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☆ Zelenskyy says Ukraine is 'alive and kicking' as he appeals to Congress for continued support
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainia Slava!” — “glory to Ukraine" — as Zelenskyy and Pelosi exchanged their national flags. Zelenskyy has not left Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, and it's no accident that he chose Washington as the destination for this risky trip. Zelenskyy met earlier with President Joe Biden, who pledged "unequivocal and unbending support" for "as long as it takes." Both Zelenskyy and Biden said at the White House that they are confident the bipartisan support for U.S. aid to Ukraine would continue after the new Congress convenes in early January. McCarthy has said Republicans will continue to support Ukraine, but has said there will be no "blank check" for Kyiv.

[1/2] The U.S. Capitol is seen as Congress continues work on passing a $1.66 trillion government funding bill in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueWASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - A $1.66 trillion U.S. government spending bill, delayed by weeks of policy disagreements over immigration and overall levels of funding, was inching toward passage in the Senate on Thursday following a deal on amendments that would be allowed. "The omnibus contains nothing to secure the border, and in fact contains language undermining border security," Lee wrote on Twitter, referring to the spending bill. "Without an up-or-down vote on Title 42, every Senate Republican should oppose." House Republicans wanted to delay negotiations on the full-year vote until early next year, after they take the majority.

WASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - A pair of bills granting the U.S. Justice Department additional tools to go after Russian oligarchs and alleged war criminals appeared poised to become law, after a last-minute push by a bipartisan group of lawmakers this week. One bill, which broadens the Justice Department's jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday after winning Senate approval on Wednesday. Known as the Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act, the bill allows the Justice Department to bring war crimes charges against people in the United States, regardless of where the alleged crime occurred. Current statute only allows for prosecution when an alleged war crime occurs in the United States or when the victim or offender is a U.S. national. Another bill, which will allow the Justice Department to transfer oligarchs' forfeited assets in some situations to Ukraine, passed in the Senate as an amendment to Congress' annual funding bill.

☆ Zelenskyy wore a chic, casual sweater to his meeting with US President Biden and address to Congress. Here's why he wears it, and why it's sold out everywhere
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a daring visit to Washington, DC on Wednesday. Along with his message to the US, Zelenskyy brought his signature look: an olive green fleece sweater. The Ukrainian president also shared a special message of praise with Biden from a Ukrainian soldier and requested further aid from Congress. And as he delivered the speech, he was sporting another M-TAC sweater, the US clothing company that makes Zelenskyy's signature olive green fleece sweaters. "I loved the fashion choices," Gaetz said, according to The Dispatch, which added that his position on Ukraine aid was not swayed.

Some hardline Republicans have even urged an end to aid and an audit to trace how allocated money has been spent. The world is too interconnected to allow any country to stand aside and feel safe, Zelenskiy said as he appealed for bipartisan support. The United States also announced another $1.85 billion in military aid for Ukraine, including a Patriot air defence system to help it ward off barrages of Russian missiles. "We would like to get more Patriots ... we are in war," Zelenskiy told reporters at the White House. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Washington was seeing no sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to engage in peacemaking.

☆ Zelenskyy and Biden kick off show of unity and force with Oval Office meeting
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered President Joe Biden “all my appreciation” as the two met at the White House on Wednesday, before the wartime leader was set to address a joint meeting of Congress. In the Oval Office meeting, Biden confirmed that the U.S. will be giving Ukraine the Patriot Missile battery the country has requested to counter Russian missile and air attacks. When his large motorcade of black SUVs pulled up the White House, the president and first lady Jill Biden greeted the Ukrainian president before heading inside. Zelenskyy, wearing his now-familiar army-green casual attire, handed Biden the medal in a wooden display case, giving details about the soldier who he said wanted it delivered to Biden. “Well, undeserved, but much appreciate it,” Biden responded, before calling his counterpart “the man of the year” in reference to the Time magazine accolade that Zelenskyy received.

