RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine was never going to win – US senator

Ukraine always faced the prospect of losing the conflict with Russia in the event that Washington cut off its aid, US Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has said. 

His comments came after the US Senate last week blocked a bill by President Joe Biden that was intended to allocate a further $60 billion in funding to Kiev, on top of the $110 billion already spent. Republicans opposed to the package have demanded tougher immigration control on the US-Mexico border in exchange for approving the bill, rejected by the White House. 

Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Tuberville was asked whether cutting off funding to Kiev could result in Ukraine being defeated. The senator replied that he personally “never thought they can win to begin with,” especially with the way the US “eased into” the conflict. 

Tuberville also dismissed claims by Kiev’s backers that Russia will advance elsewhere into western Europe once it defeats Ukraine’s forces. The Republican argued that Moscow “can’t beat Ukraine on the eastern side,”and questioned how it was expected to push further across Europe.  

“I’ve never believed that scenario. I think it’s a good selling point to send more money,” Tuberville suggested. 

The US has so far provided Ukraine with an estimated $111 billion in military and economic assistance since the outbreak of its conflict with Russia in February 2022. While Washington has increasingly warned that funds are beginning to run out, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has nevertheless continued to insist on receiving more money. 

The Ukrainian leader traveled to Washington on Tuesday to hold a series of meetings with top US officials, in an attempt to save Biden’s $60 billion aid package. However, Zelensky appears to have failed to convince key Republicans to change their mind about opposing the bill. Instead, some senators left the meeting while describing it as “the same old stuff” and “very scripted.”  

Biden has continued to urge Congress to approve the funding package and has also pledged an additional $200 million in emergency military aid for Kiev through the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows him to send weapons from US stocks without congressional approval. 

Meanwhile, Moscow has brushed off Zelensky’s latest visit to Washington as inconsequential for the outcome of the conflict. Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, claimed that “everyone is tired of the Kievan beggarman.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has also stressed that no amount of money would change the situation on the front lines.

** Ukrainian general reveals discord among frontline troops

Ukrainian frontline troops are disgruntled with the way Kiev is handling the ongoing conflict with Russia, including the gaslighting it engages in via the national media, retired Gen. Sergey Krivonos warned on Monday. Soldiers wonder why they must shed blood on behalf of an uncaring government, he claimed.

Krivonos is a critic of President Vladimir Zelensky, who sacked him from the National Security and Defense Council in late 2020 for allegedly not being a team player. The commander, who has since left the military, allegedly under pressure, blasted what he perceives to be a disconnect between the government and the military. He was interviewed by Priamyi, a TV channel that currently broadcasts only online that is historically associated with the country’s former president Pyotr Poroshenko.

The general said Kiev was “teasing the tiger” with its treatment of troops, who, he warned “may act quite harshly” in response.

“There are not cemeteries, but entire burial fields. People on the frontline take such things to heart and they do not accept shades of gray. For them, there is either black or white,” he said.

The Russian Defense Ministry has estimated Ukrainian losses between June and November at over 125,000 troops. Kiev does not report its casualties, but Western media say that they must be steep, judging by the rapidly expanding graveyards and other circumstantial evidence.

Kiev is running out of career military and is struggling to conscript soldiers, since civilians “are less than eager to fight for a military and national government that is viewed as rife with corruption and incompetence,” the Washington Post reported last week. 

Krivonos cited a recent announcement by the Ukrainian state-owned railway operator that seasonal trains would be on offer for people visiting ski resorts as an example of what irritates troops. He believes the country needs to go into total war mode and accused Zelensky of failing to do so due to fear of losing popularity.

The Zelensky government has contributed to the problem by using the state-controlled “television marathon” – the only programming on the air – to gaslight the public, the general said. He called the content “one of the worst manipulations” of the Ukrainian people.

Another problem is tolerance of graft, he alleged. People who empty their pockets buying overpriced eggs should not get farewell applause from MPs and disappear into the night, he said in a clear nod to Aleksey Reznikov. The former defense minister was sacked in September, months after a scandal erupted over the procurement of overpriced food for troops by his department.

‘Reznikov’s eggs’ reports became the subject of gallows humor in Ukrainian trenches.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine says 53, including 6 children, hurt in Russian missile strikes on Kyiv

Russia's second missile assault on Kyiv this week injured at least 53 people, damaging homes and a children's hospital, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded for more help for his country.

The windows of residential apartment blocks were blown out and frightened residents streamed out onto the street to assess the damage. Missile debris blew a large crater in the ground and destroyed parked cars.

Ukraine's air defence systems downed all 10 ballistic missiles that targeted the capital at about 3 a.m. (0100 GMT), Ukraine's Air Force said on the Telegram app.

"Just yesterday, (U.S.) President (Joe) Biden and I agreed to work on increasing the number of air defence systems in Ukraine. The terrorist state demonstrated how important this decision is," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, referring to Russia.

Falling debris caused injuries and destruction in four of Kyiv's districts along the Dnipro River, which cuts through the capital, officials said. Thirty-five buildings were damaged, according to the city's military administration.

Ukraine's national police said 53 people, including six children, had been injured by the attack. Eighteen people have been hospitalised, it said in a social media post.

"There was no air raid siren. At around 4 a.m. (0200 GMT), I heard an explosion. We fled to the corridor, (the explosion wave) threw me into the doors," Olena Ustinova, 45, a local administration clerk, told Reuters.

"I regained consciousness and started to shake the doors but they were blocked. I shouted for help from my balcony and emergency workers came to help me."

Ukraine's Armed Forces General Staff identified the projectiles as Iskander-M ballistic missiles, as well as S-400s: extremely fast missiles intended for air defence, but which have also been used to hit ground targets.

AIR DEFENCES

Zelenskiy, who was visiting Norway on Wednesday, said his main priority was to strengthen air defences.

His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, praised Western-supplied air defence systems and their operators after Ukraine downed all 10. "The effectiveness of Western weapons in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers cannot be doubted," Yermak said.

The Air Force said it also shot down all 10 Russian-launched attack drones over the Odesa region in southern Ukraine.

Windows and entrances at a children's hospital in Kyiv's Dniprovskyi district were shattered by debris, but based on initial assessments, there were no casualties, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

"These (ballistic) missiles fly at a speed up to 8,000 km per hour," Klitschko told Reuters while visiting a site near one of the damaged buildings.

