New US military aid and China's position on Russia's war against Ukraine: last night's highlights
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed the allocation of $2 billion in military aid to Ukraine, and China made public its position on Russia's war against Ukraine, which it called the “Ukrainian crisis”. Here is what you may have missed from the previous night.
New military aid from the United States
The United States has announced a new $2 billion military aid package for Ukraine. As noted by the media before, the package will be issued under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. This program allows the Biden administration to source weapons for Ukraine from industry rather than from existing US stockpiles.
According to CNN, this new funding will be used for procurement and new contracts for equipment for Ukraine, including:
- missiles for HIMARS;
- 155 mm artillery ammunition;
- several types of drones;
- equipment for countering drones;
- equipment for demining;
- secure communication equipment;
- funding for training and maintenance.
China's position on Russia's war against Ukraine
China has made public its position on Russia's war against Ukraine, calling it the “Ukrainian crisis”. The document consists of 12 points, in which the country calls for, among other things, a cessation of hostilities, resumption of peace talks, respect for the sovereignty of countries, etc.
One of the 12 points refers to “rejecting the Cold War mentality”.
“The security of a country should not be achieved at the expense of others. The security of the region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs,” the document states.
Enshrining Zelenskyy's “peace formula”
On February 23, on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UN General Assembly supported a resolution that, among other things, enshrined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's “peace formula” and called on Russia to immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
Briefly about other news:
- On the evening of February 23, a Russian strike damaged a main pipeline that provided heating to about 600 homes – more than 40,000 people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said;
- The charitable foundation of British rock musician Elton John, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, allocated $125,000 through the United24 platform to purchase biochemical blood analyzers for Ukraine;
- On February 23, Russian occupation forces shelled several communities in Sumy Oblast, resulting in 93 hits in the region over the day, and a house was damaged, the Regional Military Administration reported;
- In Kyiv, law enforcement officers exposed an organized group of 15 people, including employees of five Kyiv medical institutions and members of medical commissions, who organized a scheme to smuggle military-liable men across the border.