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CNN —President Joe Biden is expected to make a final decision soon on sending long-range missiles to Ukraine for the first time, a major step recommended by the State and Defense departments after months of Ukrainian requests, people familiar with the discussions told CNN. Discussions about sending the long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, also known as ATACMS, picked up substantially in recent weeks, the sources said. Currently, the maximum range of US weapons committed to Ukraine is around 93 miles with the ground-launched small diameter bomb. ATACMS missiles are fired from HIMARS rocket launchers, the same type of vehicle that launches the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles that Ukraine already employs. “When we talk about long-range missiles for Ukraine, it is not just a whim, but a real need,” the head of Zelensky’s office, Andriy Yermak, said on Telegram on Monday.

Persons: Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Biden, ” Zelensky, Antony Blinken, Lockheed Martin, Andriy Yermak, Abrams, “ I’m, Republican Sen, James Risch of, “, Putin, they’ve, ” Organizations: CNN, State and Defense, Tactical Missile Systems, State Department, Pentagon, Lockheed, Army, Ukrainian, Republican, Aspen Security Forum Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Crimea, France, James Risch of Idaho

☆ Russia and Ukraine are fighting the kind of drone war the US military has been worrying about, and it's scrambling to prepare for a future that's already here
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Christopher Woody | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

The scale of the drone war in Ukraine is one of the most striking features of the conflict. "ISIS figured out how to arm their drones and attack us either with 'kamikaze' explosive-laden drones or drones that dropped" modified munitions, Townsend said. Soldiers with the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment train on an Avenger air-defense system in in July. In 2018, the Army reactivated the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, returning a short-range-air-defense capability to Europe. AdvertisementAdvertisement"The war is showing how much [drones are] here and are affecting the war every day.

Persons: Ukraine isn't, Mara Karlin, wasn't, Karlin, that's, John Moore, Stephen Townsend, Townsend, Frank McKenzie, MAHMOUD TAHA, I've, Syria —, Richard Clarke, Clarke, Tom Karako, " McKenzie, McKenzie, Maj, Sean Gainey, Gainey, FADEL SENNA, Douglas Bush, Bush, they've, Col, Michael Parent, Narciso Contreras, Parent Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Defense Writers, US Marine, US Army, US Africa Command, ISIS, Getty, Army, US Special, Command, Aspen Security Conference, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Patriot, —, US Air Force, Congressional Research Service, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Spc, Yesenia, Asymmetric Warfare Group, Battalion, Stryker, Washington DC, Marine Corps, US Army Yuma, US, Anadolu Agency, Pacific . The Defense Department Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Mosul, Syria, Homs, Europe, Washington, Russian, Kyiv, Russia, Lviv Oblast, China, Pacific

☆ Biden says report of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin's death not surprising
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I don’t know for a fact what happened, but I’m not surprised," Biden told reporters. "There is not much that happens in Russia that Putin is not behind, but I don’t know enough to know the answer." Biden and CIA Director Williams Burns spoke separately last month of the potential danger to Prigozhin, although somewhat in jest. "But all kidding aside...I don't think any of us know for sure what the future of Prigozhin is in Russia." Speaking a week later at the Aspen Security Forum in July, CIA Director William Burns said: "I think Putin is someone who generally thinks that revenge is a dish best served cold ...

Persons: Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Yoon Suk, Camp David, Evelyn Hockstein, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, I’m, Biden, Putin, Williams Burns, I’d, Sauli Niinisto, William Burns, Steve Holland, Humeyra Pamuk, Nandita Bose, Costas Pitas, Dan Whitcomb, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Japanese, South, REUTERS, Reuters, Russia's, CIA, Finland's, Aspen Security Forum, Thomson Locations: Camp, Thurmont , Maryland, U.S, TAHOE , California, Moscow, Russia, Belarus

☆ Who is Travis King, and what comes next for the US soldier in North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Picture of Travis King, the US soldier who ran across the military demarcation line into North Korea on Tuesday July 18. From Travis King/FacebookThe day before he crossed into North Korea, King was supposed to board a flight to Texas, where he was to face disciplinary procedures. The last American known to be held by North Korea was Bruce Byron Lowrance, who, according to North Korean state media, crossed from China into North Korea in 2018. While in North Korea, he appeared in propaganda films, taught the country’s spies English and spent up to eight hours a day studying the writings of North Korean leaders. He was allowed to leave North Korea in 2004, two years after his Japanese wife, who was kidnapped from her home in Japan in 1978 and left North Korea under a deal between Pyongyang and Tokyo.

