War

One thousand and forty first day. The United States is allocating $2.5 billion to help Ukraine—this amount has not been raised for two years

Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. Our chronicle is published once a day, and in it we dwell in detail on several key stories that are affecting the course of the war right now. We also publish your letters in these materials, because we are sure that we need to continue talking about the war. Please share with us your opinion on whether the war will end in 2025 - and how it might end. Find the feedback form at the end of this article. A review of the previous day can be read here .

Ukraine

The US allocated $2.5 billion in aid to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden announced a new package of military assistance to Ukraine totaling $2.5 billion.

The package consists of two parts: 1.25 billion will be direct military supplies from existing Pentagon reserves; for another 1.22 billion, the American military department will sign contracts for the production of weapons for Ukraine as part of the USAI program.

Biden also directed his administration to continue providing new aid to Ukraine as quickly as possible before his term expires on January 20.

In mid-December, the NY Times wrote that the White House has the opportunity to provide $5.6 billion in military support to Ukraine - this amount has already been agreed upon by Congress.

The publication's sources in the Pentagon reported that the Biden administration will try to allocate as much of this amount as possible before January 20, as there are fears that after the inauguration of Donald Trump, the unspent funds will not be transferred to Kyiv. At the same time, they noted that 5.6 billion is a significant amount, so perhaps the Biden administration will not have time to spend it all.

The size of the one-time US military aid package was a record since January 2023, when $2.85 billion was allocated. Subsequently, numerous tranches did not exceed several hundred million dollars. In 2024, CNN wrote , the United States was forced to reduce the volume of military assistance due to the fact that its own weapons reserves began to run out.

World

Slovakia criticizes Zelensky for words about “second energy front”

The Slovak Foreign Ministry sharply criticized the statements of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that the country's Prime Minister Robert Fico had opened a “second energy front” against Ukraine.

The department said it rejected “fabricated accusations of any alliance with Vladimir Putin.” The Slovak Foreign Ministry noted that the country has and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians affected by the war - but at the same time emphasized that the authorities are obliged, first of all, to protect the interests of their own country and the European Union, regardless of the approval of Kyiv.

The report also notes that since Ukraine “is in a protracted military conflict,” it “should refrain from creating new adversaries or inventing the idea of ​​a “second front.”

The public conflict between Slovakia and Ukraine has been going on for several weeks, it was caused by Kyiv’s decision not to renew the contract for the transit of Russian gas to Europe, which expires on December 31.

On December 22, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made an unannounced visit to Moscow and met with Vladimir Putin. He called his trip a “answer” to Zelensky, who opposes “any gas transit through Ukraine” to Slovakia. Zelensky said the next day that Kiev offered Bratislava compensation for losses due to the termination of the transit of Russian gas, but Fico “didn’t want it.” The President of Ukraine called Fico’s negotiations with Putin “either trading in state interests or working for his own pocket.”

Fico, in response to the cessation of gas transit, threatened to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine (Slovakia is one of the key importers for Ukraine, which is experiencing electricity shortages due to Russian attacks on its critical infrastructure). In response, Zelensky accused him of “absolutely immoral support for criminal Russian aggression.” “It seems that Putin has instructed Fico to open a second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of Slovakia’s interests,” the Ukrainian president said. He expressed the opinion that the position of the Slovak authorities “will not lead to a stop in the import of electricity to Ukraine, but will lead to a break with the European community.”

War through the eyes of Meduza readers

Fedor (Norway) - about the safety of flights over the Russian Federation. Now another paranoia is being added, although such an event, unfortunately, is not surprising. For many who have left for European countries, almost the only accessible way to see relatives is Turkey or the Balkans, and air routes across the Black Sea from Istanbul to Mineralnye Vody, which has suddenly become a large and almost the only international hub, are the main ones. If earlier there was fear for the quality of aircraft maintenance [due to sanctions and a ban on the supply of components], now this is also added.

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