Russia-Ukraine updates: 2 US veterans who joined Ukrainian forces missing

The Americans, Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh and Alexander Drueke, are both from Alabama.

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.

For previous coverage, please click here.

Hulu

Two Men at War

A look at the two leaders at the center of the war in Ukraine and how they both rose to power, the difference in their leadership and what led to this moment in history.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Apr 20, 2022, 1:45 PM EDT

Blinken warns atrocities in Mariupol 'far worse' than Bucha

Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Wednesday that he thinks the atrocities in the port city of Mariupol will show to be "far worse" than in Bucha, where, after Russian troops retreated, there were found to be scores of civilians killed, and in some cases, tortured.

"We can only anticipate that when this tide also at some point recedes from Mariupol, we're going to see far worse -- if that's possible to imagine," Blinken said during a press conference in Panama.

A view of fresh graves, April 18, 2022, at the cemetery in Bucha, Ukraine. The Russian retreat from Ukrainian towns and cities has revealed scores of civilian deaths.
Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images

Blinken expressed some doubts about Russia's offer of humanitarian corridors for Ukrainian civilians and service members to leave Mariupol.

Evacuees wait before boarding a bus to leave the city during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 20, 2022.
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

"Of course, we want to see people who are in harm's way, if they're able to, leave it safely and securely," he said. "The judgment on whether the humanitarian corridor established to do that from Mariupol is safe and secure is one ultimately that the Ukrainian government is going to make … and ultimately, the decision to leave is going to be a burden on the people themselves to make that very difficult decision."

A woman with a child talks to service members of pro-Russian troops as evacuees board buses to leave the city during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 20, 2022.
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

Local residents walk along a street damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 19, 2022.
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

He said the U.S. is "certainly assisting" by giving its evaluations and assessments of the situation to the Ukrainian government.

But Blinken warned: "What gives pause is the fact that there have been agreements on humanitarian corridors established before that have fallen apart very, very quickly - if not immediately - principally because the security has been violated by Russian forces."

-ABC News' Conor Finnegan

Apr 20, 2022, 1:00 PM EDT

New military aid package to focus on artillery, ammunition

The Biden administration is preparing to announce another military aid package for Ukraine worth roughly $800 million, a U.S. official said. Details have not been determined but the package is believed to focus more on artillery and ammunition.

An Ukrainian interior ministry soldier collects unexploded shells, grenades and other devices in Hostomel, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, April 18, 2022.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP

PHOTO: A Ukrainian national flag, military helmet and medical documents lie on a table at a destroyed part of the Illich Iron & Steel Works Metallurgical Plant, in Mariupol, Ukraine, April 18, 2022.
A Ukrainian national flag, military helmet and medical documents lie on a table at a destroyed part of the Illich Iron & Steel Works Metallurgical Plant, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, Ukraine, April 18, 2022.
Alexei Alexandrov/AP

-ABC News' Conor Finnegan

Apr 20, 2022, 12:54 PM EDT

Yellen to meet with Ukrainian prime minister

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will hold a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, a Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed. Ukraine's finance minister will also attend.

The meeting will take place during the annual conferences of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The conferences draw leaders from the G20, of which Russia is currently a member.

While Yellen will participate in some meetings and panels where Russian officials will be present, she will skip others, a Treasury Department official said.

-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky

Apr 20, 2022, 10:58 AM EDT

Tennis players from Russia, Belarus banned from Wimbledon Championships

Tennis players from Russia and Belarus have been banned from this summer's Wimbledon Championships due to the "unjustified and unprecedented military aggression" in Ukraine, The All England Lawn Tennis Club said.

"It would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players," the statement said, adding: "If circumstances change materially between now and June, we will consider and respond accordingly."

Related Topics

Sponsored Content by Taboola