Live blog: US announces $6B in new military aid for Ukraine

Friday, April 26, 2024

1726 GMT — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has announced $6 billion in new military aid for Ukraine as Washington rushes to fill gaps left by months of limited American assistance.

The package is the second this week, following another valued at $1 billion that was announced just after US President Joe Biden signed a much-delayed bill to provide new funding for Ukraine as it struggles to hold back Russian advances.

"I'm... pleased to announce today an additional commitment of $6 billion through our Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative," Austin told journalists following the conclusion of a virtual meeting of dozens of Kiev's international supporters.

"This is the largest security assistance package that we've committed to date," Austin said, adding that it will include air defence munitions, counter-drone systems, artillery ammunition and maintenance and sustainment support.

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1331 GMT — Two Kiev hospitals evacuating over feared Russian strikes

Authorities in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev have announced the evacuation of two hospitals due to fear of Russian attacks.

"The city urgently begins evacuating two hospitals... because a video is widely circulated online, actually announcing an enemy attack on these medical facilities," the city administration said, adding that claims of military personnel in the facilities are "an absolute lie."

1316 GMT — Ukrainian attacks kill three: Russian officials

Ukrainian bombardments killed three people in separate attacks on Russian border regions and in occupied Ukrainian territory, Russian and Moscow-backed officials have said.

Ukrainian forces over recent months have escalated fatal missile and drone attacks on Russian border regions and also targeted Russian energy infrastructure.

"The village of Korovyakovka was shelled from the Ukrainian side today," the Russian governor of the Kursk region announced on social media. "A local resident was killed," he said.

1305 GMT — Ukraine's Zelenskyy calls for air defence systems as allies meet

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for additional air defence systems to be sent to Kiev to help protect against Russian strikes, adding a pause in US funding had helped Moscow seize the initiative.

"This year, Russian jets (have) already used more than 9,000 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine and we need the ability to shoot down the air combat aircraft so that they do not approach our positions and borders," Zelenskyy said at the start of a virtual meeting led by the United States on helping arm Ukraine.

1242 GMT — Russia seized initiative as US delayed support: Zelenskyy

Russia was able to take the initiative on the battlefield while Ukraine waited for the United States to approve new military assistance, President Zelenskyy has said.

American politicians engaged in months of acrimonious debate over how or even whether to continue to back Ukraine, leaving Kiev's forces facing dire shortages of key artillery and air defence munitions.

"While we were waiting for a decision on the American support, the Russian army managed to seize the initiative on the battlefield," Zelenskyy said at the opening of a virtual meeting of dozens of Ukraine's international supporters.

1149 GMT — Russia strikes train in Ukraine carrying Western arms

Russia has said it had used missiles and artillery to target railway infrastructure and Western arms being transported by rail in Ukraine.

Moscow's defence ministry said its forces had hit "Western weapons and military equipment" being transported by railway one day earlier in the Donetsk region, and also targeted railway facilities in the Kharkiv region.

0818 GMT — US created conflict in Ukraine, and extending it now: Russia

US created conflict in Ukraine, and extending it intentionally now, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Shoigu was also quoted that Washington was deliberately dragging out the conflict in Ukraine by exerting unprecedented pressure, including on its partners.

He also said that Ukrainian strikes on the Zaporozhzhia nuclear power plant risk catastrophic consequences, adding that foreign advisers were helping Ukraine prepare acts of sabotage on Russian territory.

He also added that NATO troops have created additional threats to Russia by moving closer to its borders, but Moscow has no military or geopolitical interest in attacking NATO states.

0813 GMT — Russia says one man killed in Ukrainian shelling of its Kursk region

One person has been killed in Russia's Kursk as a result of shelling by Ukraine, Kursk Regional Governor Roman Starovoit has said via his official channel on the Telegram messaging app.

The shelling had also damaged the homes and property of local residents, Starovoit said.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

0704 GMT — Blinken raised concerns on Russia support with China: US official

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has raised concerns about China's support for Russia in talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, a US official said.

Blinken "discussed concerns about PRC support to the Russian defence industrial base" as well as Taiwan, the South China Sea and the Middle East, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, referring to China by its official acronym.

0633 GMT — Greece rules out air defence systems to Ukraine, prime minister says

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said Greece can not offer air defence systems like 'Patriots' or S-300 to Ukraine responding to pressure from EU and NATO allies to send more military aid to Kiev.

With Russia having stepped up air attacks on Ukraine, EU governments are under pressure to supply more protective systems to Kiev especially countries like Greece and Spain that have such systems in their arsenal.

"Greece is not going to send S-300 or Patriot to Ukraine," Mitsotakis said in an interview on Skai TV.

"We were asked and we explained why we cannot do it," Mitsotakis said adding that these systems are "critical to our deterrent capability."

0621 GMT — Spain to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, El Pais reports

Spain will send a small number of Patriot missiles to Ukraine, El Pais newspaper has reported, quoting unidentified sources.

Spain ruled out delivering anti-aircraft launchers, but will give Kiev shells, the paper said. The defence ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Spain has three batteries which it purchased second-hand from Germany in 2004 and 2014, El Pais said.

"We need to step up our commitment to Ukraine," a Spanish diplomatic source told foreign reporters.

0559 GMT — Swiss parliamentary committee backs $5.5B aid plan for Ukraine

A Swiss parliamentary committee late on Thursday voted to back a 5 billion Swiss franc ($5.5 billion) aid contribution for Ukraine as part of a broader package aimed at improving neutral Switzerland's defense capabilities.

Supported by lawmakers from centre-left and centre-right parties, the security committee of the upper house of parliament approved the package to provide 10.1 billion francs in additional funds for the army, along with the Ukraine sum.

The plan, which still faces a series of parliamentary hurdles before i t can become law, passed by 8 votes to 5, with right-wing parties opposing the deal.

In a statement, parliament said the multi-billion dollar package was conceived as an extraordinary contribution toward the security of Switzerland and "peace in Europe" because of the war being waged by Russia against Ukraine.

0010 GMT — Ukraine rests US-supplied Abrams tanks over Russia drone threats

Ukraine has sidelined US-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two US military officials told The Associated Press.

Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks.

The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means "there isn't open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection," a senior defence official told reporters.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide an update on US weapons support for Ukraine before Friday's Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting.

For now, the tanks have been moved from the front lines, and the US will work with the Ukrainians to reset tactics, said Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Adm. Christopher Grady and a third defence official who confirmed the move on the condition of anonymity.

"When you think about the way the fight has evolved, massed armour in an environment where unmanned aerial systems are ubiquitous can be at risk," Grady told the AP in an interview this week, adding that tanks are still important.

2145 GT — US to announce $6B in weapons purchases for Ukraine

The United States could announce as soon as new weapons purchases for Ukraine worth $6 billion, a US official said.

The weapons could include counter-artillery radar, tactical vehicles, Patriot interceptors, drones, artillery, precision munitions and counter-drone systems, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The weapons package was first reported by Politico.

For our live updates from Thursday, April 25, click here.