Volodymyr Zelenskyy kicks off key US trip with visit to ammunition factory
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has kicked off an important trip to the US this week with a visit to an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania.
The site, which Sky News visited in 2023, produces critically needed munitions for his country’s fight against Russia.
Democratic representative Matt Cartwright, who was among those meeting Mr Zelenskyy at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, said that the Ukrainian leader had a simple message: “Thank you. And we need more.”
Mr Zelenskyy faces a busy week in the US as he works to shore up support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
He is due to speak at the UN General Assembly annual gathering in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday, and travel to Washington on Thursday for talks with President Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Scranton plant. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Recent weeks have seen Mr Zelenskyy pushing the US, and other Western allies, for permission to use longer-range missile systems to strike deeper into Russia.
So far the Pentagon and White House have not green-lit the loosening of restrictions. There has been hesitation due to the possibility of a US-made missile hitting Moscow, which could escalate the war.
Mr Zelenskyy will also present his “victory plan” to the US – of which the long-range weapons systems are said to be key.
But his trip comes at a key juncture for his country, as a victory for Donald Trump in the 5 November US presidential elections could prompt a reset of Washington’s policy on Ukraine.
During a TV debate earlier this month, Mr Trump refused to say if he wanted Ukraine to defeat Russia and said he would try to end the war before taking office if he wins.
The area around the plant was sealed off ahead of Mr Zelenskyy’s trip on Sunday, with rubbish trucks positioned as roadblocks and a heavy police presence visible.
As Mr Zelenskyy’s motorcade entered the ammunition plant, a small contingent of supporters waved Ukrainian flags nearby.
“It’s unfortunate that we need a plant like this, but it’s here, and it’s here to protect the world,” said Vera Kowal Krewson, a first-generation Ukrainian American who was among the small crowd. “And I strongly feel that way.”
A small group of supporters waved Ukrainian flags during Mr Zelenskyy’s visit to the munitions plant. Pic: AP
Mr Zelenskyy speaking during his visit to the plant. Pic: Reuters
Laryssa Salak, 60, whose parents also immigrated from Ukraine, said she was pleased Mr Zelenskyy came to thank the workers.
But she said it upset her that funding for Ukraine’s defence against Russia divided Americans, and that even some of her friends opposed the support, saying the money should instead go to help Americans.
“But they don’t understand that that money does not directly go to Ukraine,” Ms Salak said. “It goes to American factories that manufacture, like here, like the ammunition. So that money goes to American workers as well. And a lot of people don’t understand that.”
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The Scranton plant is one of the few facilities in the US that manufactures 155mm artillery shells and it has stepped up production in the last year.
These are used in howitzer systems, which are highly valued by ground forces in taking out enemy targets from a distance.
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At one point in the war, Ukraine was firing between 6,000-8,000 155mm shells per day.
The rate started to deplete US stockpiles, prompting concern.
In response, the US invested in restarting production lines and now manufactures more than 40,000 155mm shells a month – with plans to hit 100,000 a month.
There are 161 people still missing in Texas in the aftermath of last weekend’s deadly flash floods, the state’s governor has said.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, governor Gregg Abbot said the number of missing had risen markedly.
He said among the missing were five children and one counsellor from Camp Mystic – where at least 27 people were killed in the flash flooding.
At least 109 people are confirmed to have died in the floods, which took place on the 4 July weekend, but this figure has been steadily climbing ever since.
People comforted each other in Kerville. Pic: Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP
The bulk of deaths, and the main search for additional bodies, have been concentrated in Kerr County and the city of Kerrville.
The area was transformed into a disaster zone when torrential rains struck the region early last Friday, unleashing deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River.
Travis County, Kendall County, Burnett County, Williamson County, and Tom Green County were also hit.
Mr Abbot said many of those who were unaccounted for were in the Texas Hill Country area, but had not registered at a camp or hotel, posing further challenges for authorities.
Camp Mystic
Mr Abbot planned to make another visit to Camp Mystic.
The century-old all-girls Christian summer camp was badly hit by the flash floods, with at least 27 campers and counsellors dying.
