Latest News About Russia And Ukraine fight

 

Latest News About Russia And Ukraine fight

This article is published on the website of The Associated Press. The AP is paying attention to developments in both countries as they go into battle over control of their territories. We will be updating this post regularly as events unfold. There are two main stories to turn our attention to, and each will have a different angle of view.

The fight continues to grip parts of eastern Ukraine and is heading toward its fourth day. Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They will discuss the situation further when they meet again, according to European leaders.

The fighting began Thursday afternoon after troops from their respective governments came under fire along with a number of people, including journalists. Fighting has reportedly been taking place on almost all major roads leading to a second round of talks scheduled for Saturday. On Wednesday the presidents of Poland, Hungary and Germany issued statements condemning the fighting and calling for restraint. On Monday, U.S.-backed rebels said about 80% of the area was under government control, while others say the figure is lower at 48%. In addition to Moscow and Kiev, the fighting has also spread beyond the cities in east Ukraine to other towns. That includes Lviv and Pristina. At least one person was killed, although the death toll remains unknown. Both sides accuse one another of using excessive force, which would not be unusual in an arms struggle between neighbors. Several people have died as tanks, artillery and infantry have also been hit. But most heavily used by the two sides are so-called T-72 Tank and Apache guns, which are older than many modern fighter jets. Their ammunition can travel up to 500 meters ahead. These weapons have only limited ranges. The Americans and the Russians argue that these weapons pose no threat to civilians, but it could be more difficult for them to stop vehicles moving for miles ahead. The gunners have been forced to adjust their tactics, too. It’s unclear exactly how well the two sides know each other’s tactics. More recently, they have discussed joint forces and air strikes to try to halt deliveries by trucks bringing supplies. The United States says that the two sides are able to exchange information by email. Meanwhile, the Kremlin notes that this is only part of the military standoff, which extends several kilometers deep into the countryside. “It’s a war in the mountains, against air defenses, against everything except for the enemy’s own positions. A ground offensive is very important, and the Americans have a lot of experience in this area," Putin told reporters on Thursday. Putin said he would be happy if Russia did not get involved. He called out what he called American "insidious" actions in Crimea. Some of the skirmishes reportedly involve artillery-guided bombs. The Kremlin accused Washington of trying to break ties with Ukraine in the absence of a full-fledged agreement. He also took aim at Biden's executive orders on foreign affairs, saying they did more harm than good, accusing them of being too weak on China, Russia's biggest economic competitor. He described them as giving Biden "two months" instead of six years. His comments were met with applause and cheering by supporters and protesters. Then he mocked the order by name, suggesting it is written by someone who knows nothing about international relations. But the remark has continued to draw accusations that he is guilty the presidency. Putin has been criticized for his crackdown on rights and freedoms, especially when thousands of people attended nationwide protests last year against police abuse.

The president's office referred questions about security issues to the army. An online video circulating on social media showed soldiers carrying boxes stacked with rifle rounds on stretchers. One box held 10 bullets each, a weapon the troops referred to as "the light gun." They had arrived earlier in the afternoon after a late night search that included missile defense systems deployed in western Ukraine. After arriving in central Kyiv, the fighters were given permission to continue their mission. The next morning, the leader of the National Security Committee met Thursday to discuss the state of combat in the region.

Over at the White House, Biden spoke for less than half an hour — in front of the national security council in place of an actual Cabinet committee meeting. The members included a small group of people wearing masks. They came to the conclusion that there has never been anything like this in modern history. Vice-President Kamala Harris joined virtually with the vice-president. She addressed that if one doesn't have faith in the system, and even though you're holding onto power, the whole country needs to do better. You have to take responsibility for the failures.

Then, the presidential campaign manager Joe Lao and his wife, Mary, announced Tuesday evening that they'd changed jobs and moved back home with their sons from South Bend, Indiana. Lao's son Hunter Biden is running against Donald Trump in his father's race. When the news broke, the family cheered. In her remarks, Lao acknowledged she found it hard to accept the results. And, as she put it, "We got some real lessons to learn about democracy as we move forward."

The transition team will leave early this week for Georgia and Pennsylvania. As expected, that puts them behind schedule, but in line with how things normally work. For the past several days, the Biden transition team has made its way down to local election offices just north of Atlanta to deliver briefings. That may not be surprising since Trump himself has made time for a briefing during that time. Republicans in Congress have spent weeks pressing both parties to make clear what their position is on voter fraud. To be clear, Trump and the Republican Party have long insisted that voter fraud shouldn't exist. They've also cast a dark shadow around mail-in ballots, and they've attacked anyone who tries to find a problem with those ballots. Just last month, GOP senators blocked a motion to allow for special certification of votes because the counting process appeared corrupt. Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that voting machines stole election fraud.

As of Friday afternoon, Biden has 306 electoral votes and has won 270, which means he'll win the presidency unless the other side wins several key states in Pennsylvania and another in Georgia. If the elections were close, he might still win despite losing in Georgia and Pennsylvania. That has happened before, as Trump lost in 2016 after winning in 2016. He also won Florida by 2 percentage points in 2016. Many Democrats wanted him to run again in 2020, because unlike Trump, they didn't like Hillary Clinton's record. If they don't win those states, he will get the presidency regardless.

This would be Biden's fourth term, his first being after Ronald Reagan.

If he is chosen as president, Biden becomes the oldest member in the nation's history. He was born on April 20, 1942, the same date he was born his sister Barbara. They were married in 1955. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1958, becoming a lieutenant colonel in 1963 and reaching the rank of Major in 1965. He has been appointed by Obama to serve as Deputy Secretary of State. He graduated from Georgetown University in 1969. With his tenure now complete, he was named by the Barack Obama administration to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He's one of four members of the Federal Reserve Board who serves in non-executive positions, two of them being Republican members. Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker is a Democrat.

In 1970, he ran for Senate as a candidate from Ohio. Like so many Republicans, he won only by fewer than 600 votes. He was the youngest senator ever elected then. In 1983, he was re-elected with 73.8 percent of the vote, beating his reelection opponent Ted Kennedy 78.4 percent. Kennedy was 77.4 percent in 1960. Lyndon Johnson was 71.5 percent in 1952.

He has served three terms representing his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, where he grew up. From his childhood, Donald Trump has often said he was inspired by Nixon and Richard Nixon's leadership. He was interested in politics in high school, working for Franklin D. Roosevelt and serving a term as assistant United States Senator from Illinois. He has said his greatest accomplishment now is passing along wealth tax cuts that will benefit the billionaire class. This is not possible if the Republicans win two Senate seats.