High quality Ukraine T-Shirts online aid shopping? Away from the battlefield, Ukraine’s survival in the face of the Russian onslaught depends on how unified the United States and its allies remain, as Moscow’s war stresses economies around the world with painfully high energy costs and a potentially devastating food crisis. So far, that unity has been remarkable. The United States and its partners have armed Ukraine and trained its forces with increasingly advanced weapons, while a flood of humanitarian aid has poured into Kyiv and neighboring nations that opened their doors to millions of refugees. Meanwhile, Russia faces unprecedented sanctions and the departure of major corporations. Moscow has blunted the economic impact with billions of dollars in sales of oil and gas – including to Europe, which is trying to wean itself off those supplies. But there are signs of frustration and impatience, as the war grinds through its fourth month. While it’s far too early to speak of a fissuring coalition, there is evidence that not all the allies are singing from the same hymnal. And Russian President Vladimir Putin has bet that his people can outlast the West. See more Ukraine solidarity information at Ukraine Caps.
2019: In April, comedian and actor Volodymyr Zelenskyy is elected president in a landslide rebuke of Poroshenko and the status quo, which includes a stagnating economy and the conflict with Russia. During his campaign, Zelenskyy vowed to make peace with Russia and end the war in the Donbas. April 2021 : Russia sends about 100,000 troops to Ukraine’s borders, ostensibly for military exercises. Although few analysts believe an invasion is imminent, Zelenskyy urges NATO leadership to put Ukraine on a timeline for membership. Later that month, Russia says it will withdraw the troops, but tens of thousands remain. Two years after his entanglement with Trump, Zelenskyy visits the White House to meet with President Biden. Biden emphasizes that the U.S. is committed to “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression” but repeats that Ukraine has not yet met the conditions necessary to join NATO.
April 20: The International Monetary Fund forecasts global growth of 3.6 percent this year and next, a downward revision of 0.8 percent for this year and 0.2 percent for next year compared to January forecasts, owing to the war in Ukraine. April 21: Putin declares victory in Mariupol, though 2,500 Ukrainian defenders in the Azovstal steelworks have not surrendered. April 26: Austin presses delegates from 40 nations to contribute more weapons as soon as possible to Ukraine’s war effort at a military donors’ conference at Ramstein air base in Germany. April 27: Russia cuts off gas flows to Bulgaria and Poland, allegedly for refusing to pay for gas in roubles.
As Russian forces begin an all-out assault on Ukraine after months of troop buildup and failed diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and its European allies to head off conflict, the situation for Kyiv is the most high-stakes in the country’s 30-year history. Since breaking from the Soviet Union, Ukraine has wavered between the influences of Moscow and the West, surviving scandal and conflict with its democracy intact. Now it faces its biggest test as Russia threatens its very existence as an independent country. Since the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, many Ukrainians have turned away from Moscow and toward the West, with popular support on the rise for joining Western alliances such as NATO and the European Union.
March 9: Russian air strikes target a maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol. March 10: The US Congress approves $13.6bn in spending for Ukraine. March 11: The EU issues the Versailles Declaration, calling on member states to strengthen defence spending, investment, research and co-ordination. The US leads a new round of sanctions against Russia backed by the Group of Seven (G7) bloc of nations. March 16: Hundreds die when Russian troops bomb the Mariupol theatre, as civilians shelter inside. Fighting reaches the city centre. See extra Ukraine solidarity info at Ukraine Sticker.