Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the US has not stopped military aid to Ukraine, after newly appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he would suspend the provision of foreign aid for a period of 90 days, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
Zelensky did not specify whether humanitarian aid to his country had been stopped. Ukraine relies on the US for 40% of its military needs.
„I am focused on military aid; "It's not stopped, thank God," the Ukrainian president said at a joint news conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
The future of U.S. aid to Ukraine remains uncertain as President Donald Trump begins his second term, the AP notes. The American leader has repeatedly said that he would not have allowed Russia to invade Ukraine, even though he was president when fighting between Kiev forces and Moscow-backed separatists in the east of the country escalated before a full-scale invasion in 2022.
On Thursday, Trump told Fox News that Zelensky should have made a deal with Putin to avoid the conflict. A day earlier, Trump threatened to impose strict tariffs and sanctions on Russia if an agreement to end the fighting in Ukraine is not reached.
The Izmail district of the Ukrainian Odessa region was attacked with drones from the Black Sea, the chairman of the Odessa regional military administration Oleg Kiper announced in the Telegram application, quoted by BTA.
Explosions were reported in Kiliya, Vilkovo and Primorsko, the regional governor's statement said.
The sirens were activated at 11:37 p.m.
Regional authorities are warning residents to remain in safe places until the end of the alert.
The Bulgarians in the Odessa region number over 150,000 people and are the third largest according to the official census in Ukraine in 2001. About 50-60 thousand Bulgarians live in the city of Odessa itself. The largest compact Bulgarian population is concentrated in the Bolgrad, Izmail and Belgorod-Dniester regions