☆ Ahead of Zelenskiy address, U.S. Senate backs new ambassador to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Lynne Tracy as President Joe Biden's nominee to be ambassador to Russia, hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was to give a rare wartime address to a joint meeting of Congress. Tracy, a career diplomat and current ambassador to Armenia, will be the first woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to Russia. It was not immediately clear when she will assume the post, because Russia must agree to accept her. Washington has been sending a steady supply of weapons and economic assistance to Zelenskiy's government as Ukraine fights Russian troops. Moscow has an ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov.

☆ Veterans accuse Congress of abandoning Afghan allies after help for refugees is left out of spending bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Dan De Luce | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Refugee advocates and veterans accused Congress of abandoning Afghans who fled to the U.S. after a bill designed to resolve the legal status of tens of thousands of Afghan refugees was left out of a year-end spending bill. The Afghan refugees were granted a two-year temporary “humanitarian parole,” which has left them in legal limbo and unable to work. The bill would have granted Afghan refugees a pathway to permanent legal residency before their parole expires. To address concerns raised by some Republican lawmakers, sponsors of the bill added language to ensure the Afghan refugees undergo thorough security vetting by U.S. authorities. But the proposal failed to win support from 10 Republican senators needed to add it to the omnibus spending package.

☆ For Biden and Zelenskiy, U.S. visit highlights trust after friction
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. "Friction is inevitable even between close allies in wartime," said International Crisis Group U.N. Director Richard Gowan. So I don't think we should necessarily let day-to-day friction obscure how much help the U.S. has given Ukraine," Gowan said. MORE WEAPONS, PLEASEThe United States has provided Ukraine with $19.3 billion in military help during the war. Beyond this, the visit underlines a belief that both Biden and Zelenskiy hold - that the United States remains the leader of the free world, said Daniel Fried, former U.S. ambassador to Poland and a fellow at the Atlantic Council.

☆ Ahead of Zelenskyy address, U.S. Senate backs new ambassador to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during her confirmation hearing to be the next ambassador to Russia in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on November 30, 2022 in Washington, DC. The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Lynne Tracy as President Joe Biden's nominee to be ambassador to Russia, hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was to give a rare wartime address to a joint meeting of Congress. Tracy, a career diplomat and current ambassador to Armenia, will be the first woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to Russia. It was not immediately clear when she will assume the post, because Russia must agree to accept her. Washington has been sending a steady supply of weapons and economic assistance to Zelenskyy's government as Ukraine fights Russian troops.

☆ Zelenskyy to meet with Biden, address a joint session of Congress on his first wartime trip to U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Security forces take measures around United States Capitol ahead of the official visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyyin Washington D.C., United States on December 21, 2022. WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with President Joe Biden at the White House Wednesday and then deliver an address to a joint session of Congress in the evening, his first trip to the U.S. since the start of Russia's invasion last February. Biden is scheduled to welcome Zelenskyy to the White House at 2 p.m. The two leaders will hold a bilateral meeting and then a joint press conference later in the afternoon. The Biden administration and Ukraine's many supporters in Congress also hope that Zelenskyy's visit will help firm up congressional support for the massive aid package.

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy walk down the Colonnade to the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. The planning for Zelenskiy's speech began in October, according to a Pelosi aide, when she met with Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. Zelenskiy, Fried said, "didn’t go to Berlin, Brussels, London or Paris" for his first trip abroad since the start of the war. The optics of Zelenskiy receiving a hero's welcome as a defender of democracy carries a message far deeper than military aid. In a Senate speech he described Zelenskiy as "a leader who is fighting for his life, fighting for his country's survival and fighting to preserve the very idea of democracy."

[1/2] Participants look around Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force's vessel at a recruiting event in Yokosuka, Japan December 10, 2022. The five-year plan unveiled on Friday will double Japan's defence spending and add new capabilities, including long-range missiles and an expanded cyber warfare unit. "It is just a paper plan and that should be corrected," said Yoji Koda, a retired navy admiral, who commanded the Japanese fleet in 2007-2008. Koda said the plan would limit Japan's ability to fight in situations such as land invasions and sea battles, giving its foes an advantage. Japan's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Citi's global commodities chief explains his oil price forecast for 2023 as sanctions choke Russia - and breaks down the 'stunning' state of America's oil industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In an interview with Insider, Citi's Ed Morse said he expects Brent crude to finish 2023 around $76 a barrel. Next year, energy markets will see both a supply uptick and an easing of global demand, Morse said. Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. In February 2023, Russia will face new sanctions on Russian refined fuels, such as diesel, which raises some concerns, Morse said, but worries are easing as other nations ramp up production. "The drop in revenue from natural gas exports being lost to Europe had no replacement whatsoever because there was no other place to sell the gas to, so revenue from gas exports plummeted," he said.

