<ul class="summary-list"><li>Pentagon chief <keyword id="11911112" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lloyd-austin" source="Orion">Lloyd Austin</keyword> decried <keyword id="11894337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia" source="Orion">Russia</keyword>'s "cruel" tactics in <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword> on Wednesday.</li><li>Russia's "relentless shelling" is reminiscent of the "horrors of World War I," Austin said.</li></ul>Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday decried Russia's brutal tactics in its war in Ukraine, comparing them to the "horrors of World War I," which saw heavy artillery fire used to devastating effect."Russia is keeping up its relentless shelling, and that's a cruel tactic that harkens back to the horrors of World War I," Austin said in <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?521874-1/defense-secretary-warns-iran-involved-ukraine-war">a press conference</a> following the fourth meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which brings together dozens of countries to hold discussions on Ukraine's defense needs."Ukraine needs the firepower and the ammunition to withstand this barrage and to strike back at the Russian weapons launching these attacks from inside Ukraine's own territory," Austin said. Austin on Wednesday <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Speeches/Speech/Article/3098918/opening-remarks-by-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-at-the-fourth-ukrain/">announced</a> that the US would send four additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) as part of an upcoming military aid package to Ukraine. The Pentagon chief on Wednesday said that the 12 HIMARS the US has already provided Ukraine "have made such a difference on the battlefield.""Putin has consistently overestimated Russia's military prowess. And he has consistently underestimated the power of a free people fighting to defend their homeland and the will of the <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international" source="Orion">international</keyword> community to stand with them," Austin said.As Austin touted the success Ukraine has seen with the assistance the US has provided so far, Olena Zelenska, wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, implored Congress to provide additional weapons. "I am asking for weapons — weapons that will not be used to wage a war on somebody else's land but to protect one's home and the right to make up a life in that home," Zelenska, the first wife of a foreign leader to address Congress, said in her remarks on Wednesday. "I am asking for air defense systems in order for rockets not to kill children in their strollers."After failing to take Kyiv in the early days of the war, Russia has shifted its attention to the eastern Donbas region. The Russian military has continued to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/07/17/1111911343/russia-strikes-south-ukraine-city-presses-attacks-in-east">target Ukrainian cities in other regions</a> though. Russia's attacks have frequently resulted in civilian casualties. In early July, Russia gained control of Luhansk, which along with Donetsk is one of two provinces that make up the Donbas. But there are open questions as to whether Russia has the manpower and equipment to maintain the onslaught in the long-run, as the fighting continues at a grueling, incremental pace.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley during Wednesday's press conference alongside Austin said that Russia, in the last 90 days, has only advanced "maybe six to 10 miles." Milley said the war is likely to continue as a "grinding war of attrition" for the foreseeable future.

