Putin orders 36-hour unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his invading forces to implement a unilateral cease-fire for Orthodox Christmas beginning at noon Friday “along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine” and continuing through Saturday, according to a Kremlin statement.
Putin said he was acting on an appeal from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, and called on Ukraine to join the temporary truce. Russia carried out airstrikes on Ukraine on New Year’s Eve.
“Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the combat areas, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ,” the statement said.
Read the full story here.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his invading forces to implement a unilateral cease-fire for Orthodox Christmas beginning at noon Friday “along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine” and continuing through Saturday, according to a Kremlin statement.
Putin said he was acting on an appeal from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, and called on Ukraine to join the temporary truce. Russia carried out airstrikes on Ukraine on New Year’s Eve.
“Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the combat areas, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ,” the statement said.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Putin’s, angered priests by vocally supporting the invasion of Ukraine. The war has opened a rift in the Orthodox Church, pitting the Russian wing and its pro-Kremlin patriarch against Orthodox leaders in Kyiv and around the globe. Following the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said congregations could celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 instead, as many Ukrainians seek to dissociate themselves from Russia. Kirill’s call for a truce was met with derision from Kyiv.
- President Biden told reporters he is “reluctant to respond to anything Putin says.” He added: “I found it interesting that [Putin] was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches on the 25th and New Year’s. I think he’s trying to find some oxygen.”
- Putin’s cease-fire order represents “a sign that Putin and his army are getting weaker,” Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, said in a tweet.
More live updates here.
- Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Putin’s, angered priests by vocally supporting the invasion of Ukraine. The war has opened a rift in the Orthodox Church, pitting the Russian wing and its pro-Kremlin patriarch against Orthodox leaders in Kyiv and around the globe. Following the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said congregations could celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 instead, as many Ukrainians seek to dissociate themselves from Russia. Kirill’s call for a truce was met with derision from Kyiv.
- President Biden told reporters he is “reluctant to respond to anything Putin says.” He added: “I found it interesting that [Putin] was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches on the 25th and New Year’s. I think he’s trying to find some oxygen.”
- Putin’s cease-fire order represents “a sign that Putin and his army are getting weaker,” Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, said in a tweet.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- Putin’s cease-fire order was scheduled to begin at noon on Friday and run through Saturday. The Kremlin said the president was responding to an appeal from the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarch Kirill is a fierce supporter of Putin and his bloody invasion of Ukraine. President Biden said that he thinks Putin is “trying to find some oxygen" after tens of thousands of casualties on the Russian side.
- The U.S. and Germany will supply Ukraine with armored combat vehicles, including Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday, marking a significant policy shift after months of resisting Kyiv’s pleas for tanks.
- Russia and Belarus are building up a regional military force with plans to hold joint drills and combat aircraft exercises, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.
- Putin’s cease-fire order was scheduled to begin at noon on Friday and run through Saturday. The Kremlin said the president was responding to an appeal from the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarch Kirill is a fierce supporter of Putin and his bloody invasion of Ukraine. President Biden said that he thinks Putin is “trying to find some oxygen" after tens of thousands of casualties on the Russian side.
- The U.S. and Germany will supply Ukraine with armored combat vehicles, including Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday, marking a significant policy shift after months of resisting Kyiv’s pleas for tanks.
- Russia and Belarus are building up a regional military force with plans to hold joint drills and combat aircraft exercises, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.
For many of the 1,271 Americans under Russian sanctions, it’s a point of pride
A Harvard astrophysicist. A Silicon Valley billionaire. Hollywood actors. Convicted murderers.
These are among the select list of Americans living under a strange penalty, that has proved a source of pride, bafflement, and in some cases, consternation: Russian sanctions.
Some 1,271 U.S. citizens have made Moscow’s “Stop List,” posted online by Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
Washington has used sanctions on individuals as a foreign policy tool of choice, wielding the U.S. financial system as a sledgehammer or scalpel to cut off its enemies, or those of its allies. Russia has come under crushing U.S. sanctions since it invaded Ukraine last February.
