New US military aid package to Ukraine
John Kirby, Coordinator of Strategic Communications for the White House National Security Council, answered questions from reporters at the daily press briefing.
Kirby reported that US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who will visit the capital tomorrow, will discuss the new aid Ukraine will need in the coming weeks and months.
In addition, Kirby announced that the US will announce a new aid package to Ukraine tomorrow, which includes the necessary ammunition and ammunition support for systems they already have, such as HIMARS and artillery systems, and did not provide information on the details. of help. .
Kirby also referred to the meeting between Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in New Delhi. Coordinator Kirby reported that Blinken conveyed three important topics at the meeting: they do not want Russia to withdraw from the “New START” nuclear deal, Moscow’s request to release prisoner US citizen Paul Whelan, and the message that its support for Ukraine will continue. . .
“I SUPPORT THE AUTHENTICITY OF WASHINGTON DC”
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre also answered questions about the Washington DC City Council regulation that includes changes to criminal law.
Jean-Pierre said Biden will not veto a bill introduced by lawmakers in the Senate that would block changes to the Washington DC Council’s bill revising the capital’s penal code.
Emphasizing that Biden has been advocating that D.C. residents make their own decisions for decades, Jean-Pierre noted that the president’s stance on this issue hasn’t changed, but he doesn’t support a reduction in penalties for crimes like robbery. of cars. The spokesperson said that in that context, Biden prioritized public safety.
Biden also shared on Twitter on the subject, stating that he would not veto the Senate bill, saying:
“I support statehood and DC autonomy. However, I do not support some of the changes that the DC Council has brought forward over the mayor’s objections, such as lowering the penalties for vehicle theft. If the Senate wants to overturn the DC Council’s decision, I will sign it.”
In November 2022, the Washington DC Council passed a law that revised the capital’s penal code, introducing new regulations that would reduce existing penalties for certain violent crimes, such as vehicle theft. The Council, vetoed by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, approved the bill through a new vote, overcoming the mayor’s veto.
Lawmakers in Congress are preparing to introduce a bill that will prevent these changes.
It was said that Biden, who advocated for the “autonomous administration” of Washington DC and that it should be a state that makes its own decisions, could veto the aforementioned bill. But with Biden’s announcement that he will not veto the bill, federal lawmakers will have deadlocked the city legislature for the first time since 1991.
The city of Washington DC, named after the country’s founder, George Washington, has a special status. The fight for statehood in the Democratic-dominated city of 712,000 has been on the agenda of the American public for years. (AA)