The US Congress has adopted a budget project of 45 billion dollars for Kyiv

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• 10.32pm: Washington urges Putin to ‘face reality’ after talking about ‘war’ in Ukraine

The United States mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a press conference to recognize the reality of the conflict in Ukraine and withdraw his troops after he used the word “war,” which is banned in Russia.

Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, which began on February 24, is officially called a “special military operation” in Russia. But on Thursday, Vladimir Putin used the word “war” to insist that he wanted the conflict in Ukraine to end as soon as possible.

“As of February 24, the United States and the rest of the world knew that the ‘special military operation’ was an unjustified and unwarranted war against Ukraine,” a US State Department spokesman said.

“Finally, after 300 days, Putin called the war in his own name,” he added. As the next step towards recognizing the reality, we call on him to end this war by withdrawing his troops from Ukraine.”

• 8:06 p.m.: The US Congress has adopted a $45 billion budget bill for Ukraine

The House of Representatives of the US Congress passed the Federal Services Finance Bill, which totals $1.7 trillion, including $45 for Ukraine.

This allows us to avoid the paralysis of the American federal administration (the famous “shutdown”), which could have intervened on Friday evening if no text had previously been approved by Congress.

>> Read also: “War in Ukraine: What will change the delivery of American Patriot missiles”

• 19:25: Vladimir Putin asks the defense industry to step up

Russian President Vladimir Putin asked the heads of the companies included in the military-industrial complex to ensure that the army quickly receives all the weapons it needs to fight in Ukraine.

“The most important task facing our military-industrial complex is to provide our units and forces on the front line with everything they need: weapons, equipment, ammunition and necessary materials as soon as possible,” said Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir Putin said this while visiting a weapons factory in the city of Tula, 200 kilometers south of Moscow.

• 18:46: In 2022, grain harvest in Ukraine has decreased by 40%

According to estimates released by the National Grain Association towards the end of the harvest, the grain harvest in Ukraine, one of the world’s leading producers, will decrease by about 40% this year compared to 2021 due to the Russian invasion.

After harvesting 106 million tons in 2021, a historical record, “this year’s harvest is predicted to be up to 64-65 million tons,” Serguii Ivashchenko, director of the association, told AFP.

“The main reason is the war,” he said, which led to the reduction of cultivated areas and lower productivity.

• 13:36: The Netherlands promises 2.5 billion euros to Ukraine in 2023

The Dutch government announced on Friday that it will provide Ukraine with an envelope of support totaling 2.5 billion euros in 2023, the exact use of which will depend on the course of the war.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on his Twitter account that “as long as Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine, the Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine militarily, humanitarianly and diplomatically.” .

• 12:39: Russia’s ambassador to the US says relations between Washington and Moscow are “in an ice age”

Russia’s ambassador to the United States on Friday described the state of relations between the two countries as an “ice age” and warned that the risk of conflict is “high”.

He added that it was difficult to say when the strategic dialogue between Moscow and Washington could resume, but that he believed that talks on the exchange of prisoners were “effective” and would continue.

• 11:17: Ukrainians are preparing to repair German howitzers in Lithuania

A group of Ukrainian military mechanics left Lithuania on Friday after being trained to repair German howitzers that were given to Kiev to defend against an attack on Russia.

“They learned the theoretical knowledge elsewhere, but … we taught them the real-life things, the frequent failures that are not described in the textbooks,” says Lithuanian Army Major Zilvins Cerskus.

• 7:32: Hope to better defend the skies against Russian strikes after Zelenskiy’s visit to Washington

• 05:24: Russia may cut oil production in response to price cap

By suspending sales to countries that support Ukraine, Russia may cut oil production by 5-7% in early 2023 in response to price restrictions for raw materials and petroleum products, RIA news agency reported on Friday, citing Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.

• 23:02: Russia’s Wagner group bought weapons from North Korea, condemned Washington

On Thursday, the White House issued a stern warning against the rise of the Wagner paramilitary group, which is a “rival” of Russia’s regular army in Ukraine and is currently receiving arms from North Korea.

“North Korea was the first to supply Wagner, who paid for this equipment. Last month (it) delivered the missiles and missiles intended for Wagner to Russia,” said John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council.

With AFP and Reuters