Russia-Ukraine live news: US slams Putin for ‘disinformation’ | Russia-Ukraine war News
- The White House says Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered “a version of revisionist history” in Victory Day speech.
- Putin says during address in Moscow’s Red Square that Russian troops in eastern Ukraine are fighting for “the motherland”.
- Democrats in the US Congress agree to a proposal to provide nearly $40bn in additional aid to Ukraine, according to two sources familiar with the plan.
- US President Joe Biden urges the US Congress to “immediately” pass the supplemental funding for Ukraine.
- The UN Human Rights Council will hold a special session later this week on the “deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine”.
Here are all the latest updates:
US weapons legislation aims to ‘wipe away’ bureaucratic delays
Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington, DC, said US weapons exports typically involve a months-long process amid various agency reviews, but a law signed by Biden on Monday will help expedite the procedure.
“What this signing of the Lend-Lease Act does is essentially wipe away all of that bureaucracy,” Jordan said, about the legislation Biden signed.
“This gives the administration the ability to give to the Ukrainians equipment that the US already owns and to get it there as quickly as possible.”
Missile hit tourists sites in Odesa: City council
The city council in Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa has said missiles struck tourist sites, destroying five buildings and injuring two people.
Ukrainian media reported an Odesa shopping centre was ablaze after a strike. There was no immediate confirmation.
Biden calls on US Congress to ‘immediately’ approve Ukraine funding
Biden has called on the US Congress to “immediately” pass additional funding for Ukraine assistance, saying that he has “nearly exhausted” the aid resources previously approved by lawmakers.
The US president said the White House would agree to separating efforts to pass assistance for Ukraine and funds for COVID-19 relief to accelerate the process of approving the aid for Ukraine. He said the Ukraine funding request enjoys “strong support” amongst US lawmakers.
“So I call on Congress to pass the Ukrainian Supplemental funding bill immediately, and get it to my desk in the next few days,” Biden said in a statement.
Lithuania FM urges regime change in Russia
Lithuania’s top diplomat has said removing Putin from power is the only way to protect the West and its allies from future threats from Moscow, urging an even tougher stance against Russia than the US and many NATO allies have been willing to pursue.
“From our standpoint, up until the point the current regime is not in power, the countries surrounding it will be, to some extent, in danger,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in an interview with The Associated Press in Washington.
“Not just Putin but the whole regime because, you know, one might change Putin and might change his inner circle but another Putin might rise into his place.”
US Democrats looking to pass $40bn in Ukraine aid funding: Report
Democratic Party lawmakers in the US Congress have agreed on a proposal to provide nearly $40bn in additional funding to Ukraine, the Reuters news agency has reported, citing two unidentified sources.
Biden asked Congress last month for $33bn to keep military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine flowing without interruption. The US president has been urging lawmakers to act on his request, warning that his administration is almost “out of money”.
The House of Representatives could vote on the plan as early as Tuesday, Reuters said.
France’s Macron offers ‘full support’ for Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged “full support” for Ukraine, as he stood alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz under the historic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
The monument was illuminated in blue and white, the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
“Full support to Ukraine,” said Macron as he walked over to the gate, where about 200 people had gathered.
White House denounces Putin’s ‘Victory Day’ speech
The White House has slammed Putin’s Victory Day speech, accusing the Russian president of spreading “disinformation”.
In a speech marking the defeat of the Nazis during World War II, Putin had said the invasion of Ukraine was in response to an “unacceptable” Western threat to Russia.
“What we saw President Putin do is give a version of revisionist history that took the form of disinformation that we have seen too commonly as the Russian playbook,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.
Pulitzer Prize board honours Ukrainian journalists
The Pulitzer Prize board has honoured Ukrainian journalists for their war coverage, awarding them with a special citation in recognition of their “courage, endurance and commitment to truth reporting” during the Russian invasion.
“Despite bombardment abductions, occupation and even deaths in their ranks, they have persisted in their effort to provide an accurate picture of a terrible reality, doing honour to Ukraine and to journalists around the world,” board member Marjorie Miller said as the prizes were announced.
Seven journalists, including three from Ukraine, have been killed since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in late February, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Zelenskyy thanks US lawmakers for passing WWII-era weapons legislation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked US legislators and President Joe Biden for passing legislation reviving a WWII-era weapons programme that will allow Washington to more easily export arms to Ukraine.
“Today’s signing of the law on Lend-Lease is a historic step,” Zelenskyy tweeted. “I am convinced that we will win together again. And we will defend democracy in Ukraine. And in Europe. Like 77 years ago.”
The measure revives a World War II-era arrangement that allowed the US to lend or lease military equipment to Great Britain and other allies at little cost. The new plan will help those affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including Poland and other Eastern European countries.
Grateful to @POTUS and ?? people for supporting ?? in the fight for our freedom and future. Today’s signing of the law on Lend-Lease is a historic step. I am convinced that we will win together again. And we will defend democracy in Ukraine. And in Europe. Like 77 years ago.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 9, 2022
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Read all the updates from Monday, May 9 here.
