(WASHINGTON) — The day after any State of the Union address there’s always buzz over the notable moments — and this year’s affair had plenty to spare.
Political divisiveness was the order of the day as millions of Americans saw enthusiastic Democrats quick to give President Joe Biden standing ovations, while Republicans seemed to shake their heads, heckle and jeer just as much.
But there were also displays of unity.
Here are some moments you might have missed:
Biden extends olive branch to Speaker McCarthy
As he began his remarks, Biden acknowledged the big changes that came with the 118th Congress, reaching out to shake the hand of new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“Mr. Speaker, I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you,” Biden said.
That olive branch may help temper their expected tough negotiations over raising the debt ceiling and cutting federal spending.
“To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together and find consensus in this Congress as well,” Biden said.
Harsh words but then a show of unity on Social Security
The most talked-about tense moment in the House chamber came when the president insisted “some” in the GOP wanted to cut Medicare and Social Security, although he noted he wasn’t saying the “majority” of Republicans wanted to do so.
“Some Republicans — some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I’m not saying it’s the majority. If Congress doesn’t keep the programs where they are they go well, the Republicans say I’m not saying there’s a majority of you. I don’t even think it’s even significant.”
Republicans jumped to their feet — several shouting “NO NO NO!” and Georgia firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene among those shouting, “Liar!”
McCarthy has insisted Social Security is not “on the table” in the debt ceiling standoff. But others, like GOP Sens. Rick Scott and Mike Lee — shown shaking his head during Biden’s comment — have openly suggested changing Medicare and Social Security, including privatizing it or raising the retirement age.
The angry mood changed quickly when the president used it as a political opportunity to put Republicans on the record. Most of the chamber stood when he said Medicare and Social Security should be off the table.
“Let’s all agree – and we apparently are – let’s stand up for seniors…apparently, it’s not going to be a problem.”
“Next month when I offer my fiscal plan, I ask my Republican friends to lay down their plan as well. I really mean it. Let’s sit down together and discuss our mutual plans together. Let’s do that.”
GOP jeering at the mention of border security and fentanyl
In another rancorous moment, Biden mentioned a guest in the first lady’s box: a man whose 20 year-old daughter died of a fentanyl overdose, before noting that fentanyl is killing more than 70,000 Americans a year and calling for a campaign to stop the sale and trafficking of the drug.
The mention prompted backlash from Republicans, who shouted “It’s your fault!”
Later, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., was see shaking her head when Biden renewed his call for a ban on assault weapons.
‘See you at the groundbreaking’
Biden took a subtle swipe at the Republicans who voted against the November passage of a sweeping bipartisan infrastructure package, noting that they could also be beneficiaries of the funding of more than 20,000 projects that have already begun across the nation.
“I still get asked to fund the projects in those districts, but don’t worry,” he said. “I promised I’d be a president for all Americans. We’ll fund these projects. And I’ll see you at the groundbreaking.”
Newly independent Sinema sits with Romney and Manchin
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema — the Arizona lawmaker freshly registered as an independent after leaving the Democratic Party — listened to Biden’s speech while seated among Republican colleagues, including Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Todd Young, R-Ind.; and Steve Daines, R-Mont.
Also in the group — Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin.
Biden got on Facetime with member’s children
As President Biden made his way out of the chamber, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a California Democrat, went up to Biden to have him video call with his infant son, Hodge.
Gomez later shared a screenshot from the Facetime on Twitter, writing: “FaceTimed with @POTUS. Goodnight! #HeyHodge #SOTU”
Biden also seemed to jump on a FaceTime with the family of New York Democratic Rep. Grace Meng, who posted the interaction to Twitter.
“Me: “Boys, pls pick up phone I’m gonna try to FaceTime you with the President. And please dress appropriately.”
Boys: “Do I have to change out of my pajamas?”
–ABC News’ Ben Gittleson, John Parkinson, Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott, Molly Nagle and Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and embattled Republican Rep. George Santos got into a verbal altercation at the State of the Union address Tuesday night as the New Yorker’s presence in Congress continues to rankle some of his GOP colleagues.
The incident began after Romney came across Santos while walking down the aisle of the House chamber, engaging in what appeared to be a testy exchange.
“You should be embarrassed … you shouldn’t be here,” Romney appeared to say to Santos, who was sitting off the center aisle of the chamber.
Santos could then be seen repeatedly saying “what an a——” to his seat mate, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in apparent reference to Romney.
Romney’s criticism comes as Santos has faced mounting controversy and scrutiny over a string of falsehoods and embellishments about his background as well as multiple investigations. He denies wrongdoing.
The falsehoods and exaggerations Santos has told include where he went to college, his religion, his business experience and more.
Sources previously told ABC News that federal prosecutors were looking at Santos’ financial filings, which show he became wealthy between 2020 and 2022. Complaints have been made against him to the House Ethics Committee and New York prosecutors have said they are also examining him. He told The New York Post in December that he wasn’t a “criminal” and would “be effective” in Congress.
Several other New York Republican House members have called for Santos’ resignation, and he recused himself from the two committees he was named to, though he’s said he won’t step down until he is voted out of office — or reelected.
Talking to reporters after the State of the Union address finished Tuesday, Romney explained to reporters that “I didn’t expect that he would be standing there trying to shake hands with every senator and the president of the United States.”
Given the cloud of ethical concerns, Romney said, “I think he should be sitting on the back row and staying quiet instead of parading in front of the president and the people coming into the room.”
Santos “shouldn’t be in Congress,” Romney added. “If he had any shame at all, he wouldn’t be there.”
In response to the spat, Santos tweeted that Romney would “NEVER” be president, a seeming reference to Romney’s failed 2012 presidential campaign.
Their back-and-forth was not the only time tensions flared on Tuesday, as President Joe Biden’s address was punctuated by heckles from Republicans.
Biden drew jeers when he accused conservatives of seeking to cut funds for Social Security and Medicare, an apparent referencing Sen. Rick Scott’s, R-Fla., plan to sunset all federal funding after five years and make money for the program repeatedly subject to renewal.
However, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has said such cuts are “off the table” in the future, and Biden’s remarks were met with boos and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., calling him a “liar.”
One Republican also shouted “it’s your fault” when Biden lamented the spread of fentanyl, seemingly referencing drugs crossing the southern border.
ABC News’ Justin Fishel, Benjamin Siegel and Trish Turner contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday revealed that the U.S. assesses the alleged Chinese spy balloon shot down over the weekend was part of an expansive surveillance program aimed at gathering intelligence from targets around the globe.
Speaking at a joint press conference with NATO’s top official, Blinken said the administration was already sharing what the U.S. intelligence community had uncovered with America’s allies and Congress.
“Senior administration officials are on the Hill this week, and we already shared information with dozens of countries around the world, both from Washington and from our embassies,” Blinken said. “We’re doing this because the United States was not the only target of this broader program, which has violated the sovereignty of countries across five continents.”
Meanwhile, at a Pentagon news briefing, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder disclosed that China had conducted four balloon surveillance missions over “sensitive sites” within U.S. territory during recent years, but did not disclose exactly where or when the incidents took place.
“They were over sites that would be of interest to the Chinese, but I’m not going to go into the specifics,” Ryder said.
However, a senior U.S. official told ABC Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz that previous incursions into American airspace took place over Hawaii and off the coast of the continental U.S. — specifically near Coronado, California, and Norfolk, Virginia — where two of the nation’s largest naval bases are located.
That official also advised that the U.S. had briefed India, Japan, Vietnam, and Taiwan — all of which appear to have been surveilled by Chinese balloons.
The same official also advised that Chinese balloons are believed to have transited through more than 40 countries and that the U.S. had recently briefed India, Japan, Vietnam, and Taiwan — all of which appear to have been surveilled by the aircraft.