Persons: Travis King “, ”, King, Travis King, Bryce Dubee, Christine Wormuth, King “, ” Jaqueda, King’s, “, Claudine Gates, Jonathan Franks, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Trump, Kim, KCNA, Washington “, Private King, Bruce Byron Lowrance, Lowrance, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Charles Jenkins, Jenkins Organizations: South Korea CNN, Joint Security Area, North, US, CNN, 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat, Armored Division, Army, Incheon International, Aspen Security, South Korean, US Navy, Korean Central News Agency, U.S . Army, Washington, Private, Swedish Embassy, Central Intelligence Agency Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Korean, Korea, Fort Bliss , Texas, Texas, Incheon, United States, ” Jaqueda Gates, Pyongyang, Washington, Busan, Japan, North, Maryland, Swedish, China, American, Tokyo

CNN —North Korea on Wednesday confirmed publicly for the first time that US Army Private Travis King crossed into its territory. A statement from the country’s government-controlled Korean Central News Agency claimed King had expressed “his willingness to seek refugee” in North Korea or a third country. King, a junior enlisted soldier assigned to US Forces Korea, had faced assault charges in South Korea and was due to return to Fort Bliss, Texas and be removed from the military just one day before he crossed into North Korea, CNN has reported. KCNA added that he had admitted of “illegally” intruding into the territory of North Korea and said that the investigation is ongoing. Defense officials have said publicly that King “willfully and without authorization” crossed into North Korea while taking a civilian tour of the DMZ.

Persons: Travis King, King, “, ” King, Fort, KCNA, Private King, King “, ”, Christine Wormuth, he’d, ” Wormuth, Jaqueda Gates, King’s, Biden Organizations: CNN, Wednesday, US, Korean Central News Agency, U.S . Army, Joint Security, US Forces Korea, Defense, Private, North, Army, Aspen Security, US Army, South Korean, Geneva Convention Locations: North Korea, South Korea, Fort Bliss , Texas, North Koreans, United States, Geneva

☆ Western allies receive increasingly ‘sobering’ updates on Ukraine’s counteroffensive: ‘This is the most difficult time of the war’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Jim Sciutto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Weeks into Ukraine’s highly anticipated counteroffensive, Western officials describe increasingly “sobering” assessments about Ukrainian forces’ ability to retake significant territory, four senior US and western officials briefed on the latest intelligence told CNN. But for them to really make progress that would change the balance of this conflict, I think, it’s extremely, highly unlikely,” a senior western diplomat told CNN. Ukrainian forces have incurred staggering losses there, leading Ukrainian commanders to hold back some units to regroup and reduce casualties. “Russians have a number of defensive lines and they [Ukrainian forces] haven’t really gone through the first line,” said a senior Western diplomat. “The problem, of course, here is the prospect of the blame game that the Ukrainians would then blame it on us,” said a senior western diplomat.

Persons: CNN —, Ukraine’s, “ They’re, ”, We’re, Mike Quigley, haven’t, “, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Mark Milley, Zaluzhnyi, Milley, ” Zaluzhnyi, Putin, ” Quigley, Volodymyr Zelensky, ’, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Illinois Democrat, US, Ukrainian, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Aspen Security Forum Locations: Illinois, Europe, Ukrainian, Western, Ukraine, West

While it still maintains some combat power in reserve, it has now deployed the “main bulk” of the forces committed to the counteroffensive forces, one of the US officials said. “The second wave of the [Ukrainian] counteroffensive has begun” on the Zaporizhzhia front, said Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian-installed military-civilian administration in the region. The New York Times was first to report on the commitment of additional Ukrainian forces to the counteroffensive. Zelensky said last week that one reason for the slow progress of the counteroffensive was its later-than-planned start. However, some Ukrainian military officials have recently noted that Russia’s advantage in electronic warfare has blunted the effectiveness of drone operations.

