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(NEW YORK) — Almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.

Putin’s forces pulled out of key positions in November, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the southern port city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 21, 6:46 AM EST
Putin suspends US-Russia nuclear treaty

Russia has suspended the New START nuclear arms treaty with the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

But he emphasized that Russia was not leaving the treaty yet, only suspending its participation in it for the time-being.

He blamed the suspension on the West, saying relations had degraded and that it was impossible currently to allow American inspections of Russian strategic nuclear sites.

Putin’s decision was announced on Tuesday as he gave an annual state-of-the-union speech in Moscow, days ahead of the one-year anniversary of the invasion into Ukraine.

He also accused the United States of considering restarting nuclear bomb tests and threatened that Russia would hold them too if that happened.

That will be interpreted as a veiled threat in relation to the war in Ukraine — experts have feared Russia might conduct a nuclear bomb test to intimidate Kyiv and its Western allies. Putin ordered Russia’s military to prepare the possibility to hold a test.

“Some actors in Washington are thinking about testing nuclear weapons,” he said. “The defense ministry and RosAtom must prepare also to conduct nuclear tests in case of necessity. But Russia will not conduct it first.”

Feb 21, 4:41 AM EST
Putin opens Moscow speech on ‘historic events’

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday opened his state of the union speech in Moscow with familiar touchstones, including ridding the world of Nazism and liberating Ukraine’s Donbas region.

He said of his Ukrainian invasion that the “historic events will determine the future of our country … each of us is bound by a huge responsibility.”

And he said he sought an “open dialogue” with the West, but also blamed Western countries and Ukraine’s leaders for holding the country’s people “hostage.”

“The United States and NATO have been rapidly deploying their bases and biolabs at the borders of our country,” he said.

He said Russia tried to settle the conflict in the Donbas region by peaceful means, adding that the West’s commitment to peace turned out to be “fraud” and a “cruel lie.”

Putin said they were open to dialogue with the West and were open to an equal system of security, but “in response we were getting dishonest answers” and specific actions to expand NATO and deploy new anti-missile systems in Europe. He said that “the whole planet is dotted” with U.S. bases.

Feb 20, 12:01 PM EST
US announces new $460 million worth of weapons for Ukraine

The Pentagon announced a new presidential drawdown of security aid for Ukraine valued at up to $460 million on Monday.

This package will include four Bradley Infantry Fire Support Team vehicles, HIMARS ammunition, artillery and mortar rounds, air surveillance radars and more.

President Joe Biden hinted at the new supplies in a press conference from Kyiv on Monday, also saying he would be announcing new sanctions “against elites and companies that are trying to evade sanctions and backfill Russia’s war machine” later this week.

-ABC News’ Matt Seyler

Feb 20, 5:39 AM EST
Biden in Kyiv says Putin was ‘dead wrong’

U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “dead wrong” when he started the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

“When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided,” Biden said in a statement. “He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong.”

The White House released the statement from Biden as he made an unannounced visit to the war-torn country, arriving in Kyiv on Monday morning.

“As the world prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” Biden said.

“Today, in Kyiv, I am meeting with President Zelenskyy and his team for an extended discussion on our support for Ukraine. I will announce another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardments,” he continued. “And I will share that later this week, we will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine. Over the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support — and that support will endure.”

Biden added: “I also look forward to traveling on to Poland to meet President Duda and the leaders of our Eastern Flank Allies, as well as deliver remarks on how the United States will continue to rally the world to support the people of Ukraine and the core values of human rights and dignity in the UN Charter that unite us worldwide.”

Feb 20, 5:21 AM EST
Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to war-torn Ukraine on Monday, arriving in Kyiv as Washington signals its ongoing support ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Biden’s visit came ahead of a planned meeting with NATO allies in Poland. He is expected to give a speech at the Royal Castle Arcades in Warsaw on Tuesday evening to offer an appraisal of international support during the first year of the war and to address “how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement earlier this month.

Biden also plans to meet in Poland with leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of eastern NATO allies formed in 2015 in response to Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a dramatic visit to the United States in December, his first known international trip since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Zelenskyy met with Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C., before addressing members of U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill.

Feb 19, 1:03 PM EST
Russia planning nuclear exercises to disrupt Biden’s Europe visit, Ukrainian military says

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has accused Russia of planning to stage “large-scale nuclear exercises” to coincide with President Joe Biden’s visit to Europe next week.

The GUR said Russia is preparing for test launches of nuclear capable missiles from land and sea, the agency said in a statement Sunday on its official Telegram channel.

The GUR said a nuclear armed submarine has been placed on the “highest level” of combat readiness and that strategic bombers have been moved to a base in Tambov, Russia.

The agency claimed the exercises are intended disrupt President Joe Biden’s European trip.

“Such actions of the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation, in particular, are an attempt to hinder Joe Biden’s visit to Europe, which is scheduled for February 20-22, through direct nuclear blackmail and to weaken international support for Ukraine,” the GUR statement said.

– ABC News’ Patrick Reevell

Feb 18, 11:41 AM EST
Harris meets with British, Finnish, Swedish PMs

Vice President Kamala Harris met with the British, Finnish and Swedish prime ministers before departing Munich on Saturday.

Amid concerns in Europe that Republican lawmakers could dampen U.S. aid to Ukraine, the Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin, thanked Harris for saying U.S. support for Ukraine would persevere domestic political differences.

Both Marin and Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, spoke with hope about joining NATO. But in recent days, there have been signals from NATO, the Finnish and the Swedish that perhaps they will not join at the same time as they had hoped due to continued Turkish objections over Swedish membership.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 17, 3:41 PM EST
White House previews Biden trip to Poland

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby provided a preview Friday of President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to Poland, saying the president’s main message will be continued support from the United States in the face of Russian aggression.

“On Tuesday evening, local time, President Biden will deliver remarks in Warsaw on how the United States has rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy. President Biden will make it clear that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine, as you’ve heard him say many times, for as long as it takes,” Kirby said of Biden’s major planned address.

“As we approach the one-year mark since this invasion, we can proudly say that our support for Ukraine remains unwavering and our alliances and our international coalition in support of Ukraine remain stronger than ever,” he added.

Biden is scheduled to arrive in Poland on Tuesday morning and meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda. On Wednesday, he’ll meet with leaders from the so-called Bucharest Nine –Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia — which are nine NATO countries in Eastern Europe.

Kirby was asked about Biden meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or traveling anywhere besides Warsaw, like the border town of Rzeszow, but he shot down both ideas.

“There is no meeting with President Zelenskyy scheduled for the trip right now,” he said. “Right now, the trip is going to be in Warsaw.”

Feb 17, 2:11 PM EST
Harris meets allies amid pressure over Ukraine aid

Vice President Kamala Harris met with the leaders of France and Germany Friday as part of a U.S. diplomatic push in Munich to show strong, continued support for Ukraine.

Questions lingering over the leaders in Munich include how long the West can maintain its support for Ukraine –- amid declining public and political support at home –- and how Ukraine will withstand the expected Russian offensive.

