Russia formally protests US weapons shipments to Ukraine
CNN
Russia this week formally protested the US' ongoing shipment of weapons to Ukraine, sending a diplomatic note to the State Department warning of "unpredictable consequences" should the support continue, according to two US officials and another source familiar with the document.
The note, known as a demarche, was sent earlier this week as the US was preparing to announce that it would be sending an additional $800 million military aid package to Ukraine. The Washington Post first reported on the document.
The US has for the first time agreed to provide Kyiv with the types of high-power capabilities some Biden administration officials a few short weeks ago viewed as too great of an escalation risk a few short weeks ago, including 11 Mi-17 helicopters, 18 155 mm Howitzer cannons and 300 more Switchblade drones.
Leaders representing the Group of Seven nations are set to announce as soon as Thursday an agreement to loan money to Ukraine backed by the profits from frozen Russian investments, according to sources familiar with the discussions, providing a new source of revenue to a war-torn nation facing a steep and costly road to recovery.
An Arizona man was indicted by a federal grand jury this week on several firearms charges, having been accused by the US Justice Department of planning a mass shooting targeting Black people and other minorities at a May Atlanta concert in hopes of inciting a race war before the upcoming presidential election.
House Republicans voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over the audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interviews with former special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Biden’s handling of classified material and declined to bring charges.