Live blog: US announces new security assistance package for Ukraine

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.

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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.

Under EU rules, the European Union can limit the import of products into the whole or part of the bloc, while still allowing transit.

0440 GMT — Russia accuses Ukraine, UN of sabotaging grain deal

Ukraine and the United Nations are causing difficulties with inspections of ships moving grain from Ukrainian ports and the registration of new vessels, the RIA news agency cited the Russian foreign ministry as saying.

Ukraine said this week the Black Sea grain deal was at risk of being shut down, although Moscow said on Tuesday inspections of ships under the agreement had resumed after a brief pause. 

0419 GMT — Russia launches drone attack on Ukraine's Odessa

Russia launched a drone attack on Ukraine's southern port city of Odessa early Wednesday but there were no immediate reports of casualties, authorities said.

"At night, the enemy carried out an attack by UAVs of the Shahed-136 type on the Odessa region," Yuriy Kruk, head of the Odessa district military administration, said in a statement on Telegram.

Kruk said Ukraine's air defences had destroyed most of the attacking drones but some civilian infrastructure was hit.

"According to preliminary information, there were no casualties. Measures are being taken to contain the fire, units of the State Emergency Service and other structures are working on the spot."

The Shahed-136 is a small Iranian-made, self-detonating drone that can be programmed to fly automatically to a set of GPS coordinates with a payload of explosives.

Russia's drone industry has been hit by international sanctions and a number have been shot down since the start of the war, prompting Moscow to import drones from Iran.

0319 GMT  — 'Join forces' against sanctions 'blackmail', Russia's Lavrov says in visit to Venezuela

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for like-minded countries to "join forces" against Western sanctions "blackmail," as the longtime diplomat continued his tour of Latin America.

Discussing Russia's war on Ukraine with Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil in Caracas, Lavrov referred to allies Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua as countries "that choose their own path."

All are, like Russia, the subject of damaging economic sanctions, he pointed out.

"It is necessary to join forces to counter the attempts of blackmail and illegal unilateral pressure of the West ," Lavrov said at a joint press conference with Gil.

0228 GMT — South Korea opens door for possible military aid to Ukraine

South Korea might extend its support for Ukraine beyond humanitarian and economic aid if it comes under a large-scale civilian attack, President Yoon Suk-yeol has said, signalling a shift in his stance against arming Ukraine for the first time.

In an interview with the Reuters news agency ahead of his state visit to the US next week, Yoon said his government has been exploring how to help defend and rebuild Ukraine, just as South Korea received international assistance during the 1950-53 Korean War.

"If there is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians, massacre or serious violation of the laws of war, it might be difficult for us to insist only on humanitarian or financial support," Yoon said.

"I believe there won't be limitations to the extent of the support to defend and restore a country that's been illegally invaded both under international and domestic law," Yoon said.

"However, considering our relationship with the parties engaged in the war and developments in the battlefield, we will take the most appropriate measures."

2013 GMT  — Lula condemns violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity 

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has condemned the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity by Russia and again called for mediation to end the war, a peace initiative that was criticised by the Ukrainian government.

Speaking at a lunch with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Lula said a group of neutral nations must come together to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine.

His comments came after he set off a storm among Western allies by stating over the weekend that they were prolonging the fighting by supplying arms to Ukraine.

A White House spokesperson accused Lula of "parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without looking at the facts." And on Tuesday, the White House said Lula's "tone was not one of neutrality."

Among Western nations so far, only French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed Lula's peace initiative.

READ MORE: India, Russia eye trade agreement despite opposition from Western countries

2154 GMT — US accuses 4 Black nationalists of acting for Russian intelligence

The US Justice Department has charged the founder and three members of a half-century-old Black nationalist group with working with Russian intelligence to influence elections in the United States.

Omali Yeshitela, the founder of the African People's Socialist Party (APSP) and the Uhuru Movement, and two other party members, Penny Joanne Hess and Jesse Nevel, were charged with acting as unregistered agents of Russia, which carries a maximum five-year prison sentence.

All three, as well as another member named Augustus Romain, have also been charged with conspiring to act as agents for Russia, which brings up to 10 years in prison.

According to an indictment, the four people took money and other support from US-based Russian Alexandr Ionov and Moscow-based officers of Russia's FSB intelligence agency who directed Ionov.

2117 GMT — Ukraine's Zelenskyy, top US House Republican McCarthy discuss Russia sanctions

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy discussed in a phone call Ukraine's need for weapons as well as increasing sanctions pressure on Russia.

On Twitter, Zelenskyy said he thanked McCarthy for bipartisan support in Congress for Ukraine as well as Ukraine's defense needs. "Outlined the situation at the front & Ukraine's urgent defense needs in armored vehicles, artillery, air defense & aircraft," Zelenskyy's tweet said.

He said they also discussed enhancing sanctions pressure on Russia, including in oil and gas.

A spokesperson for McCarthy, the highest-ranking Republican in Washington, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

For our live updates from Tuesday (April 18), click here.