A White House official said that at the meetings, the vice president planned to “recognize the courage and resilience shown by the people of Ukraine; reaffirm the support of American people for Ukraine; commend the international community on the historic actions taken since February 2022; celebrate Transatlantic unity and clarity of purpose; reaffirm our security commitments to our European allies; and condemn Russia’s continued illegal and brutal actions while calling for accountability and justice.”

She also planned to discuss “relations with China and actions to address the climate crisis,” the official said.

Feb 17, 1:20 PM EST
Belarus ready to make Russian attack planes, president says at meeting with Putin

Belarus is ready to make Russian attack planes, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

“Belarus has been making up to a thousand components for MC-21 and Superjet 100 planes. There used to be repair plants, but now they also make component parts,” Lukashenko said.

“We are even ready to make it in Belarus with a little support from Russia,” Lukashenko said.

Feb 16, 5:28 PM EST
Ukrainian vice prime minister tells remaining civilians in Bakhmut to evacuate

Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk called on the roughly 6,000 civilians still in Bakhmut to evacuate “immediately.”

Officials said they don’t want the people still in the city to put themselves and their children at risk and don’t want them to interfere with the Ukrainian army. Five civilians were killed and nine others were injured on Thursday, according to the vice prime minister.

“Frankly speaking, I am very surprised that 6,000 civilians are still working there,” Vereshchuk said in a statement.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 16, 3:25 PM EST
Belarus will fight alongside Russia if it is attacked, president warns

Belarus would only join the war in Ukraine, fighting alongside Russia, if it is attacked, President Alexander Lukashenko told state-run Belta news agency.

“We don’t want a war. And in no case are we going to send our troops into the territory of Ukraine. Unless you commit aggression against the territory of Belarus from there. Here is my answer. It was given a long time ago,” Lukashenko said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Lukashenko’s threat in an interview with the BBC.

“I hope [Belarus] won’t join [the war],” he said. “If it does, we will fight and we will survive.”

Allowing Russia to use Belarus as a staging post for an attack again would be a “huge mistake,” he added.

Russian forces launched part of their full-scale invasion from Belarus 12 months ago. They drove south toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, but were fought back and made to retreat within weeks, after suffering heavy casualties.

Lukashenko is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Tanya Stukalova

Feb 16, 3:11 PM EST
Zelenskyy rules out territorial deal with Putin in BBC interview

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out giving up any of his country’s territory in a potential peace deal with Russia.

In a BBC interview to mark a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion, he warned conceding land would mean Russia could “keep coming back,” while Western weapons would bring peace closer.

However, he does believe Ukrainian forces can keep resisting Russia’s advance until they are able to launch a counteroffensive — although he repeated his calls for more military aid from the West.

“Of course, modern weapons speed up peace. Weapons are the only language Russia understands,” Zelensky told the BBC.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 16, 12:13 AM EST
Russian strikes hit infrastructure in Lviv, Ukrainians shoot down eight Russian missiles: Officials

An infrastructure object was hit in Lviv in the early morning hours of Thursday, the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, said on Telegram.

There were no casualties, and the fire from the impact has since been put out, Kozytskyi said.

Six Kalibr missiles were also shot down over the Mykolaiv region, and two Kalibr missiles were shot down over the Kherson region overnight, Odesa Military Administration spokesman Serhii Bratchuk posted on Telegram.

All eight of the missiles were fired from a Russian ship in the Black Sea, Bratchuk said in the post.

Feb 15, 2:48 PM EST
6 ‘reconnaissance’ balloons shot down over Kyiv

Authorities in Kyiv are investigating who owns six balloons that were in Ukraine’s airspace and what the balloons were doing over Kyiv. The balloons were shot down by Ukrainian air defense.

After a preliminary assessment, authorities think the balloons had intelligence gathering equipment.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 14, 11:43 AM EST
If Bakhmut falls, won’t have ‘strategic impact’ on Ukraine war: White House

White House spokesman John Kirby said during a briefing Tuesday that the U.S. could not “predict one way or the other” whether Bakhmut will fall to the Russians and if it does fall, “on what timeline.”

“We’re watching this every day, and it is certainly true that the Russians are continuing to make incremental progress there,” Kirby said. “Again, I can’t predict one way or the other whether it falls or it doesn’t fall or on what timeline. They have made incremental progress again in just the last 24, 48 hours.”

He added that the U.S. did not think Russia obtaining control of Bakhmut would have any “strategic impact” on either the overall war or even fighting in that part of the country.

The U.S. thinks Russia — and specifically the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, which is doing much of the fighting for Bakhmut — wants to take over and benefit financially from gypsum and salt mines located in the area, Kirby said.

“Even if Bakhmut were to fall, it would not have a strategic impact on the overall war,” Kirby said. “I would go so far as to say it won’t even have, necessarily, a strategic impact on the fighting in that part of the country. We think one of the reasons why Prigozhin is so interested in Bakhmut is because there’s a gypsum mine there, and up in Soledar, there’s a salt mine. And it’s entirely possible that Mr. Prigozhin sees some economic benefit to him and his company to take Bakhmut and to take and hold Soledar.”

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 11, 9:43 AM EST
US surveillance data ‘crucial’: Ukrainian commander

Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Serhiy Nayev told ABC News in an interview that the U.S. provides “surveillance data,” allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to more accurately pinpoint Russian targets within Ukraine’s borders.

“This help is crucial for us,” he said.

Nayev said he was in “constant contact” with American generals stationed in other parts of Europe. An exchange of data between the Ukrainians and Americans helped the Ukrainian military to pinpoint targets using US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems.

“This work goes perfectly in real time,” he said.

-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge, Dragana Jovanovic and Ale Pavone

Feb 10, 3:09 PM EST
Biden to visit Poland on eve of first anniversary of invasion of Ukraine

President Joe Biden will visit Poland on Feb. 20, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of our eastern flank NATO allies, and he’ll deliver remarks to mark the one-year anniversary, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.

“President Biden will deliver remarks ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, addressing how the United States has rallied the world, to support the people of Ukraine, as they defend their freedom and democracy, and how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Jean-Pierre said.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 10, 12:25 PM EST
Russian missile comes within 22 miles of Romanian border with Ukraine

Romania, a member of NATO, said Friday a Russian missile had come within 22 miles of its border but that it did not cross into the country’s territory, countering a claim made by the Ukrainian military.

“The Romanian Air Forces’ air surveillance system detected on Friday, February 10th, an aerial target launched by a Russian Federation’s ship, navigating in the Black Sea, nearby the Crimean Peninsula. The target is most likely a cruise missile, which flew over the air space of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and reentered the Ukrainian air space without ever infringing Romania’s air space,” Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said in a statement Friday.

Ukrainian officials had said earlier Friday that two Russian missiles crossed into the airspace of Moldova and Romania before entering Ukraine and being directed at targets in the country.

“Several Russian missiles passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania. These missiles are a challenge to NATO and collective security. This is terror that can and must be stopped,” Zelenskyy said Friday.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — As the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war that has followed approaches its one-year mark, some U.S. officials are pushing the federal government and other allies to bolster Ukrainian forces’ weapons.

