Ukraine is considering moving away from the U.S. dollar and closer to the euro as a benchmark for the hryvnia, National Bank Governor Andrii Pyshnyi told Reuters.
The Atesh partisan group claims it disabled communication at several Russian military facilities when it allegedly destroyed equipment at a transformer substation in the village of Mogiltsy in Russia's Moscow Oblast.
"The Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much," U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on May 7, according to Politico.
EU ambassadors began talks this week on a 17th sanctions package that targets Russia’s military-industrial complex, Moscow’s shadow shipping fleet, and related support networks.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson makes his way to a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 6, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The U.S. House of Representatives failed on Feb. 6 to pass a standalone $17.6 billion aid package for Israel that excluded funding for Ukraine.
The motion, which required a two-thirds majority to proceed, failed with a tally of 25o for and 180 against.
U.S. aid to Ukraine has ground to a halt amid partisan controversies in Congress that have tied up additional funds for Kyiv in legislative battles over border policy and support for Israel.
House Speaker Mike Johnson introduced the aid package on Feb. 3, signaling deepening resistance to Ukraine aid among hard-line Republicans in Congress. While U.S. conservatives broadly support funding Israel, Republican legislators have blocked $60 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since fall 2023.
The House vote comes a day before the Senate is scheduled to vote on a separate bill that includes Ukraine aid, funds for Israel, and dramatic changes to U.S. border policy. Senators announced on Feb. 6 that despite months of bipartisan negotiations, the bill had no chance of passing.
Johnson also firmly opposes the Senate agreement, and has said that even if it did pass in the Senate, it would be "dead on arrival" once it reached the House floor.
The standalone Israel bill faced stiff opposition from Republicans, Democrats, and the White House. President Joe Biden said on Feb. 5 he would veto the legislation if it came to his desk.
The bill drew criticism from House Democrats and Republicans for failing to include aid to Ukraine or humanitarian assistiance to the people of Gaza.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro called the bill "a political stunt," according to Politico.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
George Monastiriakos
