Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the head of the House Armed Services Committee, said Saturday that the growing calls for more oversight of the billions of dollars the US is spending on Ukraine are "part of Russian propaganda." While the majority of Republicans strongly favor...
Russia Says US, NATO Directly Involved in Ukraine War
The US and NATO are directly involved in the war in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. "You shouldn't say that the US and NATO aren’t taking part in this war. You are directly participating in it," Lavrov said at a press conference. "And...
Draft NDAA Includes $3 Billion in Annual Military Aid for Taiwan
A draft of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes billions in military aid for Taiwan, but Congress isn't sure if the funds will be approved, Defense News reported on Thursday. The funding includes $10 billion in the State Department's Foreign...
Biden Says He Has ‘No Immediate Plans’ to Contact Putin
President Biden said Thursday that he has no plans to contact Russian President Vladimir Putin but that he'd be willing to talk with the Russian leader if he was prepared to end the war in Ukraine. "I have no immediate plans to contact Mr. Putin," Biden said at a...
US Imposes New Sanctions on North Korean Officials After ICBM Test
The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on three North Korean officials said to be tied to the country's weapons programs following Pyongyang's November 18 ICBM test. Since North Korea is under such heavy sanctions, the measures will have little impact, but they will...
Lavrov Says Russia, China Stepping Up Military Cooperation in Response to NATO
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that the US and NATO's move to focus on countering China in the Asia Pacific has led to an increase in military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing. "We know how seriously the People’s Republic of China regards...
EU Tentatively Agrees on $60 Per Barrel for Russian Oil Price Cap
The EU has tentatively agreed on setting the price cap on Russian oil at $60 per barrel, Reuters reported on Thursday. The plan would also include an adjustment mechanism to keep the price cap 5% below the market value. The EU is setting the price cap at the request...
NATO Members Discuss Ways to Confront China at Bucharest Summit
NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday discussed ways to confront what they call the "challenge" posed by China as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying to convince alliance members to take a more hawkish stance toward Beijing. "What we talked about today...
Report: US Considers ‘Dramatically’ Expanding Training of Ukrainian Forces
The US is considering "dramatically" increasing its training of Ukrainian forces, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed US officials. The plan under consideration would aim to train up to 2,500 Ukrainian troops each month at a US base in Germany. The report said...
US Pushing Allies to Give Ukraine Aid to Fix Its Energy Infrastructure
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday from the NATO summit in Bucharest that the US and its allies have agreed to form a group to help repair Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which has been decimated by Russian missile and drone strikes. The State...