Kyiv military administration chief Serhiy Popko said 17 people, including seven children, were evacuated from a residential building in the Dniprovskyi district after debris hit a building and nearby cars, causing a fire.

The attack followed a salvo of ballistic missiles that targeted Kyiv on Monday and injured four people.

There was no comment from Russia about Wednesday's attack, which also damaged buildings in Kyiv's Desnyanskyi, Darnitskyi and Holosiivskyi districts.

Both Moscow and Kyiv deny targeting civilians in the nearly 22-month-long war that Russia launched against its neighbour in February 2022.

RT/Reuters

I take a bet. The judgement of God and of the people is nigh! Check your neighbourhood. For weeks, and in some cases, months, there is no electricity. But in your houses, you run your generator. Neighbours come around to charge their phones, rechargeable lamps and what have you in your compound. How do you tell them that you are not part of the oppressors? What about water? As early as 5 am, neighbours are already on the queue in front of your house to fetch water. They don't have the boldness to knock on your gate to wake you up. They know that they are at your mercy, and so, they wait until you wake up to turn on the tap for them. Many of these people grew up with functional water corporations and dams in their towns and villages. We are already in the festive period. How many Nigerians have what to eat during this season? How many can afford a bag of rice? How many will be able to buy clothes for their children and wards? How many are already calculating the school fees for the second term which begins by the first week of January 2024? When you consider these, you will realise that there is no time to postpone fixing Nigeria. The elite just have to fix Nigeria now or Nigerians will fix them, and permanently too. The masses are like the sheep. Those are the most gentle of all animals. But they have the most poisonous teeth ever! You can read me again. Sheep have teeth. Just pray they don't bite you with them. There is no anti-rabies vaccine that can cure that.

Kashim Shettima, the vice president, is a brilliant man. As a politician, he may not be a good man. No Nigerian politician of this inglorious era is good. I make no bones about that. I saw Shettima a couple of times on television during the 2023 campaigns. I enjoyed his dramas when he served as the Director General of the Tinubu Campaign Organisation during the All Progressive Congress (APC), presidential primaries. He was blunt and assertive. He appeared then to know what he wanted, or what he was briefed to do.  In the delivery of his mandate then, he did not spare anyone. He took no prisoners. He insulted as many as he could. He befriended those he considered useful to the project at hand. He was acerbic in his dealing with the then Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo. Fortune smiled on Shettima at the end of the primaries. His principal, Tinubu, picked him as his running mate. The duo went ahead to win the general election. Today, Shettima occupies the office he once said was only good for selling ice cream and popcorn! Unfortunately, since May 29, 2023, Shettima and the government he serves as the vice president have been serving Nigerians more than ice cream and popcorn. The government of his principal serves Nigerians pains and agony. He is aware of this and the inherent danger. He spoke about it not too long ago.

In his recent outing in Abuja last Saturday, Shettima sounded more of a populist than a realist.  He spoke at the graduation ceremony of the Executive Intelligence Management Course 16 participants from different security agencies and nominees of state governments.  His submission was that with the present high cost of living, Nigerians “are angry with government officials.” If he expected us to clap for him for saying that, I can tell him for free that he is damned wrong! Absolutely WRONG! The vice-president talked about the parlous condition of the common man in Nigeria of today. He said that the ruling elite had between 10 to 20 years to do something, otherwise, something will give. Here are his exact words:” … But now, as we cruise around in our bulletproof cars, one will see contempt in the eyes of the poor. We have to improve the quality of governance. And what we have is a tiny window of not more than 10 to 20 years. Let’s improve the quality of governance.” He is, again, wrong! With the situation of things in Nigeria, the bomb can go off any moment. Call me an alarmist; the time ticks precariously. Shettima and his gang don't have five years, not even two years. The time to make corrections and bring back life to the people is now.

The locusts that had before now eaten up of our vegetation had been buying time. The current generation of vampires in power thinks it can buy more time. There is no more time. Things are bad. No! Things are at their worst ebb. The middle class is eliminated, completely. What we have now are two contrasting stratifications of the super-rich, and super- poor. Poverty is shared in equal proportions. Those who have no reasons to beg are now corporate beggars. We are all engaged in 'fine bara'. I am not exempted. The other time, my laptop collapsed beyond repair. I couldn't raise the money for a new one. Who did I turn to? My 65-years plus first cousin! I struggled to call him. I felt ashamed calling a 65-year-old man to come to my rescue, when he is supposed to be resting. But I thank God he did what I asked for without hesitation. He must have known that I was at the end of my tether to have called him in far way UK for a laptop. Truth be told; I was at my breaking point before I made that call. I ask this: how many people have cousins or relations who would respond promptly to that type of Macedonia call? How many of such requests can I respond to if occasions demand? This is not because one is wicked or selfish. The means are not just there. Many relationships have broken because of this. We ignore calls we would hitherto have picked with enthusiasm. This is our situation, Shettima. This is the level crass misgovernance has pushed us to. I don’t see the projected 10 to 20 years of redemption as realistic. The time to do it is now!

Why am I so worried about the present situation? Something happened to me last weekend. I was in Ekiti State last weekend. From Ado Ekiti to Odo Oro through Ijesa Usu Ekiti, I saw poverty in its naked form. Driving around the neighbouring Ikole Ekiti axis, at a spot, a big female goat ran across the road, and I slammed the break. The resultant dust from the dusty road attracted curses from the people around. "Rírá lu à rá nú" (may you be lost forever), they pronounced. I recognised two of the people. I parked the car, turned off the engine, and alighted. One of them, who felt that I was coming to challenge them said something in our Ekiti dialect: "Hìn jé ha bò; erun rè à kan (let him come, his mouth will go sour). I approached them. They recognised me. The most elderly of them said: "Hùwo hà hin, Suyi (So it is you, Suyi). We exchanged greetings, and apologised for the dust.