While it’s not yet clear how much information the administration shared with allies prior to this, a State Department source said that information gathered from tracking the flight of the balloon last week gave agencies a more complete understanding of China’s surveillance operation and more confidence in their assessment.
Blinken stressed that the U.S. was still uncovering more as efforts to recover and analyze wreckage from the balloon play out.
“We are getting more information almost by the hour as we continue to work to salvage the balloon,” he said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that members of the alliance in Europe had observed “increased intelligence activities” carried out by Beijing on the continent, including the use of balloons.
“We need to be aware of the constant risk of Chinese intelligence,” he said.
A senior official told Raddatz that the surveillance balloons are operated by a unit within China’s People’s Liberation Army called “the Reconnaissance Bureau,” which is also involved in the country’s extensive satellite network.
Blinken was asked whether he believed China’s President Xi Jinping was aware of the balloon’s presence in American airspace ahead of what would have been the secretary of state’s first official visit to Beijing. The trip was indefinitely postponed in response to the incident.
“It doesn’t matter on one level which individuals may or may not have been responsible,” Blinken said. “The fact is China engaged in this irresponsible action.”
President Joe Biden said Wednesday has not spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping since the US discovered and shot down the spy balloon – dismissing the notion the situation would make the relationship worse.
Asked in an interview with Judy Woodruff of the “PBS NewsHour” whether U.S.-China relations had “taken a big hit,” Biden responded, “no.”
“I haven’t talked to him during this,” he said.
“The idea shooting down a balloon that’s gathering information over America, and that breaks — makes relations worse? Look, I made it real clear to Xi Jinping that we’re going to compete fully with China, but we’re not – we’re not looking for conflict. And that’s been the case so far,” Biden said.
ABC News’ Justin Gomez contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Residents near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line who were told to evacuate after tanker cars derailed in a fiery crash can return home after an evacuation order was lifted on Wednesday, officials said.
Air and water samples that were collected Tuesday have been deemed safe, according to officials.
Officials have urged East Palestine residents to follow a “Safe Return Traffic Plan” to ensure a seamless return to the northeastern Ohio village where the derailment occurred on Friday.
“We came together as a community and put safety first, avoiding what very well could have been a tragedy of epic proportions,” Chief Keith Drabick of the East Palestine Fire Department said at a press conference on Wednesday.
The Ohio EPA will remain involved to oversee the long-term cleanup, working with Norfolk Southern and other contractors over the next several years — aiming to ensure the air and water remain within safety thresholds.
Crews conducted a controlled release and burn of toxic chemicals from five of the derailed cars that were in danger of exploding on Monday afternoon, officials said. A large ball of fire and plume of black smoke could be seen billowing high into the sky from the smoldering derailment site in East Palestine as the controlled burn took place.
As of Monday night, a 1-mile mandatory evacuation zone had been in place around the site, according to East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway.
East Palestine is home to roughly 4,700 residents, about half of whom had been warned to leave over the weekend before officials decided on Monday to conduct the controlled release.
About 50 cars of a Norfolk Southern Railroad train, traveling from Illinois to Pennsylvania, derailed in the village on Friday night at around 9 p.m. local time. Ten of the derailed cars were transporting hazardous materials, five of which contained vinyl chloride. No injuries were reported, officials said.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, two videos show preliminary indications of mechanical issues on one of the car’s axles. The train’s emergency brake was activated after crews said an alarm went off, the NTSB said.
Efforts to contain a fire at the derailment site stalled on Saturday night, as firefighters withdrew from the blaze due to concerns about air quality and explosions.
Forced evacuations began in East Palestine on Sunday night and by Monday residents in a 1-mile by 2-mile area surrounding the site, which includes parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, were ordered to evacuate immediately.
“The vinyl chloride contents of five rail cars are currently unstable and could potentially explode, causing deadly disbursement of shrapnel and toxic fumes,” the office of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement Monday.
The controlled release and burn went “as planned,” according to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
“Thus far, no concerning readings have been detected,” Shapiro said during a press conference on Monday evening, about three hours after the procedure began. “For now, out of an abundance of caution, Pennsylvanians who live within two miles of East Palestine, where this derailment occurred, should just continue to shelter in place this evening and keep your windows and your doors closed.”
Crews monitoring air quality “have not seen anything” unexpected, according to James Justice of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“So far, so good,” Justice said at the press conference. “And we’re going to continue to monitor until the fire’s out.”
In a statement to ABC News, Norfolk Southern Railroad also called Monday’s controlled release a success and said materials were burning off according to plan.
“We have been, and will continue, monitoring air quality with the Ohio EPA,” the rail operator added. “Remediation work at the site can now safely continue.|
ABC News’ Jianna Cousin, Alexandra Faul, Matt Foster, Melissa Gaffney, Teddy Grant, Darren Reynolds and Alondra Valle contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin’s forces pulled out of key positions in November, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the southern port city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 08, 5:40 PM EST
Macron reaffirms support to Zelenskyy
French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy spoke to reporters after he arrived in France to meet with leaders.
Macron reiterated his nation’s support for Ukraine including more military aid.
“Ukraine can count on us to build peace,” he said. “We want to lead this effort alongside you, as it is the indispensable complement to the war and resistance effort you are leading with your people.”
Feb 08, 11:34 AM EST
Zelenskyy also heading to France
Following his meeting in the U.K., Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz in Paris on Wednesday, Macron’s office said.
Feb 08, 8:39 AM EST
Zelenskyy thanks UK for support in fight against ‘evil’
President Volodymyr Zelenksyy on Wednesday spoke to Parliament in London, thanking members for their support against the “evil” aggression of the Russian invasion Ukraine.
He thanked Britain for training troops “who will be then deployed to the front line — front line — skilled, eager and equipped to win.”
Feb 08, 4:03 AM EST
Zelenskyy to visit United Kingdom
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to meet with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London on Wednesday.
He’s also expected to address Parliament, “as the UK steps up its delivery of lethal aid into the country, and prepares to train fighter jet pilots and marines,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
“President Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK is a testament to his country’s courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries,” Sunak said in a statement.
Feb 07, 11:38 AM EST
Russia experiences deadliest 24 hours since war with Ukraine began, officials say
The Russian death toll has reached its highest number in a 24-hour period since the invasion of Ukraine began, according to Ukrainian military officials.
At least 1,030 Russian soldiers died overnight into Tuesday, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. About 1,900 soldiers died in a two-day period after 25 Russian tanks were destroyed, Ukrainian military officials said.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 05, 2:20 PM EST
Delays on aircraft will result in more Ukrainian deaths: Defense minister
Ukraine’s minister of defense warned his western partners Sunday that if they “procrastinate” over the supply of aircraft to Ukraine, more Ukrainians will die.
“If we will have a procrastination or reluctance with aircraft platforms, it will cost us more lives, more blood of Ukrainians,” Oleksiy Reznikov told reporters in Kyiv.
Reznikov appeared to concede that the most readily available and Ukraine’s preferred western aircraft, American F-16s, were no longer an option on the table with western partners.
He said Sweden’s Gripen fighter jets are still an option. Ukrainian officials have previously mentioned the Gripen as a possibility in conversations with ABC News about weapons supplies.
“I’m sure we will have (western) aircraft,” Reznikov said.
Reznikov also spoke of the fierce fighting being wage in the city of Bakhmut in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
Reznikov described the city as a “stronghold” which Russia has been trying to occupy for months.
Reznikov said 500 Russian soldiers a day are being injured or killed in the fight for Bukhmut and that Ukrainian casualties are significantly lower.
Any strategic decision on whether or not to withdraw, Reznikov said, would be made by Ukrainian generals and is “not a political decision.”
-ABC News Tom Soufi Burridge
Feb 05, 1:01 PM EST
Netanyahu considers sending Ukraine ‘Iron Dome’ defense system
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview Saturday that he is considering sending to Ukraine an Iron Dome defense system.
