Washington: Ukraine Capable of Resuming Attack Despite Losses

A destroyed military vehicle in a street in the city of Kharkiv. (dpa)
A destroyed military vehicle in a street in the city of Kharkiv. (dpa)
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Washington: Ukraine Capable of Resuming Attack Despite Losses

A destroyed military vehicle in a street in the city of Kharkiv. (dpa)
A destroyed military vehicle in a street in the city of Kharkiv. (dpa)

Ukraine maintains a lot of combat capability and power to carry out a counteroffensive despite its preliminary losses, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday following his meeting with the Ukrainian defense minister at the NATO headquarters.

“This is a war, so we know that there will be battle damage on both sides”, Austin said during a press conference following the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and Ukrainian military leaders briefed allies and partners on the situation and military needs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed that his forces defied the attack and that the Ukrainian losses were "catastrophic."

Moscow announced capturing several German-made Leopard battle tanks and US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.

“I think the Russians have shown us [those] same five vehicles about 1,000 times from 10 different angles,” Austin said of the video clips. “But quite frankly, the Ukrainians still have a lot of combat capability, combat power,” he said.

He stressed Kyiv’s ability to "repair damaged equipment".

“So, we will continue to provide Ukraine with the urgent capabilities that it needs to meet this moment,“ Austin added.

“It’s a very violent fight, and it will likely take a considerable amount of time,” US Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.

“Armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, and ammo. This is what we need to protect our land and help the Russians to find their way home,” Reznikov noted in a tweet.

The US announced a new $325 million military aid package for Ukraine that will include ammunition and vehicles. Germany, the UK, Poland, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, and Italy announced contributions as well.

Reznikov welcomed commitments by Denmark and the Netherlands coalition to train Ukrainian pilots on American-made F-16 fighters. The training is scheduled for the summer, but it will take some time, according to Austin.



French High School Student is Arrested after Fatally Stabbing Another Student, Wounding 3

A Police Municipal officer surrounds the scene of a crime with a Police tape as French military of the Sentinelle Operation stand at the high school Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides after a knife attack in Nantes, western France, on April 24, 2025.  (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP)
A Police Municipal officer surrounds the scene of a crime with a Police tape as French military of the Sentinelle Operation stand at the high school Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides after a knife attack in Nantes, western France, on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP)
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French High School Student is Arrested after Fatally Stabbing Another Student, Wounding 3

A Police Municipal officer surrounds the scene of a crime with a Police tape as French military of the Sentinelle Operation stand at the high school Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides after a knife attack in Nantes, western France, on April 24, 2025.  (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP)
A Police Municipal officer surrounds the scene of a crime with a Police tape as French military of the Sentinelle Operation stand at the high school Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides after a knife attack in Nantes, western France, on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP)

A student at a French high school stabbed four other students at his school Thursday, killing at least one and injuring three others before being arrested, police said.
The circumstances of the attack were not immediately clear. Fatal attacks are quite rare in French schools.
A national police official said the attack occurred at the private Catholic Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides High School in Nantes on France’s Atlantic coast.
The student stabbed four people with a knife during a lunch break before teachers subdued him, and he was later taken in by police, The Associated Press quoted the official as saying. The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to national police policy.
Students at the school told French media at the scene that they had received an email from the assailant earlier in the day with unspecified grievances.
Education Minister Elisabeth Borne said on X that she is heading to the school with Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau to show “solidarity with victims and the school community.″ The regional prosecutor announced a news conference for later Thursday.
Images from the scene showed police and armed military forces surrounding the school as the investigation got underway.
An official at the school, which is part of a complex housing a primary and middle school, would not comment on what happened, saying the school is concentrating on caring for the students who were on campus at the time.