US President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "murderous dictator" and a "pure thug" Thursday
Biden said Putin is "a murderous dictator, a pure thug who is waging an immoral war against the people of Ukraine" during remarks at the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon on St. Patrick's Day at Capitol Hill.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported Thursday afternoon that at least 21 people had been killed and another 25 wounded, including 10 seriously, in a Russian shelling that took place this morning in the town of Merefa near Kharkiv, in the east of the country.
In the city of Chernivtsi, northeast of Kyiv, a father, mother and three of their children, including three-year-old twins, were killed in the shelling of a hostel.
The United States has announced additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine. The assistance package will include drones, anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft systems. At a meeting last night between NATO defense ministers, it was decided to continue transferring military equipment to Ukraine.