CONFLICTSUNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Ukraine updates: US aid to Kyiv hits Republican roadblock
Published 4 hours agoPublished 4 hours agolast updated 2 hours agolast updated 2 hours ago
US House Speaker Mike Johnson said funding to support Ukraine and Israel should be handled separately. He insisted on more clarity on US’ Ukraine strategy and goals. Follow DW for the latest.
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Building damaged in Russian shelling
President Biden met with Johnson to discuss a proposed $106 billion (€100.4 billion) aid package for Ukraine and IsraelImage: Alexander Ermochenko/REUTERS
Skip next section What you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Aid to Ukraine topped high-level discussions in the United States and Europe.
In the US, the newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted Congress is “not going to abandon” Ukraine. However, they would focus on getting aid to Israel first.
In Europe, 27 EU leaders gathered in Brussels to discuss how to continue supporting Ukraine while providing aid to Israel and Palestinians. But Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban criticized his fellow EU leaders over the aid to Ukraine.
Here’s a look at the latest on Russia’s war in Ukraine for Friday, October 27:
Skip next section Russian nuclear power plant claims drone attack intercepted
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Russian nuclear power plant claims drone attack intercepted
Russia’s Rosenergoatom on Friday said a Ukrainian drone attack — it said was targeting the Kursk nuclear power plant — was intercepted.
“On the evening of October 26, an attack by three enemy unmanned aerial vehicles on the Kursk nuclear power plant was stopped. It did not affect the operation of the station,” plant operator Rosenergoatom said in a statement.
The operator said that radiation levels around the facility were normal and power generation was functioning.
On Thursday Russia defence ministry said that air defenses had intercepted a Ukrainian drone over the Kursk region without giving any further details.
Ukraine did not immediately report on the report.
https://p.dw.com/p/4Y6JZ
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Skip next section Slovakia provides conditions to further Ukraine aid
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Slovakia provides conditions to further Ukraine aid
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico set out conditions to give his backing for further finanical support to Ukraine.
Speaking at the EU summit in Brussels on Friday, Fico said he wanted “guarantees that European money (including Slovak) will not be embezzled.”
The newly-appointed Slovak leader had threatened on Thursday to block any further European aid to Kyiv.
Fico said part of the aid earmarked for Ukraine should be spent on renewing Slovakia’s infrastructure along its border with Ukraine.
Robert Fico look straight ahead holding a colourful notebook in his left handRobert Fico look straight ahead holding a colourful notebook in his left hand
Robert Fico is attending the EU Summit after having only been appointed Slovakian prime minister on WednesdayImage: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images
https://p.dw.com/p/4Y65Y
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Skip next section Eight rescuers injured in Russian missile attack in Kharkiv
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Eight rescuers injured in Russian missile attack in Kharkiv
A Russian missile struck a fire department in Kharkiv’s Izium on Friday, injuring at least eight rescuers, Ukraine’s interior minister said.
“The building itself and 13 pieces of equipment were also damaged,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on the Telegram app.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces intercepted five of six Shahed drones launched by Russia on the southern regions of Mykolaiv and Kherson, Ukraine’s southern military command said.
There were no casualties, the authorities added.
https://p.dw.com/p/4Y5bY
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Skip next section Hungary’s Orban says EU’s Ukraine strategy has ‘failed’
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Hungary’s Orban says EU’s Ukraine strategy has ‘failed’
Viktor OrbanViktor Orban
Orban said he doubts Ukraine will be achieve victory at the frontlineImage: Gaetan Claessens/European Union
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban criticized the European Union’s strategy on the war in Ukraine on Friday, calling for an alternative plan.
Orban told the Hungarian state radio on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels that he doubts Ukraine will be achieve victory at the frontline and therefore saw no reason for Hungary to send its taxpayers’ money to support Kyiv.
“Today everybody knows but they do not dare to say it out loud, that this strategy has failed. It is obvious that this will not work. … The Ukrainians will not win on the frontline,” he said, calling for an alternate strategy.
The EU’s is due to decide to revise its already financially strained 2021-27 budget of €1.1 trillion ($1.1 trillion) — burdened by emergency COVID spending and the Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Hungarian earlier came faced backlash from his EU peers over his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in China.
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said meeting Putin amounted to “showing the middle finger” to Ukrainians.
Orban refuted the charges, saying he is “proud” of his contacts with Putin because “otherwise there will be no chance for peace.”
“We would like to do everything to have peace. Therefore, we keep open all the communication lines to the Russians, otherwise there will be no chance for peace. This is a strategy, we are proud of it,” Orbán told reporters.
https://p.dw.com/p/4Y5aj
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Skip next section New US House Speaker meets with Biden about Ukraine and Israel aid
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New US House Speaker meets with Biden about Ukraine and Israel aid
Newly elected US House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed skepticism about providing additional money/funding to assist Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
President Biden met with Johnson to discuss a proposed $106 billion (€100.4 billion) aid package for Ukraine and Israel.
Afterwards, Johnson said Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed “to prevail in Ukraine,” but argued that funding for Ukraine and Israel should be handled separately.
The speaker demanded more clarity on the US’s Ukraine strategy and goals.
“We want to know what the object is there, what is the end game in Ukraine,” Johnson said. “The White House has not provided that,” he added.
At the same time, Johnson proposed a separate Republican bill to allocate $14.5 billion in aid to Israel.
“We must stand with our important ally in the Middle East and that’s Israel,” he said.