On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told ABC News’ This Week co-anchor Martha Raddatz that the Biden administration needed to send F-16 jets to Ukraine and train their pilots. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who appeared separately on This Week, didn’t say whether F-16s had been approved but noted that proper training for the Ukrainians also was important.

ABC News contributor and former State Department official Col. Stephen Ganyard spoke with ABC’s “Start Here” Monday and weighed in on the debate over the jets and how they could affect the war.

START HERE: Col. Ganyard, can you just tell us about F-16s and what kind of difference they would make in this conflict?

COL. STEPHEN GANYARD: Well, I guess there are two things to think about here, Brad. One is, what is the political theater that’s going on. And part of that is what Sen. Graham is participating in, and that is diplomats and politicians trying to hold NATO together and show a united front.

That is not exactly what the Ukrainians need. The F-16s are very complex airplanes. It takes a long time to train not only the crews, but the maintainers. It takes a huge supply chain. It takes weapons that they don’t have. And so really what’s going on here is you have two efforts. One is how do we keep the Ukrainians from being overrun by the Russians? What are the kinds of weapons they really need versus what is the political theater going on in NATO to show NATO coherence and a united front against Russian aggression.

START HERE: What are the Ukrainians asking for? I feel like since the early days of this war, the Ukrainians have been saying, “Hey, we need more in the skies.” That’s where this war is going to be won or lost.

GANYARD: They do. But the problem is with an F-16, if you aren’t going to give the F-16 a weapon that the Ukrainians can actually employ or would be useful, then they really aren’t what the Ukrainians need. So right now, they actually have a pretty darn good air defense system that’s glued together and sort of a Rube Goldberg way of I think there are at least seven or eight different surface-to-air missile systems that have been linked together. So you have all these countries that had their own individual surface-to-air missile systems. Those are doing a very good job, frankly, of bringing down cruise missiles and taking care of the threat in the sky.

So the question is: What would you need F-16s for? What the Ukrainians really need is the ability to strike deep behind Russian lines and take out their supply caches to be able to prevent them from having the things that you need to wage war. So the best way to stop the Russians is to take away the kind of things they need, like fuel, like ammunition and hit them in the rear areas. But the administration’s been very clear they don’t want to accelerate or at least further inflame what they think would happen if they were given weapons out beyond about 100 miles.

START HERE: That’s interesting. The long range missiles, we don’t know if they’re going forward with. Those could be seen as more adversarial, even more escalatory than the planes keeping watch over Ukraine’s sovereign skies.

Col. Ganyard, can we turn our attention not from sort of the U.S.-Ukraine alliance, but this alliance between Russia and China? I mean, Russia seems to very much be on the front foot at this point in the war. We’ve heard that China might sort of be giving more material aid to Russia. What could that look like and what kind of impact do you think that has?

GANYARD: It seems that there’s some intelligence out there that suggests that the Chinese are about to sign some sort of a deal to provide military weapons to Russia. Now, we know that they’ve been skirting the sanctions with other things other than military capability. But this is something that would obviously concern not only Ukraine, but NATO, the U.S. in particular if the Chinese were to support them. Now, what could they do? Remember that most of the Soviet Union exported its weapons to China early on. And so in a lot of ways, the Chinese have reverse engineered old Soviet tech that they can now sell back to the Russians, and that may be one way to help them. But the real question here is, are the Chinese willing and ready to cross that diplomatic bridge and burn it behind them by supplying weapons to the Russians that would be useful in a military conflict?

START HERE: How big of a deal is it? I mean, we provide stuff to Ukraine. Is that how big of a deal is if China decides to cross that diplomatic bridge, as you called it?

GANYARD: I don’t think it’s that big a deal other than the perception. But remember what’s going on here, Brad, we’ve talked about this for months, is that the Chinese [government] are slowly, slowly trying to make Russia a vassal state. Russia has things that China needs: food security, energy security, extractive. So no doubt there are all sorts of good deals.

START HERE: Like the way the Russians use all these Eastern European countries is kind of like, ‘Hey, you do what we want.’ You’re saying China can do that to the entire Russian Federation?

GANYARD: Right. China has things that Putin wants and if China says, “OK, you’re going to sell your oil to us at a 20% discount for the next ten years.” That’s a good deal. Putin comes back and says, “Well, I need something else.” Well, you can sell us iron ore extractives for the next ten years at a 30% discount. So there are all sorts of ways that the Chinese can extract long-term economic security out of the Russians by playing ball with them early on.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.

Putin’s forces pulled out of key positions in November, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the southern port city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 21, 4:41 AM EST
Putin opens Moscow speech on ‘historic events’

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday opened his state of the union speech in Moscow with familiar touchstones, including ridding the world of Nazism and liberating Ukraine’s Donbas region.

He said of his Ukrainian invasion that the “historic events will determine the future of our country … each of us is bound by a huge responsibility.”

And he said he sought an “open dialogue” with the West, but also blamed Western countries and Ukraine’s leaders for holding the country’s people “hostage.”

“The United States and NATO have been rapidly deploying their bases and biolabs at the borders of our country,” he said.

He said Russia tried to settle the conflict in the Donbas region by peaceful means, adding that the West’s commitment to peace turned out to be “fraud” and a “cruel lie.”

Putin said they were open to dialogue with the West and were open to an equal system of security, but “in response we were getting dishonest answers” and specific actions to expand NATO and deploy new anti-missile systems in Europe. He said that “the whole planet is dotted” with U.S. bases.

Feb 20, 12:01 PM EST
US announces new $460 million worth of weapons for Ukraine

The Pentagon announced a new presidential drawdown of security aid for Ukraine valued at up to $460 million on Monday.

This package will include four Bradley Infantry Fire Support Team vehicles, HIMARS ammunition, artillery and mortar rounds, air surveillance radars and more.

President Joe Biden hinted at the new supplies in a press conference from Kyiv on Monday, also saying he would be announcing new sanctions “against elites and companies that are trying to evade sanctions and backfill Russia’s war machine” later this week.

-ABC News’ Matt Seyler

Feb 20, 5:39 AM EST
Biden in Kyiv says Putin was ‘dead wrong’

U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “dead wrong” when he started the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

“When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided,” Biden said in a statement. “He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong.”

The White House released the statement from Biden as he made an unannounced visit to the war-torn country, arriving in Kyiv on Monday morning.

“As the world prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” Biden said.

“Today, in Kyiv, I am meeting with President Zelenskyy and his team for an extended discussion on our support for Ukraine. I will announce another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardments,” he continued. “And I will share that later this week, we will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine. Over the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support — and that support will endure.”

Biden added: “I also look forward to traveling on to Poland to meet President Duda and the leaders of our Eastern Flank Allies, as well as deliver remarks on how the United States will continue to rally the world to support the people of Ukraine and the core values of human rights and dignity in the UN Charter that unite us worldwide.”

