The Russia-Ukraine conflict is now in its 420th day.
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
The US has announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine as that country’s war with Russia continues.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the package “will include ammunition, provided HIMAR rocket systems and anti-armor systems as well as additional artillery rounds” while noting it is the 36th package to Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022.
“The United States will continue to work with our allies and partners to help Ukraine defend itself to defend its democracy and protect its people,” she added.
1736 GMT — Moldova summons Russian envoy to expel member of embassy
The small east European nation of Moldova has summoned the Russian ambassador to declare a member of embassy staff persona non grata, prompting Moscow to complain.
Government press secretary Daniel Voda told reporters the decision was connected to the actions of embassy staff towards Moldovan border guards who denied entry to a regional Russian politician at Chisinau airport this week.
Moldova, which applied to join the European Union last year alongside its neighbour Ukraine, has repeatedly accused Russia of trying to destabilise the country, something Moscow denies.
Moldova told Russian politicians not to meddle in its internal affairs on Monday after barring Rustam Minnikhanov, governor of Russia's Tatarstan region. Police said he aimed to bolster support for a pro-Russian candidate standing in a regional election.
1627 GMT — NATO has 'no alternative' but to support Ukraine, says Czech president
NATO countries have no choice other than supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia since not doing so would mean victory for Moscow, the Czech Republic's president has said.
There is "no alternative to supporting Ukraine because the alternative to it is the success of Russia," Petr Pavel said at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Petr Paval said his country would meet NATO's defense spending target of 2% of gross national product next year and revealed that they were ready for "discussions on spending more if necessary if linked to capabilities."
NATO leaders are expected to adopt a more ambitious defense investment target at their upcoming July summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
1533 GMT — Russia condemns Ukraine police for blocking entrances at Kiev-Pechersk Lavra monastery
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has condemned Ukrainian police for entering the premises of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra monastery and blocking entrances.
"Our position is well-known, it is consistent. We strongly condemn these actions," Peskov told reporters at a press briefing in Moscow.
The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, has been an important center of Eastern Orthodox Christianity since its foundation in 1051.
Tensions surrounding the monastery rose when Ukrainian authorities last week told monks to vacate the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra complex, an order they have resisted.
1508 GMT — EU pledges more cash in Ukraine grain standoff, Bulgaria bans imports
Brussels has offered an extra 100 million euros of support for EU farmers to ease a standoff over Ukrainian grain after Bulgaria became the latest country to approve a temporary ban on food products from the war-hit nation.
In recent days, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia banned the import of grain and other food items from Ukraine after a slump in prices triggered protests from local farmers.
As Brussels scrambles to find a solution to appease the deadlock, the European Commission on Wednesday proposed an extra 100 million euros ($110 million) of support for farmers.
That money would come on top of a 56-million-euro package that was provided for farmers in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria last month.
1447 GMT — China denies exporting drones to Ukraine battlefields
China on has rejected reports that it is exporting drones to Ukraine battlefields, saying Beijing "resolutely opposes the use of civilian drones for non-peaceful purposes."
Hitting back at multiple media reports, a spokesperson for China's Commerce Ministry said that Beijing has "strict" controls in place on drone exports and will continue to take necessary measures to strengthen export controls on drones, state-run broadcaster CGTN reported.
Since the Ukraine crisis began, the spokesperson said, some Chinese civilian drone companies have voluntarily suspended their operations in the conflict zone.
1411 GMT — Ukraine detains man for 'helping' Russian propaganda
Ukraine's security service has said it detained a man who worked with a pro-Kremlin news outlet and helped spread "fake" news amid Moscow's invasion of the pro-Western country.
"A local resident, who helped the enemy spread fake information about the socio-political situation in the capital, was detained in Kiev," Ukraine's SBU security service said in a statement on Telegram.
The SBU described the man as a "fixer" for Bel.ru, a pro-Kremlin media outlet that covers news developments in the region of Belgorod, which is located near the Ukrainian border.
1130 GMT — Ukraine says it has received Patriot air defence systems
Ukraine's defence minister confirmed on Wednesday that Kiev had taken delivery of Patriot air defence systems, and said this made Ukrainian skies more secure.
"Our air defenders have mastered them as fast as they could. And our partners have kept their word," Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov wrote on Twitter. He did not specify which partners he was referring to but his tweet offered thanks to Germany's defence minister.
The United States and the Netherlands have also pledged to provide a Patriot system each to Ukraine.
In addition to the Patriot system, a SAMP/T anti-missile system pledged by France and Italy are also expected by Ukraine soon.
The Ukrainian military is looking to beef up its ability to intercept missiles as it prepares for an expected spring counter-offensive to retake Russian-controlled areas of the country.
Although more than a year of fighting has depleted weapons supplies on both sides, Russian forces have intensified their campaign to seize the city of Bakhmut, the focus of the war's longest battle so far, as well as other fronts like Odessa.
1057 GMT — Kremlin: South Korean arms for Ukraine would signify involvement in conflict
Any decision by South Korea to supply arms to Ukraine would make Seoul a participant in the conflict, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, after President Yoon Suk-yeol opened the door to such deliveries.
South Korea has denounced Russia's war in Ukraine and supplied economic and humanitarian aid to Kiev, but unlike the United States and European allies has so far stopped short of sending weapons.
In a Reuters interview ahead of a visit to Washington next week, Yoon said Seoul would consider arming Kiev in the event of a major new attack against Ukrainian
civilians.
"Unfortunately, Seoul has taken a rather unfriendly position in this whole story," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing.
"They will try to draw more and more countries directly into this conflict. But of course, the start of arms deliveries will obliquely mean a certain stage of involvement in this conflict."
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, suggested Moscow could respond by supplying advanced weaponry to North Korea.
"I wonder what the inhabitants of this country [South Korea] will say when they see the latest designs of Russian weapons in the hands of their closest neighbours - our partners from the DPRK [North Korea]?" Medvedev said in a post on Telegram.
1041 GMT — EU plans €100 million farmer support over Ukraine grain imports
The European Union is preparing 100 million euros ($109.32 million) of compensation for farmers in countries bordering Ukraine and plans to introduce restrictions on imports of Ukrainian cereals, a European Commission spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Pressure has been mounting on Brussels to work out a European Union-wide solution after Warsaw and Budapest announced bans on some imports from Ukraine at the weekend, with other countries in eastern Europe saying they are also considering action.
The Commission, which oversees trade policy in the 27-nation European Union, will take what it described as "preventative measures" for certain categories of grain and oil seeds - particularly, wheat, maize, sunflower seeds and rape seed.