Paul Ellertson, contributor 

The U.S. Government narrowly avoided a shutdown on Oct. 1, and has since moved its deadline to mid-Nov. to come up with a 2024 fiscal budget proposal. According to the Department of Defense (DOD), the continuing resolution Congress sent Pres. Joe Biden will keep the government running in the short term. However, many were surprised when the continuing resolution didn’t include any future funding for Ukraine as their war with Russia continues to rage on. 

According to AP news, one of the most recent attacks from Russian forces was to a cafe in the small town of Hroza in Eastern Ukraine on Thursday, Oct. 5. A Russian Iskander missile struck and killed at least 51 people, as they were attending a vigil in the cafe for fallen soldiers. “This is the most deadly Russian attack in the last several months,” said Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in a quote from AP News. Hroza was initially seized by Russian forces earlier in the war, but was taken back by Ukrainian forces in Sept. 2022. According to AP News, the town is also closely located to Kupyansk, where Russian forces are planning to attack next. Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, called the attack “horrifying” in a quote to AP News and added that it was one of the reasons the U.S. is helping Ukraine.

According to the Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh, the U.S. having enough money to continue sending aid to Ukraine while being able to restock on its own supplies is the DOD’s top priority. “We need Congress to act so there is no disruption in our support, especially as the department seeks to replenish our stocks,” said Singh in the DOD News. So far, the funding for Ukraine’s war effort has been utilized in two forms. The first is through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative where the U.S. pays contractors to manufacture equipment which is then sent to Ukraine. The second way is through the PDA, where U.S military equipment that is already stocked is taken to Ukraine.    

Also on Oct. 5, the European Summit met in Granada, Spain, where 50 World leaders gathered to discuss where they stand in support of Ukraine. According to AP News, at the summit Zelenskyy referred to Russia as a state spreading terror around the world and took the opportunity to ask for more aid from other European nations such as drones, air-defense systems and long range missiles. These requests were also amplified, as incoming news of the Hroza missile strike came in.

According to AP News, the possibilities of what might happen to the rest of Europe if Ukraine loses the war were also discussed. After U.S. support was secured with the word of Pres. Biden, Pres. Emmanuel Macron of France took the opportunity to express how he believed it was Europe’s first responsibility to assist Ukraine. In a quote from AP News, “this [the war] is in our immediate neighborhood.” The summit ended with a round of thanks to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain from Zelenskyy as they too secured their support for Ukraine.