In case you missed it, Joe Biden has asked his defence team to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
After condemning Russia’s Christmas Day attack, Biden said he has already responded by reaffirming Washington’s commitment to Ukraine’s defence.
“The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardise the safety of its grid,” he said.
For context: Washington has committed $175bn in aid for Ukraine over the course of the war, but the future of US funding is in some doubt, with president-elect Donald Trump questioning their level of involvement and suggesting Europe should bear more of the burden.
But Keith Kellogg, who is Mr Trump’s pick for special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, criticised the attack on what should be a “time of peace”, adding “the US is more resolved than ever to bring peace to the region”.
Zelenskyy: We need more strength in weaponry
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for increased military aid in his nightly address.
The Ukrainian president says it is “crucial” that the US is stepping up its deliveries of aid in the final weeks of the Biden administration.
“I thank our partners for their assistance, but the pace of deliveries must accelerate to disrupt the tempo of Russian assaults,” he adds.
More than 150 combat clashes reported on Boxing Day, says Ukraine’s military
Ukraine’s army says there were 164 combat clashes reported with Russian forces on Boxing Day.
In an update on Facebook, it said Moscow also carried out 35 air strikes and carried out “more than 4,600 shelling of positions of our troops and settlements” using various weapons.
It said there were intense attacks in the direction of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, a key logistics hub in the Donbas region, where fighting is regularly described as exceptionally tough.
“Our soldiers are making efforts to prevent the advancement of the opponent into the depths of Ukrainian territory,” it said, adding that Russian troops had suffered “significant losses in this direction”.
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