Netanyahu told French broadcasters TF1 and LCI that he is “looking into” sending Ukraine the mobile all-weather air defense system that has helped protect his country from Palestinian rockets launched from the Gaza Strip.
“I said I’m looking into it and I’m doing just that,” Netanyahu said during a visit to France.
In October, the Ukrainian government sent Israel an official request for the Iron Dome system to fend off Iranian ballistic missiles and attack drones used by Russia in Ukraine.
Netanyahu did not disclose a timeframe for when the defense system might be sent to Ukraine, saying, he is reviewing the request from Ukraine and the overall policy for supplying the system.
Feb 05, 12:19 PM EST
Fierce fighting continues in Kharkiv, Bakhmut
At least five people were injured Sunday when Russian missiles hit a residential building and a university in central Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, Ukrainian officials said.
Kharkiv Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said four people were hurt when a Russian missile landed near an apartment building in central Kharkiv, according to The Associated Press.
Syniehubov said one other person was injured in a missile strike on a building at the National Academy for Urban Economy, a university near Kharkiv’s central square.
The missile strikes prompted the evacuation of local residents, Syniehubov said.
“In short, there was a strong blast, and it was just one short moment and everything happened,” one of the evacuees, Lyudmyula Krylova, told Reuters.
Krylova said she was in the residential building near where the missile landed.
“We were saved by the furniture that fell on us, and because of this we are now alive,” said Krylova, adding that a friend was injured in the attack and taken to a hospital.
Meanwhile, fighting intensified Sunday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the private Russian military company, the Wagner Group, said in a statement posted on Telegram.
Prigozhin denied reports that Ukrainian forces were retreating from the area. He said the Ukrainian troops were fighting for “every street, every house, every stairwell.”
Feb 03, 4:58 PM EST
American volunteer medic killed in Ukraine
An American volunteer medic was killed in Ukraine on Thursday while helping civilians evacuate, according to his family and Global Outreach Doctors, the humanitarian organization he was volunteering with.
Pete Reed, 33, died after his evacuation vehicle was hit with a reported missile in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, according to Global Outreach Doctors.
“Pete was a beacon of humanitarian work — an incredible visionary, leader, compassionate care provider, and an inspiration to us all,” Global Outreach Doctors founder and president Andrew Lustig said in a statement on social media Friday. “He selflessly dedicated his life in service to others, especially those affected by disaster and war. Pete accomplished more in his 33 years than most of us in our entire lives. He leaves behind an incredible legacy.”
His family said that Reed was responding to wounded civilians when his ambulance was shelled.
“He died doing what he was great at, what gave him life, and what he loved, and apparently by saving a team member with his own body,” his family said in a statement shared to social media on Friday. “As you can imagine we are all in shock and have much to do to get him home so we ask for privacy presently.”
Reed was a former U.S. Marine who joined Global Outreach Doctors in January to serve as its Ukraine country director, Lustig said.
The State Department did not name Reed directly, in accordance with its standard privacy practices, though a spokesperson confirmed the death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine and said that officials from the department “are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance.”
Feb 03, 2:49 PM EST
US announces 1st transfer of seized assets to war effort
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced during a meeting with Ukraine’s top prosecutor on Friday that he has authorized the first transfer of forfeited Russian assets to go toward the Ukrainian war and recovery effort.
The $5.4 million was formally ordered confiscated Thursday from sanctioned Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeyev. Garland’s order will direct the money to the State Department for use in Ukraine under a new law signed by President Joe Biden late last year.
“The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable Russian oligarchs and others whose criminal acts enable the Russian government to continue its unprovoked and unjust war in Ukraine,” Garland said in his meeting with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. “And we will continue to work closely with our international partners to support investigation and prosecution of the atrocities that have occurred during this war.”
Kostin thanked Garland for authorizing the transfer, which he said showed “the responsible party pays for the devastation that it caused.”
“The reparation of tremendous human and material damage to Ukraine and Ukrainian people is an important aspect in our quest for justice,” Kostin said.
-ABC News’ Alex Mallin
Feb 03, 1:41 PM EST
US announces $2.2 billion in aid to Ukraine
The U.S. announced another $2.2 billion in security assistance for Ukraine on Friday.
The package includes “critical air defense capabilities to help Ukraine defend its people, as well as armored infantry vehicles and more equipment that Ukraine is using so effectively, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, artillery ammunition, and conventional and long-range rockets for U.S.-provided [High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems],” the Department of Defense said in a statement.
The weapons package includes precision-guided rockets, or Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs, which have a longer range than the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System missiles Ukraine currently has, though not as long as the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACM) missiles that Ukraine has requested.
The package includes the authorization of presidential drawdown from existing U.S. stocks valued at up to $425 million and $1.75 billion in Ukraine Assistance Security Initiative funds for new weapons purchases, the Department of Defense said.
–ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Feb 03, 11:55 AM EST
Zelenskyy: ‘Nobody will give away Bakhmut’
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will “fight for as long as we can” to hold on to the eastern city of Bakhmut in remarks on Friday.
“Nobody will give away Bakhmut,” Zelenskyy said during a news conference with European Union officials after a summit in Kyiv, Reuters reported. “We consider Bakhmut our fortress.”
“Ukraine would be able to hold Bakhmut and liberate occupied Donbas if it received long-range weapons,” he added.
The remarks come as Ukrainian and Russian forces remain locked in a brutal battle in and around Bakhmut.
Feb 01, 6:32 PM EST
2 civilians killed in ballistic missile strike in Kramatorsk: Zelenskyy
At least two people were killed and more injured in Kramatorsk after a Russian ballistic missile hit a residential building, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“Some people are still under the rubble. No goal other than terror,” Zelenskyy said. “The only way to stop Russian terrorism is to defeat it. By tanks. Fighter jets. Long-range missiles.”
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Feb 01, 1:51 PM EST
US issues additional sanctions against Russian military-industrial complex
The U.S. Treasury Department announced a new round of sanctions against 22 individuals and entities across various countries it alleges have aided Russia’s military-industrial complex evade other sanctions already in place. The U.S. is specifically targeting a father and son arms-dealing duo and their vast international network.
The department said these steps are part of “the U.S. strategy to methodically and intensively target sanctions evasion efforts around the globe, close down key backfilling channels, expose facilitators and enablers, and limit Russia’s access to revenue needed to wage its brutal war in Ukraine.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Jan 31, 7:31 AM EST
Human Rights Watch calls on Ukraine to investigate use of landmines in Izium
Human Rights Watch is calling on Ukraine to investigate its military’s “apparent use of thousands of rocket-fired antipersonnel landmines in and around the eastern city of Izium where Russian forces occupied the area.”
The international non-governmental organization issued a press release on Monday saying it has “documented numerous cases in which rockets carrying PFM antipersonnel mines, also called ‘butterfly mines’ or ‘petal mines,’ were fired into Russian-occupied areas near Russian military facilities.” Ukraine is a state party to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which prohibits any use of antipersonnel mines.
Human Rights Watch said it has previously documented Russian forces’ use of antipersonnel landmines in Ukraine in 2022.
“Ukrainian forces appear to have extensively scattered landmines around the Izium area, causing civilian casualties and posing an ongoing risk,” Steve Goose, arms division director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “Russian forces have repeatedly used antipersonnel mines and committed atrocities across the country, but this doesn’t justify Ukrainian use of these prohibited weapons.”
Jan 29, 7:34 PM EST
Reports of 3 dead, 6 wounded in Kherson from Russian shelling: Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the Russian shelling of Kherson in his evening address Sunday, saying there are “reports of six wounded and three dead” from the recent shelling.
