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magaratimes · 2 years

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#VOA. | the army of Faso accused of having killed more than 40 civilians

Two human rights organizations denounced the “summary and extrajudicial executions” of “more than 40″ people” perpetrated in early August in Tougouri, in northern Burkina Faso, implicating, according to them, the Burkinabe armed forces, in two press releases published on Sunday. “The collective against impunity and the stigmatization of communities (CISC) has been seized since Monday, August 08…

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#Accused #Africa #Army #Burkina Faso #civilians #Faso #Human rights #killed #Recent news #VOA

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charlesray45 · 8 months

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VOA's Straight Talk Africa: US Africa Policy

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#Straight Talk Africa #US Africa Policy #voa

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zvaigzdelasas · 1 year

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[VOA is US State Media]

A report by researchers from Johns Hopkins University is giving China better than expected marks for its performance in helping to restructure the crippling debt loads carried by some African countries. The report is based on a detailed evaluation of Beijing's participation in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative, or DSSI, an international vehicle for developed nations to support struggling countries like Angola and Zambia. The DSSI was introduced in 2020 at the start of the global pandemic by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which suggested the world’s 20 largest economies, known as the G-20, temporarily halt the collection of loans from the world’s poorest nations. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and World Bank Chief David Malpass have recently accused China of being a barrier to debt relief, and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was in default-stricken Zambia last week urging the country's bilateral creditors — of which China is the biggest — to do more on restructuring Zambia’s debt. But, despite some caveats, the report released this week by Deborah Brautigam and Yufan Huang from the China Africa Research Initiative found that overall, China “fulfilled its role fairly well as a responsible G-20 stakeholder.” The analysts added that China “did implement the minimum steps of the DSSI fairly well, communicating with other players, and following through on pledges.” According to the available data, Chinese creditors accounted for 30 percent of all claims and contributed 63 percent of debt service suspensions in the countries that participated in the DSSI. “The metric by which you evaluate [China’s] performance depends on what your expectations were for the initiative,” Brautigam told VOA, noting that this was the first time the world’s second-largest economy had joined a multilateral initiative – a move one G-20 source called “miraculous.” Brautigam said it was obvious that a new architecture is needed to deal with debt relief because the current system is dominated by the Paris Club, a group of wealthy Western nations that started lending to developing countries in 1956. In recent years, there have been more major new creditors, like China and bondholders. “So what evolves out of this is really up in the air,” she said, adding that all lenders “need to be in together because otherwise you get all these suspicions, you know, worries about free riding.” Successes and failures The study concluded that China might have achieved more during the DSSI if not for fears that countries would simply take advantage of any debt relief to repay other creditors. In Zambia, for example, Chinese creditors wanted assurances their relief wouldn’t be used to pay off the bondholders, while the bondholders were concerned that any relief from their side might go toward paying off China. China was “totally justified” in its suspicions on this front, Brautigam said, because “in most countries, all of those creditors continued to be paid.” “We need something that is simultaneous - you know, they all need to be in the room together … so that we don’t have this first-mover problem,” she added. In Zambia, the Chinese decided against suspending their debt payments while the country was still paying bondholders, but this didn’t happen in Angola, China’s largest African borrower with around $20 billion in debt to Chinese entities. In that case, Chinese creditors provided 97% of the debt relief over the two-year period without asking for assurances that Angola wouldn’t continue making other repayments.

The researcher’s third African case study, Kenya, showed how China’s DSSI treatment was different from the other two. Chinese banks agreed to provide relief at first but later stopped loan disbursements and suspended only some 40 percent of the expected amount in 2021. Moving forward The study also showed how China's banks and central government, despite the country's top-down political structure, do not always act in unison. The fragmented nature of the Chinese system and bureaucratic hurdles often remain a barrier to debt relief. Being part of the DSSI helped address that because it “pushed the Chinese government to align interests among fragmented banks and bureaucracies with conflicting goals. This process, still under way, is a necessary step toward full acceptance of the necessity for debt restructuring in the post-pandemic era,” the researchers found. The DSSI ended in December 2021 and has been superseded by what’s known as the Common Framework to continue helping indebted countries like Zambia with their restructuring. In January, World Bank chief Malpass said, “China is asking lots of questions in the creditors' committees, and that causes delays, that strings out the process.” Last month, Yellen accused Beijing of leaving developing countries “trapped in debt.” China has called on the IMF and World Bank to also offer debt relief, with President Xi Jinping saying at the G-20 summit last year: “International financial institutions and commercial creditors, which are the main creditors of developing countries, should take part in the debt reduction and suspension for developing countries." The Chinese Embassy in Zambia hit back at the U.S., calling Yellen’s “debt trap” comments “irresponsible and unreasonable.” Ultimately, the study found, “the DSSI was a success in what some saw as its primary goal: to bring China into a multilateral, G20-supervised forum where Beijing has an equal voice.” It now remains to be seen how the challenges highlighted by the pandemic relief program spill over into the current debt negotiations.

