‘CRUCIAL WEEKS AND MONTHS AHEAD’: In a tacit recognition that despite the failures of the Russian military so far the war in Ukraine will likely continue for months, President Joe Biden has asked Congress for $33 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine to keep weapons flowing and provide humanitarian assistance to the millions of suffering civilians.
“This assistance would provide even more artillery, armored vehicles, anti-armor systems, anti-air capabilities that have been used so effectively thus far on the battlefield by the Ukrainian warriors,” Biden said. “This so-called supplemental funding addresses the needs of the Ukrainian military during the crucial weeks and months ahead. And it begins to transition to longer-term security assistance that’s going to help Ukraine deter and continue to defend against Russian aggression.”
“The cost of this fight is not cheap, but caving to aggression is going to be more costly if we allow it to happen. We either back the Ukrainian people as they defend their country or we stand by as the Russians continue their atrocities and aggression in Ukraine,” Biden said in remarks from the White House on the 63rd day of the war.
“Russia is the aggressor. No if, ands, or buts about it. Russia is the aggressor. And the world must and will hold Russia accountable,” Biden said. “Throughout our history, we’ve learned that when dictators do not pay the price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and engage in more aggression. They keep moving. And the costs, the threats to America and the world keep rising.”
BIDEN ASKS CONGRESS FOR $33 BILLION TO HELP UKRAINE SUCCEED IN WAR
‘I AM GRATEFUL’: In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed thanks for the aid package, which would provide $20 billion for the military, $8 billion in economic support, and $3 billion for humanitarian aid.
“This is a very important step by the United States, and I am grateful to the American people and personally to President Biden for it. I hope that the Congress will quickly support this request for help to our state.”
Zelensky said a volley of Russian missiles that hit Kyiv as he was meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was an effort to “humiliate the U.N. and everything that the organization represents.”
“Russian missile strikes at Ukraine — Kyiv, Fastiv, Odesa, and other cities — once again prove that we cannot let our guard down,” he said. “We cannot think that the war is over. We still have to fight. We still have to drive the occupiers out.”
RUSSIA FIRES MISSILES INTO KYIV DURING UN CHIEF’S VISIT
SMALL GAINS, HIGH COST: The latest battlefield assessment from both the Pentagon and the British Defense Ministry is that progress by Russian troops in the Donbas has been slow and painful. “Due to strong Ukrainian resistance, Russian territorial gains have been limited and achieved at significant cost to Russian forces,” said the U.K. in its latest Twitter update.
“We would assess that Russian forces are making slow and uneven and, frankly, we would describe it as incremental progress in the Donbas,” said a senior defense official at the Pentagon Thursday, describing a seesaw battle in which little territory has changed hands. “There has been continued pushback by the Ukrainians since, so there’s a lot of, still, back-and-forth in the Donbas in terms of territory gained and/or lost by, frankly, both sides.”
“The Russians have not overcome all their logistics and sustainment challenges,” the official told reporters. “They’re only able to sustain several kilometers or so of progress on any given day, just because they don’t want to run out too far ahead of their logistics and sustainment lines.”
“Russian forces continued shelling and minor attacks along the line of contact in eastern Ukraine but did not secure any gains in the past 24 hours,” said an independent analysis by the Institute for the Study of War. “Additional Russian reinforcements continue to deploy to Belgorod to support the Izyum advance.”
The Pentagon puts the number of Russian battalion tactical groups inside Ukraine at 92, up from 85 a week ago. About 12 of those are still tied up in the Mariupol area. Each Russian battalion tactical group has about 600 to 800 troops, depending on what type of weapons and being employed.
RUSSIAN PROGRESS IN THE DONBAS IS ‘SLOW AND UNEVEN,’ PENTAGON SAYS
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TIME FOR UKRAINE TO HIT RUSSIA HARDER? With a number of mysterious explosions in recent days in southern Russia not far from the Ukrainian border — including at an ammunition depot on Wednesday — some U.S. lawmakers wonder if the U.S. shouldn’t do more to help Ukraine take the war to Russian territory.
Ukraine has not admitted responsibility for the explosions, which could have been the result of attacks or sabotage, but presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak called it “karma.”
At a Wednesday Senate Appropriations Committee, Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken if the U.S. was providing Ukraine with “offensive capabilities” to “attack those areas that are attacking them.”