Pentagon chief says Russia's 'relentless shelling' of Ukraine 'harkens back to the horrors of WWI'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Zelenskyy condemned recent Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.</li><li>The president called for a strong global response to the assault, which has left millions without power.</li></ul>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the United Nations this week to condemn Russia's ramped up bombing campaign that has left millions of people without energy supplies, including heat and water in below-freezing temperatures.Zelenskyy delivered <a href="https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/ukrayina-proponuye-uhvalili-rezolyuciyu-pro-zasudzhennya-ene-79381">an impassioned speech</a> via video link to the UN Security Council late Wednesday accusing Russia of "crimes against humanity" and suggesting the recent missile attacks were akin to "weapons of mass destruction.""We expect a strong reaction from the world to today's Russian terror. We expect the reaction of partners. We expect the reaction of friends — not just observers," Zelenskyy said. "We expect the reaction of all those who really recognize the UN Charter."The Ukrainian president also called on the council to adopt a resolution condemning any displays of energy terror — an unlikely development, given Russia's veto vote on the council.Zelenskyy's plea comes as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-energy-infrastructure-crippled-russia-brutal-winter-who-official-says-2022-11">Moscow increases its attacks on energy infrastructure as winter takes hold</a> in Ukraine. Russian missiles this week hit energy and civilian infrastructure throughout the country, causing blackouts in the capital Kyiv and other major cities. "When the temperature is below zero outside, and tens of millions of people are left without electricity, heat and water as a result of Russian missiles hitting energy facilities, this is an obvious crime against humanity," Zelenskyy said.<div type="image" title="A crater leaves rubble and downed energy infrastructure in Ukraine." height="4096" width="8192" msid="95749632" hostid="261" sizebytes="2554848"></div><a href="https://dsns.gov.ua/uk/news/nadzvicaini-podiyi/informaciia-shhodo-diialnosti-pirotexnicnix-pidrozdiliv-dsns" rel=" nofollow">Ukrainian Emergency Services said</a> officials responded to 159 incidents throughout multiple regions and detected and removed 1,453 explosive objects on Wednesday alone. The attacks on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, the Ministry of Energy said, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/24/europe/ukraine-power-russia-strikes-intl-cmd/index.html">CNN,</a> and left much of the country without power. The country is working to restore power in several regions, but the work is "taking longer than previous attacks," because the Wednesday attack directly targeted power generation facilities, Ukraine's national company Ukenergo said, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/24/europe/ukraine-power-russia-strikes-intl-cmd">according to the outlet.</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/newborn-baby-killed-ukrainian-hospital-russia-ramps-up-attacks-2022-11">A newborn baby was killed in an earlier Russian missile attack</a> that hit a hospital maternity ward in the Zaporizhzhia region late Tuesday, <a href="https://dsns.gov.ua/uk/news/nadzvicaini-podiyi/zaporizka-oblast-riatuvalniki-likvidovuiut-naslidki-raketnogo-udaru-po-likarni-video">Ukrainian officials said.</a> The baby boy was only two days old, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska said on <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskaUA/status/1595325554416586752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1595325554416586752%7Ctwgr%5Ec233dce3503583eeba86348dee795b41796c3a19%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fbaby-killed-ukraine-hospital-russian-airstrike-zaporizhzhia-region-vilnyansk%2F" rel=" nofollow">Twitter</a>.The country's state emergency services said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/SESU_UA/status/1595309859540504577" rel=" nofollow">Wednesday statement</a> that the baby's mother and the attending doctor were rescued from the rubble left by the impact of two rockets on the hospital located in the southeast village of Vilnyansk. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen <a href="https://twitter.com/vonderleyen/status/1595727169094705153">announced during a Thursday press conference</a> in Finland that the European Union is rapidly working to prepare an additional ninth round of sanctions against Russia over the Ukrainian invasion. "These acts are war crimes," she said of Russia's attacks.

