Ultraconservatives in the US House warned new Speaker Mike Johnson that any attempt to pass Ukraine aid before the US stems migrant crossings at its southern border would foment a rebellion on his right flank.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought support for his plan to end Russia’s war during meetings with three Latin American nations in a renewed attempt to win over the so-called Global South.

Zelensky woos Latin American leaders

Zelensky sought support for his plan to end Russia’s war during meetings with three Latin American nations in a renewed attempt to win over the so-called Global South.

The Ukrainian president invited Paraguay and Ecuador to participate in the fourth meeting of national security advisers in January to implement his peace formula, a 10-point plan centring on the full withdrawal of Kremlin troops now into the 22nd month of their invasion of Ukraine. 

In meetings with Uruguay’s Luis Lacalle Pou, Paraguay’s Santiago Pena and Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, Zelensky said he wanted as many Latin American countries as possible to join the initiative.

“Support and a powerful voice of Latin America on the side of Ukrainian people in our fight for freedom and democracy are very important to us,” Zelensky told Noboa. 

Zelensky, who travelled from Kyiv to Buenos Aires for the inauguration of Javier Milei as Argentina’s president, is making diplomatic efforts to secure allies from around the globe, including Africa and South America. 

Read more: Zelensky urges Ukrainian troops to keep initiative in fighting

He discussed with the three leaders the possibility of a special Ukraine-Latin American summit, and discussed bilateral cooperation projects, in particular in trade.

Zelensky urges Ukrainian troops to keep initiative in fighting

Zelensky urged his troops to press on with fighting as Russia looked to seize more territory in Ukraine’s east and a vote by the US Congress on emergency aid to Kyiv hung in the balance. 

“The task of our state — even now, in winter, no matter how difficult it may be — is to show strength and not let the enemy seize the initiative, not let them fortify,” Zelensky said late on Friday in his regular address to the nation.

“We continue our active foreign policy work to bring gains for Ukraine in defence, macro-finance, and political and motivational strength,” Zelensky said, adding that he met on Friday with his top commanders for a battleground update.

Senate Republicans have blocked $66-billion of assistance to Ukraine, demanding that the Biden administration tighten the southern US border against Latin American migrants.  

Support from the European Union is also looking shaky after Hungary threatened to torpedo next week’s summit in Brussels, where additional funding is slated to be discussed.

Kremlin troops are now trying to press Ukrainian forces, especially near the city of Adviivka in the eastern region of Donetsk.

Russian forces conducted offensive operations near it and made a confirmed advance on Friday, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said.  

Serbia, Bulgaria complete gas pipeline to reduce reliance on Russia

Serbia and Bulgaria have completed a pipeline project that aims to reduce reliance on Russian gas by providing diversification of supply. 

The pipeline spans 170km from the Serbian city of Nis to the outskirts of Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, with an annual capacity of 1.8 billion cubic metres. That could cover as much as 60% of Serbia’s consumption.

The new link will enable Serbia to access alternative gas supplies from Greece or Azerbaijan, while also providing Bulgaria with access to gas from Western Europe or the Adriatic Sea.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony in Nis on Sunday. Work on the project started in February.

GOP hardliners threaten Speaker Johnson over Ukraine funding

Ultraconservatives in the US House warned new Speaker Mike Johnson that any attempt to pass Ukraine aid before the US stems migrant crossings at its southern border would foment a rebellion on his right flank. 

The hardline House Freedom Caucus stopped short on Friday of explicitly threatening Johnson’s job, but their statement further imperilled the bipartisan push to send $66-billion in fresh military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The House plans to leave Washington for the year on 15 December, and the prospects have been bleak for passing Ukraine aid before then.  

The latest statement from the Freedom Caucus — which warned that Congress shouldn’t pass Ukraine aid “unless America’s own border is fully secured with significant and verifiable improvement” — could push that debate well into 2024.

The ultraconservatives also demand any Ukraine package be “paid for” by cuts elsewhere in the budget, which Democrats staunchly oppose.  

The group earlier this year shut down most House legislative business by blocking procedural votes needed to set up debates. It is likely to take up similar tactics on Ukraine.  

EU reaches deal to enable nations to ban Russian LNG imports

The European Union reached a tentative deal on a gas regulation enabling countries to effectively ban Russian shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) without new energy sanctions.

The European Parliament and the EU Council, representing member states, endorsed on Friday part of a package that sets common rules for natural gas, renewable gases and hydrogen, preparing the bloc to move away from fossil fuels. The measure would allow member governments to temporarily prevent Russian and Belarusian exporters from booking the infrastructure capacity needed for the shipments of LNG and natural gas.

“The regulation will contain provisions allowing member states to adopt restrictions to the supply of natural gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), from Russia or Belarus, with the aim of protecting the essential security interests of the member states or of the EU, while taking account of security of supply and diversification objectives,“ the EU Council said in a statement after the talks.

Putin declares wartime reelection run at meeting with troops

Vladimir Putin said he would run for a fifth term in Russian presidential elections, kicking off a widely expected campaign in which the Kremlin seeks to show he retains broad popular support for his war in Ukraine.

He made the announcement on Friday to participants at a military awards ceremony in the Kremlin after a separatist official in Russian-occupied Ukraine urged him to take part in the vote.

“I will run for the position of president of the Russian Federation,” Putin told battalion commander Artyom Zhoga, according to footage broadcast on state television. “Today there is no other choice.”

Others at the ceremony repeated the appeal for him to remain as president. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later claimed Putin’s reply had been “spontaneous”, the state-run Tass news service reported.

Putin (71) is certain to win the tightly controlled election on 17 March to gain another six-year term and extend his nearly quarter-century rule. The Kremlin is determined to deliver an overwhelming majority in a high turnout to portray the vote as a public endorsement of his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and cast Putin as defending Russia in a broader confrontation with the US and its Nato allies. DM