Day 38: Cities attacked as West steps up military aid for Ukraine

Missiles have hit cities in the east of the Ukrainian capital after Moscow accused Kiev of carrying out a helicopter attack against a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod.

Media reports said Russian missiles hit Poltava and Kremenchuk early Saturday, damaging infrastructure and residential buildings.

Local officials said at least four missiles struck Poltava, while three Russian planes attacked industrial facilities in Kremenchuk.

Russian missiles also hit Dnipro region in southwestern Ukraine, wounding two people and causing significant damage.

The latest strikes took place on the 38th day of a Russian “special military operation” ordered by President Vladimir Putin on February 24.

They came a day after Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out what appeared to be Kiev's first airstrike on Russian soil since the conflict began. 

Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said he would neither confirm nor deny a Ukrainian role.

"Ukraine is currently conducting a defensive operation against Russian aggression on the territory of Ukraine, and this does not mean that Ukraine is responsible for every catastrophe on Russia's territory," he said.

Russia to strengthen western border 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered the military to strengthen the country's western borders so that no one would ever think of launching an attack.

Peskov told the main television network in neighboring Belarus that unnamed nations were strengthening their military potential near Russia's western borders.

On Saturday, British military intelligence said Ukrainian forces continued to advance against withdrawing Russian forces in the vicinity of Kiev.

Russian forces were also reported to have withdrawn from Hostomel airport near the capital, which has been subject to fighting since the first day of the conflict. 

The head of the European Parliament paid a visit to Kiev on Friday, saying  the assembly would support Ukraine's efforts to start the process of joining the European Union.

Pentagon to give Ukraine extra $300 million 

The Pentagon announced allotting $300 million in "security assistance" for Ukraine, adding to the $1.6 billion Washington has pledged since Russia’s military operation.

The package includes laser-guided rocket systems, drones, ammunition, night-vision devices, tactical secure communications systems, medical supplies and armored vehicles.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US "also continues to work with its allies and partners to identify and provide to the Ukrainians additional capabilities".

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed "additional capabilities" to help the Ukrainian military, the White House said in a statement after the call.

In mid-March, Congress passed a funding bill that included $13.6 billion for "humanitarian and military aid" to Ukraine and NATO allies in Eastern Europe.

Shortly after, Biden announced $1 billion in new security assistance to Ukraine.

Citing a US official, the New York Times reported on Friday that the United States would work with allies to transfer Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine to bolster its defenses in the Donbas region.

The transfers, requested by the Ukrainian president, would begin soon, the unnamed official told the newspaper. It marks the first time in the war that the United States has helped transfer tanks, the paper said. 

The White House also said the United States is providing Ukraine with supplies and equipment in case Russia deploys chemical or biological weapons.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Minister Liz Truss discussed additional possible actions to ratchet up their response to the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

German weekly Welt am Sonntag reported on Saturday that Berlin is considering buying a missile defense system from Israel or the United States to defend against perceived threats including Russian Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad.

The Iskander missiles can reach almost all of western Europe and there is no missile shield in place to protect against this threat, Germany's chief of defense Eberhard Zorn told Welt am Sonntag in an interview.

US blacklists Russian entities for ‘evasion of international sanctions’

The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on dozens of Russian individuals and entities it says are working to evade US-led sanctions aimed at imposing severe costs on Moscow and bankrupting the country’s military,.

China denies working to circumvent Russia sanctions

China said Saturday it was not doing anything "to circumvent" sanctions imposed on Russia, following warnings from EU officials that any attempt to aid Moscow's war in Ukraine could damage economic ties.

In the clearest indication yet of Beijing's position on the matter, a foreign ministry official told reporters, "We are not doing anything deliberately to circumvent sanctions imposed on Russia by Americans and Europeans."

Washington has raised fears that China could potentially send military and economic aid to Russia or help it get through the tough Western sanctions which are battering the country's economy.

"We oppose sanctions and the effects of these sanctions also risk spilling to the rest of the world," said Wang Lutong, director-general of the Chinese foreign ministry's department of European affairs, at a press briefing.

Top EU officials warned China's leader Xi Jinping at a virtual summit a day earlier that any attempt to aid Russia's war could hurt ties between the two economic superpowers, adding that the business sector is closely watching events.

Wang said China's normal trade with Moscow "should not be affected".

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang said Friday Beijing would seek peace in Ukraine but this would be on its own terms, deflecting pressure for a tougher stance on Russia.

President Xi Jinping said he hoped the EU would treat China "independently", in a reference to Europe's close ties with the United States.

India to continue oil purchases from Russia

India's finance minister said New Delhi would continue to purchase crude from Russia as its people required oil at a discount after the surge in global prices.

India has already started buying oil from Russia, Nirmala Sitharaman said, adding that the transition to gas was challenging as supplies had reduced.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited New Delhi to get support from the country after US and British officials pressed India to avoid undermining sanctions.

Lavrov praised India, saying Moscow and Delhi would find ways to circumvent "illegal" Western sanctions and continue to trade.

Western financial sanctions have reportedly made it difficult for India to pay Russia for imports including arms, oil, rough diamonds and fertilizers.

Russia is the biggest supplier of defense equipment to India and Lavrov said the two countries would use a rupee-ruble mechanism to trade oil, military hardware and other goods.

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