Ukrainians awoke a week after Donald Trump's election victory to hear that the president-elect had tapped Fox News host Pete Hegseth as his defense secretary — one of the most eyebrow-raising appointments announced so far by the incoming administration of Kyiv’s top Western ally. Some in the U.S. on
"You're going to see a very senior special envoy, someone with a lot of credibility, who will be given a task to find a resolution, to get to a peace settlement," one of the sources said.
The topic of the discussions was not made public, but the officials meet as the U.S. administration pledges to ramp up support before President Joe Biden leaves the White House on Jan. 20, 2025.
"He (President Joe Biden) believes in the norms, he believes in our institution, he believes in the peaceful transfer of power," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told journalists on Nov. 12.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also issued a stern warning regarding North Korea’s recent deployment of troops to support Russian forces, stating this "demands and will receive a firm response."
"Since the supplemental, we've drawn down nearly $3.7 billion in equipment from (Department of Defense) stocks across 12 PDA (presidential drawdown authority) drawdowns that were announced between late April through mid-October," Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder said.
While Musk has repeatedly echoed pro-Russian talking points on Ukraine, including proposals to cede territory to Moscow, Ramaswamy was among the most vocal opponents of military aid for Kyiv.
"Today I can confirm that over 10,000 (North Korean) soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia, and most of them have moved to the far western Kursk Oblast, where they have begun engaging in combat operations with Russian forces," spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
President-elect Donald Trump has named Fox News host and veteran Pete Hegseth as the incoming U.S. Defense Secretary, Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Nov. 12. If confirmed by Congress, Hegseth will replace current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. "Pete
Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that the U.K. may need to send troops to Ukraine if U.S. support or military funding is reduced, GB News reported on Nov. 12.
Key developments on Nov. 12: * Ukrainian drone strikes oil depot in Russia's Belgorod Oblast, local official claims * Russia deploys assault groups to Zaporizhzhia Oblast, military says * Ukraine's 2025 budget includes $1.3 billion for weapons production, minister says * Ukrainian volunteers in Poland sign contracts with Armed Forces * British PM Starmer
Republican Senator Marco Rubio is likely to be the next U.S. secretary of state, according to reports on Nov. 12 that mark the latest insight into how President-elect Donald Trump's White House will approach Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump, leader of the Republican party who was elected president on
The U.K. prime minister will also press for a one-on-one discussion with Joe Biden during the G20 summit.
If appointed, Marco Rubio will replace Antony Blinken.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, according to a statement on Nov. 10.
Jean-Noel Barrot said Kyiv’s Western allies needed to do everything they could to ensure Ukraine entered any future peace negotiations in the strongest position possible.
It’s extraordinary how the fortunes of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have changed since they last met in 2019. Back then, at the G20 summit in Canada, Trump was embroiled in domestic legal issues, the Mueller report, and accusations of being Moscow’s candidate.
Editor's note: This article is an on-site version of KI Insights' The Week Ahead newsletter. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events, delivered directly to your inbox every Sunday. ReBuild Ukraine gathers in Warsaw on Nov. 13-14 to discuss infrastructure, housing, energy, and other
A report had claimed Trump advised Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron hope President Joe Biden will give the approval sought by Kyiv for months as a step towards cementing his foreign policy legacy.
Donald Trump Jr. reposted an Instagram clip featuring an image of Zelensky with the caption: "POV: You're 38 days from losing your allowance."
"President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine," U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stressed that “decisions on the war in Ukraine can neither be made over the heads of Ukrainians nor over ours." Europe will have to bear more responsibility for its security, he added.
The Biden administration will rush the delivery of over 500 interceptor missiles for the Patriot and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile (NASAMS) systems to Kyiv, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Nov. 9, citing a senior administration official.
The memorandum of understanding will establish over 100 industrial parks across Ukraine, impacting the lives of 2.5 million citizens, and helping create “hyper-modern” cities.
"We still get a whole lot of LNG via Russia, from Russia," she said in a phone call with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. "And why not replace it with American LNG, which is cheaper, and brings down our energy prices?"
You probably already know that Russia’s war against Ukraine should have stopped this week. That is, if we were to take seriously the self-imposed deadline U.S. President-elect Donald Trump advertised during the campaign. He said that the war can and should be “stopped” or “settled” within 24 hours,
Key developments on Nov. 8: * Ukrainian drones hit oil refinery in Russia's Saratov, HUR source confirms * Ukraine to receive $6 billion in US military aid before Trump's term begins, Pentagon confirms * Estonia to provide Ukraine with air defense missiles for testing * Ukraine retrieves bodies of 563 fallen soldiers * US allows
The "small numbers" of contractors will not participate in combat operations and will be stationed in far from the front line, one of the unnamed American officials told Reuters.
Elon Musk, who has extensive influence on American politics, reportedly was on the line during the recent conversation between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, saying he would continue to support Ukraine through his Starlink satellites.
On Nov. 5, everything changed —and yet, nothing changed. As Americans cast ballots in what many called the most consequential election of our time, Nov. 5 was predictably horrifically marked by the death and devastation Russia brought to Ukraine — largely unseen, unheard, and unnoticed in the most powerful country on
European officials met in Budapest on Nov. 7 to discuss whether the European Union would be willing to continue funding support for Ukraine if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump halts U.S. assistance, Bloomberg reported Nov. 8, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
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