Updated May 19, 2022 at 10: 14 p.m. EDT|Published
May 19, 2022 at 1: 15 a.m. EDT
President Biden praised Finland and Sweden for seeking admission to NATO, saying the addition of the two Nordic nations will strengthen the Western alliance and provide a strong counterweight to autocracy and aggression.
Standing alongside Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson in the Rose Garden on Thursday, Biden said their countries “meet every NATO requirement and then some.” In his remarks, Niinisto acknowledged Turkey’s continued hesitation about NATO’s looming expansion and said he is “open to discussing all the concerns Turkey may have.”
The Senate, meanwhile, approved $40 billion in new military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and Biden is expected to sign the measure soon. Later Thursday, the United States announced that it is sending an additional $100 million in arms and equipment, bringing the total in military aid to $3.9 billion since the war’s start.
Here’s what else to know
- The first Russian soldier to be tried for war crimes committed during Moscow’s invasion asked for forgiveness in an emotional court session Thursday, one day after pleading guilty to killing a civilian.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross is gathering information on Ukrainian prisoners of war who surrendered at the Mariupol steel plant this week. They are still uncertain about their fate.
- The Russian military has fired or replaced some field commanders in Ukraine in recent weeks, including one who was suspended after his unit failed to capture the northeastern city of Kharkiv, according to the British Defense Ministry.
- Heavy Russian shelling on Thursday hit Severodonetsk, the easternmost city still under Ukrainian control, leaving at least 12 people dead and another 40 wounded, local officials said. Local officials said that the attack may be indicative of a longer-lasting battle.
- The Washington Post has lifted its paywall for readers in Russia and Ukraine. Telegram users can subscribe to our channel.
Updates from key battlefields: Strikes on Severodonetsk, Russia eyes Kherson annexation
Severodonetsk: Officials in this key city, the easternmost under Ukrainian control, are bracing for a major drawn-out battle. On Thursday, a regional governor reported that Russian airstrikes had killed at least 12 people and injured another 40. Severodonetsk is one of a few Ukrainian strongholds standing in the way of Russia seizing full control of the Donbas region.
Donetsk region: This region, one of the two that make up Donbas, has seen some of the war’s heaviest fighting. The regional governor on Thursday said Russian attacks had killed five civilians in four villages across Donetsk. He added that six more were also injured. Kharkiv: The Post could not confirm the governor’s numbers.
Kharkiv: Russian forces had sought to encircle this northeastern city, the second-largest in Ukraine, but they have been forced to retreat after Ukrainian troops in recent weeks mounted a successful counteroffensive. Ukraine’s military command on Thursday reported that another 260 Russian troops left the Kharkiv area and redeployed to Donetsk, underlining the Kremlin’s focus on the east.
Kherson region: Russia’s deputy prime minister, Marat Khusnullin, toured this occupied southern region this week, Russian state media reported. Russia’s military seized large swathes of this area during the invading force. Russia is now considering an annexation. Khusnullin reportedly said that Kherson could have “a worthy place in our Russian family.”
Zelensky praises new $40 billion aid package from the United States
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised U.S. lawmakers on Thursday for approving $40 billion in new military and humanitarian assistance for his country, calling it “a significant contribution to the restoration of peace and security.”
The package, which includes money for advanced weapons systems and general economic aid, passed the Senate by an overwhelming 86-to-11 vote margin. The bill will be signed into law by President Biden in the next few days.
“I am grateful to the United States for approving a new $40 billion package of support for Ukraine and democracy in our region,” Zelensky said in a Thursday evening address. “It is a manifestation of strong leadership and a necessary contribution to our common defense of freedom.”
In an earlier tweet, Zelensky said he and his country’s leaders “look forward to the signing of the law,” which was passed just as the previous batch of Congress-approved funding for Ukraine was set to run out.
The U.S. State Department sent the last of that money, $100 million in weapons and equipment, to Ukraine shortly after the Senate vote.
Zelensky, who has in the past harangued American leadership for not doing more to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion, has cast the aid money flowing into his country as an investment in global security.
“To endure the war for freedom, we need quick and sufficient financial support,” Zelensky said in his address. It’s more than just spending money or getting gifts from others. This is their contribution to their own security.”
