Biden approves $1.1 billion more in military aid to Ukraine; Russia denies Nord Stream sabotage allegations - CNBC

It's widely expected that Russian President Vladimir Putin will announce Friday that the occupied regions are being annexed and becoming a part of the Russian Federation.

Elsewhere, European officials continue to investigate unexplained leaks affecting both the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that carry natural gas from Russia to Europe via the Baltic Sea.

Both Europe and Russia have both said sabotage cannot be ruled out as the cause of the damage, but the finger of blame is being pointed squarely at Moscow — which has yet to respond directly to the accusations.

President Joe Biden approved $1.1 billion more in military aid for Ukraine.

The organization overseeing the export of agricultural products from Ukraine said it has approved four vessels to leave the besieged country.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, an initiative of Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey, said the vessels are carrying a total of 114,925 metric tons of grain and other crops.

Truss thanked Zelenksyy for his work in securing the release of five British nationals held prisoner by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.

The Biden administration announced $1.1 billion in additional military aid for Ukraine, bringing U.S.

The announcement of the upcoming aid package, the 22nd such installment, follows referendums held in four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.

ambassador to the United Nations said the Biden administration would put forward a resolution that condemns Russia's "sham referenda" and calls on all states to not recognize any altered status of Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke on the phone with the Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy about Russia's war and the recently held referendums in four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.

Scholz also said that Germany "would never recognize the results of the sham referendum" in the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. .

One-way economy flights from Moscow to Dubai are going for as much as $5,000 and many have completely sold out in the days following Russian President Vladimir Putin's declaration of a "partial" mobilization of 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine.

Western officials and military analysts are increasingly concerned about diminishing weapons stocks curbing their ability to supply Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

He called on countries to continue supporting Ukraine with military and humanitarian aid.

The warning comes after the Russian government began a military mobilization of its citizens last week, with several hundred thousand men being called up and sent to Ukraine to fight. ?

The Kremlin has responded to allegations that it was responsible for damage and leaks to both the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the last few days by rebuffing the accusations and calling them "stupid.".

European authorities are investigating possible sabotage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines, a bone of contention between Europe and Russia as the war in Ukraine continues, after they started to leak gas in the Baltic Sea earlier this week.

"This is a big problem for us because, firstly, both lines of Nord Stream 2 are filled with gas - the entire system is ready to pump gas and the gas is very expensive ...

Newly-mobilized Russian soldiers have started to arrive in Ukraine according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its latest operational update posted on Facebook.

Ukraine's armed forces said that several Russian units in Ukraine had been replenished with new troops and that people with criminal convictions had also arrived to bolster Russia's manpower in Ukraine.

Russia's partial military mobilization, which was announced by President Putin last week and sees around 300,00 reservists called-up to fight in Ukraine, will not resolve the country's challenges in the war, an analyst said Wednesday.

"Mobilisation will not solve three big problems for the Russian army: poor training, low morale, and issues with logistics and supply," Mario Bikarski, Russia & CIS analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit said Wednesday.

The current Russian government regime is the "shakiest we've seen," said John Herbst, director of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council.

Herbst told CNBC's Squawk Box that Russian President Vladimir Putin's call for a conscription has led to a "huge problem" demonstrating that Russians do not want to fight in Ukraine?

CNBC's Ted Kemp discusses the Russian-run "referendums" happening in four regions of Ukraine, and says President Vladimir Putin could use them to claim that Ukraine — instead of his invading Russian army — is the aggressor the war

The results came in last night from Russian-installed officials in the various regions, with Russian news agency Tass reporting the results

It's widely expected that Russian President Vladimir Putin will announce Friday that the occupied regions are being annexed and becoming a part of the Russian Federation

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that initial reports of apparent damage to the Nord Stream pipeline indicate it may be the result of sabotage

European officials, meanwhile, are investigating the unexplained leaks affecting both the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that bring natural gas from Russia to Europe via the Baltic Sea

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance is taking Russia's rhetoric and threats of using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine very seriously

Central Intelligence Agency had weeks ago warned Germany about possible attacks on gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, German magazine Spiegel said after gas leaks in Russia pipelines to Germany were reported

The German government received the CIA tip in summer, Spiegel reported, citing unnamed sources, adding that Berlin assumes a targeted attack on Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines

Suspicious leaks reported on the Nord Stream pipelines from Russia to Germany represent a "severe safety and environment hazard," according to experts at the Eurasia Group

Nord Stream operator Nord Stream AG reported Tuesday that both the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines have sustained "unprecedented" damage via three known leaks, adding it was impossible to estimate when the gas network system's working capability would be restored

Henning Gloystein, director of energy, climate and resources and senior analyst Jason Bush, both at Eurasia Group, said in a note Tuesday that while German and Danish authorities said the cause of the leaks was unknown, "unplanned leaks to undersea pipelines are rare as they are designed to avert accidental damage."

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines have centered heavily in the breakdown of relations between Europe and Russia because of the war in Ukraine

The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had not even opened when the German government refused to certify it for commercial operations after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine

Meanwhile, the functional Nord Stream 1 pipeline is currently not being used to deliver Russian gas to Europe after Gazprom, the Russian gas giant, said there was a technical fault with a turbine that could not be fixed due to Western sanctions

Nord Stream pipelines hit by suspicious leaks in possible sabotage; Russia says it has 'a right' to use nuclear weapons