In an act of apparent diplomatic desperation, Russia is trying to respond in kind — and come up against the harsh one-sidedness of U.S. economic power. Russia’s Stop List is a fundamentally asymmetric response, and it’s not weighted in Moscow’s favor.
Read the full story here.
A Harvard astrophysicist. A Silicon Valley billionaire. Hollywood actors. Convicted murderers.
These are among the select list of Americans living under a strange penalty, that has proved a source of pride, bafflement, and in some cases, consternation: Russian sanctions.
Some 1,271 U.S. citizens have made Moscow’s “Stop List,” posted online by Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
Washington has used sanctions on individuals as a foreign policy tool of choice, wielding the U.S. financial system as a sledgehammer or scalpel to cut off its enemies, or those of its allies. Russia has come under crushing U.S. sanctions since it invaded Ukraine last February.
In an act of apparent diplomatic desperation, Russia is trying to respond in kind — and come up against the harsh one-sidedness of U.S. economic power. Russia’s Stop List is a fundamentally asymmetric response, and it’s not weighted in Moscow’s favor.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- All eyes are on the unilateral cease-fire ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin for Orthodox Christmas, which got underway on Friday, a temporary truce that was dismissed by Ukraine, the United States and Germany as a possible ploy for Russia to regroup and move more troops and equipment to the battlefield.
- President Biden said he thinks Putin is “trying to find some oxygen” after 10 months of war and tens of thousands of casualties on the Russian side.
- The Biden administration announced a $2.8 billion military aid package for Ukraine on Friday, the largest drawdown from U.S. defense stockpiles to date.
- The United States and Germany will supply Ukraine with armored combat vehicles, Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday in a joint statement.
- Russia and Belarus are building up a regional military force with plans to hold joint drills and combat aircraft exercises, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.
- All eyes are on the unilateral cease-fire ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin for Orthodox Christmas, which got underway on Friday, a temporary truce that was dismissed by Ukraine, the United States and Germany as a possible ploy for Russia to regroup and move more troops and equipment to the battlefield.
- President Biden said he thinks Putin is “trying to find some oxygen” after 10 months of war and tens of thousands of casualties on the Russian side.
- The Biden administration announced a $2.8 billion military aid package for Ukraine on Friday, the largest drawdown from U.S. defense stockpiles to date.
- The United States and Germany will supply Ukraine with armored combat vehicles, Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday in a joint statement.
- Russia and Belarus are building up a regional military force with plans to hold joint drills and combat aircraft exercises, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
—Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces carried on despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unilateral declaration of a 36-hour cease-fire that started at noon Friday to mark the Orthodox Christmas holiday. Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for the continued shelling.
— U.S. instructors will later this month start training Ukrainian troops to use Patriot missiles.
— The Biden administration announced a $2.85 billion military aid package for Ukraine, the largest drawdown from U.S. defense stockpiles to date.
Read more live updates.
—Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces carried on despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unilateral declaration of a 36-hour cease-fire that started at noon Friday to mark the Orthodox Christmas holiday. Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for the continued shelling.
— U.S. instructors will later this month start training Ukrainian troops to use Patriot missiles.
— The Biden administration announced a $2.85 billion military aid package for Ukraine, the largest drawdown from U.S. defense stockpiles to date.
Read more live updates.
For Orthodox Christmas, Russia offers a self-serving cease-fire but no peace
RIGA, Latvia — Russia complained Friday that Ukraine refused to adhere to an Orthodox Christmas cease-fire — though Kyiv never agreed to the unilateral 36-hour truce, and dismissed it as a ploy for Moscow to regroup. Each side accused the other of continued shelling ahead of the Saturday holiday.
“The ghouls in Kyiv refused the cease-fire even on Orthodox Christmas. Clearly, they are our non-brothers there,” Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of the RT media organization and one of Russia’s leading propagandists, wrote on her Telegram blog.
