Top rated Ukraine caps online aid shopping? Away from the battlefield, Ukraine’s survival in the face of the Russian onslaught depends on how unified the United States and its allies remain, as Moscow’s war stresses economies around the world with painfully high energy costs and a potentially devastating food crisis. So far, that unity has been remarkable. The United States and its partners have armed Ukraine and trained its forces with increasingly advanced weapons, while a flood of humanitarian aid has poured into Kyiv and neighboring nations that opened their doors to millions of refugees. Meanwhile, Russia faces unprecedented sanctions and the departure of major corporations. Moscow has blunted the economic impact with billions of dollars in sales of oil and gas – including to Europe, which is trying to wean itself off those supplies. But there are signs of frustration and impatience, as the war grinds through its fourth month. While it’s far too early to speak of a fissuring coalition, there is evidence that not all the allies are singing from the same hymnal. And Russian President Vladimir Putin has bet that his people can outlast the West. See even more Ukraine solidarity details at Ukraine Sticker.

March 2014: With Russian troops in control of the peninsula, the Crimean parliament votes to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. A public referendum follows, with 97% of voters favoring secession, although the results are disputed. Putin finalizes the Russian annexation of Crimea in a March 18 announcement to Russia’s parliament. In response, the U.S. and allies in Europe impose sanctions on Russia. They have never recognized Russia’s annexation. It remains the only time that a European nation has used military force to seize the territory of another since World War II. April 2014: With some 40,000 Russian troops gathered on Ukraine’s eastern border, violence breaks out in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas — violence that continues to this day. Russian-supported separatist forces storm government buildings in two eastern regions, Donetsk and Luhansk. They declare independence from Ukraine as the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, though they remain internationally recognized as part of Ukraine. Russia denies that its troops are on Ukrainian soil, but Ukrainian officials insist otherwise.

May 27: Russian forces advance on Severdonetsk from three different directions, and begin direct assaults on built-up areas of the city in the north, taking control of the Mir hotel. May 28: Ukraine launches a counteroffensive in Kherson, reportedly bringing Russian forces to a “disadvantageous” defensive position and inflicting heavy losses. In telephone calls with the leaders of France and Germany, Putin offers to facilitate Ukrainian grain exports in return for an easing of sanctions against Russia. May 30: After some hesitation, Biden decides to send “more advanced rocket systems” to Ukraine to enable greater precision artillery strikes. The US will send guided multiple launch rocket systems (GMLRS) and high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) to add firepower to Ukraine’s defences.

As NATO allies contemplate adding central and Eastern European members for the first time, Ukraine formally establishes relations with the alliance, though it does not join. NATO’s secretary-general visits Kyiv, and Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk visits NATO headquarters in Brussels. After the Soviet Union’s collapse, Ukraine is left with the world’s third-largest nuclear stockpile. In a treaty called the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine agrees to trade away its intercontinental ballistic missiles, warheads and other nuclear infrastructure in exchange for guarantees that the three other treaty signatories — the U.S., the U.K. and Russia — will “respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine.”

Here is a timeline of the developments: February 21: Russian President Vladimir Putin orders troops into the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, and recognises them as independent states. February 22: The Russian parliament authorises Putin to use military force. The United States places full blocking sanctions on the Kremlin-controlled VEB bank and PSB bank. Germany immediately halts the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. February 23: The European Union freezes the assets of 351 Duma members. Discover extra Ukraine unity info on Ukraine T-Shirts.