“The Biden administration and Ukrainian officials are issuing urgent appeals for Congress to provide military aid for Ukraine, with the White House saying the pot of funding is running dangerously low. In a sign of how acute the threat is … Zelensky dispatched his No. 2 official[, Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine,] to … […]
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“Ukraine allies in U.S. Congress begin uphill battle for help Assistance caught in partisan fight over immigration” “… Ukraine’s congressional backers are … in a tough battle over an expansive aid package … now enmeshed in a partisan fight over border policies and torn from must-pass bills that would prompt swift action. The soonest Congress could complete negotiations and pass […]
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“Kyiv is low on money and time, its advocates say, but in Congress the desire to continue funding its fight against Russia has reached new lows.” “Ukraine is running out of money and time, its proponents say. But congressional interest in financing its fight against invading Russian forces has dipped lower than ever, and rising competition from other national security […]
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“… [T]hree of five GOP front runners for the presidential nomination are openly denigrating American support for the war-torn nation. … American bipartisan support for Ukraine remains strong … though it is notably down from the initial groundswell of horror over Russia’s full-scale invasion. From August 2022 to October 2023, the share of Americans who say their country is helping […]
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“Three officials were accused of operating at the behest of Russian intelligence when they aligned with efforts by Rudolph W. Giuliani to tie the Biden family to corruption in Ukraine.” “Ukrainian police and prosecutors have accused two politicians and a former prosecutor of treason …. Those accused include Kostyantyn Kulyk, a former Ukrainian deputy prosecutor general …. Also implicated were […]
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A Washington Post editorial addresses the war in Ukraine and how Western allies can impact how it unfolds. “… Ukraine has opened a corridor for shipping grain, pushing back Russian naval forces with missile and drone strikes. … Ukrainian forces have exacted an enormous toll on Russian armor and personnel. In battles for … Avdiivka … Russian casualties hit 900 […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) 3 Ideas to Explore “In the end, Ukraine may face the reality that it needs to negotiate with a Russian foe willing to endlessly sacrifice treasure and lives on the battlefield,” according to WP editors. “That point has not been reached, but the West should give Ukraine the leverage to drive the best possible bargain if the […]
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(Moscow Times – Nov. 14, 2023) Russia has managed to almost entirely circumvent a G7 price cap on its oil exports, with Moscow claiming average sales at more than $20 per barrel above the imposed limit, the Financial Times reported Tuesday, citing Western officials and Russian export data. [ft.com/content/09e8ee14-a665-4644-8ec5-5972070463ad] According to an unnamed senior European official who spoke to FT, […]
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“Roman Chervinsky, a colonel in Ukraine’s special operations forces, was integral to the brazen sabotage operation, say people familiar with planning.” “… Roman Chervinsky, a decorated 48-year-old colonel who served in Ukraine’s special operations forces, [reportedly] was the ‘coordinator’ of … Nord Stream [sabotage] operation … logistics and support for a six-person team that rented a sailboat under false identities […]
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“Brussels recommends membership talks start soon, but many European leaders share U.S. concerns over rule of law.” “… At the heart of European concerns … — echoed by Washington — is whether [Ukraine] can overhaul its governance and political culture to rein in … big tycoons and eradicate endemic corruption that has impeded economic growth and social cohesion. … [T]he […]
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“Foreign firms have sold assets worth over $21 billion Third wave of business elite swoops in to grab bargains” “A new cohort of Russian business elite has emerged to benefit from the void left when international firms suddenly exited following … Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. … snapp[ing] up assets at discounted prices after … multinationals … [left due to] pressure […]
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“Ukraine is reluctant to risk its hard-earned ties with the Global South, but it certainly cannot afford to lose irreplaceable Western assistance, leaving Kyiv with very little room for maneuver.” “… At first, the Ukrainian government reacted to the Hamas terrorist attacks … [like] most other countries … condemning the Palestinian militants and expressing … condolences to the Israelis. … […]
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“MARGARET BRENNAN: … Your president has said that … the war in the Middle East is diverting some attention from the war that’s happening in Ukraine. And he said that’s part of Russia’s goals. So I want to hear from you, where you think the conflict is, because I know that Ukraine has said it is running very short of […]
