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An Hour Ago
U.S. aid to Ukraine hangs in the balance amid Trump border deal opposition
US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, speaks during a press conference after Republican senators met during a policy luncheon at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 17, 2024.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
Bipartisan U.S. Senate negotiations over a border security deal that ties in aid for Ukraine have hit a critical juncture, Republican Senator John Thune told reporters on Thursday, according to Reuters.
The White House said last week that the U.S. money supply to Ukraine has now run out, which could leave Kyiv ill-equipped to repel the Russian invasion.
A small bipartisan group of senators is seeking a way to please Republicans aligned with Donald Trump, the front-runner for the party’s presidential candidacy, who has openly pressured allies not to compromise on legislation that would help President Joe Biden in the run-up to November’s election.
Biden and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have been hammering out a plan for months in the hope of convincing the Republican right to sign off on aid to Ukraine, but McConnell is reportedly wavering over the implications of Trump’s opposition to a deal.
The former president said on his social media platform that any agreement would be “another Gift to the Radical Left Democrats” as Biden targets reelection.
— Elliot Smith
An Hour Ago
Zelenskyy: Ukraine has officially begun EU accession screening process
Ukraine formally started the screening process to begin talks over its future membership of the European Union on Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
In a post on X, the Ukrainian leader said he welcomed the start of “substantial preparations for Ukraine’s EU accession talks” in Brussels, following an agreement reached with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“The thorough work of assessing the conformity of Ukrainian legislation with EU norms, the formation of Ukraine’s delegation, and our negotiating position are all ahead of us,” Zelenskyy added.
“I expect full engagement of Ukrainian government team and the first intergovernmental conference to be held already this spring.”
— Elliot Smith
15 Hours Ago
Kyiv working to organise visit by Hungary’s Orban, Ukraine deputy PM says
Ukraine is working to organise a visit by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said on Thursday, in remarks related to Reuters by her aide.
— Reuters
16 Hours Ago
Russia says Ukraine had 15-minute warning on PoW flight, Kyiv denies this
A senior Russian lawmaker said Ukrainian military intelligence had been given a 15-minute warning before a Russian military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war entered an area where it was shot down on Wednesday.
Ukraine denied the assertion by Andrei Kartopolov, a former general with close ties to Russia’s defence ministry, and called for an international investigation.
Moscow accuses Kyiv of downing the Ilyushin Il-76 plane in Russia’s Belgorod region, killing all 74 people on board, including 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers en route to be swapped for Russian POWs. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied that assertion, but challenged details of Moscow’s account.
“The Ukrainian side was officially warned, and 15 minutes before the plane entered the zone they were given complete information, which they received and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed receipt of,” Kartapolov told lawmakers, according to the ruling United Russia party.
“We all know very well what happened next,” added Kartapolov, who heads Russia’s parliamentary defence committee.
His assertion contradicted statements by Ukrainian military intelligence that Russia had not informed it about the flight arrangements.
Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov, in comments to Reuters, reiterated on Thursday that – contrary to practice before previous PoW swaps – Kyiv had received no requests from Russia to refrain from attacks in the airspace where the plane was downed.
— Reuters
19 Hours Ago
Russia prioritising military spending over public infrastructure
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JANUARY 8: (RUSSIA OUT) A woman eats hot corn while walking along the Red Square near the Kremlin, as air temperatures dropped to -18 degrees Celcius, January,8 2024, in Moscow, Russia. Since the beginning of the year, abnormally cold weather has settled in Moscow region, causing problems with heating in apartments. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Recent heating breakdowns in 16 locations across Russia amid sub-freezing temperatures show that the country has routinely prioritized military spending over re-investment in general public infrastructure, the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence said Thursday.
Heating breakdowns have become commonplace in Russia this winter, particularly as regional governments have been asked to “take on the burden of operating with less federal revenue and … to fund local volunteer forces which has likely stretched their budgets and necessitated some cuts to maintenance spending,” the U.K. said on X, formally known as Twitter.
The mobilization of thousands of men to fight in Russia’s armed forces has also likely led to a workforce shortage across all industries, including heating engineers and plumbers, the ministry noted in an intelligence update.
Noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin had asked the Minister of Emergency Situations Aleksandr Kurenkov to ensure the supply of heating and electricity to residents, the ministry said “appearing to tackle this issue is likely a key concern for Putin” ahead of presidential elections in March.
— Holly Ellyatt
20 Hours Ago
Fragments of possible missile found at plane crash site, media reports
RUSSIA, BELGOROD – JANUARY 24: Security measures are taken after Il-76 plane with 65 Ukrainian military prisoners on board crashed, as the entrances and exits are kept under control in the Belgorod, Russia on January 24, 2024. (Photo by Emil Leegunov/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
Fragments of what appears to be an anti-aircraft guided missile were found at the crash site of the downed Russian military transport plane, Russian new agency TASS reported Thursday.
“Elements of [what is] presumably anti-aircraft guided missile that hit the Il-76 were found at the crash site in the Belgorod region,” TASS said, adding that the news agency had been informed of the development by the emergency services.
Military investigators and forensic scientists are searching for metal structures, TASS reported. Earlier, the planes black boxes were found. It’s hoped that the flight data recorders will shed light on what happened to the Il-76 plane that crashed on Wednesday, killing all 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and nine Russians on board.
Russia claimed Ukraine shot the plane down with several missiles. Ukraine has not admitted nor denied responsibility for the attack, calling for an international investigation into the incident.
CNBC was unable to confirm the information in the TASS report.
— Holly Ellyatt
An Hour Ago