U.S. House passes $40 billion aid package to Ukraine
Rescue workers walk past debris and carsunder ruins in front of the shopping and entertainment center in the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odessa on May 10, 2022, destroyed after Russian missiles strike late on May 9, 2022.
Oleksandr Gimanov | AFP | Getty Images
The U.S. House passed a bill that’s set to deliver $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, according to a NBC News report.
The House voted 368-57 after President Joe Biden urged quick congressional action in stepping up support for Kyiv in its war against Russia, the report said.
All 57 no votes came from Republicans, according to NBC News.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who opposed the measure, tweeted: “I oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but we can’t help Ukraine by spending money we don’t have.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised the largely bipartisan vote, saying on Twitter that the package would build “on robust support already secured by Congress” and “help Ukraine defend not only its nation but democracy for the world.”
— Weizhen Tan
U.S. has committed more than $4.5 billion to Ukraine since Biden became president
Ukrainian servicemen unload missiles provided by U.S. to Ukraine as part of a military support on Feb. 11, 2022. The U.S. has committed more than $4.5 billion on security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration.
Sergei Supinsky | Afp | Getty Images
Russian forces are at least two weeks behind schedule in Donbas goals, U.S. Defense official says
A Ukrainian serviceman stands guard at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Barvinkove, eastern Ukraine, on April 15, 2022. Fighting in the Donbas is “intensifying” and Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s eastern border continues to increase, the British defense ministry said
Ronaldo Schemidt | Afp | Getty Images
The Pentagon said Russian forces are about two weeks behind schedule in their assault of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “has not achieved any of the success that we believe he wanted to achieve, certainly not on a timeline,” a senior U.S. Defense official said on a call with reporters.
The official, who declined to be named per ground rules established by the Pentagon, said that the U.S. assesses Putin’s forces are “easily two weeks or even maybe more behind.”
“We would not assess that the Russians have made any appreciable or significant progress,” the official added.
— Amanda Macias
US spy chief says Putin is preparing for prolonged war
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on “Worldwide Threats” at the U.S. Capitol in Washington May 10, 2022.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
The United States believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long conflict in Ukraine, and a Russian victory in the Donbas in the east of the country might not end the war, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said.
“We assess President Putin is preparing for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine, during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbas,” Haines told lawmakers.
She added that Putin was counting on the Western resolve to weaken over time.
— Reuters