Ukraine war live updates: U.S. reportedly readying $2 billion aid package for Ukraine; Kyiv signals reforms ahead of EU summit - CNBC

Ukrainian and U.S. flags are flown on Pennsylvania Avenue starring to the U.S. Capitol up of a sojourn by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks with U.S. President Joe Biden and an code to a associated gathering of Congress successful Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. 

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

One of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's elder governmental advisors said talks were underway regarding long-range missiles for Ukraine, arsenic good arsenic onslaught aircraft.

"Each warfare signifier requires definite weapons. Amassing RF's (Russia's) reserves successful the occupied territories necessitate specifics from (Ukraine) & partners," Mykhailo Podolyak wrote connected Twitter.

"So: 1. There is already a vessel conjugation (logistics, training, supply). 2. There are already talks connected longer-range missiles & onslaught craft supply," helium added.

Ukraine has asked its allies for combatant jets to assistance it combat Russia's penetration but allies are reluctant to commit. The U.S., German and U.K. person ruled retired sending jets to Ukraine, but different allies, specified arsenic Lithuania and Poland, are keen that Kyiv should person entree to the weaponry it needs to combat Russia.

— Holly Ellyatt

The Kremlin connected Wednesday welcomed a Russian company's connection of "bounty payments" for soldiers who destruct Western-made tanks connected the battlefield successful Ukraine, saying it would spur Russian forces to victory.

The Russian institution Fores this week offered 5 cardinal roubles ($72,000) successful currency to the archetypal soldiers who destruct oregon seizure U.S.-made Abrams oregon German Leopard 2 tanks successful Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian troops would "burn" immoderate Western tanks that were delivered to Ukraine, adding the bounties were other encouragement for Russian soldiers.

— Reuters

Russian forces person astir wholly surrounded Bakhmut successful Donetsk, eastbound Ukraine, according to a Russian-installed official.

"Artemovsk [the Russian sanction for Bakhmut] is present successful an operational encirclement, our forces are closing the ring," Yan Gagin, an adjutant to Denis Pushilin, the acting caput of the pro-Russian, separatist "Donetsk People's Republic," told the Rossiya-24t tv channel, according to authorities quality bureau Tass.

Gagin said battles are present taking spot to power the road betwixt Bakhmut and the adjacent municipality of Chasiv Yar. He said "this is the lone artery done which Ukraine tin proviso its radical successful Artemovsk."

CNBC was incapable to instantly verify the claims but Russian forces person been trying to seizure Bakhmut for months and person been seen to person been advancing successful the country successful caller weeks.

— Holly Ellyatt

Spain plans to nonstop betwixt 4 and six German-built Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine, paper El Pais reported connected Wednesday, citing unidentified authorities sources.

The existent fig volition beryllium connected the information of the conflict tanks successful retention and however galore different countries volition yet proviso to Ukraine, the sources told El Pais.

A spokesperson for the Spanish Defence Ministry did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Kyiv secured pledges from the West this period to proviso main conflict tanks to assistance fend disconnected Russia's invasion, with Moscow mounting immense efforts to marque incremental advances successful eastbound Ukraine.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said connected Tuesday his authorities expects to person 120 to 140 Western tanks from a conjugation of 12 countries successful a archetypal wave.

Kuleba said those tanks would see German Leopard 2, British Challenger 2 and U.S. M1 Abrams tanks, and that Ukraine was besides "really counting" connected supplies of French Leclerc tanks being agreed.

— Reuters

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Kyiv is preparing caller reforms arsenic it prepares for a acme with apical EU officials astatine the extremity of the week.

"We are preparing caller reforms successful Ukraine. Reforms that volition alteration the social, ineligible and governmental world successful galore ways, making it much human, transparent and effective. But these details volition beryllium announced later, based connected the results of the applicable meetings," Zelenskyy said successful his nightly address.

Ukraine volition big European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and different apical EU officials connected Friday, with hopes precocious successful Kyiv that its exertion to articulation the EU volition proceed to progress.

"This week volition beryllium a week of European integration successful each consciousness of the word," Zelenskyy said. "We are expecting quality for Ukraine. We are expecting the decisions from our partners successful the European Union that volition beryllium successful enactment with the level of practice achieved betwixt our institutions and the EU, arsenic good arsenic with our progress. Progress, which is evident - adjacent contempt the full-scale war," helium said.

"We are preparing Ukrainian positions for negotiations with EU representatives," helium added.

Ukraine applied to articulation the 27-member governmental and economical bloc past year, conscionable days aft Russia invaded past February, and wants its exertion fast-tracked. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said earlier this week that Kyiv hopes it tin articulation the EU wrong 2 years.

Other counties successful Europe, specified arsenic North Macedonia and Montenegro, person been waiting much than a decennary to person their rank applications progress, however, and determination are expectations that EU officials could effort to temper Ukraine's expectations during their visit.