6 Apr 23

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beardedmrbean · 19 days

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to negotiate on the war in Ukraine, in an interview with Chinese media.

Russia has "never refused to negotiate," Putin was quoted saying, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency. It seeks a "comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means."

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Putin is set to visit Beijing Thursday for two days at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Xi and Putin will "have a detailed discussion on the entire range of issues related to the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation and determine the new directions for further development of cooperation between Russia and China,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

They will “also have a detailed exchange of opinions on the most acute international and regional issues," it added.

Russia has intensified its attacks on the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine in the past week, forcing nearly 8,000 people to leave their homes.

China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict. But it has economically, politically and rhetorically backed Russia and refuses to condemn Moscow’s offensive.

“I don't think Xi is going to be 100% supportive of Russia's continuing hostilities,” Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, told VOA. “I think Putin knows that. So, his hand is getting weaker.”

Putin said that China understands the origins of the Ukraine crisis and has a sincere desire to stabilize the situation, according to Xinhua.

Just weeks before Russian troops invaded Ukraine in 2022, Xi and Putin signed a pledge declaring their “no-limits” bilateral partnership. Beijing has since become Moscow’s most reliable economic and diplomatic partner as Western nations have imposed strict economic sanctions in response to the invasion.

“China is becoming steadily more important” in Russia and China's relationship, Edward Lucas, senior adviser at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told VOA.

Putin’s “number one issue is help on Ukraine,” he said. “He wants diplomatic help. He wants help with breaking sanctions. He would like more weapons.”

Lucas said Xi's interest is slightly different. Xi “doesn't want Russia to lose, but he also doesn't want Russia to escalate going up the nuclear ladder,” he said.

Putin’s trip to China will be his first foreign visit since he was reelected in March for a fifth term in office. The trip is his second visit to China in six months.

He traveled to Beijing in October to attend a forum on China's “Belt and Road” initiative, a project launched by Xi a decade ago to build global infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa.

#nunyas news

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mariacallous · 8 months

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PENTAGON — All 31 U.S.-made M1A1 Abrams tanks promised to Kyiv by the Biden administration have arrived in Ukraine, according to the U.S. military.

Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, told VOA that all of the Ukrainians who trained on the tanks with U.S. forces in Germany have also returned to Ukraine, along with ammunition and spare tank parts.

“We have lived up to our end of the bargain. From this point forward, it is up to them [Ukraine] to determine when and where they will deliver this capability,” O’Donnell said.

Military officials say it could take time before the Abrams are sent to the battlefield, as Ukrainian troops make sure they have needed support elements in place and determine when and where to use the tanks for greatest effect against Russian forces.

“I think Ukraine will be deliberate in when and where they use it,” O’Donnell said. “The Abrams tank is one hell of an armored vehicle, but it’s not a silver bullet. Ultimately, it's Ukraine's determination to break through that matters most."

The first of the 31 American-made Abrams tanks were delivered to Ukraine late last month, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The delivery came faster than initial estimates and in time for potential use in the final weeks of Kyiv’s counteroffensive against Russian forces before winter sets in.

“Abrams are already in Ukraine and are preparing to reinforce our brigades,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on September 25.

The Abrams will add to other Western tanks already in Ukraine’s arsenal as it fights to reclaim Russian-held territory in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions.

The U.S. pledge to donate Abrams tanks earlier this year came alongside a pledge from European nations to deliver German-made Leopard 2 tanks, which Berlin had been unwilling to approve without a similar commitment from the United States.

