US is running out of money for Ukraine and that could hinder fight against Russia, White House warns
The Biden administration on Monday sent Congress an urgent warning about the need to approve tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance to Ukraine, saying Kyiv’s war effort to defend itself from Russia's invasion may grind to a halt without it. In a letter to House and Senate leaders and released publicly, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warned the U.S. will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year, saying that would “kneecap” Ukraine on the battlefield. She added that the U.S. already has run out of money that it has used to prop up Ukraine’s economy, and “if Ukraine’s economy collapses, they will not be able to keep fighting, full stop.”
US and EU struggle to agree on funding for Ukraine
Uncertainty is growing over Western backing for Ukraine amid Russia’s intensifying campaign to knock out the country’s energy infrastructure. The White House has warned the United States Congress that funds designated for providing aid to Ukraine would run out by the end of the year, in a letter made public on Monday. The European Union is also facing difficulties in agreeing on a new 50 billion euro ($54bn) lifeline for Kyiv. In the face of an upcoming harsh winter of intensifying Russian assaults on civilian infrastructure, the lack of funding could mean defeat for Ukraine, warned the budget director. “If Ukraine’s economy collapses, they will not be able to keep fighting, full stop,” she wrote. The US narrowly a government shutdown last month, with a last-minute bill keeping federal agencies funded through the new year, but leaving out key foreign aid initiatives. The US, Ukraine’s biggest single-country donor, has sent more than $40bn in aid since Russia's invasionin February 2022. In October, US President Joe Bidenasked Congress to approve $ 105bn in national security funding, which would include support for Ukraine.
Putin makes rare foreign visit to UAE as Ukraine war grinds on
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Abu Dhabi for talks with his
UAE counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, December 6, 2023.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said relations with the United Arab Emirates were at an all-time high during his first visit to the Middle East since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. Putin praised cooperation between the two countries as he met President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi Wednesday, describing the UAE as “Russia’s main trading partner in the Arab world.” He is later scheduled to visit Riyadh to meet Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), as part of a whistlestop tour in which Moscow hopes to flaunt and continue to foster its close ties with Gulf states as wars rage in the Middle East and Europe. Stressing the historical ties between Russia and the UAE, Putin said the Soviet Union was one of the first countries to recognize the UAE as a sovereign state in 1971. The two leaders would use the visit to discuss issues ranging from oil and trade to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the Israel-Hamas war, Putin said ahead of the talks. After the Abu Dhabi delegation, Putin will travel to Riyadh, Moscow’s main partner in OPEC+, a group of the world’s major oil producers to whose ranks Russia was admitted in 2016.
Ukraine mounts acts of sabotage in Siberia to staunch Russian artillery
The past week of Russia’s war in Ukraine was remarkable, chiefly for something that happened thousands of kilometres to the east of a hardened battlefront. In an apparent sabotage operation of breathtaking audacity, Ukrainian operatives blew up two freight trains in east Siberia travelling on a track believed to be used to shuttle North Korean-made ordnance to the Russian front lines in Ukraine. Ukrainian media cited intelligence sources as saying four explosive devices had been planted on the railway, one of two rail links between Russia and China, reportedly also used for ferrying ammunition. “During the movement of the freight train, four explosive devices went off,” the Ukrainian intelligence source was quoted as saying.
Putin says he will run for re-election in March; U.S. aid hangs in balance after failed vote
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday gave his first public confirmation that he plans to run for re-election in March 2024, according to state media. Putin made the comment during a medal-giving ceremony, Tass reported. His participation in the vote scheduled for March 17 — which was widely expected — is all-but guaranteed to deliver him a fifth term in power amid widespread repression of political opposition. Meanwhile, the fate of U.S. aid for Ukraine hangs in the balance — little progress has been made since Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked an emergency spending bill to provide billions in funds for Kyiv, Israel and domestic security for the Mexican border. Republicans, many of whom are growing wary of the level of U.S. funding for Ukraine, are leveraging the bill to seek tighter immigration controls on the U.S. border with Mexico. Biden has indicated some willingness to make changes on border policy to pass what he argues is a crucial support package for Ukraine, the U.S. and the world, but the issue remains in limbo.
