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Russia Issues Furious Warning After Ukraine Aid Bill

Published Apr 21, 2024 at 4:46 AM EDT00:57

US Supporting Ukraine For Own Benefit: Russia

Security & Defense ReporterFOLLOW

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The Kremlin has reacted angrily to news that the U.S. Congress has approved an aid package for Ukraine, warning that it will lead to the “deaths of even more Ukrainians.”

On Saturday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine after the potentially game-changing assistance for Kyiv languished in Congress for months, mired down by political infighting. Lawmakers also approved billions more in aid for other U.S. allies. The Senate will now vote on the package, before it heads to President Joe Biden for sign-off.

The decision “will make the United States of America richer, further ruin Ukraine and result in the deaths of even more Ukrainians, the fault of the Kyiv regime,” Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said in remarks reported by Russia’s state news agencies.

Putin and Medvedev — Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on May 9, 2019, in Moscow. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has criticized the passing of more than $60 billion in aid from the U.S. to… MoreMIKHAIL SVETLOV/GETTY IMAGES

“The allocation of military assistance by the United States to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan will aggravate the global crisis,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a post to messaging app Telegram.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and current deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, said the approval of new aid to Ukraine was “Russophobic” and would exacerbate “the number of victims of this war.”

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“I cannot with all sincerity not wish the United States to plunge into a new civil war as quickly as possible,” Medvedev said on Telegram.

Full-scale war has raged in Ukraine for more than two years, and Kyiv is heavily reliant on Western support to sustain its efforts against Russia, a far larger country that has successfully put its defense industry on a war footing.

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Ukrainian officials and Western experts had warned that Kyiv would keep losing territory to Moscow without military aid from the U.S., and that the country was likely to face a new offensive starting as early as late next month. Ukrainian forces have been running low on key supplies, such as ammunition and interceptor missiles for the country’s air-defense systems.

Ukraine has “long fought for” the replenished aid, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement, calling the package “very significant.”

“We appreciate every sign of support for our country and its independence, people, and way of life, which Russia is attempting to bury under the rubble,” he said.

“The people of Ukraine are sincerely grateful to the U.S. Congress for the positive voting on the military aid package bill for our country,” said Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelensky’s office. “It is vital for Ukraine.”

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Ellie Cook
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Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine … read more

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JJohn4 hours agoI would think Biden and Zelensky will want to dump a huge amount of pain on Russia especially between now and the election. I also would not be surprised if many countries start sending military personnel to Ukraine to act as trainers, coordinators, advisers and logistics support. Reply475Share
- William Nelson3 hours agoYes, as Macron suggested maybe it is time to quit fearing Russia and to really-really protect east europe from Putin by introducing western troops to the battle. What is Putin going to do about it? His Navy and Air force are badly depleted. In fact it seems like Russia shoots down more of its own…See moreReply395Share2 replies
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PPerspective5 hours agoIn the context of typical Zruskistan copium, this means that Pootler and his orcs are scared. $60B in hardware eclipses the entire Zruskistan hardware budget – and – they are running out of old Soviet weapons they had in storage. Fun fact: After Pootler made weapons production in Zruskistan a priva…See moreReply484Share
- JJim5 hours agoHopefully the Ukrainians will be able to make good deals around the globe, buying useful cheaper produced products.But if they don’t 99 percent of this is going to US suppliers anyway.Reply15Share2 replies
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AndrewGH_6 hours agoRussia is in a right ol’ state. In another era Putin would have been strung up like Mussolini by now. The power of state media is keeping him in place (along with executions of Navalny, people falling out of windows and poisonings with nerve agents). He is destroying cities and whole generations of…See moreReply914Share
- William Nelson3 hours agoCorrect, Putin has destroyed an entire generation of Russian men, plus has set back Russian prosperity, wealth and power by 40 years. And it is not just this 60 billion, Europ will add whatever it takes and we have over 300 billion in seized Russian assets which are convertible to cash,.Reply412Share
- JackBurton3 hours agoWell, Mussolini lost eastern africa, northern africa and sicily before he was overthrown. Got kicked out of Greece and half of Albania before the germans bailed him out. They aren’t equal in terms of territorial loss, but material loss? Definitely. I still don’t see everyday Russians overthrowing P…See moreReply15Share
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GGeorge1 hour agoIf russia is really concerned about the loss of Ukrainian life, all they have to do is recall russian forces from Ukraine. Loss of life issue solved.Reply281Share
Don P4 hours agolol. First russia was counting on the US not giving aid as their strategy to win, now they are counting on the US to dissolve into a civil war as their only way to win. What a sad country when they know they can’t win unless the US falls.Reply432Share
- Llinda46 minutes agoPutin’s been working and ginning up US CIVIL WAR talk for over a decade. Butina and her connections to Republicans and the NRA were all part of that plan. I remember watching a Putin presses in 2015 at the St Petersburg Economic Forum, where he was standing on the steps surrounded by a two STABLE…See moreReply71Share
- DPD P.2 hours agoThat’s Trump’s strategy as well. Reply103Share2 replies
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JJim3 hours agoCongress also voted to repo 300 billion dollars in frozen Russian assets, for Ukrainian use.Reply292Share1 reply
JJohn4 hours agoI am pretty sure the rumor that Dmitry Medvedev and Marge Greene are dating is not true. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is.Reply415Share
- DCDan Caviness3 hours agoTheir checkbooks are in a committed relationship.Reply222Share1 reply
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Auvo Aarnela5 hours agoRussians admire and envy the wealth and military power of the US. I bet nobody in the Kremlin believes in any kind of victory, and Putin himself can’t recall why he started the war in Ukraine. Reply283Share
- JKJay Kolinsky4 hours agoI doubt that is the way they think. More similar to a crazed, hungry wolf that won’t quit until he gets his prey. There is only one way to deal with that kind of mentality, and it’s not by fear or hesitation. I think Macron finally gets that. But I don’t think it’s sunk in quite yet with the other …See moreReply293Share
JJim5 hours agoGoodness, Margarine Green Turnip had the same reaction yesterday. He needs to step it up.Reply291Share
Gatvol5 hours ago”the approval of new aid to Ukraine was “Russophobic” and would exacerbate “the number of victims of this war.”That would be the number of moskal victims of this war. Of course the moskals are upset, it means they are going to lose, and badly! What a wonderful day!Reply482Share