November 21, 2023
US Defense Secretary Austin announced $100 million in aid to Kyiv
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a new US military aid package to Ukraine worth $100 million (approximately €91.38 million), during a surprise visit to Kyiv.
The State Department said the new package includes three million rounds of small arms ammunition and equipment for the HIMARS precision rocket launcher.
The US has supplied Ukraine since the start of the war with about $40 billion worth of security assistance, which has proved crucial in Kyiv’s fight against Moscow.
“The message I bring to you today, Mr. President, is that the United States of America is with you. We will remain with you in the long run,” Austin told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the visit.
Zelenskyy told Austin that his visit was “an important signal” for Ukraine.
“We count on your support,” he added.
Recently, the continuation of such essential support has been questioned, with Republicans only increasing military aid to Israel from an aid package for Ukraine and Israel requested by President Joe Biden.
https://p.dw.com/p/4ZEql
November 21, 2023
The US has banned 2 members of the Russian armed forces
The United States has banned the entry of two Russians for their alleged involvement in human rights violations in Ukraine, the US State Department said on Monday.
The punishments were extended to their families.
The State Department has accused Russian Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov and Russian Guard Corporal Daniil Frolkin of committing extrajudicial killings of unarmed civilians in Ukraine.
Omurbekov, who is called the “Butcher of Bucha,” led a unit of soldiers who allegedly killed, mutilated and burned civilians in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv, during the Russian occupation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin later praised the unit and promoted Omurbekov.
Frolkin is accused of killing an unarmed civilian in the eastern Ukrainian town of Andriivka.
“Reports that Omurbekov and Frolkin are involved in serious human rights violations, as documented by NGOs and independent investigations, are serious and credible,” the State Department said in a press release.
https://p.dw.com/p/4ZEqn
