Important Saturday 20 January at 8.05am:
– Zelensky invited Trump to visit;
– Budanov promised to continue attacking the occupiers in Crimea;
– The White House warned Congress of the imminent loss of Ukraine if a decision on arms aid is not made;
Zelensky invited Trump to visit Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited US President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine to present his peace plan that would end the war with Russia within 24 hours, as Trump promised.
“Yes, please, Donald Trump, I invite you to Ukraine, to Kiev. If you can stop the war within 24 hours, I think you can come to Kiev every day I’m here,” Zelenskiy told Channel 4 News.
At the same time, Zelenskiy said he finds Trump’s promise to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours alarming if it does not include consideration of Ukraine’s interests.
“When he says he makes decisions alone, without both parties [rääkimata]that means without us… It means that if he continues to implement his idea, which no one has heard of and which doesn’t work for our people, it worries me a little,” the Ukrainian president said.
“He is welcome, but I don’t think he can end the war in 24 hours without giving our land to Putin,” Zelensky added.
The former US president and likely Republican presidential candidate in November has said more than once in the past that he has a plan to bring peace to Ukraine within 24 hours of his return to the presidency. After winning the Iowa primary earlier this week, Trump reiterated that he would end the war “very quickly” if he won the election.
Zelensky invited Trump to visit Ukraine in November as well. But Trump refused, citing a “conflict of interest” with the administration of now President Joe Biden.
Budanov promised the continuation of attacks against the occupiers in Crimea
The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrõlo Budanov, sees the need to continue to pressure Russia, especially in Crimea, to attack from the air, use naval attack drones and carry out covert special operations.
Lieutenant General Budanov, head of the Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, spoke to the business newspaper Financial Times about the current situation of the aggressor state and the immediate priorities of the war.
“Our units entered Crimea several times (last year),” Budanov recalled, adding that active operations of special units continue.
One of the priorities of the respective missions is the destruction of the occupation army’s logistics in the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula, he said.
According to Budanov, Russia’s attempts to advance on the Eastern Front, which began in the autumn, have not yet led to a single breakthrough.
“Their latest attempt (to advance) has been going on for two months now. To no avail, really,” the intelligence chief said.
Budanov added that the number of Russian casualties on the front near Avdijivka had increased significantly in recent weeks. He also expressed doubts about Russia’s ability to sufficiently cover its losses even with North Korea’s support.
The White House warned Congress of Ukraine’s impending defeat
White House officials have warned members of the US Congress that Ukraine could lose the war with Russia within a few weeks or at most within a couple of months if the US does not provide a new military aid package to Kiev, reported the NBC television channel. .
“President Joe Biden’s aides bluntly told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting Wednesday that (…) if Congress doesn’t authorize additional military aid to Ukraine in the coming days, Russia could win the war within a few days. weeks or, at best, months,” NBC reports, citing anonymous sources.
According to sources, the President’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers that Ukraine will lose some air defense and artillery capabilities in the coming weeks, the channel notes.
The White House also fears that the prospect of withdrawing Biden’s pledge to support Kiev “for as long as necessary” could affect the confidence of key US allies, particularly South Korea and Japan, in Washington’s ability to fulfill its obligations , the television reported. channel reported… According to White House officials who met with members of Congress, if Russia won simply because the United States failed to keep its promises, it would have consequences around the world.
At the same time, Bloomberg reported, Biden expressed hope that the Senate would be able to come up with a border bill as early as next week that would satisfy both Democrats and Republicans.
“I think that at least next week we will be able to find a solution in the Senate,” the president said during a meeting with mayors.
Republicans in Congress have reportedly called for tougher measures on immigration in exchange for support for a $110 billion package that includes money for military aid to Ukraine and Israel. Earlier this week, Biden met with congressional leaders in hopes of stepping up efforts to free up those funds.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters after the meeting, “I told the president what I’ve been saying for months, which is that we need change at the border, significant policy change.”
“We understand that there are concerns about the security and sovereignty of Ukraine. But the Americans have the same concern about our internal sovereignty, our security,” he said, adding that “we must insist (…) that the border come first”, he underlined.
2024-01-20 04:58:00
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