The most aggressive one among them said something similar to what Shettima alluded to. While apologising for the curse, he added: "Hà rò wípé òkàn núnú hìhan olórí burúkú hàn nì ni (We thought it is one of those bad heads). That is the level of aggression in the land. Hunger is already mixing with anger. My screeching of the brake attracted curses and aggression from people, who before now would have shown sympathy and thanked God on my behalf for not damaging the car. As I left them, I kept wondering what had happened. They knew the goat ran to the road. They knew I avoided killing it by applying the brakes; yet, they still cursed me. Now, ask what would have happened if I were not someone they are familiar with. Or, I was to be a top government official, the type the people had already labelled hìhan olórí burúkú (bad heads). If we continue like this, the bullet-proof cars will not be enough. I deliberately employed the plural pronoun, "we", because whether we like it or not, we shall all be victims of the people's reaction. It does not matter whether one had been in government before or not. As long as you drive a nice car, put on fine cloth, and you look ‘fresh’; you belong to the ruling elite in the estimation of the poor.

Someone foresaw our situation long ago. He equally forewarned us of the looming danger hanging over us all. His name is Obafemi Awolowo. Before he joined the sages on May 9, 1987, he granted an interview on a wide range of issues. Moses Akin Makinde captured some of the things the Avatar, Awolowo, said in that interview in a book: “AWO: The Last Conversation” (2009). The philosopher-politician talked about the attitude of the northern elite to the poverty over there and warned thus: “But I think that sooner than later, the leaders of the north will see the repercussions of their selfishness and carelessness in their attitude towards western education. But the time will be too late, and if they don’t regret it or blame themselves for lack of foresight, the northern youth may ask their leaders some questions when they see the rate of development that goes with education in many parts of southern Nigeria. They may then wonder whether it was in their stars or in the selfishness, carelessness and lack of foresight of their past and present leaders.” If the dead do see the living, Awolowo would have seen that it is not only the northern youths that are asking questions now. All Nigerians do. The questions are too dangerous. The question, ‘how did we get here’? is not asked with joy and happiness. The western education Awolowo donated to the south, particularly the Western Region in the early 50s is now a waste today. Or, what do you make of a child with two post-graduate degrees that has remained jobless for over five years? How useful is that education? What has happened to all the cottage industries established by the founding fathers of the nation? Who wasted them?

Awolowo, in that same interview, talked about the qualities of his ministers and advisers. He said he chose them “strictly on merit and because of their education, standard and discipline.” He added: "Every minister or adviser and top civil servant had to do his homework properly before bringing anything to a cabinet meeting or any other important meeting where it will be subjected to rigorous debate. Where there are grey areas, expert opinion would be sought for the purpose of objectivity…It is because of this service to the public that I often maintained that the office of the President, or Prime Minister is not for pleasure. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, it looks as if the office of the President, Minister or Adviser is for pleasure, like dining and wining and carousing with women of easy virtue both at home and abroad.” Sad! If I should trouble the sage in his rest, may I announce to him that in the Nigeria of today, ministers pay to be given ‘juicy’ portfolios; that members of the National Assembly now rise to sing solidarity songs whenever the president comes calling. May I inform the legend that in the Nigeria he left behind, some felons killed our darling Deborah Samuel on May 12, 2022, at her Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, and they got away with it. But Rhoda Jatau, who condemned the killing, was arrested on May 20, 2022, and spent 18 months in prison custody in Bauchi before she was finally released on bail! And she would still have her days in court for alleged blasphemy, incitement and cyber-stalking.

From Sokoto to Ibadan, Kafanchan to Eduabon; from Okigwe to Jalingo, and from Makurdi to Ode Irele, poverty walks on all fours. On the faces of the people are frustration, anguish and anger. Shettima saw this in his Maiduguri. He once had the opportunity to change the narrative and improve on the lots of the people. He was a governor for eight years. Under his watch, over 280 school children were kidnapped in Chibok. His reaction was to reward the principal of the school with an appointment as a commissioner! Now, in the year 2023, the same man, as the number two citizen in Nigeria, is asking for a moratorium of 10 to 20 years to “improve the quality of governance”. No sir, Mr. Vice President. Do it now for the time ticks!

Nigerian Tribune

We all want to be able to do more in less time because, in an ideal world, it would mean that we will have more time to do everything else we want to do. However as we manage to fast-track our productivity, we aren't left with more time to ourselves but just more time to do more work.

The result of high productivity is often highly burnt-out staff. But as Apple is working to prove, it doesn't have to. Perhaps what we need isn't another productivity hack that helps us cross an extra item off our ever-growing to-do list. Instead, maybe we need a break.

Apple recently rolled out a simple strategy to beat burnout after years of operating in overdrive and finding that burnt-out staff lack the focus, energy and inspiration necessary to innovate and excel.

Apple's decision to shift gears is because working in high gear, day after day is not a long-term productivity hack but a way to hack away at your staff's happiness, creativity and ingenuity. 

What the company is finding is that the key to productivity is not solely about getting staff to do more, but doing more with the time that they have as a means of buying them more time to themselves. In return, staff have more mental bandwidth, work satisfaction and more life in their work-life balance. 

Apple is achieving this goal by using the 'Rule of 3 S's' which is a simple three-step system to increase long-term productivity: Streamline, systematise and step back. 

1. Streamline 

So much time is wasted on tasks that either weren't part of the deliverable or are simply someone else's job. Either way, superfluous tasks eat up a lot of time and energy. 

This commonly occurs when staff are tasked with projects that do not have clear expectations or deliverables. The manager might assume that the employee knows exactly what they want, but if you're not communicating the exact deliverables and your employee is not a mind reader, you'll be hard-pressed to receive precisely what you wanted. 

Part of this is that it is not usually that an employee has no idea what they're supposed to do, but not enough of an idea of just how much they're supposed to do. And so to avoid looking like they're submitting an incomplete project, they often do far more than necessary. 

2. Systematize 

Businesses need to not only zero in on the work that needs to be done, but zero in on who needs to be involved in it and when. 

When teams aren't very well-oiled, people often end up doing all the work themselves when there are others whose job it is to do that particular task. After all, it can feel easier to do it yourself than delegate. But this isn't an efficient strategy in the long run, nor is it the most cost-effective. 

Part of this is that productivity is often stalled and efficiency is obliterated when there are too many hands in the pot – and too many touch-points. For example, this is often the overbearing boss who just has to micro-manage and inherently slows teams down (while stressing them out) in the process. 

3. Step Back 

When the work is done, staff are done with their work and given more to do. And there are two benefits of this. First and foremost, it helps prevent burnout. Instead of punishing highly productive staff with more work, it rewards a job well done with more time to themselves. 

