Russian President Vladimir Putin's "special military operation" into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine's disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, greet Olena Zelenska, spouse of Ukrainian's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, left, at the White House in Washington, July 19, 2022.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Zelenska was presented with a bouquet of flowers in Ukrainian colors: yellow sunflowers, blue hydrangeas and white orchids.
Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., arrived with Zelenska.
Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff then held a bilateral meeting with the Ukrainian delegation. Jill Biden said they'll discuss mental health issues for mothers and children who have "suffered such tragedy and the atrocities" during the war.
Zelenska will address Congress on Wednesday.
-ABC News' John Parkinson
Jul 19, 2022, 8:43 AM EDT
US weapons help stabilize front line, Ukrainian official says
Ukrainian forces have "stabilized" the situation along the front line in the eastern and southeastern regions of the country, in large part thanks to U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers, the Ukrainian military said on Monday.
“We managed to stabilize the situation. It is complex, intense, but completely controlled,” Valery Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said.
An important factor contributing to Ukraine's retention of its defensive lines and positions is the timely arrival of U.S. supplied M142 HIMARS -- High Mobility Artillery Rocket System -- rocket launchers, Zaluzhny added. These highly precise and modern weapons have been delivering “targeted strikes” on Russian “control points, ammunition and fuel storage depots,” the top commander added.
This file photo shows an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) being fired in an undisclosed location in Ukraine in a still image obtained from an undated social media video uploaded on June 24, 2022.
Pavlo Narozhnyy via Reuters
Ukrainian troops struck a Russian military facility in the area of an asphalt plant in the eastern town of Nova Kakhovka on Monday, Ukrainian military officials said. Ukrainian forces also hit an administrative building and a hangar filled with Russian fuel tankers in the southern town of Beryslav, killing more than 100 Russian soldiers, the Ukrainian military said on Monday.
Russian forces shelled the town of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region about 40 times on Monday night, local authorities said. Explosions were also reported in the Odesa region, injuring several civilians. Russian troops also fired cluster shells at the city of Mykolaiv late on Monday.
Russia's stated immediate objective is to seize all of the Donetsk region, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday. Even if Russian troops make further territorial gains, the tempo of their advance is likely to be very slow, the ministry added.
Russian units, severely under-manned, face a dilemma between deploying more forces to the Donbas or defending against Ukrainian counter-attacks in the Kherson area, the observers said.
-ABC News' Edward Szekeres, Yulia Drozd, Max Uzol and Yuriy Zaliznyak
Jul 18, 2022, 4:20 PM EDT
Ukraine's first lady to meet with Jill Biden
Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska will meet with first lady Jill Biden in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Biden's office said, one day before Zelenska addresses Congress.
Jul 18, 2022, 1:45 PM EDT
Ukraine's first lady to address Congress on Wednesday
Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska will make remarks Wednesday before members of Congress on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced.
All members of the House and Senate are invited to the event, which is set for 11 a.m ET.
Olena Zelenska,Oksana Markarova 7/18/2022 3:57:16 PM Olena Zelenska 7/18/2022 3:57:18 PM Olena Zelenska 7/18/2022 3:57:18 PM Olena Zelenska 7/18/2022 3:57:19 PM Olena Zelenska 7/18/2022 3:57:18 PM Olena Zelenska, spouse of Ukrainian's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, walks out of the State Department, Monday, July 18, 2022 in Washington, after meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a closed-to-press meeting.
