Free Republic

President Joe Biden and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a 10-year security agreement Thursday that they hailed as a milestone in relations between their countries, but that alone was not enough to stop Zelenskyy from wondering how much longer he could count on America's support. Zelenskyy also said his country “urgently” needed additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainians and the nation's infrastructure from Russia's continued bombardment. The leaders signed the agreement on the sidelines of the annual Group of Seven summit, held this year in Italy, and Biden said the goal "is to strengthen Ukraine's defense and deterrence capabilities.”...

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian state security officials searched the home of billionaire businessman Ihor Kolomoiskiy on Wednesday, in what several media outlets said was an investigation into possible financial crimes. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reports, and Kolomoiskiy could not be reached for comment. A senior governing party official confirmed Kolomoiskiy's home had been searched - as well as that of a former interior minister - but did not state the reason for the search.

The latest request by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who was elected after a 2014 Leftist revolution there and supported by a media oligarch billionaire, is for $50 billion in new funding from the West and a personal visit by Joe Biden. The White House responded “no,” but only to the part about Biden visiting. Biden and Congress have already granted the liberal Ukrainian politicians 13.6 billion American dollars. But Zelensky is back, asking for more than three times that much this week in the form of grants or loan guarantees by the United States, with no end in sight for...