April 21, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

US President Joe Biden said Thursday it was “questionable” whether Russian President Vladimir Putin controls Mariupol, Ukraine.

“It’s questionable whether he does control Mariupol,” Biden said adding, “There is no evidence yet that Mariupol is completely fallen.”

Biden also called on Putin to allow humanitarian aid into Ukraine to allow those trapped inside the steel plant to be able to get out.

CNN reported Thursday that Putin has scrapped plans to storm the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, saying those who choose to surrender should be treated in accordance with international conventions. Putin ordered forces to blockade the plant "so that a fly can't get through."

Ukrainian forces are continuing to resist attacks on the plant and ignoring Russian calls to surrender. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country's forces don’t have enough "serious and heavy" weapons to defeat the Russian army in Mariupol as "thousands" of civilians remain trapped inside.

While US President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin will refocus his invasion of Ukraine on the eastern part of the country.

Biden also reflected on the war so far, and said Putin is still trying to break up Western unity against the war. He said Putin will "never succeed in dominating and occupying all of Ukraine."

"We don't know how long this war will last but as we approach the two-month mark, here's what we do know, Putin has failed to achieve his grand ambitions on the battlefield. After weeks of shelling Kyiv — Kyiv still stands. President Zelensky and his democratic-elected government still remain in power," Biden said.

"And the Ukrainian Armed Forces, joined by many brave Ukrainian civilians, have thwarted Russia's conquest of the country. They've been bolstered from day one by an unstinting supply of weapons, ammunition, armor, intelligence, from the nations of the free world led by us, the United States," the US President said.

"As Russia continues to grind out the military advances ... and the brutality against Ukraine, Putin is banking on us losing interest. That's been my view, you've heard me say this from the beginning, he was counting on NATO, European Union, our allies and Asia, cracking, moving away. He's betting on Western unity will crack. He's still betting on that. Once again, we're going to prove him wrong. We will not lessen our resolve," he continued.

US President Joe Biden announced a separate tranche of $500 million in US assistance for the Ukrainian government in addition to the $800 million in military aid he pledged Thursday.

The new aid brings the total US economic support for Ukraine, the President said, to $1 billion in the past nearly two months since Russia’s invasion.

The $500 million in funding can be used by Ukraine’s government “to stabilize their economy, to support communities that have been devastated by the Russian onslaught, and pay the brave workers that continue to provide essential services to the people of Ukraine,” Biden said.

He also announced “Unite for Ukraine,” a new effort to support Ukrainians seeking to come to the US amid the ongoing, brutal invasion, with approximately two-thirds of Ukrainian children displaced.

“I'm announcing a program, ‘Unite for Ukraine,’ a new program to enable Ukrainians seeking refuge to come directly from Europe to the United States. This new humanitarian parole program will complement the existing legal pathways available to Ukrainians, including immigrant visas and refugees processing,” Biden said.

He described it as “an expedient channel for secure legal migration from Europe to the United States for Ukrainians,” noting that those migrants must have a US sponsor, including a family or non-governmental organization.

“This program will be fast, it’ll be streamlined, and it will ensure the United States honors its commitment to to the people Ukraine and need not go through our southern border,” he said.

Biden said the United States' new actions were intending to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he continues his violent incursion into a third month.

“Our unity with our allies and partners and our unity with the Ukrainian people is sending an unmistakable message to Putin: He will never succeed in dominating and occupying all of Ukraine. He will not,” he said.

US President Joe Biden announced Thursday he will make a formal request next week for Congress to approve a second supplemental funding package to aid Ukraine.

Biden said he expected Congress to “move and act quickly” on the package.

Biden also made a point to thank American taxpayers and military for their contributions Ukraine.

In speaking about the importance of getting aid to Ukraine, Biden took liberties on a famous phrase by former US President Teddy Roosevelt, telling reporters, “Sometimes we will speak softly and carry a large javelin, because we’re sending a lot of those in as well.”

US President Joe Biden said Thursday the US will ban Russian-affiliated ships from American ports in a bid to further isolate Moscow amid its invasion of Ukraine.

He said it was "another critical step" the US was taking alongside its allies in Canada and Europe "to deny Russia the benefits of international economic system that they so enjoyed in the past."

US President Joe Biden said he spoke with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who was at the White House this morning meeting with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, along with Ambassador Oksana Markarova.

"We had a good discussion. I talked about what I'm about to tell you about today, as well as he was thanking the American people for their support, understands it's significant, and we talked about keeping everyone together in terms of Europe, European Union and others, in the effort to stop Putin's brutality," Biden said.

Biden said "enormous credit" should be given to agencies on the ground exposing "war crimes."

The US and its allies are "moving as fast as possible" to provide weapons to Ukrainian forces to defend their country, he said, announcing another $800 million in military assistance.

US President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine Thursday as part of his administration's latest efforts to reinforce the country’s forces battling against Russia’s invasion.

Biden said Russia has "refocused" its campaign to seize new territory in Eastern Ukraine, making the flow of Western military aid essential.

“We’re in a critical window now of time where they’re … going to set the stage for the next phase of this war,” Biden said from the Roosevelt Room. “The United States and our allies and partners are moving as fast as possible to continue to provide Ukraine … the weapons they need, the equipment they need – that their forces need to defend their nation.”

The US President also said sharing intelligence was a priority as the war grinds on.

"We're sharing and will continue to share significant timely intelligence with Ukraine help them against Russian aggression," he said.

More on the aid package: CNN reported earlier that Biden planned to announce the new shipments of aid as he updated Americans on the state of the conflict, which is nearing its second month and entering what US officials have said could be a bloody new phase.

The new military aid package the President announced comes in at roughly $800 million following a similarly sized measure earlier this month. If approved, the latest package would mean the US has committed approximately $3.4 billion dollars in assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24.

This would be the last presidential drawdown until Congress approves more money for weapons to Ukraine. In a presidential drawdown, the Defense Department pulls weapons and equipment from US inventories to send to Ukraine instead of purchasing new weapons from manufacturers.

The Biden administration also announced a new program Thursday called “Uniting for Ukraine” that will provide a streamlined process for Ukrainian refugees seeking to come to the US.

Watch Biden's remarks:

The US will announce Thursday it is banning Russian-affiliated ships from American ports, according to an official familiar with the matter.

Russian ship traffic makes for a relatively small percentage of overall port activity in the US, but the move is in line with a ban on Russian aircraft in US airspace that President Joe Biden's administration previously announced.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal arrived at the White House this morning, along with Oksana Markarova, the ambassador of Ukraine to the United States.

A White House official said national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Shmyhal this morning, and US President Joe Biden stopped by. The officials have now departed.

Biden is set to deliver remarks soon on Russia's war and is expected to announce additional security assistance to Ukraine.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will also meet with Shmyhal, a Treasury official says. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo and Ukraine Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko are also attending. 

In the meeting, Yellen is expected to tell the Ukrainian prime minister that the United States intends to provide "an additional $500 million of immediate funding to help Ukraine continue critical government operations, such as salaries, pensions, and other programs, necessary to avoid a worsening of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. This builds on the $500 million in direct economic support that President Biden announced in March," a Treasury official says.