Biden’s announcement of a pledge to NATO to Ukraine and the threat of attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the wake of Russian drone strikes on Ukraine

Biden made the announcement during Zelensky’s visit to the White House last month. The first system of its kind to be pledged to a NATO ally was pledged to Ukraine.

It also comes at a time when President Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to supply the Ukrainians with more advanced weaponry that some of his own military commanders have privately acknowledged could help Ukraine win the war.

Fighter jets aren’t considered a priority by the White House or Pentagon when talking to Ukrainians in private, according to officials. Instead, Ukraine has been much more focused on long-range missiles – which the US is reluctant to hand over – as well as more ammunition, air defenses and tanks, which are now on their way after a dramatic public debate among NATO allies.

As of a Department of Defense briefing in late September, the US had yet to deliver NASAMS to Ukraine. There was a brigadier at the time. Two systems are anticipated to be delivered in the next two months, and the remaining six will arrive at a later date, Gen. Patrick Ryder said.

Russia launched a total of 84 cruise missiles against targets across Ukraine on Monday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post.

Over the weekend, Russian drone strikes on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa plunged more than 1.5 million people in the region into darkness. Zelensky said the strikes by Russia, part of a nationwide assault on the energy grid, had left the region in a very difficult situation.

Ukrainian officials have intensified their pleas for air defenses from the United States and other Western allies as Russia has conducted relentless attacks on power plants, heating systems and other energy infrastructure. The attacks on Ukrainians using missiles and Iranian-made drones have rendered them vulnerable during the start of the cold season.

Mr. Zelensky said that they wouldn’t make sense at the moment. Before any talks, he said, Russia would have to stop the destruction and killing, and respect the right of Ukrainians to live on Ukrainian land.

The Russian War in Ukraine, Its Threat to Weak Nuclear Security and the Security of the Interior and on the High-Low-Energy Frontier

Yes. $45 billion in aid from the Biden administration isn’t all military, but it is part of a consistent drumbeat from the administration. The message was simple: Ukraine is receiving aid as much as Washington can give, but that aid will not stop because of lack of boots on the ground.

Kirby said on CNN that it is clear that he is feeling the pressure both at home and overseas.

Last week, Biden delivered a stark warning about the dangers of Putin’s nuclear threats, invoking the prospect of “Armageddon.” Multiple US officials said that the comment was not based on any new information about Putin or Russia’s nuclear posture.

Russia’s aerial onslaught of the last few days has been largely directed at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, using a variety of missiles and newly acquired Iranian drones. The damage has been substantial but, according to Ukraine, it has taken out half of the missiles that have been fired. It expects that success rate to improve as new air defenses arrive from Germany and the US.

This week, some of that inventory was dispatched. Western officials say that Russia has a large inventory of older and less precise KH-22 missiles, of which it has recently resorting to using. They are designed to take out aircraft carriers. Dozens of casualties were caused at the shopping mall in June by a KH-22.

Russian inventories are being depleted so far so fast, and whether or not they will resort to older, less accurate but equally powerful missiles.

The Russians have also been adapting the S-300 – normally an air defense missile – as an offensive weapon, with some effect. They are so fast that they can’t be stopped, and they have wreaked havoc in Zaporizhia and Mykolaiv. They are not accurate.

These two headline packages alone could impact the course of the war. The constant bombardment of energy infrastructure is the most potent threat to Russia. It’s making winter unbearably cold, and cities are going into darkness 12 hours a day in the hopes of draining high Ukrainian spirits.

He told CNN’s Richard Quest that this was the “first time from the beginning of the war” that Russia has “dramatically targeted” energy infrastructure.

The NATO Secretary General said on Tuesday that more systems need to be installed for Ukraine to stop missile attacks. He said the air defense systems are making a difference, because many of the incoming missiles were shot down by the Ukrainian air defense systems. “But of course, as long as not all of them are shot down, of course there is a need for more.”

Ukrainian air defense battalions have become innovative: One video from Monday, referenced by Zelensky, showed a soldier using a shoulder-held missile to bring down a Russian projectile, purportedly a cruise missile.

Estimating the proportion of Iranian-made Shahed drones being eliminated is more difficult, because so many are being used. Zelensky said that “every 10 minutes I receive a message about the enemy’s use of Iranian Shaheds.” But he also said the bulk of them were being shot down.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov: “New Era of Air Defense has begun” and “Commissioning on the Road” to the U.S.

