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Ukraine’s visiting first lady Olena Zelenska is set to address Congress on Wednesday following her meeting with US President Joe Biden. The speech is aimed at boosting US support for Ukraine as Russia keeps up the military pressure in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, targeting cities such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Follow FRANCE 24 for live updates. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
7:11am: Britain says Russia’s Donbas offensive makes ‘minimal gains’
Russia’s offensive in the Donbas region continues to make minimal gains as Ukrainian forces hold the line, according to British military intelligence.
The Antonovskiy bridge over the Dnieper River that was struck by Ukrainian forces is probably still usable, Britain’s defence ministry said on Twitter.
“It is highly likely that the bridge remains usable – but it is a key vulnerability for Russian Forces,” the ministry added in the regular bulletin.
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Russia continues to make minimal gains in its Donbas offensive, with Ukrainian forces holding the line.— Ministry of Defence ???????? (@DefenceHQ) July 20, 2022
6:54am: Ukraine’s first lady to address US Congress
US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, to the White House on Tuesday for a visit ahead of her address to Congress later today.
Zelenska, the wife of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, embraced Jill Biden and received flowers from the US president, who met her vehicle outside.
Zelenska is in Washington DC in a bid to increase US support for Ukraine, obtaining additional support to “protect people from Russian terror” and boosting humanitarian assistance, said her husband in a late-night video address.
He said the address to Congress would be important, adding “I strongly believe it will be heard by those people responsible for making decisions in the United States”.
Welcoming the Ukrainian first lady to the White House, President Biden said Zelenska “embodies the same tenacity and resilience as the country she hails from” in a Twitter post.
First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska embodies the same tenacity and resilience as the country she hails from.
It was an honor for Jill and me to welcome her to the White House this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/X8liTFT8Yw
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 19, 2022
2:25am: Sloviansk reels from second Russian strikes
Reporting from a residential area in Sloviansk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg said the latest Russian strikes on the neighbourhood were the second in recent days.
Russia’s defence ministry on Tuesday said its aircraft had shot down a Ukrainian MI-17 helicopter near the eastern town of Sloviansk. The report could not be verified, but residents of the area that was struck said there were no military targets around.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and REUTERS)
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