by But getting that aid to the Ukrainian armed forces now faces a race against time.
He noted during Wednesday’s briefing that Russia would likely try to use tanks, long-range fire and artillery “to achieve some of its objectives before committing ground troops” to a flatter area. , more open and “a bit like Kansas”. The new terrain means Ukraine’s weaponry needs have changed as it prepares for this next battle, he said.
“We’re going to get things done as quickly as we can,” Kirby said when pressed by CNN’s Barbara Starr whether the help would be too late. He argued that there is still a window because the Russians “are not quite ready” for their new push into the Donbass: “We are taking advantage of every day, every hour, to bring this material so quickly as possible”.
Kirby declined to provide an assessment of how long the United States will have to help get the new aid in place before it is needed, but he noted that previous security aid had been sent as little as four to six days after the packages are approved.
“We are aware of the clock and we know that time is not our friend,” he said.
The situation in Mariupol is becoming dire
The city’s mayor said on Wednesday that as many as 180,000 people were waiting to be evacuated, many of whom were stranded without adequate access to food, water and electricity, but there were no humanitarian corridors operational on Wednesday, as Russian forces blocked evacuation buses that would have provided a way out. , according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.
The document detailed ‘clear patterns’ of violations of international humanitarian law by Russian forces in Ukraine, and included the chilling account of a woman who said she was repeatedly raped ‘in the presence of her small child’ by a soldier drunken Russian who had killed her husband. It was just one of many allegations of rape, including gang rape, by Russian soldiers across Ukraine since the conflict began.
US Ambassador to the OSCE Michael Carpenter said the report documents “a catalog of inhumane acts perpetrated by Russian forces in Ukraine” by exposing the direct targeting of civilians, executions, attacks on hospitals and medical facilities and the forced deportation of civilians to Russia.
White House defends Biden’s ‘genocide’ comment
But, Psaki added, “He is the President of the United States and the leader of the free world, and he is allowed to make his views known at any time.” Late Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his support for Biden in expressing his views, saying it was “absolutely right that more and more people” use the word “genocide” to describe the actions of the Russia. But Trudeau chose not to use the term itself to describe the situation.
While Biden’s stance may reflect the sense of horror many Americans feel seeing the events unfold in Ukraine, it contrasts sharply with the approach of French President Emmanuel Macron, who suggested the remark was not useful on Wednesday as he looked to stay on more neutral ground.
“I want to keep trying, as much as I can, to stop this war and rebuild peace,” Macron said. “I’m not sure escalating rhetoric serves this cause.”
Putin forges ahead unfazed by mounting criticism
Putin displayed his distorted view of reality during a virtual meeting on Arctic development on Wednesday, where he downplayed the economic pain inflicted on his country by sanctions and insisted that the “denial of a number of Western countries to engage in normal cooperation, including with Russian energy resources,” was creating a “genuine energy crisis” that could benefit Russia.
“Of course, even we have problems,” Putin said, noting inflation-related problems in the United States and Europe, “but for us, alternative opportunities, options, new windows of opportunity open”.
In a new Finnish government report presented to the country’s parliament, officials concluded that if Finland and Sweden become full members of NATO, “the threshold for the use of military force in the maritime region Baltic Sea would rise,” bolstering “the region’s long-term stability.” If Finland, which shares a more than 800-mile border with Russia, joined the alliance, the report notes, the country “would be part of the collective defense of NATO and would be covered by the security guarantees enshrined in Article 5”.
At the same time, the report acknowledged how the move would anger Russia, creating “risks that are difficult to anticipate”.
In this grim and daunting conflict, the prospect of a strengthened NATO alliance that could curb Putin’s thirst for power would be one of the few glimmers of hope for the West to emerge so far.
