DIRECT. War in Ukraine: the US Congress releases 40 billion dollars to help kyiv

The essential

• The US Senate voted on Thursday for a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine.

• Nearly 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers from the Azovstal steel plant have surrendered since Monday, according to Russian authorities.

• The Russian army launched an offensive on Thursday on the city of Severodonetsk, located in the Lugansk region and the only locality in Donbass still in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers.

• Russian strikes on the city left at least 12 dead and 40 injured, according to the governor of the region.

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again indicated on Thursday that he wanted to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO.

  The secretary general of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, said he was ready to "address the concerns" of Turkey.

05:55

US Congress releases $40 billion for Ukraine

The US Senate has approved $40 billion in aid to support Ukraine.

Within this large aid package: 6 billion dollars which should enable Ukraine to equip itself with armored vehicles and strengthen its anti-aircraft defence.

Nearly 9 billion dollars are also planned to ensure, among other things, "the continuity of Ukrainian democratic institutions", as well as a large humanitarian component.

05:45

Belarus buys Iskander missiles from Russia

Belarus has bought S-400 air defense systems and Iskander missiles from Russia, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has announced.

He claimed to have acquired the "necessary" quantity of these weapons, without further details.

"With such weapons, it's already a completely different army," assured Alexander Lukashenko, stressing that these weapons "are capable of inflicting colossal damage".

05:35

US and Russian Chiefs of Staff met 

The US and Russian chiefs of staff spoke on the phone Thursday for the first time since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Pentagon said.

General Mark Milley and General Valéri Guerasimov "discussed several security concerns", said the spokesman for the American staff, Colonel Dave Butler.

By mutual agreement, they decided not to publish the details of their conversation.

05:30

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