Feb 20, 5:21 AM EST
Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to war-torn Ukraine on Monday, arriving in Kyiv as Washington signals its ongoing support ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Biden’s visit came ahead of a planned meeting with NATO allies in Poland. He is expected to give a speech at the Royal Castle Arcades in Warsaw on Tuesday evening to offer an appraisal of international support during the first year of the war and to address “how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement earlier this month.

Biden also plans to meet in Poland with leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of eastern NATO allies formed in 2015 in response to Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a dramatic visit to the United States in December, his first known international trip since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Zelenskyy met with Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C., before addressing members of U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill.

Feb 19, 1:03 PM EST
Russia planning nuclear exercises to disrupt Biden’s Europe visit, Ukrainian military says

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has accused Russia of planning to stage “large-scale nuclear exercises” to coincide with President Joe Biden’s visit to Europe next week.

The GUR said Russia is preparing for test launches of nuclear capable missiles from land and sea, the agency said in a statement Sunday on its official Telegram channel.

The GUR said a nuclear armed submarine has been placed on the “highest level” of combat readiness and that strategic bombers have been moved to a base in Tambov, Russia.

The agency claimed the exercises are intended disrupt President Joe Biden’s European trip.

“Such actions of the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation, in particular, are an attempt to hinder Joe Biden’s visit to Europe, which is scheduled for February 20-22, through direct nuclear blackmail and to weaken international support for Ukraine,” the GUR statement said.

– ABC News’ Patrick Reevell

Feb 18, 11:41 AM EST
Harris meets with British, Finnish, Swedish PMs

Vice President Kamala Harris met with the British, Finnish and Swedish prime ministers before departing Munich on Saturday.

Amid concerns in Europe that Republican lawmakers could dampen U.S. aid to Ukraine, the Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin, thanked Harris for saying U.S. support for Ukraine would persevere domestic political differences.

Both Marin and Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, spoke with hope about joining NATO. But in recent days, there have been signals from NATO, the Finnish and the Swedish that perhaps they will not join at the same time as they had hoped due to continued Turkish objections over Swedish membership.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 17, 3:41 PM EST
White House previews Biden trip to Poland

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby provided a preview Friday of President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to Poland, saying the president’s main message will be continued support from the United States in the face of Russian aggression.

“On Tuesday evening, local time, President Biden will deliver remarks in Warsaw on how the United States has rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy. President Biden will make it clear that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine, as you’ve heard him say many times, for as long as it takes,” Kirby said of Biden’s major planned address.

“As we approach the one-year mark since this invasion, we can proudly say that our support for Ukraine remains unwavering and our alliances and our international coalition in support of Ukraine remain stronger than ever,” he added.

Biden is scheduled to arrive in Poland on Tuesday morning and meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda. On Wednesday, he’ll meet with leaders from the so-called Bucharest Nine –Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia — which are nine NATO countries in Eastern Europe.

Kirby was asked about Biden meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or traveling anywhere besides Warsaw, like the border town of Rzeszow, but he shot down both ideas.

“There is no meeting with President Zelenskyy scheduled for the trip right now,” he said. “Right now, the trip is going to be in Warsaw.”

Feb 17, 2:11 PM EST
Harris meets allies amid pressure over Ukraine aid

Vice President Kamala Harris met with the leaders of France and Germany Friday as part of a U.S. diplomatic push in Munich to show strong, continued support for Ukraine.

Questions lingering over the leaders in Munich include how long the West can maintain its support for Ukraine –- amid declining public and political support at home –- and how Ukraine will withstand the expected Russian offensive.

A White House official said that at the meetings, the vice president planned to “recognize the courage and resilience shown by the people of Ukraine; reaffirm the support of American people for Ukraine; commend the international community on the historic actions taken since February 2022; celebrate Transatlantic unity and clarity of purpose; reaffirm our security commitments to our European allies; and condemn Russia’s continued illegal and brutal actions while calling for accountability and justice.”

She also planned to discuss “relations with China and actions to address the climate crisis,” the official said.

Feb 17, 1:20 PM EST
Belarus ready to make Russian attack planes, president says at meeting with Putin

Belarus is ready to make Russian attack planes, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

“Belarus has been making up to a thousand components for MC-21 and Superjet 100 planes. There used to be repair plants, but now they also make component parts,” Lukashenko said.

“We are even ready to make it in Belarus with a little support from Russia,” Lukashenko said.

Feb 16, 5:28 PM EST
Ukrainian vice prime minister tells remaining civilians in Bakhmut to evacuate

Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk called on the roughly 6,000 civilians still in Bakhmut to evacuate “immediately.”

Officials said they don’t want the people still in the city to put themselves and their children at risk and don’t want them to interfere with the Ukrainian army. Five civilians were killed and nine others were injured on Thursday, according to the vice prime minister.

“Frankly speaking, I am very surprised that 6,000 civilians are still working there,” Vereshchuk said in a statement.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 16, 3:25 PM EST
Belarus will fight alongside Russia if it is attacked, president warns

Belarus would only join the war in Ukraine, fighting alongside Russia, if it is attacked, President Alexander Lukashenko told state-run Belta news agency.

“We don’t want a war. And in no case are we going to send our troops into the territory of Ukraine. Unless you commit aggression against the territory of Belarus from there. Here is my answer. It was given a long time ago,” Lukashenko said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Lukashenko’s threat in an interview with the BBC.

“I hope [Belarus] won’t join [the war],” he said. “If it does, we will fight and we will survive.”

Allowing Russia to use Belarus as a staging post for an attack again would be a “huge mistake,” he added.

Russian forces launched part of their full-scale invasion from Belarus 12 months ago. They drove south toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, but were fought back and made to retreat within weeks, after suffering heavy casualties.

Lukashenko is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Tanya Stukalova

Feb 16, 3:11 PM EST
Zelenskyy rules out territorial deal with Putin in BBC interview

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out giving up any of his country’s territory in a potential peace deal with Russia.

In a BBC interview to mark a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion, he warned conceding land would mean Russia could “keep coming back,” while Western weapons would bring peace closer.

However, he does believe Ukrainian forces can keep resisting Russia’s advance until they are able to launch a counteroffensive — although he repeated his calls for more military aid from the West.

“Of course, modern weapons speed up peace. Weapons are the only language Russia understands,” Zelensky told the BBC.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 16, 12:13 AM EST
Russian strikes hit infrastructure in Lviv, Ukrainians shoot down eight Russian missiles: Officials

An infrastructure object was hit in Lviv in the early morning hours of Thursday, the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, said on Telegram.

There were no casualties, and the fire from the impact has since been put out, Kozytskyi said.

Six Kalibr missiles were also shot down over the Mykolaiv region, and two Kalibr missiles were shot down over the Kherson region overnight, Odesa Military Administration spokesman Serhii Bratchuk posted on Telegram.

All eight of the missiles were fired from a Russian ship in the Black Sea, Bratchuk said in the post.

Feb 15, 2:48 PM EST
6 ‘reconnaissance’ balloons shot down over Kyiv

Authorities in Kyiv are investigating who owns six balloons that were in Ukraine’s airspace and what the balloons were doing over Kyiv. The balloons were shot down by Ukrainian air defense.