Hanna Lawrence, left, and Rebecca Lawrence, right. Pic: John Lawrence/AP
Lila Bonner (L) and Eloise Peck both died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic, Texas. Pic: Family handout
Chloe Childress. Pic: Debra Alexander Photography via AP
Some of the victims include Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence, both eight, Chloe Childress, 19, who was among the counsellors at Camp Mystic when the flood hit, and Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner, both nine.
There were scenes of devastation at the camp as the flood water receded.
Outside the cabins where the girls had slept, mud-splattered blankets and pillows were scattered.
Also in the debris were pink, purple and light blue luggage, decorated with stickers.
A view inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after the flooding. Pic: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
Camper’s belongings lie on the ground following flooding on the Guadalupe River, at Camp Mystic.
Pic: Reuters
‘Everything looked flooded and broken’
One of the campers, 10-year-old Lucy Kennedy, told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that she woke up to the sound of thunder at around midnight before the floods struck.
“I couldn’t go back to sleep,” she said. “I just had a feeling that something really bad was about to happen.”
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She said the girls at the camp were told to grab blankets, pillows and water bottles and line up single file as the floodwater rose, before getting airlifted to safety.
Wynne Kennedy, Lucy’s mother, added: “When I saw her, she was wrapped up in a blanket, had a teddy bear.
“We just held each other tight, and I held her all night.”
Their home in Kerrville was also destroyed by the flash floods.
Lucy Kennedy, 10 who was rescued from Camp Mystic, and her mother Wynne. Pic: NBC
Political row
Meanwhile, a political row has unfolded parallel to the recovery efforts, with some questioning whether local authorities sent out warnings and alerts early enough.
Similarly, Democrats have criticised Donald Trump over cuts his Elon Musk-launched Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has made to the National Weather Service – but it isn’t clear whether these actually made any difference.
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Wall of water
The flash floods erupted before daybreak on Friday, after massive amounts of rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to rise by eight metres in less than an hour.
The wall of water overwhelmed cabins, tents and trails along the river’s edge.
Some survivors were found clinging to trees.
Some of the campers had to swim out of their cabin windows to get to safety, while others clung to rope to make it to higher ground.
The date for Sean “Diddy” Combs’s sentencing hearing has been confirmed.
Following his high-profile trial, the hip-hop mogul was found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution by jurors in Manhattan, New York, last week – but was cleared of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
Defence lawyers argued Combs, who has been in prison in Brooklyn since his arrest in September last year, should be bailed ahead of sentencing given the not guilty verdicts for the more serious charges, but Judge Arun Subramanian denied this – citing, among other things, the rapper’s own admissions of previous violent behaviour.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in court after the verdict was delivered. Pic: Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg
The charges of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy carried a potential life sentence. Combs still faces up to 20 years in prison for the prostitution-related offences, but is not expected to receive the maximum punishment.
After the verdict was delivered, the judge scheduled the sentencing hearing for 3 October. At a remote follow-up conference on Tuesday, with agreement from the defence and prosecution, the judge approved the date.
Combs joined the call but did not make any comment.
Any sentence will include credit for time already served – which will be just over a year by the time the hearing takes place.
During his trial, Combs was accused by prosecutors of abusing and coercing three alleged victims, including his former long-term partner, singer and model Cassie Ventura.
Jurors found the allegations did not amount to sex-trafficking or racketeering, or running a criminal enterprise – but they did find him guilty of transporting Cassie and another former girlfriend “Jane” for prostitution offences around the US, and paying male escorts to engage in sexual encounters.
Despite the guilty verdict on those charges, the 55-year-old’s team described it as “the victory of all victories”.
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In an interview over the weekend, defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo said Combs had received a standing ovation from fellow inmates when he returned to jail after being acquitted of the more serious charges.
“They all said, ‘We never get to see anyone who beats the government’,” he said.
Ahead of sentencing, Combs’s lawyers will file their recommendations by 19 September, with prosecutors likely to follow a week later.
Prosecutors previously said the rapper could face about four to five years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, while the defence has suggested a two-year sentence.
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