Ukraine’s wish-list – circulated at Wednesday’s meeting – included missiles for their existing systems and a “transition to Western-origin layered air defense system” as well as “early warning capabilities.”

Speaking after the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, he said such a system would not “control all the airspace over Ukraine, but they are designed to control priority targets that Ukraine needs to protect. What you’re looking at really is short-range low-altitude systems and then medium-range medium altitude and then long-range and high altitude systems, and it’s a mix of all of these.”

Western systems are beginning to trickle in. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Tuesday that a “new era of air defense has begun” with the arrival of the first IRIS-T from Germany, and two units of the US National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAM) expected soon.

KYIV — Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov says he’s optimistic Western allies will eventually supply his country with advanced fighter jets, including U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, and adds that Ukrainian forces are poised to start training on newly committed advanced battle tanks “as soon as possible.”

But these are hardly off-the-shelf-items. The IRIS-T had to be made in Ukraine. Western governments do not have a lot of such systems. And Ukraine is a very large country under missile attack from three directions.

Defense Secretary Austin III vs Defense Secretary Zaluzhnyi: Are we ready to send our own air defenses to Ukraine?

The commander of the Ukrainian military, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, thanked Poland for training an air defense battalion that destroyed nine Shaheeds.

He said that Poland had given the Ukrainian’s systems to destroy drones. Reports last month said the Polish government was buying Israeli equipment and transferring it to Ukraine in violation of Israel’s policy not to sell advanced defensive technology to Kyiv.

Sources told CNN that the US did not tell their allies that it would be against them to send F-16s to Ukraine. US officials do not believe that sending our own military equipment to Ukraine would be worth it in the short term, as compared to the immediate needs of the country.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III could approve a directive as early as this week to transfer one Patriot battery already overseas to Ukraine, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Final approval would be given by President Biden.

The White House, Pentagon and State Department were unwilling to comment on details regarding the transfer of a large battery of missiles to be used against the Ukrainian army.

Questions remain, such as how long it would take to train the Ukrainian soldiers for the system, and where they would be deployed, as reported by CNN earlier.

Mr Zelensky asked the countries to finance weapons first, despite thanking them for their continued support.

The Pentagon isn’t ready for a diplomatic end to the war with Russia, but it is expected to be a historic session for Congress

The Pentagon’s active-duty Patriot units frequently deploy for missions around the world, and experts say there are not deep stockpiles of Patriot missiles available for transfer to Ukraine in the same way that the U.S. provided a large quantity of artillery shells and rockets to Kyiv for use in combat.

A senior administration official said that Mr. Biden would not come to the meeting on Wednesday “with a message that is about pushing or prodding or poking Zelensky in any way” toward finding a diplomatic end to the war with Russia. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trip had not been formally announced, said Russia had given no indication it was willing to engage in good-faith talks about ending the war.

Zelensky is expected to hold a news conference after he met with Mr. Biden and members of his national security team. He will go on to Capitol Hill for a speech before a joint session of Congress that’s predicted to be historic, as the Democrats try to wrest control of the House from Pelosi.

What do we know about Ukraine and what we’ve learned from it? The Pentagon, the Pentagon, and the European Union are concerned about the situation in Ukraine

Before we use anonymous sources we have to consider what we are doing. Do the sources know the information? What is the motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate what we’ve heard? The Times uses anonymous sources despite the questions being satisfied. At least one editor and at least one reporter know who the source is.

White House officials, before the current predicament on Capitol Hill, were skeptical that Ukraine aid would dry up completely. They noted that Senate GOP leader McConnell is a supporter of Ukraine and that McCarthy has pledged support for the country.

Fighter jets and missiles can hit targets up to300 km away, and that’s what our partners are aware of. Weapons of defense and deterrence are what these are, not weapons of escalation. We are actively negotiating to unlock all these solutions. I told our diplomats in the key capitals to make this a priority.

It is essential thatUkraine is hit with its targets, and not any civilians remaining nearby. And it means Ukraine does not go through the hundreds or thousands of shells Russia appears to burn through as it blanket bombards areas it wants to capture.

