International

Biden announces 225 million for Ukraine in a meeting with Zelenski during the NATO summit

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, announced on Thursday a new military assistance package of 225 million dollars for Ukraine during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenski, as part of the NATO summit in Washington.

“Today I am proud to announce a new set of security systems for Ukraine,” Biden and Zelenski said to the media before the meeting.

The US president explained that this is the eighth package he has authorized since Congress approved in April an aid of 61 billion dollars, which came after months of debate over the blockade of the Republicans, which caused a shortage of weapons in Ukraine.

As the Pentagon later detailed in a statement, the new military aid package includes the Patriot anti-aircraft battery that Biden already announced he would send to Ukraine two days ago, during an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Atlantic Alliance.

The shipment also contains Stinger ground-to-air missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles, both portable and widely used by Ukrainian troops, as well as different types of ammunition and equipment, among other weapons.

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After Biden announced the new aid package, Zelenski expressed his gratitude, considering that it was “very strong news.”

“I am grateful to you, your team, your administration, of course, to Congress, both parties, both chambers and to all Americans for their vital and firm support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Together, we are saving lives,” said Zelenski, dressed in his characteristic military olive green clothing.

The Ukrainian president took the opportunity to mention before the cameras on Monday’s attack perpetrated by Russia against the main children’s hospital in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, which caused at least 41 civilian casualties in the deadliest air offensive in recent months.

In connection with this attack, he thanked the sending by the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy of air defense systems, including the Patriot system, thus fulfilling one of Zelenski’s main requests.

In addition to anti-aircraft systems, the planned transfer of F-16 fighters for Ukraine is underway and will conclude this summer, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced yesterday.

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At this NATO summit in Washington, which commemorates the 75th anniversary of the alliance, leaders have shown their unity in the long-term defense of Ukraine.

On Wednesday, on the first day, they already pledged to send at least another 40 billion euros (about 36,922 million dollars) of military support to Kiev next year and declared their integration into the organization “irreversible”, although they avoided setting a specific date and assured that it will happen when the right conditions are met.

Zelenski assured that his country’s accession to NATO is “very close,” after members of the Atlantic Alliance considered that the incorporation of Ukraine is irreversible.

“We are very close to our goal. The next step will be the invitation (to be part of NATO) and then membership,” Zelenski said at a press conference with NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, during the Alliance Summit in Washington.

The president of Ukraine admitted that his country will hardly be able to join NATO for the duration of the war with Russia, but showed confidence that the nation will “prevail” in the face of the Russian invasion.

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The leaders of the Alliance showed on Wednesday their unity in the long-term defense of Ukraine, in which they pledged at least another 40 billion euros of military support for Kiev next year and said that their integration into the organization is “irreversible”.

Stoltenberg stated that “there is no doubt that Ukraine has the right to use the weapons it has received” to attack “legitimate targets,” and asked not to forget that Russia was the one who invaded Ukraine ignoring international law.

International

Iran Reports 201 Dead, 747 Injured After U.S. and Israeli Strikes

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported Sunday night (local time) that at least 201 people were killed and 747 injured following attacks carried out by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.

A spokesperson for the humanitarian organization said more than 220 rescue teams have been deployed across affected areas and that relief operations are continuing without interruption. The official highlighted the difficulty of treating the large number of wounded and the urgent need for additional resources in impacted provinces.

Out of Iran’s 31 provinces, 24 have reported damage, according to a statement carried by the Isna news agency. This marks the first overall casualty toll released by Iranian state-affiliated media since the launch of the offensive.

Among the dead are 85 schoolgirls from a school in the southern city of Minab, according to the country’s judiciary. “The number of martyrs at the Minab girls’ school has risen to 85,” the local prosecutor’s office said, as quoted by the judiciary’s website, Mizan Online.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian described the attack as a “savagery” that “constitutes a new black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors.”

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Meanwhile, the international community continues to monitor the situation closely amid concerns about possible further reprisals and the broader impact on Middle East stability, energy markets, and global security.

AFP noted that it was unable to independently verify the casualty figures or the circumstances surrounding the events.

International

Pope Leo XIV Urges End to ‘Spiral of Violence’ in Middle East

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the “spiral of violence” in the Middle East, following military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran and subsequent retaliatory bombardments in the region.

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I urge the parties involved to assume their moral responsibility and stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” the pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Speaking during the Angelus prayer, the U.S.-born pope said stability and peace cannot be achieved through threats or weapons. “Stability and peace are not built with reciprocal threats or with arms that sow destruction, suffering and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue,” he declared.

The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics also called for diplomacy to “regain its role” amid escalating tensions.

In addition, the pope urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to urgently resume dialogue after several days of clashes between the two countries.

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International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.