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“Even Republicans who support arming Ukraine are skeptical of providing more cash to the country’s government.” “… [Some] top Biden administration officials [have] urged [Congress] to provide $11.8 billion in direct budget support to Kyiv to help pay … day-to-day bills. … part of a roughly $106 billion emergency funding request covering Ukraine, Israel and other issues. … Ukraine’s economy […]
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“The Persistent Myth That Could Weaken U.S. Deterrence” “… After nearly 20 years of fighting in the country, Washington [in August 2021] bumbled its way through a [chaotic and] disorderly exit [from Afghanistan] … caught off guard by the rapid collapse of the Afghan security forces and seem[ingly] unprepared to evacuate American citizens or Afghan partners. … Biden’s handling of […]
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“The world’s attention is on Israel and Gaza, and some U.S. and Ukrainian military officials consider the war to be at an impasse — an assessment … Zelenskyy disputed on ‘Meet the Press.’” “… Zelenskyy rejected claims that the war with Russia has reached a stalemate … as his military’s struggling counteroffensive and the war in the Middle East threaten […]
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6 Things to Know Commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces Valery Zaluzhny has admitted that his forces’ offensive has reached a stalemate, while the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces and architect of last year’s successful counteroffensive Oleksandr Syrskyi has described the current conditions along the 600-mile frontline as “difficult” and “challenging.” “There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough … […]
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“… [F]ew have paid attention in recent years as the entire framework of strategic arms control, assembled over decades by Moscow and Washington, has been dismantled piece by piece by American and Russian politicians, leaving a dangerous vacuum where mutual responsibility, verification, and dialogue used to be. The last important agreement, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, effectively lapsed when … Putin […]
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“… Zelensky’s top priority and perhaps … main contribution to the nation’s defense had been to keep attention on Ukraine and .. rally the democratic world …. Both tasks would become a lot harder with the outbreak of war in Israel. The focus of Ukraine’s allies in the U.S. and Europe … quickly shifted to the Gaza Strip. … A […]
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“Kyiv wants Marine Corps training, more air defense and longer-range missiles.” “Ukrainian officials and allies in Europe are ramping up their lobbying campaign in the U.S. for new weapons and training …. [A] delegation of Ukrainian officials, troops and advisers visited America’s capital … to share Kyiv’s latest wish list: U.S. Marine Corps training on conducting ship-to-shore operations; new air […]
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“Putin’s war in Ukraine is leaving billionaires who sought to integrate with the West to face the reality of international isolation.” “… Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed everything for [certain Russian oligarchs] … who prospered under Putin until the U.S. and Europe imposed sweeping sanctions aimed at isolating the Kremlin leader and bringing his economy to its knees. The penalties […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) The Kremlin stands to benefit from the Israel-Hamas conflict in three ways, according to Hanna Notte of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. The conflict distracts the West from the war in Ukraine; it hinders normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel; and it helps Russia to style itself as David to the Western […]
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(Kennan Institute – Victor Andrusiv – Oct. 31, 2023) Victor Andrusiv is a Ukrainian political and civic activist and officer in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He was previously the Director of the Kyiv School of Public Administration and the former executive director of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future. In successive speeches, President Joe Biden and U.S. Secretary of State […]
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“… Biden [has] … emphasized that … missiles and artillery shells … sent overseas are made in America, providing a local economic boost. … [T]hat may not be a winning argument for [a] significant number of Republican lawmakers …. ‘We are $33 TRILLION in debt, and Ukraine is not the 51st state,’ [posted] Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala. …. When Russia […]
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“More than a year and a half since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, defense companies have been struggling to hire workers, untangle supply chains and restart mothballed production lines.” “Billions … spent by the federal government to arm Ukraine and replenish U.S. military stockpiles have been slow to translate into a significant number of new [U.S.] jobs … as defense manufacturers […]
