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MOSCOW (AP) A Russian presidential hopeful opposing Moscow's military action in Ukraine met Thursday with a group of soldiers' wives who are demanding that their husbands be discharged from the front line.

Longtime Kremlin critic Boris Nadezhdin, who serves as a local legislator in a town near Moscow, is collecting signatures to qualify for the race to challenge President Vladimir Putin in the March 15-17 vote.

Speaking at a meeting with wives and other relatives of Russian servicemen who were mobilized to fight in Ukraine, Nadezhdin, 60, criticized the government's decision to keep them in the ranks as long as the fighting continues.

We want them to treat people who are doing their duty in a decent way, he said.

Wives of some of the reservists who were called up for service in the fall of 2022 have campaigned for their husbands to be discharged from duty and replaced with contract soldiers.

Maria Andreyeva, whose brother is fighting in Ukraine and who took part in the meeting, said that we have been depressed for a long time and are looking for ways to spur ourselves. She said she and the other women have been filing petitions, picketing government buildings and taking other action.

Their demands have been stonewalled by the government-controlled media, and some pro-Kremlin politicians have sought to cast them as Western stooges accusations the women angrily rejected.

The mobilization of 300,000 reservists that Putin ordered in 2022 amid military setbacks in Ukraine was widely unpopular and prompted hundreds of thousands to flee abroad to avoid being drafted.

Aware of the public backlash, the military since then has increasingly sought to bolster the forces in Ukraine by enlisting more volunteers. The authorities claimed that about 500,000 signed contracts with the Defense Ministry last year.

During Thursday's meeting, Nadezhdin, a member of the local council in the town of Dolgoprudny just outside Moscow, reaffirmed his call for a quick end to the fighting in Ukraine.

The country wants peace, its crystal clear, Nadezhdin said. "The country wants this to end. People want to bring back those who are there. We told the truth and its very important how the government reacts to this meeting.

He spoke with optimism about his presidential bid, arguing that his calls for peace are getting increasing traction and he has received donations from thousands of people.

I will keep moving for as long as I feel public support, he said. Millions of people are supporting me.

Under Russian law, independent candidates like Nadezhdin must gather at least 300,000 signatures from 40 regions or more.

Another presidential hopeful who called for peace in Ukraine, former regional legislator Yekaterina Duntsova, was barred from the race last month after the Central Election Commission refused to accept her nomination, citing technical errors in her paperwork.

The election commission already has approved three candidates for the ballot who were nominated by parties represented in parliament and therefore weren't required to collect signatures: Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party, Leonid Slutsky of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party and Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party.

All three parties have been largely supportive of the Kremlin's policies. Kharitonov had run against Putin in 2004, finishing a distant second.

The tight control over Russias political system that Putin has established during 24 years in power makes his reelection in March all but assured. Prominent critics who could challenge him on the ballot are either in jail or living abroad, and most independent media have been banned.

Under constitutional reforms he orchestrated, Putin is eligible to seek two more six-year terms after his current term expires this year, potentially allowing him to remain in power until 2036.

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Russian presidential hopeful calling for peace in Ukraine meets with soldiers' wives - Yahoo News

We really dont want a war between China and Taiwan. ... a war would destroy everything, added Lu. There would be many people dead, and we would also lose our home.

The question for voters is: which party, which platform, leads to peace now? And to that end, how important is Taiwanese sovereignty?

The fundamental split here politically between the two big parties is [based on their] ideas on sovereignty, national identity and relations with China, said Courtney Donovan Smith, a political analyst who focuses on Taiwan. Its not a traditional left-right split.

Another of the fundamental issues of the ongoing campaign is whether to give the incumbent DPP another term after eight years in power, or to give the opposition KMT another chance to govern.

The Taiwan Peoples Party (TPP) is also contesting the presidency as a third choice, arguing that the two other parties are polar extremes that need a dose of moderation. Polling conducted before a nationwide blackout on political surveys indicates the race is close all three parties have a theoretical pathway to victory in the presidential race.

But whichever party is the victor, in many senses, Taiwans future will also depend on the United States and just how committed it will remain to the defense of its ally.

Angelica Oung, a Taiwanese American clean energy advocate, used to confidently tell her friends that the United States would step in to defend Taiwan if violence was ever used to cross the Taiwan Strait.

It was a core American interest to do so, she reasoned.

But lately, shes been struggling with her confidence in this matter. American foreign policy in Eastern Europe is having an effect thousands and thousands of miles away.

I look at whats been happening to American support for Ukraine, and its been eroding rather rapidly, she said, in a Taipei cafe specializing in domestically grown coffee.

Congress recently rejected a Biden administration proposal to send more than $100 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The legislation failed a procedural vote in the Senate, with Republicans pressing for unrelated border and immigration policy changes to be included.

The White House warned that aid to Ukraine would end, without the approval of additional money by Congress, at the end of 2023.

When a Taiwanese person comes to me [and] says, You see what they did to Ukraine? They encouraged them to stand up and fight Russia. And then when things dont go well, theyre abandoned. I find it very difficult to have a good comeback to that, Oung said.

President Joe Biden shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Dec. 12, 2023. The White House warned that aid to Ukraine would end without the approval of additional money by Congress, at the end of 2023. | Evan Vucci/AP

Now she finds herself disappointed in the U.S. government, worrying that letting down Ukraine is a prelude to what may happen in Taiwan.