Second, it gives staff the ability to disconnect from their work, which tends to help staff more effectively solve problems, innovate and create.

The reason is that when we take a step back we can see the bigger picture that we often can't see when we are entrenched in the depths of a project or problem, according to Psychology Today. 

Together these three simple steps help increase productivity effectively to prevent burnout and give staff more time in their day is as powerful for employers as it is for employees.

While I might be tired of the endless productivity hacks that have left me tired, this is one I can get behind that will help keep me and my team ahead. 

Inc

Nigeria recorded 127 crude oil theft incidents between December 2 and 8. This is according to data shared in a report by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) via its Twitter (X) account on Tuesday, December 12.  

During the reported week, NNPCL and its security partners discovered several incidents: 

• 51 illegal refineries were uncovered. 
• 29 illegal connections were identified. 
• 8 vessels were found to have AIS (Automatic Identification System) infractions. 
• 6 acts of pipeline vandalism were detected. 
• 5 illegal storage sites were located. 
• 13 arrests were made involving wooden boats. 
• 3 oil spills were reported. 
• 11 vehicle arrests were made, along with 1 vessel arrest. 

The sources of these incidents were attributed as follows: 

• Pipeline International Nigeria Limited was linked to 31 incidents. 
• Maton Nigeria Limited was associated with 30 incidents. 
• Tantita Security Services Limited reported 15 incidents. 
• Shell Petroleum Development Company reported 12 incidents. 
• NNPCL Command and Control Center reported 8 incidents. 
• Government Security Agencies reported 31 incidents. 

These crude oil theft incidents occurred across various locations in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Abia, and Imo states. The report highlights identities of some of the thieves apprehended during the week. Three thieves were arrested in Isoko South, while three others remain at large. 

Two of the arrested individuals were named: Benard Innocent from Isoko South in Delta state, and Adam Akpobome Godstime, a resident of Owodokpokpo in Delta state. The report mentioned that arms, ammunition, and charms were found at the locations where these theft incidents occurred. Those arrested in Isoko South were allegedly responsible for crude oil theft activities in Uzere and Owodokpokpo in Delta state. 

In total, five crude oil theft suspects were arrested during the highlighted week. The incidents occurred in various regions: 9 in the Deep Blue Water, 23 in the Western region, 45 in the Central region, and 50 in the Eastern region of the Niger Delta’s oil-producing areas. 

Additionally, the report highlighted an incident where Tantita Security Services Limited intercepted a vessel stealing crude oil from a wellhead offshore in Ondo State. There was resistance encountered during the interception. The vessel, currently held by the Nigerian Navy, was reported to have engaged in suspicious activities in Ghana on November 29, 2023, and four times in Nigeria between August and October 2023. 

The vessel sails under a Nigerian flag, registered under Regan Navigation Limited since March 2022, with Randling Marine identified as the beneficial owner since May 2023. It was previously flagged on November 11, 2023, due to multiple identity changes and suspicious activities resembling tankers used in unauthorized crude oil activities. 

Nairametrics

The Federal Fovernment on Tuesday hinted at plans to restructure the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) into two entities.

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this while speaking at the Federal Ministry of Power ministerial retreat held in Abuja on Tuesday.

The TCN, which coordinates the nation’s electricity transmission network, is one of 18 companies that were unbundled from the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in April 2004. It was incorporated in November 2005 and issued a transmission licence a year later.

TCN’s licensed activities include electricity transmission, system operation and electricity trading. The company is currently fully owned and operated by the government.

Speaking on Tuesday, Adelabu said the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) transmission sub-sector has been identified as a critical weak point in the electricity value chain.

“To align with the Electricity Act 2023 and the industry’s demands, it’s time to restructure the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) into two entities: the Independent System Operator (ISO) and the Transmission Service Provider (TSP),” Adelabu said.

He said this restructuring must synchronise with the evolving landscape of state electricity markets, addressing calls for the decentralisation of the national grid into regional grids interconnected by a new higher voltage national or super-grid.

“Essentially, we must ask whether the government should directly provide electricity nationwide or rather facilitate its provision.

“Drawing comparisons with China’s centralized model and the US’s diverse access models like rural cooperatives and state-based utilities with regulatory oversight presents various considerations.

“How to handle subsidies, cross-subsidies, and aligning the Rural Electrification Agency’s role with emerging State markets are vital questions that demand stakeholder scrutiny for effective resolution,” he said.

Speaking on the finance, revenue assurance and capital investment programmes across the electricity value chain, Adelabu explained that the heart of NESI’s proposed reforms hinges upon securing long-term financing across the entire value chain.

“While past discussions highlighted concerns about the financial capacities of private sector players from the 2013 privatization, our focus must centre on collaborative solutions to alleviate present liquidity challenges.

“Initiating this quest for robust investment involves attracting domestic institutional investors and reputable partners from well-governed sectors within the electricity value chain,” he added.

The minister noted that the major issue in Nigeria’s power sector is the pricing of gas utilised by generating companies (GenCos) in US dollars.

“A hugely volatile variable that significantly affects the pricing of electricity to end-users. A more preferable option is to ensure that the gas utilized by the GenCos is traded in Naira to better manage the foreign currency-related inflationary trends that challenge the faithful application of the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) methodology,” he said.

As of 2022, he said 70.5 per cent of Nigeria’s electricity was generated from thermal plants, 27.3 per cent from hydro, whilst solar and other power plants made up 2.2 per cent.

“The good news here is that over 98 per cent of the feedstock powering electricity generation in the country are transition or clean fuels, as Nigeria ramps up its capacity to generate more electricity through renewable means such as solar, hydro, wind, bioenergy and others,” he said.

Adelabu said the ministry would like to see more utility-scale solar power plants by 2030, which brings added responsibility for investments in generation and grid stability to address the variability that transmission of renewable energy-generated power over long distances brings.

“This brings with it the need for distributed generation power systems from renewable energy-driven power plants, that are localized around clustered communities and embedded or captive areas while at the same time stabilizing our national grid and or deploying super-grids or regional grids that can transmit generated power over long distances with minimal losses.

“We need our investors, financiers and NESI value chain players to dimension the opportunities and electricity sector alignment with Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan to ensure we meet our energy transition aspirations,” he said.

PT

Unidentified gunmen have ambushed a convoy of Daewoo E&C Nigeria Limited workers, killed four soldiers in the escort team and two of the company’s drivers.

