Ukraine asks NATO for weapons to ‘serve the purpose of peace’

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister has asked NATO members for more help in the war against Russia. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said there is an urgent need to further support Ukraine with air defense systems, anti-tank weapons, and more. Stoltenberg is “certain” the need will be addressed. 

“My agenda is very simple, it’s weapons, weapons, and weapons,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said at NATO headquarters in Brussels. “The more weapons we get and the sooner they arrive in Ukraine, the more human lives will be saved.”

The Foreign Minister’s message came as bodies of civilians killed by Russian troops are being identified in the suburbs of Kyiv, like Bucha. 

“As weird as it may sound, today weapons serve the purpose of peace,” Kuleba said. 

In Washington, D.C., Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the Department of Justice will continue its long history of helping to identify war criminals and hold them accountable. 

“We have seen the dead bodies of civilians. Some with bound hands scattered in the streets,” Garland said. 

The White House has implemented more sanctions, including a complete block on Russia’s largest largest financial institution, Sberbank, and its largest private bank, Alfa Bank. The Biden Administration has also blocked any new American investment in Russia. 

“The sense of brutality and inhumanity left for all the world to see unapologetically…there’s nothing less happening than major war crimes,” President Biden said. 

The U.S. is also providing Ukraine with an additional $100 million to fund anti-armor systems, bringing total U.S. security assistance to $1.7 billion since the war began. 

“United with our Allies and partners, we will continue to provide security assistance in support of Ukraine’s defense, as well as economic support, and humanitarian aid for communities devastated by Russia’s ruthless brutality,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.