Russia’s war in Ukraine: Live updates – CNN
Biden remarks on 300 days of Russia’s war in Ukraine
US President Joe Biden remarked on 300 days of Russia’s war in Ukraine as he spoke to reporters on Wednesday along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Mr. President, it’s good to have you back,” Biden told Zelensky. “It’s an honor to be by your side in the united defense against what is a brutal, brutal war waged by Putin.”
“Hard to believe, 300 days going through this, and Putin has waged a brutal assault on the Ukrainians’ right to exist as a nation, and the attack on innocent Ukrainian people for no reason other than to intimidate,” Biden added, noting the escalated Russian attacks on energy and civil infrastructure.
Putin is “trying to use winter as a weapon,” Biden said.
He reassured that Americans, along with European allies, stand with Ukraine.
Zelensky will try to make case to Americans that Ukraine aid is also in US interests, former ambassador says
During his visit to the US, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will likely have a few points he wants to convey to US President Joe Biden, Congress and the American people, Steven Pifer, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, said.
The first of those points will likely be gratitude, Pifer said on CNN as Ukrainian president arrived in Washington, DC, Wednesday.
“The United States has been the key partner for Ukraine as it fights off this unprovoked war of aggression that Vladimir Putin launched on Ukraine back in February,” he said.
Biden is set to announce an additional $1.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine during the visit, with the coveted Patriot missile systems as part of that package. Additionally, Congress is poised to sign off on another $45 billion in aid for Ukraine and NATO allies, deepening the commitment that has helped Kyiv’s forces inflict an unexpectedly bloody price on Putin’s forces.
That’s on top of dozens of previous financial and military aid packages from the US since the war began.
Pifer said Zelensky will use his visit to make the case that this assistance needs to continue as the war drags on into the winter months. Zelensky will likely try to argue that not only is it good for Ukraine — but that fighting Russia is in US interests as well, Pifer said in his analysis.
“Going back 70 years, it’s been in the US national interest to have a stable and secure Europe. If Russia wins this war, you’re not going to have that kind of Europe. It’s going to soak up much more time and American resources,” he said.
Another point, Pifer said, is that “we don’t know how far Vladimir Putin’s ambitions go.”
“When he talks about Ukraine, he talks about not a sovereign country, but what he refers to as historic Russian land,” Pifer said, adding that its hard for the US and other ally countries to tell if Russia would continue its aggression on other parts in the region — including some countries, like Poland, who are members of NATO.
Expert: Patriot air defense systems will help Ukraine defend against Russian attacks, but “not a game changer”
From CNN’s Haley Britzky
Experts say that while the Patriot defense missile system will be a valuable addition to Ukraine’s air defense, it’s not a cure-all.
The Patriot’s radar system combines “surveillance, tracking, and engagement functions in one unit,” according to a description from the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS), which makes it stand out among other air defense systems. The system’s engagements with incoming aerial threats are “nearly autonomous” aside from needing a “final launch decision” from the humans operating it.
Ukraine has repeatedly asked for the US Army’s Patriot – an acronym for Phased Array Tracking Radar for intercept on Target – system, as it is considered one of the most capable long-range air defense systems on the market. And though the US did not fulfill the request for the first 10 months of the war, a senior administration official told CNN that the “reality of what is going on” on the ground in Ukraine influenced their decision to do so.
In recent weeks, the Russian military has increasingly attacked Ukraine’s power grid and infrastructure as winter approached and the temperatures dropped. Those attacks have only further fueled Ukraine’s asks for the Patriot.
But retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, former commander of US Army Europe, told CNN that there is likely some unrealistic expectations about what a Patriot battery will be able to do for Ukraine. It won’t, for example, be available to use immediately after the US agrees to provide it — it takes months to train troops on how to use the complex system, Hertling said, adding that training US troops to serve as maintainers or repairmen takes around a year. And it won’t be able to provide blanket cover for the entire country.
“These systems don’t pick up and move around the battlefield,” Hertling said. “You put them in place somewhere that defends your most strategic target, like a city, like Kyiv. If anyone thinks this is going to be a system that is spread across a 500-mile border between Ukraine and Russia, they just don’t know how the system operates.”
Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at CSIS, told CNN that the Patriot is “not a game changer” because it is “still only able to defend a relatively small piece of dirt.”
