Ukraine War, a Visit from Kenya, and Trump’s Hush-Money
Welcome back to Politics Explained! If you’re new here, we post concise, non-partisan weekly blogs solely on US politics. This week, we’ll be covering issues surrounding the Ukraine war, a State Dinner with Kenya, and, as usual for my blogs, some updates on Trump’s criminal trial. Without further ado, let’s get started.
In order to “avoid WWIII,” President Biden has been adamant about not allowing Ukraine to fire U.S. weapons into Russia’s borders. However, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has put forth efforts towards allowing Ukraine to use the weapons given by the U.S. to hit missile launch sites within the border of Russia. This is currently a pressing debate in the White House as Russia has made recent advancements in the war. Although Ukraine has weapons of their own, they don’t compare to the ones made by the U.S. which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claims are critical in their fight.
This past Thursday, the Biden administration hosted its sixth state dinner with Kenya as the guest. To honor Kenyan President William Ruto was a glamorous night of 500 guests with appearances from prominent individuals such as former U.S. President Barack Obama. This marked the first state dinner for an African Nation since 2008. The main reason for this meeting was to strengthen ties with Kenya, marking it a major non-NATO* ally. This meeting also coincides with Kenya sending around 1,000 of their police force to Haiti in a UN-led effort to stop the gang violence in the country. Lastly, after following up on a promise to visit Africa last year, Biden stated, “I plan on going in February after I’m reelected,” showing his optimism and confidence in the results of the upcoming election.
Finally, some updates on Trump’s hush-money trial:
As a reminder, the trial is about whether or not Trump illegally altered business records to conceal the hush money payment from voters
The case is wrapping up as both sides have rested their cases
Closing arguments are to be made after the Memorial Day weekend
Both sides will be able to go over their stances in their last opportunity to persuade the jury
*Definition of the Week (NATO): The North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an intergovernmental military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American.
