Biden requests $33 billion for Ukraine war; Putin threatens ‘lightning fast’ retaliation to nations that intervene – CNBC

Ukraine's prosecutor identifies 10 Russian soldiers accused of Bucha atrocities

A grave digger arranges flowers atop the grave of a woman as her husband and son watch on April 20, 2022 in Bucha, Ukraine. Ukraine's prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova has identified 10 Russian soldiers she previously accused of atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, The Associated Press reported.

John Moore | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Ukraine's prosecutor general has identified 10 Russian soldiers she said were involved in the atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, according to the Associated Press.

Iryna Venediktova appealed to the public on Facebook to help gather evidence against those soldiers whom she said were"involved in the torture of peaceful people."They were from Russia's 64th Separate Motorized Rifle Ground Forces Brigade whose work President Vladimir Putin recently honored, the AP said.

"During the occupation of Bucha, they took unarmed civilians hostage, killed them with hunger and thirst, kept them on their knees with hands tied and eyes taped, mocked and beat them," she reportedly said, adding that the soldiers threatened to shoot the civilians and looted houses.

On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Bucha, calling for an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine.

Chelsea Ong

A woman walks past the closed United States Embassy to Ukraine on April 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

John Moore | Getty Images

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv says one of its employees was killed in the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.

"Volodymyr, who took leave from his job as an Embassy bodyguard to rejoin the army and defend Ukraine," the U.S. mission in Kyiv wrote.

"We will never forget his kind spirit, dedication, and bravery. Our deepest condolences go to his family and friends," the embassy wrote in a tweet.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers Wednesday that the Biden administration is working on reopening the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv.

Amanda Macias

Thu, Apr 28 20221:19 PM EDT

Ukrainian servicemen are at work to receive the delivery of FGM-148 Javelins, American man-portable anti-tank missile provided by US to Ukraine as part of a military support, at Kyiv's airport Boryspil on February 11,2022, amid the crisis linked with the threat of Russia's invasion.

Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images

U.S. President Joe Biden said he will visit a Lockheed Martin plant in Troy, Ala. on Tuesday to thank the workers who are manufacturing Javelin missiles being sent to Ukraine.

Biden said the purpose of the trip was to "thank them for producing the weapons that helped stop Russia's advances in Ukrainian cities like Kyiv."

Since the start of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in late February, the shoulder-fired anti-tank Javelin missiles have proven to to be among the most decisive weapons in the Ukrainian arsenal.

Biden said the Lockheed Martin employees' "hard work has played a critical role in assuring Putin's strategic failure in Ukraine, and they should know that we know it." Biden's remarks were part of a broader announcement that he is seeking a massive $33 billion aid package for Ukraine.

--- Christina Wilkie

Thu, Apr 28 202212:20 PM EDT

This picture shows the partially destroyed Mariupol drama theatre on April 12, 2022. The U.K. defense ministry said Russia is probably unable to effectively discriminate targets when conducting air strikes in Mariupol because of its likely use of unguided free-falling bombs, increasing the risk of civilian casualties,

Alexander Nemenov | Afp | Getty Images

The Pentagon has seen some Russian forces leave positions in the coastal Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a senior U.S. Defense official said.

"We don't have an exact number on how many Russian forces are leaving Mariupol," the official said, adding that the number is not insignificant. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to share new details from the Pentagon's latest assessment of the war, said Russian forces are focusing a large number of airstrikes on Mariupol.

Russia has launched more than 1,900 missiles since the beginning of the invasion, according to the official. The person added that almost all of the strikes are coming from Russian airbases and not from inside of Ukraine.

"We are seeing them begin to leave Mariupol," the official said, adding that some troops have moved north and northwest.

Amanda Macias

Thu, Apr 28 202211:19 AM EDT

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talks speaks during a joint press with Sweden and Finland's Foreign ministers after their meeting at the Nato headquarters in Brussels on January 24, 2022.

John Thys | AFP | Getty Images

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Finland and Sweden would be "welcomed with open arms to NATO" should they apply to the 30-member strong alliance.

"It's their decision," Stoltenberg said. "But if they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be warmly welcomed, and I expect that process to go quickly," he said, without offering a timeline. He said the Nordic nations are NATO's closest partners and already have "strong and mature democracies."

"EU members and we have been working with Finland and Sweden for many, many years," he added.

Stoltenberg's comments, which came on the heels of a meeting with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, added that the militaries of Finland and Sweden are interoperable with NATO forces.

In recent weeks, Finland and Sweden have said they would consider joining the military alliance amid the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. Russia has long warned against any future enlargement of NATO, reportedly accusing the alliance of being "a tool geared towards confrontation."

Amanda Macias

Thu, Apr 28 202211:06 AM EDT

U.S. Marine veteran Trevor Reed was welcomed home following his release from a prison in Russia where he had been detained since 2019.

Photos shared by U.S. House Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, show Reed with his family, who has waged a public fight for his release, and the lawmaker at the Kelly Field airport in San Antonio, Texas.

Reed was released Wednesday in a brokered prisoner swap.

Reed was accused of assaulting a Russian officer and sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison. Reed and his family have maintained his innocence and the U.S. government has described him as unjustly imprisoned.

Amanda Macias

Thu, Apr 28 202210:54 AM EDT

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the media members as he arrives in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 27, 2022.