☆ As regional threats rise, Japan eases defense-only strategy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

With China, North Korea and Russia directly to its west and north, Japan “faces the severest and most complicated national security environment since the end of the war,” the strategy said, referring to World War II. Japan’s defense buildup has long been considered a sensitive issue at home and in the region, especially for Asian victims of Japanese wartime atrocities. Rapid advancement of missiles have become “realistic threats” in the region, making interception by existing missile defense systems more difficult, the strategy said. North Korea fired more than 30 ballistic missiles this year, including one that flew over Japan. Japan needs standoff, or long-range missiles, to strike back and prevent further attacks “as an unavoidable minimum defensive measure,” the document stated.

☆ Advocates Urge Congress to Pass Permanent Residency Status for Afghans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesConvincing Republican senatorsThe House version of the Afghan Adjustment Act has 143 co-sponsors, including 10 Republicans. Demonstrators gather to support Afghan evacuees outside the Capitol on Nov. 16, 2022. At the moment, one prospect to advance the Afghan Adjustment Act is by attaching it to that larger spending bill, advocates say. But negotiations on the omnibus are ongoing, and whether the Afghan Adjustment Act will be included is up in the air. Yet without a deal by then, passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act appears doomed, advocates say, keeping Afghan evacuees in perpetual legal limbo.

☆ Former US ambassadors push for help for Afghan allies in spending bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jake Tapper | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A group of retired ambassadors, all of whom served as chief of mission at the US Embassy in Afghanistan, have written a letter to congressional leaders pushing them to include the Afghan Adjustment Act in the omnibus spending bill. The legislation “keeps our deep and binding commitments we made to our wartime allies. This is a moral imperative but also ensures we will find future allies in conflicts to come,” former ambassadors Ryan Crocker, Ronald E. Neumann, William Wood, Earl Anthony Wayne, James Cunningham, P. Michael McKinley, Hugo Llorens and Ross Wilson write in the letter being sent Wednesday evening. The letter, organized by AfghanEvac’s Shawn vanDiver and former ambassador Phil Kosnett, stands as a push from respected leaders and experts on Afghanistan that passing the bill is essential to meeting the United States’ obligations. This story is breaking and will be updated.

☆ Outgoing LA Mayor Eric Garcetti on why his stalled ambassador nomination was a ‘gift’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Maeve Reston | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Reston: So, the other half of the equation – as you talked about – is not under your control as the mayor, and that’s the mental health space. Garcetti: This country is experiencing a mental health crisis and addiction crisis. There are not enough professionals who can treat mental health afflictions, and we have no right to mental health care in this country. … Treating trauma and mental health issues is the biggest gap in the American health care system by far. Garcetti: I was working on a musical a long time ago that I thought would be really interesting in LA.

[1/6] Commercial vessels, including oil tankers, wait at an anchorage in the Black Sea off Kilyos near Istanbul, Turkey, December 9, 2022. A total of 28 oil tankers are in a queue seeking to leave the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, the Tribeca shipping agency said on Friday. Turkey's maritime authority said it would continue to keep out of its waters oil tankers that lacked appropriate insurance letters. A shipping source said four of the tankers waiting to cross the Dardanelles were scheduled to go on Saturday with tug escorts. Millions of barrels of oil per day move south from Russian ports through Turkey's Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits into the Mediterranean.

