World news April 27: The US announced the largest military aid package for Ukraine

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin – Photo: AFP

The US announced the “largest” new aid package for Ukraine

On April 27 US time, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced a long-term military aid package worth 6 billion USD for Ukraine.

This is considered the largest US military aid package for Ukraine since the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia conflict until now. It allows the United States to purchase additional equipment produced by American companies for delivery to the Ukrainian military.

“This is the largest security assistance package we have committed to date. It includes important equipment for Patriot missiles and NASAMS air defense systems, many anti-drone systems and support equipment. support, a significant number of artillery shells, as well as air-to-ground ammunition, and maintenance support,” CNN quoted Mr. Austin as saying at a press conference on April 26.

Previously, the US announced an aid package worth $1 billion to urgently send equipment to Ukraine. This development follows US President Joe Biden signing a $95 billion aid law, with about $61 billion in aid to Ukraine.

Spain is about to send missiles to Ukraine?

According to the newspaper El Pais On April 26, Spain will send a small number of Patriot missiles to Ukraine amid increased pressure to aid Ukraine on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU).

“The transfer of a small number of missiles took place after the Defense Minister refused to hand over the battery they had deployed since 2013 on the Türkiye-Syria border,” El Pais said a government source.

The Spanish Ministry of Defense has not responded to a request for comment on this information. Newsletter of El Pais appeared after German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius criticized Spain and Greece for not sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

Kiev is facing difficulties in the conflict with Russia, which started in February 2022 when Russia launched a “special military campaign”. The lack of ammunition and aerial capabilities is said to be Ukraine’s biggest obstacle amid concerns that Russia is about to launch a major attack this summer.

Russia’s deputy defense minister appealed through lawyers

On April 26, TASS News Agency said that lawyers of Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov filed an appeal against the court’s decision to detain him before trial.

Previously, on April 23, the Russian Federal Investigation Committee announced that it had arrested Mr. Ivanov on suspicion of accepting bribes. Also detained was Sergei Borodin, an associate of Ivanov.

Court records say Alexander Fomin, co-founder of Olimpsitistroy Construction Company, is suspected of paying bribes to Ivanov and Borodin.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov – Photo: TASS

The German President canceled the meeting on Gaza because of the absence of a Palestinian representative

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier canceled a scheduled discussion on the war in Gaza amid criticism that Palestinians were not invited to participate, according to reports. DPA.

Before that, Mr. Steinmeier plans to speak and discuss at an event called “How do we talk about the war in the Middle East?”, held at Bellevue Palace, the residence of the German President.

Participating in this April 26 event included a few people such as Meron Mendel – director of the Anne Frank Educational Center, journalist Tilo Jung and Melody Sucharewicz – an expert on German-Israeli relations. However, opponents argue that this event does not include the voice of Palestinians.

Germany and other European countries are under increasing pressure regarding their approach to the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israel wants to eliminate Hamas to retaliate and prevent a recurrence of Hamas attacking Israeli territory on October 7, 2023. However, Israel’s campaign faced opposition from many countries because of the terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza, where more than 2 million people live.

Houthi attacks again in the Gulf of Aden

Houthi forces in Yemen confirmed that they attacked the MSC Darwin in the Gulf of Aden on April 26, repeating raids targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea area. In a televised statement on the same day, the group’s military spokesman also announced that he had launched a number of missiles at targets in Israel.

The Houthis are known to be one of the Islamic organizations sponsored by Iran, which has increased hostility towards Israel since Israel launched a war against the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Houthis have put commercial ships in the Red Sea area in danger with a series of attacks in recent months, seeing this as a way to respond to Israel’s actions.

On April 27, this organization continued to claim responsibility for the attack on the UK oil tanker Andromeda Star, and said it had shot down a US MQ9 drone in Yemeni airspace, in Saada province. .