Biden says he told Zelensky ‘confident’ of renewed US war aid

US President Joe Biden tells his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that he is “confident” Congress will renew war aid, but adds that without US help Kyiv could lose further territory to Russian advances.

“I spoke with Zelensky this afternoon to let him know that I was confident we’re going to get that money,” Biden tells reporters after attending church in Delaware.

Failure by US lawmakers to approve new funding for military aid to Kyiv would be “absurd” and “unethical,” he says, adding: “I’m going to fight to get them the ammunition they need.”

Egypt’s el-Sissi, French President Macron discuss Gaza, need for hostage deal

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi told French President Emmanuel Macron in a call earlier of Cairo’s “categorical rejection of the displacement of Palestinians to Egypt in any shape or form,” noting that the position “enjoys full international consensus.”

During the call, Macron affirmed France’s support for the Egyptian stance, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Presidency and carried by the state’s information service.

The two leaders agreed that progress must be made on a deal that leads to “a stop to the bloodshed and alleviation of the current human suffering in the Gaza Strip,” and discussed efforts to secure a ceasefire, a hostage release deal, and an increased delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Egypt says displacement of Gazans unacceptable, but will deal with civilians humanely

Egypt’s foreign minister says that while his country would deal with civilians humanely, the displacement of Palestinians remained unacceptable.

“It is not our intention to provide any safe areas or facilities, but necessarily if this was a case we will deal with the humanity that is necessary,” Sameh Shoukry says at the Munich Security Conference.

Egypt has reportedly been preparing an area at the Gaza border that could accommodate Palestinians in case an Israeli military offensive into Rafah prompts an exodus across the frontier. Sources described this as a contingency move.

Egypt has repeatedly denied making such preparations.

“This is very hypothetical. We have constantly been dealing with maintenance on our border so I think it is jumping to conclusions to what those activities constitute,” Shoukry says of construction activity seen around the border.

Separately, the governor of North Sinai said earlier that the armed forces are establishing a logistics zone to receive aid for Gaza.

The area being established includes parking areas for trucks, warehouses, administrative offices, and accommodation for drivers, the governor said.

Egypt has repeatedly raised the alarm over the possibility that Israel’s Gaza offensive could displace Palestinians into Sinai — something Cairo says would be completely unacceptable — echoing warnings from Arab states such as Jordan.