Persons: “, Vladimir Rogov, Rogov, ” Rogov, Bradley, ”, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Lloyd Austin, ” Austin, they’ve, Oleksii Reznikov, Reznikov, Putin, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Denys Shmyhal Organizations: CNN, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Leopard, Brigade, Artillery, Bradley, US, The New York Times, Ukraine’s, Aspen Security, United, Army Tactical Missile Systems Locations: Ukraine, Russian, “, Robotyne, Orikhiv, Papua New Guinea, Crimea, Donbas, St . Petersburg, Russia, Kyiv, United States, France, United Kingdom, Ukrainian, Odesa, Moscow

☆ Prigozhin turned back his rebellion because his men got 'cold feet' and that it 'wasn't what they had signed up for,' CIA chief Bill Burns says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

CIA director Williams Burns told Puck that some Wagner troops may have felt the revolt wasn't what they signed up for. Prigozhin was "making it up as he went along," Burns told Puck. "Some of his men started getting cold feet," Burns said. While speaking on a panel at the conference last week, Burns said Prigozhin was "making it up as he went along." Burns also noted Prigozhin had only 5,000 men with him — not nearly enough to actually take Moscow.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Williams Burns, Puck, Wagner, Prigozhin, Burns, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Puck's Julia Ioffe, Putin, — Organizations: CIA, Service, Aspen Security Locations: Wall, Silicon, Moscow, —

And earlier this week, Russia targeted a Ukrainian port on the Danube River near NATO ally Romania. Now, Russia’s defense ministry has warned that ships sailing to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports will be viewed as military targets. Two thirds of the wheat that left Ukraine via the Black Sea ports went to developing countries, said Power. Russian drones attacked Ukraine's port infrastructure on the Danube river, targeting Ukrainian grain stocks and destroying storage hangars, the Ukrainian Army said. “We believe its targeting might also include attacks against civilian shipping in the Black Sea.

Persons: Barbara Woodward, Moscow’s, United Nations Linda, Thomas Greenfield, “, ”, Samantha Power, Antony Blinken, António Guterres, Bulgaria –, Power, Kees Huizinga, Huizinga, ” Katherine Brucker Organizations: CNN, United Nations, NATO, European, US Agency for International Development, UN, Romania, European Commission, Aspen Security, AP, U.S . Agency for International, Biden, Ukrainian Army, Ukraine Operational Command, European Union, Organization for Security, Cooperation Locations: Ukraine, United, Russia, Odesa, Ukrainian, Turkey, Kerch, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, West, United States, Europe

Long before moving into the White House, President Biden compared the relationship between the United States and Israel to that of close friends. For months, Mr. Biden refused to invite Mr. Netanyahu to Washington, which prevented at least some meetings between lower-level officials. Despite recognizing Israel, Mr. Truman refused to sell the new state offensive arms, as did his two successors. Mr. Biden urged Mr. Netanyahu “not to rush” his changes and “to seek the broadest possible consensus here.”Aides insist Mr. Biden is not trying to engineer a specific outcome in an ally’s internal politics. “I don’t think the Jewish American community needs to be overly involved in this,” she said.

