Latest news with #USSupport
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Kremlin and Trump aides raise nuclear war fears after Ukraine drone strike
As Vladimir Putin pledges to retaliate against Ukraine for last weekend's unprecedented drone attack, Kremlin advisers and figures around Donald Trump have told the US president that the risk of a nuclear confrontation is growing, in an attempt to pressure him to further reduce US support for Ukraine. Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and an important intermediary between the Kremlin and Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, called the Ukrainian drone strike an attack on 'Russian nuclear assets', and echoed remarks from Maga-friendly figures warning of the potential for a third world war. 'Clear communication is urgent – to grasp reality and the rising risks before it's too late,' Dmitriev wrote, adding a dove emoji. Ukraine claimed that the strike damaged more than 40 Russian planes, including Tu-95 and Tu-22M heavy bombers that have been used to launch cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities throughout the war, killing thousands and damaging crucial infrastructure that delivers heat and electricity to millions more. But those planes can also carry weapons armed with nuclear warheads, and are part of a nuclear triad along with submarine and silo-based missiles that form the basis for a system of deterrence between Russia and the United States. After a phone call between the two leaders on Wednesday, Trump said: 'President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.' Ukraine voluntarily gave up its nuclear weapons in 1994, in return for security assurances from the US, the UK and Russia. Those skeptical of US support for Ukraine are seizing on the risks of a nuclear confrontation to argue that the conflict could possibly spin out of control. Maga (Make America great again) influencers such as Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk have openly condemned the drone attack, with Bannon likening the strike to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and Kirk writing: 'Most people aren't paying attention, but we're closer to nuclear war than we've been since this began in 2022.' But more centrist advisers within the Trump camp – including some who have closer links to Ukraine – are also warning that the risks of a nuclear conflict are growing as they seek to maintain Trump's interest in brokering a peace. 'The risk levels are going way up,' Keith Kellogg, Trump's envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told Fox News. 'When you attack an opponent's part of their [nuclear] triad, your risk level goes up because you don't know what the other side is going to do. And that's what they did.' Kellogg also repeated rumours that Ukraine had struck the Russian nuclear fleet at Severomorsk, although reports of an explosion there have not been confirmed. He said the US was 'trying to avoid' an escalation. Other current and former members of the administration skeptical of US support for Ukraine have also vocally opposed the drone strikes. 'It is not in America's interest for Ukraine to be attacking Russia's strategic nuclear forces the day before another round of peace talks,' said Dan Caldwell, an influential foreign policy adviser who was a senior aide to Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon until he was purged amid a leaking scandal last month. 'This has the potential to be highly escalatory and raises the risk of direct confrontation between Russia and Nato,' he said. 'US should not only distance itself from this attack but end any support that could directly or indirectly enable attacks against Russian strategic nuclear forces.' It is not the first time that concerns over Russia's use of a nuclear weapon have been used to try to temper US support for Ukraine. As Moscow's forces were routed near Kharkiv and in the south at Kherson in September 2022, Russian officials sent signals that the Kremlin was considering using a battlefield nuclear weapon, senior Biden officials have said. National security officials said they believed that if the Russian lines collapsed and left open the potential for a Ukrainian attack on Crimea, then there was a 50% chance that Russia would use a nuclear weapon as a result. Ukrainian officials have responded by saying that Russia has embellished its threats of a nuclear attack in order to blackmail the US from giving greater support to Ukraine.
Russia Today
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine ‘can't afford' it if US quits conflict
Ukraine can't afford to lose US military aid in its conflict with Russia, Mikhail Podoliak, adviser to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, told the French newspaper Le Point on Friday. According to the official, US support is 'essential' for Kiev's war effort. Under the previous US administration, Washington was Kiev's largest donor. Since returning to office earlier this year, however, US President Donald Trump has not approved any new military aid for Ukraine, while the last remaining assistance package authorized under former President Joe Biden is expected to run out by mid-summer. Despite pledging on the campaign trail to end the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours, Trump has recently warned he may 'back away' from peace mediation unless Kiev and Moscow reach a deal. He has also questioned US commitments to NATO allies unless they boost defense spending, repeatedly insisting the EU should handle its own security and regional conflicts without depending on Washington. Podoliak praised Europe for taking a firm pro-Ukrainian stance in the current conflict, but said it is currently too busy with its own rearmament to sufficiently support Kiev. 'Europe is rearming and changing its foreign and military policy… however, this transformation takes time. Unfortunately for Ukraine, that time is measured in lives lost,' he stated. 'We cannot afford to let the United States disengage from this war, because its military support is essential for both Europe and Ukraine,' he said, reiterating Kiev's warnings that Russia 'is a threat to Europe' and 'wants to dominate' it – claims that Moscow has repeatedly dismissed as nonsense. Russia has repeatedly condemned Western military aid to Ukraine, stating that it merely prolongs the conflict and hinders peace efforts. Last week, Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years in Istanbul. Both delegations agreed to stay in contact and to carry out a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner-of-war swap, which transpired on Sunday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow and Kiev are expected to exchange draft ceasefire proposals once the swap is finished.
Al Jazeera
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
The Take: Josh Paul resigned over Gaza. What comes next?
Josh Paul, the first US official to resign over Israel's war on Gaza, joins The Take to explain why he stepped down, his new efforts lobbying in Washington, DC, and why he believes that US support for Israel's war fuels conflict abroad and makes Americans less safe at home. In this episode: Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, Sonia Bhagat, and Amy Walters, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Remas Al Hawari, Kisaa Zehra, and Mariana Navarette, and our host, Natasha Del Toro. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Reuters
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Zelenskiy meets U.S. Vice President Vance, says source in Ukrainian delegation
KYIV, May 18 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of Pope Leo's inauguration on Sunday, a source in the Ukrainian delegation told Reuters. It was the first meeting between Zelenskiy and Vance since they clashed during talks at the White House in February over the future of the war in Ukraine.
Reuters
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Rubio speaks with UK's Lammy, Germany's Merz on India-Pakistan tensions, Russia
May 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in separate calls late on Sunday and reaffirmed the U.S stance on the war in Ukraine. UK's Lammy and Rubio also discussed the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, and called for both countries to maintain the ceasefire and to continue to communicate. Rubio said the U.S. supported direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications. In a separate call with Merz, Rubio congratulated the chancellor on his appointment and discussed the countries shared goal of ending the war in Ukraine.
