Ukraine-Russia war live: Major wave of heavy bomber strikes on Kyiv ‘start of concerted campaign’

Senator JD Vance, Republican for Ohio, said the administration has yet to justify additional aid to Ukraine.

“So what we’re saying to the president and really to the entire world is, you need to articulate what the ambition is. What is $61 billion going to accomplish that $100 billion hasn’t?” Vance said.

Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat for Connecticut, said the money would make a difference because Russia is struggling to fund its war effort. “It can change the outcome of this war,” Murphy said. “Because at the very same time that we are making a renewed commitment to Ukraine, Russia’s ability to continue to fight this war is in jeopardy.”

Romney said he also supports the aid to Ukraine. “My own view is that it’s very much in America’s interest to see Ukraine successful and to provide the weapons that Ukraine needs to defend itself.

“Anything other than that would be a huge dereliction of our responsibility, I believe, to the world of democracy but also to our own national interest,” he said.

The stakes are especially high for Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during two television interviews Sunday, given that “ we are running out of funding “ for the Ukrainians.

“This is a time to really step up because if we don’t, we know what happens,” he continued, “Putin will be able to move forward with impunity and we know he won’t stop in Ukraine.”

Earlier, he defended the emergency sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition and also called for quick congressional approval of the foreign assistance. Blinken said the needs of Israel’s military operations in Gaza justify the rare decision to bypass Congress. “Israel is in combat right now with Hamas,” he said. “And we want to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Hamas.”

The tank ammunition and related support constitute only a small portion of military sales to Israel, Blinken said, and that the rest remains subject to congressional review. “It’s very important that Congress’ voice be heard in this,” he said.

The decision to proceed with the sale of more than $106 million for tank shells came as the administration’s larger aid package is caught up in a larger immigration debate.

Blinken noted that Biden has said he is willing to make significant compromises to get the aid package moving. “It’s something the president is fully prepared to engage on,” Blinken said.

The visit is intended “to underscore the United States’ unshakeable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s brutal invasion,” the White House said in a statement Sunday.

“As Russia ramps up its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine, the leaders will discuss Ukraine‘s urgent needs and the vital importance of the United States’ continued support at this critical moment.”

Biden has asked Congress for a $110 billion package of wartime funding for Ukraine and Israel, along with other national security priorities. But the request is caught up in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security.

Zelensky traveled to Buenos Aires to witness the swearing-in on Sunday of Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei. The Ukrainian leader had been scheduled to address U.S. senators by video last week, but had to cancel the appearance, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

Congress already has allocated $111 billion to assist Ukraine, and Biden’s budget director, Shalanda Young, said in a letter this past week to House and Senate leaders that the U.S. will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year, which would “kneecap” Ukraine on the battlefield.

“It’s time to cut a deal that both sides can agree to,” Young said Sunday.

Joe Biden has invited Volodymyr Zelensky to a meeting at the White House on Tuesday, to discuss the ongoing war against Russia and the “vital importance” of continued US support.

In a statement, the White House said the two will discuss Ukraine‘s “urgent needs” facing Ukraine, and comes as the White House looks to strike an agreement with Congress that would provide military aid for Ukraine and Israel.

Zelensky’s office said on the Telegram messaging app that the Ukrainian leader would arrive in Washington on Monday and that he would meet Biden during a working visit that would include “a series of meetings and discussions.”

Key topics during Zelensky’s visit would include defense cooperation between the United States and Ukraine, “particularly through joint projects on the production of weapons and air defense systems, as well as the coordination of efforts between our countries in the coming year,” Zelenskiy’s office said.

Ukraine’s sports minister has said participation in next year’s Olympics is impossible unless the International Olympic Committee alters their “non-constructive position”.

Some Russian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, IOC said on Friday in a decision to remove the option of a blanket ban over the invasion of Ukraine.

Eight Russians and three from Belarus are among 4,600 athletes worldwide who have so far qualified for the Summer Games.

Speaking on national television, Matviy Bidnyi, Ukraine’s minister of youth and sport, said: “The decision to participate should be made based on what it will bring to the country, what the reaction will be and how much it will bring us closer to victory.”

“We should not make rash decisions. It will be a balanced decision and we have to communicate it to the public. We will weigh the pros and cons very carefully.”

Hungarian truckers have planed to protest near Hungary’s main border crossing with Ukraine on Monday.

Protesters are aiming to slow the movement of trucks as they demand restrictions on Ukrainian hauliers working in the European Union, police said on Sunday.

Police have given permission for the protest in which about a dozen trucks will partially block the main road leading to the Zahony crossing.

Police did not say how long the protest would last but website index.hu reported the plan was to partially block the road leading to the border until the end of December.

Truckers from Ukraine have been exempt from seeking permits to cross into the European Union since Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Hauliers across eastern Europe have sought to win restrictions on the number of Ukrainian trucks entering the EU.

In the past weeks trucks at the Poland-Ukraine crossing were backed up for miles as Polish truckers blocked roads to three border crossings.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke to French president Emmanuel Macron while in Argentina.

Mr Zelensky said the pair discussed Ukraine’s priorities and the next defence package from France over a phone call.

Also on the agenda was Ukraine’s EU accession talks, which has been a major goal for Zelensky and Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the world would have to ‘ask Ukraine’ on the matter of peace talks between the nations.

He said on Sunday that the West was trying to exhaust Russia in Ukraine and that if peace talks were to take place then Kyiv would have to change its own presidential decree.

“It is up to the Ukrainians to recognise how deep they are in the hole where the Americans put them,” Lavrov said of the war.

When asked what the chances were of diplomacy to bring about a ceasefire or peace, he said: “You’ll have to call Mr Zelensky because a year and half ago he signed a decree prohibiting any negotiations with Putin.”

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has met with several South American leaders as he attempts to win the support of the global south.

Zelensky is currently in Argentina to witness the inauguration of Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei.

According to Mr Zelensky’s official website, he split his journey up to include meeting the prime minister of Cape Verde, Ulisses Correia e Silva, to thank him for his support for Kyiv’s diplomatic initiatives.

While in Argentina, he has also held meetings to discuss trade and bilateral cooperation with the presidents of Paraguay and Ecuador.