US Announces $1 Billion In New Ukraine Aid As China's Xi Presses Putin To Settle

Today's announcements are important because China had originally supported Russia's invasion. The change in attitude suggests that Chinese analysts now believe it is unlikely Russia can win any sort of victory, in part because the promise of $1 billion in additional weaponry from the US and NATO cannot be matched by Russia. 

That China released details of the call between Xi and Putin reveals that China will now pressure Russia for negotiations leading to a settlement rather than remain silent. One of the reasons for that may be that China's designs on Taiwan will be set back if Russia is perceived to have failed, whereas a negotiated ceasefire still leaves questions about what might have happened without one. JL

Holly Ellyat and Amanda Macias report in CNBC:

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call that Kyiv and Moscow “should push for a proper settlement” in the ongoing war in Ukraine as U.S. President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that his administration will send $1 billion more in weapons, including two Harpoon coastal defense systems, 18 155MM howitzers and 36,000 rounds of 155MM ammunition. The U.S. also plans to send another $225 million in humanitarian aid.

U.S. President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that his administration will send $1 billion more in weapons to the besieged nation.

The U.S. also plans to send another $225 million in humanitarian aid, Biden said.

The conversation between the leaders came after Zelenskyy pleaded for more long-range weapons. In his nightly address Tuesday, Zelenskyy said “we keep telling our partners that Ukraine needs modern anti-missile weapons. Our country does not have enough of [these] yet, but it is in our country and right now that Europe has the greatest need for such weapons.”

He said any procrastination over the provision of such weapons “cannot be justified.”

Fighting remains fierce in Severodonetsk, the epicenter of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces are believed to control about 80% of the city, which was fully cut off earlier this week after the last bridge into it was destroyed.

A top military official with the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic said Tuesday that Ukrainian fighters in the city should now “surrender, or die.”

Since Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the Biden administration has deployed more than 100,000 U.S. troops to NATO-member countries and authorized $5.6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.

The Pentagon said that the latest tranche of weapons for Kyiv, the 12th such installment, is valued at $350 million and includes:

• 18 155 mm howitzers
• 36,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition
• 18 tactical vehicles to tow 155 mm howitzers
• Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HMARS
• 4 tactical vehicles to recover equipment and spare parts.

The U.S. will also provide Ukraine with two Harpoon coastal defense systems, thousands of secure radios, night vision and thermal devices along with funding for training and maintenance support. That aid is collectively valued at $650 million.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call that Kyiv and Moscow “should push for a proper settlement” in the ongoing war in Ukraine, according to a Chinese readout of the call.

Xi told Putin that “China has always proceeded from the historical latitude and right and wrong of the Ukraine issue, made judgments independently, actively promoted world peace, and promoted the stability of the global economic order,” according to the readout.

Xi’s call with Putin follows multiple high-level discussions between the Biden administration and Beijing.

”All parties should push for a proper settlement of the Ukraine crisis in a responsible manner. China is willing to continue to play its due role in this regard,” according to the readout.

The two leaders also discussed a range of security issues and areas of mutual concern where Beijing and Moscow can cooperate. Putin told Xi that he also opposes any forces that “interefere in China’s internal affairs,” under which he included Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan.