of which some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv, the officials announced.
Russia has made minor advances in some areas since shifting its focus to fully occupying the Donbas, the UK's Ministry of Defence tweeted in a regular bulletin on Monday.
"Without sufficient logistical and combat support enablers in place, Russia has yet to achieve a significant breakthrough," it said.
Ukraine's defence of Mariupol has also exhausted many Russian units and reduced their combat effectiveness, British military intelligence
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said that the war in Ukraine has been a “stark reminder for Europe” that “dependency on Russian fuel is not sustainable”, emphasising on the transition toward home-grown renewable energy.
In her speech at the International Solar Alliance in New Delhi on Sunday, the EU chief said, “I am thinking about the war that Russia has unleashed against Ukraine. For us, Europeans, it is a stark reminder that our dependency on Russian fossil fuels is not sustainable… So, our transition to homegrown renewable energy is not only good for the environment but also becomes a strategic investment in security. Energy policy is also security policy…”
“This is why the European Commission will present next month a new solar strategy of the European Union, as part of REPowerEU,’’ she said. Read more
A large fire was reported early on Monday at an oil storage facility in the Russian city of Bryansk, Reuters quoted Russian news agencies as saying. While the cause is yet to be determined, Russian authorities have previously blamed Ukraine for attacking residential buildings in the city.
Bryansk is located about 380 km southwest of Moscow. The city is the administrative centre of the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine.
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