live blog
Status: 10/19/2022 4:57 am
According to a media report, Iranian drone trainers are stationed in Crimea. Excitement and concern are mounting in Europe following renewed statements by Berlusconi about Putin. All developments in the live blog.
4:57 a.m
Top Republican McCarthy: No “blank check” for Ukraine
The US Republicans could cut financial aid to Ukraine if they win the midterm elections. If his party gains a majority in the House of Representatives, there will be no “blank check” for the country, explained the Republican minority leader in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, in an interview with the online newspaper “Punchbowl News”. He referred to the economic situation of the voters. At a time when people were stuck in recession, they would not give Ukraine a blank check. “They just won’t.”
Should the Republicans gain control of the House of Representatives, McCarthy could become the Chamber’s leader. His recent comments raised new doubts about the durability of US backing for Russia-invaded Ukraine. Recently, a growing number of Republicans — particularly supporters of the “America First” mantra coined by ex-President Donald Trump — have questioned the need for federal spending on foreign policy at a time when Americans are groaning under record inflation .
4:38 a.m
Sheet: Iranian drone trainers stationed in Crimea
According to a media report, Iran has sent trainers to Ukraine to help Russian troops with the drone fleet bought by the government in Tehran. The trainers operate from a Russian military base in Crimea, where many of the Iranian drones are stationed, reports the New York Times newspaper, citing information from US government circles.
According to the report, the instructors belong to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the Iranian military that the US has classified as a terrorist organization. “There is ample evidence that Iranian drones have been used to attack Ukrainian civilians and military targets, although Iran continues to shamelessly lie about its involvement,” a US State Department spokesman said of the report.
The presence of Iranian instructors in Crimea would further embroil Iran in the war, including attacks on Ukrainian civilians. Iran denies having supplied the so-called kamikaze drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.
4:38 a.m
Excitement and concern after renewed Berlusconi statements about Putin
With statements about his friend Vladimir Putin, Italy’s ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has once again fueled doubts about the determination of the future government in taking action against Moscow. In the evening, the LaPresse news agency published a recording of a secretly taped speech by Berlusconi to Forza Italia party colleagues in parliament. In it, the 86-year-old said he was back in touch with the Kremlin boss and that he had described him as one of his five best friends.
After the party had denied the statements in the afternoon, the only thing that was said in the evening after the audio recording was published was that Berlusconi was still on the line of Europe and the USA.