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Transcript/ScriptUKRAINE WAR FUNDING (TV)
HEADLINE: EU Commission President to Request Additional $53 Billion in Ukraine Aid
TEASER: Battle-weary soldiers prepare for another winter at war with Russia as Ukraine’s leadership meets with the EU Commission president to secure future aid
PUBLISHED AT: 11/05/2023 at 3:17 pm
BYLINE: Arash Arabasadi
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: REUTERS/ STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE HANDOUT/ 47th SEPARATE MECHANIZED BRIGADE/ DONETSK REGIONAL POLICE/ AP/ X, @MEETTHEPRESS
SCRIPT EDITORS: Page sv
VIDEO SOURCE (S): REUTERS/ STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE HANDOUT/ 47th SEPARATE MECHANIZED BRIGADE/ DONETSK REGIONAL POLICE/ AP/ X, @MEETTHEPRESS
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __
TRT: 3:03
VID APPROVED BY: mia
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: ))
(([INTRO)) [[The European Union Commission proposed another 53-billion-dollars in aid for Ukraine. The announcement comes as Ukraine’s military readies for another winter at war with Russia. And Ukrainians brace for another season of cold temperatures and possible Russian attacks on the power grid. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.]]
((mandatory cg STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE))
((NARRATOR))
Firefighters battle a blaze after what Ukraine described as a Russian drone attack on the city of Kharkiv. No word on casualties. Ukraine says this strike was part of a massive drone campaign early Friday hitting critical infrastructure in the country’s south and west, a chilling reminder of last year’s attacks as winter approaches and temperatures drop.
((mandatory cg 47th SEPARATE MECHANIZED BRIGADE))
((NARRATOR))
Russia’s drone campaign followed a video released Thursday by Ukraine claiming to show Ukrainian forces deploying drones of their own against advancing Russian armored vehicles. VOA ((Reuters)) cannot independently verify the location or date of the video. Ukraine says the drone strikes were near the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region.
((mandatory cg DONETSK REGION POLICE))
((NARRATOR))
The pre-war population of 30-thousand dropped to about 15-hundred today. And as Russian forces move to encircle Avdiivka, Ukraine’s regional police released video of officers evacuating the last civilians from nearby towns.
They captured an exchange between an elderly mother and her son in which he tells her to “leave,” and there is “no water, no bread, nothing.” The woman responds, “Leave me alone.”
Ukraine’s leadership and military continue pushing for more sustained international support and advanced weaponry. Ukraine further seeks EU and NATO membership.
((NARRATOR))
It was amid this backdrop that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the capital, Kyiv, for a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Von der Leyen said the commission would recommend another 53-billion-dollars in aid from EU member states to Ukraine.
((NARRATOR))
Just days earlier in Berlin, EU foreign ministers met to discuss future expansion of the bloc. Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock ((Anna-leena Bear-boek)) expressed confidence that Ukraine would gain membership after a vote in December adding, “We want to see Ukraine a member of our European Union.”
((NARRATOR))
Back on the front lines in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, soldiers staffing artillery say they’ve noticed an uptick in Russian artillery use over the last month -- something the South Korean Intelligence Service blames on its northern neighbor, after alleging Pyongyang provided Moscow with more than a million shells. It’s all adding up to a situation wearing down on soldiers and civilians, alike.
[RADIO TRACK: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press”]
((mandatory X logo, @MeetThePress))
((Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President))
“A lot of people, of course, in the world are tired. Of course. It’s understandable. Somebody’s tired on the battlefield. Somebody’s tired on their work ((their job)), and somebody’s tired abroad. They want to come back home to their husbands, to their
soldiers, to these guys. Women and children. Somebody’s tired [of] European leaders [promising] to support Ukraine. Yes, of course. Because [this is a] long war.”
((NARRATOR))
For soldiers like those serving in the 67th Mechanized Brigade, who report 20-hour-long firefights with very little rest between, that long war hits home… and diplomatic reinforcements, albeit potentially around the corner when the EU votes on Ukraine’s accession in mid-December, aren’t coming fast enough.
((Arash Arabasadi, VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Washington D.C.
Embargo DateNovember 5, 2023 22:11 EST
Byline
Arash Arabasadi, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
