Day: December 20, 2023

Ukraine’s military wants to mobilise up to 500,000 extra people, President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed, as the war with Russia nears a two-year mark, the BBC reports.

At a news conference in Kyiv, he said his commanders were seeking “450,000-500,000 individuals”, admitting this was a “sensitive” and costly issue.

He said he needed more details before backing the move, hinting that 500,000 soldiers were already on the front.

His comments come in the wake of aid setbacks from the US and the EU.

Republicans in the US Congress first blocked a $60bn (£47bn) military package for Ukraine earlier this month. This week, representatives of both the White House and the State Department said the US was planning one more military aid package to Ukraine – but that it had limited ability to send more help after that unless Congress acted.

The US setback was followed by Hungary’s blocking of the EU’s €50bn ($55bn; £43bn) financial aid deal last week. EU leaders, however, said Ukraine would not be left without support.

Ukraine is facing an ammunition shortage as it continues to fight occupying Russian forces, following Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Colorado’s Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump cannot run for president next year in the state, citing a constitutional insurrection clause, the BBC reports.

The court ruled 4-3 that Mr Trump was not an eligible candidate because he had engaged in an insurrection over the US Capitol riot nearly three years ago.

The Trump campaign called the decision anti-democratic and vowed to appeal.  

It is the first ever use of Section 3 of the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment to disqualify a presidential candidate.

Similar attempts to kick Mr Trump off the ballot in New Hampshire, Minnesota and Michigan have failed.

Tuesday’s decision – which has been placed on hold pending appeal until next month – does not apply to states other than Colorado.

The ruling only applies to the state’s primary election on 5 March, when Republican voters will choose their preferred candidate for president, though it could also affect the general election in Colorado next November.

The justices wrote in their ruling: “We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us.

“We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”

The decision reverses an earlier one from a Colorado judge, who ruled that the 14th Amendment’s insurrection ban did not apply to presidents because the section did not explicitly mention them.