Ukraine thanks the U.S. for military aid in a cease-fire that has failed
KYIV, UkraIne (AP) — Ukraine’s president is praising the United States for including tank-killing armored vehicles in its latest multibillion-dollar package of military aid, saying they are “exactly what is needed” for Ukrainian troops locked in combat against Russian forces.
Officials said that it was not clear whether Moscow had complied with a unilateral 36-hour ceasefire. Orthodox Christmas Ukraine denounced the plot.
The White House announced Friday that the latest multi-billion-dollar package of U.S. military aid was available to Kyiv. For the first time, it included Bradley armored vehicles — known as tank-killers because of the anti-tank missiles they fire.
In his nightly televised address on Friday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it “a very powerful package.”
“For the first time, we will get Bradley armoured vehicles — this is exactly what is needed. There are new guns and rounds available, including high-precision ammunition. It is timely and strong,” he said.
He thanked U.S. President Joe Biden, U.S. lawmakers and “all the Americans who appreciate freedom, and who know that freedom is worth protecting.”
Ukrainian authorities claimed that some of their forces were pushing ahead despite a Moscow-declared temporary truce on Orthodox Christmas. the nearly 11-month invasion.
Regional Gov. Serhiy Haidai reported that Russian troops and shelling continued. Haidai posted on Telegram that the cease-fire was broken within the first three hours. supposed start Friday for Orthodox Christmas EveRussian forces bombarded Ukrainian positions 14x and stormed a settlement 3x. This claim cannot be independently verified.
The Ministry of Defense in Britain, a leading supplier of military aid to Ukraine, said Saturday in its daily readout on the invasion that “fighting has continued at a routine level into the Orthodox Christmas period.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry alleged Friday that Ukrainian forces continued to shell its positions, and said its forces returned fire, although it wasn’t clear whether those reported exchanges occurred before or after the start of Moscow’s cease-fire.
Ukrainian officials dismissed Moscow’s unilateral order for a three-hour pause in its operations as an attempt to give its struggling invasion troops time to regroup. It was due to end Saturday night — at midnight Moscow time, which is 11 p.m. in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
Officials from the West and Ukraine interpreted the announcement as Putin trying to seize the moral high ground and steal momentum from the Ukrainians during their recent counteroffensive.
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