Andre Luis Alves | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha and Irpin, where Russian forces have been accused of committing atrocities.

"I imagine my family, in one of those houses," he told reporters while pointing to a charred building behind him. "I see my granddaughters running away in panic. Part of the family eventually killed," he added.

"This horrific scenario demonstrates something that is unfortunately always true, that civilians always pay the highest price. Innocent civilians were living in these buildings," Guterres said.

Earlier in the week, Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later on Thursday.

Amanda Macias

Thu, Apr 28 202210:36 AM EDT

Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine's prime minister, meets with President Joe Biden, April 21, 2022.

Source: The White House

President Joe Biden will ask Congress for $33 billion to fund both humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine through September of this year, senior administration officials said Thursday.

The massive aid package will be accompanied by a proposal to Congress that it amend several longstanding criminal laws to make it easier for the U.S. to seize the assets of sanctioned Russian oligarchs, sell the seized property and funnel the proceeds to the Ukrainians.

The $33 billion includes a request for $20.4 billion in additional security and military assistance for Ukraine as well as additional money to fund U.S. efforts to bolster European security in cooperation with NATO allies.

The administration said that $20.4 billion is designed to equip Kyiv and European partners with additional artillery, armored vehicles and anti-armor and anti-air capabilities, accelerate cyber capabilities and advanced air defense systems, and help clear landmines and improvised explosive devices.

Christina Wilkie and Thomas Franck

Thu, Apr 28 202210:27 AM EDT

US President Joe Biden speaks about trade with Russia, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 11, 2022.

Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images

U.S. President JoeBidenwill address the nation at 10:45 a.m. from the White House, where he is expected to announce a massive new package of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Precise numbers for the aid have not been released, but the package is expected to dwarf the $3 billion the United States has already committed to Ukraine's defense and survival since Russia invaded its neighbor just over two months ago.

The new funding request will be accompanied by a White House proposal to Congress to change several criminal laws to make it easier for the government to liquidate the seized assets of Russian oligarchs and get that money to Ukraine.

Under federal law, in order to sell off seized assets, prosecutors must first show that they are the proceeds of a crime. Currently, being a sanctioned Russian oligarch isn't a crime.

Legal scholars have noted that without a crime, oligarchs could sue for the return of their property, and would stand a good chance of winning in court. Under Biden's proposal, Congress would create a new federal offense of knowingly possessing proceeds directly obtained from corrupt dealings with the Russian government.

--- Christina Wilkie

Thu, Apr 28 20229:56 AM EDT

Employees package bread at a bakery in Khartoum's al-Matar district, on March 17, 2022 as food prices rise across Sudan and the region due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Ashraf Shazly | AFP | Getty Images

Together,Russia and Ukraine account for roughly one-third of the world's global wheat exports, nearly 20% of its corn, and 80% of its sunflower oil and they provide the majority of the Middle East and North Africa region's supply.

Wheat futures are up 30% since the invasion began in late February.

Before the war, more than 95% of Ukraine's total grain, wheat and corn exports was shipped out via the Black Sea, and half of those exports went to MENA countries. That vital conduit is now shut, choking off Ukraine's maritime trade after its ports came under attack from Russia's military.

The country is now trying to export some of its produce by rail, which has enormous logistical limits, while Ukrainian farmers whose infrastructure hasn't been destroyed attempt to till their fields wearing bulletproof vests.

A farmer wears a bulletproof vest during crop sowing which takes place about 18 miles from the front line in the Zaporizhzhia Region, southeastern Ukraine.

Dmytro Smoliyenko | Future Publishing | Getty Images

Russia is the world's number one exporter of wheat, as well as crucially the top exporter of fertilizer. Fears of getting caught up in western sanctions on Moscow have already disrupted Russia's exports, too.

Experts have warned of the risk of riots, famine and mass migration hitting the region if basic food staples like wheat and flour become unaffordable or inaccessible.

Read the full story here.

Natasha Turak

Thu, Apr 28 20229:02 AM EDT

Ukrainian craftsmen work to meet the demand of the rising death toll at a coffin factory in Lviv.

A warehouse worker walks past a storeroom of completed coffins at a coffin workshop on April 28, 2022 in Rava-Ruska, Ukraine.

Leon Neal | Getty Images

The United Nations has confirmed 2,829 civilian deaths and 3,180 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24.

Craftsman Ruslan Petryshyn constructs the framework of a new coffin at a coffin workshop on April 28, 2022 in Rava-Ruska, Ukraine.

Leon Neal | Getty Images

Of those killed, the U.N. has identified at least 62 girls and 75 boys, as well as 68 children whose gender is unknown.

Craftsman Ruslan Slyusar sands the lid of a coffin to a smooth finish at a coffin workshop on April 28, 2022 in Rava-Ruska, Ukraine.

Leon Neal | Getty Images

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, citing delayed reports due to the armed conflict.

Craftsman Ruslan Slyusar attaches hingers to the lid of a coffin at a coffin workshop on April 28, 2022 in Rava-Ruska, Ukraine.

Leon Neal | Getty Images

The international body said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.

Craftsman Dmytro Hanyuchenko protectively wraps a coffin at a coffin workshop on April 28, 2022 in Rava-Ruska, Ukraine.

Leon Neal | Getty Images

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Biden requests $33 billion for Ukraine war; Putin threatens 'lightning fast' retaliation to nations that intervene - CNBC