“Today, the Russian army has been shelling Kherson atrociously all day. Residential buildings, various social and transport facilities, including a hospital, post office and bus station, have been damaged,” Zelenskyy said. “Two women, nurses, were wounded in the hospital. As of now, there are reports of six wounded and three dead.”
Zelenskyy spoke with the president-elect of the Czech Republic Sunday and invited him to come to Ukraine, he said.
Zelenskyy also noted the progress that was made last week in getting NATO members and allied countries to commit to sending more weapons to Ukraine, but added, “We have to make the next week no less powerful for our defense.”
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Jan 26, 1:11 PM EST
11 dead, 11 injured in missile strikes on Ukraine
Eleven people died and 11 others were injured in Russian missile strikes throughout 11 regions of Ukraine on Thursday, according to Ukrainian emergency services.
Two fires broke out and 35 buildings were damaged in the strike.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jan 26, 11:17 AM EST
US designates Russia’s Wagner Group as ‘transnational criminal organization’
The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against a number of individuals and entities associated with the Wager Group in Russia and across the world in an effort to “degrade the Russian Federation’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine,” the department said in a statement.
The U.S. designated Russia’s Wagner Group a “transnational criminal organization,” not just for the alleged atrocities it has committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but also for its alleged human rights abuses in African countries like the Central African Republic.
The U.S. believes the Wagner Group has 50,000 people fighting in Ukraine, including 40,000 convicts, according to the White House. The group’s leader is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ally Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who was already facing several U.S. sanctions.
Last week, the White House first announced the U.S. would take this step.
Jan 26, 5:21 AM EST
One dead in Kyiv in Russian missile strike
At least 15 missiles fired at Kyiv on Thursday were shot down, officials said.
One person was killed and two were wounded after part of a missile fell in the Holosiivskyi District of Kyiv, Mayor Vitaliy Klychko said. The missile hit a residential building, he said.
Air raid sirens began sounding just before sunrise in the capital. Some residents fled to shelters, including Kyiv’s metro stations.
A missile also struck Vinnytsia, the local governor said. No casualties were immediately reported there.
Jan 26, 2:00 AM EST
Air raid sirens sound in Kyiv
Air raid sirens went off across Ukraine as Russia launched multiple missiles from the east and south. Some were shot down, according to Andriy Yermak, head of the president’s office.
Airborne forces last night shot down all 24 unmanned aerial vehicles launched by Russia. At least 15 of those were shot down in or around Kyiv, according to the local authorities. No casualties or impacts were reported.
Jan 25, 6:31 AM EST
Germany to deliver tanks to Ukraine, in major step for allies’ support
German officials said on Wednesday they plan to deliver 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
“This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement. “We are acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally.”
Officials said the decision was the result of intensive consultations that took place with Germany’s closest European and international partners. Other European allies also plan to send tanks, German officials said.
Ukrainian troops will be trained on the tanks in Germany, officials said in a statement. Germany also planned to send ammunition and provide system maintenance.
Jan 24, 2:53 PM EST
US considering sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine: Officials
The Biden administration is leaning toward sending M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, U.S. officials have confirmed to ABC News.
The U.S. could commit to sending between 30 to 50 tanks to Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
It could take more than a year for the new tanks to be fielded, officials said.
While President Joe Biden has not made a final decision, the transfer of Abrams would presumably enable Germany to authorize the transfer of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. This could then allow the 12 NATO countries that have Leopard 2 tanks to transfer them to Ukraine.
The decision could be announced as early as this week, officials said.
Jan 23, 5:11 PM EST
Zelenskyy issues new rule barring officials from personal travel out of country
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a new policy that forbids Ukrainian officials from leaving the country for non-governmental purposes.
“Officials will no longer be able to travel abroad for vacation or for any other non-governmental purpose,” Zelesnkyy said in his evening address Monday. “Within five days, the Cabinet of Ministers is to develop a border-crossing procedure for officials so that only a real working trip can be the reason for border crossing.”
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Jan 19, 7:06 PM EST
CIA director held secret meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv: US Official
CIA Director William J. Burns traveled to Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian intelligence officials last week, a U.S. official told ABC News.
The director “reinforced our continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression,” according to the official.
The Washington Post first reported the meeting earlier Thursday.
-ABC News’ Cindy Smith
Jan 19, 6:13 PM EST
Pentagon announces $2.5B more aid for Ukraine
The Pentagon announced Thursday evening that it will provide Ukraine with $2.5 billion in additional aid for its efforts fighting Russian forces.
This is the 13th drawdown of equipment from the Department of Defense’s inventories for Ukraine since August 2021, the agency said.
The package includes several weapons and equipment such as 59 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers, the DoD said.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jan 19, 4:34 PM EST
UN nuclear watchdog chief ‘worried’ about a disaster in Ukraine
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog group said Thursday that he is worried the world is becoming complacent about the “very precarious” situation posed by the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine.
Russian forces seized the plant, Europe’s largest, in March 2022 and it has repeatedly come under fire in recent months, raising fears of a nuclear disaster. Rafael Grossi, director general of the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is working to set up a safe zone around the facility.
“I think the situation is very precarious,” Grossi told reporters in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. “I worry that this is becoming routine, that people may believe that nothing has happened so far, so is the director general of the IAEA crying wolf?”
Grossi said two major explosions occurred near the plant on Thursday, adding to the alarming situation.
“We know every day that a nuclear accident or an accident having serious radiological consequences may take place,” said Grossi before travelling to Moscow for talks with Russian officials.
Jan 19, 1:53 PM EST
Zelenskyy calls for new sanctions against Russia’s nuclear industry
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday pleaded with leaders of the European Union to pursue new sanctions against Russia’s nuclear industry and energy carriers.
During a joint news conference in Kyiv with European Council President Charles Michel, Zelenskyy said he believes a tenth package of sanctions “could be even more effective” than the previous ones.
“The time has come, in particular, for sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry, against all its branches, organizations and all entities that work for the Russian missile program,” Zelenskyy said.
He also expressed his frustration over Germany’s hesitation to send Leopard tanks Ukraine.
“The issue of tanks remains relevant and very sensitive,” Zelenskyy said. “It depends on many reasons and, unfortunately, does not depend on the will of Ukraine. We create pressure as hard as we can politically, but the essential thing is that our pressure is well-reasoned.”
Zelenskyy added, “Against thousands of tanks of the Russian Federation, as I told our colleagues, only the courage of our military and the motivation of the Ukrainian people are not enough.”
Since the United Kingdom announced last week it will send Challenger 2 tanks to Russia, the German government has faced mounting pressure to follow suit, or at least allow NATO allies such as Poland to supply Ukraine with German-made Leopard tanks.
“The delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine is still a matter of dispute in the Bundestag (national parliament),” according to a statement released Thursday by the German government, which added that the issue is still the subject of “heated debate.”
Jan 18, 6:10 PM EST
Close to 100 Stryker armored vehicles part of next aid package: US official
A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News that the upcoming aid package to Ukraine will include close to 100 Stryker Armored Vehicles and additional Bradley fighting vehicles.
The Stryker is a wheeled armored vehicles that can carry as many as 11 soldiers inside and is equipped with a 30mm gun and or machine gun that are remotely fired from inside the vehicle. It’s fast moving and can be used on roads or off roads, though the off road option is better handled by the tracked Bradley fighting vehicles.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jan 18, 5:49 PM EST
Zelenskyy provides update on helicopter crash
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy provided an update on the helicopter crash near Kyiv near a kindergarten.
Zelenskyy said 14 people were killed in total including Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrski and one child.
Twenty-five people were injured, including 11 kids, the president added.
“Hundreds of people were involved in extinguishing the fire, searching and rescuing the injured, carrying out the initial investigative actions,” Zelenskyy said.
The president praised the efforts of kindergarten teachers who rushed in to help.