After a preliminary assessment, authorities think the balloons had intelligence gathering equipment.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 14, 11:43 AM EST
If Bakhmut falls, won’t have ‘strategic impact’ on Ukraine war: White House

White House spokesman John Kirby said during a briefing Tuesday that the U.S. could not “predict one way or the other” whether Bakhmut will fall to the Russians and if it does fall, “on what timeline.”

“We’re watching this every day, and it is certainly true that the Russians are continuing to make incremental progress there,” Kirby said. “Again, I can’t predict one way or the other whether it falls or it doesn’t fall or on what timeline. They have made incremental progress again in just the last 24, 48 hours.”

He added that the U.S. did not think Russia obtaining control of Bakhmut would have any “strategic impact” on either the overall war or even fighting in that part of the country.

The U.S. thinks Russia — and specifically the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, which is doing much of the fighting for Bakhmut — wants to take over and benefit financially from gypsum and salt mines located in the area, Kirby said.

“Even if Bakhmut were to fall, it would not have a strategic impact on the overall war,” Kirby said. “I would go so far as to say it won’t even have, necessarily, a strategic impact on the fighting in that part of the country. We think one of the reasons why Prigozhin is so interested in Bakhmut is because there’s a gypsum mine there, and up in Soledar, there’s a salt mine. And it’s entirely possible that Mr. Prigozhin sees some economic benefit to him and his company to take Bakhmut and to take and hold Soledar.”

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 11, 9:43 AM EST
US surveillance data ‘crucial’: Ukrainian commander

Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Serhiy Nayev told ABC News in an interview that the U.S. provides “surveillance data,” allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to more accurately pinpoint Russian targets within Ukraine’s borders.

“This help is crucial for us,” he said.

Nayev said he was in “constant contact” with American generals stationed in other parts of Europe. An exchange of data between the Ukrainians and Americans helped the Ukrainian military to pinpoint targets using US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems.

“This work goes perfectly in real time,” he said.

-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge, Dragana Jovanovic and Ale Pavone

Feb 10, 3:09 PM EST
Biden to visit Poland on eve of first anniversary of invasion of Ukraine

President Joe Biden will visit Poland on Feb. 20, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of our eastern flank NATO allies, and he’ll deliver remarks to mark the one-year anniversary, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.

“President Biden will deliver remarks ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, addressing how the United States has rallied the world, to support the people of Ukraine, as they defend their freedom and democracy, and how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Jean-Pierre said.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 10, 12:25 PM EST
Russian missile comes within 22 miles of Romanian border with Ukraine

Romania, a member of NATO, said Friday a Russian missile had come within 22 miles of its border but that it did not cross into the country’s territory, countering a claim made by the Ukrainian military.

“The Romanian Air Forces’ air surveillance system detected on Friday, February 10th, an aerial target launched by a Russian Federation’s ship, navigating in the Black Sea, nearby the Crimean Peninsula. The target is most likely a cruise missile, which flew over the air space of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and reentered the Ukrainian air space without ever infringing Romania’s air space,” Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said in a statement Friday.

Ukrainian officials had said earlier Friday that two Russian missiles crossed into the airspace of Moldova and Romania before entering Ukraine and being directed at targets in the country.

“Several Russian missiles passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania. These missiles are a challenge to NATO and collective security. This is terror that can and must be stopped,” Zelenskyy said Friday.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(SAMANDAG, Turkey) — Turkey was hit with another earthquake Monday as a 6.4 earthquake rattled Samandag even as the country is still cleaning up from one of the worst natural disasters in its history, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of damage, injuries or deaths from officials.

Samandag is located in Hatay province, which suffered catastrophic damage in the quake that struck on Feb. 6.

Several civilians were injured in Syria after the latest quake struck, the White Helmets, the Syria Civil Defense Unit, tweeted. Several balconies and walls collapsed from the tremors, the White Helmets tweeted.

“Several civilians injured from falling building debris, stampedes, and jumping from high areas. Additionally, in Jenderes, north of Aleppo two uninhabited buildings and the minaret of a mosque collapsed,” the organization tweeted.

There were no immediate reports of deaths.

At a Turkish camp for 700 people who are now homeless from the prior earthquake, buildings shook for about 15 seconds around 8 p.m. local time and lights went off in the distance.

Most of the people in the camp were sitting outside huddling around fires to keep warm when the earthquake occurred. Many started praying and shouting to get away from buildings.

Several aftershocks were felt following the initial quake.

Monday’s quake comes as officials from Turkey and Syria said the death toll from the quake that struck two weeks ago has reached 46,957 total, with 41,156 in Turkey and 5,801 in Syria.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LIVERPOOL, England) — Two teens are set to go on trial for the death of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey on July 10. Ghey, a transgender girl, was found dead by passersby in a park in the English town of Warrington on Feb. 11, according to officials.

The trial is expected to last for three weeks at the Liverpool Crown Court and “will hear evidence of the incident at Culcheth Linear Park,” according to the Cheshire Constabulary police force.

The two teens, both 15 years old, were arrested the following day and charged with Ghey’s murder.

Police say it is unclear if the circumstances surrounding her death are hate-related, and the investigation into a motive is ongoing.

“I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to the community of Culcheth for their support in relation to the investigation,” said Detective Chief Inspector Adam Waller, in a statement.

“We have been inundated with pieces of information from members of the community wanting to help and assist the inquiry. Many of our officers have been approached to offer their best wishes to us and, especially, to Brianna’s family.”

Ghey’s death has prompted vigils and protests in her memory, in support of the transgender community.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.

Putin’s forces pulled out of key positions in November, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the southern port city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 20, 5:39 AM EST
Biden in Kyiv says Putin was ‘dead wrong’

U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “dead wrong” when he started the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

“When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided,” Biden said in a statement. “He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong.”

The White House released the statement from Biden as he made an unannounced visit to the war-torn country, arriving in Kyiv on Monday morning.

“As the world prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” Biden said.

“Today, in Kyiv, I am meeting with President Zelenskyy and his team for an extended discussion on our support for Ukraine. I will announce another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardments,” he continued. “And I will share that later this week, we will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine. Over the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support — and that support will endure.”

Biden added: “I also look forward to traveling on to Poland to meet President Duda and the leaders of our Eastern Flank Allies, as well as deliver remarks on how the United States will continue to rally the world to support the people of Ukraine and the core values of human rights and dignity in the UN Charter that unite us worldwide.”

Feb 20, 5:21 AM EST
Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to war-torn Ukraine on Monday, arriving in Kyiv as Washington signals its ongoing support ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Biden’s visit came ahead of a planned meeting with NATO allies in Poland. He is expected to give a speech at the Royal Castle Arcades in Warsaw on Tuesday evening to offer an appraisal of international support during the first year of the war and to address “how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement earlier this month.

Biden also plans to meet in Poland with leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of eastern NATO allies formed in 2015 in response to Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a dramatic visit to the United States in December, his first known international trip since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Zelenskyy met with Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C., before addressing members of U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill.