The Pentagon sent the biggest package of military equipment to Ukraine since the start of the war. It comes as Ukraine prepares for intensive fighting in the spring as the weather warms.

How Vladimir Putin fought Ukraine: a risky wartime visit, and how American President Vladimir Putin could make the United States extraordinary in a time of crisis

Moscow’s conventional and nuclear forces are in need of more arms, and with the exception of their nuclear forces, there is no new cards to play. China and India have joined the West in open statements against the use of nuclear force, which has made that option even less likely.

Western analysts say Russia has grumbled with regularity, but hasn’t done much in its practical response to what may have been considered red lines.

This is trickier. Kevin McCarthy is likely to be the Speaker of Congress and he warned the Biden administration not to expect a blank cheque.

The remnants of the Trumpist “America First” elements of that party have echoed doubts about how much aid the US should really be sending to the edges of eastern Europe.

Realistically, the bill for the slow defeat of Russia in this dark and lengthy conflict is relatively light for Washington, given its near trillion-dollar annual defense budget.

He is an inspiring rhetorician and is the embodiment of how Putin turned ordinary Ukrainians into wartime heroes.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress “extraordinary,” saying the country’s fight against Russian aggression has “proven that they are a really good investment for the United States.”

He said it was important to hear directly from the President, about the fight in Ukraine and the need to stay together.

Clinton, who previously met Russian President Vladimir Putin as US secretary of state, said the leader was “probably impossible to actually predict,” as the war turns in Ukraine’s favor and his popularity fades at home.

“I think around now, what [Putin] is considering is how to throw more bodies, and that’s what they will be – bodies of Russian conscripts – into the fight in Ukraine,” Clinton said.

He got both 10 months later. When Zelensky touched down outside Washington in a US military plane Wednesday, his arrival capped a 10-day sprint by American and Ukrainian officials to arrange a risky wartime visit meant to rally support for Ukraine’s ongoing resistance to Russia’s invasion.

Shrouded in secrecy until the last minute, the historic visit was heavy with symbolism, from Zelensky’s drab green sweatshirt to President Joe Biden’s blue-and-yellow striped tie to the Ukrainian battle flag unfurled on the House floor.

Zelensky’s Last Day: Reaching the End of the War with the First World Power, and Expected Wishes for Christmas

Emerging from their talks, both men made clear they see the war entering a new phase. Russia is sending more troops to the front as it wages a brutal air campaign against civilians.

Zelensky traveled to Washington for a long and risky trip to his home country, but it wasn’t clear if the pathway to ending the conflict was any clearer.

He doesn’t see a road to peace that involvesUkraine giving up territories or sovereignty.

Later, in his address to Congress, Zelensky said he’d presented a 10-point peace formula to Biden – though US officials said afterward it was the same plan he offered to world leaders at the Group of 20 summit last month.

For his part, Biden said it was up to Zelensky to “decide how he wants to the war to end,” a long-held view that leaves plenty of questions unanswered.

Zelensky’s address had references to a number of American history stories, from the Battle of the Bulge in WWII to the Battle of Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War.

He delivered his address in English, a purposeful choice he telegraphed ahead of the speech. Even his attire – the now-familiar Army green shirt, cargo pants and boots – seemed designed to remind his audience they were in the presence of a wartime leader.

Zelensky has shown a ability to appeal to his audience over the course of the conflict.

On Wednesday, he sought to harness Americans’ emotional response to his country’s suffering, evoking dark winter nights as Russia seeks to interrupt Ukraine’s power supply.

We are going to celebrate Christmas in two days. Maybe candlelit. Not because it is more romantic, but because there will not be electricity.

The War Between Russia and the United States: A Conversation with Joe Biden and his Team in Washington, Kyiv, Bosnia and Herzegovina

But he also seemed aware that many Americans – including some Republicans in Congress – have wondered aloud why billions of US dollars are needed for a conflict thousands of miles away. He sought to make the cause about more than his own homeland.

“London has stood with Kyiv since day one,” he said. Since the start of the war. When world had not yet come to understand how to react, Great Britain extended their helping hand.

Back in Washington, the attacks were a game-changer. President Joe Biden ordered the Pentagon to find a solution to get the US’s most advanced missile defense system for Ukraine after he was so upset by the threat to civilians.

