USA releases new military aid for Ukraine

The USA will soon be providing Ukraine with additional military aid amounting to around 2.3 billion US dollars (around 2.14 billion euros) to defend against the Russian war of aggression. This was announced by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during a visit to Washington by his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umjerow.

The package approved by US President Joe Biden includes "additional anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank weapons and other important ammunition from US stocks", explained Austin. A "realignment of some foreign military supplies" will also allow the US to provide ammunition for Patriot and other air defense systems "in an accelerated timeframe".

The aid is one of several tranches already provided since the US Congress released new funds totaling around 61 billion US dollars (56.2 billion euros) for Kiev at the end of April. According to the Pentagon, the USA has already provided more than 50 billion dollars in military aid to Kiev since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine more than two years ago.

Ukraine has been able to stabilize the situation on the approximately 1,000-kilometre front line after the resumption of US arms deliveries despite continued Russian pressure.

Even the opening of the new section of the front in the Kharkiv region by the Russian side only put the Ukrainian side under pressure for a short time. According to media reports, there are now only three Russian shells per Ukrainian shell instead of the previous five or more.

Ukraine wants electricity from abroad

In view of the constant Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Kiev is preparing to import electricity from the EU. Following a report by Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal on the current energy supply situation in the country, a decision on electricity imports is now necessary, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in his evening video message.

"We are now fully committed to the import volume agreed with the EU, and I am grateful to all our neighbors for this help," said Selenskyj. "We are doing everything we can to increase imports and this should be a European solution." His government is preparing the relevant agreements.

Zelenskyi called on the Energy Ministry to inform the population on a daily basis about the status of work in the energy sector, the existing deficits and the measures the country is taking to remedy these deficits.

Over the past few months, the Russian military has begun to target and destroy Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The aim of these attacks is also to wear down the population's will to resist.

Warning words from Minsk

The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko said in a speech on the upcoming Republic Day on 3 June in Minsk that NATO does not want to end the war in neighboring Ukraine and also intends to involve Belarus in it. "I guarantee you that we will not allow any clashes on the border with Ukraine, they will not happen."

At the same time, Lukashenko issued a warning to Kiev to refrain from provocations on the border. "I would like to ask the Ukrainians not to play with fire," said Lukashenko. Minsk would not allow any aggravation or escalation. Only a few days ago, Belarus reinforced its border troops on the border with Ukraine due to alleged provocations.

Kiev has rejected this and stated that Ukraine is merely fortifying defensive positions on the border. At the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine over two years ago, Belarus allowed the deployment of Russian military forces from its territory.