Ukraine war: Western weapons 'not helping', US sanctions, Russian ships military targets

Western arms are ineffective in Ukraine's counteroffensive along the frontline, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. 

"The colossal resources that have been 'injected' into the Kyiv regime are not helping, and neither are the deliveries of Western weapons, tanks, artillery and missiles," he said during a Security Council meeting broadcast live on television.

Putin also assured Russia's protection for one of its key allies Belarus, which played a pivotal role in ending Wagner's mutiny in June.

Aggression against Belarus will be treated as a direct attack on Russia, Putin implied. 

“Unleashing aggression against Belarus will amount to aggression against the Russian Federation. We will respond to it with all the means at our disposal,” Putin warned during the address. 

The US announced a new round of sanctions on Thursday, targeting Moscow's access to significant electronics and logistics used on the front lines. 

The sanctions will also limit the Kremlin's income from the metals and mining sector to halt its capacity to fund the war, according to the Treasury and State Department. 

"Latest measures are taken to further hold Russia accountable for its illegal invasion of Ukraine and degrade its capability to support its war efforts," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. 

A member of the Russian security service, a regional governor, and six deputy ministers are among the individuals sanctioned, it added. 

Russia's private military companies, including Gazprom-owned Okhrana, were also sanctioned. The US said entities and people with involvement in Ukraine were specifically targeted.  

The Russian embassy in Washington condemned the latest sanctions and called it the latest in the series of "destructive actions" aimed