Fresh out of Barnard College with a degree in political science, Riley is learning the ropes as a writer and reporter for GZERO. When she isn’t writing about global politics, you can find her making GZERO’s crossword puzzles, conducting research on American politics, or persisting in her lifelong quest to learn French. Riley spends her time outside of work grilling, dancing, and wearing many hats (both literally and figuratively).
Vice President JD Vancesaid Tuesday that he remains optimistic about securing a mineral agreement with Ukraine, despite the deal appearing dead in the water following Zelensky and Trump’s meeting on Friday.
Without the restoration of US military aid to Ukraine, the country could continue fighting with current stockpiles and weapons flows – potentially until the summer – but will become progressively weaker as supplies dwindle.
Meanwhile, Europe is stepping up efforts to continue to support Ukraine and secure itself as the US withdraws. Following the US suspending Ukraine aid, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday unveiled a historic $847 billion defense plan, including $158 billion in loans for member countries to use for rearmament and to procure weapons for Ukraine, one of the biggest defense packages in EU history.