The United Kingdom was the first country to agree to send Western tanks to Ukraine, pledging its Challenger 2 tanks in January of this year, which arrived in the spring.

British Major Nick Bridges told VOA shortly after the U.K announcement that Challenger 2 tanks can “take multiple hits and stay in the fight,” even as they are considered slower than the Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks.

“The battles in the Ukraine will be slow, and what you need is a heavy tank like a Challenger [2 tank] that can take a hit, and more so than a T-72 [Russian-made tank], which will probably be destroyed after one round,” he told VOA.

Russian forces hit a Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine for what appeared to be the first time last month. Video released at the time showed a badly-damaged tank ablaze, with a Western defense source confirming to news outlets that the tank was indeed a Challenger 2 tank and that all of the crew had survived the attack.

Ukraine has asked for hundreds of Western tanks for its offensive. They have received dozens to date.

Ukraine has intensified a campaign of missile and drone strikes to hit targets deep behind Russian lines, which has placed parts of the occupied Crimean Peninsula under repeated attack.

But with winter approaching, Ukrainian forces have yet to achieve a decisive breakthrough, a concern among Kyiv’s backers that has raised questions about the future of international support.

The Abrams tanks’ arrival in Ukraine comes as the United States provided up to $200 million in additional military aid for Ukraine in a package last week. The Pentagon said the package included weapons for air defense such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, artillery munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), TOW anti-tank missiles, and 155mm and 105mm rounds.

The package marked the 48th time that the U.S. has used the presidential drawdown authority to provide Ukraine’s miliary with equipment from U.S. stockpiles, and it was the first since Congress excluded new aid for Ukraine in a stopgap spending bill passed last month to prevent a government shutdown.

The U.S. has provided about $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked invasion in February 2022.

The Pentagon still has about $5 billion of congressionally approved funding for Ukrainian military aid.

Soon after the stopgap spending bill passed, the House ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position as speaker. The House has yet to vote for a new speaker, and new aid for Ukraine could hinge on who is selected.

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pndiho · 2 days

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SOUTH AFRICA HEADING CLOSER TO FORMING A NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT

South Africa is on the verge of forming a national coalition government for the first time. Partial election results indicate that the ruling African National Congress may lose its parliamentary majority after 30 years. This would require the ANC to form a coalition with other parties, marking a significant shift in the country’s post-apartheid history. VOA’s Paul Ndiho spoke with Ndumiso Cingo,…

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swldx · 26 days

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Voice of America 0345 8 May 2024

6080Khz 0329 8 MAY 2024? - VOICE OF AMERICA (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA) in ENGLISH from MOPENG HILL. SINPO = 33233. English, Daybreak Africa ends and VoA world news starts @0330z anchored by Tommy McNeil. The White House expressed hope Tuesday that Israel and Hamas could close any gaps in cease-fire negotiations, as Israel warned it could "deepen" its operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah if talks fail to secure the release of hostages. "A close assessment of the two sides' positions suggests that they should be able to close the remaining gaps, and we're going to do everything we can to support that process," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. In a world growing increasingly accustomed to wild weather swings, the last few days and weeks have seemingly taken those environmental extremes to a new level. Some climate scientists say they are hard pressed to remember when so much of the world has had its weather on overdrive at the same time. When the world is warmer, it is likely to have more extreme weather and climate events, including record heat and rainfall, scientists say. And climate change is also changing weather patterns, leading to rainy and hot systems stalling over areas and the jet stream meandering, said Alvaro Silva, a climate scientist at the World Meteorological Organization. Adult film actress Stormy Daniels came face to face with former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, graphically telling jurors at his New York trial that she had an unwanted 2006 sexual encounter with him and then was paid $130,000 to stay quiet about it ahead of Trump’s successful run for the presidency in 2016. Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands. Already in office for nearly a quarter-century and the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin, Putin’s new term doesn’t expire until 2030, when he will be constitutionally eligible to run again. India’s main opposition Congress Party has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “hate speech” following remarks at recent election rallies in which he said the rival party would favor the minority Muslim community if voted to power. Modi’s controversial comments came amid hectic campaigning by political parties as India holds phased elections that began this month and continue until June 1. Political analysts said the remarks by Modi, who is leading his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s bid to win a third term in power, are an effort to shore up support among his Hindu voter base. TikTok said on Tuesday it filed a federal lawsuit challenging a law signed by U.S. President Joe Biden that would force the sale or ban of the social media app. The company argues the bill violates First Amendment free speech protections. The law, signed by Biden in late April, gives TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, less than eight months to sell TikTok or face a ban. @0335z "International Edition" begins, anchored by male announcer. MLA 30 amplified loop (powered w/8 AA rechargeable batteries ~10.8vdc), JRC NRD-535D. 100kW, beamAz 350°, bearing 84°. Received at Plymouth, MN, United States, 14087KM from transmitter at Mopeng Hill. Local time: 2229.

