The first Polish Leopard tanks have arrived in Ukraine and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has confirmed that four tanks have been delivered. “Poland and Europe stand by your side. We will definitely not leave you, we will support Ukraine until the complete victory over Russia,” he said during his visit to Kyiv to mark the first anniversary of the Russian invasion alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy declared victory inevitable when his country celebrated the anniversary of the invasion of Russian troops. In a national address on Friday, Zelenskiy told Ukrainians they had proved invincible in “a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity”.
The US has announced it will offer Ukraine over $10 billion in aid. Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said the funds are vital to Ukraine and ensure the Ukrainian government can continue to meet “the critical needs of its citizens, including health care, education and emergency services.”
Washington also announced an additional security assistance package for Ukraine. In a statement, the Biden administration said it would include “several new unmanned aerial systems (UAS), counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) equipment to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses … and electronic warfare detection equipment to enhance Ukraine’s ability to defend against Russia.” to strengthen aggression”.
Sweden will send up to 10 Leopard tanks and anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine, That’s what Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defense Minister Pål Jonson said. “Swedish tanks amplify the contribution of Leopard 2 made by other European countries. Coordinating support with international partners donating Leopard 2 or other tanks is underway,” the government said.
Canada will provide additional military support to Ukraine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced. He said Canada will provide four additional Leopard 2 main battle tanks. The additional tanks bring the total number of tanks provided by Canada to eight.
The European Union has pledged additional support to millions of Ukrainian refugees who have fled their country since the Russian invasion. The Vice-President of the EU Commission, Margaritis Schinas, said: “So far [refugees from] Ukraine is concerned, numbers are stable. If it happens, we’re ready, but it doesn’t appear to be the case for now,” indicating a possible surge in refugees.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged American solidarity with Ukraine. “A year ago, Vladimir Putin made his biggest mistake by underestimating Ukraine’s resolve. Since then, we have witnessed bravery, patriotism and bravery embodied by President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people,” the democrat said.
The Group of Seven has announced a series of additional economic, military and financial sanctions against Russia. She pledged action against Russian diamond exports and warned that third countries that help Russia evade sanctions face “heavy costs”. The G7 are understood to be setting up an “enforcement coordination mechanism” to stop circumvention of their already imposed sanctions.
The UK said it was banning the export of all items Russia used on the battlefield to date, a list of hundreds of goods including aircraft parts, radio equipment and electronic components. The UK government is also imposing sanctions on senior employees at Russia’s state-owned Rosatom nuclear power plant, who Ukraine says are complicit in the seizure and forced nationality change of Zaporizhia nuclear power plant employees and their children.
A “people’s court” has upheld charges against Putin for the crime of aggression and called for his arrest. After a week of hearings in The Hague, a panel of three international legal experts issued the order, urging the international community to “take all necessary steps to ensure that a court with statutory powers will bring charges against Putin and take appropriate measures to arrest him.” perpetrator and bring him before an official Ukrainian court as soon as possible,” the AP reported.
Zelenskyi has welcomed some elements of a Chinese proposal for a ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine. China’s government called for peace talks and urged all parties to avoid nuclear escalation and end attacks on civilians. “China has shown its thoughts. I think that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad,” said Zelenskyy.
Russia welcomed China’s plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and was open to using political and diplomatic means to achieve the goals of its so-called “special military operation”. said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. However, this also means recognizing “new territorial realities” in Ukraine, Zakharova said, citing Russia’s unilateral annexation of four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia – as well as Crimea.