The president said in a statement that the assaults “only further underscore our resolve” to provide billions in aid and weaponry to Ukrainian forces. Joe Biden and other senior U.S. officials condemned Russia’s most recent aircraft assault over Ukraine on Monday. In the wake of the strikes, which Russian President Vladimir Putin described as retaliation for a weekend explosion that damaged a crucial bridge connecting Russia and Crimea, the disputed peninsula Putin annexed from Ukraine in 2014, Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and top military officials all voiced their opinions.
Ukrainian officials said that 12 Russian missile attacks on Sunday night impacted residential Zaporizhzhia neighborhoods in their country. On Monday morning, another round of Russian missile strikes hit civilian targets in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, and other towns. According to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service, there were at least 64 injuries and 11 fatalities in eight oblasts, including the capital city of Kyiv. Several cities also experienced power outages and other essential infrastructure service disruptions, including energy.
JUST IN – Biden promises Ukraine's Zelensky advanced air defense systems after Russian attacks earlier today.
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 10, 2022
In a speech on Monday, Putin stated that “a major strike of high-precision, long-range weaponry has been launched from air, land, and sea against Ukraine’s energy facilities, military command, and communication.” “Continued terrorist attacks on our soil will result in harsh retaliation from Russia, whose measures will be proportionate to the degree of danger posed to the Russian Federation. There should be no room for disagreement.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, immediately expressed his displeasure on social media, condemning the civilian deaths caused by the Russian military, as he has done several times throughout the eight-month conflict. (Despite its history of aircraft attacks like the ones this week, Russia maintains that it tries to avoid striking people.)
“The actual nature of the terrorist state that is executing our citizens was once more revealed to the world. both on the front lines and in tranquil towns. a nation that hides its real, murderous purpose and nature behind words of peace. It demonstrates that the sole foundation for peace and security is the release of “Zelenskyy tweeted something.
As he was traveling back to the White House from Delaware, Biden released a statement in which he said that the missile assaults show Putin’s “total cruelty” in the “illegal war on the Ukrainian people.”
The White House confirmed that Biden talked with Zelenskyy on Monday. Biden is also scheduled to participate in a virtual conference of the Group of Seven nations on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
Biden “conveyed his condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured in these senseless attacks” in his phone call with Zelenskyy, according to the White House, and “pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support it needs to defend itself, including cutting-edge air defense systems,” the statement read.
Zelenskyy, though, reaffirmed the importance of air defenses in a tweet. He, like with others in Ukraine, has pleaded for the United States to impose a purported no-fly zone to stop Russian airstrikes.
Joe Biden pledges to provide Ukraine with advanced air defense systems in his call today with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and tomorrow may provide another financial aid for Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/PW25EoWUVB
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) October 10, 2022
However, the U.S. thinks that taking such a decisive action runs the risk of extending the conflict beyond Ukraine and into a global, if not continental, battle.
Given Putin’s repeated references to his nation’s arsenal in the wake of Russia’s recent spate of losses in Ukraine, the president this week issued a warning about a potential nuclear “Armageddon.”
The White House said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that Biden wasn’t alluding to any immediate threat but rather was attempting to convey that “the stakes are very high.”
Blinken stated in his own statement on Monday that President Putin’s actions are “absolutely unacceptable” and that Russia’s attacks on Ukraine create a “deep moral challenge.” He also stated that the international community has a duty to express this. Blinken emphasized that the United States holds Putin accountable for the killings.
Vladimir Putin is the only person who has the power to end this conflict right away and remove Russia’s military, according to Blinken.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, reported that he also spoke over the phone with his colleague, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, on Monday. Price reports that during the call, Blinken “commended Ukraine for not letting President Putin break Ukraine’s spirit while adding that the United States would continue to offer crucial economic, humanitarian, and security support so Ukraine can defend itself and take care of its people.”
Top U.S. Army officials also disapproved of the most recent Russian assault in Ukraine. The officials said that the strikes were reminiscent of earlier phases of the conflict, which started when Russia invaded in February, saying that it was carrying out a necessary security operation. They were speaking at a press conference on Monday at the Army’s annual conference, which was hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army in Washington.