Zelenskyy calls for 'strong reaction' from the UN after Russian bombs left millions of Ukrainians without heat and water in below-freezing temperatures: 'We expect the reaction of friends — not just observers'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ukraine's first lady posed for Annie Leibovitz in a series of photos <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/portrait-of-bravery-ukraines-first-lady-olena-zelenska">published by Vogue</a> this week.</li><li>The photos have been criticized by some people, including Republicans and conspiracy theorists.</li></ul>The Vogue cover shoot of Ukraine's first lady was widely panned on social media, with Republicans using it to criticize the US support for Ukraine, and conspiracy theorists to bolster their false claims.Olena Zelenka, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zelenskyy-wife-asks-congress-more-assistance-amid-russian-war-2022-7">wife</a> of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appeared in a series of photos for Vogue taken by the photographer Annie Leibovitz, who traveled to Kyiv for the shoot.The pictures, which were published in a <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/portrait-of-bravery-ukraines-first-lady-olena-zelenska">digital article</a> titled "Portrait of Bravery" earlier this week, will be on the cover of the magazine's October 2022 issue.One photo showed Zelenska sitting hunched on the marble steps of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/28/style/olena-zelenska-vogue.html">Ukraine's presidential palace</a> amid sandbags while another showed her <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-first-lady-vogue-posing-apparent-wreckage-worlds-largest-plane-2022-7">standing before the bombed-out remains of an Antonov An-225 Mriya</a>, once the world's heaviest aircraft.The story sparked backlash on social media, with some people saying it was a bad attempt to glamorize Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which appears to have no end in sight five months on.Conspiracy theorists also latched onto the photos to falsely suggest that the war in Ukraine was fake, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62340807">the BBC reported.</a>Some Republicans in the US used them to attack <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-ask-congress-33-billion-ukraine-aid-russia-war-2022-4">President Joe Biden'</a> for sending <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/himars-ukraine-perfect-weapon-exploit-russia-bad-logistics-expert-2022-7">weapons</a> and financial aid to Ukraine in the last few months."While we send Ukraine $60 billion in aid Zelenskyy is doing photo shoots for Vogue Magazine. These people think we are nothing but a bunch of suckers," <a href="https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1552261397735669760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1552314623579283456%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dw.com%2Fen%2Folena-zelenskas-vogue-cover-sparks-backlash%2Fa-62628772">Rep. Lauren Boebert tweeted</a>. Rep. Mayra Flores also chimed in, <a href="https://twitter.com/MayraFlores2022/status/1552267933501489152">tweeting</a>: "Biden: Let's continue to send billions of dollars in foreign aid to Ukraine, they need it! Reality: The Zelensky family graces us with a photo shoot to be on the cover of Vogue magazine."Robert E. Gutsche, a senior lecturer in digital media practice at Lancaster University, told Insider that the photoshoot was "exactly what we'd expect from Annie Leibovitz and from Vogue."But while it might be visually pleasing for some people — Vogue readers, for example — others might not able to resonate with the "glitz and glam" of it amid the backdrop of a deadly war. "I think it's that disconnect between the rubble, the blood, the broken economy, the people who have been dispersed ... across Europe and other parts of the world that isn't represented in these images," Gutsche said."It's the glitz and glam of war that really doesn't seem to fit here."Gutsche said that while he believes the media shouldn't just portray images of casualties and blood, "there are lots of decisive moments in the photoshoot that I think are really open for a critique."Zelenska has since defended her decision to take part in the Vogue photoshoot, telling <a href="https://twitter.com/LucyHockingsBBC/status/1552711694790557702" target="_blank" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer">the BBC</a> on Thursday: "I am using every opportunity to speak about Ukraine. That was a massive opportunity because million of people read Vogue ... To be able to speak to them direct, that was my duty." She also said the interview was short and only took a "few hours.""There will be always someone criticizing ... I believe that it's better to do something and be criticized than do nothing," she added. Vogue did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Ukraine first lady's Vogue cover shoot was panned. One media expert says it was because it wasn't relatable.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword>'s first lady said she had not seen her husband in more than a month.</li><li>Zelenskyy's command center is in Kyiv, but his wife said it's not safe for her and their children.</li></ul>The wife of Ukrainian President <keyword id="9393544" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="volodymyr-zelenskyy" source="Orion">Volodymyr Zelenskyy</keyword> said she has not been able to see her husband in more than a month as <keyword id="11894337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia" source="Orion">Russia</keyword>'s invasion of their country continues.Olena Zelenska <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/12/europe/olena-zelenska-ukraine-first-lady-amanpour-cmd-intl/index.html">told CNN</a> in an interview published on Wednesday: "Volodymyr and his team actually live in the President's office. Due to the danger, my children and I were forbidden to stay there. So, for more than a month we communicate only by phone."Both Zelenskyy and his wife have refused to leave Ukraine since Russia's invasion started on February 24.Zelenskyy told <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/volodymyr-zelenskyy-60-minutes-2022-04-10/">CBS' "60 Minutes"</a> in an interview broadcast Sunday that he and his staff had been working and sleeping at their Kyiv command center since the start of the invasion. It is not clear if his wife visited him there in the early days of the war.Zelenskyy told CBS that his team work in the dark <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zelenskyy-says-command-center-works-in-dark-avoid-russia-bombs-2022-4">out of fear of being targeted by Russian troops</a>. The network aired footage of blacked-out hallways and mattresses on the floor where troops slept.

Ukraine's first lady said she hasn't seen her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in over a month

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A 1500-year-old tiara, stolen by the Russians, was among 1,700 artifacts taken from a Melitopol museum.</li><li>Another precious hoard was stolen from the museum in Mariupol, where 2,000 items were looted.</li></ul>Ukraine's precious cultural history has fallen victim to Putin's 227-day-long invasion of Ukraine, the culture minister has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-travel-museums-7431f2190d917f44f76dff39b4d5df54?taid=634283758a4e5d00014c3645&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">told AP.</a> Oleksandr Tkachenko alleged that Russian soldiers had looted thousands of artifacts from almost 40 Ukrainian museums in an interview with AP.One rare treasure to disappear was a 1500-year-old golden tiara decorated with precious stones. It was one of the world's rarest and most valuable artifacts from the fifth-century rule of Attila the Hun. The jewels were once housed in the Museum of Local History in Melitopol.Speaking to AP, one anonymous museum worker said that they worked hard to hide the tiara and hundreds of other valuable artifacts. However, Russian troops stormed the building and found the treasures after a rigorous search and stole them. The staff member said they had no idea where they took the loot of more than 1,700 artifacts. Other treasures pillaged by the Russian soldiers included 198 pieces of 2,400-year-old gold from the era of the Scythians, nomads who migrated from Central Asia.Culture minister Tkachenko told AP Russian soldiers had carted off artifacts from almost 40 museums across the country. <div type="image" title="A destroyed Russian APC stands in the yard of a privet house in front of a church in the recently liberated town of Sviatohirsk, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022." height="5368" width="7158" msid="94745297" hostid="261"></div>In Mariupol, another hoard was stolen from the museum where the Russians plundered 2,000 items.Russian soldiers, who finally captured the city after a ferocious siege that ended in May, made off with ancient religious icons, a unique Jewish Torah scroll, a 200-year-old bible, valuable paintings by local artists, and more than 200 medals, Mariupol's exiled city council told AP."The attitude of Russians toward Ukrainian culture heritage is a war crime," Tkachenko told AP. He said the looting and destruction of cultural sites amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. He noted that numerous churches, museums, and cultural sites have been damaged and despoiled in the Russian invasion.Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, described these attacks on culture and history as a "war against our identity" when she visited a Ukrainian museum in New York when she visited the USA in September. Speaking about the lost artifacts, Oleksandr Symonenko, chief researcher at Ukraine's Institute of Archaeology, told AP, "These are ancient finds. These are works of art. They are priceless," and added, "If culture disappears, it is an irreparable disaster."

