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☆ Putin says he’s ready to use nuclear weapons if Russian state at stake, but ‘there has never been such a need’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Helen Regan | Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Moscow is ready to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to the existence of the Russian state but “there has never been such a need,” President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with state media published Wednesday. Putin said that from a military and technical standpoint, Russia is ready for a nuclear war, though he didn’t say one was imminent. He warned that if US troops were deployed to Ukraine, Russia would treat them as interventionists. So I don’t think that everything is going to go head-on here, but we are ready for it,” Putin said. In his interview with state media, Putin said Russia would be willing to negotiate on Ukraine, but only if based on reality.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Joe, Biden, ” Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, It’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ” Zelensky, ” Organizations: CNN —, RIA Novosti, “, CNN, US, Russian, Russia’s, NATO, Kremlin Locations: CNN — Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Belarus, Europe

But the Pentagon was reluctant to use that funding, because there was no replenishment money left to refill the US inventories. The second official gave one example of being able to buy 25mm ammunition at a cheaper cost than originally expected after contract negotiations with the vendor. And we certainly can’t count on this as a way of doing business.”“We weren’t broke at the time, but now we are.”The last Ukraine aid package from the US was announced in late December. Last year, the Defense Department announced that it had discovered an accounting error that led to DoD overvaluing the amount of aid it was providing to Ukraine by $6.2 billion. “We believe that the support is still there if the House is allowed to vote,” said the second defense official.

Persons: CNN —, “, ”, Defense Department “, Biden, “ You’ve Organizations: CNN, Biden, Defense Department, Pentagon, Ukraine, DoD, Republican Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Avdiivka

☆ Sweden clears final hurdle in bid to join NATO after Hungary approves accession
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | Stephanie Halasz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Of the 194 members of parliament who voted, just six rejected Sweden’s accession. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Sweden will join the alliance now that all allies have approved Sweden’s bid to join. As NATO states, Finland and Sweden will enjoy the protection granted under Article 5 of the treaty that established the alliance – which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack against all. While most NATO members quickly approved Finland and Sweden’s applications, Hungary and Turkey held out for some time. Video Ad Feedback Turkish parliament approves Sweden's NATO membership bid 01:05 - Source: CNNShortly after the Turkish vote, Orban told NATO chief Stoltenberg that his government would also support Swedish membership.

Persons: CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Ulf Kristersson, Viktor Orban, Sweden’s, ” Kristersson, Jens Stoltenberg, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Orban, Stoltenberg, Putin, Luke McGee, Lauren Kent Organizations: CNN, NATO, Stockholm, Swedish, Gripen, “, United, Russia, Ukraine, Union, EU, Sweden’s, Budapest, Kyiv Locations: Budapest, Hungary, Swedish, “ Sweden, Sweden, United States, Atlantic Treaty, Eastern Europe, Russia’s, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Stockholm, EU, Europe, Israel

☆ Giorgia Meloni Solidifies Her Credentials in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, was isolated, the sole holdout to a landmark European Union fund for Ukraine worth billions. Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, who had long shared his antagonism to the E.U, was that sympathetic ear. Over drinks for an hour, Mr. Orban complained about being treated unfairly by the E.U. A hard-right leader herself, Ms. Meloni told him that she too had felt the prejudice. But it was also a big moment for Ms. Meloni — who sealed her credibility as someone who could play an influential role in the top tier of European leaders.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Giorgia, Orban, Meloni Organizations: European Union Locations: Italy, Ukraine, Europe

☆ EU Leaders to Pledge Continued Military Support to Ukraine at Summit - Draft Text
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders will restate their determination to continue to provide "timely, predictable and sustainable military support" to Ukraine at a summit on Thursday, according to draft conclusions of the meeting. "The European Council also reiterates the urgent need to accelerate the delivery of ammunition and missiles," the draft text, seen by Reuters, also says. The draft summit conclusions leave open whether the leaders will also pledge to put another 5 billion euros for Ukraine aid into a fund called the European Peace Facility, which has been used to bankroll donations of weapons to Kyiv. EU members have been wrangling for months over the future of the fund's role in military aid to Ukraine, with Germany suggesting the focus should now be on bilateral aid from individual EU countries. The idea of pledging a further 5 billion euros is included in the draft text in square brackets - indicating it is still a matter of discussion.

