Latest news with #UkraineSupport
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Key House GOP moderate Don Bacon won't seek re-election
A House GOP centrist from a key battleground district, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., announced Monday that he will not seek re-election next year. "After 30 years in the Air Force and 10 years in Congress, it's time to spend my future with the love of my life, our four kids, and our wonderful grandchildren. Thank you, Nebraska!" Bacon said Monday. Bacon's announcement comes as Congress works overtime to pass President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" by their self-imposed July 4 deadline. Through the reconciliation process, the megabill seeks to deliver on the president's key campaign promises, including tax cuts, immigration reform and energy production. The moderate Republican has built a reputation for bucking Trump's agenda in the House. While Bacon ultimately voted with his Republican colleagues to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last month, the Nebraska Republican had concerns about the impact of proposed Medicaid cuts. Thom Tillis Announces Retirement From Senate After Clash With Trump Bacon indicated earlier this month that he would vote against the White House's rescission proposal if it cuts an AIDS relief program. Last month, he was the only Republican who voted against a House bill to make Trump's name change for the Gulf of America permanent. Bacon, a loyal Ukraine supporter, has also criticized Trump's position on its war with Russia. Read On The Fox News App Republican Rep Indicates He's 'A No' On Trump-backed Rescissions Measure Surrounded by his family in Omaha on Monday morning, Bacon thanked his constituents and his family for their support throughout his political career. When asked how he plans to vote on Trump's megabill this week, Bacon said he will have to weigh his decision once the Senate version is finalized this week. "I think the Senate has done some new provisions in there that are concerning… But there's a lot of amendments being voted out today. So I'm going to keep my powder dry, see how it turns out," Bacon told reporters. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced Sunday he would also not seek re-election next year. Like Bacon, Tillis has been willing to buck Trump and the Republican Party on key issues, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Tillis was one of just two Republicans who voted against a procedural vote on the bill in the Senate this weekend. Bacon has represented Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District since 2017. He won re-election in 2024 by less than two percentage points. Former Vice President Kamala Harris won his district by almost five percentage points in 2024. Nebraska is one of just two states that splits its Electoral College votes in presidential elections by congressional district. Bacon's congressional district was already a high-target House seat for Democrats ahead of the competitive 2026 midterm elections. "The writing has been on the wall for months," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Madison Andrus said on Friday. "Nebraskans are tired of the false promises that Republicans are trying to sell, and they want real results. Don Bacon's decision to not seek re-election in 2026 is the latest vote of no-confidence for House Republicans and their electoral prospects. Next November, Nebraskans are going to elect a Democrat who will actually deliver for them," Andrus added. In a statement released Monday, Bacon said, "I'd like to dedicate more time to my family, my church, and the Omaha community." Bacon, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, chairs the House Armed Services Committee's (HASC) Cyber, Information Technologies and Innovation Subcommittee (CITI) for the 119th Congress. He vowed to continue delivering for Nebraskans "until the lights in the office are turned off for the last time." "Legislatively, I aim to work to get five agricultural bills passed that were included as part of the Farm Bill, including the increase of defenses for our nation's food supply chain and removing barriers for the next generation of farmers seeking to establish their operations. I will continue my work on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and lay the groundwork for a new VA hospital in Omaha." Fox News' Matt Reidy contributed to this report. Original article source: Key House GOP moderate Don Bacon won't seek re-election
NHK
4 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
Trump suggests US could send more Patriot missiles to Ukraine
US President Donald Trump has indicated the US may provide Ukraine with additional Patriot air defense systems. Trump was asked whether he was considering doing so at a news conference at the White House on Friday. He replied, "Maybe." He had hinted at the possibility earlier in the week when speaking to a Ukrainian reporter on the sidelines of a NATO summit in the Netherlands. The reporter asked on Wednesday whether the US was ready to sell Patriot missiles to Ukraine. Trump asked where she was from and whether her husband was a soldier, before offering words of sympathy. In response to her question, he said, "We are going to see if we can make some of them available." Trump added, "I wish you a lot of luck, I can see this is very upsetting to you and say hello to your husband." Ukrainian media reported the conversation as being an important signal that more support could be coming from the US.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
The myriad of countries arming Russia and Ukraine – and the billions it costs
