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☆ 'A threat like no other': The West watches on concerned as Putin visits North Korea for the first time in years
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Ties between Russia and North Korea have deepened in recent years with the countries — which are both heavily sanctioned by the West — hailing their strategic cooperation in the spheres of defense and trade. North Korea has not been shy in its outpourings of reverence for Putin, describing him as a "comrade-in-arms" in the battle against what both countries see as Western hegemony. Analysts say the deepening relationship between Russia and "rogue" state North Korea is increasingly hazardous for the West. This aspect of the relationship not only destabilizes security on the peninsula and in Asia; it also heightens the direct threat posed by North Korea to the [U.S.] homeland." It is unclear what further strategic cooperation between North Korea and Russia could entail.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, North, Kim Jong Un, Teneo, Kim, Putin, Kim Jong, Matthew Miller, Miller, Victor Cha, Cha Organizations: Vostochny, UN, West, Kremlin, Democratic People's, U.S . State Department, U.S ., Reuters, Analysts, Center for Strategic, International Studies, National Security Council, Ukraine, North Locations: Amur, Russia, North Korea, Russian, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, Korea, Ukraine, Pyongyang, U.S, Iran, Europe, Asia, Gaza, Moscow, North Korean, Eurasia

☆ Putin vows trade and security tie-ups with North Korea beyond the West's reach
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Anton Vaganov | ReutersVladimir Putin promised to build trade and security systems with North Korea that are not controlled by the West and pledged his unwavering support in a letter published by North Korean state media on Tuesday ahead of his planned visit to the country. The article was published a day after the two countries announced that Putin would visit North Korea for the first time in 24 years for two days starting on Tuesday. Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said Russia and North Korea may sign a partnership agreement during the visit that would include security issues. Ahead of the visit North Korea appears to have been making preparations for a possible military parade in downtown Pyongyang, commercial satellite imagery showed. He said the United States had seen Putin "get incredibly desperate over the past few months" and look to Iran and North Korea to make up for equipment lost on the battlefield.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Anton Vaganov, Reuters Vladimir Putin, Sinmun, Putin, Yuri Ushakov, Andrei Belousov, Sergei Lavrov, Alexander Novak, Matthew Miller, Victor Cha Organizations: St ., Economic, Reuters, West, North, Workers, Party, Russia, Russian, Interfax, U.S . State Department, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: St, St . Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Russia, North Korea, North Korean, North Korea's, Eurasia, Ukraine, Pyongyang, Korea, United States, Iran, Moscow, U.S

☆ Russia Sets Date for Start of Evan Gershkovich’s Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A court in Russia said on Monday that the espionage trial of the imprisoned American journalist Evan Gershkovich would start next week and that the proceedings would be held behind closed doors. After spending more than a year in a high-security prison in Moscow, Mr. Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, is likely to be transferred back to Yekaterinburg to stand trial. Mr. Gershkovich, who had worked in Russia as a journalist for various publications for more than five years before his arrest, his employer and the U.S. government have denied the charges against him. The State Department has designated Mr. Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained,” which effectively compels it to work for his safe release. The announcement of a trial date represents a significant step in Mr. Gershkovich’s legal case, which has been continuing in parallel with talks between Russian and American security services for a possible exchange.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich Organizations: Wall Street, U.S, State Department Locations: Russia, American, Russian, Yekaterinburg, Moscow

☆ US sounds alarm over Chinese and North Korean support for Russia’s war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But the reality is that China’s fueling the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II,” Stoltenberg said at The Wilson Center. The idea of an anti-US front among Russia, China, North Korea and Iran has long preoccupied foreign policy experts in Washington. In March, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told Congress that Russia’s need to replenish its military supplies had forced it to grant “long-sought concessions” to North Korea. “What is Russia going to provide in exchange to North Korea, hard currency? So, we know that they are using DPRK ammunition to threaten Ukraine and kill Ukrainians,” he said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden, Zelensky, Xi Jinping, ”, Jens Stoltenberg, “, Xi, ” Stoltenberg, Putin, Kremlin, Kim Jong Un, of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Kurt Campbell, Kim, ” Campbell, Matthew Miller, John Kirby, ” Kirby, “ We’re, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, NATO, Washington, “ Publicly, The Wilson, “, of National Intelligence, Stimson, ”, House Locations: Ukraine, Russian, China, Ukrainian, Italy, Russia, Beijing, Moscow, Europe, North Korea, Iran, Washington, Pyongyang, Korea, Northeast Asia, Korean, North

