American citizen killed in Ukraine, State Department says: LIVE UPDATES
The State Department said Thursday that an American citizen has been killed in Ukraine.
Coverage for this event has ended.
US fears Putin may threaten use of nuclear weapons if Russia remains stalled in Ukraine
U.S. intelligence officials believe Vladimir Putin may threaten to unleash Russia’s nuclear arsenal increasingly as Ukrainian defense forces continue to thwart his invasion of their country.
Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, revealed the concerns in a new report on global threats dated March 15 and obtained by Fox News Thursday.
"As this war and its consequences slowly weaken Russian conventional strength, Russia likely will increasingly rely on its nuclear deterrent to signal the West and project strength to its internal and external audiences,” he wrote.
U.S. officials believe Putin intends to “overturn the U.S.-led rules based post-Cold War international order” and reclaim former Soviet territories.
“Russia views a powerful, survivable nuclear force as the foundation of its national security, and its modernized general purposes forces as critical to meet any conventional military threat and project Russian power abroad,” Berrier wrote.
Additionally, Russian forces are using “indiscriminate methods” of attack that are leveling cities, killing civilians and damaging infrastructure in retaliation for Ukraine’s effective resistance, according to the report.
The DIA also called into question Putin’s credibility on his claims to have “modernized” the Russian military.
"Russia’s modernization is intended to ensure Russia can field a military capable of engaging in the full spectrum of warfare to deter or defeat a wide scope of threats, but initial setbacks in Ukraine call some of Putin’s narrative into question,” Berrier wrote.
At the same time, Russia claims it has updated more than 85% of its nuclear weapons and is working on developing missiles that are capable of circumventing Western defenses in order to “ensure that Russia can credibly inflict unacceptable damage on the West.”
House votes overwhelmingly to suspend normal trade relations with Russia, Belarus
The House of Representatives on Thursday voted 424-8 to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus amid the invasion of Ukraine.
The Senate will vote next on the suspension, which would enable President Biden to further weaken the Russian economy by levying higher tariffs on Russian goods such as steel, aluminum, plywood and other goods.
The United States has already moved to cut off about 60% of Russian imports by banning Russian oil and gas, as well as seafood, alcohol and diamonds.
Click here to read more.
CIA secretly trained Ukrainian forces
Former CIA intelligence officer Ryan Hillsberg discusses reports the CIA secretly trained Ukrainians after Russia's 2014 invasion and annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
Russia and Ukraine like watching David and Goliath fight: Marshall
UK says Russian military suffering from supply line problems
The UK Ministry of Defence believes the Russian military is having a difficult job maintaining their supply lines during the invasion of Ukraine.
"Logistical problems continue to beset Russia’s faltering invasion of Ukraine," the Ministry of Defence said on Twitter. "Reluctance to manoeuvre cross-country, lack of control of the air and limited bridging capabilities are preventing Russia from effectively resupplying their forward troops with even basic essentials such as food and fuel.
"Incessant Ukrainian counterattacks are forcing Russia to divert large number of troops to defend their own supply lines. This is severely limiting Russia’s offensive potential."
Putin lays out his demands for cease-fire in call with Turkey's president: report
In a Thursday conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly outlined the conditions that would need to be met in order for him to end his invasion of Ukraine.
According to a BBC report, a Turkish official who listened to the call between the two leaders said that Putin would end his invasion if several conditions are met including a promise that Ukraine will remain neutral and not join NATO.
Erdogan's leading adviser and spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, says that Russia is also calling for Ukraine to undergo a disarmament process to mitigate threats to Russia in the future as well as legal protections for the Russian language in Ukraine.
Additionally, Putin reportedly desires promises related to the "Denazification" of Ukraine.
Psaki says Chinese refusal to denounce Ukraine invasion 'flies in the face' of China's values
White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded to questions Thursday about whether the U.S. can expect China to assist Russia in its violent invasion of Ukraine.
Psaki told reporters President Biden has a call scheduled for Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss China's long-term relationship with Russia. The Chinese Communist Party has been characteristically opaque about its intentions. Biden's meeting follows a similar conference between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Chinese counterpart.
"The president, as I think you've heard him say before, and I've said, is a big believer and leader to diplomacy. And they have a lot to discuss, given the last time the president met with President Xi virtually was last November, a couple of months ago. The meeting tomorrow – in terms of how we got here – came as a direct follow-up to the meeting our national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, had with his counterpart. They talked about the two presidents meeting or engaging in the near future during that meeting.
Russians knowingly bombed Mariupol theater sheltering children
White House pre-screened questions from TikTok influencers during special briefing last week
When the White House invited a group of 30 leading TikTok stars, some without backgrounds in journalism, for a modified news briefing on Russia's invasion of Ukraine last week, the Biden administration pre-screened their questions, several of the attendees told FOX Business.
"I was asked to submit questions before the briefing, for the sake of time, not (as I was told) content, but since I did at the very last minute, I didn't hear back about them," Jules Suzdaltsev, a U.S.-based influencer who was born in Kyiv, told FOX Business. "I wanted to ask what line Russia would have to cross to get the U.S. to take direct military action."
Jennifer Griffin’s tribute to Pierre Zakrzewski, Oleksandra Kuvshynova and Benjamin Hall
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs takes aim at Nestle for continuing to do business in Russia
Italy backs proposal to rebuild the Theatre of Mariupol
The theater was bombed by Russian forces earlier this week as many Ukrainians sought to use the building as a shelter.
House votes to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus
The House has voted to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, according to reporting from Fox News' Chad Pergram.
The bill easily overcame the two-thirds threshold needed to pass with a vote of 424-8.
President Biden had pressed Congress to make the move, which will allow the U.S. to hike tariffs on Russian goods.
100K US service members in Europe amid Russia-Ukraine war: NATO secretary
There are 100,000 U.S. troops in Europe as of Thursday, as NATO increases its presence in the eastern flank and Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth week.
In a press conference alongside Germany's minister of foreign affairs, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the number of American soldiers in Europe has increased by several thousands in the last several weeks.
Stoltenberg said NATO has increased its deterrence and defense, especially in the eastern part of the alliance, with hundreds of thousands of troops on "heightened alert."
If Putin doesn’t take Kyiv, he ‘fails’: Lt. Gen. Kellogg
Sec. of State Blinken honors Benjamin Hall, fallen Fox News journalists
State Department confirms death of American in Ukraine
Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that an American citizen was killed in Ukraine on Thursday.
"We offer our sincerest to the family on their loss," a State Department spokesperson said. "Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment."
Blinken says Putin is a war criminal
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he would characterize Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal Thursday.
"Yesterday, President Biden said that in his opinion war crimes have been committed in Ukraine," Blinken said during remarks to the press. "Personally, I agree. Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime."
US has seen 'anecdotal indications' of Russian morale 'flagging'
A senior U.S. defense official said Thursday that the U.S. has observed some cases of poor Russian morale as the invasion of Ukraine drags out.
"Now, I want to be careful here," the official said. "We don't have insight into every unit in every location, but we certainly have picked up anecdotal indications."
"Some of that is, we believe, a function of of poor leadership, lack of information that the troops are getting about about the their mission and objectives," the official added. "And I think disillusionment from from being resisted as fiercely as they have been. But again, I want to stress these are anecdotal accounts."
American citizen killed in Ukraine
The State Department said Thursday that an American citizen has been killed in Ukraine.
"We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss," a spokesperson reportedly said.
Earlier, police in the Chernihiv region said "the occupiers once again carried out a heavy artillery attack on unarmed civilian residents in the city" and that "there are dead and wounded people," according to a Facebook post.
"Among the dead — a U.S. citizen," the post added.