“Thank you for your bold actions, for taking the children out,” he said.
Zelenskyy said the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be temporarily led by the head of the National Police of Ukraine.
“The tasks for which the Minister was responsible in the context of our defense operation and ensuring the security of the state have also been distributed,” he said.
The cause of the helicopter crash is still under investigation.
-ABC News’ Wil Gretsky
Jan 18, 12:38 PM EST
Putin prepared for long war, Nato says
Russia is preparing for an extended war so NATO must get ready “for the long haul” and support Ukraine for as long as it takes, the alliance’s Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana told top European military chiefs Wednesday.
NATO nations must invest more in defense, ramp up military industrial manufacturing and harness new technologies to prepare for future wars, Geoana said, speaking at the opening of the military chiefs’ meeting in Brussels.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jan 18, 9:40 AM EST
Sixteen people dead in helicopter crash, including three children
Sixteen people, including Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, died in a helicopter crash near Kyiv, according to national police, the deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office and Ukraine’s security service.
Monastyrsky is considered the most senior government official to die since the war started 11 months ago.
Jan 18, 3:57 AM EST
Helicopter crash near Kyiv kills interior minister
Ukrainian officials were killed on Wednesday morning in a helicopter crash near Kyiv.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, deputy Evgeniy Yenin and the state secretary of the interior ministry, Yuriy Lunkovych, died when a helicopter crashed in Brovary, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv, chief of the national police Igor Klymenko said on Facebook.
The emergency services helicopter crashed near a kindergarten in a residential area, according to officials.
According to the interior ministry, at least 18 people died, including three children. Another 22 people, including 10 children, were wounded, officials said.
The cause of the crash is unclear for now.
Jan 17, 5:06 PM EST
Zelenskyy confirms Netherlands sending Patriot Missile System
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the Netherlands will provide Ukrainian forces a Patriot Missile System.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces will now have three guaranteed Patriot batteries.
-ABC News Will Gretsky
Jan 17, 3:34 PM EST
White House condemns Dnipro attack
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre talked about the latest developments in Ukraine and slammed Russia over its missile strike on the apartment building in Dnipro.
“This weekend’s strikes are another example, as you’ve heard us say, of the brutal and barbaric war that Russia is waging against the Ukrainian people,” she told reporters during a White House press briefing.
“And we have seen this over and over again,” she added.
Jean-Pierre also praised the UK’s announcement Monday that it plans to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
The press secretary didn’t say whether the U.S. would provide tanks to Ukraine or if Biden would pressure other countries to do so.
She noted that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was going to host another multinational meeting on Friday of the “Ukraine Contact Group” — a gathering of defense ministers to discuss security assistance to Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Jan 17, 12:39 PM EST
Death toll from Dnipro missile attack rises to 45: Mayor
The death toll from Saturday’s missile attack on an apartment building in Dnipro has risen to 45, including six children, according to Borys Filatov, the city’s mayor.
The search and rescue operations have ended, according to the emergency services.
In addition to the fatalities, there were 79 people wounded, including 16 children, according to emergency services.
Thirty-nine people were rescued from the rubble, including six children, emergency services said.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Jan 16, 4:56 PM EST
Ukrainian soldiers arrive in US for Patriot missile training
Ukrainian soldiers arrived in the United States on Sunday to begin training on the Patriot air defense missile system at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, a U.S. military official said.
The training at Fort Sill is expected to last several months, and then switch briefly to Europe, officials said.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jan 16, 4:33 PM EST
39 people, including 6 children, rescued from rubble in Dnipro
Emergency crews have rescued 39 people, including six children, who were buried under the rubble caused by a missile strike on a high-rise apartment complex in Dnipro over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his Monday evening address.
The death toll remains at 40, including three children, he said.
The Kremlin denied being responsible for the attack, saying Russia doesn’t strike residential areas and claiming the destruction was a result of Ukrainian air defense.
“The debris of the house destroyed by the Russian missile is still being dismantled in Dnipro,” Zelenskyy said. “I thank everyone who is carrying out this rescue operation. Every employee of the State Emergency Service and police, every doctor, every volunteer. Everyone who is involved.”
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Jan 16, 4:09 PM EST
Civilian survivors speak out after missile strike in Dnipro
Emergency workers were still looking for survivors Monday following a strike on a high-rise apartment building on Saturday in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
The death toll rose to 40 dead, including three children, making it the deadliest strike on a residential area in Ukraine in the last three months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack “Russian terror,” saying Ukraine was “fighting for every person, every life” under in rubble in Dnipro and would “find everyone involved in this terror.”
The attack on an apartment building destroyed 72 units and wounded 75 residents.
Rescuers have been using cranes to remove chunk after chunk of rubble, looking for survivors.
One of the survivors, Yevgeni, told ABC News that he was in his bed when the missile struck his apartment.
“I can’t understand. I didn’t hear any bang, any voice, any sound of the missile,” said Yevgeni, adding that he suffered a head injury and that his broken window frame fell on him.
He described seeing smoke and “a lot of dust” at the scene. He said “the most scary thing (was hearing) the voices of people screaming.”
Local resident Natali Nodykova told ABC News that a friend called her to tell her there was a bombing in her neighborhood.
“My son was alone at home and of course I was afraid,” Nodykova said.
Emergency workers rescued 39 people, Ukrainian officials said. Twelve people remained unaccounted for Monday.
The attack was caused by a Soviet-made Kh-22, a long-range missile used to take down aircraft carriers, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
The massive 13,000-pound missile causes huge amounts of casualties when used in civilian areas.
The Kremlin denied the attack, saying Russia doesn’t strike residential areas and claiming the destruction was a result of Ukrainian air defense.
The same type of weapon had been used in a previous attack on a shopping mall in the town of Kremenchuk back in July that killed 22 people, according to Ukrainian authorities.
-ABC News’ Ibtissem Guenfoud, Bruno Roeber, Oleksii Pshemyskiy, Matt Gutman and Max Uzol
Jan 16, 10:24 AM EST
Three children among 40 killed in Dnipro missile strike
The death toll climbed to 40 on Monday from a weekend missile strike on a high-rise apartment complex in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, according to Ukrainian officials.
At least three children were among those killed, officials said. Another 70 people were injured.
The death toll is expected to rise as 30 people remain unaccounted for, officials said.
On Saturday, a missile slammed into a block of high-rise apartment buildings in the central Dnipro. While Ukrainian officials blamed Russia for the strike, one of the deadliest attacks since the war began, the Kremlin denied Russia was involved.
“The Russian armed forces do not strike residential buildings or social infrastructure, they strike military targets,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday.
Jan 15, 3:40 PM EST
Survivor pulled from rubble in Dnipro as death toll rises
The death toll from a Russian missile strike on a block of high-rise apartment buildings in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro rose to 29 on Sunday.
Amidst the devastation, rescuers pulled one woman alive from the rubble on Sunday and officials said she was saved by a cocoon of concrete that surrounded her.
The survivor was rescued from a block of apartment buildings hit by a Russian missile on Saturday in the city about 500 miles southeast of the capital of Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a child was among those killed in the Dnipro missile attack.
Despite Sunday’s rescue, emergency workers said the hope of finding more survivors is fading.
The rocket attack reduced part of a high-rise apartment building to a pile of rubble that was still smoldering on Sunday. Noxious fumes from burning couches, curtains and TVs emanated from the pile as firefighters sprayed water hoses on it and rescue workers dug through the debris with their bare hands, an ABC News crew in Dnipro reported.
In addition to the now 29 killed in the attack, more than 70 people were injured, Ukrainian officials said. The strike left hundreds of apartments uninhabitable, officials said.
Emergency crews brought in cranes Sunday to help move large pieces of debris.
As the rescue operation went on Sunday, periodic moments of silence were called for so rescuers could listen for cries for help from people feared missing in the rubble.