Zelenskiy to plead for help in US visit as Republicans remain skeptical
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will make his case for more U.S. aid for the war against Russia during meetings in Washington on Tuesday, as lawmakers struggle to strike a deal linking funding for Kyiv with domestic immigration controls. Zelenskiy has been invited to meetings at the White House and in Congress, where many Republicans have questioned continued aid to Ukraine. At a speech in Washington on Monday to a U.S. military audience, Zelenskiy said, "Let me be frank with you, friends. If there's anyone inspired by unresolved issues on Capitol Hill, it's just (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his sick clique." The next round of Ukraine aid has been held up by a demand from House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans that no more funds be dispatched unless steps are first taken to tighten controls on the U.S. border with Mexico. The squabbling in Congress over aid to Ukraine has prompted over 100 senior European lawmakers to craft a letter to their counterparts in Washington saying U.S. military aid is "critical and urgent."
Russia has lost 87% of troops it had prior to start of Ukraine war, according to US intelligence assessment
Russia has lost a staggering 87 percent of the total number of active-duty ground troops it had prior to launching its invaision of Ukraine and two-thirds of its pre-invasion tanks, a source familiar with a declassified US intelligence assessment provided to Congress told CNN. Still, despite heavy losses of men and equipment, Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to push forward as the war approaches its two-year anniversary early next year and US officials are warning that Ukraine remains deeply vulnerable. A highly anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive stagnated through the fall, and US officials believe that Kyiv is unlikely to make any major gains over the coming months. The assessment, sent to Capitol Hill on Monday, comes as some Republicans have balked at the US providing additional funding for Ukraine and the Biden administration has launched a full-court press to try to get supplemental funding through Congress. Of the 360,000 troops that entered Ukraine, including contract and conscript personnel, Russia has lost 315,000 on the battlefield, according to the assessment. 2,200 of 3,500 tanks have been lost, according to the assessment. 4,400 of 13,600 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers have also been destroyed, a 32 percent loss rate.
Ukrainian capital attacked; Russia slams Zelenskyy, saying ‘everyone is tired of the beggar from Kyiv’
Over 50 people have been injured after Russia targeted the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with ballistic missiles overnight, city officials said Wednesday. A hospital, school, kindergarten, morgue and residential buildings were damaged in the attack, Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, with the latest update stating that 53 people were injured. Twenty of them, including two children, were hospitalized as a result of the strikes. The strike on the capital comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Washington Tuesday to meet President Joe Biden and U.S. lawmakers in a bid to secure a large tranche of additional emergency funding, amid discontent among some Republicans over continuing aid. Biden and Ukraine’s other allies have warned that a cessation in aid could lead to a victory for Moscow but time is running out for a deal in the Senate this week. Zelenskyy said of the meeting in Washington that positive signs from lawmakers did not equal a positive result. “I said exactly what I wanted to say. I feel support from President Biden’s administration, I also felt it from senators today – we talked about it. And we talked with the speaker. All these signals were there. They were more than positive. But we know that there are words, and there is a concrete result. We will wait for a better result,” he said.
Putin, Exuding Confidence, Suggests Western Support for Ukraine Is Waning
President Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday cast himself as a wartime leader in full control of his invasion and his nation, his confidence on display in a stage-managed, four-hour news conference that underscored the Russian leader’s apparent determination to outlast Ukraine and the West.
Western officials warn Ukraine is ‘certain to fail’ against Russia if US doesn’t provide more aid
As a Ukraine aid package continues to stall in the US Congress, America and its allies are assessing what they describe as the potentially debilitating impact on Ukraine’s defense and longer-term prospects of losing the war, multiple US and European officials told CNN. “There is no guarantee of success with us, but they are certain to fail without us,” a senior US military official said. The most immediate concern is the impact on Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive in the east and south, where Ukrainian forces have struggled to make significant forward progress even when US support was still coming. “If looking at taking and holding further territory,” said one European diplomat, “it is hard to see how that could succeed without continued US support.” More broadly, Western officials fear the loss or further delay of US support will impact aid from its allies. On Friday, Ukraine suffered another blow when Hungary blocked further European Union aid, though talks on the issue are expected to resume in January. The news underlined the scale of the challenge facing Kyiv and many fear that if the US fails to continue providing support, European nations will follow. “If we go south,” said Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley, who co-chairs the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, “our allies will too.”
Analysis: Ukraine has had a terrible week. Blame the US and the EU
Ukraine is developing a “drowning not waving” problem. It is struggling to say clearly how badly the war is going. Giving a candid public assessment of how poorly a conflict is going can be an unwise move as it can result in morale and support draining. After Obama boosted troops in Afghanistan, public support declined over the years, in part because of a lack of realism about how the war was going. Ukraine’s acutely bad presentation of its troublles is mostly due to the myopia of its allies.