Donald Trump has suggested that the US could send more Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, and has not ruled out providing the war-torn country with a new military support package. Speaking at the Nato summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday, the president said 'we'll see what happens' when asked whether Washington would add to the $8 billion pledged by Nato allies. "They do want to have the anti-missile missiles, OK, as they call them, the Patriots," the US president said. "And we're going to see if we can make some available. We need them, too. We're supplying them to Israel, and they're very effective, 100 per cent effective. Hard to believe how effective. They do want that more than any other thing.' Click here for the latest updates on the Ukraine war It would be a major boost for Kyiv to receive direct military assistance from the Trump administration, which has been highly resistant to sending the levels of weaponry provided to Ukraine during the Biden era. Here, The Independent takes a look at what weapons the US and other countries have been sending to Ukraine and Russia as the war show no signs of ending soon. Who is arming Ukraine? Kyiv's most significant military support comes from the US. The Kiel Institute, which runs a database tracking the level of military support to Ukraine since the war began, says Washington has provided more 64 billion euros (£55 billion) in military support. Since November, the US-made ATACMS missiles have been used by Ukraine in crucial strikes on targets deep inside Russia, with a range of around 190 miles (300 kilometres). The US has also provided hundreds of Howitzer artillery weapons, more than 20 tanks, alongside anti-aircraft surface-to-air missile systems and multiple rocket launch systems. US aid has totaled 114.6 billion euros of financial, humanitarian and military donations to Ukraine since the war began. Of military aid, it has provided 64.5 per cent of the support Ukraine has received. This is followed by the UK at 14.5 per cent, then Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, and a host of further European countries. While the EU has provided huge tranches of humanitarian and financial support, as an economic bloc it does not provide direct military support. Ukraine has been supplied with British Storm Shadow missiles, F-16 fighter jets built in the US, Leopard 2 tanks from Germany - despite years of hesitation from Berlin - British challenger tanks, and Polish drones. The UK has committed to spending £18 billion on Ukraine, including £13bn on military support and £5bn on non-military. Separately, European leaders in Nato announced on Wednesday that they have agreed to Mr Trump's demands to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP. Who is arming Russia? Russia too has received a host of support from a number of its allies who are pitched alongside Moscow against Western interests - although the exact picture is a little more blurred. Iran and North Korea are two of Moscow's clearest military supporters. Tehran has provided crucial support for Russia's air capabilities, providing it with thousands of the Shahed drones which have brought huge destruction to Ukraine since the war began in February 2022. Russia regularly fires hundreds of the mass-produced drones at Ukraine overnight, in a modern style of warfare which has transformed how a conventional conflict is carried out. But Moscow believes Tehran's importance as a supplier has declined as Russia has localised production of the drones - a move which Iran has provided significant support for. North Korea, meanwhile, has sent thousands of troops to Russia to help fight Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region. After signing a treaty which includes a mutual defence pact, Kim Jong-un is said to have sent around 12,000 North Korean troops, who assisted Russian forces in driving the Ukrainian military out of the region. South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) believes Russia may be readying to mount a large-scale assault against Ukraine in July or August, after noting a new round up of troops by the military and the visit of a top Russian presidential security official, lawmakers said this week. Western countries have also claimed China is militarily supporting the war effort in Ukraine, something which Beijing has repeatedly denied. Russia and China have built an increasingly close bond since the war began. Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin signed a 'no-limits' partnership and have repeatedly hailed each other as'dear friends'. Beijing has been sending so-called dual-use technology which can be used for both civilian and military purposes, leaving plausible deniability for China to avoid Western sanctions. According to Politico, Russian imports of drones and ceramics - which is a component used in body armor - has significantly increased since the war has begun. The Wall Street Journal reports that dual-use navigation equipment, jamming technology, and fighter jet parts were sold to Russian state-owned companies. In April, Mr Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence had found that gunpowder and artillery had been supplied by Chinese enterprises. "We talked with the Chinese leader and he gave me his word that he won't sell or give weapons to Russia. Unfortunately, we have facts and see the opposite information,' Mr Zelensky said at the time. On Thursday, China's foreign ministry denied it was supplying weapons to parties in the Ukraine war, and accused "relevant NATO personnel" of slandering China's "normal military build-up". Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, was responding to Nato chief Mark Rutte saying there was a "massive build-up" of the military in China.
