The House emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package Tuesday as lawmakers beefed up President Joe Biden’s initial request, signaling a magnified, bipartisan commitment to thwart Russia’s invasion. The move came as Ukraine claimed its forces were gradually pushing Russian troops away from the city of Kharkiv. Follow FRANCE 24’s live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10:42am: Ukrainian gas line supplying a third of Europe’s gas from Russia to be turned off
Ukraine says it has been forced to cut off gas supply at the Novopskov compressor station in eastern Ukraine as it can no longer ensure safety at the facility. Throughout the war in Ukraine the station has continued to run as normal, providing Europe with almost a third of its gas supply from Russia.
The gas flow will stop at 17:00 local time on Wednesday, Ukraine’s national gas supplier said.
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9:12am: US says no end in sight for war in Ukraine as Zelensky warns against ‘excessive emotions’
The US has warned that there is no end in sight for the conflict in Ukraine, even as Russian forces have been pushed back from the city of Kharkiv.
“The next few months could see us moving along a more unpredictable and potentially escalatory trajectory,” said US Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the Ukrainian success in Kharkiv but also warned against “excessive emotions” in a video address on Tuesday evening.
“We should not create an atmosphere of excessive moral pressure, where victories are expected weekly and even daily,” Zelensky said.
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7:17am: Russian gas transit to Europe via key Ukraine route falls to zero
Nominations for Russian gas transit via Ukraine at the Sokhranovka entry point for May 11 declined to zero, data from Ukraine’s gas pipeline operator showed on Wednesday, following Kyiv’s warning of shutting down supplies through the route.
Ukraine said on Tuesday it would suspend the flow of gas through the transit point which it said delivers almost a third of the fuel piped from Russia to Europe through Ukraine, blaming Moscow for the move and saying it would move the flows elsewhere.
The data also showed that requests for Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine at the Sudzha entry point stood at almost 72 million cubic metres for Wednesday.