Zelenskiy and Putin each vow to press on to victory in Ukraine war
The leaders of Ukraine and Russia have struck a defiant tone and vowed to reach their military goals as the war heads toward its third year.
Speaking in Kyiv during his end-of-year press conference, Volodymyr sought to boost the domestic mood and maintain western support that has been stuttering in recent weeks. When asked about a possible Donald Trump presidency next year, the Ukrainian leader said any decrease in international support for his country could have a “very big impact on the course of the war”. There have been fears in Kyiv and the west that under a Trump presidency, the US would curtail its support for Ukraine and improve Russia’s negotiating position.
Ukraine-Russia war – live: Kyiv repels major Russian drone attack as Putin’s forces hit by ‘mouse fever’
A major drone attack by Russia was stopped by Ukraine, according to the country's air force that claimed to have shot down 34 out of 35 of the Irainian devices. The droneswere sent over in several waves targeting 12 different regions of Ukraine over a seven-hour period from 8pm on 20 December. However, just one got through the air force’s defences. Images released this morning by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine appear to show damage caused by one at a warehouse in the Kyiv region. It comes as Mr Zelensky was boosted by news that Germany will provide 88.5 million euros to help strengthen his country’s energy infrastructure in the face of Russian attacks.
Russia blasts US on frozen assets, missiles as Ukraine bombardment persists
Russia has warned that it will react robustly to Western moves to seize its assets or deploy missiles. Moscow could sever diplomatic relations with the United States should it confiscate Russian assets frozen under sanctions, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday. Officials also said the Kremlin would respond to the deployment of missiles in Europe or Asia, even as Ukraine reported that Russia had unleashed another barrage of attack drones overnight. Some officials in US political circles have suggested that $300bn of funds from Russian Central Bank reserves frozen in February 2022 to put pressure on Moscow to withdraw from Ukraine be handed to Kyiv.
Zelenskiy hails downing of Russian jets in upbeat Christmas message
Ukraine celebrates holiday on 25 December rather than 7 January for first time, in move to distance itself from Russia
Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the shooting down of two Russian fighter jets on Christmas Eve and said “this Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead”. In a Christmas message marking the first time Ukraine has officially observed the holiday on 25 December rather than 7 January, Zelenskiy also referred to Ukraine’s claim to have destroyed a further three Russian fighter planes on Friday. “The stronger our air defence, the fewer Russian devils will be in our skies and on our land,” the Ukrainian president said, praising the country’s “capabilities in negotiations with partners, capabilities in bolstering our sky shield, capabilities in defending our homeland from Russian terrorists”.
Ukraine claims it destroyed Russian tank landing ship
Ukraine claimed on Tuesday to have carried out an airstrike in Crimea that destroyed a Russian Navy tank landing ship in what would be, if confirmed, the third instance of major losses of Russian military hardware in less than a week. In a post on Telegram, Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk thanked personnel involved in “the destruction of the Novocherkassk large landing ship” while it was in the port of Feodosia in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. CNN cannot independently verify the claim, but videos posted on social media showed large explosions in the Feodosia port. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Novocherkassk had been “damaged” in a Ukrainian attack in a statement reported by the state-run TASS news agency. The Russia-appointed head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, earlier acknowledged via a statement that there had been “an enemy attack in [the] Feodosia area,” adding that “detonation has stopped and the fire has been localized.” One person was killed and two injured in the Ukrainian strikes, Aksyonov said in an update on Telegram, though he did not mention the Novocherkassk.
The world has felt the political, economic and humanitarian effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The international community has rallied countries to create a united front against Russia. Mexico’s reaction to the crisis is particularly important, as it is currently one of the ten non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Mexico’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is mixed. From the onset, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador declared that Mexico would remain neutral in the conflict. Yet, he was quick to criticize the United States for providing aid to Ukraine while allowing investment to Mexico and Central America to stall over bureaucratic issues. Lopez Obrador has urged U.S. leaders to boost investment in Central America to help tackle the root causes of migration. Mexico’s president declined to impose sanctions on Russia and condemned the European Parliament for sending arms to Kyiv. The Mexican government announced it would not send arms to Ukraine, after Ukrainian authorities asked the country’s Senate for military assistance. However, Mexico has played a proactive role in the United Nations, joining other nations in condemning Russia’s invasion. The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution, proposed by France and Mexico, blaming Russia for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and urging an immediate cease-fire and protection for millions of civilians.
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