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africabriefingsblog · 1 month

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Burkina Faso suspends BBC, VOA broadcasts

BURKINA Faso authorities announced late Thursday the suspension of radio broadcasts from BBC Africa and the US-funded Voice of America (VOA) for two weeks, citing their coverage of a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report alleging military atrocities. The decision has ignited controversy, prompting calls for investigations into the reported extrajudicial killings. In the HRW report, the rights watchdog…

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jovialbasementbouquetblr · 1 month

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2024: OAU Donkey Export Ban and PRC Traditional Medicine

See also the earlier March 2, 2024 VOA article also translated on this blog: Africa says No to Chinese who Fetishize Donkey-Hide and go on Mad Donkey-slaughtering Sprees 非洲对迷信阿胶、疯狂屠驴的中国人说不 The article below is from Jinri Toutiao (Today’s Headlines). Wikipedia on Jinri Toutiao which has a mix of 80% independent content creators — Super Tiny below is apparently one of them — augmented by…

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#Africa #ass-hide glue #ByteDance #Chinese #Colla Corii Asini #donkey #gelatin #incorrect #OAU #politically correct #PRC #TCM #Traditional Chinese Medicine #政治合格 #中国 #今日頭條

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magaratimes · 2 years

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#VOA. | A fourth Chadian peacekeeper killed by an explosive device in northern Mali

A fourth Chadian peacekeeper succumbed to his injuries caused by the explosion of an improvised explosive device in northern Mali, said Tuesday a spokeswoman for the UN mission in this country (Minusma). The soldiers were killed after their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) on Monday while on a clearance patrol in Tessalit, Kidal region. Two others were seriously…

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#Africa #Chadian #Device #explosive #Fourth #killed #mali #Northern #peacekeeper #Recent news #Security and conflicts #VOA

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behsarin12-blog · 2 months

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5000 Hours Project / 0050 - 0099

◼️فهرست مطالب کانال (از کد_0050 به بعد)

فهرست_مطالب

🔸0050: BBC The Documentary (Assignment: Pakistan - journalists under fire)

کد_0050

🔹0051: NewVision (A ray of hope for children battling epilepsy)

کد_0051

🔸0052: NewVision (It is not so sweat in the sugar sector)

کد_0052

🔹0053: Euronews (Insects: the food of the future?)

کد_0053

🔸0054: FAO (A new generation of Syrian agricultural entrepreneurs)

کد_0054

🔹0055: talking with painters (Francis Giacco)

کد_0055

🔸0056: RFI (Will Turkey ditch Russian missiles for US military jets?)

کد_0056

🔹0057: RFI (Turkey and Egypt turn page on decade of friction with show of friendship)

کد_0057

🔸0058: VOA learning English (level 2 - lesson 11)

کد_0058

🔹0059: VOA learning English podcast (March 02, 2024)

کد_0059

🔸0060: BBC learning English - 6 Minutes English (plastic waste eaten by enzymes)

کد_0060

🔹0061: British Council (episode 01- podcasts series 1)

کد_0061

🔸0062: Euronews Tech Talk (What do hydrogen-powered trucks and cheese have in common?)

کد_0062

🔹0063: The Guardian (The Guardian’s new podcast series about AI: Black Box - prologue)

کد_0063

🔸0064: The Guardian (How the cost of living changed the way we eat out)

کد_0064

🔹0065: The Economist / The Intelligence (The Intelligence: Yes, Trump could win again)

کد_0065

🔸0066: The Long-Short (Is India the next big play for alternative assets?)