“As to whether the Ukrainians should take actions that go beyond their borders, my own view is that it’s vital that they do whatever is necessary to defend against Russian aggression,” replied Blinken. “The tactics of this are their decisions. But what we’re doing with all of these systems, is making sure the Ukrainians have the means to defend themselves. That’s what this is about, and making sure that they can do whatever is necessary to push the Russians out of the country.”
‘WE DO NOT RECOMMEND TESTING OUR PATIENCE’: That drew a furious response yesterday from the Russian Defense Ministry, which had already objected to comments from U.K. Member of Parliament James Heappey, who said it was “completely legitimate” for Ukraine to attack Russia with British weapons since Russia was the aggressor.
“The West is openly encouraging Kyiv to attack Russia using weapons supplied by NATO countries,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters in Moscow. “Kyiv took this as a call to action. Over the past several weeks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have shelled the border areas of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Voronezh regions resulting in casualties and destroyed property.”
“These criminal activities by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against our territory cannot remain unanswered,” Zakharova said. “Striking Russian targets will necessarily lead to a very strong Russian response … We do not recommend testing our patience any longer.”
BIDEN CALLS ON CONGRESS TO HELP HIM CLAMP DOWN ON RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS
CAPITOL HILL REACTION: Democrats were quick to applaud Biden’s $33 billion request, which would more than double what the U.S. has committed so far to Ukraine.
The chairmen of both the House and Senate Armed Services committees issued a statement immediately following the president’s address.
“President Biden’s additional request for funding to aid the people of Ukraine — who have shown remarkable courage in the face of Putin’s war — will support the ongoing fight to protect their democracy,” said Democratic Washington Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. “We must deliver vital humanitarian aid to Ukrainians displaced by Putin’s war, help neighboring countries as they welcome Ukrainian refugees, and prevent Russia’s invasion from seriously disrupting the global food supply chain supported by Ukrainian harvesters.”
“Throughout the war in Ukraine, President Biden and his administration have led the United States — and the international community — with admirable resolve,” said Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Time is of the essence. Ukraine is fighting for its security and sovereignty and to halt Putin’s aggression. Congress must expeditiously work together on a bipartisan basis to get more help to Ukraine without further delay.”
HOUSE SENDS UKRAINE MILITARY LEND-LEASE PROGRAM BILL TO BIDEN TO SIGN INTO LAW
NATO WELCOMES FINLAND AND SWEDEN TO JOIN THE ALLIANCE: Neither Finland nor Sweden has yet made any formal move to join NATO in the wake of the Russian invasion of their neighbor Ukraine, but NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has made it clear the welcome mat is out.
In remarks at a NATO Youth Summit yesterday, Stolgterberg all but invited the two NATO partners to apply.
“Finland and Sweden are already contributing to Euro-Atlantic security. We know them well, they are our closest partners. They are strong, mature democracies. They are NATO’s closest partners, we have worked for them for many, many years,” Stoltenberg said. “They are EU members, so I strongly believe that an accession process can go very quickly and that we will welcome Finland and Sweden.”
Yesterday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during congressional testimony, said the U.S. would “strongly support” adding both countries to the 30-member alliance. “We, of course, look to them to make that decision. If that’s what they decide, we will strongly support it,” he said during a House hearing.
