Ukraine's ambassador to US says Kyiv needs weapons to fight Russia

Ukraine's ambassador to the US is telling senators her country needs more military weapons as it fights the Russian invasion.

Senators emerged from a Monday evening meeting with Ambassador Oksana Markarova at the Capitol as Congress is preparing supplemental funding to help Ukraine during the crisis. The White House is seeking at least $6.4 billion in military and humanitarian aid.

They need more arms, said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

It's David versus Goliath, said Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee.

I think that any human being reading the reports coming out of there realise that this is dire.

Senators in the US are working to provide ammunition such as anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine -- what Risch called an all of the above effort.

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Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian troops have intensified shelling of Ukraine, calling it an effort to force his government into making concessions during talks held Monday.

In a video address late Monday, Zelenskyy says that the talks were taking place against the backdrop of bombing and shelling of our territory, our cities.

Synchronising of the shelling with the negotiating process was obvious. I believe Russia is trying to put pressure (on Ukraine) with this simple method.

The president gave no details about the hours-long talks themselves. But he says Ukraine is not prepared to make concessions when one side is hitting each other with rocket artillery.

Zelenskyy says that Kyiv, the capital, remains a key goal for the Russians and that Russian forces have also shelled the city of Kharkiv with rocket artillery.

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Los Angeles: Ukraine's minister of digital transformation says equipment to use SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service has arrived in his country.

Mykhailo Fedorov thanked SpaceX founder Elon Musk for the equipment in a Twitter post Monday that was accompanied by a photo of boxes on the back of a truck.

Musk replied with his own tweet saying: You are most welcome.

The tech billionaire said over the weekend that Starlink was now active in Ukraine and more equipment to use it was on the way. That followed a public request from Fedorov for the service.

Starlink is a satellite-based internet system that SpaceX has been building for years to bring internet access to underserved areas of the world. It markets itself as ideally suited for areas where internet service is unreliable or unavailable.

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Kyiv: Ukraine's president has signed a decree temporarily lifting the requirement for entry visas for any foreigner willing to join Ukraine's International Defense Legion and fight on Ukraine's side against invading Russian troops.

The decree by President Volorymyr Zelenskyy takes effect Tuesday and will remain in effect as long as martial law is in place.

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New York: The National Hockey League is suspending all business dealings in Russia and has ruled out the possibility of holding events there in the near future because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The league issued a statement Monday condemning Russia's actions.

It also says: We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL clubs, and not on behalf of Russia. We understand they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position.

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Washington: The parent company of Facebook and Instagram says it is restricting access to Russia's RT and Sputnik in Europe over concerns the two state-controlled media outlets are being used to spread disinformation and propaganda.

Monday's action by Menlo Park, Calif.-based Meta came after its announcement over the weekend that it was banning ads from Russian state media and had removed a network of 40 fake accounts, pages and groups that published pro-Russian talking points.

The network used fictitious persons posing as journalists and experts, but had yet to create much of an audience. Facebook began labelling Russian state-run media in 2020.

RT and Sputnik are part of Russia's sprawling propaganda machine, spreading information that supports Russia's invasion while seeking to undermine and criticize the response by other nations.

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Kyiv: Ukrainian Orthodox bishops are calling on their superior in Moscow to urge Russia's leadership to stop the war in Ukraine.

The Holy Synod the governing body of bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church -- asked Moscow Patriarch Kirill to call on Russian leaders to stop hostilities. The appeal shows a growing chasm between Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, and his own bishops in Ukraine over the war.

Patriarch Kirill has long had friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In statements to date, he has called for an end to fratricidal war in Ukraine, but he has not assigned blame for the conflict and has emphasized a call for Orthodox unity.

While the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is under the ultimate authority of Kirill, it also enjoys considerable autonomy. Its synod also called for divine intervention on behalf of Ukraine's army.

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Toronto: Canada will be supplying Ukraine with anti-tank weapons systems, upgraded ammunition and is banning all imports of crude oil from Russia.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the shipments are addition to the three previous shipments of lethal and non-lethal equipment. Canada announced this week it would be sending new shipments of military supplies, including body armor, helmets, gas masks, and night-vision goggles.

Canada does not import much oil from Russia.

Trudeau called for the end to the war, saying its costs would only grow grow steeper and that those responsible will be held accountable.

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United Nations: The United States says it is expelling 12 Russian diplomats at the United Nations for engaging in activities not in accordance with their responsibilities and obligations as diplomats.

US deputy ambassador Richard Mills confirmed the expulsions after Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the UN Security Council on Monday afternoon that he had just been informed of yet another hostile step undertaken by the host country" against the Russian Mission.

Nebenzia called the US expulsions a gross violation of the UN agreement with the United States as the host of the United Nations and of the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations.

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Brussels: The European Union has slapped sanctions on 26 more Russians, including oligarchs, senior officials and an energy insurance company, in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine, bringing the total of people targeted to 680.

EU headquarters said those listed include oligarchs and businessmen active in the oil, banking and finance sectors, government officials, top military brass and propagandists who contributed to spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda and promote a positive attitude towards the invasion of Ukraine.

The bloc had already imposed an asset freeze on President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

No travel ban was imposed to allow the two men to take part in any diplomatic efforts, should Russia consider bringing an end to the war on its former Soviet neighbor.

EU sanctions now apply to a total of 680 people and 53 entities, which are usually organizations, agencies, banks or companies. Gas Industry Insurance Company SOGAZ was listed Monday.