Jake Sullivan, White House National security adviser, said in an interview on CBS News Nov. 10 that U.S. president Joe Biden would appeal to Congress to provide more aid to Ukraine during the final 70 days in his term.
Biden will leave White House when Donald Trump, the U.S. president-elect, officially assumes office on Jan. 20, 2020. Trump’s presidency could have a radical impact on Washington’s policy towards Ukraine and Russia.
“President Biden has the opportunity to make a case over the next 70-days to the Congress and the incoming administration, that the United States shouldn’t walk away from Ukraine. Walking away from Ukraine would mean more instability in Europe,” Sullivan stated.
Sullivan said Biden will urge lawmakers to provide “ongoing resource” to Ukraine, but declined to provide details about the resources.
The Biden administration has already committed itself to sending Kyiv $6 billion of the remaining military aid before Trump’s 2nd term begins. Sullivan said that the funds would be delivered “on time and fully” before January 20.
When asked about the White House strategy to “Trump proof” Ukraine’s defence, Sullivan said that the administration did not plan to change its fundamental strategies.
“(O)ur strategy remains the same, as it has been for the past two and a quarter years, that is, to put Ukraine in a position of strength on the battlefield so that it can be in a position of strength at the negotiation table,” he stated.
Ukraine has been urging the U.S. for years to lift restrictions on using long-range American weaponry against targets on Russian territory and to seize Russian assets frozen, redirecting these funds to Kyiv’s defense. Biden still has time to take action, but the window of opportunity is closing.
Sullivan did mention these measures in his CBS News interview. He did mention that Russia was feeling “biting” U.S. Sanctions, which he said contributed to rising inflation and stagnation in the economy.
“The picture for Russia is becoming increasingly bleak with time,” he said.
Sullivan said he did not know what Russian President Vladimir Putin promised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as an exchange for North Korean soldiers fighting on the ground in Ukraine.
“We don’t really know, and I honestly think that Vladimir Putin isn’t sure either,” he said.
“I think that he hasn’t yet decided what he will do for North Korea in the future.”
The New York Times reported that on November 10, Russia was preparing to launch a major offensive in the Kursk Oblast, with a force of up to 50,000 soldiers including North Korean troops.
Jake Sullivan, U.S. National security adviser, said that President Biden would have the chance to convince Congress and the incoming administration of the United States not to walk away from Ukraine.
“Reports claiming that the Ukrainian side had been informed of the alleged phone call in advance are false. Accordingly, Ukraine couldn’t have endorsed or objected to the call”, foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said to Reuters.
One source familiar with the conversation said that during the call from Trump’s Florida resort, the President-elect told Putin not to escalate tensions in Ukraine, and emphasized Washington’s significant military presence throughout Europe.
On Nov. 10, authorities in Moldova found two Russian drones near the districts of Kaushan and Rishkan.
According to a recent U.S. assessment, Russia has gathered the 50,000 soldiers without pulling its troops out of the Eastern Front.
Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister, said that “decisions about the war in Ukraine cannot be made without the consent of Ukrainians or us.” He added that Europe would have to take more responsibility for its own security.
Anna Belokur, The Kyiv Independent, explains what Donald Trump’s win in the U.S. Presidential election means for Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that on November 10, Russian air defense destroyed 70 Ukrainian drones including 34 in Moscow Oblast in the largest drone attack against the Russian capital.
While the Kremlin doesn’t announce the number killed and injured, Western officials claim that October was the most difficult month for Russian forces.
Overnight, Russian forces launched a total of 145 drones into Ukraine and Ukrainian air defense shot down 62 drones.
This includes 1,350 casualties that Russian forces have suffered in the last day.
Mediazona has added 1,761 Russian soldiers to its list of casualties since the last update, which was at the end October.
Josep Borrell said, at a Kyiv news conference, that “we must strengthen anti-sanctions measures because Russia cannot manufacture (weaponry), without imported parts, chips, and other components.” “We should use sanctions in order to isolate Russia’s industry from imports from foreign countries.”
Borrell said, “We need faster delivery and fewer red lines that we set ourselves,” referring to his support for allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons provided by the West to strike deep within Russian territory.
The Biden administration is rushing to deliver over 500 interceptors for Patriot and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missiles (NASAMS) systems, according to a Wall Street Journal report (WSJ) on Nov. 9 citing a senior official.
A senior adviser to Donald Trump said that Ukraine needed to be “realistic in its goals for war” and added that the peninsula of Crimea, which was occupied by Russia, was “gone.”
Dmytro Lubints, Ukraine’s Ombudsman, said that the occupiers had no limit to their cruelty and cynicism.
Syrskyi stated that “we have received numerous reports about the preparations of North Korean soldiers for combat operations alongside Russian troops.”
The shortage of ammunition in Ukraine has been a concern for many years, but it has gotten worse this year.
After the Russian invasion of February 2022, Ukraine began actively developing their missile program.
British defense intelligence estimates that Russia has suffered more than 696,00 losses since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
The memorandum will establish over 100 industrial park across Ukraine, affecting the lives of 2,5 million citizens and helping to create “hypermodern” cities.
“The dialogue between the President Zelensky, and President-elect Trump, has already been established,” Sybiha stated in Kyiv during a press conference held with Josep Borrell, chief diplomat of the European Union.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on November 9 that Ukraine had attacked seven Russian regions, including Tula Oblast, with 50 drones. Moscow claimed to have shot down all 50 drones including two that were over Tula Oblast located south of Moscow.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com