The American House of Representatives, dominated by the Republican opposition, must finally vote this Saturday on a package of 61 billion dollars in aid to Ukraine, to which President Joe Biden said he was “very favorable”. Ukrainian and American Foreign Ministers Antony Blinken and Dmytro Kuleba met this Thursday, April 18 on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in Italy to reaffirm the “urgency” of this vote.
Military support which could be decisive for kyiv, in difficulty on the front and which must face a lack of equipment and ammunition. A Russian strike notably left 18 dead this Wednesday in a large northern city, Cherniguiv. Two people were also killed in Russian bombings in Ukraine on Thursday, according to local authorities
Information to remember
⇒ Blinken and Kuleba insist on the urgency of American aid for kyiv
⇒ Ukraine claims strike in annexed Crimea
⇒ Two dead in Russian bombings in Ukraine
Blinken, Kuleba stress urgency of Congress’ green light for aid to kyiv
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted Thursday on the “urgency” for the House of Representatives, dominated by the Republican opposition, to approve a budget package for Ukraine. “At this time, it is urgent that all friends and supporters of Ukraine make every effort to continue providing Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression,” he said. the head of American diplomacy shortly before a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.
On Wednesday evening, after months of deadlock, the US House of Representatives announced that it would vote this Saturday on a package of $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, mainly military, to which President Joe Biden called. said “very favorable”. The Ukrainian minister, for his part, begged the United States to approve this budget, stressing that it was crucial to help Ukraine “deal with the massacre caused by Russian missiles.” “It’s about life and death,” he said, also affirming that “the one and only issue on my agenda here at the G7 ministerial is air defense.”
Ukraine claims strike in annexed Crimea
Ukraine claimed Thursday that it had struck a Russian military airfield the day before in Djankoi, Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.
“A successful operation of the Ukrainian armed forces on the Dzhankoi military airfield” made it possible to “destroy or seriously damage” S-400 system launchers, radar equipment and an air defense control center, said on Telegram the Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR).
Two dead in Russian bombings in Ukraine, 20 drones shot down in Russia
Two people were killed Thursday in Russian bombings in Ukraine, according to local authorities. These attacks come the day after a triple Russian strike on Cherniguiv, a large city in northern Ukraine, which left 18 dead, according to the final official report published Thursday, after the end of relief operations. In the Kherson region (south), 16 people were also injured in several bombings over the past 24 hours, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram.
Russia, for its part, claimed to have shot down 20 Ukrainian drones and two missiles in several border regions, notably above the Belgorod region, which is regularly targeted. The other regions targeted are those of Voronezh, also bordering Ukraine, and Rostov, which houses the military headquarters of the Russian invasion, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Two suspected Russian spies arrested in Germany
The German federal prosecutor’s office announced on Thursday the arrest of two suspected Russian spies, suspected of having planned acts of sabotage, including against “installations of the American armed forces”.
The two men, who also have German nationality, are accused of having carried out scouting for potential targets with a view to attacks. The main accused, Dieter S., had been exchanging information with a person linked to the Russian intelligence services since October 2023. “The actions were aimed in particular at undermining the military support provided by Germany to Ukraine (so that it would defended) against the Russian war of aggression,” prosecutors said.