Persons: Long, Biden, “, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Nathan J, Diament, Isaac Herzog, Robert B, Harry S, Truman, —, Israel —, Israel, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, Bush, State James A, Baker, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald J, Trump, Mr, “ Bibi, Biden’s, Netanyahu’s, Kamala Harris, ” —, Eli Cohen, Yair Lapid, Netanyahu “, Satloff, Thomas L, Friedman, . Biden, Jake Sullivan, “ It’s, ” Mr, Sullivan, Chris Coons, James E, Diana Fersko, Rabbi Fersko Organizations: Israel, Orthodox Union, American Orthodox, Democratic, Washington Institute for Near East, State, State Department, Mr, New York Times, Aspen Security, Republican, Foreign Relations, Jewish, American Jewish, American Locations: United States, Israel, Washington, American, U.S, Egypt, Suez, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Manhattan

Long before moving into the White House, President Biden compared the relationship between the United States and Israel to that of close friends. For months, Mr. Biden refused to invite Mr. Netanyahu to Washington, which prevented at least some meetings between lower-level officials. Despite recognizing Israel, Mr. Truman refused to sell the new state offensive arms, as did his two successors. Mr. Biden’s relationship with Mr. Netanyahu has been scratchy going back years. “I don’t think the Jewish American community needs to be overly involved in this,” she said.

Persons: Long, Biden, “, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Nathan J, Diament, Isaac Herzog, Robert B, Harry S, Truman, —, Israel —, Israel, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, Bush, State James A, Baker, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald J, Trump, Mr, “ Bibi, Biden’s, Netanyahu’s, Kamala Harris, ” —, Eli Cohen, Yair Lapid, Netanyahu “, Satloff, Thomas L, Friedman, Jake Sullivan, “ It’s, ” Mr, Sullivan, Chris Coons, James E, Diana Fersko, Rabbi Fersko Organizations: Israel, Orthodox Union, American Orthodox, Democratic, Washington Institute for Near East, State, State Department, Mr, New York Times, Aspen Security, Republican, Foreign Relations, Jewish, American Jewish, American Locations: United States, Israel, Washington, American, U.S, Egypt, Suez, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Manhattan

☆ Secretary of State Antony Blinken says US is 'working to put some stability' into relationship with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Kaanita Iyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN that the US is attempting to strengthen “lines of communication” with China to avoid conflict between the two superpowers. “We are working to put some stability into the relationship, to put a floor under the relationship, to make sure that the competition that we’re in doesn’t veer into conflict,” Blinken told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in an interview that aired Sunday. His visit was followed by similar trips by other high-level Biden administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and US climate envoy John Kerry. “I was very clear with my Chinese counterparts,” Blinken told Zakaria, referring to his trip last month. CNN previously reported that one of the key issues that did not get resolved during Blinken’s trip was the restoration of military-to-military communications between US and China.

Persons: Antony Blinken, ” Blinken, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, “, Joe Biden, Biden, Janet Yellen, John Kerry, ”, Blinken, Zakaria, Li Shangfu, Li, Lloyd Austin, “ We’ve, Vladimir, Putin Organizations: CNN, Aspen Security, US, Chinese Defense, China’s Equipment Development Department Locations: China, doesn’t, Colorado, Beijing, Moscow, American, Singapore, Ukraine, Russia

☆ The US has no plans to supply the prized long-range Army Tactical Missile System for Ukraine's stuttering counteroffensive, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US officials say there's been no change in US policy on sending ATACMS, despite Ukraine's pleas. Kyiv has repeatedly called on the US to send the powerful long-range missiles. No major discussions on the issue have taken place for months, officials told The Washington Post. ATACMS not a priority and could escalate the conflictUS resistance to sending ATACMS to Ukraine is partially down to fears that it could trigger Russian escalation of the conflict. It remains concerned that sending enough missiles to Ukraine would deplete the US's limited stock, weakening its response to other potential conflicts, officials told The Post.