Zelensky’s candid request for more Patriots – and Biden’s lighthearted response – amounted to a window into one of the world’s most complicated relationships.

It did not sit well with Biden and his team. As he has with many other foreign leaders, Biden appeared to be intending to translate physical proximity into better understanding of his counterpart.

“It is all about looking someone in the eye. I mean it sincerely. There is no substitute for sitting down face to face with a friend or foe and looking them in the eye.

The United States and Ukraine Aid to Ukraine in the Context of a Free and Fair Treaty, as Determined by the Conference Report on Friday

The UK was the first to announce in mid-January that it would send 12 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. After several weeks of pressure, the US and Germany confirmed they would send Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams tanks.

Biden and the Chancellor discussed the new commitment during a call on Thursday. Germany will also send Ukraine new fighting vehicles, along with a Patriot missile battery to protect against Russian air attacks.

Zelensky wanted the systems so he could target Russian missiles at a higher altitude than was previously possible.

The administration has added more than $3 billion to its military assistance to Ukraine. The drawdown, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday, will include “Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, artillery systems, armored personnel carriers, surface to air missiles, ammunition, and other items to support Ukraine as it bravely defends its people, its sovereignty, and its territorial integrity.”

One diplomat told CNN they believe the impasse “definitely” signals trouble for Ukraine aid moving forward, as many of those who have fought McCarthy’s speakership have in the past spoken out against additional assistance for Kyiv.

Two of the Republicans who had opposed McCarthy until Friday were Florida Rep.Donalds and Texas Rep. Roy. Other Ukraine aid skeptics have continued to oppose McCarthy’s bid.

Several Republican members who switched their votes to support McCarthy on Friday said they are encouraged by a framework of an agreement, but provided no specifics about the deal and said talks are ongoing.

The future of American aid for Ukraine: a view from the White House and the epoch of regaining control of the United States

That number was even higher than President Joe Biden requested – a reflection of Democrats’ concern that additional funding wouldn’t be as forthcoming in a GOP-led House. The White House viewed that number as an insurance policy in case of Republican resistance and it was believed that it could sustain US support for several months.

Rules changes to the budgeting process will make passing new aid difficult come September, and certain conservatives have vowed to oppose any new Ukraine funding.

There are also concerns among foreign diplomats about the implications the House speaker negotiations could have on the future of US support for Ukraine.

The diplomat said that the Freedom Caucus, which is not especially pro-Ukrainian, has just shown it’s clout.

Others were watching to see how McCarthy would secure the role and what kind of maneuvers he would make to get it.

The diplomat told CNN they are concerned about the policy concessions McCarthy has to make, and how that will affect the US role in the world.

Volodymyr Zelensky praised the Christmas present forUkraine, saying it was an awesome Christmas present. Lawmakers in Ukranian told CNN that they were not concerned about the future of assistance, noting the bipartisan and public support for aiding their country.

“My understanding is that there are training courses we can do in Europe,” Reznikov says. “It’s more convenient because we have to use a similar landscape and we have to have similar weather conditions.”

“Normal training courses for Patriot consist [of] 10 months,” he says, but Ukrainian troops will train with military in the U.S. for “probably 10 weeks.”

“For the Leopard tanks, for example, [training] normally could be half a year. “I hope that we can do it in a month or two months,” he says.

It is also necessary to train mechanics to maintain and repair the new tanks as well as supply chains for fuel and spare parts. But he adds that these new tanks will be a “game changer” as Ukraine tries to reclaim occupied territory, just as HIMARs (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) helped Ukrainian forces reclaim the southern city of Kherson in November.

“I’m sure that’s absolutely realistic,” he says about the F-16s, noting that in the past, Ukraine has also secured other weapons that at first seemed out of reach, including HIMARS and Patriot air defense missiles.

President Biden seemed to suggest on Monday that the U.S. would not donate F-16s to Ukraine, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the Tagesspiegel newspaper published Sunday that “the question of combat aircraft does not arise at all.”

US officials are puzzled as to why Ukraine would want to make a public show of asking for F-16s, when in private planes they are usually not mentioned.

Russia accuses the west of sending sophisticated weapons to Ukraine in an effort to get a more direct role in the war. That’s caused tension within NATO and the European Union. The president of Croatia told a news conference that it’s “mad” to expect Russia’s victory in the war. And Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Ukraine’s Western backers had “drifted into war.”

