China News Agency, Beijing, April 22. Comprehensive news: Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 21st ordered the cancellation of the plan to storm the Azov steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine. At the same time, many Western countries continued to provide assistance to Ukraine, and US President Biden announced that he would provide Ukraine with an additional $800 million in military assistance. The Prime Ministers of Spain and Denmark who visited Kyiv also announced their aid support for Ukraine.
Russia cancels attack on Azov steel plant
According to the Kremlin website, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on the 21st and listened to his report on the situation of Mariupol.
Shoigu reported that the Russian army has taken control of the entire city of Mariupol except for the Azov steel plant. At present, more than 2,000 Ukrainian armed personnel and foreign mercenaries are blocked in the Azov steel plant. The Russian army still needs 3 to 4 days to complete the task of capturing the Azov steel plant.
After listening to the report, Putin ordered the cancellation of the plan to storm the Azov steel plant in order to protect the lives of Russian military personnel. At the same time, he ordered the Azov Steel Plant to be tightly sealed, and once again urged the armed personnel inside to lay down their weapons, and the Russian side will protect their lives in accordance with relevant international law.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov told the media on the same day that Mariupol has been “liberated” and that the Ukrainian “nationalists” blocked in the Azov Steel Plant will never become an obstacle for local residents to start building a peaceful life.
In response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal on April 20 to exchange Russian prisoners of war with Ukrainian armed personnel in the Azov steel plant, Peskov said that the armed personnel in the Azov iron and steel plant had and now have the opportunity to lay down their weapons and Evacuate along humanitarian corridors. He also said that Russia will continue to wait for Ukrainian negotiators to reply to the latest draft of Russia’s document under the framework of the Russia-Ukraine negotiation.
In addition, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Veresyuk posted on social media that day that there are still about 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded soldiers in the Azov Steel Plant who need to be rescued. She called for continued opening of humanitarian corridors for evacuees.
On the 21st, Veresuk posted on social media that Ukraine and Russia exchanged detainees again on the 21st, and a total of 19 Ukrainian personnel were released, including 10 soldiers and 9 civilians. Some of them were injured and injured. will receive medical treatment. Veresuk said that due to the continuous shelling by the Russian side, the humanitarian channel planned to be opened in Mariupol that day could not be opened.
Many countries continue to provide aid to Ukraine
U.S. President Biden announced on the 21st local time that the United States will provide Ukraine with an additional $800 million in military aid and an additional $500 million in economic aid.
The $800 million military aid provided to Ukraine includes artillery, artillery shells, and drones. According to statistics, since Russia launched military operations in Ukraine, the United States has provided Ukraine with about 3.4 billion US dollars in military assistance.
U.S. media believe that Biden’s request for more military assistance to Ukraine signifies that the Biden administration generally believes that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict will not end in the near future.
In addition to the United States, Spain and Denmark have also provided military assistance and financial support to Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian President’s website, Zelensky met with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez and Danish Prime Minister Fraser Ricksen in Kyiv on the 21st. and other issues were discussed. During the meeting, all parties agreed to continue to cooperate actively in putting pressure on Russia’s sanctions. Sanchez said Spain supports Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Frazer Ricksen said that Denmark is willing to participate in the post-war reconstruction of the southern Ukrainian city of Nikolayev.
According to the Ukrainian state news agency, Sanchez said after the meeting that Spain had sent a new batch of military aid to Ukraine, including 200 tons of ammunition, 30 trucks loaded with military supplies and 20 armored vehicles.
Frazer Ricksen said Denmark had allocated about $90 million to supply Ukraine with weapons.
Rebuilding Ukraine could cost $600 billion
Zelensky said at the World Bank’s Ministerial Roundtable on Supporting Ukraine on the 21st that Ukraine needs $7 billion per month to support its reconstruction efforts and economic losses.
Speaking at the scene, Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmigal said that rebuilding Ukraine will cost $600 billion, and he called on IMF member countries to donate 10 percent of their reserve assets from the agency to support reconstruction efforts.
World Bank President Malpass said at the meeting that the World Bank has completed an early assessment, and the cost of construction and infrastructure is referred to as a narrow cost of about 60 billion US dollars, excluding the economic cost of Ukraine’s growing economy. These costs are rising as the conflict continues. So far, the World Bank has raised more than $3 billion for Ukraine.
The International Monetary Fund’s Georgieva urged an emphasis on grants and “highly concessional financing,” asking countries to work with the IMF to provide Ukraine with $15 billion over the next three months to help Ukraine provide essential government services.
Bloomberg reported on the 21st that U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Europe should be “cautious” about imposing an outright ban on Russian oil, warning that it could hurt Europe and other economies without causing too much damage to Russia as hoped. big impact.
In addition, Venezuelan President Maduro said in a televised speech on the evening of the 20th local time that the sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia over the Ukraine issue are having a negative impact on the global economy. He asked Western countries to immediately lift sanctions on Russia to prevent them from further devastate the global economy.
Responsible editor: Zuo Qiuzi