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“Chinese and Russian military officials on Monday criticized the United States as an agent of global instability … Russia’s defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, … threatened grave consequences over Western involvement in the war in Ukraine. … Shoigu made the remarks at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China’s annual international military summit … [China’s] second-highest-ranked military official, Zhang Youxia, also issued oblique […]
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“… [O]netime Russia advisor to then-President Trump [Fiona Hill] fears … support for Ukraine is gradually eroding, encouraging … Putin to try to wait the West out. … But she’s worried about much more …, beginning with Israel’s war in Gaza …. The two conflicts aren’t directly linked, but each is likely to affect the other. ‘These could be global-system-shifting […]
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“The former White House Russia expert on Biden’s speech linking the two wars—and how Putin might cash in.” “… [T]here are valid reasons to worry about … a wider conflict [] in the Middle East. … [A]s the United States expends time, money, arms, and political capital … containing that crisis, it gives actors in other arenas an opportunity to […]
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(The Whitehouse – whitehouse.gov – Oct. 26, 2023) * * * Kirby: I do want to, if — if you’ll allow me to, just to take a couple of minutes to update you on the battlefield situation in Ukraine. As we have said publicly, Russia has launched a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine across multiple lines, including around Avdiivka, Lyman, […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Steven E. Harris – Oct. 26, 2023) Steven E. Harris is professor of modern Russian and European history at the University of Mary Washington. He is presently writing a book on the history of Aeroflot and authoritarianism in the Russian Jet Age from Stalin to Putin. When the U.S. and its allies slapped sanctions on […]
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“Ukrainian forces are desperately trying to battle through deep Russian defenses along the south and east of the country before winter sets in. Ukraine has a narrowing window of opportunity for making gains before the weather turns and the infamous muddy season, known as ‘rasputitsa’ in Russian and ‘bezdorizhzhia’ in Ukrainian, arrives.’” “While the world is distracted by geopolitical turmoil […]
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“The president’s team is privately urging lawmakers to focus on the jobs that can be created by money spent on the war.” “The White House has been quietly urging lawmakers … to sell … war efforts abroad as a potential economic boom at home. Aides [reportedly] have been distributing talking points to Democrats and Republicans who have been supportive of […]
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(Moscow Times – Vitaly Egorov – Oct. 25, 2023) Russia’s attack on Ukraine is fueled by a decidedly anti-Western ideology. But in contrast, Russia’s space scientists had been building international ties, entering into partnership projects, and seeking to expand collaboration with Western countries over the previous three decades. For many scientists, Feb. 24, 2022, came as a shock and caused […]
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(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo No. 860 – Polina Sinovets – Oct. 23, 2023 – PDF: click here) Dr. Polina Sinovets is a Founder and a Head of the Odesa Center for Nonproliferation (OdCNP) at Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University (Ukraine). This memo is based on a forthcoming NATO Defense College policy brief, “Fifty Shades of Red: Where Does Russia Draw […]
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“Since the invasion in 2022, the Minneapolis institution has faced immense pressure. It has responded by curating bold antiwar exhibitions.” “Overlooking … one of the main arteries … weav[ing] through [Minneapolis] is a tower painted in yellow and blue for the Ukrainian flag. It belongs to the Museum of Russian Art. Museum staff … painted the flag … just days […]
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“Kyiv is converting U.S. missiles for new uses and prioritising joint ventures with western companies.” “… [Ukrainian] Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal [said] … ‘We understand we should produce [ammunition] here in Ukraine because … [globally ammunition is] depleted …. [Ukraine learns from] its dramatic increase in domestic drone manufacturing, he said, … up from ‘a few dozen last year’ to […]
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“Money trickles back in, lured by the chance to help the fight against Russia and score assets on the cheap.” “… Steel-nerved investors are trickling back into Ukraine, lured by the chance to help the country in its fight against Russia — and to score assets on the cheap. … Prospects for Ukraine’s economy remain fragile. … Losing long-term backing […]
