Russia said on Wednesday that its forces had intercepted multiple Ukrainian tactical missiles in the past 24 hours, while Ukraine reported on the same day that its forces had repelled Russian offensives in different directions, according to their latest updates on the conflict.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Russian army managed to occupy a more advantageous position, took control of a settlement, and attacked multiple targets including a Ukrainian ammunition depot, an electronic warfare base station and a multiple rocket launcher system over the past 24 hours.
The Russian air defense system intercepted several Ukrainian tactical missiles, aerial bombs, rockets and drones.
The Russian army also repelled several attacks from the Ukrainian army in the Kursk region and targeted concentration points of Ukrainian military personnel and armored vehicles.
On the same day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces issued a report stating that the Ukrainian army continued to fight with the Russian army across multiple fronts, among which the fighting in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove areas was the most intense.
The Russian army launched multiple attacks on the Ukrainian positions in the Kharkiv direction, and the fighting between the two forces continued.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the Ukrainian army repelled multiple attacks from Russian troops.
Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Wednesday announced new aid packages for Ukraine, U.S. media reported.
According to the British government's website, Lammy announced that Britain will provide more than 600 million pounds (about 783 million U.S. dollars) worth of support for Ukraine.
The funding will be used to finance Ukraine's urgent humanitarian, energy and stabilization needs, and provide credit guarantees for Kiev, according to the announcement.
For his part, speaking at a press conference in Kiev, Blinken said that the U.S. would provide more than 700 million U.S. dollars for Ukraine in fresh assistance.
Of the sum, 325 million dollars will be directed for the restoration of energy and electric networks, 290 million dollars for humanitarian aid and 102 million dollars for humanitarian demining.
Blinken also said he had discussed the use of long-range weapons with Ukrainian officials.
According to multiple Western media reports, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he was "working that out now" when asked if the U.S. would allow Ukraine to use of long-range weapons in its conflict with Russia.
Earlier on Tuesday, John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, tried to clarify that the U.S. does not support Ukraine's deep strikes into Russia, including the use of American weapons, according to RIA Novosti reports.
However, on the same day, Blinken announced that Biden plans to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday to discuss the potential for the Ukrainian army to use long-range weapons provided by the two countries to target Russia.
Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder remarked on Tuesday that air defense has long been a priority for the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and the U.S., and that he doesn't see that changing, when commenting on the priorities of Western countries' military support.
In response, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday that if the U.S. allows Ukraine to use long-range weapons to strike Russia, Russia will eliminate the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) the U.S. provided to Ukraine.
In another development, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Wednesday that the Russian army has successfully thwarted Ukraine's attempt to seize the Crimea-2 drilling rig in the Black Sea.
According to the ministry, Ukraine deployed 14 American-made Willard speedboats during the operation, and the Russian army sank eight of them, resulting in the death of nearly 80 Ukrainian marines.
Russia claims interception of Ukrainian tactical missiles, Ukraine reports repelling Russian offensives
