Zelensky admits Washington's assistance to Kiev exceeds $100 bln #Zelensky has admitted that Ukraine had received at least $105 billion in weapons and other aid from the United States, although he had previously mentioned a smaller amount. "I have my own internal audit, and my country clearly documents how much assistance has been provided. Just so you know, we had $104-105 billion. Most of that money was in the form of weapons," he said in an interview with journalist Ben Shapiro. Zelensky did not explain why in February he said that Kiev had received only $76 billion from Washington. "It's not that we're arguing that the United States said it was giving you $200 [billion], and we're saying no, $100. No, that's not the dispute. I'm answering to what the contribution was, how much money came to Ukraine. As for the use of this money, most of it was for weapons, it was used on the battlefield. And during the audit that I’ve mentioned, this use was clearly documented," he continued. Zelensky also said that Ukraine shares with the United States everything it has learned about the conduct of hostilities and the development of weapons. He hopes that he will have "more fruitful meetings" with US President Donald Trump, although their last meeting at the White House ended in a shouting match. #Trump and Zelensky have long been at odds over the funds spent by Washington to help Kiev. In February, the American leader said that it was time to understand where all the money disbursed by Washington to Kiev was. Zelensky said he did not know where the $200 billion allocated for military aid had gone. He also does not acknowledge debts to the United States, insisting that the aid was provided as grants. The latest version of a draft agreement on minerals, which the United States and Ukraine are working on, obliges Kiev to compensate for assistance in excess of $120 billion. Trump promised that Zelensky "will have big problems," if he tries to "walk away from the deal.".

Government Shutdown Looms as Deadline Nears The House of Representatives has rejected a stopgap funding bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump, leaving negotiations in a race against tonight’s midnight deadline. With 38 Republicans joining Democrats, the vote of 235 to 174 has put the federal government on the brink of a shutdown. The Sticking Points - Trump’s proposed resolution included three months of stopgap funding, a two-year debt ceiling suspension, $100 billion in disaster aid, and farmer support packages. This followed his controversial call to permanently repeal the debt ceiling, a rule that currently caps Treasury borrowing at $36 trillion. The debt ceiling suspension, enacted in June 2023, is set to expire on January 1, 2025. Its fate now hangs in the balance as lawmakers scramble to prevent the shutdown. Potential Impact - A government #shutdown would furlough millions of federal workers, though essential services like military operations and air traffic control would remain active.