☆ Twenty oil tankers wait to cross Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait -shipping agency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ISTANBUL, Dec 9 (Reuters) - One more tanker took to 20 on Friday the number of vessels waiting in the Black Sea to pass through Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait on the way to the Mediterranean, the Tribeca shipping agency said, amid talks to disperse the build-up. On Thursday, dismissing pressure from abroad over the lengthening queue, Turkey's maritime authority said it would continue to keep out of its waters oil tankers that lacked the appropriate insurance letters, and it needed time for checks. Eight tankers were also waiting for passage through the Dardanelles strait into the Mediterranean, down from nine a day earlier, Tribeca said, making a total of 28 tankers waiting for southbound passage. It requires vessels to provide proof of insurance covering the duration of their transit through the Bosphorus strait, or when calling at Turkish ports. Reporting by Daren Butler and Can Sezer; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Number of oil tankers waiting at Bosphorus rises by five - Turkish agency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ISTANBUL, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The number of oil tankers waiting in the Black Sea to cross Istanbul's Bosphorus strait on the way to the Mediterranean rose by five to 16 on Thursday, a shipping agency said, amid talks between Western and Turkish officials on steps to resolve the tanker queues there. A British Treasury official has said those talks were happening after the G7 and European Union rolled out new restrictions on Dec. 5 aimed at Russian oil exports. But a separate Turkish measure in force since the start of the month has caused a logjam, requiring vessels to provide proof they have insurance covering the duration of their transit through the Bosphorus strait or when calling at Turkish ports. The Tribeca shipping agency named five new tankers longer than 200 metres waiting north of the Bosphorus strait to cross southbound towards the Mediterranean Sea, in addition to the 11 named a day earlier. At the Dardanelles strait further south, nine tankers were waiting to cross southbound, down from 12 a day earlier, the agency said.

☆ With tension rising in the Pacific, US special operators have a new goal: Creating 'multiple dilemmas' for China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US special operators are aiming to create "multiple dilemmas" for China, SOCOM's commander says. Multiple dilemmasUS Navy SEALs, Philippine Navy special operators, and Australian special-operations soldiers during an exercise in Palawan in April. 1st Class Jared N. GehmannUS special operators need to continue "developing and strengthening the partner and ally piece that's a comparative and competitive advantage for this nation," Fenton said. Moreover, US special operators have been working closely with all US military branches to better understand how those branches operate and how SOCOM can support them in a conflict with China. The Pentagon's top special-operations official said in May 2021 that special operators could be "a key contributor" to resisting a Chinese attempt to seize Taiwan.

[1/2] Oil product tanker Lila Fujairah sails in the Bosphorus, on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yoruk IsikCompanies Ingosstrakh SPAO FollowLONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Western officials are in talks with Turkish counterparts to resolve oil tanker queues off Turkey, a British Treasury official said, after the G7 and European Union rolled out new restrictions on Dec. 5 aimed at Russian oil exports. "The UK, U.S. and EU are working closely with the Turkish government and the shipping and insurance industries to clarify the implementation of the Oil Price Cap and reach a resolution," the official told Reuters. At least 20 oil tankers continue to face delays to cross from Russia's Black Sea ports to the Mediterranean as operators race to adhere to the Turkish rules. "The (insurers) have agreed that they cannot and should not issue such a letter," UK P&I said in a statement on its website.

☆ Zelenskyy and the Spirit of Ukraine win Time’s 2022 Person of the Year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the spirit of Ukraine have been named Time’s 2022 Person of the Year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But the answer as to why he did it was simple: “It’s the people.”“My security was 100% against it,” Zelenskyy told Time during the trip to Kherson. “Zelenskyy gives me confidence,” a 35-year-old woman identified as Natasha in Ukraine told TODAY. In addition to Zelenskyy, Felsenthal revealed the women of Iran as 2022’s Heroes of the Year.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy named Time's 2022 'Person of the Year'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 7 (Reuters) - Time magazine named Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy 2022's "Person of the Year" on Wednesday, saying he inspired Ukrainians and won global accolades for his courage in resisting Russia's devastating invasion. Refusing to leave Ukraine's capital of Kyiv at the outbreak of the war as Russian bombs rained down, the former comedian rallied his compatriots in broadcasts from the capital and traveled across his war-torn nation, the publication noted in bestowing its annual title. On Tuesday, Zelenskiy visited Ukrainian troops near the front lines in eastern Ukraine. Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk was named Time's "Person of the Year" in 2021, a year that saw his electric car company become the most valuable carmaker in the world. Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Editing by Susan Heavey and Doina ChiacuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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