Defense Reform in Ukraine: Why the UK, Ukraine, and Ukraine are all interested in what’s coming next, but what will we do about it?

Before the Russian invasion, most defense ministry expenses were public. Now most are classified for security reasons. He says transparency is a delicate issue during wartime, but he is working with parliament to change laws and make defense expenditures at least “semi-transparent.”

“It’s not a piece of cake, but I will do it,” he says. “Because my principle is zero tolerance with corruption. We have to be a new Ukraine, with the European standard, not the old-fashioned Soviet Ukraine with a legacy of corruption.”

Ukraine’s renewed public push for the planes, which Ukraine’s foreign minister publicly described as a “priority” on Tuesday, appears driven in large part by a belief in Kyiv that with enough public pressure, the Ukrainians can eventually secure weapons systems that were once deemed a red line by the west.

The fighter jets are so technologically advanced that they take months to learn how to fly, the British government said on Tuesday. It isn’t practical to send those jets into Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military official told CNN that fighter jets are not easy to use and that they need to push to get long-range missiles.

The UK did not want to send its fighter jets to Ukraine because they said it was not the right approach. However, Wednesday’s announcement will raise hopes that there could be a future shift in attitude. The UK also said it will provide Ukraine with “longer-range capabilities,” Downing Street said, without going into details.

The Pentagon provides them what they are capable of operating, maintaining, and sustaining, according to the deputy Pentagon press secretary. “The F-16 – this is a very complicated system.”

Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, also appeared reluctant, telling reporters on Monday that sending the planes “would really be a big next step if it comes to that.” On Monday, Poland’s Prime Minister pointed out that the country would only send its fighter jets in full coordination with NATO.

He thanked the British leader – “Rishi” – who had earlier announced that the UK would begin training Ukrainian pilots on NATO-standard fighter jets. He also name-checked former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, an early and steadfast supporter. Zelensky said that Boris had gotten others united when it seemed impossible. “Thank you.” He said that the entire audience had their perseverance and character back then. Strong British character.”

Handing Speaker Hoyle the helmet, Zelensky said it belonged to “a real Ukrainian pilot” who was “one of our most successful aces. “The writing on the helmet reads, ‘We have freedom. Give us the strength to protect it.

Zelensky aimed his message squarely at the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, standing in front of him in the historic surroundings where the late Queen Elizabeth lay in state, and where the US President stood for a similar thing.

Sunak welcomed Zelensky at the airport after he landed on a plane from the UK. Sunak tweeted a picture of the pair embracing on the runway. The caption states, “welcome to the UK, President ZelenskyGloryyUa.”

Later, he traveled to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles III, who told Zelensky: “We’ve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I can’t tell you.”

“I am grateful to His Majesty for the warm welcome and for supporting Ukrainian citizens who have taken refuge from the war in the United Kingdom,” Zelensky said.

We don’t have a way out. We have to stand firm. We need armored vehicles, we need tanks, we need fighter jets, and obviously, we spent a lot of time talking about this together,” said Zelensky, speaking alongside Sunak at Lulworth Camp in Dorset, England.

Britain announced Wednesday it would send more military equipment to Kyiv to help counter a possible Russian spring offensive. Sunak said the UK would expand training to Ukrainian fighter pilots and marines, while also promising a long-term investment in Ukraine’s military.

During a joint press conference with Sunak Wednesday, Zelensky said Ukraine would be “intensifying our diplomacy” surrounding the request for Eurofighter Typhoon jets and suggested that the decision was not solely in the UK’s hands.

“Once again, I heard from Mr. Prime Minister the desire to provide fighter jets, and officially he declared they can begin training our pilots,” Zelensky said. “When it comes to Typhoons, not everything depends just on the decision of Great Britain.”

Sunak noted that it takes three years to train a Typhoon fighter pilot from scratch, to which Zelensky responded, “I didn’t even know it takes three years to train a pilot like that. Come on, we will send you pilots who have been training for two and a half years.

The consequences of Zelensky’s trip to Ukraine for the security and security of the UK and the security of Europe: the case of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is investigating which aircraft could be given to Ukraine, but Downing Street maintained no decision has yet been taken on whether to supply the jets.