“The more ironclad is our obligation to liberate those who are our brothers,” Simonyan continued, echoing a trope suggesting that the Russian forces are trying to save Russian-speaking Ukrainians from alleged persecution by a “Nazi regime” in Kyiv.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — Russia complained Friday that Ukraine refused to adhere to an Orthodox Christmas cease-fire — though Kyiv never agreed to the unilateral 36-hour truce, and dismissed it as a ploy for Moscow to regroup. Each side accused the other of continued shelling ahead of the Saturday holiday.
“The ghouls in Kyiv refused the cease-fire even on Orthodox Christmas. Clearly, they are our non-brothers there,” Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of the RT media organization and one of Russia’s leading propagandists, wrote on her Telegram blog.
“The more ironclad is our obligation to liberate those who are our brothers,” Simonyan continued, echoing a trope suggesting that the Russian forces are trying to save Russian-speaking Ukrainians from alleged persecution by a “Nazi regime” in Kyiv.
Read the full story here.
Moscow’s war in Ukraine brought harsh tactics against gay Russians at home
As Russian President Vladimir Putin steers Russia toward becoming a closed-off, conservative society, ruled by “traditional values” and bound tightly to the Orthodox Church, with visions of a “Russian world” in opposition to the decadent, amoral West, the Russian parliament has expanded Moscow’s official discrimination against gays and others of non-heterosexual orientations.
The idea of Russia as a defender of traditional Christian beliefs has been used to justify Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. And it has driven the Russian Parliament to tighten restrictions on LGBTQ “propaganda.”
In December, Putin signed legislation making it illegal to promote or “praise” same-sex relationships, to publicly express non-heterosexual orientations, or to suggest they are “normal.”
The tougher law is just one way the war in Ukraine has made life worse for LGBTQ Russians.
Read the full story here.
As Russian President Vladimir Putin steers Russia toward becoming a closed-off, conservative society, ruled by “traditional values” and bound tightly to the Orthodox Church, with visions of a “Russian world” in opposition to the decadent, amoral West, the Russian parliament has expanded Moscow’s official discrimination against gays and others of non-heterosexual orientations.
The idea of Russia as a defender of traditional Christian beliefs has been used to justify Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. And it has driven the Russian Parliament to tighten restrictions on LGBTQ “propaganda.”
In December, Putin signed legislation making it illegal to promote or “praise” same-sex relationships, to publicly express non-heterosexual orientations, or to suggest they are “normal.”
The tougher law is just one way the war in Ukraine has made life worse for LGBTQ Russians.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Ukrainian president was encouraged by the turnout for Christmas services at the historic Pechersk Lavra, he said in Saturday’s nightly address. “It’s very important to continue staying in the mood that was felt today,” Zelensky said, lamenting that the feeling has been rare during Russia’s invasion.
- Zelensky congratulated Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for becoming House speaker, adding that Kyiv was “counting on your continued support and further U.S. assistance to bring our common victory closer.”
- Putin marked Orthodox Christmas alone at the Kremlin on Saturday, Russian media said. The Russian leader took part in a religious service by himself in a Kremlin cathedral rather than attending a public Mass, and brief clips on state television showed him alongside priests, Reuters reported. In Ukraine, which has large Orthodox Christian and Roman Catholic communities, worshipers marked the day in churches and with muted festivities.
More live updates here.
- The Ukrainian president was encouraged by the turnout for Christmas services at the historic Pechersk Lavra, he said in Saturday’s nightly address. “It’s very important to continue staying in the mood that was felt today,” Zelensky said, lamenting that the feeling has been rare during Russia’s invasion.
- Zelensky congratulated Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for becoming House speaker, adding that Kyiv was “counting on your continued support and further U.S. assistance to bring our common victory closer.”
