The United States plans to transfer the entire $61 billion in aid to Ukraine by the end of Joe Biden's term. Meanwhile, Russian troops are trying to establish themselves on the islands near Kherson by gathering 300 boats. A Russian military ship fired flares at a German helicopter in the Baltic Sea.
US plans to provide $61 billion in aid to Ukraine
Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed to NATO members and Ukrainian officials the United States' commitment to fully utilizing funding authorized by Congress for Ukraine.
He told reporters after a NATO ministerial meeting on December 4, according to European Pravda.
Blinken stressed that he was satisfied with the distribution of aid spending to Ukraine between the United States and other NATO partners:
“Allies are increasing their support. In total, the United States provided $102 billion in aid to Ukraine, while our partners contributed $158 billion. This is the best example of financial burden sharing that I have seen in my 30 years of career,” he said.
The current U.S. administration plans to further intensify security support to Ukraine to strengthen its air defense, artillery, and armored vehicle capabilities.
“We intend – and it is the president's desire – to use every cent of the $61 billion in funding authorized by Congress in the budget amendment passed in the spring of 2024,” Blinken said.
Russian troops attempt to establish themselves on the islands near Kherson, gathering 300 boats
Russian forces regularly carry out attacks in the Kherson region, seeking to establish a presence on island areas.
According to Colonel Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, these efforts are aimed at attracting and mobilizing Ukrainian resources.
“All these attacks fail. The enemy only suffers losses,” he told Suspilne.
Intelligence indicates that Russia is training landing groups at training grounds in the temporarily occupied regions of Zaporizhia and Kherson. Around 300 boats have been accumulated, but Ukrainian forces say they are ready to counter any possible escalation.
-Russian troops are trying to establish themselves on the islands near Kherson: they have gathered 300 boats
Russian forces regularly carry out assaults in the Kherson region, seeking to establish a presence in island areas.
Colonel Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesman for the Southern Defense Forces, told Suspilne:
“Their objective is to capture a stronghold, maintain it and concentrate our forces and resources there as much as possible. All these attacks ended in failure. They are totally unsuccessful. The enemy only suffers losses. »
Voloshyn clarified, based on intelligence, that the Russians are currently training amphibious assault groups at training grounds in the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.
“For these trainings they use boats from the so-called Dnieper flotilla, a division of which was transferred to the Tendriv and Kinbourn spits at the beginning of autumn. They train to overcome aquatic obstacles, to carry out crossings with landing groups, but this mainly concerns attacks and crossings by small groups of infantry,” he added.
The colonel confirmed that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has information about the enemy's accumulation of 300 boats. According to him, the defense forces are ready to respond to any developments in the situation. Earlier, Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson military administration, said in an interview with the Financial Times:
“Russia is looking to launch a new offensive here,” adding that Russian forces had assembled “300 boats to cross the river.”
Russian military ship in Baltic Sea fires flares at German helicopter
A Russian warship fired flares at a Bundeswehr (German armed forces) helicopter in the Baltic Sea. This information was reported on Wednesday, December 4 by Breakingthenews, citing the DPA agency.
According to the agency, this incident was confirmed during a NATO meeting in Brussels by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. However, it did not specify the exact date of the incident or the Russian ship involved.
The German military helicopter was carrying out a reconnaissance mission over the Baltic Sea, in a context marked by numerous acts of sabotage targeting European infrastructure in this region.
Journalists stressed that the use of flares at sea is only permitted in emergency situations. Following the incident, Annalena Baerbock said the European Union must strengthen surveillance around pipelines and internet cables to protect against hybrid attacks from Russia and its allies.