For much of her life she has straddled the two countries, traveling between Taiwan and the United States. Oung was living in Los Angeles when the Covid pandemic broke out, and decided to move to Taiwan where she felt the public health measures were taken more seriously. When she settled in, she was surprised about the political priorities of her fellow Taiwanese voters.

I just found it frankly perplexing that the Taiwanese werent seriously alarmed about the prospect of an invasion, because its very obvious from what [Chinese leader] Xi [Jinping] was saying, that he had the desire to reunify Taiwan and China by force, if necessary, she explained.

But over time, she found her perspective cooling. Its hard to maintain the same level of alarm for years at a time, she told me, and while she still sees national security as a top priority, she understands why people are not operating constantly at the highest levels of alertness.

For Huang Po Chang, a shop owner in Xingang, a small town in southwest Taiwan, the issues that determine his vote are the same pocketbook issues that trouble people all over the world.

The fundamental differences between the TPP and KMT political parties are their views on China. But Huang says hes much more concerned about rising housing prices, slowing economic growth, opportunities for young people and medical care not nearly as much about geopolitics.

Thats not the most important thing in my mind, because Ive been living in Taiwan for 40 years, and constantly notice China, but thats not what I pay attention to a lot in my daily life, he said.

He puts the chance of a violent conflict at about 1 in 10, citing the familial and economic connections between China and Taiwan as reasons why peace is the most likely long-term outcome.

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'If They Really Want to Take Taiwan Back, What Can We Do?' - POLITICO

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain visited Kyiv on Friday to announce that he would send more than $3 billion in military assistance to Ukraine in the next financial year, his countrys largest annual commitment since the start of Russias full-scale invasion.

In addition to the new aid package, Mr. Sunak and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine signed a bilateral security agreement for the next 10 years. The pact offers reassurance amid concerns about a potential shortfall in Western support for Ukraine while badly needed military and financial aid packages remain blocked in the United States and the European Union because of political infighting.

For two years, Ukraine has fought with great courage to repel a brutal Russian invasion. They are still fighting, unfaltering in their determination to defend their country, Mr. Sunak said in a statement. I am here today with one message: The U.K. will also not falter. We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come.

The British aid for the coming year represents an increase of 200 million pounds, about $255 million, compared with the countrys annual commitment for the past two years. Much of the increase will go toward the production and procurement of thousands of military drones that are crucial for Ukraine. Britain will also deliver long-range missiles, air defenses and artillery ammunition.

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Sunak Pledges $3 Billion in Military Aid to Ukraine - The New York Times

Western countries t succumbing to war fatigue "will have to take care of the Muscovites when they come to occupy their territories," Chief of Ukraines Defense Intelligence (HUR) Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with Le Monde on Jan. 11.

Russia's war against Ukraine began 10 years ago, and the full-scale invasion has been going on since 2022, so war fatigue is becoming more pronounced at both the individual and social levels, he said.

Read also: Attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of us, says Donald Tusk

"I'm not criticizing, said the spy chief.

It's an understandable phenomenon. The main thing is to find solutions, and we found them in time.

Russia is waging a war not only against Ukraine but also against NATO, as their propaganda has been claiming from the very beginning, Budanov stated.

Read also: Three scenarios the West is trying to avoid in Ukraine

"Every day I read classified Russian reports and other reports circulating through various channels," he continued.

All of them talk about 'strikes on NATO bases,' specifying that there were '50 Poles, '30 French,' and so on. They know that this is not true, but they are spreading this information.

Budanov noted that Russian captives are always surprised when they do not encounter any NATO soldiers in Ukraine, because, as they understand it, they came to fight against them. Ukraine is only the first stage.

The spy chief also emphasized that Western sanctions against Russia remain inadequate. Restrictions should have crippled the main sectors of the Russian economy: energy, metallurgy, and the financial system.

Read also: World is rapidly approaching World War III believes Ukrainian intelligence chief Budanov

Budanov touched on several other issues, including the need to provide Ukraine with more shells and artillery systems, both modern and old, as well as the necessity of supporting the stability of Ukraines economy.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier has previously slammed Western war, stressing the importance of further assistance to Ukraine and calling on partners to "fully mobilize."

"I cant bear to hear politicians who talk about fatigue with the situation in Ukraine," Tusk said.

They tell President Zelenskyy that they are tired of the situation. I will demand help for Ukraine from day one.

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Ukraine's military intel chief Budanov issues stark warning to war-weary West - Yahoo News

More than $1 billion worth of shoulder-fired missiles, kamikaze drones and night-vision goggles that the United States has sent to Ukraine have not been properly tracked by American officials, a new Pentagon report concluded, raising concerns that they could be stolen or smuggled at a time when Congress is debating whether to send more military aid to Kyiv.

The report by the Defense Departments inspector general, released on Thursday, offers no evidence that any of the weapons have been misused after being shipped to a U.S. military logistics hub in Poland or sent onward to Ukraines front lines.

But it found that American defense officials and diplomats in Washington and Europe had failed to quickly or fully account for many of the nearly 40,000 weapons that by law should have been closely monitored because their battlefield impact, sensitive technology and relatively small size makes them attractive bounty for arms smugglers.

These are identified as the items that because of their sensitivity, their vulnerability to diversion or misuse or the consequences of that its particularly important to have this additional tracking and accountability in place, Robert P. Storch, the Pentagons inspector general, who is also the lead watchdog for American aid sent to help Ukraines war effort, said in an interview on Thursday.

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U.S. Military Aid to Ukraine Was Poorly Tracked, Pentagon Report Says - The New York Times