US deepens commitment with $40b in aid

President Joe Biden and Congress deepened US involvement in the global effort to reject Russia’s invasion of Ukraine yesterday, with the Senate voting to finalise more than $40 billion (NZ$62.6b) in newmilitary and humanitarian assistance while Biden and top congressional leaders lent firmpublic support towhat could be themost significant expansion of Nato in nearly two decades. The events came as the US and its allies pivot to planning for awar in Ukraine, the scope of which has narrowed since Russia’s initial invasion three months ago but whose duration appears increasingly long-lasting as the fighting enters a gruelling newphase.