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman
Jan 14, 11:07 AM EST
5 killed, dozens hurt in attack in Dnipro
Five people were killed and at least 27 were wounded in a Russian attack in Dnipro in central Ukraine, according to the governor.
An apartment block was struck and at least two children are among the injured, according to the deputy head of the president’s office.
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd
Jan 14, 9:27 AM EST
Kyiv under Russian missile attack Saturday morning
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said explosions occurred in different districts on both banks in the city on Saturday morning and, in one of the districts, fire broke out in a non-residential area.
There were no casualties as a result of the attack that happened at approximately 6 a.m. but 18 residential houses were damaged in the region, according to the governor Oleksiy Kuleba.
The spokesman for the Ukrainian Airborne Forces, Yuri Ignat, told ABC News that Ukrainian authorities think it could have possibly been a ballistic attack by Russia but could not confirm this.
“Most likely, these are missiles that flew along a ballistic trajectory from the north. Ballistics are not available for us to detect and shoot down,” Ignat said on Ukrainian television.
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd
Jan 13, 4:02 PM EST
Russian forces claim to have taken Soledar
Russian military leaders claim their forces took over the salt-mining town of Soledar.
Video showed Russian soldiers evacuating civilians from Soledar and nearby villages to the city of Shakhtarsk as fighting took place on the outskirts on Friday.
Serhiy Cherevaty, the Ukrainian commander of the Eastern Group of Forces, however, confirmed that fighting was going on in the region but contested Russia’s claims about the status of the city in a statement to ABC News.
“We have a clear understanding of who controls which streets in the city, but I cannot reveal those details,” he told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Patrick Reevell
Jan 12, 1:51 PM EST
Pressure mounts on NATO countries to send tanks to Ukraine
Pressure is mounting for key NATO allies to send tanks to Ukraine.
After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda said his country plans to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine but only as part of an “international coalition.”
“They will be provided within the coalition, because you know that it is necessary to obtain certain official consents. But first we need to build an international coalition and we have decided to form this international coalition,” Duda said.
Duda “expressed hope” other NATO countries would provide Ukraine with tanks as well.
The United Kingdom has not made a final decision on whether to send tanks to Ukraine, according to the spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The United Kingdom is considering supplying Ukraine with the British Army’s Challenger 2 main battle tank, according to British media reports.
Germany is also facing pressure from Ukraine and other NATO allies to send tanks to Ukraine. So far, they have not committed to sending any tanks to the country and neither has the United States.
Germany and the United States have both agreed to supply Ukraine with armored carriers and the Patriot air defense system.
Jan 12, 12:52 PM EST
Russians, Ukrainians give conflicting views in the battle for Soledar
Russian and Ukrainian officials offered conflicting views Thursday on the battle being waged over the eastern Ukraine city of Soledar.
Both sides described their forces as making progress in the fight for the salt mining town in the Donbas region.
“Our defenders continue to hold their positions on the most difficult frontlines and in the battle for (the) Donbas,” said Hanna Maliar, the Ukrainian deputy of defense. “Today, fierce and heavy battles continue in the direction of Bakhmut, in the area of Soledar city.”
Despite the “difficult situation,” Ukrainian soldiers are desperately battling for control of Soledar, Maliar said.
“The enemy is suffering heavy losses, unsuccessfully trying to break through our defenses and capture Soledar,” Maliar said. “Today, the city’s approaches are literally littered with the bodies of Putin’s destroyed troops. Nevertheless, they move over the bodies of their fallen fighters. Our defenders show maximum resilience and heroism.”
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Russian forces and mercenaries from the Wagner private military company are doing a “truly colossal job” in Soledar.
“These are absolutely selfless, heroic deeds,” Peskov told journalists on Thursday.
Peskov said the hostilities in the region will continue.
“There is still a lot of work to be done. No time to stop, no time to rub our hands and so on. The main work is yet to come,” Peskov said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that Russia’s airborne units had blocked Soledar from the north and the south and assault teams were fighting within the town limits.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops are holding onto Soledar.
“The terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to pretend” to have achieved some successes in Soledar, Zelenskyy said. “But the fighting continues.”
Jan 11, 4:51 PM EST
Russian shake-up as military chief in Ukraine replaced
Russia has replaced the military chief in charge in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
Army Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, will replace Sergei Surovikin, who has been commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine for the past three months. Surovikin will become one of Gerasimov’s deputies, according to Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s minister of defense, who made the new appointments.
The changes come as the progress of the Russian forces in Ukraine continues to stall.
“The increase in the level of leadership of the special operation is linked to the expansion of the scale of the tasks at hand and the need to organize closer interaction between troops,” Shoigu said.
Jan 11, 12:17 PM EST
Ukrainians deny reports the city of Soledar on verge of falling to Russia
Ukrainian officials on Wednesday denied reports that the eastern Ukrainian city of Soledar is on the verge of being captured by Russian forces and claimed the battle for the city is ongoing.
The report contradicts British intelligence officials who on Tuesday said it appeared that Russian troops were close to capturing a salt mining town in an apparent attempt to cut off the enemy’s supply routes. The British officials said Russian forces, along with mercenaries from the Wagner private military company, were likely in control of the city of Soledar, which is about six miles north of Bakhmut in the Donbas region, where heavy fighting has been reported in recent days.
The head of the Wagner group also released a statement on Telegram Tuesday, saying his mercenaries were in control of Soledar.
But Ukrainian officials said Wednesday the city has not fallen into the hands of Russian forces and the Russian mercenary group.
“Russians say that it is under their control; it is not true,” said Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian eastern military command.
The Russian attack on Soledar is an apparent attempt to bypass Bakhmut from the north and disrupt Ukrainian supply routes, the British intelligence officials said. Part of the fighting is being waged near the entrances to the 124 miles of abandoned salt mine tunnels that run under the area.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the fighting in Soledar as “very difficult.”
Jan 10, 4:09 PM EST
Russia not ready to launch new offensive from Belarus: Ukrainian officials
Senior Ukrainian officials said Tuesday that they believe any prospect of Russia launching a new offensive toward Kyiv from Belarus is “not likely at this moment.”
The latest statement from Ukrainian officials contrasted with a series of interviews they gave last month in which they suggested Russia could mount an offensive early this year and even try to take Kyiv.
“Our assessment is that the Russians aren’t in a position to make an advance on Kyiv from Belarus. And if that were their intention, it wouldn’t happen for some time,” a senior Ukrainian official said Tuesday.
The Ukrainian officials added that the mere threat of an assault from Belarus means that Ukrainian forces are “fixed” along the Ukraine-Belarus border.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Jan 10, 2:15 PM EST
Ukrainians set to begin Patriot air defense training in Oklahoma
As many as 100 Ukrainians troops will soon begin training on the Patriot air defense system at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, two U.S. officials told ABC News Tuesday.
Fort Sill is the main artillery school for the U.S. Army and where months-long training on Patriot systems already takes place.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, said the Ukrainians could begin training on the Patriot system as soon as next week.
“The training will prepare approximately 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers to operate, maintain and sustain the defensive system over a training course expected to last several months,” Ryder said.
Once deployed, the Patriot batteries will fortify Ukraine’s air defense capabilities and provide an additional way for the “Ukrainian people to defend themselves against Russia’s ongoing aerial assaults,” Ryder said.
Ryder would not give a precise time frame, but said that once the training is completed, the system will be sent to Ukraine to be put to use.
President Joe Biden announced last month that the United States will provide Ukraine with a Patriot missile defense system. The German government also agreed this month to supply Ukraine with a second Patriot missile battery.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
Jan 10, 1:30 PM EST
Russians on verge of overtaking eastern Ukrainian city
Russian troops were on the verge Tuesday of capturing a salt mining town in eastern Ukraine in an apparent attempt to cut off the enemy’s supply routes, according to British intelligence officials.
