Ukraine war live updates: Russia says US aid to kyiv is ‘calming pill’; Ukraine tells its people ‘we must be strong’

Russia cannot coexist with the current Ukrainian “regime” and will resist the power of the NATO military alliance for as long as Moscow needs to achieve its goals, a senior diplomat from the Russian Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday foreign.

“The current regime is absolutely toxic, we see no possibility of coexistence with it at the moment,” Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told reporters in Moscow.

Miroshnik said Ukraine had committed crimes against civilians and NATO had supplied banned weapons to Ukraine, but the West would eventually lose interest in Ukraine.

“We can resist NATO to the extent that we need it to fulfill the tasks that the president has formulated,” Miroshnik said.

-Reuters

The Kremlin has called the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, which kyiv commemorates on Tuesday, a foreign-sponsored coup.

November 21 marks the start of mass pro-European protests in Ukraine in 2013, which led to the “Maidan” revolution in February 2014 and the ouster of Ukraine’s then pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych.

As Ukraine marks what is now known as “Day of Dignity and Freedom”, commemorating the uprising, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Maidan revolution was the result of foreign interference.

“The fact that he was sponsored from abroad was recognized directly and indirectly by representatives of foreign countries. This is no secret,” Peskov said.

“We call it ‘Maidan’, but in fact it was a coup d’état, a powerful coup d’état sponsored from abroad. We must call things by their proper name,” he said. said Peskov, according to comments reported by the Tass news agency.

“The fact that he was sponsored from abroad was recognized directly and indirectly by representatives of foreign countries. This is also no secret,” he said. Peskov has presented no evidence to support this claim, which Russia has made repeatedly.

The Maidan revolution in 2014 marked a clearer break with Russia, which soon after invaded and annexed Crimea.

—Houx Ellyatt

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has arrived in kyiv, the Ukrainian presidency announced on Tuesday.

Sandu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored the memory of those who died during the Revolution of Dignity 10 years ago, the office said on the X social media platform.

-Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainians they must show tenacity in the battle against Russia, as kyiv commemorated the pro-Western uprisings that cemented its break with Russia.

Celebrated as the “Day of Dignity and Freedom,” November 21 is a public holiday established to honor the start of two anti-Russian uprisings in Ukraine: the 2004 Revolution and the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, which started with a wave of pro-European protests. and the anti-Russian protests, known as the Euromaidan uprising or Maidan, 10 years ago.

The 2013–2014 protests in Ukraine were a catalyst for Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

“10 years ago we opened a new page in the struggle. 10 years ago the Ukrainians launched their first counter-offensive. Against anarchy, against the attempt to deprive us of our European future. Against our enslavement,” Zelensky said in his nightly speech.

“We fought and we are still fighting. Both in the center of the capital then and on the outskirts of Bakhmut today. On Hrushevskoho Street then and near Kharkiv, near Kherson, near Avdiivka now… We must be strong. Because people only believe in the strong, and only the strong create the future. Only the strong can be united.

—Houx Ellyatt

The aid includes anti-tank weapons, artillery ammunition and another high-mobility artillery rocket system. Announcing the latest tranche of aid during a visit to Kiev, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged long-term US support for Ukraine despite concerns about the sustainability of such aid .

Russia has been dismissive of the aid package, with Moscow’s ambassador to the United States saying Ukraine nevertheless faces defeat.

“It is important for the West to understand: Russia, which is fighting for its national interests and security, cannot be defeated on the battlefield. Any supply of Western weapons to a post-Soviet state is an extension of the “agony of Kiev’s bankrupt regime,” Antonov said.

—Houx Ellyatt

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirmed Washington’s “unwavering support for Ukraine” on Monday during a surprise visit to Kiev, where he met with President Volodymy Zelenskyy and other senior officials.

“We will continue, with our allies and partners, to address Ukraine’s urgent battlefield and long-term defense needs,” Austin wrote on the social media platform Twitter name.

-Elliot Smith

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday it had spoken to Finland’s ambassador to Russia and protested Finland’s decision to close its borders with Russia over the weekend.

Finland’s actions would impact tens of thousands of people in both countries, the ministry said in a statement translated by Google and published on its website.

“The decision was taken in haste, without any consultation with the Russian side, which was previously an integral part of cooperation aimed at ensuring the effective functioning of the common border,” the statement said.

The move comes after Finland closed crossing points on its border with Russia to limit the influx of asylum seekers, who it said were helped by Russian authorities.

—Sophie Kiderlin

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told CNBC on Monday that passing legislation to provide additional military aid to Ukraine is a “critical priority” for US President Joe Biden and national security .

The Biden administration is seeking congressional approval for a $105 billion security aid package but faces opposition from some Republican lawmakers. The bill remains in limbo while Congress is in recess for the next two weeks.

“We cannot allow Ukraine to lose a battle on the home front because it does not have enough money to keep teachers in classrooms and first responders on the job, while it “is fighting valiantly on the battlefield. Ukraine is therefore totally dependent on this aid,” he added. ” Yellen told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

She added that the United States must make its contribution alongside the European Parliament’s approved 50 billion euro aid package for Ukraine over the next four years and the 15.6 billion euro financing facility. of dollars provided by the IMF.

“This aid is essential to America’s national security. If Putin were to win this brutal war in Ukraine, we could next see an attack on one of our NATO allies. We must stop this,” Yellen said.

-Elliot Smith

Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver remarks at a virtual G20 summit on Wednesday, Russian state television reported, citing Putin’s weekly schedule.

In a message on Telegram, Rossiya state television presenter Pavel Zarubin said it would be the “first event in recent months” attended by both the Russian president and Western leaders.

Putin did not attend the last two G20 meetings in India in September and Indonesia last year, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov traveling in his place.

The Indian government confirmed in a statement on Sunday that Prime Minister Narenda Modi would chair a virtual summit on Wednesday to “advance the key outcomes/action points of the New Delhi Summit as well as review developments since then”.

“The G20 virtual summit is also expected to promote effective implementation of the various G20 decisions, notably through relevant national and international platforms,” the text adds.

India holds the presidency of the G20 until November 30, after which it passes to Brazil.

-Elliot Smith