- Putin marked Orthodox Christmas alone at the Kremlin on Saturday, Russian media said. The Russian leader took part in a religious service by himself in a Kremlin cathedral rather than attending a public Mass, and brief clips on state television showed him alongside priests, Reuters reported. In Ukraine, which has large Orthodox Christian and Roman Catholic communities, worshipers marked the day in churches and with muted festivities.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
— Moscow’s unilaterally declared cease-fire came to an end after no sign of a letup in fighting in the 36 hours that it was apparently in place. Both sides traded blame for the ongoing shelling, which continued in the early hours Sunday and threatened to mar Orthodox Christmas celebrations. Ukraine had not agreed to the truce, viewing it as a ploy for Russian forces to regroup. The British Defense Ministry said the fighting continued at routine levels.
— Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Orthodox Christmas by attending a service at the Kremlin on Saturday, praising the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting the nation’s troops. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was encouraged by the turnout at Orthodox Christmas services at the historic Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv.
— The pace of Russian military gains around Bakhmut, a fiercely contested city in eastern Ukraine, is the subject of continued debate.
Read more updates here.
— Moscow’s unilaterally declared cease-fire came to an end after no sign of a letup in fighting in the 36 hours that it was apparently in place. Both sides traded blame for the ongoing shelling, which continued in the early hours Sunday and threatened to mar Orthodox Christmas celebrations. Ukraine had not agreed to the truce, viewing it as a ploy for Russian forces to regroup. The British Defense Ministry said the fighting continued at routine levels.
— Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Orthodox Christmas by attending a service at the Kremlin on Saturday, praising the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting the nation’s troops. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was encouraged by the turnout at Orthodox Christmas services at the historic Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv.
— The pace of Russian military gains around Bakhmut, a fiercely contested city in eastern Ukraine, is the subject of continued debate.
Read more updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- The fiercely contested eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is holding out “against all odds,” President Zelensky said Sunday, despite conflicting claims about the pace of Russian gains in the area. Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky visited troops defending the outskirts of Bakhmut and Soledar on Sunday, Zelensky said.
- Russian media and Moscow’s proxy officials accused Ukraine of shelling two power plants in Russian-controlled areas of the eastern Donetsk region on Sunday. Ukraine has not acknowledged reports of the attack. One person was killed in the attack on the Starobeshevskaya power plant, according to Tass.
- Russia is boosting defenses in the central Zaporizhzhia region, suggesting that commanders are probably preparing for “major Ukrainian offensive action,” the British Defense Ministry said Sunday. It noted that a Ukrainian breakthrough in either the Luhansk or Zaporizhzhia regions would be hugely challenging for Moscow.
More live updates here.
- The fiercely contested eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is holding out “against all odds,” President Zelensky said Sunday, despite conflicting claims about the pace of Russian gains in the area. Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky visited troops defending the outskirts of Bakhmut and Soledar on Sunday, Zelensky said.
- Russian media and Moscow’s proxy officials accused Ukraine of shelling two power plants in Russian-controlled areas of the eastern Donetsk region on Sunday. Ukraine has not acknowledged reports of the attack. One person was killed in the attack on the Starobeshevskaya power plant, according to Tass.
- Russia is boosting defenses in the central Zaporizhzhia region, suggesting that commanders are probably preparing for “major Ukrainian offensive action,” the British Defense Ministry said Sunday. It noted that a Ukrainian breakthrough in either the Luhansk or Zaporizhzhia regions would be hugely challenging for Moscow.
More live updates here.
Analysis: Ukraine sees ‘year of victory’ but Russia has other plans
LONDON — With upgraded weaponry on the way, Western resolve holding firm, and the Ukrainian army continuing to outmaneuver and outwit Russia’s flailing military, Ukraine’s promised “year of victory” is off to a good start.
If 2023 continues as it began, there is a good chance Ukraine will be able to fulfill President Volodymyr Zelensky’s New Year’s pledge to retake all of Ukraine by the end of the year — or at least enough territory to definitively end Russia’s threat, Western officials and analysts say.