The Russian forces, along with mercenaries from the Wagner private military company, were likely in control of the city of Soledar, which is about six miles north of Bakhmut in the Donbas region, where heavy fighting has been reported in recent days, the British officials said.
The attack on Soledar is an apparent attempt to bypass Bakhmut from the north and disrupt Ukrainian supply routes, the British intelligence officials said. Part of the fighting is being waged near the entrances to the 124 miles of abandoned salt mine tunnels that run under the area.
Despite the increased pressure on Bakhmut, Russia is unlikely to be able to encircle the city in the near future because Ukrainian forces have created a stable line of defense and control supply routes in the area, the British officials said.
The Ukrainian Army said Russian troops carried out 86 artillery strikes on Soledar in a 24-hour period, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the fighting there as “very difficult.”
(AUSTIN, Texas) — Texas is suing the Biden administration and asking a judge to block a rule requiring pharmacies to fill prescriptions for abortion pills.
The Department of Health and Human Services issued guidance in mid-July — just three-and-a-half weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — to 60,000 retail pharmacies across the country.
Under the guidance, the federal agency reminded them that if they refused to supply abortion-inducing prescriptions, they could be violating federal law.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday against the HHS by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Western District of Texas Midland Division.
In the lawsuit, Paxton claims the Supreme’s Court decision over the summer shows that states can implement their own laws when it comes to governing abortion and that the federal government does not have any right to intervene.
Pharmacies that dispense abortion pills in states where abortion is severely restricted could be violating state law, Paxton claims.
“The Biden Administration knows that it has no legal authority to institute this radical abortion agenda, so now it’s trying to intimidate every pharmacy in America by threatening to withhold federal funds,” Paxton said in a statement. “It’s not going to work.”
The statement continued,” Texas and several other states across the country have dutifully passed laws to protect the unborn, and we are not going to back down just because unelected bureaucrats in Washington want to create illegal, extremist federal policies.”
HHS did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed Americans to order mifepristone, an abortion drug, through mail-order pharmacies or at retail chains such as CVS or Walgreens provided it’s under a certified prescriber or a certified pharmacy.
Both chains said they were asking for FDA certification to be able mail abortion pills.
However, a group of 20 state attorneys general — led by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey — wrote a letter to CVS and Walgreens warning that dispensing abortion pills by mail could be illegal.
“Federal law expressly prohibits using the mail to send or receive any drug that will ‘be used or applied for producing abortion’,” Bailey wrote. “The text could not be clearer: ‘every article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion…shall not be conveyed in the mails.’ And anyone who ‘knowingly takes any such thing from the mails for the purpose of circulating’ is guilty of a federal crime.”
The Texas lawsuit comes just days before a ruling is expected to come from a federal judge in the Lone Star State on abortion medication.
A lawsuit was filed in November by a conservative legal group asking that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone be revoked and that the drug be pulled from the market, claiming that the drug harms patients.
If the Texas judge rules in favor of the plaintiffs, there would be a nationwide injunction on mifepristone, affecting even states where the procedure is legal.
(DEFOREST, Wis.) — Embracing good reviews of his State of the Union performance Tuesday night, President Joe Biden on Wednesday revisited some of his key themes, making his case to “finish the job” on the road in Wisconsin, a 2024 election battleground state.
While Republican leaders on Wednesday defended their members heckling him Tuesday night, arguing he was lying when he said “some Republicans” want to cut Social Security and Medicare, Biden brought receipts out to prove his point.
“We had a spirited debate last night with my Republican friends,” Biden said at a union training center in DeForest. “Our Republican friends, they seemed shocked when I raised the plans of some of the members of their caucus to cut Social Security — and Marjorie Taylor Greene and others stood up and said, ‘Liar, liar.'”
Biden said Tuesday night that he was “politely not naming them,” but on Wednesday, he showed the crowd proposals and repeated comments from Republican Sens. Rick Scott, Ron Johnson and Mike Lee — calling them out by name.
“I remind you that Rick Scott from Florida, the guy who ran the U.S. Senate campaign, has a plan — I got his brochure right here,” Biden said, holding up Scott’s brochure. “Here’s what he says in his plan … He says ‘All federal legislation sunsets every five years. If a law is worth keeping Congress can pass it again.'”
“And by the way, you have senator named Ron Johnson … Ron Johnson on Social Security and Medicare, quote, ‘We should transfer everything. So, we have to consider everything every year,'” Biden continued. “Come on, man.”
Biden also raised a video from 2010, circulating on social media, in which he said Lee floats cuts to the programs. The White House also tweeted a link to a Newsweek article earlier in the day highlighting the video of Lee.
“They played last night, something I didn’t even know existed,” Biden said. “A video of him saying, ‘I’m here right now to tell you one thing you’ve probably never heard from a politician: It’ll be my objective to phase out Social Security. Pull up by its roots. Get rid of it… Then he adds — I’m quoting this now, ‘Medicare and Medicaid are the same sort. They need to be pulled up.'”
“Sounds pretty clear to me. How about you?” Biden told the audience. “But they sure didn’t like me calling ’em on it.”
“Look, a lot of Republicans, their dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare. Well, let me just say this …. My veto pen [will] make it a nightmare,” he told the union crowd.
Biden ultimately spun the contentious moment in the House chamber as “good news.”
“I found it interesting that when I called them out on it last night, it sounded like they agreed to take these cuts off the table,” Biden said with confidence. “I sure hope that’s true. I’ll believe it when I see it and their budget’s laid down with the cuts they’re proposing, but it looks like we negotiated a deal last night on the floor of the House of Representatives.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy again on Wednesday hotly insisted he’s told Biden Social Security and Medicare are “off the table” in negotiating the standoff over raising the debt ceiling, despite the GOP demanding spending cuts. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has previously said Scott’s proposal is not part of the GOP’s agenda, calling it a “non-starter.”
Scott defended his proposal Wednesday, tweeting Biden was “twisting his words.”
Many of the themes of Biden’s speech Wednesday, as he appears to lay the groundwork for a reelection campaign, echoed those in his State of the Union address, including saying he wants to keep working across the aisle on bipartisan legislation.
“If we could work together last Congress, there’s no reason we can’t get things done as well this Congress, and I mean that,” Biden said.
ABC News’ Justin Gomez contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The most dramatic moment of Tuesday’s State of the Union address came when several Republicans audibly booed President Joe Biden, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene even shouting he’s a “liar.”
The cause of their anger: what he claims “some Republicans” want to do to Social Security.
Biden accused some in the GOP of wanting to make changes to the entitlement program, which 65 million Americans currently rely on, including putting the money spent to a vote.
Given how politically sensitive the subject is, the Republican pushback was swift, and Biden quickly turned the tables.
“So, folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right? They’re not to be touched?” Biden shot back. “All right. All right. We got unanimity.”
The back-and-forth represented a debate Democrats and Republicans have been engaged in for months over Social Security, especially when it comes to government spending and the debt ceiling. Republicans have demanded spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling and avoiding default, but the party has not laid out exactly what cuts it wants.
Here’s what Tuesday night’s fight is all about:
What proposal was Biden referencing?
While Biden said in his speech he was “politely not naming” any one lawmaker, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida last year proposed “sunsetting” all federal programs every five years, unless Congress votes to renew them. Social Security would theoretically fall under that broad umbrella.
“Anybody who doubts it, contact my office. I’ll give you a copy. I’ll give you a copy of the proposal,” Biden said to counter the shouts of “liar.”
Richard Johnson, a senior fellow and director of the retirement policy program at liberal-leaning Urban Institute, said it’s hard to imagine Scott’s proposal would be “workable.”
“It would certainly undermine confidence in the program,” Johnson told ABC News. “It would really create a lot of uncertainty about people’s retirement benefits in the future.”