The convoy was attacked Tuesday around Ahoada axis along the East-West road in Rivers State.

The gunmen also abducted two expatriates, Korean workers who were among the team being escorted to work in the Abua area of River State.

It was gathered that the incident, which occurred at about 9.30 am, caused fear along the East-West road as travelled were left stranded for hours.

A source privy to the development said the suspected kidnappers ambushed the team of expatriates being escorted by troops of 5 Battalion along the road Ahoada/Obua.

The source said: “During the attack, the assailants opened fire on the convoy killing 4 soldiers and 2 civilians’ drivers and subsequently abducted two Koreans in the process.

“Details are still sketchy, but efforts are ongoing to get more details from the units. Further details will be forwarded as soon as possible.”

However, the 6 Division of Nigeria Army, Port Harcourt, has confirmed the killing of its four personnel, noting that the act was carried out by suspected militants.

Acting Deputy Director 6 Division Army Public Relations, Major Jonah Danjuma, in a statement in Port Harcourt said that the militants killed four of its men, and two drivers and abducted two foreigners.

Danjuma disclosed that the military has commenced efforts to track down the culprits, noting that efforts are also on to secure unconditional freedom for the two abducted workers.

He said: “Troops of 5 Battalion on routine escort duty for an oil servicing company at Enweh West manifold, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State were attacked by suspected militants at Emesu junction, along Amungboro -Emuphan road. Unfortunately, 4 soldiers were killed in action, with 2 other oil workers unaccounted for.

“The suspects allegedly escaped through the Emesu waterside, using the Orashi River. Troops are currently combing the general area to fish out the perpetrators of this dastardly act. Additionally, efforts are ongoing to ensure that the unaccounted oil workers are found.

“The General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Nigerian Army/ Land Component Commander, Joint Task Force, South-South, Operation DELTA Safe, Jamal Abdussalam, while acknowledging the supreme sacrifice paid by the gallant soldiers, strongly condemned this unwarranted attack.

He reassured that efforts are ongoing to track down these criminals to pay for their crimes. Consequently, members of the general public are kindly requested to provide credible and actionable intelligence that could lead to the arrest of these criminals.”

Vanguard

Visitors to Kenya from across the world will no longer require a visa from January, President William Ruto said on Tuesday.

Ruto said his government had developed a digital platform to ensure all visitors would receive an electronic travel authorisation in advance, instead of needing to apply for a visa.

"It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya," he said in a speech in the capital Nairobi at an event to mark 60 years of independence from Britain.

Ruto has long advocated for visa-free travel within the African continent.

At a conference in the Republic of Congo in October he said people from African countries would not require a visa to visit Kenya by the end of 2023.

The tourism industry plays a vital role in Kenya's economy, offering beach holidays along its Indian Ocean coastline and wildlife safaris inland.

"Kenya has a simple message to humanity: Welcome Home!" he said.

Reuters

James Oliphant

He has been impeached twice, tried to thwart the peaceful transfer of power after losing the 2020 presidential election, faces scores of charges in multiple criminal cases, and his critics warn he is plotting to rule as an autocrat. Yet, Donald Trump could still return to the White House.

Trump leads his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination by nearly 50 percentage points in national opinion polls, a remarkable comeback for a one-term president who three years ago appeared vanquished and humiliated.

Here are four reasons why Trump could win the November 2024 electionagainst Democratic incumbent Joe Biden:

UNHAPPY VOTERS

The Biden White House argues the economy is in good shape, with unemployment down to a near-historic low of 3.9% from 6.3% when Trump left office and inflation cooling from a peak over 9% in June 2022 to 3.2% as of October.

Large swaths of the public, including many voters of color and young voters, believe otherwise. They point to wages not keeping pace with the costs of essential goods and services such as groceries, cars, houses, child and elder care.

When Biden talks about the economy, Americans think about affordability, not economic indicators. Opinion polls show that voters by a large margin view Republicans as better stewards of the economy, even though Trump has offered only vague proposals.

SPEAKING TO FEAR

Voters are unsettled for reasons that extend far beyond the economy. Trump speaks to the worries, real or not, that many white Americans have in a country that is becoming increasingly diverse and more culturally progressive.

There is also a pervasive sense of losing ground, that the cornerstones of American life - home ownership, a decent wage that keeps pace with inflation, a college education - are becoming more out of reach for many. Polls show voters are worried about crime and nervous about the flow of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.

Trump is adept at channeling and packaging those fears, while still presenting himself as someone who comes from outside the U.S. political system. He is both arsonist and firefighter, who declares the country is in chaos and then offers himself as a savior.

TRUMP'S ACTIONS NOT DISQUALIFYING FOR MANY VOTERS

While critics within his own party, the Democratic Party and the media view him as unfit for office, millions of voters disagree.

Instead, many of his supporters have become convinced that Trump is a victim of a political witch hunt. At least half of Republicans surveyed by Reuters/Ipsos earlier this year said they would have no problem voting for Trump even if he were convicted of a crime.

Trump can also point to his four years in office and argue that the machinery of government largely functioned, if at times chaotically, despite fears he could not govern and that the worst allegations about him - such as his colluding with Russia - were never proven.

BIDEN GETS ALL THE BLAME, NO CREDIT

Trump can also take advantage of a White House that, so far, has been unable to persuade much of the public that Biden’s job-creation policies - through heavy government investment in infrastructure, clean energy and chip manufacturing - have made a difference to their lives.

Biden also has been saddled with a pair of foreign wars that have divided Americans. Trump’s non-interventionist, "America first" message may resonate with voters fearful of further U.S. involvement in Ukraine or Israel while Biden maintains a more traditional, interventionist American foreign policy.

None of this, of course, means Trump is certain to win the election.

He remains deeply unpopular in many parts of the country and among many demographics, and if he is chosen as his party's nominee it could provoke a high turnout in favor of Democrats to counter him.

His inflammatory rhetoric, including threats to take revenge on political enemies he denounces as "vermin," could also be a turn-off for more moderate Republicans and independent voters, who he will need to beat Biden.

Democrats have also successfully campaigned as defenders of abortion rights to defeat Republicans across the country in a series of elections and will again make that issue central to their 2024 campaign.