کد_0066

🔹0067: Ninety One (India's sustainable future: Sustainability with Substance)

کد_0067

🔸0068: Foreign Policy (Can Kenya keep its pledge to end gender-based violence by 2026?)

کد_0068

🔹0069: BBC learning English - 6 Minutes English (What is the future of work?)

کد_0069

🔸0070: VOA learning English (level 2 - lesson 12)

کد_0070

🔹0071: VOA learning English podcast (March 02, 2024)

کد_0071

🔸0072: British Council (episode 02- podcasts series 1)

کد_0072

🔹0073: The New York Times (The wars in Ukraine and Gaza have changed. America's policy hasn't)

کد_0073

🔸0074: The Atlantic (The rise of Techno-Authoritarianism)

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🔹0075: VOA learning English podcast (March 04, 2024)

کد_0075

🔸0076: VOA learning English (level 2 - lesson 13)

کد_0076

🔹0077: Euronews (combatting biopiracy: Ethiopian entrepreneur revives teff farming for ancestral heritage)

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🔸0078: VOA learning English podcast (March 05, 2024)

کد_0078

🔹0079: Euronews (Ocean calls: How should the see sound?)

کد_0079

🔸0080: Goldman Sachs Exchanges (Beyond roads, bridges, and tunnels: the megatrends shaping infrastructure investments)

کد_0080

🔹0081: VOA learning English podcast (March 06, 2024)

کد_0081

🔸0082: Economics Explained (Why Africa is still poor - Exclusive interview with Daron Acemoglu)

کد_0082

🔹0083: Economics Explained (MIT study reveals why Africa is still poor)

کد_0083

🔸0084: VOA learning English (March 07, 2024)

کد_0084

🔹0085: The New York Times / The Book Reveiw (The rise and fall of the village voice)

کد_0085

🔸0086: The New Yorker / The Political Scene (Biden reveals his thoughts on the 2024 election)

کد_0086

🔹0087: The Times Of India Podcast (Is ideology dead in Indian politics?)

کد_0087

🔸0088: Economics Explained (Is Capitalism Inevitable?)

کد_0088

🔹0089: The Foreign Affairs Interview (Bonus: Who Killed the Chinese Economy?)

کد_0089

🔸0090: VOA learning English (March 08, 2024)

کد_0090

🔹0091: BBC Radio 5 / Good Bad Billionaire (Charles Koch: Dark Money’s Slick Operator)

کد_0091

🔸0092: VOA learning English (Everyday Grammar TV: Parts of Speech and Poetry, Part 1)

کد_0092

🔹0093: Financial Times (How JPMorgan thrived amid a banking crisis)

کد_0093

🔸0094: VOA (Russia, China Aim to Put a Nuclear Plant on the Moon)

کد_0094

🔹0095: The Economist (The Intelligence: Haiti’s latest nightmare)

کد_0095

🔸0096: The Economist (Money Talks: Is the West losing its sanctions war?)

کد_0096

🔹0097: VOA learning English podcast (March 09, 2024)

کد_0097

🔸0098: Foreign Policy / Ones & Tooze (The age of American gerontocracy)

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🔹0099: VOA learning English podcast (March 10, 2024)

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@FiveThousandsHoursProject

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zvaigzdelasas · 1 year

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[VOA is US State Media]

22 May 23

[CGTN is Chinese State Media]

27 May 23

#the cgtn links are also interview videos w afowerki #he speaks english

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ausetkmt · 2 months

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Voice of America - VOA News: Taps Run Dry in Africa’s Richest City

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head-post · 3 months

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US Army uses its own budget to cover training costs for Ukrainian military

Although Congress has yet to pass a defence budget, the US Army is now putting forward a bill to train Ukrainians, VOA informs.

The US military has been forced to resort to its own funding to finance US training of Ukrainian troops. The strategy could leave the Army facing a funding shortfall in Europe as the war in Ukraine enters its third year. Col. Martin O’Donnell, the public affairs director for the Army’s forces, stated:

US Army Europe and Africa [USAREUR-AF] is currently paying to fund Ukraine training ourselves.