Putin's forces have looted nearly 40 museums in Ukraine, plundering thousands of 'priceless' treasures, says culture minister

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11631702" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="zelenskyy" source="Orion">Zelenskyy</keyword> expressed his appreciation for <keyword id="11917127" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gop" source="Orion">GOP</keyword> members visiting him in <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword>. </li><li>He said it's " a strong signal of bipartisan support" from the US.</li></ul>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his appreciation of the visit from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other GOP members amid their war with Russia, calling it "a strong signal of bipartisan support" from the US. "I thank you for your leadership in aiding our fight not only for our country, but for democratic values and freedom," Zelenskyy said in an Instagram post. "We are very grateful for this."The Ukrainian president posted a video on Instagram Saturday, showing him shaking hands with McConnell and other GOP Senators, including John Cornyn, John Barrasso, and Susan Collins.Prior to this visit, Democrats have largely been reported visiting Ukraine or Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Jill Biden, in a rare trip <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/first-lady-jill-biden-crossed-into-ukraine-on-mothers-day-2022-5">entered Ukraine</a> last weekend and held a Mother's Day meeting with Zelenskyy's wife, Olena Zelenska. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nancy-pelosi-zelenskyy-kyiv-visit-ukraine-fighting-for-freedom-2022-4">made a surprise visit</a> to Zelenskyy in Kyiv in early May. Pelosi told Zelenskyy that America's "commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done."The call for bipartisan support comes as Ukraine officials called out GOP Sen. Rand Paul for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-top-diplomat-criticizes-rand-paul-delaying-aid-to-kyiv-2022-5">delaying billions of dollars in aid as it battles Russia</a>. A recent <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-thomas-massie-vote-against-ukraine-russia-bills-2022-5">review from Insider</a> revealed that Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky have voted against nearly every single bill passed in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy says Mitch McConnell and GOP leaders meeting him in Kyiv 'is a strong signal of bipartisan support for Ukraine' from the US

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President <keyword id="99719" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="joe-biden" source="Orion">Joe Biden</keyword> tested positive for <keyword id="11893994" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19" source="Orion">COVID-19</keyword> on Thursday.</li><li>He attended several meetings and traveled to Israel and Saudi Arabia in the days before.</li></ul>President Joe Biden was giving speeches, attending meetings, and traveling in the Middle East before his COVID-19 diagnosis on Thursday.The president, who's fully vaccinated and twice boosted, is experiencing mild symptoms and isolating at the <keyword id="11896084" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="white-house" source="Orion">White House</keyword>, taking meetings by phone and Zoom, the White House announced. His travel plans have been canceled for at least the next five days. Here's a <keyword id="12095997" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="timeline" source="Orion">timeline</keyword> of where Biden was and who he met with on his public calendar in the week before his positive test:<h2>Thursday, July 14</h2>Biden was on his second day of travel in Israel, where he held a press conference with Prime Minister Yair Lapid. The president also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with leaders from India and the United Arab Emirates.Several Biden administration officials also traveled to the region with Biden, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and a dozen other advisors. <div type="image" title="Biden travel" height="3164" width="6329" msid="93036463" hostid="261" sizebytes="944528"></div><h2>Friday, July 15</h2>Biden gave a speech at a hospital in East Jerusalem, where he pledged an additional $100 million aimed at helping Palestinian hospitals in the area.The president also traveled to the West Bank and met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Biden then left for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. <h3><div type="image" title="Joe Biden; Mohammed bin Salman." height="1362" width="2725" msid="93036465" hostid="261" sizebytes="449950"></div></h3><h2>Saturday, July 16</h2>Biden was in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and attended a slew of meetings, inlcuding with the leader of Iraq, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The president returned to Washington, DC, late Saturday evening. <h2>Sunday, July 17</h2>Biden attended church at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown, and held no public <keyword id="6385705" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="events" source="Orion">events</keyword>.<h2>Monday, July 18</h2>Biden held no public events.<h2>Tuesday, July 19</h2>First lady Jill Biden met with Ukrainian First lady Olena Zelenska at the White House, whom Biden greeted upon her arrival, carrying a bouquet of flowers, according to a pool report. The president held no public events.<h2>Wednesday, July 20</h2><div type="image" title="Biden travel" height="3000" width="6000" msid="93036467" hostid="261" sizebytes="399266"></div>Biden delivered remarks on climate change and clean energy from Brayton Point Power Station, a power plant in Somerset, Massachusetts. He traveled with eight of his White House advisors, along with a group of Massachusetts Democrats, including Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Jake Auchincloss and Bill Keating.

