War in Ukraine: Moscow hits energy infrastructure, new American aid… update on the situation

The United States releases new military aid of $725 million to Ukraine

The United States will provide $725 million (690 million euros) worth of new weapons to Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday, with outgoing President Joe Biden wishing to consolidate American aid to kyiv before giving way to Donald Trump in January at the White House.

This set taken from American stocks notably includes Stringer missiles, ammunition for HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, drones and mines, Antony Blinken said in a press release.

Reuters reported last week that the Biden administration plans to provide equipment, primarily anti-tank weapons, to help Ukraine try to halt Russian advances on its territory.

Recent aid of this type announced by the United States ranged from 125 to 250 million dollars.

Russia hits energy infrastructure in the west of the country

Russian drones struck energy infrastructure in Ukraine's Ternopil and Rivne regions overnight from Monday to Tuesday, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

The strikes left part of the town of Ternopil without electricity, its mayor said, a week after an attack that damaged electrical installations in the area.

“Energy workers and rescuers are dealing with the aftermath of the attack. Stock up on water, charge your phones”declared Mayor Serhi Nadal on his Telegram messaging.

Russia also attacked energy infrastructure in the Rivne region without causing any casualties, Governor Oleksandr Koval said. The towns of Ternopil and Rivne are located approximately 200km from NATO member Poland.

Russia launched two major attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in November, causing power outages across the country as winter approaches.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 22 of 28 Russian drones overnight, one was “lost” and two others left Ukrainian-controlled airspace, according to a statement.

Air defenses were also active over the kyiv region overnight, Governor Ruslan Kravchenko said. Falling debris damaged four homes, two cars and a garage.

No decision expected on Ukraine's membership application

Foreign ministers from NATO member countries are meeting on Tuesday in Belgium, where they will discuss Ukraine's request for a formal invitation to join the organization.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote a letter to his NATO counterparts last week urging them to invite kyiv to join the Alliance.

However, it appears unlikely that ministers from NATO's 32 member countries will reach consensus on the issue at their two-day meeting in Brussels, diplomats said: “It will take weeks or months to reach a consensus”a senior NATO diplomat said on Monday. “I don't think it will happen tomorrow. I would be very surprised.”

A senior US official said the meeting would focus on supporting Ukraine to be in the best possible position during “the opening of possible negotiations” next year. “The best way to achieve this is to increase financial support, ammunition deliveries and mobilization”he estimated.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said before the meeting on Tuesday that the alliance was working to “build the bridge” towards the accession of Ukraine. He said, however, that the most pressing issue was providing Kiev with more weapons to repel Russian forces.

“The meeting over the next two days will focus on how to ensure that Ukraine, when it decides to enter into peace talks, does so from a position of strength”he declared. “And to achieve this, it is essential that Ukraine receives more military aid.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested Friday in an interview with Sky News that integrating the territories currently controlled by kyiv into NATO would put an end to the “hot phase” of the war.

These statements come as Ukraine is struggling on the battlefield, the Russian army is advancing in the east of the country and has launched major attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it would settle for nothing less than NATO membership, citing its experience with a 30-year-old pact under which Ukraine renounced to its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees from the great powers. “With the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind us, we will accept no alternative, no substitute for Ukraine's full membership in NATO”the ministry said in a statement.

Although NATO said it supported Ukraine “in its irreversible path” towards accession, no timetable has been proposed.
Any decision regarding kyiv's entry into the Alliance would require the support of the American administrations.

A radical change in posture on the part of the United States cannot, however, be ruled out with the arrival of Donald Trump at the White House, while the president-elect said he was able to put an end to the conflict in 24 hours , without specifying how.

Some NATO member countries, such as Hungary, have opposed Ukraine's membership in the Alliance. Others, like the current U.S. administration and the German government, felt the timing was not right, diplomats said.