The death toll from the Russian rocket attack that targeted the Dniprovskyi district of Kiev in the early hours of today stands at at least 45 injured. Local media reported on it, saying the damage was caused by debris from targets shot down by the Ukrainian capital's air defense. Mayor Vitali Klitschko says 18 people were hospitalized, including two children; another 27 civilians were treated on site. Several cars caught fire. A skyscraper, some private homes and a children's hospital were damaged.
“For Ukraine it is a matter of life and death, and the times are crucial”: this is the message that Volodymyr Zelensky delivered, first to Congress and then to the White House, on his third visit to Washington since the beginning to approve the new American aid package support the Russian invasion. A very different visit than the one at the Capitol a year ago, when he was welcomed like a hero, invited to speak before assembled chambers and “rewarded” with an additional $50 billion in aid. Zelensky was greeted without much fanfare on Tuesday and made no statement either at the Capitol or among the crowd of reporters following him, reserving his words for the news conference with Joe Biden after the meeting in the Oval Office. The Ukrainian leader assured that he had received “more than positive signals” from Congress, but indicated that he was waiting for concrete results and called on the United States and its allies “to send a strong signal of our unity to Russia by the end of the year send”. He reiterated his confidence in victory and his opposition to the ceding of territories “to terrorists.” Biden, in turn, announced that he had now signed a new $200 million aid package and promised that the US would not abandon Kiev, as Putin hopes. He then again appealed to Congress to find a “compromise” and approve the new funds, which were blocked “by a minority of Republicans” who are giving Putin “a Christmas present,” as shown by the cheers of Russian propaganda that ” celebrated”. . In Washington, the Ukrainian president recognized firsthand that the rescue of Ukraine depends on Mexico, but encountered resistance from Republicans who were determined to give their approval to the new funds (over 60 billion after the 111 billion already granted) to two vital points to tie: a crackdown to protect the border with Mexico, increased anti-immigrant measures with rapid expulsions and stricter asylum criteria (which the Democrats oppose), and clarity on the final strategy, “l 'endgame' in the words of the Republican speakers Mike Johnson. The Ukrainian leader recalled the legacy of challenging Moscow and argued that helping Kiev fight was in America's national interest and a way to strengthen Eastern Europe against Russian aggression. “I’m still counting on you,” he said, after warning that “dictatorships cheer when the free world hesitates” and that delays in aid play into the hands of the Kremlin. He was now certain that nothing would come of the meeting that could “change the situation on the battlefield.” Republican leaders in the Senate and House stood firm, emphasizing that this was not a personal matter and that they remained with him: “The national security priority is defending the U.S. border,” they agreed and supported focuses on the opinion of survey participants after the record waves of migration. Now the ball is back in the White House and Senate's court, Johnson explained, recalling that the House of Representatives had already passed an immigration bill that the Democrats did not vote for because it was too draconian. By the end of the year, when the available funds will be used up, a turnaround is impossible: Congress will now go on vacation every day for three weeks. We will talk about it again in early 2024, unless Joe Biden decides to temporarily fund Kiev at the expense of the US Army. Meanwhile, American and Ukrainian leaders are developing a new strategy for 2024 after hopes for a counteroffensive failed to materialize, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security Council Oleksiy Danilov admitted to the BBC on the day of a Russian cyberattack , which crippled the country's internet connections. The United States, which today announced further sanctions against third countries supporting the Russian war machine, has sent a three-star general, Antonio Aguto, into the field in Kiev several times from his base in Wiesbaden, Germany, where he was in January is a series of “war games,” as the New York Times writes. However, there are differences between the allies: The Americans are pushing for a conservative strategy focused on preserving Ukraine's current territory, digging trenches and accumulating supplies and forces throughout the year, as well as expanding its weapons production capacity . The Ukrainians, on the other hand, want to attack both on the ground and with long-range bombing raids and keep Crimea under fire in the hope of once again attracting the attention of a world increasingly distracted by the war in Gaza. In any case, American strategists warn, without a change in strategy, 2024 could resemble 1916, the deadliest year of the First World War.
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