Washington setbacks, Kyva shot dead, changes at the ESB
Your slice of the headlines in Ukraine. Daily. Thursday, December 7, 2023.
● GOP leader opposes additional aid for Ukraine and Israel over border concerns — NYT
Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell has spoken out against voting for additional funding for Ukraine and Israel in order to “underscore one last time” that his party seeks tougher measures to protect the U.S. border, The New York Times reported on Dec. 5.
● Zelenskyy’s House speech cancellation shocked Ukraine supporters in U.S. believes Eastern Europe VoA chief Gongadze
Ukraine's supporters in the U.S. were shocked when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suddenly canceled his planned online address to the House of Representatives during a closed-door meeting on Dec. 5, just a day before a crucial vote on a support package for Kyiv amounting to over $61 billion, argued Voice of America (VOA) Eastern Europe Chief Myroslava Gongadze on Radio NV on Dec. 6.
● Pentagon reveals that only $5.9 billion remains for Ukraine aid amid concerns of funding shortfall
The U.S. Department of Defense has announced that only $5.9 billion remains in the budget for aid to Ukraine, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said during a briefing on Dec. 5.
● Former Ukrainian MP and traitor Illia Kyva found dead in Moscow Oblast — NV sources
Ukraine’s SBU security service has assassinated former Ukrainian MP Illia Kyva, previously convicted for high treason, on Dec. 6, according to our sources.
● Explosions rock Luhansk as car blast targets member of puppet authority
Explosions rocked the occupied city of Luhansk, with reports suggesting that the explosions were linked to a car bomb targeting a member of the Russian puppet authority in Luhansk, according to a pro-Russian Telegram channel on Dec. 6.
● Putin arrives in UAE on his fourth trip since ICC slapped him with arrest warrant
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin landed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Dec. 6 to kick off an official visit, Russian media reported.
● Umerov responds to Klitschko’s statements on ‘authoritarianism in Ukraine’
In response to Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko’s recent comments on “authoritarianism in Ukraine,” Defense Minister Rustem Umerov defended President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with U.S. entertainment network Fox News on Dec. 5, praising him as “visionary and courageous for remaining in Ukraine and fighting.”
● How Tatarov and Shurma plan to reshape the Economic Security Bureau
NV’s sources believe that the reform of Ukraine’s Economic Security Bureau (ESB) will begin in 3-6 months. However, the Bankova (colloquial term for the President’s Office, after the street in Kyiv it is located on) plans to implement its own approach: to turn the bureau into a superior state body that will even control the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) in the economic component of investigations.
● From the archives: How Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for hollow security guarantees
For three years in the early 1990s, Washington encouraged Kyiv to abandon its nuclear arsenal. In December 1994, having finally gotten the upper hand, the United States provided Ukraine with vague promises of assistance should the young country face military aggression.
● Hryvnia to remain below 40 to $1 USD despite weakening, says Dragon Capital
The hryvnia is expected to weaken slightly in 2024, yet the year’s average rate will likely reach 37.3 hryvnias per dollar, compared to 36.5 in 2023, investment company Dragon Capital’s Chief Economist, Olena Bilan, said at the RAU Summit 2023 in Kyiv on Dec. 5.
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