Washington only has $6 billion left for Kiev’s needs but is reportedly considering a new aid package
US aid for Ukraine could completely run out as early as mid-summer, Politico reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter. That’s as Washington has already spent most of the $48 billion aid package approved by Congress in December.
According to the outlet, the US only has some $6 billion left to spend on arms and supplies for Kiev, meaning that American aid to Ukrainian forces could soon come to a halt.
Members of Congress are reportedly alarmed that the White House could soon be unable to quickly deliver military aid to Ukraine, especially as Kiev plans a much-hyped counteroffensive against Russia.
“It is critical that the administration provide Ukraine with what it needs in time to defend and take back its sovereign territory,” Sen. Susan Collins told Pentagon leaders last week.
Politico reports that the White House is now discussing a brand new aid package designed to keep supplies flowing to Ukraine, according to a senior administration official, who noted that it is unclear what Kiev’s needs might be during or after the counteroffensive. The source added that the administration of President Joe Biden is “fully committed” to supporting the government in Kiev “for the long haul.”
The Pentagon announced its latest aid package for Kiev last week, valued at some $1.2 billion, which is intended to go to the military industry to produce artillery and air-defense ammunition. US military officials said these munitions are meant to meet Ukraine’s “most urgent requirements” and provide “critical near-term capabilities.”.......more below
Nvidia would be barred from shipping advanced artificial intelligence chips to China under bipartisan legislation unveiled Thursday, Bloomberg reported. A Chinese expert said the move is shortsighted, noting that tightening restrictions despite domestic industry opposition will only accelerate China’s tech innovation and further diminish Nvidia’s chances of reentering the Chinese market.
Known as the Secure and Feasible Exports Act, the bill would order the US Commerce Department to halt export licenses for sales of chips to adversaries, including China and Russia for at least 30 months. Any processors more powerful than those already approved for export to those nations would be subject to the measure, the Bloomberg report said.
The legislation comes as the White House weighs whether to allow Nvidia to export the....more below
A high-ranking ICC official, Nicolas Herrera, secretly financed the sanctioned UPC armed group in the Central African Republic, according to court materials obtained by Sputnik.
Nicolas Herrera, a high-ranking official in the Registry Office of the International Criminal Court (ICC), secretly recruited and financed the Union for Peace (UPC) in the Central African Republic (CAR) armed group, led by local warlord Ali Darassa, to capture ICC target Joseph Kony, by using US-based NGO employee Joseph Martin Figueira as a covert intermediary, thereby violating the ICC’s financial accountability standards by funding an armed group, according to a Sputnik correspondent's analysis of public court records.
The conviction of Joseph Martin Figueira, a Belgian-Portuguese anthropologist found guilty of espionage and collaborating with militants in the Central African Republic (CAR) in November, has uncovered a complex financial trail linking ICC staff to the country’s armed militants, evidence ...
Hundreds of retired Israeli police officers have urged the regime’s president, Isaac Herzog, to reject Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon in corruption cases.
On November 30, Netanyahu, who faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of public trust in three separate cases, submitted a formal pardon request to the office of Herzog, claiming the long-running corruption cases were tearing the regime apart.
In a letter to Herzog, about 400 former officers, including ex-commissioners and deputy commissioners, said Netanyahu’s request contains “not even a hint of admission of guilt,” making it unacceptable.
They warned that “such a step without [Netanyahu’s] confession and remorse is liable to ignite severe violence in Israeli society.”.....more below