And just one battery is operated by roughly 90 soldiers, and includes computers, an engagement control system, a phased array radar, power generating equipment, and “up to eight launchers,” according to the Army.
Ukrainian President Zelensky arrives at the White House
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at the White House to meet with US President Joe Biden. He was greeted by Biden and first lady Jill Biden.
The two leaders are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting.
This is Zelensky’s first foreign trip since the war began. The Ukrainian president was clad in his typical green-colored cargo pants and a sweatshirt with a small insignia of Ukraine’s coat of arms on it.
Later today: Zelensky will hold a news conference with Biden and address a joint meeting of Congress at 7:30 p.m. ET.
US Vice President Kamala Harris will attend Zelensky’s address to joint meeting of Congress
From CNN’s DJ Judd
According to an updated advisory, Vice President Kamala Harris will attend Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to a joint meeting of Congress tonight at the US Capitol.
Zelensky is set to deliver the address at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Zelensky says he is in Washington to thank the American people for their “much-needed support”
From CNN’s Radina Gigova
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday he is in Washington, DC, to thank the American people, US President Joe Biden and Congress for their “much-needed support.”
“I am in Washington today to thank the American people, the President and the Congress for their much-needed support. And also to continue cooperation to bring our victory closer,” Zelensky said in a post on his official Telegram channel.
“I will hold a series of negotiations to strengthen the resilience and defense capabilities of Ukraine. In particular, we will discuss bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and the United States of America with US President Joseph Biden,” he said.
“Next year, we must return the Ukrainian flag and freedom to our entire land, to all our people,” he said.
This is Zelensky’s first overseas visit since Russia invaded his country in late February.
Ukrainian President Zelensky has arrived in the US
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak and MJ Lee
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in the United States, a source familiar with his travels tells CNN.
Zelensky landed at Joint Base Andrews, a separate source familiar said.
He will visit the Oval Office this afternoon for extended talks with US President Joe Biden, who will announce he is sending nearly $2 billion in additional security assistance to Ukraine, including a sophisticated new air defense system.
The two will convene a White House news conference before Zelensky addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in prime time.
Tight security enforced around Zelensky’s US trip, source says
From CNN’s Matthew Chance
Tight security has been enforced around the short visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the US amid concerns that Russia wants to incapacitate the president, a source close to the Ukrainian leader told CNN on Wednesday.
According to the source, because of that ongoing threat, senior top government officials as well as embassy staff in the US were not informed about the schedule of Zelensky’s visit.
The source added that Zelensky had wanted to travel to the US for a few months, but certain factors had to be considered.
According to the source, the military risk had to be calculated to allow the Ukrainian president to make the short overseas trip without jeopardizing the military situation in the country.
Scheduling also had to be worked out with the White House to assess availability for it to happen, the source added.
The source told CNN that Zelensky did not want to travel if there had not been a significant development in the bilateral relationship between Ukraine and the United States. After confirmation of the Biden administration’s plan to send a new defense assistance package to Ukraine — which includes the Patriot missile defense systems — Zelensky viewed it as a major shift in the relationship between the two allies.
US secretary of state: Patriot air defense system included in $1.85 billion security assistance for Ukraine
Form CNN’s Kylie Atwood
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced an additional $1.85 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, including the first transfer of the Patriot missile defense system.
“Pursuant to a delegation of authority from the President, today I am authorizing our twenty-eighth drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine since August 2021. This $1 billion drawdown will provide Ukraine with expanded air defense and precision-strike capabilities, as well as additional munitions and critical equipment that Ukraine is using so effectively to defend itself on the battlefield,” Blinken said in a statement.
Blinken added that the Pentagon will also announce $850 million of new security assistance for Ukraine today. His statement followed a similar statement from the White House, all coming the same day as President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington.
The top US diplomat said that this new support comes as the Kremlin “has tried and failed to wipe Ukraine off the map” and is now seeking to “weaponize winter” with strikes on infrastructure.
The Patriot system is an advanced long-range air defense system that is highly effective at intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles.
“Today’s assistance for the first time includes the Patriot Air Defense System, capable of bringing down cruise missiles, short range ballistic missiles, and aircraft at a significantly higher ceiling than previously provided air defense systems,” Blinken said.
Blinken reiterated that the US will continue “to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, so that Kyiv can continue to defend itself and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table when the time comes.”
