[kellyhound]

The US House defeated conservative Republicans’ efforts to cut off security assistance to Ukraine, cementing a wall of support across both political parties for that country’s fight against Russia’s invasion.

A group of far-right Republicans insisted on considering a slew of amendments that would have banned any security assistance to Ukraine, eliminated $300 million in the annual defense policy bill for training and equipping Ukrainian soldiers, and conditioned any aid to Ukraine on a report detailing the strategy for US involvement.

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida offered an amendment to the annual defense bill to cut off all military aid to Ukraine.

The measure failed but 70 House Republicans voted for it.

It offered the clearest sign yet of which lawmakers support ending all aid to the besieged country.

70 House Republicans voted in favor of an amendment to the country's annual defense bill that would have cut off all US military aid to Ukraine.

"Notwithstanding any provision of this or any other Act, no federal funds may be made available to provide security assistance to Ukraine," reads the one-sentence amendment, one of the dozens offered by hard-right Republicans that lawmakers voted on over the course of Thursday evening.

The amendment easily failed by a 358-70 margin, with all Democrats and a majority of Republicans opposing the measure.

But the vote count offered the starkest indication yet of where House Republicans stand on sending military aid to the besieged European nation, which has defended itself against a Russian invasion since February 2022 with the help of tens of billions of dollars in US aid.

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, the sponsor of the amendment, acknowledged during the floor debate on the measure earlier on Thursday that the purpose of offering the measure was primarily to put lawmakers on record.

"My amendment is going to lose overwhelmingly when it is put up for a vote," said Gaetz. "But the American people will see who wants to represent them, and who wants to represent Crimea."

Many of the 70 lawmakers who ultimately voted for the amendment are members of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, including Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Chip Roy of Texas.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor of Georgia, who was recently booted from the hard-right caucus, also voted for the measure.

Beyond Gaetz, many on the right have argued that it is not in the United States' interest to support Ukraine, saying that lawmakers should focus greater attention on domestic issues. Dozens of Republican lawmakers have voted against aid to Ukraine in the past, and former President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to curtail US involvement in the war.

Even House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, though generally supportive of US assistance to Ukraine, has at times sought to accommodate those in his party who are skeptical, saying he does not support providing a "blank check" to the country.

Democrats, by contrast, have largely stood behind the Biden administration's approach to the war, though the recent decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine has drawn outcry from some progressive lawmakers.

[Faust]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...to-invitation/

Zelensky’s angry tweet on NATO membership nearly backfired
The Ukrainian president’s fiery response to NATO’s conditions-based pledge in Vilnius touched off a scramble — and brief consideration of watering down what Kyiv would be offered, officials said


JAKARTA, Indonesia — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s confrontational tweet this week challenging NATO leaders on the glacial pace of his war-torn country’s admission into the alliance so roiled the White House that U.S. officials involved with the process considered scaling back the “invitation” for Kyiv to join, according to six people familiar with the matter.

[Yoloman]

Originally Posted by Roosta ↗

Soon to be the latest artificial reef.



Seems that he does hold a bit of "Sway" even after the revolt.

I expect more to come of this as he's definitely a snake in the grass.

I think this new Russian ship will be the largest floating bullseye in the world. I can foresee the Ukrainian govt putting a bounty reward on the missile crew that blows this ship to pieces and sends to the bottom of the Black Sea.

However, remember that Turkey controls the waterway into the Black Sea: will Ukraine's new "friend" allow it to come into the Black Sea, or is the ship already there?

[WonderMomma]

〰Ukrainian Kamikaze ground drone.

〰"Ukrainian Armed Forces learn to remotely defuse mines"

[WonderMomma]

Originally Posted by WonderMomma ↗

"British Defense Secretary Wallace urged Ukraine to express more gratitude to its partners for their military support instead of constantly demanding the unlocking of new types of weapons.

He spoke about his visit last June. "I told the Ukrainians last year when I drove 11 hours and got the list - I said I'm not Amazon," he added."

" British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that his words about "supporting Ukraine" aroused great interest, but were partially distorted. He assured that he would support Ukraine for as long as necessary.

"The comments about Amazon were made last year to emphasize that Britain's relationship with Ukraine is not 'transactional' but rather 'partnership'," Wallace wrote.

His post garnered more than three hundred comments in an hour and a half - the vast majority of them words of appreciation in Ukrainian and English."


===


"Bulgaria is handing over 100 Soviet-style infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. The country has also joined a joint EU project to purchase shells for Ukraine."



===


"The United States buys back decommissioned MIM-23 Hawk air defense systems sold to Taiwan to provide them to Ukraine as part of a military aid package"

[WonderMomma]

Originally Posted by WonderMomma ↗

"South Africa has announced that it will grant diplomatic immunity to participants in two meetings during the BRICS summit. Russian President Putin plans to attend the summit.

Bloomberg reports. (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...mmit-attendees)

The immunity will apply to the foreign ministers of the BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. They will meet on June 1-2 in Cape Town.

Immunity will also be granted to the leaders of the countries who will attend the summit in South Africa on August 22-24."

"South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asked Russia to send Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the BRICS summit in August instead of Putin, but was refused. "Discussions with Putin" regarding his visit to the summit are "still ongoing."

South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute. Given this, it is forced to arrest Putin under a warrant from the International Criminal Court, but is apparently trying to avoid it."

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asked Russia to send Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the BRICS summit in August instead of Putin, but was refused. "Discussions with Putin" regarding his visit to the summit are "still ongoing."

South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute. Given this, it is forced to arrest Putin under a warrant from the International Criminal Court, but is apparently trying to avoid it.

[scoRch]

Originally Posted by WonderMomma ↗

"South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asked Russia to send Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the BRICS summit in August instead of Putin, but was refused. "Discussions with Putin" regarding his visit to the summit are "still ongoing."

South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute. Given this, it is forced to arrest Putin under a warrant from the International Criminal Court, but is apparently trying to avoid it."

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asked Russia to send Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the BRICS summit in August instead of Putin, but was refused. "Discussions with Putin" regarding his visit to the summit are "still ongoing."

South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute. Given this, it is forced to arrest Putin under a warrant from the International Criminal Court, but is apparently trying to avoid it.

I like the picture of Putin :D

I imagine that face expression when anyone asks him how is demilitarization of the UA going :D

[Guns N' Coffee]

[xennex]

Originally Posted by WonderMomma ↗

"South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asked Russia to send Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the BRICS summit in August instead of Putin, but was refused. "Discussions with Putin" regarding his visit to the summit are "still ongoing."

South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute. Given this, it is forced to arrest Putin under a warrant from the International Criminal Court, but is apparently trying to avoid it."

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asked Russia to send Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the BRICS summit in August instead of Putin, but was refused. "Discussions with Putin" regarding his visit to the summit are "still ongoing."

South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute. Given this, it is forced to arrest Putin under a warrant from the International Criminal Court, but is apparently trying to avoid it.

He’d have to fly north to get to South Africa right?
*EDIT: forgot about Iran*

[Roosta]

Originally Posted by WonderMomma ↗

"South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asked Russia to send Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the BRICS summit in August instead of Putin, but was refused. "Discussions with Putin" regarding his visit to the summit are "still ongoing."

South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute. Given this, it is forced to arrest Putin under a warrant from the International Criminal Court, but is apparently trying to avoid it."

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asked Russia to send Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the BRICS summit in August instead of Putin, but was refused. "Discussions with Putin" regarding his visit to the summit are "still ongoing."

South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute. Given this, it is forced to arrest Putin under a warrant from the International Criminal Court, but is apparently trying to avoid it.

He won't go, to much of a chicken shit.

Originally Posted by scoRch ↗

I like the picture of Putin :D

I imagine that face expression when anyone asks him how is demilitarization of the UA going :D

Looks worried to me.

Originally Posted by xennex ↗

He’d have to fly north to get to South Africa right?
*EDIT: forgot about Iran*

Planes crash from time to time so there's your plausible deniability factor coming into play right there for any country that his flight so happens to cross.