Timeline: Where Biden was before his positive COVID-19 test and who he met with

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rep. <keyword id="11917797" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="marjorie-taylor-greene" source="Orion">Marjorie Taylor Greene</keyword> on Saturday implied <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword> was safe because <keyword id="11977287" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mitch-mcconnell" source="Orion">Mitch McConnell</keyword> and <keyword id="128640" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nancy-pelosi" source="Orion">Nancy Pelosi</keyword> visited.</li><li>Ukraine has been a war zone since February 24, when Russian forces invaded.</li></ul>Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Saturday suggested that the war zone in Ukraine is not dangerous because the leaders of the House and Senate visited the country."Notice U.S. elected politicians like [House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] visited and [Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell] can go visit Zelensky in Ukraine without bullet proof vests/helmets or any fear from dangers of war, while they eagerly give billions to fund their proxy war w/ Russia," Greene wrote on Twitter.McConnell and other GOP senators <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zelenskyy-says-he-appreciates-gop-members-visit-to-ukraine-2022-5">met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday</a>. Prior to this visit, Democrats had largely been reported visiting Ukraine or Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Jill Biden, in a rare trip, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/first-lady-jill-biden-crossed-into-ukraine-on-mothers-day-2022-5">entered Ukraine</a> last weekend and held a Mother's Day meeting with Zelenskyy's wife, Olena Zelenska. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nancy-pelosi-zelenskyy-kyiv-visit-ukraine-fighting-for-freedom-2022-4">made a surprise visit</a> to Zelenskyy in Kyiv in early May, during which Zelenskyy was escorted out by an armed guard, as shown in a <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1520644107751809024?s=20&amp;t=u4k_Xb3QOW17C0xvaq9MHg">video</a> of the event."If the conditions in Ukraine were so grave to warrant the U.S. sending $54 billion, then our highest ranking leaders would not be able to go," she continued. "But conditions at our own U.S. border are out of control warranting billions of funding, however there is baby formula there."Greene, in her tweets, showed a video of McConnell meeting Zelenskyy. It's unclear if anyone is wearing a bulletproof vest underneath their clothes, but the video shows armed guards around them. Since Russia first entered Ukraine on February 24, Ukrainians have escaped the country en masse. So far, more than 6.1 million Ukrainians have fled their homeland since the beginning of the invasion, according to <a href="https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine">data</a> from the United Nations Refugee Agency. In the first week alone, more than 1 million Ukrainians left.Ukrainians who spoke to Insider during the invasion have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-putin-destroyed-ukrainians-share-their-last-photo-normal-life-2022-3">painted a grim picture</a> of the devastation, describing hearing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukrainian-singer-says-kyiv-now-used-to-missile-sound-russian-invasion-2022-3">missiles fire through the sky</a> in the dead of night, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukrainian-volunteers-near-kyiv-share-bulletproof-vest-to-aid-civilians-2022-3">sharing a single bulletproof vest</a> as Russian soldiers tore through their towns, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-chef-describes-harrowing-scene-odesa-ukraine-bombs-russian-forces-2022-3">witnessing troops shooting at homes and hospitals</a>.Greene has struck down nearly every single bill passed in Congress in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Insider's Bryan Metzger <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-thomas-massie-vote-against-ukraine-russia-bills-2022-5">reported</a>. In the months that the Russian invasion has been ongoing, Congress has put together at least 19 bills in response to the conflict. Among the measures was an allocation of $40 billion in additional aid to Ukraine, which received <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2022145">57 no votes</a> from Republican representatives, including Greene.The $40 billion legislation would be the second federal aid package approved for Ukraine by Congress. In March, Congress approved a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/senate-passes-government-funding-bill-ukraine-aid-2022-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$13.6 billion package</a> but funds have quickly depleted in Ukraine. If second package passes in Congress, the US will have sent $54 billion in aid to Ukraine since the start of the invasion.

Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared to imply Ukraine is not a dangerous war zone because Pelosi and McConnell visited the country

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Biden and Trump have something in common besides the presidency: they both caught <keyword id="8764262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid" source="Orion">COVID</keyword>. </li><li>Thanks to vaccines and treatments, the pandemic is in a different place today than it was before the 2020 election.</li></ul>Contracting COVID-19 as <keyword id="2540" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="president" source="Orion">president</keyword> may be the one thing that unites <keyword id="99719" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="joe-biden" source="Orion">Joe Biden</keyword> and <keyword id="11914386" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="donald-trump" source="Orion">Donald Trump</keyword> — beyond their time behind the Resolute Desk.Even so, experience suggests the two political foes won't be calling each other to compare notes on symptoms, governing, or Netflix binge-watching.Their approaches to testing positive have been markedly different, from the diagnosis announcement to <keyword id="11896084" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="white-house" source="Orion">White House</keyword> management of their illness. Presidential personalities and health play a role. But a bigger factor is where we were then and are now with the virus. Biden is vaccinated and twice boosted, though 437 people in the US are still dying every day of COVID. He tested negative after completing five days of Paxlovid treatments. No vaccine was yet available to Trump, who was hospitalized for three days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and received what was then an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/regeneron-ceo-says-trump-antibody-drug-experience-weakest-evidence-success-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">experimental drug</a>.Biden <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-speech-covid-recovery-trump-vaccines-walter-reed-2022-7">pointed to vaccinations and treatments</a> as differences between his experience and Trump's during his remarks on Wednesday after testing negative."Here's the bottom line: When my predecessor got COVID, he had to get helicoptered to Walter Reed Medical Center," Biden said during a Rose Garden speech. "He was severely ill. Thankfully, he recovered. When I got COVID, I worked from upstairs of the White House — in the offices upstairs — and — for the — that five-day period." But both men have taken steps to project strength in their own ways. Here's how Biden and Trump's early handling of a COVID diagnosis compares:<div type="image" title="In this image released by the Saudi Royal Palace, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, greets President Joe Biden with a fist bump after his arrival at Al-Salam palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, July 15, 2022." height="1875" width="2500" msid="93063049" hostid="261"></div><h2>Before testing positive</h2>Biden's diagnosis announcement on July 21 follows a busy couple of days that included travel Wednesday to Massachusetts with members of Congress and his administration. On Tuesday, he met with Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska at the White House. Photos show Biden was mask-free during his meeting in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud a week ago. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a Thursday statement that Biden had tested negative as recently as Tuesday. As for Trump, he announced on October 2, 2020, that he had COVID. But his former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/01/trump-tested-positive-covid-before-biden-debate-chief-staff-mark-meadows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed in his book</a> published last year that Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on September 26, 2020 — three days before his presidential debate with Biden. He then tested negative shortly after the positive test, and the White House did not publicly disclose either result.Trump held a Rose Garden Ceremony to celebrate the Senate's confirmation of his Supreme Court nominee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Multiple <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> outlets called it a "super-spreader" event. <div type="image" title="Donald Trump gets into a presidential SUV" height="1666" width="2222" msid="93063050" hostid="261"></div><h2>The announcement </h2>True to form, Trump broke his own news on Twitter. At 1 a.m."Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19," Trump said. "We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!" Then-White House physician Sean Conley issued a statement shortly after Trump's tweet confirming the positive result. "The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence," Conley wrote.The news came just two days after <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-02/trump-aide-hope-hicks-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-infection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a> broke the story that White House advisor Hope Hicks had COVID. At that time, Trump had said he planned to quarantine. When Biden tested positive for COVID, the US first learned of the diagnosis through an email Jean-Pierre sent to reporters, which they then widely disseminated through tweets and news reports. The <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/21/statement-from-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> said Biden was taking the antiviral Paxlovid. It also included a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Letter-7.21.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> from Biden's White House physician, Kevin O'Connor, who has worked with him for decades. Biden himself then <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1550153237021564943?s=20&amp;t=mkjBSau5Mcf592yHGVbEkw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">followed up on Twitter:</a> "Folks, I'm doing great."Later in the day, the White House conducted a press conference with Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House <keyword id="11893194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus" source="Orion">coronavirus</keyword> coordinator, who answered questions about Biden's health. But the White House refused to make O'Connor available for questions. Still, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted the Biden administration is doing things "very differently" from the last administration when reporters asked why they weren't being transparent by allowing Biden's doctor to take questions.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/karine-jean-pierre-it-doesnt-matter-where-biden-covid-19-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jean-Pierre also told a reporter</a>, "I don't think it matters" when asked during the news briefing where Biden caught COVID. "What I was trying to say is what's important now is that he has mild symptoms, is that he's working from the residence on behalf of the American people," she later said.<div type="image" title="Joe Biden" height="5115" width="6820" msid="93063051" hostid="261"></div><h2>Plans change</h2>After Biden's illness, he had to cancel a planned trip to Pennsylvania to tout a new crime-fighting fund. Instead, he is isolating in the White House for at least five days, the White House said. Biden's diagnosis also meant canceling a trip to Florida that he had planned for Monday. There, he planned to deliver remarks at a law enforcement conference, and separately, at a rally for the Democratic National Committee.On Friday morning, O'Connor said that Biden's temperature went up the previous night but he responded to Tylenol. Less than a day after Trump first announced he had COVID, the White House flew him eight miles to Walter Reed hospital in a helicopter to be hospitalized. Wearing a navy blue suit and a face mask, Trump walked across the White House lawn to board Marine One. <div type="image" title="In this photo provided by The White House, President Joe Biden talks on the phone with his national security team from the Treaty Room in the residence of the White House in Washington, Friday, July 22, 2022." height="1666" width="2222" msid="93063052" hostid="261"></div><h2>The reel </h2>Shortly after arriving at Walter Reed, Trump posted an 18-second video to his Twitter account to reassure the nation of his condition."I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support," he said. "I'm going to Walter Reed Hospital. I think I'm doing very well. We're going to make sure that things work out. The first lady is doing very well. So thank you very much, I appreciate it. I will never forget it. Thank you." In similar fashion, Biden's White House team also posted <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1550179049598861314" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an upbeat video </a>of the president's condition. In it, Biden was maskless and wearing a blue blazer, and said he was hard at work and "doing well." "In the meantime, keep the faith," he said. "It's going to be OK."Both presidents posted to Facebook pictures of themselves working. Trump even posted a photo while at Walter Reed. There, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/medical-care-president-joe-biden-white-house-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">presidential suite</a> — where he could both work and receive care — awaited him. <div type="image" title="trump rose garden white house scotus amy coney barrett mike lee coronavirus" height="1666" width="2222" msid="93063053" hostid="261"></div><h2>The reaction </h2>Trump was fixated on the most recent, primetime January 6 hearing the day of Biden's announcement. He didn't say anything about his successor's illness. Biden, in contrast, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/02/democratic-nominee-joe-biden-tests-negative-for-coronavirus-after-potential-exposure.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wished Trump well when he contracted the novel coronavirus</a>, saying he and his wife, Jill, were praying for the Trumps' "quick and full recovery," while calling it "a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously."<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/bipartisan-get-well-soon-wishes-trump-some-democrats-have-pointed-n1241777" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democrats joined in wishing Trump well but also scolded him</a> for not taking the virus seriously enough. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Trump had created a "brazen invitation for something like this to happen" after appearing before maskless crowds.Opinion columns called Trump "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/12/donald-trump-covid-reckless-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reckless</a>," and "<a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-10-02/editorial-trump-coronavirus-infection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">foolish</a>," and said he demonstrated "<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/10/06/arrogant-trump-brought-covid-on-himself-no-compassion-column/3624380001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrogant negligence</a>." USA Today even <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2020/10/07/likely-rose-garden-covid-superspreader-white-house-drew-hundreds/3636925001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted a picture</a> of all the people who attended the Barrett Rose Garden ceremony and asked readers to help reporters identify who was present, so they could trace the origins of the virus and see who else got infected. Biden faced some backlash for his infection, too. Some critics mocked him on Twitter for last year calling the post-vaccination COVID surges a "pandemic of the unvaccinated" and <a href="https://twitter.com/factsmatter420/status/1550137891145322496" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for falsely saying, </a>"You're not going to get covid if you have these vaccinations." On Thursday, "President Harris" <a href="https://twitter.com/lara_korte/status/1550131897962876934?s=20&amp;t=hNc0vhqwU6oVpEJQrmCR8w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">began trending</a> on Twitter, and news organizations, including Insider, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-kamala-harris-nancy-pelosi-patrick-leahy-presidential-succession-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote explainers</a> about the presidential line of succession in the event Biden couldn't execute his duties. Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, a former White House physician, <a href="https://twitter.com/RonnyJacksonTX/status/1550196613229993985" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>: "Hope President Biden is feeling better soon, but as the former White House Physician, I recommend he remain in isolation for the next 913 days, 20 hours, and 51 minutes. Just to be safe…."<div type="image" title="White House Covid Response Coordinator Ashish Jha speaks at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, July 22, 2022." height="1666" width="2222" msid="93063054" hostid="261"></div><h2>Doctor's orders</h2>Biden and Trump both released post-COVID-diagnosis statements from their doctors. And they both faced criticism about transparency.Biden's White House has refused to make O'Connor available for questions despite multiple requests from journalists during the White House press briefing. Conley, meanwhile, came under criticism for his refusal to answer some of reporters' questions when Trump was at Walter Reed. Instead, it was Meadows who disclosed that Trump's condition was worse than previously disclosed — he had a fever and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly.Presidential doctors face a difficult <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hipaa-why-white-house-doctors-share-only-information-trump-authorizes-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ethical and legal dilemma</a>, however. By law, doctors cannot disclose information about patients without their explicit consent — even when a patient happens to be the president of the United States. If doctors do share such information without patients' consent, they could lose their license, face fines, or even go to prison. Adding to the public's partial view of the situation is that no law requires presidents to provide information to the public about their health. <div type="image" title="In this image released by the White House, former President Donald Trump works in the Presidential Suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on Saturday, October 3, 2020, after testing positive for COVID-19." height="1668" width="2223" msid="93063055" hostid="261"></div><h2>'Show him working'</h2>Both presidents tried to ease concerns about their conditions and show they're still working.But that's where style similarities end.Trump alarmed medical experts by leaving the hospital to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-criticized-medical-experts-after-leaving-hospital-drive-supporters-n1242081" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drive past supporters</a> and wave while still under medical care, raising concerns for the Secret Service agents who drove him. They wore <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/secret-service-agents-driving-trump-around-hospital-during-covid-stay-n1266541" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full medical protective gear.</a>After being released from Walter Reed, Trump returned to the White House and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-he-s-leaving-hospital-monday-evening-n1242172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took off his mask to pose for photos</a> on the Truman balcony. "Don't be afraid of Covid," Trump said in a tweet. "Don't let it dominate your life."At that point in time, 210,000 people living in the United States had died from the disease in a matter of months.Biden told supporters, via his video, that he appreciates their concerns, and he's been holding virtual meetings. He started an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aRl6W0LW14" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic briefing Friday by apologizing</a> for his voice. "I'm feeling much better than I sound," he said.On Monday, the president's official social media accounts <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1551613268153729024">shared a photo of Biden and his German shepherd Commander </a>sitting together on the White House balcony as he spoke on the phone. "Took some calls this morning with man's best co-worker," <a href="https://www.insider.com/biden-covid-white-house-dog-photo-2022-7">POTUS captioned the photo.</a>Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday that the White House has been preparing for Biden contracting COVID for "several months," given the percentage of cases in the US. "What they need to do over the next couple of days is show him working and show him still active and serving as president and I'm certain they'll likely do that," Psaki said on MSNBC, the network she'll join in the fall.During his Rose Garden speech after testing negative on Wednesday, Biden said he was thankful that his symptoms were mild and that his recovery was quick. "The entire time I was in isolation, I was able to work to carry out the duties of the office and without any interruption," he said. "It's a real statement on where we are in the fight against COVID-19."He later added, "And now I get to go back to the Oval Office."