In a statement to CNN, the embassy in London described Zelensky’s trip as a “hasty event,” “theatrical performance,” and a “fundraising event” with a mocking reference to his famous green sweatshirt.

The embassy urged London to be aware that in the event of such a scenario the death toll of yet another round of escalation, as well as and its military-political consequences for the European continent and the whole world, will be on the United Kingdom’s hands.

The UK package targets entities that provide military equipment, as well as individuals that are connected to financial networks that help maintain wealth and power, according to a government statement.

The UK government has already imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian individuals and entities since last February when Russia invaded Ukraine, according to UK government data.

Colonel Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the armed forces of Ukraine, told Ukrainian television that soldiers should focus on building defensive lines. The reason for barring civilians, including aid workers, from entering the city was due to the military’s secret operations, he said.

As a prize, Bakhmut does not offer much in the way of strategic value for either Moscow or Kyiv. Its significance comes more from the amount of blood spilled to claim it.

“Even if Bakhmut were to fall, it would not have a strategic impact on the overall war,” said the National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby. “I would go so far as to say it won’t even have necessarily a strategic impact on the fighting in that part of the country.”

Ukrain and the Security Assistance to Ukraine in the First Two Years of Operation: Interactions with the Pentagon, Pentagon, and High-Energy Sources

In Brussels, Western officials deflected questions about whether Ukraine would win its campaign to secure still more powerful weapons to use against its Russian enemy.

The American defence secretary, Mr. Austin, refused to say whether fighter jets had been discussed.

The episode was one of several critical turning points in the yearlong security assistance effort, one that has been defined by the US providing Ukraine with increasingly sophisticated, powerful and longer-range weaponry – from shoulder-fired Javelins to HIMARS rocket launchers to M-1 Abrams tanks – even when Kyiv’s requests for that same weaponry had been previously denied.

The US began training the Ukrainians on how to defend against Russia after they invaded the peninsula. The Russian invasion of the Ukraine paused last year but they have since started again with a renewed sense of purpose. In late December, the US announced that it would dramatically expand the number of soldiers being trained on more sophisticated battlefield tactics, including coordinating infantry maneuvers with artillery support.

US officials have urged Ukraine to shift to a maneuver warfare style of fighting used by the US and other modern militaries – that is, fighting that uses rapid, unanticipated movements and a combination of different combat arms rather than relying too heavily on artillery.

In addition to lower-level military contacts, National security adviser Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley all speak directly with their counterparts multiple times a week.

Sullivan and Milley hold regular phone calls with Zelensky and the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces. The latest reports from the battlefield give Sullivan and Milley opportunities to get to know the Ukrainian military better.

Ukrainian requests are routed through various channels to the Pentagon, where officials conduct rigorous analysis of the requests to assess the impact they will have on the battlefield, how quickly the Ukrainians can integrate the new weapons and the impact of transferring the weapons on US military readiness.

The U.S.-Russia Campaign against Ukraine: Getting More Air Defense on the West Side, and Implications for the NATO Security Mission in Ukraine

One senior State Department official said they had “never seen this bureaucracy work as fast as it’s working,” but added, “We all need to do more, faster.”

Until then, US officials had argued that the Patriot system was too complex and scarce to give to Ukraine. Russia’s targeted campaign on civilian infrastructure jettisoned those arguments.

A senior administration official said the president was incensed by the situation and pushed for more assistance for the Pentagon.

Ukraine had to make an impossible decision: use its limited air defense assets to protect its frontline troops, or their cities, because Biden was concerned that Russia would target civilian infrastructure.

At the White House, where Sullivan hosts a daily meeting of key National Security Council officials to coordinate the government-wide effort to support Ukraine, that launched an effort to get US allies to also get Ukraine more air defense capabilities.

The official said they went around the world, finding additional systems and persuading other countries to transfer them.

The decision of Biden to supply a battery of missiles for use in Afghanistan motivated other countries to do the same, such as Germany and the Netherlands.

The senior administration official said they have adapted to make sure the Ukrainians had what they needed to succeed. They have adapted.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the West in its support for Ukraine as the war enters its second year is sheer logistics, and maintaining the pace of weapons and ammunition supplies to Ukraine as stockpiles dwindle.

