Senator Graham: US should designate Russia state sponsor of terrorism
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has called on the U.S. presidential administration to support Russia's inclusion in the list of countries sponsoring terrorism.
Team
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U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has called on the U.S. presidential administration to support Russia's inclusion in the list of countries sponsoring terrorism.
Key developments on March 17-18: * EU gives final approval to $5.5 billion for military aid to Ukraine * Deputy minister: Russia fires 7 times more shells than Ukraine * US Senator Graham in Kyiv: 'If you want aid to Ukraine, you'd better start talking to American taxpayers' * Ukrainian government allocating $128
Putin took the stage in the company of his "rivals," Kremlin-friendly lawmakers Vladislav Davankov, Nikolai Kharitonov, and Leonid Slutsky, who ran against Putin in the election. All three praised Putin and offered their support.
EU foreign ministers finally agreed to allocate an additional 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in defense assistance for Ukraine in 2024 within the European Peace Facility (EPF) framework, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced on March 18.
"(Ukraine's) stocks of ammunition of certain types are falling to a critical level," Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk, Ukraine's deputy defense minister, said.
The results of Russia's election in occupied territories of Ukraine are "null and void," and the election organizers "will face consequences of these illegal actions," Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, said in a statement on behalf of EU member states on March 18.
The ammunition suppliers taking part in the Czech-led initiative to provide Ukraine with artillery shells include "some allies of Russia," the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing unnamed Czech officials.
While India has also remained a critical market for Russian oil, payment issues, in part related to Western sanctions, have caused delays in the trade of oil between the two countries.
"(I) look forward to working together to further strengthen the time-tested Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia in the years to come," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
At the same time, Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence said that mobilization has continued in Russia throughout the campaign and election.
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a call with Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto on March 18, after the ex-general claimed victory in the election on Feb. 14.
The Ukrainian government is allocating an additional Hr 5 billion (around $128 million) to purchase attack drones for the military, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko announced on March 18.
Republican Senator Lindsay Graham arrived in Kyiv, the U.S. Embassy shared on social media on March 18.
The Ukrainian government believes the negotiations on the country's accession to the European Union can start in the first half of 2024, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told Euractiv in an interview published on March 18.
Moldova's Bureau of Reintegration said that the "military technique in the images has not been functional for several years" but did not clarify which "technique" it referred to.
China is considering taking part in talks on Ukraine's peace formula in the coming months, Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland Wang Shihting told Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung on March 18.
Russian President Vladimir Putin received congratulatory remarks from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, and a few other leaders of Russia-friendly countries.
Russian state news agency TASS claimed on March 18 that a morning attack on the city of Belgorod injured one person, marking the third consecutive day of reports of attacks against the city.
Russia’s March 17 missile attack against Ukraine’s southern city of Mykolaiv killed one person and injured nine, including two children, according to the latest update by the regional governor published on March 18.
Ukraine has collected pretrial information on over 128,000 victims of war crimes, Veronika Plotnikova, the head of the Coordinating Center for Support of Victims and Witnesses of the Prosecutor Generals Office, said on air on March 18.
Russian forces struck a village near Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast on the morning of March 18, injuring a 62-year-old man, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
This number includes 810 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Key developments on March 17: * Media: 12 Russian oil refineries successfully hit in recent attacks by Ukraine * Putin ‘wins’ rigged Russian election, preliminary results show * 1 killed, 6 injured, including child, in Russian attack on Mykolaiv * Shoigu calls for better Navy defense in visit to Black Sea Fleet, Russian Defense
Russian troops launched an attack against several Ukrainian regions, including Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, on the evening of March 17, local authorities reported.
A drone hit a military base in Transnistria, in the Russian-controlled region of Moldova, local Telegram channel "Pervyi Prydnestrovskyi" claimed on March 17. The Telegram channel also published a video allegedly showing a helicopter being hit by a drone. The Kyiv Independent couldn't independently verify the claim.
Russian forces attacked the southern city of Mykolaiv twice with missiles earlier in the day.
Russian forces struck Sumy twice, attacking undisclosed infrastructure in the northern city, the regional military administration reported on March 17.
Russia's presidential election entered its third and last day on March 17, with the state-controlled news agency Interfax reporting over 70% voter turnout as of 3 p.m. local time in Moscow.
In its daily intelligence bulletin published on X, the ministry cited research conducted by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which revealed that Russia's arms exports fell by 53% between 2019-2023 compared to the previous four-year period.
Russian forces launched two missile strikes against the southern city of Mykolaiv, wounding at least five people, regional governor Vitalii Kim reported on March 17.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered increased training and more weapons to repel Ukraine's attacks on the Black Sea Fleet, according to a statement by Russia's Defense Ministry on March 17.
Border guards and Ukrainian troops in Sumy Oblast stopped three groups of Russian saboteurs from advancing, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service reported on March 17.