Feb 19, 1:03 PM EST
Russia planning nuclear exercises to disrupt Biden’s Europe visit, Ukrainian military says

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has accused Russia of planning to stage “large-scale nuclear exercises” to coincide with President Joe Biden’s visit to Europe next week.

The GUR said Russia is preparing for test launches of nuclear capable missiles from land and sea, the agency said in a statement Sunday on its official Telegram channel.

The GUR said a nuclear armed submarine has been placed on the “highest level” of combat readiness and that strategic bombers have been moved to a base in Tambov, Russia.

The agency claimed the exercises are intended disrupt President Joe Biden’s European trip.

“Such actions of the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation, in particular, are an attempt to hinder Joe Biden’s visit to Europe, which is scheduled for February 20-22, through direct nuclear blackmail and to weaken international support for Ukraine,” the GUR statement said.

– ABC News’ Patrick Reevell

Feb 18, 11:41 AM EST
Harris meets with British, Finnish, Swedish PMs

Vice President Kamala Harris met with the British, Finnish and Swedish prime ministers before departing Munich on Saturday.

Amid concerns in Europe that Republican lawmakers could dampen U.S. aid to Ukraine, the Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin, thanked Harris for saying U.S. support for Ukraine would persevere domestic political differences.

Both Marin and Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, spoke with hope about joining NATO. But in recent days, there have been signals from NATO, the Finnish and the Swedish that perhaps they will not join at the same time as they had hoped due to continued Turkish objections over Swedish membership.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 17, 3:41 PM EST
White House previews Biden trip to Poland

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby provided a preview Friday of President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to Poland, saying the president’s main message will be continued support from the United States in the face of Russian aggression.

“On Tuesday evening, local time, President Biden will deliver remarks in Warsaw on how the United States has rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy. President Biden will make it clear that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine, as you’ve heard him say many times, for as long as it takes,” Kirby said of Biden’s major planned address.

“As we approach the one-year mark since this invasion, we can proudly say that our support for Ukraine remains unwavering and our alliances and our international coalition in support of Ukraine remain stronger than ever,” he added.

Biden is scheduled to arrive in Poland on Tuesday morning and meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda. On Wednesday, he’ll meet with leaders from the so-called Bucharest Nine –Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia — which are nine NATO countries in Eastern Europe.

Kirby was asked about Biden meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or traveling anywhere besides Warsaw, like the border town of Rzeszow, but he shot down both ideas.

“There is no meeting with President Zelenskyy scheduled for the trip right now,” he said. “Right now, the trip is going to be in Warsaw.”

Feb 17, 2:11 PM EST
Harris meets allies amid pressure over Ukraine aid

Vice President Kamala Harris met with the leaders of France and Germany Friday as part of a U.S. diplomatic push in Munich to show strong, continued support for Ukraine.

Questions lingering over the leaders in Munich include how long the West can maintain its support for Ukraine –- amid declining public and political support at home –- and how Ukraine will withstand the expected Russian offensive.

A White House official said that at the meetings, the vice president planned to “recognize the courage and resilience shown by the people of Ukraine; reaffirm the support of American people for Ukraine; commend the international community on the historic actions taken since February 2022; celebrate Transatlantic unity and clarity of purpose; reaffirm our security commitments to our European allies; and condemn Russia’s continued illegal and brutal actions while calling for accountability and justice.”

She also planned to discuss “relations with China and actions to address the climate crisis,” the official said.

Feb 17, 1:20 PM EST
Belarus ready to make Russian attack planes, president says at meeting with Putin

Belarus is ready to make Russian attack planes, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

“Belarus has been making up to a thousand components for MC-21 and Superjet 100 planes. There used to be repair plants, but now they also make component parts,” Lukashenko said.

“We are even ready to make it in Belarus with a little support from Russia,” Lukashenko said.

Feb 16, 5:28 PM EST
Ukrainian vice prime minister tells remaining civilians in Bakhmut to evacuate

Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk called on the roughly 6,000 civilians still in Bakhmut to evacuate “immediately.”

Officials said they don’t want the people still in the city to put themselves and their children at risk and don’t want them to interfere with the Ukrainian army. Five civilians were killed and nine others were injured on Thursday, according to the vice prime minister.

“Frankly speaking, I am very surprised that 6,000 civilians are still working there,” Vereshchuk said in a statement.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 16, 3:25 PM EST
Belarus will fight alongside Russia if it is attacked, president warns

Belarus would only join the war in Ukraine, fighting alongside Russia, if it is attacked, President Alexander Lukashenko told state-run Belta news agency.

“We don’t want a war. And in no case are we going to send our troops into the territory of Ukraine. Unless you commit aggression against the territory of Belarus from there. Here is my answer. It was given a long time ago,” Lukashenko said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Lukashenko’s threat in an interview with the BBC.

“I hope [Belarus] won’t join [the war],” he said. “If it does, we will fight and we will survive.”

Allowing Russia to use Belarus as a staging post for an attack again would be a “huge mistake,” he added.

Russian forces launched part of their full-scale invasion from Belarus 12 months ago. They drove south toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, but were fought back and made to retreat within weeks, after suffering heavy casualties.

Lukashenko is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Tanya Stukalova

Feb 16, 3:11 PM EST
Zelenskyy rules out territorial deal with Putin in BBC interview

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out giving up any of his country’s territory in a potential peace deal with Russia.

In a BBC interview to mark a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion, he warned conceding land would mean Russia could “keep coming back,” while Western weapons would bring peace closer.

However, he does believe Ukrainian forces can keep resisting Russia’s advance until they are able to launch a counteroffensive — although he repeated his calls for more military aid from the West.

“Of course, modern weapons speed up peace. Weapons are the only language Russia understands,” Zelensky told the BBC.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 16, 12:13 AM EST
Russian strikes hit infrastructure in Lviv, Ukrainians shoot down eight Russian missiles: Officials

An infrastructure object was hit in Lviv in the early morning hours of Thursday, the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, said on Telegram.

There were no casualties, and the fire from the impact has since been put out, Kozytskyi said.

Six Kalibr missiles were also shot down over the Mykolaiv region, and two Kalibr missiles were shot down over the Kherson region overnight, Odesa Military Administration spokesman Serhii Bratchuk posted on Telegram.

All eight of the missiles were fired from a Russian ship in the Black Sea, Bratchuk said in the post.

Feb 15, 2:48 PM EST
6 ‘reconnaissance’ balloons shot down over Kyiv

Authorities in Kyiv are investigating who owns six balloons that were in Ukraine’s airspace and what the balloons were doing over Kyiv. The balloons were shot down by Ukrainian air defense.

After a preliminary assessment, authorities think the balloons had intelligence gathering equipment.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 14, 11:43 AM EST
If Bakhmut falls, won’t have ‘strategic impact’ on Ukraine war: White House

White House spokesman John Kirby said during a briefing Tuesday that the U.S. could not “predict one way or the other” whether Bakhmut will fall to the Russians and if it does fall, “on what timeline.”

