Biden asks Congress for new aid package; Putin warns of further retaliation

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President Joe Biden asked Congress to fund a new $33 billion Ukraine aid package Thursday as the West stepped up support for Kyiv and embraced a more ambitious goal of weakening Russia despite intensifying threats and action from the Kremlin.

Biden spoke at the White House after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of “lightning fast” retaliation against any countries that interfere in Ukraine.

In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Biden, and said the proposed support is an important step by the U.S. and a necessary one for his country's defense.

The announcement came amid ongoing reports of Russian strikes to cities across Ukraine, from the Luhansk region in the east to Zaporizhzhia in the southeast.

Ten people were reported to be wounded after two missiles struck Kyiv on Thursday missiles struck Kyiv on Thursday evening as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres was visiting the city, where he witnessed the damage caused to suburbs and towns surrounding the capital.

Also Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv announced that a bodyguard who had taken leave to fight Russian forces had died. Information about how he died was not provided.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s move to cut off gas supplies to NATO members Poland and Bulgaria left Europe confronting the prospect of an energy crisis as the conflict increasingly extends into a broader standoff with Russia over economic sanctions and military shipments.

Zelenskyy accused Moscow of using gas and trade as weapons, even as his efforts to rally support for his country’s defensive cause appeared to be succeeding despite Putin’s efforts to weaken the West’s resolve.

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