Irish Times
24-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Trump arrives in The Hague for Nato summit as members agree to increase defence spending
US president Donald Trump has arrived in The Hague where he will attend a landmark Nato summit on Wednesday. The gathering is expected to substantially boost military spending in support of Ukraine and as a deterrent against further Russian aggression in Europe. Mr Trump is expected to be told that Nato member states – with a special exemption for Spain which has been criticised by Mr Trump – have agreed to an increase of 5 per cent of GDP in defence spending. The two-tier agreement designed by Nato secretary general Mark Rutte commits the alliance to an increase of 3.5 per cent of GDP for military spending combined with an additional increase of 1.5 per cent of GDP for dual-use costs, such as infrastructure and cybersecurity. READ MORE Under the new agreement, the increases will come into effect incrementally by 2035 – although countries on Nato's eastern flank, such as Estonia, insist this lead-in time is too long to prevent further aggression by Moscow. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived earlier on Tuesday for a series of meetings on the margins of the summit – although, because Ukraine is not a Nato member, he will not attend the leaders' North Atlantic Council meeting on Wednesday to seal the military spending deal. In a brief comment, he said he expected to meet Mr Trump for talks which remained to be scheduled. Despite past differences, he praised Mr Trump for continuing to engage with Russian president Vladimir Putin, whose all-out invasion of Ukraine began the war in February 2022. Mr Zelenskiy's first meeting was with caretaker Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof – formerly head of the country's intelligence service – at his official residence a short distance from the summit venue. At that meeting, Mr Zelenskiy appealed for more European support for Ukraine's defence industry and heard that the Netherlands has unilaterally allocated another aid package of €175 million for Ukraine, including €80 million for drones and radar equipment. Afterwards, he addressed a joint session of both houses of the Dutch parliament, where he expressed concerns about Moscow's links to other 'bloody regimes' and called for strict enforcement of sanctions. As the Nato leaders gathered, Mr Rutte told a public forum he believed there was 'total commitment' to Nato on the part of Mr Trump and the US – despite the president's persistent complaints that Europe and Canada had not been paying enough. Mr Rutte also insisted that the US decision to strike three nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran over the weekend would not affect Nato's combined focus on supporting Ukraine. 'Today, Nato's military edge is being challenged by a rapidly rearming Russia, backed by Chinese technology and armed with Iranian and North Korean weapons,' he warned. 'Only Europe and North America together can rise to meet the challenge of that rearmament.' However, there was an embarrassing end to the day for Mr Rutte when an apparently private email he sent to President Trump on board Air Force One was retweeted by the president. Flattering him for his 'decisive action in Iran', Mr Rutte added, 'You are flying into another big success in The Hague.' Mr Trump had been expected to stay with his entourage at a hotel on the North Sea coast. However, in a late change to his schedule, he accepted a rare invitation to overnight at Huis ten Bosch palace, home to King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and their three daughters. Mr Trump boarded Air Force One at Andrews air base around lunchtime, landed at Schiphol airport in early evening and travelled directly to the palace for a formal banquet attended by 45 heads of state and government, including Mr Zelenskiy.
Al Arabiya
24-06-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Netherlands to send 175 mln euros of military aid to Ukraine
The Netherlands will provide Ukraine with 100 drone-detection radars and 20 medical evacuation vehicles as part of a new 175 million euro ($202 million) aid package, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Tuesday. Delivery of the radars, which will help identify incoming drones and relay data to air defense systems, is expected to be completed by year-end. In a statement on Friday, the Dutch Defense Ministry specified that 80 million euros of the package will go towards drone support through the international drone coalition. The move on Tuesday follows a 500 million euro deal to produce 600,000 drones with the Ukrainian defense industry, Brekelmans said ahead of a NATO Summit in The Hague. The Netherlands has pledged about 10 billion euros in military support for Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in early 2022. ($1 = 0.8629 euros)