Persons: Andrew Gray Organizations: Union, European, Reuters, Peace, EU, GV De Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Kyiv, Germany, Brussels, Hungary

☆ Spain seizes ancient gold jewellery stolen from Ukraine worth $64 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Spain has seized ancient gold artefacts valued at 60 million euros ($63.6 million) stolen from Ukraine after thieves were caught trying to sell them in Madrid, Spanish police said on Monday. The 11 pieces, primarily jewellery including intricate necklaces, bracelets and earrings, are dated from the Greco-Scythian period between the 8th and 4th centuries BC, police said. The items were exhibited in a Kyiv museum between 2009-2013, and were smuggled out of Ukraine in 2016, Madrid National Police said in a statement, without identifying the museum. The artefacts had forged documents to make it look as if they belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, police said. ($1 = 0.9439 euros)Reporting by Emma Pinedo; editing by Charlie Devereux and Deborah KyvrikosaiosOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Emma Pinedo, Charlie Devereux, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: Madrid National Police, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spain, Ukraine, Madrid, Spanish, Kyiv

☆ Analysis: Zelensky's mixed reception in Washington may be a taste of political storm to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Washington CNN —The blue-and-gold flag draped hero worship of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s last Washington trip, which stirred comparisons to Winston Churchill’s wartime stand against Nazism, was a distant memory on Thursday. And in public appearances, Zelensky’s patience sometimes frayed – especially when berating the United Nations for failing to protect its members from aggression. There’s also a question of whether Zelensky’s relentless efforts to shame the world into action might be reaching the point of diminishing returns. Trump exacerbates such concerns by warning that Biden’s help for Ukraine could trigger World War III with Russia. With no end in sight for the biggest war in Europe since World War II, Ukraine’s fate seems increasingly aligned with Biden’s own political destiny.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Winston, Zelensky, Donald Trump’s, Franklin Roosevelt, There’s, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Biden, Mr, ” Biden, Jake Sullivan, –, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, we’re, Carolina Sen, Thom Tillis, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, McConnell, we’ve, you’ve, ” McCarthy, “, McCarthy, Trump, Putin, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump’s, Ohio Sen, J.D, Vance, Zelensky –, ” Vance, Missouri Sen, Josh Hawley, ” Hawley Organizations: Washington CNN, Republican, CNN, United Nations, United States, Oval, Tactical Missile Systems, NATO, Kyiv, Democratic, GOP, Senate, Trump, Ukraine, “, Twitter Locations: Washington, Russia, United States, Ukraine, United, Russian, Russia’s Far, Poland, Warsaw, US, Poland’s, ”, Carolina, Ukrainian, Southern, America, New Hampshire, American, Moscow, Missouri, Europe

☆ Blinken, in Kyiv, Says U.S. Will Send $1 Billion More in Aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The aid will also include demining assistance to clear Russian land mines and prevent the remnants of war from causing further harm to civilians, Mr. Blinken said. It includes ammunition made with depleted uranium for Abrams tanks, which are scheduled to arrive in Ukraine this fall, Mr. Blinken said. Mr. Blinken traveled by train to Kyiv with Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, according to a State Department statement. He was replaced by Rustem Umerov, who has been the chairman of Ukraine’s State Property Fund. A senior State Department official told reporters traveling with Mr. Blinken that the effort was aimed at “putting global support on a long-term, sustainable path.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Biden, Dmytro Kuleba, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Mr, Zelensky, ”, “, Lynsey Addario, Mr, Mette Frederiksen, Blinken’s, Oleksii, Rustem Umerov, Umerov’s, Tyler Hicks, Putin, Vladimir V, Russia, Erin Mendell, Anushka Patil Organizations: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kyiv, United, Pentagon, The New York Times, Ukraine’s, Department, Property Fund, 22nd Mechanized Brigade, State Department Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, U.S, United States, matériel, Kostyantynivka, Ukrainian, ”, Russia, “, Denmark, Ukraine’s, Bakhmut, Israel

☆ US keeps up weapons shipments to Ukraine with new $500 mln package
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - The United States plans to announce as soon as Tuesday a new military aid package for Ukraine worth up to $500 million, keeping up U.S. resolve to help Ukraine against Russia as Moscow deals with a mutiny by some of its soldiers. The package will include ground vehicles as Ukraine presses its counteroffensive, two U.S. officials said. Expected to be included are 30 Bradley fighting vehicles and 25 Stryker armored personnel carriers, one of the officials said. As a part of the aid package, Ukraine will receive munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-tank weapons including Javelins and munitions for Patriot and Stinger anti-aircraft systems, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The security assistance package would be the 41st approved by the United States for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, for a total of more than $40 billion.