“We’re watching this every day, and it is certainly true that the Russians are continuing to make incremental progress there,” Kirby said. “Again, I can’t predict one way or the other whether it falls or it doesn’t fall or on what timeline. They have made incremental progress again in just the last 24, 48 hours.”

He added that the U.S. did not think Russia obtaining control of Bakhmut would have any “strategic impact” on either the overall war or even fighting in that part of the country.

The U.S. thinks Russia — and specifically the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, which is doing much of the fighting for Bakhmut — wants to take over and benefit financially from gypsum and salt mines located in the area, Kirby said.

“Even if Bakhmut were to fall, it would not have a strategic impact on the overall war,” Kirby said. “I would go so far as to say it won’t even have, necessarily, a strategic impact on the fighting in that part of the country. We think one of the reasons why Prigozhin is so interested in Bakhmut is because there’s a gypsum mine there, and up in Soledar, there’s a salt mine. And it’s entirely possible that Mr. Prigozhin sees some economic benefit to him and his company to take Bakhmut and to take and hold Soledar.”

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 11, 9:43 AM EST
US surveillance data ‘crucial’: Ukrainian commander

Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Serhiy Nayev told ABC News in an interview that the U.S. provides “surveillance data,” allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to more accurately pinpoint Russian targets within Ukraine’s borders.

“This help is crucial for us,” he said.

Nayev said he was in “constant contact” with American generals stationed in other parts of Europe. An exchange of data between the Ukrainians and Americans helped the Ukrainian military to pinpoint targets using US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems.

“This work goes perfectly in real time,” he said.

-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge, Dragana Jovanovic and Ale Pavone

Feb 10, 3:09 PM EST
Biden to visit Poland on eve of first anniversary of invasion of Ukraine

President Joe Biden will visit Poland on Feb. 20, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of our eastern flank NATO allies, and he’ll deliver remarks to mark the one-year anniversary, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.

“President Biden will deliver remarks ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, addressing how the United States has rallied the world, to support the people of Ukraine, as they defend their freedom and democracy, and how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Jean-Pierre said.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 10, 12:25 PM EST
Russian missile comes within 22 miles of Romanian border with Ukraine

Romania, a member of NATO, said Friday a Russian missile had come within 22 miles of its border but that it did not cross into the country’s territory, countering a claim made by the Ukrainian military.

“The Romanian Air Forces’ air surveillance system detected on Friday, February 10th, an aerial target launched by a Russian Federation’s ship, navigating in the Black Sea, nearby the Crimean Peninsula. The target is most likely a cruise missile, which flew over the air space of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and reentered the Ukrainian air space without ever infringing Romania’s air space,” Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said in a statement Friday.

Ukrainian officials had said earlier Friday that two Russian missiles crossed into the airspace of Moldova and Romania before entering Ukraine and being directed at targets in the country.

“Several Russian missiles passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania. These missiles are a challenge to NATO and collective security. This is terror that can and must be stopped,” Zelenskyy said Friday.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Over an hourlong conversation this weekend, the top diplomats from China and the U.S. zigzagged through an agenda filled with contentious topics, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken issuing blunt warnings to his counterpart regarding Beijing’s expansive spy balloon program and fears the country could step up its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We had a very direct, very clear conversation about the Chinese surveillance balloon being sent over our territory in violation of our sovereignty, in violation of international law,” Blinken told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz in an interview just after his closed-door talk. “I told Wang Yi, my Chinese counterpart, that that action was unacceptable and must never happen again.”

The meeting, which came together in the late hours of Saturday evening on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, was the first in-person interaction between Blinken and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi since a suspected Chinese surveillance aircraft was spotted hovering over American airspace, prompting Blinken to scuttle plans for a visit to Beijing at the last minute.

The lengthy discussion showcased deep fractures between the two superpowers and prompted fears that what’s often described as the world’s most consequential bilateral relationship could be deteriorating to dangerous lows.

On “This Week” on Sunday, Blinken also made clear that U.S. concerns about China extend beyond espionage, saying he had voiced his “growing concern” that Beijing may be considering providing military aid to Russia to support its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, a focal point of the summit in Munich.

“China has been engaged in providing rhetorical, political, diplomatic support to Russia,” Blinken said. “But we have information that gives us concern that they are considering providing lethal support to Russia in the war against Ukraine. And it was important for me to share very clearly with Wang Yi that this would be a serious problem.”

Whether Wang will heed that warning remains unclear. U.S. officials, including Blinken, were hesitant to characterize China’s side of the conversation but said that no apology was offered for the surveillance balloon incident.

In fact, in the days since the aircraft was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, China has only doubled down on its claims that the balloon was a harmless, unmanned civilian vehicle — an explanation that directly conflicts with U.S. assessments.

In the hours before his meeting with Blinken, Wang described the Biden administration’s response as “absurd and hysterical.”

Raddatz pressed Blinken on the view among some U.S. officials that the path the balloon took over the continental United States may not have been the original plan.

“Martha, I can’t speak to their original intent,” Blinken said. But he stressed that once the balloon was over the country, “the balloon attempted to surveil very critical, important military installations.”

In an initial readout of Wang’s engagement with Blinken, Beijing said Wang “expressed China’s solemn position on the so-called airship incident, demanding that the United States change its course and face up to and solve the damage caused by the indiscriminate use of force.”

A subsequent readout provided by China’s Foreign Ministry took a sterner view of both the balloon altercation and China’s ties to Russia.

“If the US continues to dramatize, hype up or escalate the situation, it will be met in kind for as long as it takes. All consequences arising thereof shall be borne by the US side,” Chinese officials said of the balloon.

The officials said that in Wang’s meeting with Blinken, on Russia and Ukraine, Wang “stressed … China adheres to principles and stays committed to promoting peace talks.” The Chinese said their relationship with Russia was a “comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination” but insisted it “is built on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third countries.”

In the days that followed the balloon shoot-down earlier this month, the State Department declassified intelligence that China has overflown surveillance balloons above 40 countries, something Blinken said on “This Week” was top of mind for many officials in Munich.

“There’s a real concern that I’m hearing here from other countries, from allies and partners alike, about this program. And I think countries are — I was gonna say ‘pleased,’ pleased is the wrong word — they appreciate the fact that we’ve exposed it,” Blinken told Raddatz.

Another key focus of the conference was sustaining support for Ukraine as the country girds itself for another Russian offensive.

Kyiv has requested F-16 fighter jets, and while the U.S. hasn’t ruled out the possibility, Blinken signaled the administration wasn’t ready to hand over the aircraft just yet.

“We’re in very close collaboration and coordination with the Ukrainians precisely on this question of what do they need at any given time. But what’s very important is this: What we should not do, any of us, is to focus or get fixated on any particular weapons system because the weapon system itself, as important as it is, is not is not sufficient. You have to make sure that Ukrainians are trained on the systems that are being provided,” Blinken said. “If they’re not trained on them, they can’t use them.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(GAZIANTEP, Turkey) — It was only a matter of time before the region surrounding Turkey and Syria experienced “the big one,” according to experts.