But at this moment, 11 months from Election Day, Trump stands a better chance of returning to the White House than at any point since he left office.

Reuters

Israel and US show sharp divisions over mounting casualties and future of war against Hamas

Israel and the United States on Tuesday showed their sharpest public disagreement yet over the conduct and future of the war against Hamas as the two allies became increasingly isolated by global calls for a cease-fire.

The dispute emerged while Israeli forces carried out strikes across Gaza, crushing Palestinians in homes.

President Joe Biden said he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel was losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing” and that Netanyahu should change his government, which is dominated by hard-right parties.

Biden’s comments came as the White House national security adviser heads to Israel this week to discuss with Netanyahu a timetable for the war — and what happens if Hamas is defeated. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to Israel next week for a visit the Pentagon said aims to show U.S. support for Israel but also to press the need to avoid more civilian casualties in Gaza.

The war ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel has already brought unprecedented death and destruction to the impoverished coastal enclave, with much of northern Gaza obliterated, more than 18,000 Palestinians killed and over 80% of the population of 2.3 million pushed from their homes.

The U.S. has urged Israel to do more to reduce civilian casualties since it launched its invasion of southern Gaza at the beginning of the month. But the toll has continued to mount at seemingly the same dizzying rate.

The health care system and humanitarian aid operations have collapsed in large parts of Gaza, amid Israel’s blockade of the territory and intense airstrikes and fighting, and aid workers have warned of starvation and the spread of disease among displaced people in overcrowded shelters and tent camps.

DEVASTATION IN THE NORTH

Gaza City and much of the surrounding north have already suffered widespread destruction from more than two months of bombardment. Amid the rubble, Israeli ground troops are still locked in heavy combat with Palestinian fighters, more than six weeks after soldiers invaded the north.

Fierce clashes raged Tuesday in Gaza City’s Zaytoun and Shijaiya neighborhoods, as well as in Jabaliya, a densely built urban refugee camp, residents said.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians remain in the north, huddled in homes or in U.N. schools-turned-shelters. As airstrikes and drones smash houses, first responders are unable to reach anyone buried in the wreckage, residents said.

“It was massive,” Mustafa Abu Taha, an agricultural worker, said of the sound of gunfire and explosions in Shijaiya, where he lives.

Amal Radwan, a woman sheltering in a school in Jabaliya, said the situation was “catastrophic,” as Israeli troops tried to advance deep into the district and unleashed heavy fire against fighters.

“Whenever the resistance hit them, they hit us very hard. It has become crazy. They strike everywhere with no regard to women or children,” she said.

Outside Gaza City, Israeli troops using a controlled detonation blew up a school run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, in the northern town of Beit Hanoun. Footage posted online showed soldiers cheering as they watched the building collapse in a giant blast and pall of smoke.

UNRWA chief Phillippe Lazzarini confirmed the demolition in a post on X Tuesday, calling it “outrageous.” There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. On Saturday, it said militants opened fire from inside an UNRWA school in the town.

Israel also has begun flooding some Hamas tunnels, a U.S. official confirmed Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the action. Israelis said they are testing the targeted flooding of tunnels on a limited basis and are exploring the idea as one of a range of options to degrade the tunnel network, according to another U.S. official familiar with the matter.

President Joe Biden said during a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that there were assertions that no hostages were in Gaza tunnels being flooded with seawater by the Israelis, but “I don’t know that for a fact.”

‘INDISCRIMINATE BOMBING’

Biden’s comments were a startlingly direct criticism of Israel even as his administration continues to give unwavering diplomatic and military support for the military campaign in Gaza in the face of mounting international outrage.

The U.N. secretary-general and Arab states have rallied much of the international community behind calls for an immediate cease-fire. But the U.S. vetoed those efforts at the U.N. Security Council last week as it rushed tank munitions to Israel to allow it to maintain the offensive.

A nonbinding vote on a similar resolution at the U.N. General Assembly passed overwhelmingly Tuesday. The vote demanding a cease-fire is largely symbolic, but it serves as an important barometer of world opinion.

Israel launched the campaign after Hamas and other militants streamed into the south on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking about 240 others hostage. About half of those remain in captivity. At least 105 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive, the army says.

Israel and the U.S. say any cease-fire that leaves Hamas in power would mean victory for the militant group, which has governed Gaza since 2007 and has pledged to destroy Israel. Israel blames civilian casualties on Hamas, saying it positions fighters, tunnels and rocket launchers in dense urban areas, using civilians as human shields.

But the two allies have also had differences over the timetable of the war and over how Gaza should be ruled in the future.

In a briefing with the AP on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signaled that the current phase of heavy ground fighting and airstrikes could stretch on for weeks and further military activity could continue for months.

Netanyahu has said the military will have to keep open-ended security control of Gaza after the war ends.

The Biden administration has said Israel should not return to a military occupation and the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority should govern Gaza as talks resume on creating a Palestinian state next to Israel.

Netanyahu appeared to firmly rule that out Tuesday, acknowledging “there is disagreement about ‘the day after Hamas.’”

“I will not allow Israel to repeat the mistake of Oslo,” he said, referring to the peace process in the 1990s that created the Palestinian Authority and was intended to reach a two-state solution. The authority governs pockets of the occupied West Bank and governed Gaza until the Hamas takeover in 2007.

STRIKES AND RAIDS ACROSS GAZA

Strikes overnight and into Tuesday in southern Gaza — where almost all of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million is now crowded — killed dozens, according to hospital records.

Islam Harb’s three children were among those killed when Israeli airstrikes flattened four residential buildings in the town of Rafah on the Egyptian border. At least 23 people were killed, including seven children and six women, according to an Associated Press reporter who saw the bodies arrive at a hospital.

“My twin girls, Maria and Joud, were martyred, and my little son, Ammar, also martyred,” Harb said.

In central Gaza, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah received the bodies of 33 people killed in strikes overnight, including 16 women and four children, according to hospital records. Many were killed in strikes that hit residential buildings in the built-up Maghazi refugee camp.

In the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia, Israeli forces stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital, ordering all men, including medics, into the courtyard, said Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry. The hospital had 65 patients in intensive care and six newborns in incubators, the U.N. said, and some 3,000 displaced people were sheltering there with little food or water.

The Israeli military says it is rounding up men in northern Gaza as it searches for Hamas fighters. Photos and videos circulating online show groups of detainees stripped to their underwear, bound and blindfolded, and some who have been released say they were beaten and denied food and water.

