Russia has notified the United States of its intention to start Grom exercises, which are
strategic nuclear exercises
.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said, stressing that notification of drills is a routine act.
The US sees no evidence that Russia is making preparations to use the nuclear weapon, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.
"The US continues to provide assistance to Kiev, to give what it needs on the ground, it is up to Zelensky to decide if and when to negotiate": White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated, answering a question about the requests coming from even from some dem circles to negotiate directly with Moscow.
New British Prime Minister Rishi
Sunak
has assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the UK's 'unshakable support' in Kiev.
Downing Street makes it known.
"Ukraine needs between 3 and 5 billion euros a month just for current expenses. I work for the EU to take a fair share in this effort, guaranteeing 1.5 billion a month, until it will be necessary".
This was stated by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, speaking in Berlin at the reconstruction conference taking place in the German capital.
"That's 18 billion euros for 2023," she added.
"We are here to support our Ukrainian friends' vision of the future," said
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
, opening the Reconstruction Conference.
"A future of peace", marked by "well-being and resilience", he added.
"Today is not a donor conference. It is something more basic, which concerns the structures and mechanisms" of financing the reconstruction.
"We cannot say when this war will end. But it will end. And precisely by weighing the experience made in our history, we know that reconstruction is always possible and that it is never too early to start dealing with it", concluded Scholz, emphasizing that " now "is the time to engage on this front as an international community.
"This vision of Ukraine as a European country is very important. And in many ways Ukraine has already deserved to be part of it. People see what we already do for Europe. We represent the physical security of Europe."
This was stated by the Ukrainian president,
Volodymyr Zelensky
, who, speaking at the Reconstruction conference, underlined the words of Olaf Scholz pronounced yesterday, when the chancellor said that those who invest in Ukraine invest in a future member of the EU.
"We are not only fighting for the security of Ukraine and our neighbors, but also for the security of Europe," he added.
The Ukrainian president asks the Berlin Conference to commit to covering next year's budget deficit which, due to the Russian invasion, amounts to 38 billion dollars.
"This is a considerable amount of money for Ukraine," he said, speaking on a video link from Kiev.