Ukrainian military leader projects confidence 12 weeks into the war
Twelve weeks into Russia’s invasion, a top Ukrainian military leader gave a sweeping and confident appraisal of the conflict’s current status, claiming broad success at turning away Moscow’s troops and defying predictions that Kyiv would be easily conquered.
“Today, we are not just defending ourselves,” Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, wrote in an operational update. “We have conducted a series of successful counter-attacks.”
Zaluzhnyi cited Ukraine’s counteroffensive in Kharkiv, which has pushed Russian forces to withdraw from the country’s second-largest city. He said that Ukrainian troops had made similar victories in Mykolaiv’s southern region and will try to replicate the feat in Kherson which Russia has already occupied.
“We clearly acknowledged that the first month would be the turning point,” Zaluzhnyi wrote. “We managed to take away the enemy’s strategic initiative, cause critical losses, and force them to abandon the main objective — the capture of the city of Kyiv.”
Russia has made gains in Ukraine’s east, especially in the region known as Donbas, which the Kremlin is seeking to control. Russia gained control of Mariupol, a strategic port city in Ukraine this week and used it as propaganda. But fighting elsewhere on the eastern front is largely stalled.
While Zaluzhnyi said his country “will definitely gain the victory,” he acknowledged the immense suffering that the war has brought. He also noted Russia’s firepower, with forces deploying 10 to 14 ballistic and cruise missiles a day.
“This is a threat not only to Ukraine, but also to NATO member states,” he said.
Shelling in key eastern city leaves 12 dead and 40 injured, Ukrainian official says
Heavy Russian shelling in the easternmost city still under Ukrainian control destroyed several residential buildings on Thursday, local officials said, and left at least 12 people dead and another 40 wounded in an attack that could be a precursor to a larger, drawn-out battle.
Severodonetsk, a city in the Luhansk region that had a prewar population of about 100,000, is one of a few Ukrainian strongholds standing in the way of Russia seizing full control of Donbas. Analysts have for weeks forecast that Moscow’s troops are attempting to encircle the city and subject it to similar siege tactics they employed in Mariupol.
The city has faced stepped-up strikes in recent days, including one on Monday that reportedly killed two at a hospital; Thursday’s assault appears to be among the most deadly.
Luhansk’s regional governor, Serhiy Haidai, described Russia “chaotically shelling” the area with “heavy weapons.” The toll is not confirmed and could still rise, he said.
“It is impossible to inspect the area under fire,” Haidai said.
The Post has not been able to independently verify the attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the bombing as “brutal and absolutely pointless” in a Thursday evening address.
In recent operational updates, the Ukrainian military command has reported repeated Russian attempts to “storm” the city and surrounding settlements, characterizing their efforts as unsuccessful. Analysts expect intense fighting in the region. Ukraine maintains a substantial military presence around Severodonetsk.
Across the region, officials have reported widespread power outages and water shortages.
U.S. sending additional $100 million in military equipment to Ukraine
The United States is sending $100 million in additional military equipment to Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that the additional aid brings the total in U.S. military assistance to $3.9 billion since the war’s start.
“The United States is committed to helping Ukraine continue to meet its defense needs and build its future capabilities,” Blinken said.
The announcement comes on the same day that the Senate voted to deliver more than $40 billion in new military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
The separate $100 million in equipment includes 18 additional 155 mm howitzers, a weapon that can fire longer-range shells, Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said. In several previous aid packages, the United States sent howitzers.
“Artillery has clearly proven to be a critical element for Ukrainians in this fight,” Kirby said.
Maps show how Sweden and Finland could alter NATO’s security
Over the past 80 years, NATO has grown to an alliance of 30 countries. Founded in 1949 to counterbalance the growing power of the Soviet Union, NATO — long a source of tension between the West and Russia — has reasserted itself as a significant force against Moscow since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This week, Finland and Sweden, traditionally neutral nations, announced their bids to join NATO, a move analysts say will transform Europe’s security landscape for years to come — and further strain relations with Russia, which opposes the alliance’s eastern expansion.
The additions could offer the alliance expanded land, sea and air capabilities. Sweden has a strong navy, which would strengthen NATO’s defenses in the Baltic Sea, and builds its own fighter jets, which it exports. The well-funded Finnish military keeps mandatory conscription alive for its men.
The countries also offer key geographic advantages, which would enhance NATO’s defenses. The new Northern frontier, increased Baltic presence and the Arctic agenda are all broken down.
In brutalized Bucha, a psychologist helps heal hidden wounds
BUCHA, Ukraine — The two women pushed a stroller down the street, each holding one of its handlebars. Everything was new and green around them — it was spring!
But in one of the women’s minds, by far the darkest episode of her life replayed itself: her husband, dashing out to get baby formula and diapers, and never coming home.
He was one of hundreds in this normally idyllic suburb who did not survive the brutal, month-long occupation by Russian soldiers in March. The body of the man was discovered by his neighbors, in a clearing within a few blocks of their home.
The other woman, Nataliia Zaretska, is a specialist in mending broken people.
While authorities in Bucha restore public services, rebury bodies from mass graves and repaint walls pocked with bullet holes and spattered with blood, Zaretska is rebuilding Bucha’s citizens from the inside out.
Russian ballet star reflects on why she left the Bolshoi
As she rehearsed in Amsterdam, Russian ballerina Olga Smirnova said it was her conscience that drove her to leave the famed Bolshoi Ballet after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“I had to follow my conscience,” Smirnova said in an interview Agence France-Presse published Thursday.
In March, Smirnova denounced the invasion, saying she never thought she would be “ashamed” of her country, as she joined the Dutch National Ballet. Smirnova said to AFP she is concerned about the fate of dancers, choreographers, and other artists who are still in the Bolshoi. However, she believes that the Bolshoi will be able to survive this turbulent time of Russian history. She said that history changes but the Bolshoi will survive.
NATO secretary general says Russia has not given up its strategic goals
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the alliance does not believe Russia has given up its strategic goals, even as it failed to capture Kyiv and was forced to retreat from Kharkiv.
“We need to be prepared for the long haul, that this war may continue for a long time,” Stoltenberg said during a news conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen. “And that also means that NATO allies have to be prepared to try and support Ukraine for a long time.”
NATO countries are stepping up support of Ukraine, he said, adding: “Ukraine can win this war.”
Stoltenberg also said he is “confident that we will come to a quick decision to welcome both Sweden and Finland” into NATO, despite objections from Turkey. According to Stoltenberg, NATO’s expansion was viewed by allies as a “great success”, and “every country is free to choose their own path.” That, of course, also includes Finland and Sweden.”
NATO officials are in close contact with Finland, Sweden, Turkey and all the allied countries, Stoltenberg said. While he declined to discuss the details of their conversation, Stoltenberg said that Turkey’s concerns were being addressed.
“Because when an ally, an important ally as Turkey, raises security concerns, raises issues, then of course, the only way to deal with that is to sit down and find ways to find a common ground and an agreement on how to move forward,” Stoltenberg said.
Senate passes $40 billion in Ukraine aid, sending bill to Biden
The Senate voted Thursday to deliver more than $40 billion in new military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, sending the measure to President Biden after a week-long delay sparked by a lone senator’s objection.
The vote was 86 to 11 with all opposition to the package coming from Republicans.
The new package comes as the pipeline of U.S. aid to Ukraine threatens to run dry within days amid a war that has entered a grueling new phase three months after Russia’s initial invasion. The new package comes as the pipeline of U.S. aid to Ukraine is in danger. This follows a war that has entered a grueling new phase three months after Russia’s initial invasion.
President Biden said Thursday after the bill’s passage: “I applaud the Congress for sending a clear bipartisan message to the world that the people of the United States stand together with the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their democracy and freedom. The resources that I requested will allow us to send even more weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, replenish our own stockpile, and support U.S. troops stationed on NATO territory.”
The bill provides a combined $20.1 billion in military aid that is expected to provide for the transfer of advanced weapons systems, such as Patriot antiaircraft missiles and long-range artillery. The bill also includes more than $8 billion of general economic support to Ukraine and nearly $5 billion for global food aid for the relief of food insecurity caused by Ukraine’s collapse.
Top U.S. military officer speaks with Russian counterpart
Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Russian counterpart on Thursday, defense officials said, in the first such discussion since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The military leaders discussed several security-related issues of concern and agreed to keep the lines of communication open,” Col. Dave Butler, Joint Chiefs spokesman, said in a statement, declining to offer additional details of the discussion, “in accordance with past practices.” The last discussion the leaders had was on Feb. 11, about two weeks before the invasion, officials said.
The discussion comes days after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asked his Russian counterpart in an hour-long discussion to consider a cease-fire.
“I think what we all want the most is for diplomacy to come to the forefront,” Air Force Gen. Tod D. Wolters, NATO’s supreme allied commander, told reporters soon after the Pentagon announced the call. “It is my hope as result of that conversation we get one step closer to achieving a diplomatic solution.”
Some Russian commanders have been fired, Pentagon says
There are “indications” that Russian officers at various levels of command have been relieved of their duties, the Pentagon said Thursday, as logistical and command headaches for Russia continue across battlefields in Ukraine.
A senior U.S. defense official did not specify the number of Russian commanders dismissed since the invasion began or what their responsibilities were, adding that it was unclear whether any of them were senior-level officers. Under Pentagon ground rules, the official spoke under anonymity.
The British Defense Ministry said Thursday that some of the commanders were senior and fired over poor performance in the early stages of the invasion, during which Moscow abandoned its thunder run toward Kyiv and shifted focus to the eastern Donbas region. Russia’s strength in numbers and its equipment advantage over rural and large areas is reflected in the east.
One lieutenant general who oversaw a tank division was relieved for the failure to seize Kharkiv, the British Defense Ministry said, and a vice admiral appeared to have been suspended over the sinking of the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. The ministry stated that Russia may be suffering from a “culture of concealment and scapegoating”, as some officers seek to defer to their superiors.
McDonald’s agrees to sell Russian business to Siberian licensee
McDonald’s has found a local buyer for its Russian business, finalizing plans to sever a relationship that predates the fall of the Soviet Union.
Alexander Govor, who operates 25 restaurants in Siberia, will acquire the fast-food giant’s entire Russian portfolio and operate them under a new brand, the company announced Thursday. He also agreed to retain employees for at least two years and cover the salaries of corporate employees in 45 regions and all operational expenses until the deal closes.
Pending regulatory approval, the deal is expected to close in the coming weeks. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The decision winds down a significant chapter for the Chicago-based company, which opened its first store in Moscow in January 1990 — less than two years before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Tens of thousands of Russians lined up for the opening, which many remembered as a seminal moment in their lives in interviews decades later with The Washington Post.
But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unleashed a blistering regimen of international sanctions that have made the country a costly and troublesome place to do business. On Monday, McDonald’s announced it would sell all its stores, citing the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and its corporate values. In a March 8 filing, the company said it operated nearly 850 stores and had 62,000 employees in Russia.
McDonald’s joins more than 900 companies — including Ikea, Intel, Uber, Adidas and BP — that have made “principled exits” from the country, as described in a widely followed list from Yale University, in response to the war.
Russian soldier asks victim’s family for ‘forgiveness’ in Ukrainian court
A Russian soldier asked the widow of a slain Ukrainian civilian for “forgiveness” in a dramatic Kyiv court session Thursday.
Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin, the first Russian soldier to face a war crimes trial in Ukraine, pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing an unarmed 62-year-old civilian in the country’s Sumy region.
Ukrainian prosecutors contend Shishimarin, 21, who appeared gaunt, committed “premeditated murder” when he fired multiple rounds from his Kalashnikov rifle at Oleksandr Shepilov, who was pushing his bicycle near the village of Chupakhivka in late February.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked his country’s parliament to extend martial law and the period of general mobilization for another 90 days, he said Wednesday. Zelensky signed the first decrees in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine late February. He has also extended martial law twice previously. The emergency declarations have allowed Ukraine’s government to impose curfews, restrict fighting-age men from leaving the country and curb travel. Zelensky has also cited martial law in consolidating the country’s national TV channels into one platform to ensure a “unified information policy.”“Our army and all those who defend the state must have all the legal tools to act steadily,” Zelensky said in an address Wednesday evening.
Reis Thebault
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National and breaking news reporter
