Congress hears sirens wail as Ukraine legislators visit

By LISA MASCARO
AP Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — As members of the Ukrainian parliament visited Capitol Hill, pleading for wartime aid, an air raid siren suddenly blared. The alert came from one of the visitors’ cell phones, a wrenching reminder from the war-torn country back home. The Ukrainians are meeting this week with their counterparts in the U.S. Congress, urging their American allies to more quickly provide additional military aid — fighter jets, tanks — and impose stiffer economic sanctions on Russia. Separately on Wednesday, President Joe Biden did announce another $500 million in aid, but House and Senate lawmakers say more will be needed.