Persons: there's, Biden, Biden's, ATACMS, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelensky, Zelenskyy, Andriy Yermak, Storm, Ben Wallace Organizations: Washington, Service, The Washington Post, Army Tactical Missile System, Post, Aspen Security, Forum, Foreign Affairs, UK's Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Florida

☆ Ukraine's military is overcoming Russia's dense minefields and its counteroffensive is poised to 'gain pace,' Zelenskyy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine's counteroffensive was poised to "gain pace." Russia's dense minefields have slowed Ukraine's counteroffensive, Ukrainian officials said. OLEKSII FILIPPOV/AFP via Getty ImagesDespite the mine threat, Zelenskyy insisted that Ukraine's counteroffensive was about to "gain pace." But it is not clear how much of Ukraine's forces have so far joined the counteroffensive efforts. Multiple Ukrainian officials recently said that the bulk of Ukraine's forces had not yet been dispatched to the frontline.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, OLEKSII FILIPPOV, Jake Sullivan Organizations: Analysts, Service, Aspen Security, Financial Times, CNN, Russian, US Army Special Forces, Ukraine, Washington Post, State Emergency Service, Getty, US National Security Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Florida, Brovary, Kyiv, AFP

King, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier serving in South Korea, sprinted into North Korea while on a civilian tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the border between the two Koreas. Washington is fully mobilized in trying to contact Pyongyang about him, U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said on Thursday, but North Korea had yet to respond. At that time, U.S. officials had just concluded an initial nuclear agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il. Warmbier was eventually returned to the United States in a coma in 2017, but died days later. "Here's the response we got: one missile launch after another," referring to repeated North Korean missile tests.

Persons: Travis King, Christine Wormuth, Joe Biden, Trump, It's, Thomas Hubbard, Bobby Hall, Kim Jong Un's, Kim Jong Il, Hubbard, King, Mickey Bergman, Bill Richardson, Bergman, Jenny Town, Charles Robert Jenkins, ‘, Tae Yong, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Otto’s, Fred, He’s, Antony Blinken, Biden, Blinken, Simon Lewis, David Brunnstrom, Idrees Ali, Don Durfee, Stephen Coates Organizations: Army, U.S . Army, U.S, North, Koreans, United Nations Command, Richardson, . Army, Reuters, Aspen Security, Korean, Thomson Locations: United States, North Korea, South Korea, . Washington, Pyongyang, U.S, Washington, North, Korea, Koreans, Sweden, New York, Jenny, Korean, Korea's

☆ Zelenskyy says the Kerch Bridge 'feeds the war' and that Russia's link to Crimea must be 'neutralized'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Kerch Bridge in Crimea must be "neutralized." Zelenskyy said the bridge is a legitimate military target as Russia uses it to "feed the war." The bridge opened in 2018 and links the illegally occupied Crimean peninsula with Russia. In remarks to the Aspen Security Forum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking by video link, said Friday evening that the bridge is a legitimate military target. Zelenskyy described the bridge Friday as "an enemy facility" that was built in defiance of international law.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, coy, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Aspen Security Forum, Moscow, Kremlin, Associated Press Locations: Kerch, Crimea, Russia, Crimean, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Putin is trying to buy time with Prigozhin but will get revenge since he is the 'ultimate apostle of payback,' CIA director William Burns says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The director of the CIA believes that Putin has yet to play all of his cards against Yevgeny Prigozhin. Right now, Putin is buying time and seeing how he can still benefit from Prigozhin and Wagner Group. But Putin is the 'ultimate apostle of payback' CIA director William Burns said at the Aspen Security Forum. CIA Director William Burns, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum 2023 on Thursday, discussed Prigozhin's failed mutiny and the potential blowback to come. For now, Burns said, Putin is buying time, but when the time is right, Prigozhin may have a target on his back.

Persons: Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, William Burns, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Prigozhin's, Burns, NPR's Mary Louise Kelly, Prigozhin, Russia's, Alexander Lukashenko, Kelly Organizations: CIA, Wagner, Aspen Security, Service, Wagner Group, Belarusian Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov, Moscow, Belarus, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Syria, Africa

☆ Crimea bridge is legitimate military target, Zelenskiy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 21 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that the bridge linking the Crimea peninsula to Russia "brings war not peace" and was therefore a military target. Explosions on the Crimea bridge on Monday killed two civilians and put part of the road bridge out of service, which had only recently returned to full operation after being severely damaged in a similar attack in October. Crimea was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014 and Kyiv wants to reclaim it as it fights back against Russia's 17-month-long full-scale invasion. "And later, they took this situation around the Crimea bridge, using it just as an example," he said. "If not the Crimea bridge, they would have found another example, another reason."