But while Zelensky was rallying Ukrainians to expect victory this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin used his New Year’s speeches to prepare Russians for a drawn-out fight.
Read the full analysis here.
LONDON — With upgraded weaponry on the way, Western resolve holding firm, and the Ukrainian army continuing to outmaneuver and outwit Russia’s flailing military, Ukraine’s promised “year of victory” is off to a good start.
If 2023 continues as it began, there is a good chance Ukraine will be able to fulfill President Volodymyr Zelensky’s New Year’s pledge to retake all of Ukraine by the end of the year — or at least enough territory to definitively end Russia’s threat, Western officials and analysts say.
But while Zelensky was rallying Ukrainians to expect victory this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin used his New Year’s speeches to prepare Russians for a drawn-out fight.
Read the full analysis here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russian forces struck a market in a village southeast of Kharkiv, killing two women, regional governor Oleh Synyehubov reported Monday morning on Telegram.
- Ukrainian Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, who oversees operations on Ukraine’s bloody eastern front, visited troops defending the outskirts of Bakhmut and nearby Soledar on Sunday, Zelensky said.
- The founder of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, may be attempting to financially exploit Ukrainian resources around Bakhmut and is using the war to connect his military forces with Russian regional officials, the Institute for the Study of War think tank said in their latest assessment.
- Russia deployed “the most professional Wagner units” in its efforts to capture Soledar, Syrsky said while visiting troops defending the area, according to the Ukrainian Military Media Center Telegram channel.
More live updates here.
- Russian forces struck a market in a village southeast of Kharkiv, killing two women, regional governor Oleh Synyehubov reported Monday morning on Telegram.
- Ukrainian Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, who oversees operations on Ukraine’s bloody eastern front, visited troops defending the outskirts of Bakhmut and nearby Soledar on Sunday, Zelensky said.
- The founder of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, may be attempting to financially exploit Ukrainian resources around Bakhmut and is using the war to connect his military forces with Russian regional officials, the Institute for the Study of War think tank said in their latest assessment.
- Russia deployed “the most professional Wagner units” in its efforts to capture Soledar, Syrsky said while visiting troops defending the area, according to the Ukrainian Military Media Center Telegram channel.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine.
- “Everything is completely destroyed, there is almost no life yet,” Zelensky said of Soledar. Russian forces and hired fighters from the Wagner Group are likely in control of most of the settlement, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
- Iran could be contributing to war crimes in Ukraine by providing military support to Russia, the White House said Monday. Russia has used hundreds of Iranian attack drones to target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
- Officials at a vocational school in eastern Ukraine dismissed claims by Russia that hundreds of Ukrainian troops were killed in a missile strike there, the Associated Press reported Monday. Russia said Sunday it had targeted the school in Kramatorsk and killed 600 Ukrainian troops. Reporters visited the site Monday, where the school’s deputy director scoffed at Moscow’s claims. “Nobody saw a single spot of blood anywhere,” she told the AP.
More live updates here.
- “Everything is completely destroyed, there is almost no life yet,” Zelensky said of Soledar. Russian forces and hired fighters from the Wagner Group are likely in control of most of the settlement, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
- Iran could be contributing to war crimes in Ukraine by providing military support to Russia, the White House said Monday. Russia has used hundreds of Iranian attack drones to target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
- Officials at a vocational school in eastern Ukraine dismissed claims by Russia that hundreds of Ukrainian troops were killed in a missile strike there, the Associated Press reported Monday. Russia said Sunday it had targeted the school in Kramatorsk and killed 600 Ukrainian troops. Reporters visited the site Monday, where the school’s deputy director scoffed at Moscow’s claims. “Nobody saw a single spot of blood anywhere,” she told the AP.
More live updates here.