Persons: Bradley, Mike Stone, Mark Porter, Grant McCool Organizations: United, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Patriot, Authority, Thomson Locations: United States, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Washington

WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Monday said a brief uprising by Russian mercenaries against the Kremlin was part of a struggle within the Russian system and that the United States and its allies were not involved in it. "We made clear we were not involved, we had nothing to do with this," Biden said in his first comments on the uprising by Wagner mercenaries that fizzled over the weekend. The Biden administration would not address a widely held perception in Washington that the uprising showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been weakened by his 16-month war against Ukraine. The White House said Biden also consulted on Monday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni about the situation. Kirby said the United States does not know the parameters of the deal reached between Putin and Prigozhin that ended the uprising.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Wagner, John Kirby, Sergei Lavrov, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin, Matt Miller, Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Giorgia Meloni, It's, Kirby, We're, Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Simon Lewis, Jonathan Landay, Phil Stewart, Kanishka Singh, Trevor Hunnicutt, Humeyra Pamuk, Mark Porter, Alistair Bell, Alex Richardson, Deepa Babington, Sandra Maler Organizations: Kremlin, Ukraine, White House, TASS, U.S ., Ukraine . State, NATO, Italian, Putin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, United States, Russia, Moscow, U.S, Washington, Ukraine, United

☆ Biden has given Ukraine over 200,000,000 bullets to fight Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The latest package of military aid to Kyiv is all about replenishing their military's dwindling munitions. As such, the U.S. Department of Defense announced another package of military aid to Ukraine worth more than $2 billion. However, the Ukrainian air defense system took out the incoming munitions in short succession. The Ukrainian military continues to rely on its Western air defense systems to fend off incoming Russian missile and drone attacks. Western air defense systems were able to minimize the damage from the incoming Russian munitions.

Persons: —, Jacob Bradford, military's Organizations: Service, Ukrainian, U.S . Department of Defense, Ukraine Worth, Air, Puma, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Pentagon, NATO, European Union, Forces, US Army, Jacob Bradford Military, Russian Locations: U.S, Ukraine, Poland, Russian, Kyiv, Ukrainian

☆ U.S. military aid for Ukraine includes air-launched rockets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - The United States said Wednesday it would send a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $300 million, including for the first time the Hydra-70 short-range. The security assistance package would be the 37th approved by the United States for Ukraine since Russian invaded its neighbor in February 2022, for a total of $35.7 billion. "The United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine, for as long as it takes," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement announcing the aid package. The rockets, munitions and 155mm howitzer cannons included in the package would help Ukraine weaken Russian ground positions for advancing Ukrainian ground forces as Kyiv plans a spring offensive. The rockets are typically launched from pods attached to aircraft to provide support for ground troops.

☆ Denmark to make $250 mln donation to Ukraine for military use
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

COPENHAGEN, May 2 (Reuters) - Denmark will donate military equipment and financial support to Ukraine worth 1.7 billion Danish crowns ($250 million), the Nordic country's Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Tuesday. The minister also said Denmark will reduce its military presence in Iraq starting in early-2024 and instead focus on the Baltic countries, offering NATO a battalion to defend the region. The rest of the year, the troops will remain in Denmark, ready to be deployed to the Baltic states in case of a crisis, the ministry of defence said. "We must be prepared for the Danish presence in the Baltics to be long-term, and there is a need for balancing between having soldiers on the ground and being ready to deploy them from Denmark," Poulsen said. ($1 = 6.8051 Danish crowns)Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Terje SolsvikOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Biden and Scholz met in private in the Oval Office for over an hour, a senior administration official said. Sitting next to Scholz in the Oval Office, Biden thanked the German leader for his "strong and steady leadership" and support for Ukraine. Speaking before the meeting, U.S. officials said discussion points included the state of the war and how to respond if China provided military aid to Russia. "Every step China takes toward Russia makes it harder for China with Europe and other countries around the world." Biden hailed Scholz's decision to sharply increase Germany's military spending and diversify energy sources away from Russia, and said the two leaders had worked in lockstep with other allies to support Ukraine.

"Beijing will have to make its own decisions about how it proceeds, whether it provides military assistance - but if it goes down that road it will come at real costs to China," Sullivan told CNN's "State of the Union" program. The United States and its NATO allies in recent days have been scrambling to dissuade China from such a move, making public comments on their belief that China is considering providing lethal equipment to Russia. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said China has been providing nonlethal assistance to Russia through its companies. The United States has been by far the largest supplier of military assistance to help Ukraine repel better-equipped Russian forces. Russia and China signed a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 shortly before Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

"Beijing will have to make its own decisions about how it proceeds, whether it provides military assistance - but if it goes down that road it will come at real costs to China," Sullivan told CNN's "State of the Union" program. The United States and its NATO allies in recent days have been scrambling to dissuade China from such a move, making public comments on their belief that China is considering providing lethal equipment to Russia. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said China has been providing nonlethal assistance to Russia through its companies. Putin has alluded to a Xi visit but the timing has not been confirmed by Russia or China. Russia and China signed a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 shortly before Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Putin gives nuclear warning after Biden's Kyiv visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] Russia's President Vladimir Putin takes part in an event marking Gazprom's 30th anniversary, via video link at a residence outside Moscow, Russia February 17, 2023. Feb 21 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday delivered a nuclear warning to the West over Ukraine, suspending a bilateral nuclear arms control treaty, announcing new strategic systems were on combat duty and warning that Moscow could resume nuclear tests. U.S. President Joe Biden, fresh from pledging support for Ukraine on an unannounced visit to Kyiv, was due to rally NATO allies in Warsaw, making his case for a sustained Western effort to ensure Kyiv wins the war. * The United States and Ukraine's President Zelenskiy warned China against supporting Russia. * Financial leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) will meet on Thursday to discuss measures against Russia that will put pressure on it to end the Ukraine war, Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said.

