The United States will announce a new military aid package to Ukraine that includes ammunition and ammunition support.
John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator of the White House National Security Council, answered journalists’ questions at the daily press conference.
Kirby reported that US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who will visit the capital tomorrow, will discuss the new aid Ukraine will need in the coming weeks and months.
In addition, Kirby, who announced that the USA will announce a new aid package to Ukraine tomorrow, including the necessary ammunition and ammunition support for the systems they already have, such as HIMARS and artillery systems, did not provide information on the details of the aid.
Kirby also referred to the meeting between Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the margins of the G20 meeting in New Delhi. Coordinator Kirby reported that Blinken conveyed three important issues in the meeting: they do not want Russia to withdraw from the “New START” nuclear agreement, Moscow’s request to release US citizen prisoner Paul Whelan, and the message that their support to Ukraine will continue. .
“I SUPPORT THE AUTHENTICITY OF WASHINGTON DC”
White House Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre also answered questions about the Washington DC City Council’s regulation that includes changes in criminal law.
Jean-Pierre said Biden will not veto a bill presented by lawmakers in the Senate that would block changes to the Washington DC Council’s bill revising the capital’s penal code.
Emphasizing that Biden has been advocating that Washington DC residents should make their own decisions for decades, Jean-Pierre noted that the President’s stance on this issue has not changed, but he does not support a reduction in the penalties for crimes such as carjacking. The spokesperson said that in this context, Biden prioritized the safety of the people.
Biden also shared on Twitter on the subject, stating that he would not veto the Senate’s bill and said:
“I support DC’s statehood and autonomy. However, I do not support some of the changes that the DC Council has put forward despite the Mayor’s objection, such as lowering carjacking penalties. If the Senate wants to overturn the D.C. Council’s decision, I will sign it.”
In November 2022, the Washington DC Council passed legislation that revised the capital’s penal code, introducing new regulations that would reduce existing penalties for certain violent crimes, such as carjacking. The Council, which was vetoed by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, passed the bill by re-voting and overcame the mayor’s veto.
Lawmakers in Congress are preparing to introduce a bill that will prevent these changes.
It was said that Biden, who advocated the “autonomous administration” of Washington DC and that it should be a state that makes its own decisions, could veto the bill in question. But with Biden’s announcement that he will not veto the bill, federal lawmakers will have blocked the city legislature for the first time since 1991.
The city of Washington DC, named after the country’s founder, George Washington, has a special status. The struggle to gain state status in the city with a population of 712,000, dominated by Democrats, has been on the agenda of the American public for years.