Notes and Essays -- John Brown

The measure faces long odds given past Republican opposition to sending additional assistance to Kyiv, but it comes as President Trump has signaled a new openness to finding ways to back the nation. Listen to this article · 5:16 min  Learn more The measure by Senators Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, left, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Lisa Murkowski, right, Republican of Alaska, includes billions of dollars for direct weapons assistance to Ukraine. Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times By  Robert Jimison Robert Jimison covers foreign policy and defense issues in Congress. He reported from the Capitol. July 31, 2025  Updated  7:15 p.m. ET, The New York Times A bipartisan pair of senators on Thursday introduced legislation to provide $54.6 billion in aid to Ukraine over the next two years as Russia intensifies its attacks and U.S.-brokered peace negotiations have so far failed. The measure by Senators Jeanne Shaheen of New H...

Kyiv officials said at least 12 children were injured in the capital by the strikes, the highest number in any night since the Russian invasion began in 2022. Women react outside a destroyed apartment building after a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP) Updated EDT today [7/31] at 12:49 p.m. EDT]; article contains  illustrations in locations on this page different from those in the original text; not all the original articles' illustrations are included below due to technical/computer reasons. By  David L. Stern ,  Ellen Francis ,  Robyn Dixon ,  Serhii Korolchuk  and  Vivian Ho , The Washington Post KYIV — Russian forces launched drones and missiles across the Ukrainian capital overnight, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 150 others, according to Ukraine’s  State Emergency Service .   Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a 6-year-old boy was among those killed in the strikes, whic...

The former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev offers President Trump a useful foil to criticize without rebuking Vladimir Putin, one analyst said.  Dmitri Medvedev, Russia’s former president who now serves in a largely symbolic role, frequently wields nuclear threats against the West on social media. Credit... Ekaterina Shtukina/Sputnik, via Reuters By  Anton Troianovski Reporting from Berlin  July 31, 2025,  9:08 a.m. ET   The New York Times In a midnight social media  post , President Trump called Dmitri A. Medvedev a “failed former President of Russia” who had better “watch his words.” Less than three hours later — morning by then in Moscow — Mr. Medvedev responded. He said Mr. Trump should picture the apocalyptic television series “The Walking Dead” and referred to the Soviet Union’s system for launching  a last-ditch, automatic nuclear strike . “Russia is right about everything and will continue to go its own way,” said Mr. Medvedev’s  po...