On another day when Russian troops attacked the port area along the Danube with drones for the fourth time in less than a week, the defense claims to have shot down several drones in the Moscow region, the Briansk border area and to the south. in Rostov, where the military command of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine is located. The US Secretary of State and NATO Secretary General agreed in their analysis that Ukraine’s armed forces are gaining ground, while Moscow criticized the United States’ announcement to supply depleted uranium munitions.
On the second day of Antony Blinken’s visit to Ukraine, a second military aid package was announced. While the first, worth $175 million, was in an envelope worth over a billion dollars, the Pentagon has now revealed another $600 million worth of equipment. Highlights include air defense equipment, ammunition for HIMARS systems, and equipment for demining and obstacle removal.
On the first day of Blinken’s visit to Ukraine, billions in aid were announced, 175 of which for weapons. In the second, another $600 million.
“The United States will continue to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with the capabilities necessary to meet its immediate battlefield needs and long-term security assistance needs,” the U.S. Department of Defense said. While visiting the village of Yahidne, in Chernihiv (90 miles northeast of Kiev), which was under Russian occupation, Blinken told NBC News that Ukrainian forces had made “very palpable progress” in recent weeks.
NATO’s secretary general also sees a “gradual” advance of Kiev’s troops. “The Ukrainians decided to launch the offensive because they want to liberate the country and they are making progress. Maybe not as much as we expected, but they are gaining about 100 meters a day,” said Jens Stoltenberg at a hearing in the European Parliament. Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Stoltenberg reiterated the importance of Europe’s continued support. “Supporting Ukraine is not an option. It is a necessity to ensure that we keep the peace for our members, for our countries, and to ensure that authoritarian regimes cannot achieve what they want by violating international law and resorting to military force. ”
The Norwegian leader, hearing criticism from left-wing MEPs, couldn’t resist a joke that had long been circulating on social media, stating that “the Russian army was the second strongest in the world and now the second strongest in Ukraine. “.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin denounced US plans to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium ammunition for Abrams tanks. “This is very bad news,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “The use of these projectiles caused a galloping increase in the number of cancer patients… The same situation will inevitably happen in the Ukrainian areas where they will be used,” predicted Peskov, after also saying that “the responsibility rests with the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” Russian leader Vladimir Putin warned that he would also use depleted uranium ammunition if Ukraine received such ammunition.
Source: DN