— Holly Ellyatt

The United States is readying much than $2 cardinal worthy of subject assistance for Ukraine that is expected to see longer-range rockets for the archetypal clip arsenic good arsenic different munitions and weapons, 2 U.S. officials briefed connected the substance told Reuters connected Tuesday.

The assistance is expected to beryllium announced arsenic soon arsenic this week, the officials said. It is besides expected to see enactment instrumentality for Patriot aerial defence systems, precision-guided munitions and Javelin anti-tank weapons, they added.

One of the officials said a information of the package, expected to beryllium $1.725 billion, would travel from a money known arsenic the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows President Joe Biden's medication to get weapons from manufacture alternatively than from U.S. weapons stocks.

The White House declined to comment. The contents and size of assistance packages tin displacement until they are signed by the president.

In summation to the USAI funds, much than $400 cardinal worthy of assistance was expected to travel from Presidential Drawdown Authority funds, which allows the president to instrumentality from existent U.S. stocks successful an emergency.

That assistance was expected to see mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs), guided aggregate motorboat rocket systems (GMLRS) and ammunition. The U.S. has sent astir $27.2 cardinal worthy of information assistance to Ukraine since Russia's February 2022 invasion. Russia calls the penetration a "special operation."

— Reuters

Russia's refusal to let on-the-ground inspections to resume is endangering the New START atomic pact and U.S.-Russian arms power overall, the Biden medication charged.

The uncovering was delivered to Congress and summarized successful a connection by the State Department. It follows months of much hopeful U.S. assessments that the 2 countries would beryllium capable to salvage practice connected limiting strategical atomic weapons contempt precocious tensions implicit Russia's warfare connected Ukraine.

Inspections of U.S. and Russian subject sites nether the New START pact were paused by some sides due to the fact that of the dispersed of the coronavirus successful March 2020. The U.S.-Russia committee overseeing implementation of the pact past met successful October 2021, but Russia past unilaterally suspended its practice with the treaty's inspection provisions successful August 2022 to protestation U.S. enactment for Ukraine.

"Russia's refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights nether the pact and threatens the viability of U.S.-Russian atomic arms control," the State Department said Tuesday.

The medication besides blamed Russia for the 2 country's nonaccomplishment to resume talks required nether the New START treaty.

— Associated Press

President Joe Biden told reporters helium is readying to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy astir aboriginal subject assistance packages.

"We're going to talk," Biden said erstwhile asked if helium has spoken to Zelenskyy and what helium planned connected archer him astir aboriginal assistance requests.

In caller days, Kyiv has asked Western partners for further weapons, including combatant jets.

— Amanda Macias

Bakhmut successful Donetsk remains the cardinal people for Russian forces successful eastbound Ukraine, a spokesperson of the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Serhii Cherevaty, said during a nationalist telethon Tuesday.

"Bakhmut continues to beryllium 1 of the main directions of the enemy's attack. There, they struck our positions with rocket-propelled artillery 197 times" implicit the past day, helium said, successful comments reported by quality bureau Ukrinform.  

He added that 42 combat clashes had taken spot successful the aforesaid timeframe with 277 Russian soldiers killed and 258 wounded.

Cherevaty said Russian troops were incapable to chopped the way utilized to proviso Ukrainian forces defending Bakhmut contempt the repeated attacks.

 "So acold they person not succeeded. Everything is being done to forestall them from blocking the question of our units. All the indispensable ammunition, equipment, food, are being delivered to Bakhmut," Cherevaty said.

CNBC was incapable to instantly verify the information.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia's defence ministry claimed that its equipped forces successful Ukraine person seized different colony successful Donetsk.

Russian troops person reportedly captured the colony of Blahodatne successful the portion (the country pro-Russian separatists telephone the "Donetsk People's Republic" oregon DPR), according to an authoritative typical of the Russian Defense Ministry, Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov.

Ukraine has not commented connected the claim, but Russia has been seen to person made incremental gains successful the Donetsk portion astir Vuhledar, to the southwest of the metropolis of Donetsk.

Yan Gagin, an advisor to the acting caput of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, told the Rossiya-1 TV transmission Tuesday that Russian forces successful Donetsk are taking power of 1 colony aft another, and are advancing connected Bakhmut, capturing which is simply a cardinal strategical extremity for Russia.

"Our troops successful Artemovsk [Russia's sanction for Bakhmut] are advancing, and they are taking colony aft settlement, moving rather actively," helium said successful comments reported by quality bureau Tass and translated by Google.

The U.K.'s Ministry of Defence said Tuesday that, successful the past 3 days, Russia apt developed its probing attacks astir the Donetsk towns of Pavlivka and Vuhledar into a "more concerted assault."

The settlements prevarication astir 30 miles southwest of the metropolis of Donetsk, and Russia antecedently utilized the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade successful an unsuccessful battle connected the aforesaid country successful November 2022, the ministry noted connected Twitter.

—Holly Ellyatt