Live: Washington boosts military aid to Ukraine, strikes continue in the east

Published on: 08/20/2022 – 06:59 Washington announced on Friday a new tranche of military aid amounting to $775 million to Ukraine, noting a “complete lack of progress on the battlefield” Russian troops. At the same time, Kharkiv, the second city of Ukraine, has been the subject of new strikes whose toll is at least 15 dead. Follow the latest developments of the day. 6:50 a.m.: Over 21,000 people evacuated in ten days from occupied Ukrainian territories Over 21,000 people were evacuated in ten days from territories occupied by Russia, including over 9,000 from the Zaporizhia region and over 8 000 from the Kherson region, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced. 3:35 a.m .: several dead in new strikes in Kharkiv Kharkiv (northeast), the second city of Ukraine, has also been the subject of new strikes whose balance sheet is at least fifteen dead, let know the city authorities. 12:10 a.m.: eight mayors of European cities travel to kyiv The mayors of the cities of Marseille, Lyon, Athens, Florence, Helsinki, Oslo, Riga and Tirana traveled to kyiv on Friday and ratified a memorandum of understanding “in the presence ” by Volodymyr Zelensky “for a sustainable reconstruction of Ukrainian cities”, according to a press release. In this press release from the city of Marseille (south-eastern France), its mayor Benoît Payan explains that this text “intends to set up actions and reaffirms the ambition to allow, as soon as peace is restored, a rapid, ecological rehabilitation” and “respectful of the rule of law, as well as the civic and social rights of the populations”.>> Review. Ukraine, a country to rebuild: the colossal challenge of the authorities 11:30 p.m.: The Pentagon announces new military aid to Ukraine million dollars, which includes additional missiles for US Himars precision artillery systems, a senior US Department of Defense official told reporters on Friday. She pointed out that Ukrainian forces had managed in recent weeks to halt the advance of Russian forces in the south and east of the country, citing in particular their successful use of these American missiles. “You can see a complete lack of progress from the Russians on the battlefield,” she said. With AFP