Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – April 22, 2022

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

Ukraine's president said his country needs $7 billion per month to make up for economic losses.

Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Oleksiy Arestovych has claimed that about 90,000 Russian soldiers are currently present in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said there has been a "significant reduction in the intensity of the movement" of Russian military equipment on the Belarusian border.

The European Union added the head of the Russian mercenary company the Wagner Group to its blacklist for actions violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

A new set of sanctions announced Thursday target the Russian generals “committing atrocities on the front-line in Ukraine and individuals and businesses supporting” the military, the British government said.

During their visit to Ukraine on Thursday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen announced that they will send significantly more weapons and military aid to the war-torn country.

US President Joe Biden announced a second $800 million military aid package for Ukraine in as many weeks as Kyiv's forces brace for a looming Russian offensive.

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal from war-hit Ukraine at the Capitol building.

Russia announced sanctions against 61 Canadians and 29 Americans, including US Vice President Kamala Harris and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The Russian army has taken control of Ukraine's besieged port city of Mariupol, said Russia's defense minister.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that he has not spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin since atrocities in the Ukrainian city of Bucha were revealed and reaffirmed his resolve to resume talks next week for a cease-fire if he is re-elected.

US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has met with Pakistan’s top leadership and paid a visit to Azad Jammu and Kashmir as part of a four-day visit to the country that began on April 20.

The Taliban-led interim government in Afghanistan banned the social media app TikTok as part of a drive to block "immoral" content.