"From our intense work with both parties and committee approval of voting procedures today, I am cautiously optimistic this time," Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, told the Kyiv Independent on April 19.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on April 19 that Senate Democrats will support House Speaker Mike Johnson's series of bills that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other priorities if they pass the House.
According to one of the unnamed U.S. defense officials, some of the proposed military equipment is located in Europe and could reach Ukraine within days after a successful vote, while other material would likely take a few weeks.
A U.S. lawmaker has mocked Marjorie Taylor Greene by adding an amendment to the Ukraine aid bill requiring that she be appointed "Vladimir Putin’s Special Envoy to the United States Congress."
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at the close of a visit to the United States that he received "assurances of support" for the proposed military aid package to Ukraine from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
"We're going to do what's necessary to make sure the national security bill gets over the finish line," House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said. "It's not Johnson's foreign aid package. It's America's foreign aid package in terms of meeting our national security needs."
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen held talks on the long-awaited U.S. aid bill for Ukraine, strengthening sanctions against Russia, and the ongoing debate on confiscating frozen Russian assets.
Key developments on April 17: * Russian missile attack on Chernihiv kills at least 17, injures 60, including children * Johnson says vote on Ukraine, Israel foreign aid bills to take place on April 20 * Sources: HUR confirms attack on Russian bomber factory in Tatarstan * Kharkiv at risk of becoming 'second Aleppo,
U.S. President Joe Biden said on April 17 that he "strongly supports" House Speaker Mike Johnson's proposals on foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other partners.
U.S. President Joe Biden has called for "leadership and courage" in Washington in order to pass urgent military aid for Ukraine and Israel, adding "now is not the time to abandon our friends," in an op-ed published April 17.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is moving forward with his plan to hold a vote on a series of foreign aid bills for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan despite pressure from Republican hardliners, CNN reported on April 17.
U.S. planes will not be flying over Ukrainian skies to engage with Russian attacks, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press conference on April 16.
After six grueling months, the U.S. House of Representatives may finally be preparing to vote on a new aid package for Ukraine. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on April 16 that following new rounds of talks with House Republicans, he planned to advance three separate aid packages for Ukraine,
The White House believes that House Speaker Mike Johnson's proposal on a series of foreign aid bills for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan appears "at first blush" to cover the necessary assistance, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on April 16.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to hold separate votes this week on new assistance packages for Israel and Ukraine, aiming to assemble fragile coalitions to support both embattled allies.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that U.S. President Joe Biden and congressional leaders during an April 14 call reached a "consensus" that Congress should act quickly to provide aid to both Israel and Ukraine.
Military aid for Ukraine is limited, while Russia continues to have access to "critical components needed to produce missiles and drones," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on April 14.
Russian forces may be preparing for a large-scale offensive in late spring or summer, aiming to capture more land in Ukraine's partially-occupied Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, the Financial Times reported on April 13, citing unnamed Ukrainian and Western officials.
Editor’s note: The Kyiv Independent is not disclosing the full names of the soldiers introduced in the story, as they didn’t have a formal authorization to speak to the press. DONETSK OBLAST – Mykhailo arrived at a dugout less than an hour after it was hit by Russian drones.
"The overall message I would give you is (Russia's military has) grown back to what they were before (February 2022)," said General Christopher Cavoli, the top U.S. commander in Europe, in a written statement to Congress.
General Christopher Cavoli said that Russian forces were firing five shells for every one shell that Ukraine fired, a disparity which he warned could increase to 10 to one in coming weeks.
Drone company executives, Ukrainian officials, and former U.S. defense officials said that U.S.-made unmanned aircraft are often expensive, glitchy, and difficult to repair.
David Cameron's effort to convince former President Donald Trump to allow the U.S. Congress to advance $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine seems unsuccessful, as the U.K. foreign secretary was denied a meeting with congressional speaker Mike Johnson.
The State Department has approved an urgent $138 million foreign military sales package for Ukraine, enabling essential repairs and the procurement of spare parts necessary for Hawk missile systems.
Pro-Russian Telegram channels are alleging that Russian forces captured Pervomaiske on April 9, publishing a video of a Russian flag being installed on the ruins of a village home to over 2,000 people before the start of the full-scale war.
More than two-thirds of the Russian tanks that Ukraine’s military has destroyed in recent months have been taken out using first-person-view (FPV) drones, a NATO official told Foreign Policy, possibly indicating an increased reliance on unmanned aircraft amidst Ukraine's critical ammunition shortages.
A large shipment of confiscated weapons intended for Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was delivered to the Ukrainian military, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on April 9.
The European Union needs more funds to prepare for a potential full-scale conflict, as the risk of war in Europe beyond Ukraine is "no longer a fantasy," the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on April 9.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron met Donald Trump at the latter's Florida residence before meeting top U.S. officials and lawmakers, The Independent reported on April 9.
Moscow is trying to undermine Ukraine's support in the U.S., using its troll farms and political strategists, in light of Kyiv's critical need for further aid to defend itself from Russia, the Washington Post reported on April 8 after reviewing internal Kremlin documents obtained by a European intelligence service.
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with a bipartisan delegation of U.S. Congress members in Chernihiv Oblast and called to pass Ukraine aid bill as soon as possible, the Presidential Office reported on April 6.
Russia could launch a new counteroffensive at the end of May or the beginning of June, likely targeting Kharkiv, Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, told Politico on April 5.
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