Inside a prison where Russia tortured Ukrainian POWs
The Olenivka POW camp, located in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, was a notorious Russian-controlled prison where Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian hostages from Mariupol have been subjected to torture. The Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigations Unit will name those responsible for torturing prisoners in Olenivka.
Skip to content
Edit post

The Hill: Biden would veto GOP's Israel stand-alone aid package without funding for Ukraine

by Martin Fornusek and The Kyiv Independent news desk November 1, 2023 8:52 AM 2 min read
U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on Oct. 19, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst - Pool/Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

U.S. President Joe Biden would likely veto a bill put forward by House Republicans to provide aid to Israel without including funding for Ukraine and other priorities, The Hill reported on Oct. 31, citing the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

"This bill is bad for Israel, for the Middle East region, and for our own national security," the OMB said.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also implied that the White House would oppose the plan, though not saying explicitly whether Biden would use his veto powers to block it.

"I think we've been very clear... how deeply concerning this House Republican bill is and how it doesn't meet our national security means and meet needs," Kirby said at a press briefing.

"And as commander in chief, the president's never going to do anything that doesn't meet our key national security needs."

The White House's $106 billion funding bill, which includes $14.3 billion for Israel and $61.4 billion for Ukraine, among other items, has been held up for weeks by infighting in the Republican-led House of Representatives.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a close ally of ex-President Donald Trump, unveiled a $14.3 billion standalone spending bill only for Israel. It also included cuts to the U.S.'s Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which would make it difficult to gain support from Democrats.

The White House responded by criticizing the proposed bill for "politicizing national security."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and State Secretary Antony Blinken voiced similar positions in their comments to the Senate, pushing Congress to take a broadly unified position and approve the full bill.

The proposal by Johnson and other Republicans is likely to encounter opposition in the Senate, as leaders of both parties in the upper chamber voiced doubts about the plan. To become law, the bill would have to pass both the House and the Senate and be signed by Biden.

‘We can’t allow Putin to prevail,’ says Speaker Johnson after being elected, but his track record says opposite
Representative Mike Johnson, elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 25, has been deemed bad news for Ukraine. Johnson regularly voted against aid for Ukraine and was backed by the Ukraine-skeptic hard-right in his bid for speakership after the weeks-long scramble to replace th…

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.
Freedom can be costly. Both Ukraine and its journalists are paying a high price for their independence. Support independent journalism in its darkest hour. Support us for as little as $1, and it only takes a minute.
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

2:16 PM

US, South Korea, Japan pledge to increase cooperation, pressure on North Korea.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the three countries planned to increase their trilateral cooperation to create a united front against the spectrum of North Korean hostile actions towards its neighbors in the region and the larger world. In particular, the officials said that North Korea was using cyber activities to fund its nuclear program.
Ukraine Daily
News from
Ukraine in your
inbox
7:40 AM

White House: Costs of not supporting Ukraine too high to pay.

"If you think the cost of supporting Ukraine is high now, think about how high it’s going to be in national treasure and in American blood if we have to start acting on our Article Five commitments," U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.
3:43 AM

Russia shells 4 communities in Sumy Oblast.

Russian forces attacked four communities along the Sumy Oblast border on Dec. 8, firing 6 times over the course of the day, the Sumy Oblast military administration reported.
11:00 PM

Zelensky signs 4 laws required for EU accession.

However, the law on reforming the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) signed by Zelensky failed to fully repeal the so-called Lozovyi's amendments, which are thought to help those suspected or accused of corruption to avoid responsibility.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe

Please, enter correct email address

Subscribe

* indicates required
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.