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(Moscow Times – Oct. 23, 2023) Ukraine’s CIA-trained intelligence agencies have assassinated “dozens” of Russians and Ukrainian collaborators since the start of Moscow’s invasion, The Washington Post reported Monday, citing more than two dozen anonymous current and former Ukrainian, U.S. and Western intelligence and security officials. The missions involved elite teams that were formed, trained and equipped in “close partnership” […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Simon Saradzhyan – Oct. 19, 2023) Simon Saradzhyan is the founding director of Russia Matters. BOOK REVIEW “Getting Russia Right” By Thomas Graham Polity, October 2023 Multiple books have been published since Vladimir Putin’s re-invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that explore the sources of Russia’s aggressive conduct. In fact, some of these books were […]
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“… [A DOD] official said … tens of thousands of 155-millimeter artillery shells promised to Ukraine would be diverted to Israel. … an example of the American weapons … [reportedly] needed in both wars, which could stretch … U.S. capacity to keep up …. especially … if Israel’s expected [Gaza] ground offensive … lasts for months. … Ukraine and Israel […]
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“The emergency funding request to Congress, which would also include funds to fortify border security, is expected by Friday.” “… Biden [reportedly] is expected to ask Congress … to approve about $100 billion in emergency funds to arm Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan and fortify the U.S.-Mexico border …. The funding request, which lawmakers expect to receive by Friday morning, would […]
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“If he was he would find that it is cooling toward the concept of ‘as long as it takes.’” “… While the seeming shift in public opinion is … important … and should signal … that the time has come to pursue negotiations, it is clear that those whose opinions matter most — in Kiev, Moscow, and Washington — aren’t […]
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“Ukrainian forces attacked two key Russian air bases behind enemy lines on Tuesday, with Western officials saying that long-range missiles known as ATACMS were used in the strikes.” “Ukraine’s forces [reportedly] struck two air bases in Russian-held territory on Tuesday with American-supplied long-range missiles that were one of the last major weapons systems that Kyiv had sought from the United […]
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“TO: POTUS FROM: Ambassadors John Herbst, Steven Pifer, Alexander Vershbow, and 40 other national security leaders SUBJECT: A bold agenda for the Washington summit: How to advance vital U.S. interests by helping Ukraine win and defining its path to NATO membership” In 2024 the United States will host a NATO summit marking NATO’s seventy-fifth anniversary. The international order faces an […]
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“… [W]ith the massacres in Israel and the unfolding Israeli assault on Gaza, we have a new front of engagement for American power, a new demand for U.S. resources, a new stress point for our stressed imperium and new risks of a wider war. … [T]here are real strategic choices …, potential trade-offs in hardware shipped and dollars delivered …. […]
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“Slow military progress and cracks in the backing of key allies could also drain vital attention from Ukraine’s battle with Russia, some fear.” “Ukraine, still locked in fierce combat with Russia along hundreds of miles of front line, also finds itself grappling with … [geopolitical] shifts …. The attention of key allies is pivoting to … Gaza, military aid from […]
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“Moscow and Beijing seek to ride the wave of solidarity with Palestinians while taking advantage of American distraction” “The war between Israel and Hamas … is also affecting the global balance of power, stretching American and European resources while relieving pressure on Russia and providing new opportunities to China. … [F]or now, the war launched by Hamas on Oct. 7 […]
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“The United States must prepare for possible simultaneous wars with Russia and China by expanding its conventional forces, strengthening alliances and enhancing its nuclear weapons modernization program, a congressionally appointed bipartisan [Strategic Posture Commission] said …. The panel accepted a Pentagon forecast that China’s rapid nuclear arsenal expansion likely will give it 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, confronting the United […]
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“A lawyer for Donald Trump has told a London judge that the ex-president plans to prove that a ‘shocking and scandalous’ report by a former British spy was wrong and harmed his reputation” “… Trump has sued [Orbis Business Intelligence,] founded by Christopher Steele, who created a dossier in 2016 …[with] rumors and uncorroborated allegations about Trump …. Trump allegedly […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) As violence escalated between Israel and Hamas after the latter’s indiscriminate attacks against the former, top Russian officials seized the opportunity to blame the crisis on what they described as America’s repeated failure to use its “monopoly” on mediation between the two sides to reach a fair peace deal. Vladimir Putin has also called for a cessation […]
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