Tens of thousands of people died in a pair of cataclysmic earthquakes that rocked the region on Feb. 6. First, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Gaziantep, in southeastern Turkey along the border of Syria, followed by a 7.5-magnitude quake nine hours later about 100 miles north of the first, with hundreds of aftershocks in between and beyond.

The quakes took down thousands of buildings in the two countries, killing at least 42,000 people.

While individual earthquake activity is difficult to predict, it was never out of the realm of possibility that a large earthquake would be on the horizon in the region, experts told ABC News.

Turkey lies at the crossroads of tectonic plate activity

The complex tectonic activity that lies beneath essentially ensured that a devastatingly strong earthquake would eventually rock the region, the scientists said.

There are four tectonic plates, massive slabs of rock made of up Earth’s lithosphere, that interact in Turkey. The Arabian and African plates are moving to the north and interacting with the Eurasian plate, which is essentially in place as a boundary to the north, Joshua Russell, a professor of seismology at Syracuse University, told ABC News.

“That stress is essentially squeezing Turkey out to the west into the Aegean,” Alexander Stewart, a professor of geology at St. Lawrence University, told ABC News.

Picture a banana being squeezed out from between the peels, and that is essentially how Turkey is being exuded out into the Aegean Sea as a result of the plate interactions, Stewart said.

What makes Turkey even more vulnerable is the movement from the Anatolian plate is essentially slipping along the fault lines of the North Anatolian fault zone, the most seismically active fault zone in the world, Stewart said.

However, it was the East Anatolian fault zone responsible for the most recent deadly quake, which extends down, through Syria. The energy released from the “rock-to-rock slippage” of the plates onto the East Anatolian fault, which is less active than the North Anatolian fault, is more catastrophic than earthquakes that are releasing the stress on a more consistent basis, Stewart said.

Although the earthquake had a significant magnitude, the readings, which measures the amplitude of the wave forms, or how much fault is moving, on the seismograph don’t tell the full story of the strength of the earthquake.

The earthquake involved a break on fault extended for 300 kilometers, or more than 186 miles, Susan Hough, a seismologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, told ABC News.

“The bigger the fault, the bigger the earthquake,” Russell said, adding that the shallower the earthquake, the more ground motion that occurs.

When the quake happens, it does not shake all at once. From the epicenter, the rupture travels down the fold at about 3 kilometers per second, Hough said. So if it continues for 300 kilometers, it’s actually moving for 100 seconds, Hough said.

So in addition to the very long duration of the quake, it’s also impacting a “huge” area, Hough said.

Stewart estimated that Turkey is in the top 20% of regions in the world that would experience devastation due to earthquakes.

A 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Fukushima, Japan, in March 2022 only killed four people. The magnitude of the earthquake was not “out of the ordinary,” but although Japan is an earthquake-prone region, the country’s economic system is able to provide and engineer structures to withstand moderate earthquake magnitudes.

The same can’t be said for regions like eastern Turkey and Haiti.

In 1936, the North Anatolian fault ruptured beneath Marmara Sea, which also led to tens of thousands of deaths. It was then that building codes began to be instated in the country. Another earthquake in 1999 prompted additional building codes, but they are not enforced, Stewart said.

“It takes a long time to re retrofit buildings, and it’s expensive,” Russell said.

Could a similar earthquake happen in the U.S.?

The West Coast of the continental U.S., as well as Alaska, are prone to earthquakes as well, the experts said.

One of the most destructive earthquakes to occur in the U.S. happened in 1906 when nearly 300 miles of the San Andreas fault ruptured, resulting in an estimated 7.9-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 3,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1933, the Newport-Inglewood Fault cased a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Long Beach, California, resulting in extensive damage and killing up to 120 people.

The Long Beach earthquake “taught engineers a lot about how strongly the ground can shake from a 6.5,” Hough said.

For decades, California has planned its engineering and building codes based on historical seismicity to survive earthquakes of similar magnitudes, the experts said. In addition, single family homes tend to be more resilient to earthquakes than high-rise apartment buildings, Hough said.

Highways in California, especially bridges and overpasses, have also been retrofitted with steel to protect drivers in the event of an earthquake, Hough said.

“In general, California, the overall resilience is is better than in Turkey,” Hough said.

Settlements along fault lines often have high population density because faults tend to present a nice place to live, Hough said. There’s typically surrounding water, mountains and more rain, and people will cluster around those regions, she said.

This can prove problematic, because the closer you are to the moving fault, the more shaking you will experience, Hough said.

“You have the settlements right on top of the fold, and then if you have the construction issues on top of that, it’s kind of a perfect storm for big damage,” she said.

However, biggest earthquakes in the U.S. tend to occur in Alaska.

“No one lives up there,” so those quakes are not publicized as much, Stewart said. But since those earthquakes are so large, they can present other rippling effects, such as tsunamis, Hough said.

Although the U.S. would not experience a death toll of similar caliber to Turkey and Syria, there would be severe economic damage, Stewart said.

“Our efforts in retrofitting and engineering to protect lives in Japan and North America is very high, but it is not going to minimize economic loss,” he said.

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(WASHINGTON) — Four U.S. service members were wounded by an explosion during a helicopter raid in northeast Syria on Thursday night. A senior ISIS leader was killed in the mission, officials said.

“The U.S. service members and working dog are receiving treatment in a U.S. medical facility in Iraq,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

The ISIS leader killed in the raid was identified as Hamza al-Homsi.

A U.S. official said the four wounded service members are U.S. special operations forces. The extent of their injuries was not released.

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(NEW YORK) — One of the longest commercial flights in the world did a U-turn over the Pacific Ocean to return to its departure airport over 16 hours later because of a closure of New York’s JFK Terminal One.

Air New Zealand 2 took off from Auckland, New Zealand, at 8:00 p.m. local time but rather than arrive at JFK as scheduled 16 hours later, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner landed back in Auckland at 12:25 p.m. the next day, according to FlightAware. The airplane was more than 2,000 miles from the coast of California when it abruptly turned around to return to New Zealand.

“Due to an electrical fire in Terminal 1 at JFK Airport and the terminal’s subsequent closure, NZ2 Auckland to New York was forced to divert back to Auckland,” a New Zealand Air spokesperson said in a statement.

Specifically asked why the airplane did not land at another U.S. airport, the spokesperson noted that “diverting to another U.S. port would have meant the aircraft would remain on the ground for several days,” which would affect other scheduled flights. The passengers on the flight have been rebooked to the next available service, according to the spokesperson.

JFK Terminal One, which serves over 80 international airlines according to a Port Authority website, closed on Thursday after a small fire prompted a power outage. According to the Port Authority, the terminal remains closed Friday due to continued electrical issues.

When the terminal closed Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice to air missions informing essential airline personnel about the closure; however, the Air New Zealand flight took off before the notice was issued.

When it does arrive at JFK as planned, Air New Zealand 2 has a flight time of roughly 16 hours, making it one of the longest commercial flights offered worldwide.

Thursday’s flight not only brought passengers back to their original departure airport but also landed 55 minutes late, according to FlightAware.

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