A call for aid 'to break this vicious cycle'

The foreign ministers of seven Nordic and Baltic counties pledged Monday to provide more military, economic and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine withstand Russian attacks not only on the battlefield but against civilian targets. 

Hi, it's Julius with an update on Ukraine

"We have agreements on further cooperation in the defense and energy spheres, in the reconstruction projects of our state and in the sanctions sphere,'' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after meeting with the ministers from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Iceland.

Sweden said it had provided a nearly $280 million package of air defense systems, ammunition, all-terrain vehicles and personal winter gear for troops. Finland pledged to take in more Ukrainian refugees. In the U.S., White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. is working with partners and allies to provide energy and water replacement equipment.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba asked for more air defenses "to break this vicious cycle” of Russia destroying infrastructure and Ukraine rebuilding it.

Of the more than 16,000 missiles Russia has fired at Ukraine in the war, 97% have been aimed at civilian targets, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov tweeted.

After weeks of Russia attacking Ukraine's power facilities with air strikes, about 40% of Ukraine's energy sector has been damaged or destroyed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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