The United States will bring back its diplomatic presence in Ukraine starting this week and will release more military aid worth over $ 700 million , which will go to Kiev but partly also to NATO regional allies who have supplied Ukraine with weapons and now need it. to replenish their stocks. This was announced by US officials at the end of the trip to Kiev of the American secretaries of state and defense Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin, who met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last night.

Blinken indicated that Joe Biden will appoint a new US ambassador to Kiev in the coming days: it will be Bridget Brink, current US ambassador to Slovakia. As for weapons, the announcement of this new tranche of military aid comes after the American president had already announced last Thursday 800 million dollars in the form of deliveries to Ukraine in particular of heavy weapons, requested by Zelensky to cope to the Russian offensive in the east of the country. In total, according to Washington, the United States has granted Kiev more than $ 4 billion in military aid since Biden's mandate began.

"The friendship and partnership between Ukraine and the US are stronger than ever," Zelensky tweeted last night in response to a tweet from the US president who promised "to continue supporting the Ukrainians in their fight to defend. The fatherland". The Ukrainian leader also greeted the re-election of the French president " Emmanuel Macron , a true friend of Ukraine".

After Blinken and Austin 's blitzkrieg, returning to Polish territory this morning, now begins that of Antonio Guterres , UN secretary general. A trip that, however, attracted strong criticism from the Ukrainian side. "It is not a good idea to go to Moscow: we do not understand your intention to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin".

(Unioneonline)

The day live:

New mass grave near Mariupol, is the third

A third mass grave was found outside Mariupol in the village of Staryi Krym. Mariupol city council reported it on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. "A mass grave was found in the village of Staryi Krym. This is the third mass burial site near Mariupol," the note read. This is a further extension of the pits detected by the satellite on 24 March and 7 April. This last image, from yesterday, shows a new excavation. The overall length has increased to over 200 meters.

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Media: "Explosions near the ministry in Transnistria"

Several explosions were heard near the building that houses the Ministry of State Security in Tiraspol, Transnistria, the pro-Russian separatist region of Moldova on the border with Ukraine. This was reported by the local TV Tsv, quoted by Tass, specifying that there are "several ambulances" in the area.

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London: "15,000 Russian soldiers killed"

"Our estimate is that about 15,000 Russian troops have been killed" so far since the start of the Moscow offensive in Ukraine. This was stated by Ben Wallace, Minister of Defense of the government of Boris Johnson, in his weekly update on the war on the deputies of the British House of Commons. In addition, about 2,000 Russian armored vehicles were destroyed and 60 helicopters or planes lost. The invasion, which according to the British minister in Moscow's plans should have lasted "a week at most", is now taking "many weeks".

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Guterres-Erdogan: "Stop the war as soon as possible"

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "expressed support for Turkey's ongoing diplomatic efforts in relation to the war in Ukraine". The UN announced. The two, a statement read, reaffirmed that their "common goal is to end the war as soon as possible and create the conditions to put an end to the suffering of civilians". Guterres will be in Moscow tomorrow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Kiev: "At least 5 dead in raids on railway stations"

At least 5 have died and 18 have been injured in raids by Russian forces against railway installations in Ukraine. The local prosecutor reports it.

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Putin: "The West wants to destroy us from within"

"The West is trying to split Russian society and destroy Russia from within": Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech to the board of the Russian General Prosecutor's Office, quoted by the Turkish agency Anadolu. The Russian leader called for an end to "provocations against the Russian armed forces through the use of foreign media". He then said that "it is strange diplomacy when diplomats ask Ukraine to win the war on the battlefield".

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Kiev appeal to the UN: "Guarantee the corridor from Azovstal"

"We appealed to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, asking to start and guarantee a humanitarian corridor from Azovstal for civilians. In particular, we ask that the representatives of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross be present in the humanitarian convoy. ". The Deputy Prime Minister of Kiev, Iryna Vereschuk, says this on Telegram. "We hope that the negotiations of the UN Secretary General with the Russian representatives will be effective," he adds.

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Biden appoints Bridget Brink as ambassador to Ukraine

Joe Biden appoints Bridget Brink as ambassador to Ukraine. This was formally announced by the White House, after the appointment was anticipated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Brink is currently Ambassador to the Slovak Republic and has spent more than 25 years pursuing American politics in Europe and Eurasia over the course of her career.

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Towards the postponement of the sixth EU sanctions package against Moscow

The formal proposal of the sixth package of sanctions against Russia could be postponed to next week. A meeting of the ambassadors of the 27 EU countries has been called for Wednesday but, according to Ansa, European sources explain that the text of the new measures, including those on oil, will most likely not be on the table.

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Kiev: "Moscow does not give up chemical weapons in Azovstal"

Russia has not abandoned its plans to use chemical weapons against Ukrainians and civilians residing in the Azovstal steel mills in the besieged port city of Mariupol. The Ukrainian agency Ukrinform writes, citing the main intelligence directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. "Chemical weapons can be used against the people who are in the Azovstal plant" specifies the Ukrainian intelligence.

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Moscow announces "ceasefire" for civilians away from Azovstal

Moscow announced a "ceasefire" today to allow civilians to leave the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine. The Russian defense ministry reports. Interfax specifies that the humanitarian corridor will be in effect at starting today at 2 pm local time.

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The Pope to the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill: "We work for peace in Ukraine"

"Dear brother! May the Holy Spirit transform our hearts and make us true peacemakers, especially for war-torn Ukraine, so that the great Easter passage from death to new life in Christ becomes a reality for the Ukrainian people, eager to a new dawn that will end the darkness of war. " It is the central passage of the letter that Pope Francis sent to the patriarch of Moscow and all the Russias, Kirill, on the occasion of Easter that some Catholic and Orthodox churches celebrated yesterday, Sunday 24 April, according to the Julian calendar.

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Moscow bombards 5 railway stations: "We are injured"

"The Russian invaders this morning bombed 5 railway stations in central and western Ukraine, there are injured": the news was reported by the chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian railways), Oleksandr Kamyshyn, on Telegram.

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Moscow, two Ukrainian drones shot down in the Kursk region

Russian air defense shot down two Ukrainian drones in the area of the village of Borovskoye in the Kursk region, near the border with Ukraine, and there were no casualties or material damage. This was announced by the governor of the region Roman Starovoit: "There are no victims, no people injured and nothing has been destroyed. The situation is under control".

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Moscow to the US: "Stop weapons in Kiev, so the tension rises"

Moscow calls on the United States to stop supplying arms to Ukraine. The Russian ambassador to the USA, Anatoly Antonov, said this to the Russian television channel Rossiya 24 announcing the sending of a note on the subject. "A total of 800 million dollars, this is the amount of arms financing supported by the US for Kiev. This is an important number that does not help the diplomatic path. We have sent a note - explains Antonov - highlighting that we find it unacceptable that the US supply weapons and asking them to stop ”.

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Blinken: "Moscow has not achieved its objectives"

"We see that Russia has not achieved the objectives it has set itself". US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this at a press conference in Poland, on his return from Kiev. "The strategy is massive pressure on Russia and massive support for Ukraine," he added, reiterating Washington's position.

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Moscow: "Fuel depot in Bryansk on fire"

There is no indication at the moment on the nature of the fire or on the possible causes. Just as there is no news of victims. Bryansk is a center located about 150 km from the border with Ukraine, near the Sumy and Chernihiv regions, about 380 km from Moscow.

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