Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Joe Biden will discuss American arms shipments Thursday but there are no plans for Biden to visit Kyiv.
The White House announcement came hours after Russian forces launched a rocket attack Wednesday on a Ukrainian train station on the embattled country’s Independence Day, killing 22 people in the town of Chaplyne, 400 miles east of Kyiv. Zelenskyy had warned Ukrainians for days that Moscow might attempt “something particularly cruel” this week.
Biden will reaffirm the United States’ commitment to “rally the free world” and support Ukraine, said John Kirby, the communications coordinator at the National Security Council.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced a $2.98 billion aid package that will include surface-to-air missile systems, artillery ammunition, and drones. Since January, the Biden administration has spent $13.5 billion on military aid to Ukraine.
‘YOU FIGHT ENDLESSLY’: Ukrainians worldwide grapple with months of war
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Latest developments:
►Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to add 137,000 service members to his military. New total will be 1,150,628.
►Russian planes flew about 200 sorties over Ukraine on Wednesday, Ukraine’s independence day, the Ukraine air force said. Air raid sirens blared across most of the country.
►The former mayor of Russia’s fourth-largest city was arrested Wednesday on charges of discrediting the country’s military, part of a crackdown on critics of Moscow’s military action in Ukraine. Police arrested Yevgeny Roizman, 59, who served as the mayor of Yekaterinburg in 2013-2018, following searches at his apartment and office.
6 months into war, Ukrainians around the world share stories
Half a year since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, USA TODAY reporters reconnected with Ukrainians across the globe who first shared their experiences during the early stages of the war.
While some are struggling under Russian occupation or living amid fierce combat and shelling, others in the US and Europe are adapting to new countries and a new normal. Several said they worry public attention to the war and its human toll is waning. Here are their stories.
Two children among dead in Russian rocket attack
Two children were among the dead in the rocket attack that killed 25 people Wednesday in Chaplyne, city official Kirill Timoshenko said. He said 31 people were injured and that search and rescue operations had been completed.
“An 11-year-old boy died under the rubble of a house. Another 6-year-old child died during a fire in a car near the railway station,” he said.
Hours before the attack, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia was carrying out strikes with precision weapons against Ukrainian military targets, and “everything is done to avoid civilian casualties.” However, a car bombing last week outside Moscow that killed a pro-Putin commentator had put Ukraine on high alert for reprisals, even though Ukraine authorities denied involvement in the attack.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine will “definitely” make Russia take responsibility for their war crimes and once again pledged to drive Russian troops out of his country.
“Not a single stain of this evil will remain in our free Ukraine,” he said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism