Biden: Next week we may reach an agreement on providing support to Kiev

US President Joe Biden, speaking about an agreement to provide aid to Ukraine in exchange for strengthening the protection of the southern border, said that a decision may be made at least next week in the Senate.

Biden said during a conference of mayors of American cities, broadcast by the White House: “I think next week we will be able to reach something, at least in the Senate.”

The US President boasted that his team had been working with senators for several weeks to reach an agreement in this regard, as he seemed convinced of the need for “major” changes in border policy.

Previously, Republicans prevented the Senate from considering the White House’s request to provide funds for Ukraine, Israel and other needs, and the House of Representatives is not in a rush to approve the proposed project, and passing this project requires approval by both houses of Congress.

In exchange for concessions on the bill, Republicans are demanding changes in ways to protect the border with Mexico, and the White House has warned that there are only several weeks left, after which the possibilities for assistance to Ukraine will be exhausted, and there are no guarantees of further support.

Washington has said that aid from European allies would be in doubt if the United States stopped sending weapons to Ukraine, and by the end of the year, the United States plans to announce another aid package for Ukraine.

Moscow had previously sent a memorandum to NATO countries regarding arms supplies to Ukraine, and the Russian leadership said that Western countries were close to engaging in the Ukrainian conflict directly.

Moscow stressed that pumping weapons into Ukraine will not contribute to launching peace negotiations and will only lead to prolonging the war and further destroying Ukraine.

A group of nuns kidnapped in Haiti

The Union of Religious Communities in Haiti announced the kidnapping of 8 people, including 6 nuns, yesterday, Friday, in the capital, Port-au-Prince, in light of the continuous escalation of kidnapping crimes in the country.

The Haitian Religious Conference said in an internal memo: “We regret that 6 nuns from the Society of the Sisters of Saint Anne were kidnapped along with others who were on a bus.”

An official at the conference explained that an armed group kidnapped the nuns at approximately seven in the morning, while they were traveling to the educational institutions where they worked. 

Kidnappings targeting both well-known and ordinary people have increased for several weeks, in Port-au-Prince and on some national roads. 

Last week, a doctor and a judge were kidnapped and released after paying a ransom to the kidnappers. 

The kidnappings come amid the spread of gang violence in the poorest countries of the Americas, which are suffering from severe political, economic and security crises.

Last year, the United Nations estimated that gangs control about 80 percent of Port-au-Prince. 

In October, the UN Security Council agreed to send a multinational mission to Haiti led by Kenya to assist the police there, but its arrival may take months.