Day: December 27, 2024

The next package of military aid from the United States for Ukraine, expected to be announced soon by Washington, will total $1.25 billion. It will include, among other things, ammunition, artillery shells, and missiles for air defense systems, according to the Associated Press.

US officials told Western media that the US is preparing to announce a military aid package worth $1.25 billion for Ukraine. This comes as part of the efforts of President Joe Biden’s administration to provide as much support as possible to Kyiv before he leaves office on January 20

The significant aid package reportedly includes a substantial amount of ammunition, including for surface-to-air missile systems (SAM) and the HAWK air defense system.

Additionally, officials told AP that the package will also include Stinger missiles and artillery shells of 155mm and 105mm calibers.

American officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, indicated that the announcement is expected to take place next Monday, December 30.

US assistance to Ukraine

Earlier today, on December 27, John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator for the US National Security Council, said that the US would announce a new military aid package for Ukraine in the coming days.

However, the White House spokesperson did not specify when exactly the United States plans to announce a new military aid package, nor what specific weapons it will include.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that the Biden administration plans to use all the funds allocated to help Ukraine before Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Earlier in December, senior US defense officials admitted that the Pentagon might not be able to send all of the remaining $5.6 billion worth of weapons and equipment approved by Congress to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration.

On December 20, Reuters reported that in the coming days, the United States plans to announce a military aid package for Ukraine with weapons worth $1.2 billion.

Russian troops may have mistakenly identified the Azerbaijani Airlines plane as a drone and targeted it with air defense systems, according to NBC News.

The TV channel, citing two US officials, states that the US has intelligence suggesting that Russian forces may have misidentified the Azerbaijani passenger plane and shot it down.

According to the officials, intelligence suggests Russian soldiers mistook the aircraft for a drone, particularly due to its unusual flight pattern and altitude. However, they emphasized that the investigation is still ongoing.

Airplane crash in Kazakhstan

On December 25, a passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau. Almost 40 people died in the crash, and others were hospitalized.

The plane was flying from Baku to Grozny but was not allowed to land in the Chechen capital. When the plane was near Grozny, the city was attacked by drones, and the Russians did not close the airspace.

As a result, the plane was shot down by Russian air defense systems. The pilots were prohibited from landing in Russian territory.

According to the flight attendant, he heard three loud bangs. After that, the airplane lost pressure.

The Slovak Prosecutor General’s Office will investigate Prime Minister Robert Fico’s visit to Russia. During the trip, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Aktuality reports.

Representatives of the Peace for Ukraine public organization came up with the initiative to the Slovak Prosecutor General’s Office. This was their response to Fico’s trip to Moscow, where he met with Putin.

“The request for the review of the long-term actions of Prime Minister Robert Fico regarding his attitude toward Russia, submitted by the Peace for Ukraine public organization, will be considered by the Slovak Prosecutor General’s Office in accordance with the law,” assured Prosecutor General spokesperson Jana Tökölyová.

However, the official did not specify the timeline for reviewing Fico’s actions.

Fico’s visit to Moscow

Last Sunday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico visited Moscow on an official trip, where he met with President Vladimir Putin.

During the meeting, the leaders discussed Ukraine’s refusal to continue the transit of Russian gas from January 1, 2025, as well as exchanged views on Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Fico stated that this visit was a response to Ukraine’s unwillingness to extend the transit of Russian gas to the EU.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized the main goal of the Slovak prime minister’s visit as an attempt to strengthen cooperation with Russia.

The Ukrainian president also mentioned that Kyiv had offered Slovakia compensation for the cessation of Russian gas transit, but Fico rejected this proposal.