 Defense &
National Security |
Defense &
National Security |
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Western discord shows cracks in Ukraine support deepening |
The U.S. and European coalition supporting Ukraine is showing significant cracks nearly 20 months after Russia's invasion. |
Officials in Kyiv and its backers are now worried that Russian President Vladimir Putin could succeed simply by waiting out the war. State of play: - Ukraine aid is at the center of partisan spending fights in Washington, with a majority of House Republicans voting against additional funding in votes last week.
- Polish officials anxious over elections are lashing out at Kyiv. And in NATO ally Slovakia, a party headed by a pro-Kremlin politician came out on top in recent parliamentary elections.
Russian officials are not yet celebrating but are expressing optimism that time is on their side.
"We have repeatedly said that according to our forecasts, fatigue from this conflict, from the absurd sponsorship of the Kyiv regime, will grow in different countries, including the United States," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier this week. Ukraine's backers in Washington are scrambling to shore up support to fulfill President Biden's request to deliver on $24 billion in new economic and military assistance for Kyiv. - An effort to deliver $6 billion for Ukraine in a short-term government funding bill was axed in the face of staunch opposition from some House Republicans in a vote over the weekend.
- "Time is not our friend," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Tuesday.
And Biden was put in the awkward position of having to reassure allies in Europe, Asia and NATO on a phone call Tuesday morning that despite the chaos in Congress, the U.S. was steadfast in its support for Kyiv and commitments to allies. Ukrainian officials and their supporters, meanwhile, have downplayed the immediate effects of the D.C. spending battle and schisms in Europe. Read more here, from our colleague Laura Kelly. Foreign policy experts also spoke with The Hill's Amee LaTour on the impact a delay in more aid to Ukraine would have. Read that here |
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. |
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How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future: |
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More than 50 progressive activists marched across Capitol Hill on Wednesday to protest the war in Ukraine and call on lawmakers to push the Biden administration to negotiate an end to the war. At least 11 of the protesters were arrested outside the office of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) after congressional aides demanded they end a sit-in inside the senator's office. Several senior citizens, including a handicapped elderly woman, … |
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| The United States has transferred to Ukraine hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition seized from Iran last year, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. The Monday transfer to the Ukrainian armed forces included 1.1 million 7.62 mm rounds, munitions Washington obtained in July through the Justice Department's civil forfeiture claims against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to a statement from … |
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Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to appoint a successor to lead the Wagner Group is reigniting public tensions over the future of the mercenary company. Wagner's next leader has been unclear after the death of the company's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in an August plane crash, however Putin has moved swiftly to exert more oversight after Prigozhin led an aborted rebellion against him in June. But senior Wagner … |
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Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: |
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas are visiting Mexico to meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his security secretary, Rosa Icela Rodríguez.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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Washington state Proud Boy convicted in Jan. 6 case
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A member of the far-right Proud Boys militia group from Washington state was found guilty Tuesday of felonies related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, the Department of Justice announced.
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Events in and around the defense world: |
The Center for Strategic and International Studies will host its annual "China's Power: Up for Debate 2023," with Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs and others, at 9:30 a.m. The Center for Strategic and International Studies will also hold a virtual discussion on "China and Russia's Role in North Korea's Human Rights Abuses" at 9:30 a.m.
The Stimson Center will host a conversation with Undersecretary of State Bonnie Jenkins at 10 a.m.
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News we've flagged from other outlets: |
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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The Republican Party has been a directionless mess during the Biden administration, fraught with terrible leadership and a toxic Trump at the top of … Read more |
| Facing a pileup of spending bills and a possible government shutdown, 20 Republican senators led by Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.) say they will delay any … Read more |
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Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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