United States President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he had asked the Defence Department to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, after condemning Russia's Christmas Day attack on Ukraine's energy system and some of its cities.
The bigger picture: Russia attacked Ukraine on Wednesday with cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as drones, Ukraine said.
The strikes wounded at least six people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and killed one in the region of Dnipropetrovsk, the governors there said.
The key quote: "The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people's access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardise the safety of its grid." — US President Joe Biden.
What else to know: Nearly three years into the war, the US has committed US$175 billion ($289 billion) in aid for Ukraine, but it is uncertain if the aid will continue at that pace under Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who replaces Biden on 20 January.
During the presidential election campaign, Trump questioned the level of US involvement in the conflict, suggesting European allies should bear more of the financial burden.
Some of his fellow Republicans — who will control both the House of Representatives and Senate starting next month — have also cooled on sending more aid to Ukraine.
What happens next: Trump has said he wants to swiftly end the war in Ukraine, though he has yet to set out publicly how he plans to do so.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he was ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks with Trump and had no conditions for starting talks with the Ukrainian authorities.