NATO CHIEF SAYS FINLAND AND SWEDEN APPLICATIONS COULD MOVE ‘QUICKLY’
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Biden asks Congress for $33 billion to help Ukraine succeed in war
Washington Examiner: Biden calls on Congress to help him clamp down on Russian oligarchs
Washington Examiner: House sends Ukraine military lend-lease program bill to Biden to sign into law
Washington Examiner: Russian progress in the Donbas is ‘slow and uneven,’ Pentagon says
Washington Examiner: Pentagon has seen ‘indications’ Russian soldiers executed Ukrainian civilians
Washington Examiner: Ukrainian prosecutor accuses 10 soldiers of war crimes in Bucha
Washington Examiner: NATO chief says Finland and Sweden applications could move ‘quickly’
Washington Examiner: Trevor Reed reunited with family in US after prisoner transfer
Washington Examiner: US wants to confiscate frozen Russian Central Bank assets to rebuild Ukraine
Washington Examiner: Russia fires missiles into Kyiv during UN chief’s visit
Washington Examiner: Former US Marine killed fighting for Ukraine
Washington Examiner: ‘She knows Putin’s tactics’: Biden names battle-tested ambassador to Ukraine
Washington Examiner: Shipwrecked: Biden’s ‘build a better Navy’ plan runs aground on the rocky shoals of congressional opposition
Washington Post: Ukrainian attacks bring war home to Russia, fraying civilian nerves
Washington Post: U.S. says Russian intelligence orchestrated attack on Nobel laureate
Defense News: Ukraine Weapon Switcheroos Are Flushing Soviet Arms Out Of Europe
Wall Street Journal: Iran Benefits as China Pulls Back On Moscow’s Crude
Defense News: Eyeing Hypersonic Threat, Canada Nears ‘Robust’ NORAD Investment
Toronto Star: ‘A True Friend:’ America’s Top Military Leader Heaps Praise On Canada
Bloomberg: Troubled F-35 Fighter Jet Sees Delays on Lack of Spare Engines
Air Force Magazine: F-35 Sustainment Is Improving, But Lawmakers’ Patience Is Growing Thin
USNI News: Navy Rethinking Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle After Middle East Tests, Says CNO Gilday
Air Force Magazine: New B-21 Raider Being Accelerated With Overlapping Development and Production
Air Force Magazine: Boeing Rolls Out Production T-7A, First New Jet Trainer in 60 Years
Military Times: Troops Allege Military’s COVID Vaccine Mandate Is A ‘Religious Purge’
AP: US Army ‘returns’ cake to Italian woman for 90th birthday
Washington Examiner: Opinion: All sides escalate in Ukraine
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: How to Deter China from Making War
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: Can Ukraine Actually Use the New Weapons Delivered By NATO?
Calendar
FRIDAY | APRIL 29
10 a.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Seapower and U.S. Strategic Competition in the Indo-Pacific,” with Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn.; and Rep. Robert Wittman, R-Va. https://www.hudson.org/events/2107-virtual-event-seapower
11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems hearing: “Department of Defense Information Technology, Cybersecurity, and Information Assurance for Fiscal Year 2023,” with testimony from John Sherman, CIO and acting DOD chief digital and artificial intelligence officer; Kelly Fletcher, principal deputy CIO, Office of the Secretary of Defense; and Margaret Palmieri, principal deputy chief digital and artificial intelligence officer, Office of the Secretary of Defense https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
11 a.m. — McCain Institute virtual discussion: “NATO & China: Has a European War Changed NATO’s Approach to China?” with Lithuanian Parliament Member Zygimantas Pavilionis, former Lithuanian ambassador to the U.S.; Bobo Lo, nonresident senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis’s Democratic Resilience Program; and Jakub Janda, associate fellow at the Slovak Security Policy Institute https://www.mccaininstitute.org/resources/events
12 p.m. — Center for the National Interest virtual discussion: “What Are the Implications of the Ukraine War for Chinese Foreign Policy?” with Graham Allison, Douglas Dillon professor of government at Harvard University; retired Marine Lt. Gen. Wallace Gregson, senior director, China and the Pacific, Center for the National Interest; and Jacob Heilbrunn, moderator, editor of the National Interest https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
1 p.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Understanding the challenges of U.S. and allied defense innovation,” with James Taiclet, president, chairman, and CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation; Courtney Kube, national security and military correspondent at NBC News; and former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, vice chair of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
4:45 p.m. — Day two of the McCain Institute for International Leadership Sedona Forum 2022: with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; retired Adm. Harry Harris; International Republican Institute President Daniel Twining; U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai; Sophie Otiende, CEO of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery; FBI Director Christopher Wray; and retired Col. Chris Costa, executive director of the International Spy Museum.Full agenda at https://www.thesedonaforum.org/2022-agenda Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sedona-forum
THURSDAY | MAY 5
1 p.m. — SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. virtual discussion: “Can the Western Policy Help Ukraine Achieve Victory?” with Steven Pifer, nonresident senior fellow, Brookings Institution; Kathryn Stoner, senior fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University; Kilic Kanat, research director, SETA Foundation; and moderator Kadir Ustun, executive director, SETA Foundation https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“You know, there’s a dinner this weekend to celebrate the press. Think of what the American press has done — the courage it has taken to stay in these warzones, the courage it has taken to report every single day. I’ve always had respect for the press, but I can’t tell you how much respect I have watching — watching them in these zones where they’re under fire, risking their own lives to make sure the world hears the truth. Imagine if we weren’t getting that information. It’d be a different world.”
President Joe Biden, in his remarks requesting an additional $33 billion in military and economic aid for Ukraine.
