US promises military aid to Ukraine will make ‘real difference’

The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged America to deliver military aid as quickly as possible, as Russia pushes ahead with its offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Mr Zelenskyy told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Kharkiv urgently needed two Patriot air defence systems to protect people from constant Russian shelling.

Mr Blinken promised that assistance was on the way and would make a “real difference” on the battlefield.