US intends to provide Ukraine with $500mn in direct budgetary aid: Biden tells Zelenskyy

United States President Joe Biden spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday and discussed the country's continued support for Ukraine in the face of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, informed the White House.

Biden informed Zelenskyy that US intends to provide Ukraine with $500mn in direct budgetary aid. He also reviewed additional sanctions and humanitarian aid announced last week, the White House informed.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy updated Biden on status of Ukraine’s ongoing negotiations with Russia.

The White House further said that the two leaders discussed how the US is working around the clock to fulfil the main security assistance requests by Ukraine and the critical effects those weapons have had on the conflict.

Putin misled by advisers on Ukraine, US intel determines

US intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about Russian forces' performance in Ukraine, according to a US official.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity on Wednesday to discuss the recently declassified intelligence finding, said that Putin has felt misled by the Russian military and there is now persistent tension between him and senior Russian defence officials.

The official did not detail underlying evidence for how US intelligence made the determination.

But the intel community has concluded that Putin was unaware that the military had been using and losing conscripts in Ukraine.

They also have determined Putin is not fully aware of the extent to which the Russian economy is being damaged by economic sanctions imposed by the US and allies.

The findings demonstrate a "clear breakdown in the flow of accurate information" to Putin, and show that Putin's senior advisers are "afraid to tell him the truth," the official said.

(With AP inputs)

Published on: Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 10:16 PM IST