War in Ukraine at a critical point right now: US President Joe Biden
Washington, Jan 6: The war in Ukraine is at a critical point right now, US President Joe Biden said Thursday as the US and Germany announced additional support for Ukraine.
"Right now, the war in Ukraine is at a critical point. We have to do everything we can to help the Ukrainians resist Russian aggression. And Russia is not attempting to slow up. The actions they're taking are as barbaric as they were a year ago, and they're not letting up at all," Biden told reporters during a Cabinet meeting.
Earlier this afternoon, Biden said, he had a long discussion with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about Ukraine and their alliances in Europe and the EU.
"We have a much larger contingent of countries that share our view, including Japan and others. But we talked about what we're going to do," he said.
"Today we jointly announced a statement saying that we're going to increase support for Ukraine. We're going to provide the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles to the Ukrainians, and the Germans are going to provide the Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles that they have to the Ukrainians," Biden said.
"In addition, we're going to help defend Ukraine against Russian air attacks. Germany has also announced today that it's going to provide the Ukrainians to deal with air attacks, a Patriot air defense system. We're going to provide an additional Patriot air defense battery. They work, and the Russians are beginning to realize that. They function well, and they're helping a lot," he said.
Earlier during a call, Biden and Scholz exchanged views on the ongoing war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine and reiterated their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and independence. "They reaffirmed their unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia's aggression," the White House said in a readout of the call.
Biden and Scholz expressed their common determination to continue to provide the necessary financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine for as long as needed.
"In light of Russia's ongoing missile and drone attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure, President Biden and Chancellor Scholz affirmed their intention to further support Ukraine's urgent requirement for air defense capabilities. In late December, the United States announced its donation of a Patriot air defense missile battery to Ukraine. Germany will join the United States in supplying an additional Patriot air defense battery to Ukraine," said the White House.
During the call, Biden and Scholz expressed appreciation for the military support provided by other allies and partners to Ukraine, endorsed the ongoing coordination efforts of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, and welcomed additional donations of air defense systems and combat vehicles.
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Organisation should be strengthened: Tharoor supports Digvijaya's views
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday came out in support of the views of his party colleague Digvijaya Singh, saying the organisation should be strengthened.
At the 140th Foundation Day event at the Congress' Indira Bhawan headquarters, Tharoor was seated next to Digvijaya Singh and exchanged notes.
Ahead of the CWC meet on Saturday, Singh created a flutter by lauding the organisational power of RSS-BJP as he shared Narendra Modi's old picture and said how a grassroots worker went on to become the chief minister and prime minister by sitting at the feet of their leaders.
He also raised the issue of strengthening the Congress organisation at the grassroots level, asserting it was much needed in the fight against the ruling BJP and to oust it from power.
A day later, Digvijaya Singh said he had already stated whatever he had to say. "For 50 years I have been with the Congress party, and I have fought these communal forces, whether in the assembly, parliament or in the organisation," he noted.
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"I have basic differences and am opposed to their ideology. I have and will continue to fight against such people," Singh claimed. When asked to comment on his Saturday's remarks, he said, "Every organisation needs strengthening.
Tharoor, when asked to comment on the issue, said, "The organisation should be strengthened, there is no doubt."
On being seated next to Singh and whether the two exchanged views on the matter, Tharoor said, "We keep talking with each other, we are friends and talk to each other."
"It is the 140th foundation day of the Congress. It is a very important event for the party. It is a day in which we look back on our very remarkable history and the contributions the party has made to the nation," he also told reporters.
In a post on X, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said, "Today marks the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Indian National Congress, an organisation that played a pivotal role in leading India's struggle for independence from British rule."
"Since its first session in 1885, the party has remained a cornerstone of the nation's democratic journey and political evolution. The occasion was marked with solemnity and camaraderie at Indira Bhavan today," Tharoor said in his post.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said, "I feel the BJP is distorting the intent of Digvijaya's post. The Sangh, which spreads hatred and gets inspiration from the ideology of Godse, who killed Mahatma Gandhi, we don't need to learn anything from them."
"We are the Indian National Congress, and we fought the freedom struggle against injustice and exploitation of the British rule, and turned it into a Jan Andolan. We don't need to learn anything from anyone; rather, others should learn from us," Shrinate claimed.
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Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid said, "We have a lot in the Congress, and others should learn from the Congress instead. We certainly don't need to learn from the RSS as we oppose that ideology."
Another leader, Rajiv Shukla, said, "The roots of this party are so deep that they can never be wiped out."
#WATCH | Delhi | On Congress leader Digvijaya Singh praising the organisational strength of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "We have a history of 140 years, and we can learn a lot from it. We can learn from ourselves, too. Discipline is very… pic.twitter.com/NUfz7scRiu
— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2025