Kyiv withstands bombs and blackouts as Russia fails to cripple capital
KYIV, Ukraine — Two days after a Russian missile killed her close friend on New Year’s Eve, Daria Khizhchuk was back at her job waiting tables at an upscale Italian restaurant in the Ukrainian capital.
Her shift passed in a daze; she filled chatty customers’ orders on autopilot while consumed with grief.
“It was the worst,” Khizhchuk said. “Sadly it is like that. There are two worlds.”
As Kyiv settles into its first winter since Russia invaded last February, residents are coping with the harsh realities of the grinding war: a constant threat of airstrikes, regular power outages, fears of nuclear attack.
They are also carrying on. Dance studios and nail salons are open — having learned to operate with battery-powered lights even when Russian attacks on infrastructure cut power. Cafes and restaurants, often running on generators, are packed.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Two days after a Russian missile killed her close friend on New Year’s Eve, Daria Khizhchuk was back at her job waiting tables at an upscale Italian restaurant in the Ukrainian capital.
Her shift passed in a daze; she filled chatty customers’ orders on autopilot while consumed with grief.
“It was the worst,” Khizhchuk said. “Sadly it is like that. There are two worlds.”
As Kyiv settles into its first winter since Russia invaded last February, residents are coping with the harsh realities of the grinding war: a constant threat of airstrikes, regular power outages, fears of nuclear attack.
They are also carrying on. Dance studios and nail salons are open — having learned to operate with battery-powered lights even when Russian attacks on infrastructure cut power. Cafes and restaurants, often running on generators, are packed.
Read the full story here.
U.S. Pentagon to train Ukraine on Patriot missile system
The Pentagon is planning to bring Ukrainian troops to the United States for training on the Patriot missile defense system, a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the development said Tuesday.
The training will occur at Fort Sill, which spans about 145 square miles southwest of Oklahoma City, and could begin as soon as this month, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plan ahead of a formal announcement. The base is home to both basic Patriot missile defense training and field artillery training for U.S. troops.
The move follows President Biden’s decision last month to approve sending a Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine to bolster Kyiv’s defenses against an onslaught of Russian missiles. Germany last week announced that it, too, would send a Patriot battery to Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
The Pentagon is planning to bring Ukrainian troops to the United States for training on the Patriot missile defense system, a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the development said Tuesday.
The training will occur at Fort Sill, which spans about 145 square miles southwest of Oklahoma City, and could begin as soon as this month, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plan ahead of a formal announcement. The base is home to both basic Patriot missile defense training and field artillery training for U.S. troops.
The move follows President Biden’s decision last month to approve sending a Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine to bolster Kyiv’s defenses against an onslaught of Russian missiles. Germany last week announced that it, too, would send a Patriot battery to Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Fighting is raging in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region as both sides battle for Soledar, a salt mining town just three miles from Bakhmut.
- Russia is “unlikely” to take control of Bakhmut despite recent gains in Soledar, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday, citing Ukraine’s “stable” defensive lines and control over supply routes in the area.
- Baerbock’s visit to Kharkiv was the first by a German Cabinet member to the eastern Ukrainian city since the war began, according to German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW).
- Baerbock promised power generators and blankets for Ukraine, as well as “further arms deliveries.”
- The Pentagon will bring Ukrainian troops to the United States for training, possibly as early as this month, according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the development.
More live updates here.
- Fighting is raging in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region as both sides battle for Soledar, a salt mining town just three miles from Bakhmut.
- Russia is “unlikely” to take control of Bakhmut despite recent gains in Soledar, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday, citing Ukraine’s “stable” defensive lines and control over supply routes in the area.
- Baerbock’s visit to Kharkiv was the first by a German Cabinet member to the eastern Ukrainian city since the war began, according to German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW).
- Baerbock promised power generators and blankets for Ukraine, as well as “further arms deliveries.”
- The Pentagon will bring Ukrainian troops to the United States for training, possibly as early as this month, according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the development.
More live updates here.