You Searched For "olena zelenska" and got 9 results

Pentagon chief says Russia's 'relentless shelling' of Ukraine 'harkens back to the horrors of WWI'

John Haltiwanger

Zelenskyy calls for 'strong reaction' from the UN after Russian bombs left millions of Ukrainians without heat and water in below-freezing temperatures: 'We expect the reaction of friends — not just observers'

Erin Snodgrass

Ukraine first lady's Vogue cover shoot was panned. One media expert says it was because it wasn't relatable.

Sophia Ankel

Ukraine's first lady said she hasn't seen her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in over a month

Sinéad Baker

Putin's forces have looted nearly 40 museums in Ukraine, plundering thousands of 'priceless' treasures, says culture minister

Bethany Dawson

Zelenskyy says Mitch McConnell and GOP leaders meeting him in Kyiv 'is a strong signal of bipartisan support for Ukraine' from the US

Taylor Ardrey

Timeline: Where Biden was before his positive COVID-19 test and who he met with

Oma Seddiq

Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared to imply Ukraine is not a dangerous war zone because Pelosi and McConnell visited the country

Yelena Dzhanova

A play-by-play of how the Trump and Biden administrations handled their septuagenarian commander-in-chiefs getting sick with COVID

Kimberly Leonard,Nicole Gaudi…