U.S. to add Russia sanctions, welcome refugees

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded for more military aid Thursday in a video message to NATO, just one of the international summits convening this week to address Russian aggression. President Joe Biden attended meetings with NATO, the Group of Seven, and the European Union on Thursday. Before the NATO meeting, he said the U.S. is committed to offering more equipment, especially air defense systems, to Ukraine. World leaders will discuss what to do if Russia resorts to its nuclear arsenal or if troops expand the fighting zone beyond Ukraine’s borders.

What will the U.S. do? Biden has remained firm that no American troops will fight in Ukraine, nor will they enforce a no-fly zone over the country. On Thursday, the White House announced the U.S. will welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. The administration plans to offer an additional $1 billion in humanitarian assistance immediately and $11 billion over the next five years to address worldwide food shortages as a result of the war. The U.S. will also place additional sanctions on hundreds more elite Russians and members of the Russian parliament. European leaders are also considering further sanctions but rely heavily on Russian energy.

Dig deeper: Keep up with WORLD’s latest coverage of the war.