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Monday's, Zelenskiy, Ron Popeski, Grant McCool Organizations: Russia's, Thomson Locations: Crimea, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Aspen, United States

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin was just winging it with his armed revolt and making things up as he went along, CIA director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin shocked the world when he called on his Wagner Group fighters to invade Russia. CIA Director Bill Burns said this week that Prigozhin was likely improvising during the armed rebellion. Prigozhin was "making some of this up as he went along," Burns told the Aspen Security Forum. Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Within hours, the Wagner Group had captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don without meeting any resistance.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Bill Burns, Prigozhin, Burns, Wagner, Joe Biden, I'm, William Burns, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, he'd, Alexander Lukashenko, Reuters Prigozhin, he'll, Russia —, Vladimir Putin, they've, Putin's misjudgment, Russian Wagner, Mark Milley, Milley Organizations: Wagner Group, CIA, Aspen Security, Service, Russian Defense, Southern Military, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kremlin, Reuters, Belarus —, Wagner, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Ukrainian, Joint Chiefs, Staff, NATO Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Prigozhin, Russian, Voronezh, Belarus, Belarusian, Africa, Osipovichi, Kyiv

☆ China’s Hacking of Government Email Was Traditional Espionage, Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | More About Julian E. Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The hack of Microsoft’s cloud that resulted in the compromise of government emails was an example of a traditional espionage threat, a senior National Security Agency official said. “It is China doing espionage,” Mr. Joyce said. We have to defend against it, we need to push back against it. But that is something that happens.”The hackers took emails from senior State Department officials including Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China. The theft of Mr. Burns’ emails was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed by a person familiar with the matter.

Persons: Rob Joyce, cybersecurity, Mr, Joyce, Nicholas Burns, Burns Organizations: National Security Agency, Aspen Security, State Department, Wall Street Journal Locations: United States, China, U.S

More than two weeks later, the Kremlin disclosed that Mr. Prigozhin and other Wagner leaders had met with Mr. Putin for three hours in the days after the rebellion ended. “I think he probably feels under some pressure,” Mr. Moore said of Mr. Putin, speaking at the British ambassador’s residence in the Czech capital. Mr. Prigozhin is known to have spent several days in Russia afterward, and video posted on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday appears to show him in Belarus. “He is clearly under pressure,” Mr. Moore said of Mr. Putin. Mr. Cleverly said the rebellion underscored the falsity of Mr. Putin’s assertions that Russia would be more committed to a long war in Ukraine than the West would be.

Persons: Richard Moore, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Wagner, Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, “, Mr, Moore, “ Prigozhin, ” Mr, ’, James, ”, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Politico, Kremlin, Mr, Prigozhin, The New York Times, ”, Russian Army, British, Aspen Security Locations: London, Prague, Russia, British, Czech, “, Belarus, Moscow, Belarusian, Minsk, Ukraine, Rostov, Afghanistan, Russian

☆ China says its 'priority' is to stop Taiwan VP visiting US next month
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, July 20 (Reuters) - It is China's "priority" to stop Taiwan's vice president and presidential frontrunner William Lai from visiting the United States next month, the country's ambassador in Washington said on Wednesday, as Beijing steps up its warnings against the trip. Provocative moves by Taiwan "separatists" should be contained, he added. "Now the priority for us is to stop Lai Ching-te from visiting the United States, which is like a grey rhino charging at us," Xie said, using Lai's Chinese language name. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and her government have repeatedly offered talks with China but been rejected, as Beijing views them as separatists. In August and then again in April, China staged large-scale war games around Taiwan, angered by the August visit to Taiwan of then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and in April by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen meeting current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles, while she was transitting back from a visit to Central America.

