Ukraine needs billions of dollars to rebuild after war with Russia

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Ukraine needs billions of dollars to rebuild after war with Russia

Ukraine needs hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild the country after the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says.

The President said Ukraine's forces were facing a new Russian offensive in the country's east lost ground, with more than 40 villages falling to the invaders.

As of now, given the economic downturn and broken economic ties, we need up to 7 billion in financial support every month to make up for economic losses, according to Zelenskyy.

He was speaking at a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Ukraine.

The 44-year-old leader called on the leaders in Washington to exclude Russia immediately from the institutions, saying bodies such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and others were certainly not the place for a country trying to ruin the lives of its neighbours. World Bank president David Malpass applauded Mr Zelenskyy for demonstrating strong leadership throughout the war.

Mr. President, you and your nation have shown strength, tenacity and heroism in the face of aggression. President Zelenskyy, the floor is yours, Mr Malpass said as he invited Mr Zelenskyy to address the gathering.

The US President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that the latest military aid from the United States includes heavy artillery, ammunition and drones for the escalating battle in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol are still clinging to their last redoubt inside the Azozstal steelworks.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February, the strategic port city has been under attack.

An aide to Mr Zelenskyy's chief of staff told national television that 42 villages were added to the list of those that have been occupied in the Donetsk region.

On Thursday Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in Mariupol despite Ukrainian forces still holding parts of the Azovstal complex.

More than 200 new graves were seen in a cemetery in the Ukrainian town of Manhush near Mariupol, according to new satellite images.

The imagery showed long rows of graves stretching away from an existing cemetery in the town.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said Russian troops were burying Ukrainian civilians to cover up military crimes and that hundreds of civilians had been buried in trenches near Manhush.

Ukrainian authorities estimate that more than 21,000 civilians have been killed in Mariupol since Russia began its attack.

More than 140 Russian politicians, as well as Mr Putin's daughters, were slapped with travel bans and sanctions by the Australian government.

The United Kingdom and the United States have taken measures similar to those taken by the latest round of sanctions.

Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova, 36, and Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova, 35, are mostly shielded from the public eye, and it has never been publicly confirmed that Mr Putin is actually their father.

Ekaterina Sergeevna Vinokurova, 39, is the daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Western nations have imposed sanctions against many people tied to the President and his inner sanctum in a bid to freeze their assets around the world.