WAR IN UKRAINE: February 22, 2023

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 364

  • With just two days before the one year mark of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. and Russian presidents had duelling speeches - with Mr. Putin showing no signs of retreating and with Mr. Biden pledging to back Ukraine all the way to victory. But still - Ukraine is well short of everything it needs from a military standpoint to defeat Russia - especially attack helicopters, fighter jets and missiles able to strike legitimate military targets within the Russian Federation.

  • The biggest headline from Mr. Putin’s speech to the Federal Assembly was the announcement that Russia has suspended its participation in the New START treaty. In response, NATO’s top chief said: “With today’s decision on New START, the whole arms control architecture has been dismantled," said Jens Stoltenberg. "I strongly encourage Russia to reconsider its decision and to respect existing agreements." The New START treaty, signed in 2010 in Prague, is an agreement between the United States and Russia to reduce their nuclear arsenals. The United Nations has expressed concern over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to withdraw from the New START treaty, which is aimed at the reduction of states’ nuclear arsenals.

  • Kherson came under heavy shelling Tuesday by the Russian army, resulting in the tragic loss of five civilian lives and leaving 16 others injured, the Kherson City Council said. Multiple locations, including residential areas, a high-rise building, and a public bus stop came under rocket fire. In response, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a statement underscoring Russia’s brutal actions. “The world must not forget for a single moment that Russian cruelty and aggression know no bounds. The terrorist state will be held responsible for all its inhumane crimes against our people and Ukraine.”

  • A year later, China blames U.S. ‘hegemony’ — not Russia — for war in Ukraine: Beijing continues to stand by Moscow even as it professes “deep concern” about the conflict: It considers the United States — not Russia — the progenitor of global insecurity, including in Ukraine. Beijing insists it is neutral in the conflict, but those claims routinely clash with its rhetorical and diplomatic support for Russia. The China-Russia relationship has stood the test of stormy international circumstances and remained “as stable as Mount Tai,” Foreign Minister Wang YI told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, using a Chinese idiom for rock-solid. “Crisis and chaos appear repeatedly before us, but within crisis there is opportunity,” he said - Washington Post

  • The United Nations says the Russia's war in Ukraine has caused more than 21,000 civilian casualties since its start on February 24, 2022, with 8,006 people killed and 13,287 wounded.

  • Ukraine could secure "sizable support" from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under a new, longer-term program, and its economy should see a gradual recovery over the course of this year, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations say that their countries will continue to impose economic costs on Russia and urged the broader international community to reject what they described as Moscow's "brutal expansionism” - RFE/RL

  • Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says his government will provide Ukraine with $5.5 billion in financial aid to facilitate the swift reconstruction of its damaged infrastructure. Kishida also said he would invite Ukrainian President Zelensky to partake in an upcoming online summit of the G-7 (Group of Seven) major industrial nations, amid Japan’s efforts to bolster global support of Ukraine as Russia is said to be preparing for a new, large-scale spring offensive. PM Kishida, a vocal advocate for the war-torn state, has also expressed interest in visiting Kyiv. Such a trip would, however, be challenging to arrange due to security issues, a Japanese lawmaker said.

Michael BociurkiwComment