We’re closing in on the two-year point in Vladimir Putin’s glorious 36-hour rampage to Kiev.
The big story continues to be political, though there was a military setback for Ukraine today as Avdiivka, which has been a fortified city for a decade, finally fell after five months of continuous meat attacks. The US Senate passed a standalone Ukraine aid bill that Speaker Mike Johnson declared he would not send to the floor for a vote even though it would draw a 300+ vote bipartisan majority. Why he’s refusing to allow a vote on the bill remains a matter of speculation. What we do know is that his ploy of demanding that a Ukraine aid package accompany a border security package was just that. Johnson declared the Senate’s border security bill “DOA” without allowing debate and amendment. By the same token, he has not offered a border security package of his own.
BACKGROUND
