US lawmakers were expected to approve a $45 billion aid package for Ukraine on Friday, as President Volodymyr Zelensky returned from Washington with the promise of Patriot missiles to help fend off Russia’s invasion.
The military and economic assistance, part of a wider government spending bill, follows US aid worth around $50 billion sent to Ukraine this year as well sanctions imposed on Russia by the West that now include a cap on Russian oil prices.
On Thursday, the US Senate approved the $44.9 billion in new Ukraine aid as part of a US government funding bill. The Democratic-led House of Representatives was set to vote on the bill on Friday. The bill is expected to pass but it was unclear whether US Congressional support to Ukraine would endure after Republicans take a narrow majority in the House.
North Korea arms for Russia: US
The White House warned on Thursday that North Korea had delivered arms supplies to the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary force with close ties to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, Wagner founder, denied the claim. John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Prigozhin was spending about $100 million a month to deploy mercenaries in Ukraine. North Korea denied supplying Russia with arms. Kirby said North Korea delivered infantry rockets and missiles to Russia last month. (New York Times News Service)
