Former U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. will remain in NATO and come to the aid of a bloc member if they are attacked so long as other countries “play fair” and pay their share of maintaining the alliance.
Key developments on March 17-18: * EU gives final approval to $5.5 billion for military aid to Ukraine * Deputy minister: Russia fires 7 times more shells than Ukraine * US Senator Graham in Kyiv: 'If you want aid to Ukraine, you'd better start talking to American taxpayers' * Ukrainian government allocating $128
There was “nothing free or fair” about Vladimir Putin’s presidential election victory, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on March 18, highlighting the extreme lengths the Kremlin went to to get the result it needed.
At a press conference in Kyiv, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said 70% of Republicans in the Senate understand the need for aid for Ukraine, adding that if Russian President Vladimir Putin is not to be stopped now, there will be "a war between Russia and NATO." Yet, he added that as political leaders, they need to address their own people, too.
Republican Senator Lindsay Graham arrived in Kyiv, the U.S. Embassy shared on social media on March 18.
Munitions for some of Ukraine's air defense systems may be nearly used up by the end of March, the Washington Post reported on March 15, citing unnamed Western officials.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on X on March 16 that he held a telephone call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the potential unblocking of aid for Ukraine that has been stuck in Congress since autumn 2023.
"Look at Odesa! How many more arguments do you need to take a decision?" Tusk wrote on X on March 16, tagging Johnson.
"Russia has no legitimate basis to hold elections on the sovereign Ukrainian territory of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea. These areas are a part of Ukraine," the U.K. Foreign Office said on X.
Season 2 Episode 10 is dedicated to Donald Trump's relationship with Russia, and what another 4 years of Trump at the White House might mean for Ukraine.
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview with Politico on March 14 that he expects to pass a future Ukraine aid bill with Democratic votes, adding that splitting Ukraine and Israel aid into two separate bills was "under consideration."
According to Bloomberg, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul is working on a plan that would involve seizing some of the frozen Russian assets to pay for the bill.
The Ukrainian project DE TY is organizing an international awareness campaign on March 16 in the U.S. and Canada to mark the second anniversary of a Russian strike against the Mariupol Drama Theater and draw attention to children suffering due to Russia's war.
The Russian Foreign Ministry added another 227 U.S. citizens to its list of those who are banned from entering Russia, state news agency TASS reported on March 14.
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson addressed Republican senators at their annual retreat on March 13, where he floated the idea that the long-obstructed Ukraine aid package could be made into a loan or lend-lease program for the benefit of U.S. taxpayers, the Hill reported on March 14.
"If this sort of discussion will delay the process of the provision of financial assistance, then let's put the discussion aside and take whatever is given," Justice Minister Denys Maliuska said.
U.S. House of Representatives Democrats began collecting signatures on March 12 to bypass House Speaker Mike Johnson and force a vote on a Ukraine aid bill via a discharge petition, Reuters reported.
Key developments on March 12: * Russian anti-Kremlin militia break into Russia, claim to occupy villages * Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih kills 3, injures almost 40 * Fire reported at several Russian oil refineries after alleged Ukrainian drone attack * Russia claims it has taken control of Nevelske in Donetsk Oblast * Denmark
This is the first package since last December, as U.S. funds for Kyiv have been blocked by disputes in Congress.
The U.S. may announce later on March 12 a military aid package for Ukraine worth as much as $400 million, Reuters reported, citing two unnamed American officials.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on March 11 that "there's no need for more troops at the Polish border" ahead of a meeting with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk scheduled to take place in Washington on March 12.
Echoing previous comments by the former president about his plans to negotiate peace in Ukraine within 24 hours, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that former U.S. President Donald Trump would end the supply of weapons from the U.S., a move that he said would mark the end of the war.
The leaders of Japan and the United States will meet in Washington, D.C. on April 10 to "strengthen the joint production system" for defense equipment in order to ship more arms to Ukraine, according to unnamed officials cited by the Japanese news outlet Yomiuri.
Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk will visit the United States on March 12, the 25th anniversary of Poland's NATO accession, to advocate for continued U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Trump's plans for an end to the war "are quite detailed" and align with Hungary's national interests.
Key developments on March 9-10: * CNN: US prepared 'rigorously' for potential Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine in 2022 * UK, Italy oppose deploying Western troops to Ukraine * UK Defense Ministry: Ukraine increasing fortifications along the front line * Zelensky denounces Pope Francis' proposal to negotiate peace with Russia * Air Force: Ukraine downs
Former U.S. President Donald Trump praised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as a "fantastic leader" while hosting him at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on March 8.
Washington was "preparing rigorously" for a possible Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine in late 2022, which would have been the first nuclear attack in a war since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1945 bombings, CNN reported on March 9, citing two unnamed U.S. officials.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Donald Trump, who is set to become the Republican nominee for the general U.S. presidential election, during his trip to the U.S. on March 8, and supported Trump’s presidential bid.
House Republicans are working on their own version of an aid bill to Ukraine to speed up the delivery of assistance to the country, with one version including treating nonmilitary aid to Ukraine as a loan, NBC reported on March 9.
The embassy did not specify what kind of threats they referred to, or who might be behind them. The U.K.'s Embassy in Russia also repeated the advisory issued by the U.S.
"As the House continues to stall, Russia is gaining ground and Ukraine is being forced to ration ammunition and supplies," U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on March 7.
(Updated: )
