LIVE – War in Ukraine: stopping aid to kyiv would be a “Christmas gift” to Putin, warns Biden with Zelensky

Ukraine’s president called on Ukraine’s allies to send a “strong signal of unity” to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a news conference at the White House.

“It is very important that, by the end of the year, we can send a very strong signal of unity,” said Volodymyr Zelensky, alongside US President Joe Biden.

US President Joe Biden has pledged not to “turn his back on Ukraine”, despite the sluggish negotiations in Congress on a new aid package for kyiv.

Vladimir Putin is “counting” on the fact that the United States will fail to keep this commitment, assured the American president during a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House.

Stopping American aid to Ukraine would be a “Christmas gift” to Vladimir Putin, President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday alongside Volodymyr Zelensky.

“We will stand by your side,” the American leader told his Ukrainian counterpart during a meeting in the Oval Office, even as Congress stumbles over the financial extension requested by the White House for kyiv.

“Ukraine can win,” Zelensky assures Biden.

The Irish government announced on Tuesday a reduction in support provided to Ukrainians fleeing the war, in line with other European states.

This country of five million inhabitants has seen 101,200 people arrive on its soil from Ukraine, of whom 74,500 are hosted by the State. More than 16,000 are in employment, according to the Irish government.

Under the changes announced on Tuesday, which will come into force early next year, new arrivals from Ukraine will be entitled to accommodation for a period limited to 90 days and during this period will be entitled to a weekly allowance 38, 80 euros per adult (compared to 220 euros previously), 29.80 euros per child. With these measures, Ireland will be “in line with other EU countries” in a context of strong pressure on the housing sector, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told Parliament.

American intelligence services estimate the number of Russian soldiers wounded or killed at 315,000 since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, an American parliamentary source told AFP on Tuesday.

This figure is cited in a document, declassified and transmitted to Congress, which also estimates that Russia lost 2,200 tanks out of the 3,500 it had before the start of the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after pleading with Congress for the continuation of American aid to his country, arrived early Tuesday afternoon at the White House in Washington.

He will be received there by American President Joe Biden, with whom he will hold a joint press conference.

Russia, well aware of the erosion of support from the United States, in particular with the failure this summer of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, claimed Tuesday “significant” advances in the southern region of Zaporizhia.

Moscow “appears to believe that a military stalemate during the winter will undermine Western support for Ukraine”, so Russia is “determined to push” on the entire front, the National Security Council spokesperson warned. the White House, Adrienne Watson.

The United States announced on Tuesday a new round of sanctions targeting the Russian “war machine”, at a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington to plead in favor of a new aid package.

The sanctions target people and entities suspected of supplying or financing the Russian defense industry in its war in Ukraine and of circumventing sanctions already in force against Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“The Kremlin has gradually transformed Russia into a war economy, but Putin’s war machine cannot survive on domestic production alone,” says Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, quoted in a statement, which targets sanctions targeting some 150 individuals and entities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the American Congress on Tuesday, the scene of very acrimonious negotiations over the fate of a new aid package for Ukraine.

The powerful institution stumbled last week on a $61 billion component for kyiv, demanded by American President Joe Biden.

The first Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar denounced an act of “war” by Russia after the powerful cyberattack which paralyzed its network on Tuesday and “partially destroyed” its IT infrastructure. “This is a war, which is taking place not only on the battlefield, but also in the virtual space, and unfortunately, we have been affected by this war,” said the group’s CEO Oleksandr Komarov on national television.

Ukraine announced this Tuesday noon that it had opened an investigation into the subject. She suspects Russia of having carried out this cyberattack.

The services of Ukraine’s leading mobile operator, Kyivstar, were paralyzed on Tuesday by a “powerful” computer hack, the group said in a press release, while Ukraine regularly says it is the target of Russian hackers.

“This morning we were the target of a powerful hacker attack. It caused a technical failure that made our mobile communication and internet access services temporarily unavailable,” Kyivstar said on Facebook.

Our reporters were able to meet Ukrainian soldiers, who continue to fight the Russian army despite the freezing cold currently reigning in the region.

Polish Prime Minister-elect Donald Tusk called on the world for “total mobilization” in favor of Ukraine in the face of the Russian offensive, during his general policy speech before a parliamentary vote of confidence.

“We will demand loud and clear a total mobilization of the free world, of the West, in favor of Ukraine in this war. There is no alternative,” he declared.

Any new American aid to Ukraine will constitute a “fiasco”, the Kremlin estimated on Tuesday, a few hours before a meeting between Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington. “The tens of billions of dollars injected into Ukraine have not helped it succeed on the battlefield,” declared Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov. “And the tens of billions of additional dollars that Ukraine wants to see injected will be doomed to the same fiasco.”

The Russian army claims this Tuesday to have advanced “significantly” in the south of Ukraine, in the Zaporizhia region, said the governor installed there by Moscow, Yevgeny Balitsky. “The situation is continuously tense, but our guys continue not only to hold the defense, but also to advance gradually,” he said, assuring that the Ukrainian forces were suffering “significant lossess“.

Russian forces are increasing attacks all along the front following the failure of the great Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer. In its daily report, the Ukrainian general staff said for its part that it had repelled attacks by the Kremlin army in the area of ​​Novopokrovka, a village located northeast of Robotyne. This locality was taken in August by Ukrainian forces, who hoped for a breakthrough towards the south and the Sea of ​​Azov, without success.

A new study published in the journal Humanities & Social Sciences Communications shows that Ukrainian scientists have seen their research activity drop by 20% since the start of the war in February 2022. Some 2,500 scientists responded to the questionnaire asking them about the issue.

Around 18.5% of respondents fled the conflict. A figure very close to the general emigration rate of the Ukrainian refugee population in Europe, or eight million people according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), underlines the study. A majority of these researchers were hosted in European scientific institutions – many in Germany and Poland – but under precarious contracts, rarely exceeding one year (only 14% of cases).

Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Joe Biden and several US officials this Tuesday in Washington. “America’s commitment to supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression is unwavering“, said Lloyd Austin, the Minister of Defense, on Monday upon the arrival of the Ukrainian leader in the capital. This Tuesday, in addition to Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky will speak with Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, respectively leader of Democrats and leader of the Republicans in the Senate.

After a speech to all the senators, he will mainly meet the president of the other chamber of Congress, Republican speaker Mike Johnson. A crucial moment, because the latter must deal with the most Trumpist fringe on his part, which is blocking the allocation of new funds to Ukraine in the House of Representatives.

Welcome everyone to this live dedicated to the news of the war in Ukraine.