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In his , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, “After the conference in Lugano, which was dedicated to the recovery of Ukraine, government officials have already agreed on emergency aid to our country in the amount of more than $2 billion. These funds will be directed to strengthening the budget and preparing for winter.”
NATO’s Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said Western Balkan countries don't face an “imminent threat” from the war in Ukraine, and are of strategic interest to the Western alliance, The Associated Press reported.
Geoana was in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, to meet with local officials and visit the NATO-led KFOR mission. He denounced Russia’s “illogical and brutal war” in Ukraine and its “aggressive and malign influence over the Western Balkans."
“We have a strategic interest ... in the Western Balkans. I want to send a message of hope for all the people to the Western Balkans that ultimately all of us will find ourselves in the European and Euro-Atlantic family,” he told The Associated Press.
Some Western Balkan countries are NATO members — Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia — while Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina are partners.
Kosovo has said it will apply for the Partnership for Peace membership, considered a first step in the NATO membership process, according to the AP.
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi warned that Ukraine faces tremendous challenges after invading Russian forces destroyed thousands of homes while also traumatizing residents, separating families and creating widespread anxiety during the conflict, The Associated Press reported.
Grandi also said he's seen Ukrainian victims of the war showing a lot of strength, resilience and determination to rebuild their lives in the face of continuing Russia military attacks.
Grandi was speaking while visiting the towns of Irpin and Bucha, where Russian forces have committed some of the worst atrocities during their invasion of Ukraine.
The war in Ukraine has caused civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure, forcing people to flee their homes seeking safety, protection and assistance. Millions of refugees from Ukraine have crossed borders into neighboring countries, and many more have been forced to move inside the country.
The United States will continue its "close cooperation" with Britain including their joint support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, US President Joe Biden said Thursday, hours after Boris Johnson announced his resignation as prime minister, Agence France-Presse reported.
"The United Kingdom and the United States are the closest of friends and allies, and the special relationship between our people remains strong and enduring," Biden said in a statement.
"I look forward to continuing our close cooperation with the government of the United Kingdom," he added, including "maintaining a strong and united approach to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Putin's brutal war on their democracy, and holding Russia accountable for its actions."
A senior US diplomat gave Griner a letter Thursday from U.S. President Joe Biden, . Griner had written to Biden on July 4 pleading for his help.
Griner appreciated Biden's letter "like every citizen of every country would appreciate a personal letter from the President," one of her lawyers, Alexander Boykov said.
On Wednesday, the White House announced Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had spoken by phone with Griner's wife. Cherelle Griner was grateful for the call, she said in a statement Wednesday.
In the meantime, the US government should "continue doing what they are doing and exhaust every measure possible to help bring BG home," Griner's Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard told CNN on Thursday following her plea.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas is to present a combat drone to Ukraine that was donated by the Turkish manufacturer after a private crowdfunding campaign among ordinary Lithuanians raised $6.1 million to buy it within days.
The campaign's success inspired Turkey's Baykar defense company, which makes the Bayraktar TB2 drone, to provide it free of cost. Some of the money raised in Lithuania was used to arm the drone, and the rest will be funneled to Ukraine to address "critical needs," the Lithuanian government said.
"One weapon won't win a war, but symbols are extremely important in any war," Anusauskas told public broadcaster LRT Wednesday.