NEW YORK – The Speaker of the US House Mike Johnson has demanded that Ukraine fire its ambassador to Washington, as a feud between the Republican Party and Volodymyr Zelensky escalates. Johnson’s intervention comes after President Zelensky visited an arms factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania – the hometown of President Joe Biden in a key swing state – with several top Democrats.

In a public letter, the top Republican said the visit was “designed to help Democrats” and claimed it amounted to “election interference”. The row has threatened to overshadow Zelensky’s meeting with President Joe Biden on Thursday, during which he will present a “plan for victory” in his country’s war with Russia. Since his arrival to the US on Sunday, Zelensky has ramped up efforts to persuade the US and other allies to lend more support to Ukraine as it fends off Russian advances. On Thursday, Biden announced that the US will send $7.9 bn (£5.9bn) worth of military aid to Ukraine in a surge of assistance as his presidency nears its end.

The aid, part of a $61bn package that passed Congress in April, includes additional Patriot air defence missiles and long-range munitions. The weapons package will be approved throughpresidential drawdown authority and will pull from existing Pentagon supplies to deliver the arms more quickly. Congressional Republicans blocked the Biden administration’s $61bn military package for months earlier this year, before ultimately relenting and passing the legislation in April. Before that, arms supplies to Ukraine had dried up for several months.

The US has been the largest foreign donor to Ukraine, with $56bn provided for its defence to date. Responding to the aid package, Zelensky thanked the US and said he was “grateful to Joe Biden, US Congress and it’s both parties”. The Ukrainian president said the assistance would be used “in the most efficient and transparent manner” to achieve “victory for Ukraine”, just and lasting peace, and transatlantic security Zelensky had planned to present his priorities outlined in Thursday’s statement to the two presidential candidates: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. However, an official on Donald Trump’s campaign said the Republican nominee would not meet the Ukrainian leader on his tour of the US this week.

Trump and Zelensky have long held a fractious relationship. In 2019, Trump was impeached by the US House over accusations that he pressured Ukraine’s leader to dig up damaging information on a political rival. He has frequently echoed Russian talking points over the war. (BBC)…[+]

PARAMARIBO – The residents of Paranam recently repeated their demand for the renovation of the wooden bridge that connects Paranam with the Laterietweg. This bridge which has been in a very bad shape for quite some time could collapse at any given moment. The local residents explained that they informed the authorities about this problem in January and that the children who want to go to school can no longer cross this bridge but that they have to take the long route.

The residents had hoped that the authorities would repair the bridge in the long dry season, so that the children could once again cross the bridge in the new school year. Many people and children who do not want to go around, take their chances by crossing the shaky bridge. Every year it is the same story. The residents complain about the bridge and officials draw up plans for the repairs but in the end nothing happens. About ten years ago the bridge was going to be repaired but the project was cancelled because it was too expensive. The local residents pointed out that a child recently fell off the bridge. They hope that officials will finally address the issue before somebody gets an accident while crossing the bridge…[+]

RUSSIA –  Vladimir Putin says Russia would consider an attack from a non-nuclear state that was backed by a nuclear-armed one to be a “joint attack”, in what could be construed as a threat to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.

In key remarks on Wednesday night, the Russian president said his government was considering changing the rules and preconditions around which Russia would use its nuclear arsenal.

Ukraine is a non-nuclear state that receives military support from the US and other nuclear-armed countries.

His comments come as Kyiv seeks approval to use long-range Western missiles against military sites in Russia.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has travelled to the US this week and is due to meet US President Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday, where Kyiv’s request is expected to be top of the agenda.

Ukraine has pushed into Russian territory this year and wants to target bases inside Russia which it says are sending missiles into Ukraine.

Responding to Putin’s remarks, Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said Russia “no longer has anything other than nuclear blackmail to intimidate the world”.

Putin has threatened the use of nuclear weapons before. Ukraine has criticised it as “nuclear sabre-rattling” to deter its allies from providing further support.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the comments as “totally irresponsible” in an MSNBC television interview.

Russian ally China has also called for calm, with reports President Xi Jinping has warned Putin against using nuclear arms.

But on Wednesday, after a meeting with his Security Council, Putin announced the proposed radical expansion.

A new nuclear doctrine would “clearly set the conditions for Russia to transition to using nuclear weapons,” he warned – and said such scenarios included conventional missile strikes against Moscow.

He said that Russia would consider such a “possibility” of using nuclear weapons if it detected the start of a massive launch of missiles, aircraft and drones into its territory, which presented a “critical threat” to the country’s sovereignty.

He added: “It is proposed that aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear state, be considered as their joint attack on the Russian Federation.”

The country’s nuclear arms were “the most important guarantee of security of our state and its citizens”, the Kremlin leader said.

Since the end of World War Two, nuclear-armed states have engaged in a policy of deterrence, which is based on the idea that if warring states were to launch major nuclear strikes it would lead to mutually assured destruction. (BBC)…[+]

PARAMARIBO – Two weeks ago a hole was detected in the bridge that runs across the Para Creek and which is part of the Martin Luther Kingweg. Despite the many complaints and the threat that this hole poses to traffic, the hole still has not been fixed by the Public Works Ministry.

The people who cross this bridge frequently are puzzled by the fact that it is taking so long to fix a small problem. The people who live near the bridge also can’t believe that the ministry still has not taken any action. “All they have to do is close the hole in the bridge. Why is it difficult to fill the hole in the bridge?” Last week a concrete block was placed in front of the hole to divert traffic. But after a few days a car rammed the concrete block. After the collision more concrete blocks were placed on the bridge.

Local residents, moped riders and drivers complained about the heavy trucks that still cross the bridge even though the authorities have issued a ban on trucks that weigh more than 5 tonnes. “The situation is only getting worse. It is like they want more cars to slam into the blocks and for the heavy trucks to do more damage to this fragile bridge before they will finally start the repairs,” said a local resident…[+]