The White House announcement Friday of $3.75 billion in weapons and other aid for Ukraine and its European backers came as Moscow said its troops are observing a short Orthodox Christmas ceasefire. ukraine
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The latest package of U.S. military assistance was the biggest to date for Ukraine. For the first time, it included 50 Bradley armoured vehicles and 500 of the anti-tank missiles they can fire. Germany also announced it would supply around 40 Marder armoured personnel carriers and France promised wheeled AMX-10 RC tank destroyers.Article content
“For the first time, we will get Bradley armoured vehicles — this is exactly what is needed. New guns and rounds, including high-precision ones, new rockets, new drones. It is timely and strong,” he said. In a revered cathedral in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, the Christmas service Saturday was delivered in the Ukrainian language — instead of Russian — for the first time in decades, highlighting how Ukraine is seeking to jettison Moscow’s remaining influences over religious, cultural and economic life in the country.
The Putin-ordered Christmas cease-fire that started Friday was first proposed by the Russian Orthodox Church’s Kremlin-aligned head, Patriarch Kirill. The Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar and celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7. Putin’s order said a cease-fire would allow worshippers in combat zones to attend Christmas services.But Ukrainian officials didn’t commit to following it and dismissed the move as a Russian ploy to buy time for its struggling invasion forces to regroup.
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