Do Republicans support Scott’s plan?
The proposal wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was quick to call Scott’s plan a “nonstarter” after it was released.
“We will not have as part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half of the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years,” he said at the time.
Scott defended his proposal on Wednesday, stating he doesn’t want cuts to Social Security and that he “will not be silenced by the Washington establishment.”
What have Republicans said about Social Security?
Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, said while Democrats have been consistent in their views against cuts to Social Security, Republicans’ positions are a bit murkier.
“That’s simply because they’re not speaking with one voice, and there’s different views among Republicans both on the policy they would want and the strategy they would advocate to get to that policy,” Biggs told ABC News.
Along with Scott’s plan, Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson had suggested making the program’s funding discretionary rather than mandatory and up for approval every year. Johnson said the intent is to better track Social Security funding, but experts have worried it could subject the program to protracted budget battles.
The Republican Study Committee, which represents the largest group of House Republicans, previously called for raising the age for Social Security to 70 for younger workers and trimming auxiliary benefits for high-income earners in order to cut costs.
When the debt ceiling issue began, some Republicans seeking spending cuts proposed thinking about how Social Security — which accounted for nearly 20% of federal spending, or $1.22 trillion, last fiscal year — could be altered.
Where does Social Security stand in the debt ceiling debate?
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, before Republicans won back control of the House, raised eyebrows when he told Punchbowl News in October he wouldn’t “predetermine” whether reforming the entitlement program would be part of the negotiations.
But McCarthy’s since said cuts to Social Security and Medicare won’t be part of GOP demands in the debt ceiling talks.
“Cuts to Medicare and Social Security, they’re off the table,” he told reporters on the eve of Biden’s State of the Union address.
What about the problems facing Social Security?
As the back-and-forth between Democrats and Republicans continues, Congress will eventually need to act on Social Security as it faces a long-term funding shortfall.
With more retirees taking out the system than there are workers putting into it, the Social Security trust fund has estimated that by 2034 it would be able to cover only 77% of scheduled benefits. They’ve asked Congress to address the issue before it gets to that point.
Possible solutions include raising the full retirement age, increasing the payroll tax, reducing benefits for higher earners and more. In contrast to GOP proposals, Democrats have so far generally coalesced around Social Security tax increases for the wealthy, while significantly increasing benefits.
“Congress has been a poor steward of this program, in the sense that they simply delayed acting on the solvency issue and it’s clear they’re delaying and for political purposes because they don’t want to make the difficult decisions,” Biggs said.
“But it can’t kick the can down the road forever. And the longer you kick it down the road, the harder it gets.”
(WASHINGTON) — Former Twitter executives told a House committee Wednesday that the social media company made a mistake in its handling of a controversial New York Post story on Hunter Biden’s laptop.
The action by the social media platform just weeks before the 2020 election unleashed a wave of backlash from Republicans, who accused Twitter executives of suppressing the story to shield President Joe Biden and his family from what they say was damaging material found on a laptop hard drive belonging to the president’s son.
During a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, Republicans grilled the three executives about the company’s decision to block users from sharing the story on the younger Biden, and suggested the social media giant acted under orders from the government when it suppressed the story.
“America witnessed a coordinated campaign by social media companies, mainstream news and the intelligence communities to suppress and de-legitimize the existence of Hunter Biden’s laptop and its contents,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in his opening remarks.
The former Twitter employees called the platform’s decision regarding the story a “mistake,” but denied that they had acted in concert with government officials.
“I’ve been clear that in my judgment at the time, Twitter should not have taken action to block the New York Post’s reporting,” said Yoel Roth, former head of safety and integrity. He said the company made the decision because the Biden laptop story was reminiscent of the 2016 Russian hack of the Democratic National Committee.
Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s former chief legal officer, echoed Roth by saying that Twitter admitted that “its initial action was wrong” and changed its policy within 24 hours.
“The New York Post chose not to delete its original tweets, so Twitter made an exception after two weeks to retroactively apply the new policy to the Post’s tweets,” Gadde said. “In hindsight, Twitter should have reinstated the Post account immediately.”
During the hearing Roth also said that Twitter’s relationship with government employees would benefit from increased transparency.
“Transparency is at the heart of this work, and it’s where I think Twitter — and all of social media — can and must do better,” Roth said. “Trust is built on understanding, and right now the vast majority of people don’t understand how or why content moderation decisions are made.”
Republicans accused former Twitter executives of “being terrified” of Joe Biden not winning 2020 election and colluding with the FBI.
“You were entrusted with the highest level of power at Twitter, but when you were faced with the New York Post story, instead of allowing people to judge the information for themselves, you rushed to find a reason why the American people shouldn’t see it,” said Comer. “In a matter of hours, you were deciding on the truth of a story that spans years and dozens of complex international transactions. You did this because you were terrified of Joe Biden not winning the election in 2020.”
Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, accused the Twitter executives of having “weekly meetings” with the FBI and accused the executives of colluding with the agency to remove the New York Post article.
“I think you guys wanted it to be taken down,” Jordan said. “They send you all kinds of emails … I think you guys wanted to take it down. I think you guys got played by the FBI.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who was briefly suspended by Twitter in 2021 for tweeting the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, also accused the former Twitter employees of “colluding with the FBI.”
“I am angry for the millions of Americans who were silenced because of your decisions, because of your actions, because of your collusion with the federal government,” Boebert said.
“We don’t know where the FBI ends and Twitter begins,” Boebert said.
But Roth denied the accusations, telling the committee that the FBI did not tell Twitter the laptop hard drive was fake or hacked.
Twitter’s former Deputy Counsel James Baker, who was fired by new Twitter CEO Elon Musk in December, also said he was not in communication with the FBI about the company’s decision to suppress the article.
At one point during the hearing, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., asked former Twitter employee Anika Collier Navaroli about a request made by the Trump White House that Twitter remove a tweet from celebrity Chrissy Teigen that insulted then-President Donald Trump.
“The White House almost immediately thereafter contacted Twitter to demand the tweet be taken down. Is that accurate?” Connolly asked Navaroli.
“I do remember hearing we’d received a request from the White House to make sure we evaluated this tweet, and they wanted it to come down because it was a derogatory statement directed at the president,” Navaroli replied.
Twitter did not remove the tweet, she said.
During the hearing, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said that Republicans were focusing on a “two-year-old story” about a private company that is allowed to make decisions on what content to allow on its platform.
“The key point here is that it was Twitter’s decision,” Raskin said in his opening statements. “Twitter is a private media company. In America, private media companies can decide what to publish.”
“Instead of letting this trivial pursuit go, my colleagues have tried to whip up a faux scandal about this two-day lapse in their ability to spread Hunter Biden propaganda on a private media platform,” Raskin said of the hearing. “Silly does not even begin to capture this obsession.”
Democrats instead focused on how the social media platform may have helped to incite violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“What makes this hearing tragic is that, if our colleagues really wanted to examine a serious problem involving American democracy and social media, my friends, it is staring us in the face right now, “said Raskin.
Navaroli also argued that lawmakers should be focusing on “Twitter’s failure to act before Jan. 6.”
“Twitter leadership bent and broke their own rules in order to protect some of the most dangerous speech on the platform” in the months leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Navaroli said.
(BURBANK, Calif.) — ) — Disney is set to lay off 7,000 workers, CEO Bob Iger said on the company’s earnings call on Wednesday.
The company is targeting a total of $5.5 billion in cost savings, some of which will come from the reduction in workforce, Iger said.
“This reorganization will result in a more cost-effective, coordinated and streamlined approach to our operations,” Iger said. “I do not make this decision lightly.”
The job cuts will coincide with a restructuring that will divide the company into three core businesses: Disney Entertainment, ESPN and Disney Parks, Iger said.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
