Moldova's pro-Russian opposition branch met in Moscow on Sunday to create a new anti-European political bloc aimed at derailing the country's planned accession process to the European Union.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will bring a conflicting mission when he visits China this week. The goal is to convey the seriousness of U.S. concerns about Chinese companies' support for Russia's war machine, while also ensuring that relations with Beijing are not derailed again. .
Zelensky cheers for U.S. aid as Kiev tries to regain control
Ukrainian authorities were delighted with the incident. Approved by the US House of Representatives More than $60 billion in total aid is planned, but focus has shifted to how quickly the aid will reach the front lines and how the package will change Kiev's fortunes in the fight against Russian aggression. .
The expected passage of military and economic aid is a bittersweet moment for Ukraine's military, which is in an increasingly precarious position after months of waiting. Since U.S. President Joe Biden offered the aid, Kiev's military has found itself increasingly in trouble as ammunition stocks have been depleted and Kremlin forces have squeezed their advantage on the battlefield.
The bill, which passed the House late Saturday, will likely reach Biden's desk this week after being considered in the Senate as early as Tuesday.
“This support will really strengthen the Ukrainian military,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC. meet the press Sunday through an interpreter. “We lost the initiative. Now we have a good chance to stabilize the situation and take the initiative.”
President Zelenskiy said in his regular address to the nation on Sunday that Ukraine is in constant communication with the United States to make sure “the package contains the right things that our warriors on the battlefield are looking for.” Stated. “The time between a political decision and an enemy attack on the front line must be as short as possible. Now every day counts.”
read more: Zelenskiy says US aid will give Ukraine the means to regain control
But whether the long-awaited aid will make it possible to decisively change Ukraine's fate on the battlefield is another question. Russia's increased missile and drone attacks have destroyed parts of Ukraine's power generation infrastructure, destroyed residential buildings in urban centers and increased the civilian death toll in the war-torn country.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said last week that the Pentagon could move weapons to Ukraine “very quickly” if the aid bill clears the final hurdle. Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, said Friday that delivery logistics have been progressing all along.
“The Department of Defense and the Ministry of Defense are working together every day to find and identify weapons, and such a package is being prepared,” Markarova said on Ukrainian television.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, a Democrat, said on CBS that some of the equipment, including the long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), could arrive by the end of this week. Ta. Let's face the nation.
A dire shortage of weapons and personnel along the 1,200-kilometre front, as well as a dire need for additional air defense systems, are straining Ukraine's combat power. close to breaking point, the risk of a Russian breakthrough is increasing. Moscow has also stepped up shelling of Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, which Ukrainian and Western officials believe is aimed at forcing the evacuation of the city, less than an hour's drive from the Russian border. .
Analysts at the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War say that even if U.S. supplies moved quickly, transportation logistics meant that aid would “take a few moments before it could begin to impact the situation on the front lines.” It's probably going to take a week.”
“Thus, the situation on the front is likely to continue to deteriorate in the meantime, especially if Russian forces take advantage of the limited time frame until new US aid arrives to step up attacks,” the analysts said. said.
Seeking to profit from widening disparities in ammunition supplies, Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces have gradually increased firepower across the front, making modest gains since capturing the eastern city of Avdiivka in February. I'm raising it.
Kremlin forces currently outnumber Ukrainian forces 10 to 1 in artillery on the battlefield and are concentrated in strategic locations such as the town of Chasiv Yar, west of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
“The Ukrainians have suffered severely and the military is weaker than it would have been otherwise,” said Phillips O'Brien, a strategic studies professor at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Written after the U.S. House of Representatives vote. “But at least for now, with the massive infusion of aid from the United States, Ukraine should be able to stabilize the front.”
Moldova's pro-Russian factions gather in Moscow to strategize
Moldova's pro-Russian opposition branch met in Moscow on Sunday to create a new anti-European political bloc aimed at derailing the country's planned accession process to the European Union.
The bloc, called “Victory,” is affiliated with fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor and is set to take on President Maia Sandu and his pro-European government in elections scheduled from October to mid-2025. The aims.
The meeting took place in Moscow, where Scholl, the coordinator and financier of the participating parties, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Moldova for masterminding a fraud that stole $1 billion from the country's banking system. This is because they are subject to punishment.
Scholl is based in Israel, where he was born, and frequently visits Moscow. Moldova requested his extradition through Interpol.
Moldova faces three important votes in just over a year.
Sandu is running against a pro-Russian candidate in the presidential election, aiming to be re-elected for a second term. will be held on October 20th. A referendum on a pro-EU constitution is scheduled for the same day, and parliamentary elections will be held in summer 2025.
read more: Moldova's president faces protests after launching new pro-Russian front
Moldovan authorities have warned that the grouping around Shor is the main means by which Russia seeks to destabilize the country of more than 3 million people.According to special services, this group Main sources of anti-EU disinformation and seeks to destroy Moldovan life through violence.
Blinken warns China over aid to Russia
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will bring a conflicting mission when he visits China this week. It's about conveying the seriousness of U.S. concerns about Chinese companies' support for Russia's war machine, while also ensuring that relations with China don't derail again.
Although China has not crossed the U.S. red line of providing lethal support to Russia in the form of arms and ammunition, Blinken, who will visit Shanghai and Beijing from April 24 to 26, said that the U.S. It will warn that its allies are united. They oppose China's role.
A senior U.S. official told reporters on condition of anonymity that Blinken would elaborate on the implications for European security.
The visit is the latest in a series of visits by senior U.S. officials, as China and the U.S. seek to fulfill commitments outlined in San Francisco late last year to ease tensions that led to a near-total breakdown in relations. It is said that
The effort is a decision by Chinese companies to continue providing parts to make cruise missiles, drones and other technology that allowed Russia to ramp up defense production with its invasion of Ukraine, U.S. officials said. This effort is complicated by the following:
The visit follows a meeting of seven major foreign ministers this week on the Italian island of Capri, where European officials echoed U.S. sentiments regarding China's support for Russia's industrial base.
“From 40,000 feet up, the vision for San Francisco appears to be somewhat intact,” said Jude Blanchett, an expert on China and foreign investment at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “But when you start losing elevation, problems emerge.”
Blinken's visit follows that of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who conveyed a similar message to Beijing, saying that if Chinese banks provided material support to Russia's war in Ukraine, the U.S. “They will face serious consequences,” including sanctions.
“When it comes to Russia's defense industrial base, the main contributor right now is China,” Blinken said at a news conference on the island of Capri on Friday. “China shares machine tools, semiconductors, and other munitions, which we see as helping rebuild the defense industrial base destroyed by Russian sanctions and export restrictions.”
Ukraine asks Apple, Google to crack down on military gambling
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has banned gambling by his country's military over concerns that it would undermine morale and pose a security risk in the fight against Russian aggression.
According to the decree signed by President Zelenskiy, the ban on soldiers includes gambling in gambling dens and on the Internet under martial law. Ukraine's cabinet will restrict advertising and call on Apple and Alphabet Inc.'s Google to ban gambling gaming applications from their stores without proper licenses.
The move follows a petition filed by Pavlo Petrichenko, a Ukrainian military officer who said some front-line soldiers used their earnings to gamble, take out loans, and even use drones to pay off gambling debts. He said he was spending the money pawning military equipment such as cameras and thermal cameras.
read more: Ukraine tackles gambling addiction in military
The government is expected to spell out restrictions on all types of gambling advertising, and the National Bank of Ukraine will advise banks to block payments to online gambling accounts.
Mr. Petrichenko petitionAfter being published in late March, the group quickly gathered the 25,000 signatures needed for consideration, and the group has issued a new petition to ensure that Russian online casino operators have access to the personal data of military and civilian personnel. He also mentioned the risks of targeting customers with targeted advertisements. Mr. Petrichenko died on the front lines on April 15 and was buried in Kiev this week.
US House passes $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan
The US House of Representatives passed $61 billion in new aid to Ukraine on Saturday, ending a six-month political stalemate that has seen Kiev's stockpile depleted in the war against Russia.
The aid to Ukraine will be combined with funds for Israel and Taiwan for a total foreign aid package of $95 billion.
Speaker Mike Johnson worked with Democrats to overcome fierce opposition within his own party to funding for Ukraine and ultimately push the bill through on a bipartisan vote of 311-112.
“We did our job here and history will do us justice,” Johnson said after the vote.
The Senate is expected to pass the package negotiated with the White House next week.senate Democrats and Republicans agreed Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that the House will begin with a procedural vote on Tuesday.
The vote marks a victory for Republican defense hawks over the isolationist wing of Donald Trump's party. Still, more Republicans voted against additional aid to Ukraine than in favor.
The $61 billion Ukraine bill includes $13 billion to replenish the U.S. weapons stockpile already provided to Ukraine and $14 billion for U.S. defense systems in Ukraine. It is also committing $7 billion to U.S. military operations in the region.
The bill's $9.5 billion in economic aid to Ukraine comes in the form of loans that the president can fully forgive after the next election. The loan idea was first floated by Trump, a potential Republican nominee. DM