A senior European official said at a meeting last week that the European Commission hopes to have a proposal for how to increase the production of bullets in the bloc by March. The official said that it’s a complex problem because the defense industry has to upgrade its facilities due to the high cost of production.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier this month that Europe and NATO’s production capacity needs to be ramped up if the West is going to meet Ukraine’s needs.

The Ukrainian military was ready to fight an attack on the other side’s defensive lines, US officials say, because they wanted to shoot a heavy amount of heavy weaponry at the enemy.

According to a Pentagon press secretary the first group of 635 Ukrainians trained on this style of fighting finished up their course in Germany last week. The general is Pat Ryder. The second group of more than 700 soldiers has already begun the five-week training course.

The plan includes calls for the restoration of Ukraine’s state borders with Russia and the withdrawal of Russian troops, a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes, and the release of all Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The allies are starting to realize that this is going to be a long war, said the defense secretary from the Baltic nation. In order to successfully manage this war, you need to have an end goal.

The senior State Department official said the US understands this position. An end goal “has to be something that any democratically elected leader in Ukraine can sell to his or her public,” the official said. I think he is committed to getting there.

The bottom line, though, is that Putin has still shown no willingness to negotiate an end to the war, US and western officials say – or even that he would be willing to accept anything less than a full overthrow of Kyiv.

At a CNN town hall, senior Biden administration officials told Fareed Zakaria the US was prepared to support Ukraine for the long haul in the war against Russia.

Putin’s aims as the war has dragged on was another topic that was raised at the town hall. Sullivan was asked about the risk that Putin could turn to nuclear weapons, and he said that the US had seen no change in Russia’s nuclear posture.

Power was asked if she could rely on American to feel safe in her country. Power responded that the US was committed to making Ukrainians feel as safe as possible despite the war.

Sullivan says that one year into the war, Ukraine has stopped Russia’s main goal of taking over the capital of Kyiv.

“Sitting here today, we do not see movements in Russia’s nuclear forces that lead us to believe that something fundamentally has changed from how things have been over the course of the past year,” Sullivan said.

The US Helps to Win Ukraine: A Soldier’s First Reaction to the Decay of Hostilities and the War of Choice between Russia and Ukraine

The new funding for the contracts includes rockets, 155- millimeter cannon bullets, drones, counter-drone equipment, mine-clearing equipment and secure communications equipment.

A Ukrainian soldier named Yegor asked Sullivan if the US could increase the production of weapons for the war-torn nation.

“One of the things that we are working hard at – at President Biden’s direction – is to increase the production of all of these types of ammunition,” Sullivan said. We are putting immense effort and resources into this, which is something that we can never do with a single finger.

Zakaria asked Sullivan for his first reaction Thursday evening to a 12-point plan Beijing released calling for the end of hostilities in Ukraine and pitching itself as a mediator between Moscow and Kyiv.

Sullivan said he was surprised it could be stopped at the first point, which was respect for the sovereignty of all nations. The war could end tomorrow if Russia withdraws its forces. NATO and the United States weren’t attacking Russia. The war of choice was waged by Putin.

He wanted to believe that China won’t supply weapons to Russia. He said that a move like that would cause problems for Ukraine and raise the risk of a third world war.

Sullivan believes that the idea that the two countries are becoming unbreakable allies is not true, because China abstained from voting with Moscow at the UN on the Russian war.

Both Sullivan and Power brushed aside criticism from some of Biden’s Republican critics that the billions of dollars the US is spending in Ukraine would be better spent at home.

“I would say to those senators, yes, let’s do these things at home. Are you saying that American can’t help to serve as a strong force of good in the world? Sullivan said it was true.

“I think there’s a pessimism in this argument that these senators are making. President Biden believes we can do it, and we should do it, and we are doing it.

Power was asked about the similarities of citizens from the two countries by a Ukrainian mother in Washington, and she said US support for Ukraine is one of the rare issues where there is bipartisanship.

“We have your backs, we stand with you, not just here on the battle front but in trying to help you feel as much safety as you can when one man and his wicked vision has tried to take that away,” Power said.

Russia’s War with Ukraine, and its Implications for Security and Security in the Context of Global Security and International Security Relations, Revisited

When the war ends, power acknowledged a long road ahead for the country. Some estimates have totaled the damage to date at $130 billion, she noted.

