The US promised up to US$60 million in military aid to Ukraine before yesterday’s White House meeting between US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The Biden administration said in a notification to the US Congress that the aid package for Ukraine was necessary because of a “major increase in Russian military activity along its border” and mortar attacks, ceasefire contraventions and other provocations.
“Russia’s buildup along the Ukrainian border has highlighted capability shortfalls in the Ukrainian military’s ability to defend against a Russian incursion,” the notification states. “Ukraine’s significant capability gaps must be urgently addressed to reinforce deterrence in light of the current Russian threat.”
Photo: AFP
Zelenskiy was set to meet Biden as part of a White House visit that the administration hopes will demonstrate support for Ukraine’s sovereignty in the face of Russia’s seizure of Crimea and backing of armed separatists in the country’s east.
The White House has also said that Biden intends to encourage Zelenskiy’s efforts to tackle corruption in the country.
Meanwhile, Zelenskiy is expected to raise with Biden Washington’s decision to not block the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany that bypasses Ukraine.
The Russia-to-Europe pipeline is vehemently opposed by Ukraine and Poland, as well as Republicans and Democrats in Congress, with Zelenskiy describing it as a powerful geopolitical weapon for Russia.
The new military aid is meant to demonstrate that the US is committed to Ukraine’s security at a time when the former Soviet republic has sought stronger Western backing during Russia’s troop buildup and escalating tensions.
The new package would include more Javelin anti-tank missiles, which Kiev sees as critical to defending against Russia-backed separatists who have rolled through eastern Ukraine.
The Pentagon in March announced a US$125 million military aid package for Ukraine, including two armed patrol boats to help the country defend its territorial waters.
The US said it has committed more than US$2.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine since its conflict with Russia began in 2014.
Military aid to Ukraine became a politically freighted issue in former US president Donald Trump’s administration. Allegations that Trump withheld assistance to Ukraine as part of a scheme to press the Ukrainian government to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, formed the basis of the first impeachment case against him.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese