Ukraine disappointed with U.S. decision to halt some weapons deliveries
Ukraine is forging ahead with plans for joint weapons production with some of its international allies, top officials said, while the U.S. announced it was halting some arms shipments promised to help Ukraine fight off Russia.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that officials are preparing with a sense of urgency for upcoming meetings with European Union countries and other partners to talk about co-operation in weapons manufacturing.
"One of the key topics will be weapons production — our joint investments, joint projects," Zelenskyy said in his daily address on Tuesday evening.
U.S. officials said Tuesday that the White House was halting some weapons deliveries to Ukraine out of concern that its own stockpiles have declined too far. Certain munitions were longer-term commitments promised to Ukraine under the Joe Biden administration.
The U.S. Defence Department didn't provide details on what specific weapons were being held back.
"This decision was made to put America's interests first following a review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.
Elbridge Colby, the Defence Department undersecretary for policy, said officials continue "to provide the president with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end."
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. charge d'affaires, John Hinkel, on Wednesday to discuss ongoing defence co-operation.
Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Ukrainian parliament's national security and defence committee, called the decision disappointing.
"It's painful, and against the background of the terrorist attacks which Russia commits against Ukraine, it's a very unpleasant situation," Venislavskyi told reporters.
Deputy Foreign Minister Maryana Betsa thanked the U.S. for its continued support, but emphasized the "critical importance" of maintaining previously allocated defence packages, especially for bolstering Ukraine's air defence.
Democrats criticize 'mixed messaging' on war
The United States has been Ukraine's biggest military backer since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbour on Feb. 24, 2022. But under President Donald Trump, there have been no new announcements of U.S. military or weapons aid to Ukraine.
Between March and April, the U.S. allocated no new aid to Ukraine, according to Germany's Kiel Institute, which tracks such support.
Since Trump took office in January, he has softened Washington's position toward Russia, seeking a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine and raising doubts about future U.S. military support for Kyiv's war effort.
WATCH l Will Trump have the patience to see ceasefire through?:
Will Trump turn his back on the Russia-Ukraine war? | About That
1 month ago
Duration 11:49
However, last week Trump said he was considering selling more Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine following a meeting with Zelenskyy.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the foreign relations committee, said in a statement that the Trump's administration's "mixed messaging is undermining its own agenda to bring Putin to the negotiating table."
"The Pentagon is significantly weakening Ukraine's defence against aerial attacks even as Russia pounds Ukrainian cities night after night, with numerous civilians dead and wounded," said Shaheen, who represents New Hampshire.
"President Trump pledged just last week to look for additional air defence systems for Ukraine, but [Defence Secretary Pete] Hegseth and Under Secretary Colby seem to be ignoring him. If there is a real concern over stockpiles, the administration should consult with the relevant committee in advance."
Washington's latest decision could remove some of the most formidable weapons in Ukraine's battlefield arsenal, at what appears to be a key point in the all-out war launched by Moscow nearly 3 ½ years ago.
A renewed Russian push to capture more Ukrainian land has put Ukraine's short-handed defences under severe strain, and Russian missiles and drones are battering Ukrainian cities. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to find a peace settlement, meanwhile, have stalled.
It's not clear how much weaponry Ukraine possesses or what its most urgent needs are.
European allies asked to step up
As Washington has distanced itself, a bigger onus has fallen on European countries to pressure Russia.
For the first time since June 2022, European countries surpassed the U.S. in total military aid, totalling 72 billion euros ($85 billion US) compared with 65 billion euros ($77 billion) from the U.S., the institute said last month.
Analysts say Ukraine's European allies can fill some of the gaps and provide artillery systems. But they don't possess alternatives to the U.S.-made HIMARS missiles and air defence systems, especially Patriots, which are crucial to help defend Ukrainian cities from Russian air attacks.
Earlier this week, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to Kyiv that Germany aims to help Ukraine manufacture more weapons more quickly. He was accompanied on the trip by German defence industry representatives.
Ukraine Defence Minister Rustem Umerov announced that draft legislation on joint weapons production with international allies is expected to be put to a vote in the Ukrainian parliament later this month. The proposed laws were shown to national defence companies on Tuesday, Umerov said.
The war's largest battle is being waged in Donetsk as Russia inches toward its stated goal of capturing all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Unable to tackle the strategically significant logistical hub of Pokrovsk directly, Russian forces are attempting to encircle the city.
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Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Global economy on edge ahead of Trump's trade deal deadline
After U.S. President Donald Trump imposed hefty tariffs on dozens of countries in April, then announced a three-month pause, one of his top advisers made a bold prediction. 'We're going to run 90 deals in 90 days,' Peter Navarro, the president's trade adviser, told Fox Business Network. Trade partners would trip over one another to offer concessions to the U.S. in order to avoid the threatened 'reciprocal' tariffs. With the July 9 deadline only days away, the Trump administration has come up short. It has signed only three deals – two barebone trade pacts with Britain and Vietnam and a partial and temporary tariff truce with China. On Thursday, a frustrated Mr. Trump said he would start sending letters to countries that had failed to reach an agreement with the White House, dictating tariffs as high as 70 per cent that would come into force in August. The situation is combustible. If Mr. Trump proceeds with the unilateral imposition of punishing tariffs, major trading partners that have held off retaliation will likely hit back with their own counter-tariffs. That could escalate quickly, convulsing supply chains and disrupting the calm that has prevailed in financial markets since April. Mr. Trump has threatened to send tariff letters before without following through. And more deals could emerge before the July 9 deadline. Trade officials from the European Union, Japan, South Korea and other countries, including Canada, have all been in Washington looking for a breakthrough. Analysis: As some Asian countries strike deals with Trump, others brace for tariffs Still, the fact that Mr. Trump – who fancies himself the ultimate deal-maker – has had such trouble closing, highlights the limits of America's ability to force its protectionist vision on the rest of the world. Access to the world's largest consumer market is potent leverage in any trade discussion. 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Using executive powers outlined in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Mr. Trump imposed a baseline tariff of 10 per cent on all trading partners – excluding Canada, Mexico and China, which had already been hit with IEEPA tariffs, ostensibly to punish them for shortcomings on border security. He also unveiled 'reciprocal' tariffs on some 50 trading partners, ranging from 10 per cent on the United Kingdom to 49 per cent on Cambodia. (These tariffs are separate from the sectoral tariffs Mr. Trump has placed on steel, aluminum and automobiles using Sec. 232 of the Trade Expansion Act). The verdict on 'Liberation Day' was swift and damning. Stock markets plunged and the U.S. dollar tumbled. There was a sharp sell-off in U.S. Treasuries alongside worrying signs of dysfunction in the world's most important bond market. After a week, Mr. Trump relented and announced the three-month pause, citing the 'yippy' bond market as a reason he reversed course. 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Negotiators from Japan, South Korea and the European Union have been meeting with Mr. Trump's trade team, led by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. But leaders in Tokyo, Seoul and Brussels have all indicated in recent days that the negotiating teams remain far apart and deals by July 9 are unlikely. 'The bottom line is that the Trump administration wants a fundamentally unbalanced deal,' said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel. 'They want something like what they got with the U.K., what they appear to have gotten with Vietnam. But that doesn't work with, an economy that is roughly the size of the U.S. itself,' he said, referring to the EU. Ottawa is also trying to secure a deal with Washington but is working toward a self-imposed July 21 deadline. Canada wasn't hit with 'reciprocal' tariffs, but is facing sectoral tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles as well as levies on goods that don't comply with continental free trade agreement's rules of origin. While many countries appear to be earnestly engaging with the U.S., there are reasons to slow-walk negotiations. In May, the United States Court of International Trade ruled that Mr. Trump's use of IEEPA to impose tariffs was illegal, calling into question the basis of Mr. Trump's 'reciprocal' tariff plan. That ruling has been stayed until an appeal can be heard by a higher court, but it may be giving trade negotiators from other countries pause. There are also already more U.S. sectoral tariffs in the pipeline, with investigations currently under way into pharmaceuticals, lumber, semiconductors and copper that could result in Sec. 232 tariffs like those on steel, aluminum and automobiles. That means foreign negotiators don't have a clear picture of what other tariffs they may ultimately face when they're offering concessions. 'This type of exercise or negotiation is facilitated when both sides are putting chips on the table,' said Jeffrey Schott, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a former U.S. trade negotiator. 'But in many respects the United States is just making demands and saying we will limit the protection we impose against you if meet our demands. That's a tough negotiating position.' So far, financial markets have taken this trade uncertainty in stride. Equity markets have rebounded from the post-'Liberation Day' slump and hit record highs in recent days. Volatility remains low in bond and currency markets. Robin Brooks, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former chief FX strategist at Goldman Sachs, said that markets are responding positively to the trade détente between the U.S. and China, as well as the better-than-expected U.S. economic data that suggests earlier recession calls were overly pessimistic. As long as China and the U.S. don't resume their hot trade war, markets may shrug off a breakdown in trade discussions between the U.S. and the EU or Japan, Mr. Brooks said. But they likely won't be so sanguine if the failure to hit the July 9 deadline causes another round of erratic flip-flops from Mr. Trump. 'The dollar didn't fall because of tariffs. It fell because of this back-and-forth which in markets created a perception of chaos,' Mr. Brooks said of the market meltdown in April. 'If you're trying to put a finger on what could cause markets to fall out of bed, then it's more stuff like that, more back and forth.'
3 hours ago
Russia strikes Kyiv with missiles, drones in largest aerial attack since war in Ukraine began
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Kyiv residents take shelter underground as explosions rock city People took shelter in a basement in Kyiv overnight as Russia hammered Ukraine's capital with drones in a widespread attack. Russia says 1 person killed, substations damaged In Russia, Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Sergiyev Posad district, near Moscow, early on Friday, injuring one person and damaging power infrastructure, the head of the district said. Oksana Yerokhanova wrote in a post on the Telegram messaging app that at least four explosions were recorded throughout the district — some 75 kilometres from the Kremlin — and that a power substation was damaged, leaving parts of the district without electricity. In the southern Russian region of Rostov, a woman was killed as a result of Ukraine's drone attack, which damaged several apartment buildings and forced the evacuation of scores of people from their homes, the acting governor of the region said Friday. The scale of the attack on Russia was not immediately known. There was no comment from Ukraine. In general, Kyiv says that its attacks inside Russia are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to Moscow's war efforts and are in response to continuous Russian strikes on Ukraine. On Thursday, the Russian military confirmed the killing of Maj.-Gen. Mikhail Gudkov, deputy head of the Russian Navy. Gudkov — who was handed a top military honour by Putin in February and appointed to the top naval post in March — was killed on Wednesday during combat work in one of the border districts of Kursk region, Russia's Defence Ministry said. Unofficial Russian and Ukrainian military Telegram channels had earlier reported that Gudkov was among several servicemen and officers killed in an attack which utilized a U.S.-made HIMARS missile. Reuters could not independently verify how Gudkov, 42, died or what he was doing in Kursk. The Associated Press with files from Reuters

Montreal Gazette
3 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Montreal-based ‘Alligator Alcatraz' security contractor posts jobs for armed guards
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