(UnitedVoice.com) – Monday, July 8, proved to be terrifying for the people of Ukraine. The Russian military launched multiple airstrikes on the country using hypersonic missiles. NATO is now preparing a “historic” aid package.
NATO leaders are meeting in Washington, DC, to announce the details of an aid package for Ukraine. They’ve been negotiating for some time and will include critical air defense systems for the Eastern European nation. The attack on Monday reportedly increased the urgency for the package.
Experts believe NATO will pledge at least four new Patriot missile batteries. That’s three fewer than what Ukraine was asking for. The systems are expected to be delivered by Germany, Romania, a Dutch-led multinational effort, and the US. Israel might supply another Patriot battery. Greece, Spain, and Poland also have systems but have not pledged anything.
The new package is expected to set Ukraine up for years. It’s supposed to include a commitment from NATO members to spend $43 billion in 2025 on aid for the country. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg asked for a multi-year plan but hadn’t received any guarantees before the start of the summit in DC. A European official told The Guardian that a multi-year deal was “still being discussed” but acknowledged some countries were “uncomfortable with the idea of a multi-annual pledge,” so they might have to wait for that.
The Russian military struck the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, the largest children’s cancer center in the country. At least 43 people died in the attacks throughout Ukraine on Monday, including kids. Photos were splashed across the media showing children drenched in blood with the partially collapsed hospital around them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed Russia for the attack, saying they could not “claim ignorance of where its missiles are flying and must be held fully accountable for all its crimes.” He said that the world shouldn’t remain silent about what’s happening.
President Joe Biden called the missile strikes across Ukraine “horrific, tragic, [and] senseless.”
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