Persons: William Lai, Lai, Democratic Progressive Party's, Xie Feng, Xie, Lai Ching, Tsai Ing, Both Tsai, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Ben Blanchard, Stephen Coates Organizations: United, Democratic Progressive, Aspen Security, ., Taiwan, Central America, Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, United States, Washington, Beijing, China, Taiwan, Taipei, Paraguay, Los Angeles, Central, Tapei

In the most detailed public account yet given by a U.S. official, the director of the C.I.A. offered a biting assessment on Thursday of the damage done to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia by the mutiny of the Wagner mercenary group, saying the rebellion had revived questions about his judgment and detachment from events. Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual national security conference, William J. Burns, the C.I.A. director, said that for much of the 36 hours of the rebellion last month, Russian security services, the military and decision makers “appeared to be adrift.”“For a lot of Russians watching this, used to this image of Putin as the arbiter of order, the question was ‘Does the emperor have no clothes?’” Mr. Burns said, adding, “Or at least ‘Why is it taking so long for him to get dressed?’”Mr. Burns’s remarks on the Kremlin’s paralysis during the uprising carried out by Yevgeny V. Prigozhin and his mercenary group built on comments a day earlier from his British counterpart, Richard Moore, the chief of MI6, who said the rebellion showed cracks in Mr. Putin’s rule.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Wagner, William J, Burns, “, Mr, Burns’s, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Richard Moore, Putin’s Organizations: U.S, Aspen Security Forum Locations: Russia

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday voiced mounting concern over Army Private Travis King, who dashed into North Korea two days ago, saying Pyongyang had a history of mistreating captured Americans. But North Korea had yet to offer any response, officials said. American officials remained stumped about why King ran across the border into North Korea. Asked whether King might have sympathized with North Korea, Wormuth said: "I don't think we have any information that points to that clearly." Last week, North Korea launched its newest solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which it said had the longest flight time ever.

Persons: Travis King, mistreating, Christine Wormuth, Washington, Wormuth, Otto Warmbier, John Kirby, King, Sabrina Singh, Army's, Singh, North Korea Sung Kim, Kim, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un, Jake Sullivan, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, David Brunnstrom, Jonathan Oatis, Daniel Wallis, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S . Army, United, Aspen Security, White House, National Security, Army, Pentagon, Incheon International Airport, U.S, Reuters, South Korean, Thomson Locations: United States, North Korea, Pyongyang, United Nations, Colorado, U.S, South Korea, Japan, Incheon, Dallas , Texas, Korea

The planned recipient of the colorful batik top was Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, who has not been seen in nearly a month and is set to miss at least one other important meeting, in South Africa, next week. It is not clear whether even then Borrell would meet Qin as initially planned, the official said. The former aide to President Xi Jinping was appointed foreign minister in December after serving less than two years as ambassador to the United States. Qin's absence has also been widely discussed in the diplomatic community, with some saying it is another example of China's lack of transparency. Some diplomats have even started to speculate on who may replace Qin, with three telling Reuters the ranking vice foreign minister, Ma Zhaoxu could be a candidate.

Persons: Qin Gang, Qin, Yun Sun, Mao Ning, Wang Yi, Josep Borrell, Wen, Xi Jinping, Antony Blinken, Ma Zhaoxu, Ma, Wang, Xie Feng, Xie, Laurie Chen, Martin Quin Pollard, Yew, Tian, Kate Lamb, Gabriela Baczynska, Andrew MacAskill, John Geddie, Robert Birsel Organizations: China Program, Stimson, Reuters, EU, Australian National University, Qin, Baidu, London School of Economics, United, Aspen Security Conference, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, JAKARTA, China, Indonesia, Jakarta, South Africa, Washington, Johannesburg, Britain, United States, Beijing, Sri Lankan, United Nations, Brussels, London

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