Ukrainian officials are thanking the US for their latest military assistance to help stop the Russian attack

Ukrainian officials are thanking the US for their latest military assistance to help stop the Russian attack

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials expressed gratitude Wednesday for a new shipment of U.S. military aid that has given Kiev’s armed forces a lifeline in their more than two-year war with Russia, even though the vital new supplies are not expected to arrive will do that. have an immediate impact on the battlefield.

Ukrainian forces have faced an acute shortage of grenades and air defense systems as political wrangling in Washington held up aid for months, allowing Kremlin forces to gain an edge in some parts of eastern Ukraine due to the weight of troop numbers and the firepower in what has largely become. a war of attrition.

The US decision came as the Kremlin military expanded its bombing of the Kharkiv region and Ukrainian long-range drones attacked more fuel and energy facilities in Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US Senate on Tuesday evening for approving the $61 billion aid package.

“Ukrainian long-range capabilities, artillery and air defense are extremely important tools for the rapid restoration of a just peace,” Zelenskyy said on the social platform X, referring to the aid Kiev expects to receive in the coming weeks and months.

Two Russian S-300 missiles struck Kharkov, Ukraine’s second-largest city near the northeastern border with Russia, during the night, and another two hit the city of Zolochiv in the Kharkov region, local officials said. They reported no casualties.

Another rocket hit the southern city of Odesa, wounding one woman, Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said.

Ukrainian drones, meanwhile, targeted Russian infrastructure and set fire to two energy facilities in the western Smolensk region. Regional head Vasily Anokhin said the attack hit “civilian fuel and energy facilities,” but gave no further details.

The Russian Defense Ministry said eight drones were shot down overnight in the Belgorod, Smolensk, Kursk and Voronezh regions.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine