December 22, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

The US supplying Ukraine with Patriot missile systems will prolong the Ukrainian people's "suffering," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday.

Peskov went on to say this will not prevent Russia from achieving its goals in Ukraine.

"This leads to the fact that, unfortunately, the suffering of the Ukrainian people will continue longer than it could have," he added.

On Tuesday, the US announced a new aid package to Ukraine, which included the "first-ever transfer to Ukraine of the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System, capable of bringing down cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles, and aircraft at a significantly higher ceiling than previously provided air defense systems."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that the Patriot air defense missile systems would be a "very important step" to creating secure airspace.

The West supplying Ukraine with military support and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington further demonstrates that "the collective West is set for a long confrontation with Russia," said a spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry.

Maria Zakharova went on to talk about the "monstrous crimes" of the "regime in Kyiv," adding that no matter how much the West helps arm the Ukrainian government, "they will achieve nothing."

"As the leadership of our country has stated, the tasks set within the framework of the special military operation will be fulfilled, taking into account the situation on the ground and the actual realities," Zakharova added, referring to Russia's war in Ukraine, which it calls a special operation. 

Her comments came after Zelensky delivered a historic speech from the US Capitol, expressing gratitude for American support in fighting Russian aggression since the war began — and asking for more.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to congratulate him on the formation of a new government and to discuss the situations in Ukraine and Iran, according to a statement from Netanyahu's office. 

"The two leaders discussed a number of issues, chief among them the war in Ukraine," the statement said.

"Prime Minister-designate Netanyahu told President Putin that he is determined to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to curb its attempts to establish a military base on our northern border," Netanyahu's office added.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu officially informed Israeli President Isaac Herzog that he had successfully formed a government.

Netanyahu, who had already served as prime minister for 15 years until being ousted last year, had until midnight local time (5 p.m. ET) Wednesday to form the government following elections on November 1.

In what was a last minute announcement, Netanyahu tweeted 10 minutes before the deadline expired: “I have managed.”

Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington showed that neither the United States nor the Ukrainian president are "ready for peace," Russia's ambassador to the US claimed Wednesday.  

His comments came after Zelensky delivered a historic speech from the US Capitol, expressing gratitude for American support in fighting Russian aggression since the war began — and asking for more.

The Biden administration's "conciliatory statements about the lack of intention to start a confrontation with Russia are just empty words," Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said in a statement distributed by the Russian Embassy that decried what he described as Zelensky's "Hollywood-style trip."

Ambassador's warning: Speaking alongside Zelensky earlier Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced the US will send Kyiv a Patriot missile defense system as part of an additional $1.8 billion assistance package to Ukraine.

Antonov said Biden's announcement came despite Russia warning the US against providing the system to Ukraine. “I think everyone understands perfectly well what fate the personnel, manning these complexes on the territory of Ukraine, can face,” he said.

The Russian ambassador also warned that US involvement in Ukraine could lead to an intensification of the conflict. “The provocative actions by the US are steadily leading to an escalation, the consequences of which cannot even be imagined,” he said.

If ever a leader personified their nation, it is Volodymyr Zelensky.

Unbroken, defiant, a civilian forced to don green military garb, the Ukrainian president spent Wednesday in Washington, DC, on his daring first trip out of his country since Russia's brutal, unprovoked invasion in February. He expressed heartfelt gratitude for America's multi-billion dollar weapons and ammunition lifeline — but made clear he'd never stop asking for more.

Appearing with extraordinary symbolism at the White House with President Joe Biden and before a joint meeting of Congress, Zelensky also bore sobering news. A long, bloody battle for freedom, democracy, and ultimately, the survival of a nation Russian President Vladimir Putin says has no right to exist — a fight for which it's still not clear the free world has the stomach — is nowhere near over.

The comic actor-turned-wartime hero effectively put the fate of millions of Ukrainians in the hands of American lawmakers, taxpayers and families at a time when there is growing skepticism among the incoming Republican House majority about the cost of US involvement.

At an emotional peak of his speech in the House chamber, Zelensky handed Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris a Ukrainian flag he retrieved from the hottest battle front at Bakhmut on Tuesday.

Editor's note: This post was adapted from the Dec. 22 edition of CNN's Meanwhile in America, the daily email about US politics for global readers. Read the full analysis here or click here to read past editions and subscribe.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress ���extraordinary,” saying the country’s fight against Russian aggression has “proven that they are a really good investment for the United States.”

She said Zelensky’s historic address “strengthened both Democrats and Republicans who understand what is at stake in this fight against Putin and Russian aggression and now with their ally, Iran, as well.”

“I also think no one is asking for a blank check,” Clinton added. “I believe that the Ukrainians have proven that they are a really good investment for the United States. They are not asking us to be there to fight their war. They’re fighting it themselves. They’re asking us and our allies for the means to not only defend themselves but to actually win.”

Read more here.

A former director of Russia's space agency was wounded by Ukrainian shelling in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, according to state-run news agency TASS. 

Ex-Roscomos head Dmitry Rogozin, who now leads a team of Russian military volunteers in the Donbas region, was taken to hospital with a back wound after his hotel in Donetsk came under shelling, his aide told TASS.

The strike in the Russian-occupied city killed at least two people and injured several more, TASS reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a historic speech from the United States Capitol Wednesday night, expressing gratitude for American support in fighting Russian aggression since the war began — and asking for more.

“I hope my words of respect and gratitude resonate in each American heart,” Zelensky said during the joint meeting of Congress, later adding, “Against all odds, and doom and gloom scenarios, Ukraine didn’t fall. Ukraine is alive and kicking.”

But alongside Zelensky’s gratitude was a plea, emphasizing that his armed forces are outnumbered and outgunned by the Russian military even as they fight on. At one point, Zelensky drew laughs from the chamber when he said, “We have artillery, yes. Thank you. We have it. Is it enough? Honestly, not really.”

On “the front line of tyranny,” Zelensky argued, American support “is crucial not just to stand in such fight but to get to the turning point to win on the battlefield.”

“Your money is not charity,” he asserted. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”

Read more here.

Volodymyr Zelensky's historic visit to the United States went well and he is "pleased" with the outcome, a source close to the Ukrainian president told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Speaking to Congress Wednesday, Zelensky spoke of the strong ties between the US and his country, while giving a message of hope to Ukrainians at home.