Russia-Ukraine war live: Joe Biden says US support for Ukraine cannot be disrupted ‘under any circumstances’ Ukraine

Joe Biden has called on congressional Republicans to support a deal to provide more aid to Ukraine, saying he was “sick and tired” of political instability, and calling US support for Ukraine “any “Can’t be interrupted under any circumstances.”

A stopgap bill that extended government funding for more than a month and avoided a shutdown did not include any aid for Kyiv.

The US President said, “We cannot allow America’s support for Ukraine to be disrupted under any circumstances.” “I fully expect the Speaker to maintain his commitment to secure passage and provide the necessary support to help Ukraine as it defends itself against aggression and brutality.”

Asked whether he could trust Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to honor the deals, Biden said: “We just made one about Ukraine, so we’ll find out”, according to a report on the issue. Referring to the Republican promise to pass a separate bill.

Biden urged Congress to negotiate an aid package as soon as possible.

“The vast majority of both parties – Democrats and Republicans, Senate and House – support helping Ukraine and the brutal aggression that is being imposed on them by Russia,” Biden said. “Stop playing games, do this.”

Hello and welcome back to our coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I’m Mark Gerts and here’s a look at the latest developments.

Joe Biden has called on congressional Republicans to support a deal to provide more aid to Ukraine, saying he was “sick and tired” of political instability, and calling US support for Ukraine “any “Can’t be interrupted under any circumstances.”

A stopgap bill that would have extended government funding for more than a month and avoided a shutdown did not include any provisions for Kyiv.

More on that soon. In other news:

• British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said there are no immediate plans to deploy military trainers to UkraineHitting back at comments made by its defense minister, Grant Shapps, who suggested troops could train in the country.

• Slovakia’s populist potential new prime minister, Robert Fico, who campaigned on a pledge to end military aid to Ukraine, has said his position “has not changed”. He again became the favorite to lead the country after his party’s clear election victory. “People in Slovakia have bigger problems than Ukraine,” the Smr leader said.

• Ukraine celebrated Defenders Day, Honoring veterans and remembering soldiers killed in the invasion of Russia, “Tough times have made us stronger. And the mighty ones bring closer the time of victory. Respectively. Today, tomorrow, every day, every minute,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a brief address on Telegram.

• Two alleged Ukrainian drones attacked Russian territory on Sunday, Social media footage showed one attacking a helicopter base in Sochi and the other attacking an aircraft factory in Smolensk. Possibly related to these attacks, Russian publicist Margarita Simonyan called for a “nuclear ultimatum” today after a drone fell right in front of her family home in Adler, about 38 km from Sochi.

• Russian documents indicating an increase in military spending in 2024 suggest that Moscow is preparing for “many more years of fighting in Ukraine”.Britain’s Defense Ministry has said. In its latest intelligence update, the ministry said that apparently leaked papers from Russia’s Finance Ministry show that the country’s defense spending is likely to increase to about 30% of total public expenditure in 2024.