"One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv," Biden said at the Warsaw Royal Castle Gardens as the crowd waved Polish flags. "Well I've just come from a visit to Kyiv and I can report Kyiv stands strong, Kyiv stands proud, it stands tall and most important, it stands free." "One year into this war, Putin no longer doubts the strength of our coalition, but he still doubts our conviction. U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in Kyiv, Ukraine on February 20, 2023. "Tonight I speak once more again to the people of Russia: The United States and the people of Europe do not seek to control or destroy Russia," Biden said.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Putin accuses West in state of the nation address; China’s top diplomat to visit Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir Putin will provide an assessment of Moscow's so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine and the impact on Russia's economy when he delivers his state of the nation address Tuesday. President Vladimir Putin provided an assessment of Moscow's so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine and the impact on Russia's economy during his state of the nation address Tuesday. Putin accused Ukraine and the West of provoking the conflict with the expansion of NATO and new European anti-rocket defense systems. "They started the war, and we used the force in order to stop it," Putin said according to a translation of the speech in Moscow. During the visit, Biden pledged to deliver a new package of U.S. aid to Ukraine worth $500 million.

☆ Biden pledges new military aid for Ukraine during Kyiv visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Joe Biden shake hands before a meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 20, 2023. Biden also said additional sanctions would be announced this week against the Russian elite and companies trying to evade sanctions to "back the Russian war machine". Sacrifices have been far too great," Biden told reporters in Kyiv, where he held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Visiting Kyiv for the first time since the start of Russia's war on Ukraine, Biden said Washington would stand with Ukraine as long as it takes. The United States has been by far the largest supplier of military assistance to help Ukraine repel better-equipped Russian invaders.

While Budapest and Warsaw are haggling with the bloc over rule-of-law strings attached to billions worth of pandemic recovery funds, Romania has already drawn down over 6 billion euros in grants and cheap loans. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca has said the government aims to tap more than 10 billion euros a year, equivalent to about 4% of GDP, of about 90 billion euros of EU funding available to Bucharest through to 2027. RESHORINGCompanies reshoring from Russia and Ukraine to nearby low-cost manufacturing hubs partially helped push foreign direct investment to 9.39 billion euros in January-October, the largest 10-month figure since Romania joined the EU. "We are optimistic that investment will rise in coming years, also encouraged by EU funds," said Alex Milcev, head of Tax and Legal at E&Y Romania. And relations with the EU are not always smooth: in December, Austrian opposition over unauthorised immigration kept Romania out of Europe's borderless Schengen area.

☆ U.S. to unveil over $3 bln in Ukraine aid with new air defense missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A new U.S. weapons aid package for Ukraine worth more than $3 billion is set to be announced later on Friday and will include Sea Sparrow missiles for air defense and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, according to a document seen by Reuters. The Sea Sparrow missiles will help curb Russian missile strikes on Ukraine, which are intended to exhaust Kyiv's air defenses and damage the country's energy infrastructure. The U.S. and Germany have also pledged to send Patriot missile systems to repel Russian missile and drone attacks. The RIM-7 Sea Sparrow will be an additional anti-air defense system for Ukraine. Politico reported on Thursday that the Sea Sparrow System would be used on the Buk launcher, a Soviet-era weapon that Ukraine currently uses.

☆ Russian assets seized in Ukraine may be used for reconstruction - minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Assets belonging to Russian and Belarusian individuals seized by Ukraine could be used for the country's massive post-war reconstruction effort, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko was quoted on Friday as saying. The government has frozen Russian and Belarusian assets in Ukraine worth some 44 billion hryvnias ($1.21 billion) since the start of Moscow's invasion on Feb. 24, according to the Economic Security Bureau, a state agency. "Money seized on the territory of Ukraine from Russian and Belarusian citizens can be involved in this fund," he added, without elaborating. The European Union is also looking at using Russian assets frozen under Western sanctions against Moscow in the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine, the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, said at an EU summit last week. Moscow said on Thursday it would retaliate if the EU moved to confiscate assets belonging to the Russian state or its citizens.

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