By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - The US has been using a secure satellite telephone to communicate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid Russia's ongoing assault on its eastern European neighbor, according to a report published on Tuesday.
CNN reported that the telephone was given to the Ukrainian government in February amid then-fears that Russia would launch a full-blown assault on Ukraine as it amassed tens of thousands of its forces on the border.
Prior to the satellite telephone being given to Zelenskyy, secure communications were run through the US embassy in Kyiv, two anonymous US officials told CNN. The US evacuated its staff from the embassy in mid-February amid increasingly dire predictions that Russia's invasion was imminent.
Zelenskyy meanwhile has rejected pleas for him to leave Ukraine, instead of remaining in Kyiv where CNN reported he has been rotating through multiple locations that are heavily guarded.
In addition to the satellite phone given to the Ukrainian president, the US also gave one to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Zelenskyy spoke by phone with US President Joe Biden as recently as Tuesday, and the US president emphasized the US would maintain its support for Ukraine amid the ongoing war.
Russia began its offensive on Ukraine on Feb. 24. It has resulted in at least 136 civilians, including 13 children, being killed, according to UN estimates. About 400 others have been injured, including 26 children.
The nationwide assault has led to nearly 680,000 people fleeing Ukraine for neighboring countries, according to the international body.
Russia has intensified its aerial and artillery bombardment this week, particularly on the capital, Kyiv, and Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv, where a massive explosion rocked Freedom Square.
Kharkiv, near the Russian border, is home to some 1.5 million people, while the population of Kyiv is nearly 3 million.
The West and its international allies have imposed waves of economic sanctions on Russia in retaliation for its assault, including penalties on President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s central bank.