International

The United States pledges to continue supporting Ukraine “to stop Putin’s campaign of conquest

The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, warned today that Ukraine’s survival is at stake and it cannot lose a day in its fight against Russian aggression, so both Washington and the rest of Western capitals will continue to supply Kiev with the weapons it needs to resist the “campaign of conquest” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Don’t fool ourselves, Putin will not stop in Ukraine. But as (U.S. President Joe) Biden said, Ukraine can stop Putin, if we are with Ukraine and provide him with the weapons he needs to defend himself,” said the Pentagon chief when opening a new meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine at the US air base in Ramstein, in southwest Germany.

Austin assured, sitting next to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, that “Ukraine’s survival is at stake and all our security as well.”

“So we will remain united to resist Putin’s campaign of conquest and we will continue to maintain faith in the Ukrainian people,” stressed the US Secretary of Defense, at a time when Ukrainian soldiers are accused of a serious shortage of ammunition and Russia has the initiative on the entire front.

“Now the Ukrainian troops are facing harsh conditions and hard fighting. Ukrainian civilians endure the constant bombardment of Russian missiles and Iranian drones, but Ukraine will not back down and neither will the United States,” Austin stressed, while an aid package of more than 60 billion dollars is still blocked in the House of Representatives.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

“Our message today is clear: we will not let Ukraine fail, this coalition will not let Ukraine fail and the free world will not let Ukraine fail,” he insisted.

“We remain determined to provide Ukraine with the resources it needs to resist the aggressions of the Kremlin. And the countries that are gathered here today do the same,” more than fifty, Austin said.

In this sense, he mentioned that Czech Republic recently announced the supply of 800,000 rounds of ammunition and Germany, France, Denmark and Sweden also provided important aid packages.

“These are investments in Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s aggression, but also in our common security, the security of Europe and in world security. We will all be less sure if Putin gets away with it. The Ukrainian people don’t have a day to lose and neither do we,” he emphasized.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

Related Topics:Lloyd Austin Secretary of Defense

Up Next

Biden and Trump win the primaries of their parties in Ohio, Illinois and Kansas

Don't Miss

Elon Musk could support a candidate in the final stretch of the U.S. presidential elections

20260330_renta_mh_300x250

International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.