Asked about the hospital, the military said it “continues to act against Hamas strongholds in the north of Gaza,” including Beit Lahia and takes “all feasible precautions to mitigate harm to noncombatants.”

AP

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Dozens injured in Kyiv in Russia's second missile assault this week -Ukraine

Russia's second missile assault on Kyiv this week injured at least 34 people and damaged homes and a children's hospital, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded in Washington for more help for his country.

Ukraine's air defence systems downed all missiles targeting the capital about 3 a.m. (0100 GMT), Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app. The full scale of the attack was not immediately clear.

Falling debris caused injuries and destruction in three of Kyiv's districts on the eastern side of the Dnipro River that cuts through the capital, officials said.

Windows and entrances were shattered by debris at a children's hospital in Kyiv's Dniprovskyi district, but based on initial assessments, there were no casualties, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

Debris also hit several residential buildings in the Dniprovskyi district, injuring at least 34 people, with 15 requiring hospitalisation, including two children, Klitschko added. The district's water supply was also damaged.

The specific weapons Russia used in the attack were not immediately known. It followed a salvo of ballistic missiles that targeted Kyiv early on Monday and injured four people.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden warned Republicans that they would give Russia a "Christmas gift" if they failed to provide additional military aid to Zelenskiy, whose meeting with a top U.S. lawmaker concluded without a commitment for more support.

There was no comment from Russia about the attack on Wednesday, which also damaged buildings in Kyiv's Desnyanskyi and Darnitskyi districts.

Both Moscow and Kyiv deny targeting civilians in the nearly 22-month-long war that Russia launched against its neighbour in February 2022.

Popko said 15 people, including four children, were evacuated from a residential building in the Dniprovskyi district after debris hit a building and nearby cars, causing a fire.

He added that most injuries came from windows blown out by the blast wave.

"There are many injured," Popko said, suggesting that the number of wounded may rise.

** Zelenskiy meets Republican doubts in push for US aid to fight Russia

President Joe Biden warned Republicans on Tuesday that they would give Russia a "Christmas gift" if they failed to provide additional military aid to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whose meeting with a top U.S. lawmaker concluded without a commitment for more support.

Zelenskiy traveled to Washington to plead for money to back Ukraine in its war with Russia, but he faced a skeptical reception from key Republican lawmakers. Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, would not agree to support Biden's request to give Ukraine $61.4 billion.

"What the Biden administration seems to be asking for is billions of additional dollars with no appropriate oversight, no clear strategy to win and with none of the answers that I think the American people are owed," Johnson said after meeting with Zelenskiy.

Biden, who met with Zelenskiy later at the White House, said he would not walk away from Ukraine and neither would the American people. He warned lawmakers that they risked handing a victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin if they did not approve the request for aid.

"Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine," he said during a press conference with the Ukrainian leader. "We must ... prove him wrong."

Earlier in the Oval Office, Biden told Zelenskiy, "We're gonna stay at your side," saying that Congress needed to pass legislation approving the aid "before they give Putin the greatest Christmas gift they could possibly give him."

Zelenskiy said he heard "great many things" during his talks with political leaders in Washington and was thankful for the support of the Biden administration and lawmakers, but time will tell if the U.S. will continue to help fund its defense against Russia.

"There were signals. They were more than positive. But we know that there are words and there are concrete results. We will count on a great result," Zelenskiy said.

He also rejected any calls to cede Ukrainian territory to Russia.

"How can Ukraine simply give away its territory? This is absolutely insane," Zelenskiy said. "Let’s be honest. … Our people live there…our children. It’s a part of our society. We’re talking about people who live there."

IMMIGRATION DEBATE

Heading into winter, with tens of thousands of Ukrainians dead, a yawning budget deficit and Russian advances in the east, Zelenskiy is asking Washington to provide badly needed support.

Wearing a black shirt and olive drab trousers, Zelenskiy was met with sustained applause in Congress as he entered a closed-door meeting with U.S. senators, and the chamber's Democratic and Republican leaders pledged their support.

But some Republicans, particularly those with the closest ties to former President Donald Trump, oppose more aid. They say any further money must be paired with changes to immigration policy at home — an exceptionally divisive issue in U.S. politics.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who is leading the talks, said he thought lawmakers could reach an immigration deal and pass the spending package before Congress recesses for the year on Friday.

But Republicans said that was not likely.

"I'm becoming increasingly pessimistic," Senator Susan Collins told reporters.

Speaker Johnson said he would not act until the Senate passed legislation. "I implore them to do their job because the time is urgent and we do want to do the right thing," he told reporters.

Both the war and immigration issues are expected to be lightning-rod issues ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential and congressional elections. Trump and Biden are both seeking the presidency.

DEADLOCK STRATEGY

Biden said the U.S. wanted Ukraine to win the war, but one Republican lawmaker questioned whether additional aid would help Ukraine defeat Russia after a summer offensive that has failed to yield clear gains.

"I know everyone wants Ukraine to win. I just don't see it in the cards," Republican Senator Ron Johnson said.

Democrats in Congress accused their political opposition of aiding Putin. "He is delighting in the fact that Donald Trump's border policies are sabotaging military aid to Ukraine," Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer said.

Newly declassified U.S. intelligence shows that "Russia seems to believe that a military deadlock through the winter will drain Western support for Ukraine" and ultimately give Russia the advantage, said Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.

The White House told Congress on Dec. 4 the government will no longer have funding to provide more weapons for Ukraine after the end of the year. Congress has approved more than $110 billion for Ukraine since Russia's February 2022 invasion, but no new funds since Republicans took control of the House from Democrats in January.

Biden told Zelenskiy during the press conference that Ukraine's continued existence as an independent nation was a sign of success. "For you to be here today - again today - nearly two years later and for Ukraine to be staying strong and free is an enormous victory already," he said.

The United States cannot turn the tide of war in Ukraine by pumping tens of billions more dollars into the country, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

The war has cost Russia 315,000 dead and injured troops, nearly 90% of the personnel it had before the conflict began, according to a source familiar with a declassified U.S. intelligence report.

** Ukraine's top mobile operator hit by biggest cyberattack of war

Ukraine's biggest mobile network operator said it hoped to restore operations by Wednesday after coming under what appeared to be the largest cyberattack since Russia launched its war on the country in February 2022.