Power said that USAID and international financial institutions have worked to rebuild Ukraine’s infrastructure and help get private industry to return to peaceful parts of Ukraine.

But she added that major projects are still ahead, and that the Biden administration and other allies are focused on making sure the money that’s dedicated to reconstruction is well spent.

There will be a negotiated peace, which will allow us to focus on those big-ticket items.

She added that resources should be well spent. When you have huge investments that go well past what is being provided right now, you want to make sure that all investors are aware that this money is going to be used for the purpose that it was meant to be used.

Ukraine can win the war this year, he said, as long as its allies remain united “like a fist” and Western weapons continue to be delivered on agreed-upon timelines.

Even though he doesn’t want to restrict himself from asking questions or calling out allies if he feels they could be doing more for Ukraine, he does still want to know more about China.

Asked about reports that Beijing was considering providing Moscow with lethal weapons, Mr. Zelensky initially ignored the question. He said it was one of his top priorities when it was raised a second time.

Mr. Zelensky had the question translated a second time and then engaged the reporter directly, telling her that it was not about geography or geopolitics but basic principles.

How do we feel about the US involvement in the War with Ukraine? Questions from a Republican Causal Committee on Russia’s War with Russia

Does China believe that innocents should not be killed? That a nuclear power plant should not be occupied? Is it possible that a nation’s sovereignty is what means an invader should leave?

He was able to stress his openness to direct talks with China after he switched to English. We have so many common issues that we have to speak with each other.

Iran is already providing attack drones to Russia, and the West has warned the Moscow is also seeking to acquire ballistic missiles. Mr. Zelensky was asked a question about Israel. He was asked if they were not stronger allies because they share a common enemy.

He said he understood the history between Russia and Israel, but he wanted Israel to take a tougher stance against Russia since the war started.

There were hard questions about possible internal disputes in his government. A journalist from Azerbaijan wanted to take a picture with the Ukrainian leader for his son. Mr. Zelensky agreed to do so.

The leader stated that the worst moment of the war was seeing the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers for the first time. He said that it was horrible.

Over more than two and half hours, questions about how and when Ukraine could win the war, were the most frequent — even if that answer would only be determined on the battlefield.

The setting of the meeting, which took place just a day before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, is a stark example of how far apart Republicans are on how to handle US involvement in the war. Since the GOP took over the majority in the House in January, the gap has only gotten worse, as Speaker Kevin McCarthy tried to be neutral on the issue.

Zelensky, who met with House Foreign Affairs committee chairman Michael McCaul and four other House GOP members, told the group he planned to send them a list of weapons, which includes F-16 fighter jets, that he believes are necessary to speed up the end of the war with Russia.

McCarthy, meanwhile, hasn’t made a decision on what position he will ultimately take. A person close to the discussion tells CNN that McCaul got private backing in assuring Zelensky he would consider sending additional weapons and aid to Ukraine.

As the US has already sent $113 billion in aid, upcoming spending fights and congressional hearings may place the question of whether to add to that total at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

The Republicans are starting to coalesce around a plan that will push Biden to send weapons to Ukraine and force the opposition to stop protesting, all in order to win over the hearts and minds of Ukrainians.

FOMO and the Fog of F-16s in the Confrontation between the US and Russia in the Era of a Cold War

The second person familiar with the talks said that McCarthy supported a probe into the misuse of previous US funds. McCarthy approved the sending of the letter to the Secretary of State and the Defense Secretary requesting documents and information to understand how the agencies are conducting oversight of these funds.

A week ago, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, head of the US European command, told 10 Republicans that F-16s would be used to help win the war with Ukraine. The source said that Cavoli was right when he said that was the case.

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the differences in views within the Pentagon are due to differences of opinion between senior US officials and Milley who has long been wary of moves that could cause a Russian military confrontation.

McCaul will hold a hearing on alleged Russian war crimes this spring as the push for providing those weapons increases, a McCaul spokesman told CNN.

In addition to McCaul, GOP Reps. Darrell Issa of California, Keith Self of Texas, Max Miller of Ohio, Jake Ellzey of Texas, as well as Margaret Kibben, the House chaplain, were part of the delegation.