By providing Ukraine with both theoretical and practical support, the international community is celebrating on Friday the year of heroic Ukrainian resistance to what until last year was considered legendary by Russia’s mighty army. Offers of logistical and diplomatic support to the people and leadership of Ukraine have been pouring in at the international level since dawn on February 24th.

USA

Washington announced the allocation of a new tranche of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $2 billion.

“The United States is announcing $2 billion in additional military assistance to Ukraine,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN. He did not provide details on what is included in the kit.

An official who accompanied President Joe Biden on his visit to Kyiv this week added that the US administration is constantly thinking “how to give Ukraine the tools it needs to win.”

He recalled that the US president promised during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky “more artillery, more ammunition, more HIMARS” in addition to his administration’s commitment to send more light armored vehicles and later heavy tanks.

The HIMARS system, manufactured by the American defense industry giant Lockheed Martin, consists of several guided missile launchers mounted on lightly armored vehicles. It is already in use by Ukrainian forces, who describe it as extremely accurate.

European Union

The head of the EU delegation to China, Jorge Toledo, said on Friday that Beijing must fulfill its obligation to uphold the UN Charter in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

He made the comment as part of his speech in Beijing to dozens of diplomats during an event marking the first anniversary of the Russian military invasion.

Mr. Toledo also ruled that the text outlining China’s position on the conflict, which was released earlier today, is not a peace proposal.

Australia

On Friday, the Australian government announced it would send more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Ukraine to help with the war, and announced new targeted financial sanctions against 90 individuals and 40 businesses.

The new targets include Russian ministers in charge of energy and industry, as well as key players in the defense industry, including the Kalashnikov rifle maker, the Tupolev airline, the submarine maker, and others.

“We continue to support Ukraine,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a press release distributed by his services. He continued that the drones offer “intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for the Ukrainian armed forces.”

He did not specify how many such systems will be sent, nor the models, nor whether they will be in service.

For her part, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she would urge China, which the US and other Western countries accuse of planning to provide material support to Russia despite Beijing’s denials, to take steps to de-escalate the war.

Australia, which is among the non-NATO countries that contribute most to Western support for the Ukrainian army, supplies weapons, ammunition and other military equipment and banned the export of aluminum and other minerals to Russia.

Since war broke out on February 24, 2022, Canberra has provided half a billion Australian dollars (about 471 million euros) in aid to Ukraine. He also sent his military to the UK to train Ukrainians and also imposed sanctions on more than 1,000 Russian individuals and entities.

Great Britain

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is calling on his G7 allies, who will hold a videoconference on Friday to mark the anniversary of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, to expedite the delivery of weapons and ammunition, in particular artillery, to Kiev and to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces with long-range weapons systems.

“For Ukraine to win this war – and bring this day closer – it must gain a decisive advantage on the battlefield,” the head of the Conservative government said at the leaders’ debate, according to his services.

“Instead of taking a progressive approach, our approach should be to move faster in terms of artillery, tanks and air defense,” he added.

Mr Sunak who Downing Street observes a minute of silence on Friday Surrounded by Ukrainian military personnel, he will also call on G7 leaders to send “longer-range weapons” to Kyiv.

According to 10 Downing Street, which recently announced the start of training for Ukrainian pilots on Western-style aircraft, the British prime minister will repeat his proposal to offer support “to countries capable of supplying aircraft to Ukraine to help it directly in this war.” “.

The UK, the first country to promise to supply Ukrainian forces with heavy tanks, says it is open to the possibility of sending NATO-type aircraft to them, but said it would take up to three years to train their pilots.

Even China – in a way

The Chinese government on Friday called on Russia and Ukraine to resume peace talks and ruled out any use of nuclear weapons in a 12-point document released a year after the outbreak of the armed conflict.

“All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in this direction and resume direct dialogue as soon as possible,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in the text.

Chinese diplomacy also points out that “nuclear weapons should not be used,” referring to the threat made by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Nuclear weapons must not be used,” “nuclear wars must not be waged”: “We must counter the threat of nuclear weapons,” reads the document, entitled “China’s Position on a Political Solution to the Ukraine Crisis.”

China also asks Moscow and Kyiv not to attack civilians. “The (belligerent) parties must strictly abide by international humanitarian law, refrain from attacking civilians or civilian buildings,” the text of Chinese diplomacy emphasizes. He also confirms China’s opposition to Western sanctions.

The war in Ukraine is an extremely sensitive issue for Beijing, given the strong diplomatic and economic ties it has developed with Moscow in recent years, driven by a shared interest in balancing the US.

Beijing said on Tuesday it was “very concerned” that the war was “escalating” and that there was a risk of “getting out of control.”