US spends heavily on Ukraine, Mr. Trump meets Mr. Zelensky

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW-USA) said on December 8 that Russian forces have resumed direct attacks to control Pokrovsk, Ukraine’s only coke-mining town, after expanding control to the south and southeast. In addition, ISW said that Russian military commanders seem to have focused enough resources to gain control of the town of Kurakhove, in order to flatten the western frontline of the Donetsk region in the coming weeks.

From left to right: Mr. Trump, Mr. Macron and Mr. Zelensky at the Elysee Palace on December 7.

Weapons for Ukraine

On December 7, the US Department of Defense announced a new military aid package worth $988 million for Ukraine, accounting for nearly half of the $2.21 billion budget under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) of the Joe Biden administration. CBS quoted the Pentagon's statement as saying that the aid package includes drones, ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), as well as equipment and spare parts for artillery systems, tanks and armored vehicles. This package brings Washington's total military aid to Kyiv to more than $62 billion since the outbreak of hostilities in March 2022.

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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the aid package while speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California, stressing the urgency of the US and its global network of allies to continue to stand firmly behind Ukraine. He added that the US has made its choice to support Ukraine clear and has mobilized the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a network of about 50 parties, to commit to helping Kyiv. "I have convened the contact group 24 times. Other members of the group have pledged more than $57 billion in direct security assistance to Ukraine," he said.

Trump - Zelensky meeting

Hours before the Pentagon announced the aid package, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a three-way meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky and US President-elect Trump at the Elysee Palace. Zelensky later said the meeting was "good and productive" and the three sides agreed to continue working together. "Trump was as firm as ever. I thank him. We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way," Zelensky wrote on social media, adding that the two sides discussed "people, the situation on the ground and just peace ."

For his part, Mr. Trump said that Mr. Zelensky and Ukraine wanted to reach a deal and "stop the madness." "There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being wasted, too many families are being destroyed, and if this continues, it could get much bigger and worse," Mr. Trump wrote on the Truth Social network. Meanwhile, Axios cited a source as saying that Mr. Trump initially did not want to attend the meeting, but later agreed.

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According to Reuters, the media paid attention to the "fierce" handshakes between French President Macron and President-elect Trump during their first foreign trip after Trump's re-election. At the Elysee Palace, Mr. Trump pulled Mr. Macron's right hand toward him, while both leaders hugged and squeezed their hands, shaking them vigorously. When they walked up the stairs of the presidential palace and turned back to the camera, Mr. Trump placed his hand on top of Mr. Macron's hand and pressed hard when shaking hands for the second time. According to Reuters, the above development marked the return of the so-called "confrontation" before. At the NATO conference in Belgium in May 2017, Mr. Trump and Mr. Macron shook hands so hard that their fingers turned white.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-chi-manh-cho-ukraine-ong-trump-gap-ong-zelensky-185241208224008297.htm