April 21, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

US President Joe Biden said Thursday the US will ban Russian-affiliated ships from American ports in a bid to further isolate Moscow amid its invasion of Ukraine.

He said it was "another critical step" the US was taking alongside its allies in Canada and Europe "to deny Russia the benefits of international economic system that they so enjoyed in the past."

US President Joe Biden said he spoke with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who was at the White House this morning meeting with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, along with Ambassador Oksana Markarova.

"We had a good discussion. I talked about what I'm about to tell you about today, as well as he was thanking the American people for their support, understands it's significant, and we talked about keeping everyone together in terms of Europe, European Union and others, in the effort to stop Putin's brutality," Biden said.

Biden said "enormous credit" should be given to agencies on the ground exposing "war crimes."

The US and its allies are "moving as fast as possible" to provide weapons to Ukrainian forces to defend their country, he said, announcing another $800 million in military assistance.

US President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine Thursday as part of his administration's latest efforts to reinforce the country’s forces battling against Russia’s invasion.

Biden said Russia has "refocused" its campaign to seize new territory in Eastern Ukraine, making the flow of Western military aid essential.

“We’re in a critical window now of time where they’re … going to set the stage for the next phase of this war,” Biden said from the Roosevelt Room. “The United States and our allies and partners are moving as fast as possible to continue to provide Ukraine … the weapons they need, the equipment they need – that their forces need to defend their nation.”

The US President also said sharing intelligence was a priority as the war grinds on.

"We're sharing and will continue to share significant timely intelligence with Ukraine help them against Russian aggression," he said.

More on the aid package: CNN reported earlier that Biden planned to announce the new shipments of aid as he updated Americans on the state of the conflict, which is nearing its second month and entering what US officials have said could be a bloody new phase.

The new military aid package the President announced comes in at roughly $800 million following a similarly sized measure earlier this month. If approved, the latest package would mean the US has committed approximately $3.4 billion dollars in assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24.

This would be the last presidential drawdown until Congress approves more money for weapons to Ukraine. In a presidential drawdown, the Defense Department pulls weapons and equipment from US inventories to send to Ukraine instead of purchasing new weapons from manufacturers.

The Biden administration also announced a new program Thursday called “Uniting for Ukraine” that will provide a streamlined process for Ukrainian refugees seeking to come to the US.

Watch Biden's remarks:

The US will announce Thursday it is banning Russian-affiliated ships from American ports, according to an official familiar with the matter.

Russian ship traffic makes for a relatively small percentage of overall port activity in the US, but the move is in line with a ban on Russian aircraft in US airspace that President Joe Biden's administration previously announced.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal arrived at the White House this morning, along with Oksana Markarova, the ambassador of Ukraine to the United States.

A White House official said national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Shmyhal this morning, and US President Joe Biden stopped by. The officials have now departed.

Biden is set to deliver remarks soon on Russia's war and is expected to announce additional security assistance to Ukraine.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will also meet with Shmyhal, a Treasury official says. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo and Ukraine Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko are also attending. 

In the meeting, Yellen is expected to tell the Ukrainian prime minister that the United States intends to provide "an additional $500 million of immediate funding to help Ukraine continue critical government operations, such as salaries, pensions, and other programs, necessary to avoid a worsening of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. This builds on the $500 million in direct economic support that President Biden announced in March," a Treasury official says.

US President Joe Biden's administration announced a new program Thursday called “Uniting for Ukraine” that will provide a streamlined process for Ukrainians seeking to come to the United States.

The move is part of Biden’s commitment to accept up to 100,000 people fleeing war-torn Ukraine and is designed to more quickly get Ukrainians interested in coming to the US to the country.

Administration officials said Thursday that many Ukrainians still plan to stay in Europe, but the new program is expected to serve the majority of the 100,000 commitment.

CNN reported earlier Thursday that the humanitarian parole program will require Ukrainians seeking entry to the US to be sponsored by a US citizen or individual, which would include resettlement organizations and non-profit organizations. 

Administration officials said Thursday that individuals will need to undergo rigorous security vetting and checks, including biographic and biometric screening, and complete vaccinations and other public health requirements, including receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, to be eligible. Ukrainians must have also been residents in Ukraine as of Feb. 11.

Sponsors need to pass security background checks of their own as well as declare financial support. There is not a limit on the number of individuals that a person or group can sponsor, but administration officials noted they’ll be evaluating their means and ability to support Ukrainians. The Department of Homeland Security will administer the program. 

Through this process, Ukrainian applicants would be allowed to travel to the US and be considered for humanitarian parole on a case-by-case basis for up to two years. If accepted, the individuals would be eligible for work authorization.

Individuals can begin submitting applications through an online portal on April 25.

The limited pathways to the US so far have resulted in hundreds of Ukrainians going to Mexico, where it’s easier to obtain a visa, to then try to enter the US through land ports of entry. 

A Homeland Security official stressed Thursday that Ukrainians shouldn’t travel to Mexico to enter the US. 

“Following the launch of Uniting for Ukraine, Ukrainians who present at land U.S. ports of entry without a valid visa or without pre-authorization to travel to the United States through Uniting for Ukraine will be denied entry and referred to apply through this program,” according to DHS.

The German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, transferred an additional 21 injured Ukrainian nationals from Poland to Germany for hospital treatment, the country's Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance said Thursday in a statement. 

A special Air Force Airbus A310 MedEvac left Wednesday from Poland to bring the injured children and adults to Germany, the statement said. 

Germany's armed forces undertook its first evacuation flight for injured Ukrainian civilians from Rzeszow in southeastern Poland — about 90 kilometers (about 56 miles) from the Ukrainian border — to Germany on April 11.

Wounded Ukrainian soldiers had been brought to Germany in the past by other means of transport. 

One of Russia's richest men has quit as CEO of Lukoil, the country's second largest oil company.

In a brief statement Thursday, Lukoil said Vagit Alekperov had informed the company “about his decision to resign” as a director and president of the company.

The company did not disclose the reason for Alekperov's resignation. 

The announcement comes just days after he was sanctioned by the United Kingdom and seven weeks after Lukoil broke ranks with President Vladimir Putin and called for an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

In a statement to shareholders, staff and customers on March 3, Lukoil's board of directors said that it was "calling for the soonest termination of the armed conflict."

"We express our sincere empathy for all victims, who are affected by this tragedy. We strongly support a lasting ceasefire and a settlement of problems through serious negotiations and diplomacy," the board added.

Lukoil produces more than 2% of the world's crude oil and employs over 100,000 people.

There is no possibility to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal plant on Thursday as there isn't a stable ceasefire that will provide for safe evacuation, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said Thursday during an online briefing.

The mayor appealed to international partners to facilitate a ceasefire and a corridor for evacuation. 

In addition, he noted that around 200 people are currently awaiting evacuation buses in Mariupol, but the buses have not arrived yet. Four evacuation buses with 80 civilians onboard left Mariupol on Wednesday and are currently heading to Zaporizhzhia, the mayor said.

He also said that on Wednesday, during an attempt to evacuate civilian population, Russian troops began shelling. 

He added that since March 13, when the first evacuation efforts became possible, more than 100,000 people have left Mariupol but around 100,000 civilians still remain in the city.