Year two of the war between Russia and Ukraine has begun. Many predict that the war will continue to progress and intensify due to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s persistence. Currently, Russia has been capturing weapons from the United States left behind on battlefields and sending them to Iran. Russia launched 95 missiles into Ukraine, with 35 of them intercepted. Also, United States President Joe Biden met with the chief of the European Union  to discuss continued support for Ukraine and next steps.

Russia’s growing relationship with Iran is shown through the newest discovery: U.S. weapons being sent to Tehran. The purpose of sending these weapons to Iran is so that Iran can dismantle them and attempt to recreate them. This isn’t the first time that Iran has recreated weapons. In the 1970s, the American BGM-71 TOW missile was reverse engineered into the anti-tank guided missile. In 2011, Iran intercepted a U.S. made drone and reverse engineered it to create a new drone and send it into Israeli airspace, which was later shot down. After learning of the action, Ukraine is reporting all lost equipment to the U.S. Pentagon. There are worries about Russia’s growing partnership with Iran because it could further destabilize Ukraine and could also threaten Middle Eastern neighbors.

Russia launched 95 missiles against critical infrastructure with 34 of them intercepted. Some of the missiles were advanced, Klinzhai ballistic missiles, so Ukraine could not shoot them down. These missiles killed 11 people and injured 20. It also caused half a million people in Kharkiv to lose power for 11 hours. Russia claims that the strikes were in retaliation for “terrorist actions,” referring to a small Ukrainian armed group that crossed into Russia’s Bryansk region last week.

President Joe Biden met with the chief of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, at the White House, to discuss the war. They pledged “security, economic and humanitarian support” for Ukraine, for as long as they need. They also discussed ways to limit the energy crisis in Europe as the EU reduces its reliance on Russian oil and gas. They are aiming to strongly enforce sanctions on Russia. The leaders also discussed addressing the “third-country actors” who support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to disrupt all Russian support.