International
Biden announces 225 million for Ukraine in a meeting with Zelenski during the NATO summit
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, announced on Thursday a new military assistance package of 225 million dollars for Ukraine during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenski, as part of the NATO summit in Washington.
“Today I am proud to announce a new set of security systems for Ukraine,” Biden and Zelenski said to the media before the meeting.
The US president explained that this is the eighth package he has authorized since Congress approved in April an aid of 61 billion dollars, which came after months of debate over the blockade of the Republicans, which caused a shortage of weapons in Ukraine.
As the Pentagon later detailed in a statement, the new military aid package includes the Patriot anti-aircraft battery that Biden already announced he would send to Ukraine two days ago, during an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Atlantic Alliance.
The shipment also contains Stinger ground-to-air missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles, both portable and widely used by Ukrainian troops, as well as different types of ammunition and equipment, among other weapons.
After Biden announced the new aid package, Zelenski expressed his gratitude, considering that it was “very strong news.”
“I am grateful to you, your team, your administration, of course, to Congress, both parties, both chambers and to all Americans for their vital and firm support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Together, we are saving lives,” said Zelenski, dressed in his characteristic military olive green clothing.
The Ukrainian president took the opportunity to mention before the cameras on Monday’s attack perpetrated by Russia against the main children’s hospital in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, which caused at least 41 civilian casualties in the deadliest air offensive in recent months.
In connection with this attack, he thanked the sending by the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy of air defense systems, including the Patriot system, thus fulfilling one of Zelenski’s main requests.
In addition to anti-aircraft systems, the planned transfer of F-16 fighters for Ukraine is underway and will conclude this summer, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced yesterday.
At this NATO summit in Washington, which commemorates the 75th anniversary of the alliance, leaders have shown their unity in the long-term defense of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, on the first day, they already pledged to send at least another 40 billion euros (about 36,922 million dollars) of military support to Kiev next year and declared their integration into the organization “irreversible”, although they avoided setting a specific date and assured that it will happen when the right conditions are met.
Zelenski assured that his country’s accession to NATO is “very close,” after members of the Atlantic Alliance considered that the incorporation of Ukraine is irreversible.
“We are very close to our goal. The next step will be the invitation (to be part of NATO) and then membership,” Zelenski said at a press conference with NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, during the Alliance Summit in Washington.
The president of Ukraine admitted that his country will hardly be able to join NATO for the duration of the war with Russia, but showed confidence that the nation will “prevail” in the face of the Russian invasion.
The leaders of the Alliance showed on Wednesday their unity in the long-term defense of Ukraine, in which they pledged at least another 40 billion euros of military support for Kiev next year and said that their integration into the organization is “irreversible”.
Stoltenberg stated that “there is no doubt that Ukraine has the right to use the weapons it has received” to attack “legitimate targets,” and asked not to forget that Russia was the one who invaded Ukraine ignoring international law.
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
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