‘Weapons, weapons, weapons’: Ukraine pleads for firepower, US bill could help. Live Ukraine updates.
Ukraine issued urgent pleas for “weapons, weapons, weapons” Thursday as the U.S. prepared to resurrect a World War II-era program making it easier for the president to provide the embattled nation with desperately needed firepower to repel the Russian invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Greek Parliament his country needs anti-aircraft defense systems, artillery systems, munitions and armored vehicles to fend off the Russian military.
“The sooner Ukraine receives this help, the more lives we can save in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said Thursday.
In Brussels, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba lobbied NATO for help: “I came here today to discuss three most important things: weapons, weapons, and weapons.”
In Washington, Congress was busy resurrecting a World War II-era program to make it easier to funnel weapons to Ukraine. A bill unanimously approved by the Senate and awaiting House action would temporarily waive requirements related to President Joe Biden’s authority to lend or lease weapons or other supplies to Ukraine’s government.
The bill includes requirements that stop loan periods from exceeding five years, allow the U.S. to take back weapons at any time, dictate the receiving party must pay the U.S. back in full and let Congress prohibit some weapon or supplies transfers via the enactment of a joint resolution.
Kuleba tweeted Thursday he is “grateful” for the Senate’s passage of the act and urged the House and president to turn the bill into law swiftly.
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Latest developments
►The U.N. General Assembly is voting Thursday on a U.S.-initiated resolution to suspend Russia from the world organization’s leading human rights body over allegations that Russian soldiers killed civilians while retreating from the region around Ukraine’s capital.
►Russia said it made a debt payment in rubles this week, a move that may not be accepted by Russia’s foreign debt holders and could put the country on a path to a historic default.
Contributing: Associated Press