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VOA chief national correspondent Steve Herman tweeted that President Joe Biden has suspended “the tariffs set forth in Proclamation 9705 for the import of steel articles and derivative steel articles from Ukraine for 1 year,” in a proclamation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnkyy spoke defiantly Friday in two speeches about his country’s ultimate victory over Russian forces, The Associated Press reported.
“Ukraine is a country that has destroyed the myth about the extraordinary power of the Russian army – an army that supposedly, in a few days, could conquer anyone it wants,” he told Stanford University students by video. “Now Russia is trying to occupy the entire state, but we feel strong enough to think about the future of Ukraine, which will be open to the world.”
Later, in his nightly video address, Zelenskyy reacted to Russians’ capture of the eastern city of Lyman, the Donetsk region’s large railway hub north of two more key cities still under Ukrainian control, and its attempt to encircle and seize the city of Sievierodonetsk, one of the last areas under Ukrainian control in Luhansk.
“If the occupiers think that Lyman or Sievierodonetsk will be theirs, they are wrong,” he said. “Donbas will be Ukrainian.”
The owner of a rural weekly newspaper in southern Minnesota is looking to give his publication away so he can travel to Ukraine.
Minnesota Public Radio reported Thursday that owner and publisher Lee Zion is willing to dig trenches, teach school or fight in Ukraine.
Zion produces the newspaper by himself for about 500 subscribers and wants to make sure a person committed to local journalism takes over.
Zion says several people have reached out to him and expressed interest in owning the weekly.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya, warns Poland that it could be next after Ukraine.
Kadyrov, who is famous for his bluster, said Ukraine was “a done deal” and that “if an order is given after Ukraine, we’ll show you (Poland) what you’re made of in six seconds.” The video was posted to his official Telegram page, The Associated Press reported.
Poland, which borders Ukraine, has provided its neighbor with weapons and other aid since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Kadyrov urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “finally come to his senses and accept the conditions offered by our president (Vladimir Putin).”
Russia expects to receive $14.4 billion in additional oil and gas revenues this year, the finance minister said Friday, adding that part of the windfall will be spent on Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported.
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said the government planned to spend the additional revenue this year on "additional payments" to pensioners and families with children and conducting a "special operation" in Ukraine, referring to Moscow's offensive in the pro-Western country.
Kyrgyzstan's climbing federation said Friday that it has removed a Ukrainian flag from a mountain named after Russian President Vladimir Putin, following a police investigation of the stunt that put the flag there. They replaced it with the Kyrgyz flag.
A climber earlier this week posted a video of the Ukrainian flag on the mountain dubbed Putin Peak, which rises 4,446 meters (14,587 feet) above sea level.
The is breaking ties with the Russia church over the war in Ukraine.
"Not only did he fail to condemn Russia's military aggression but he also failed to find words for the suffering Ukrainian people," church spokesman Archbishop Kliment told Agence France-Presse.
It is the second Orthodox schism in Ukraine in recent years, with part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church breaking away from Moscow in 2019 over Russia's annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in Donbas.
The U.S. Army has awarded a contract worth up to $687 million to Raytheon Technologies for anti-aircraft Stinger missiles to U.S. replenish stocks sent to Ukraine, .
The shoulder-fired missiles were in hot demand in Ukraine, where they have successfully stopped Russian assaults from the air.
U.S. troops have limited use for Stingers, which can be used against helicopters, airplanes, drones and even cruise missiles, but the U.S. needs to maintain its supply.
Since February, the U.S. has shipped about 1,400 Stingers to Ukraine. U.S. allies also want to restock the weapons they shipped to Ukraine in recent months.
Teams from Belarus and Ukraine will be prevented from being drawn against each other in European competitions "until further notice," UEFA announced on Friday, Agence France-Presse reported.