War Anniversary: Major Updates: US announces $2 billion in new Ukraine military aid

Ukraine has now faced a complete year of war with Russia, confronting tragedies and celebrating triumphs.

While in comments Russian President Vladimir Putin made on the eve of the war anniversary, he said the delayed Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will be deployed in 2023, his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, insisted his country “will prevail” over Russian forces.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden is expected to meet virtually on Friday with Zelensky and G7 leaders and will possibly announce a new set of sanctions against Russia.

Major Updates

One year on, more Ukrainians confident of victory

A poll conducted in early February by the Ukraine-based Rating Group institute showed almost 95% of respondents are now confident of the country turning the tide against invading Russian forces.

The study also revealed a sharp rise in Ukrainians’ confidence towards their leader – rising from 36% in January last year to 90% – as well as the trust in the army – increasing from 65% in 2019 to the current 97%.

US announces $2 billion in new military aid to Ukraine

The US will send the war-torn nation a new military aid package worth $2 billion, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Thursday, without providing information on the types of armaments to be expected in the package.

In a meeting yesterday, the G7 finance ministers announced increasing the bloc’s economic aid to the former Soviet state to $39 billion and even urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deliver a fresh financial package to the country by the coming month in an effort to help it deal with the severe effects of the invasion.

UN votes to demand Russia withdraw troops from Ukraine

141 members of the United Nations General Assembly voted Thursday to demand Russia “immediately and unconditionally” withdraw its troops from its neighbouring nation.

The non-binding vote saw 32 UN members, including China, abstaining, while seven others opposed.