Vladimir Zelensky. File photoMOSCOW, Apr 23Vladimir Zelensky said during a video message that Ukraine began to receive from partners «the weapons that it asked for», but did not name specific weapons and partners. «I am grateful to all of our partners who finally heard us. Who provide us with exactly what we asked for,» Zelensky said, speaking about the supply of weapons to the country. Earlier, the Canadian Ministry of Defense said that the country had transferred heavy artillery and howitzers to Ukraine. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that as part of military assistance to Ukraine, the country's Navy ship set off on Thursday towards Poland with 200 tons of ammunition and military equipment, as well as vehicles. Also on Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new $800 million military aid package for Ukraine, including 72 howitzers with tractors and 144,000 projectiles for them, as well as more than 121 Phoenix Ghost tactical unmanned aerial systems, which the Pentagon considered suitable «for Donbass». Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.» According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, as of March 25, the main tasks of the first stage were completed — they significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass. On April 19, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the start of the next phase of the special operation.