Tuesday's attack on Kyivstar, which has more than half of Ukraine's population as mobile subscribers, knocked out services, damaged IT infrastructure and put millions of people in danger of not receiving alerts of potential Russian air assaults.

It also disrupted the air raid alert systems themselves in parts of Kyiv.

The company's Chief Executive Officer Oleksandr Komarov said the attack was "a result of" the war with Russia.

"War is also happening in cyberspace. Unfortunately, we have been hit as a result of this war," he told national television.

"(The attack) significantly damaged (our) infrastructure, limited access, we could not counter it at the virtual level, so we shut down Kyivstar physically to limit the enemy's access."

Komarov did not say which Russian body he believed to be responsible, but said personal data of users had not been compromised.

Russian hacktivist group Killnet claimed responsibility for the attack via a statement on the Telegram messaging app, but did not provide evidence.

A source close to Kyivstar said the Ukrainian military was not affected by the outage.

Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency told Reuters one of the possibilities it was investigating was that of a cyber-attack conducted by Russian security services.

Russia's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kyivstar, which has 24.3 million mobile subscribers, as well as more than 1.1 million home internet subscribers, said late on Tuesday that fixed-line services were partially restored and it was working to restore other services by Wednesday.

"This isn't the first attempt to breach the perimeter of the country's telecom operator, but unfortunately, this attempt has been successful," Komarov told Forbes Ukraine.

STATE ACTOR

A source close to Ukraine's cyber defence agency also said that Russia was suspected to be the source of the attack, but no specific group had been identified.

"It's definitely a state actor," said the source, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, adding that data cable interception showed "a lot of Russian controlled traffic directed at these networks".

"There's no ransom. It's all destruction. So it's not a financially motivated attack," said the source.

Komarov told Forbes Ukraine that Kyivstar's "working hypothesis" was that the goal of the attack was destruction and disruption.

"Perhaps it was aimed at disrupting the president's visit to the United States, perhaps to aggravate energy blackouts, or impact the morale of Ukrainians," he said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was in Washington on Tuesday, pleading for more U.S. military support to fight Russia.

Ukrainian officials said air raid alert systems in more than 75 settlements in Kyiv region, which surrounds the capital, were affected by the cyberattack and they would announce aerial danger through loudspeakers until repair works done.

Millions of Ukrainians depend also on phone alerts to warn them of possible Russian air attacks.

In Kyiv, some people rushed to connect to other network providers and a small queue of customers formed at a store for Vodafone, Kyivstar's largest competitor.

One man who bought a new SIM was 25-year-old PR consultant Dmytro. "My connection has completely disappeared, my internet and my satellite navigation aren't working, I can't move around the city," he said.

Kyivstar, owned by Amsterdam-listed mobile telecoms operator Veon (VON.AS), said in a statement on Facebook it was cooperating with law enforcement bodies.

Veon said it was also investigating the attack and it could not yet quantify the financial impact.

Separately, the co-founder of Monobank, a major Ukrainian payment system, said in a social media post that his company was currently suffering a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, but that everything was "under control". He subsequently said that attack had been fought off.

Representatives of PrivatBank and Oschadbank, two major Ukrainian financial institutions, told media outlet Hromadske that some of their ATMs and card terminals had been affected by the Kyivstar outage.

Ukrainian state bodies and companies have often accused Russia of orchestrating cyberattacks against them in the past.

At the war's outset, a cyberattack hit Viasat Inc (VSAT.O), disabling thousands of satellite internet modems across Europe and causing a huge loss in communications for Ukraine.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

US lawmakers demand answers on Ukraine

Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky has failed to provide any new arguments in defense of his cause during his talks in Washington with American lawmakers, several senators and representatives, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have told the media in the wake of the meeting on Tuesday.

Zelensky arrived in the capital to hold a series of meetings with top US officials to save a $61-billion aid package for Kiev that remains in limbo. Last week, GOP senators blocked the Biden administration’s major $111-billion supplemental funding request, which included aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, citing the Democrats’ reluctance to address the tense situation on the US-Mexico border.

Some Republicans have also repeatedly pointed to the lack of accountability in terms of the funds Washington had spent on helping Ukraine.

According to senior GOP senator Lindsey Graham, Tuesday’s meeting has failed to bring about any changes in the lawmakers’ stance. “Nothing has changed,” he told journalists. The South Carolina senator, who emerged as a staunch supporter of Kiev amid its conflict with Moscow, explained that, although he would like to aid Ukraine, border security comes first.

“I admire him, but he didn’t change my mind at all about what we need to do,” Graham said, referring to Zelensky and adding that the Democrats were supposedly trying to “use” the Ukrainian leader “in a way that I think wasn’t helpful.” “I want to secure the border,” the senator said, adding that the number of people supposedly linked to various terrorist groups that were crossing America’s southern border was “just chilling.”

Another Republican Senator, Missouri’s Eric Schmitt, also said that the meeting was effectively reduced to “the same old stuff.” “There’s nothing new,” he told journalists, adding that the questions for the Ukrainian president “were very scripted.”

Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who also met Zelensky on Tuesday, pointed to the fact that the White House and Kiev were asking for billions of dollars with no oversight and no clear strategy that would allow Ukraine to prevail in the ongoing conflict.

“Their responses have been insufficient,” Johnson said, referring to the Biden administration and adding that he had been requesting details on Washington’s strategy for Ukraine “over and over since literally 24 hours after I was handed the gavel as Speaker of the House.”

Lindsey Graham also told journalists that he’d told Zelensky to be thankful to the House Speaker for even being willing to place military aid for Ukraine on the agenda. “I said you need to thank Mike Johnson for being willing to pass a package if border security is in it, because half his conference probably doesn’t agree with that,” the senator said.

The US has already provided Kiev with $111 billion in military and economic assistance since military confrontation between Moscow and Kiev began in February 2022. Washington has recently warned that funds for the government of Vladimir Zelensky have almost run out.

Last week, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Kiev can’t expect additional funding until the gridlock in Congress is resolved. Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, then warned that delays in US assistance could lead to Ukraine’s defeat by Russia.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that any further assistance Washington decides to provide to Kiev is doomed to fail from the start. No amount of money can change the situation on the front lines, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Reuters/RT