☆ Russia’s Putin to visit North Korea in rare trip as anti-West alignment deepens
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Following his visit to North Korea, Putin will travel to Hanoi Wednesday for another two-day trip, in a display of Communist-governed Vietnam’s ties to Russia that is likely to rankle the United States. Both countries have denied North Korean arms exports. The Kremlin has said that Russia hopes to build a partnership with North Korea “in all possible areas,” according to Russian state media. Putin’s move to bolster North Korean ties has also been a boon for Kim, who remains unbowed by years of international sanctions over his illegal nuclear weapons program. But Russia’s apparent increasing reliance on North Korea and rising frictions with the West appear to have shifted that dynamic.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Putin, Kim, ” Kim, Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin’s, Defense Lloyd Austin, “, ”, ” Putin, Kim Jong Il, Xi Jinping Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Putin, North Korean, Pyongyang –, North, North Korea “, Ukrainian, Kyiv, NATO, Ukraine, Defense, United Nations Security, UN Locations: North Korea, Russian, Ukraine, Pyongyang, Hanoi, Russia, United States, South Korea, Moscow, Korean, Russia’s, Italy, Kyiv, Beijing, China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil

☆ Putin to visit Kim in North Korea on June 18-19
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) visit a construction site of the Angara rocket launch complex on September 13, 2023 in Tsiolkovsky, Russia. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is in Russia for talks with Russian President Putin. Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Kremlin said, a rare trip that underscores Moscow's burgeoning partnership with the reclusive nuclear-armed state. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended an invitation to Putin during a visit to Russia's Far East last September. Ukrainian officials say they have counted about 50 such missiles delivered to Russia by North Korea.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Putin, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Leif, Eric Easley, Kim Hong, Putin's, Kurt Campbell Organizations: Russian, Kremlin, State Affairs of, DPRK, Democratic People's, West, United Nations, Ewha University, U.S, South Korean Locations: Tsiolkovsky, Russia, Russian, North Korea, Russia's, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Ukraine, United States, Europe, Asia, Washington, Seoul, Moscow

☆ Gordon Black: Trial of US soldier underway in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Sergey Gudkov | Alex Stambaugh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A US soldier arrested in Russia on suspicion of theft, Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, has appeared in court in the Russian city of Vladivostok, as his trial got underway on Monday. Black did not admit to charges of threatening to kill a Russian woman, but partially admitted guilt to theft charges, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Black was arrested in May on charges of theft in Vladivostok, where he traveled to visit the woman, believed to be his girlfriend. The trial comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine rages on.

Persons: Gordon Black, Black, Cynthia Smith, Evan Gershkovich, Marine Paul Whelan Organizations: CNN, RIA Novosti, US Defense Department, US State Department, Street, Marine, RIA Locations: Russia, Russian, Vladivostok, Korea, South Korea, Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, Pervomaisky

☆ Russia will hold Evan Gershkovich’s espionage trial behind closed doors, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Sergey Gudkov | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —American journalist Evan Gershkovich will stand trial behind closed doors in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg starting on June 26, state-run news agency TASS reported Monday, citing the court’s press service. The Russian Prosecutor General’s office said last Thursday it had approved the indictment and referred Gershkovich’s case to a trial court. On Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the allegations against Gershkovich have “absolutely zero credibility.”“We have been clear from the start that Evan has done nothing wrong. He should be released immediately,” Miller said at a State Department briefing. Gershkovich is among a number of Americans being held in Russia, including former Marine Paul Whelan, whom the US State Department has also declared as wrongfully detained.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, General’s, Gershkovich, “ Gershkovich, Matthew Miller, ”, Evan, ” Miller, Paul Whelan Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Sverdlovsk Regional Court, US State Department, State Department, US Locations: American, Russian, Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Moscow’s, Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Ukraine's new drone boats are armed with heat-seeking missiles to scare off Russian aircraft, commander says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewUkraine has armed its naval drones with heat-seeking missiles, giving the systems a major upgrade that will allow them to target Russian aircraft patrolling around the Black Sea. "Such developments are effective — Russians are very afraid of them," the commander of "Group 13," a special HUR unit dedicated to operating the naval drones, said in a recent interview. AdvertisementA Ukrainian Magura V5 drone is seen on water during an exhibition of military equipment and weapons at an undisclosed location on April 13, 2024. Moscow, largely unable to stop Ukraine's unrelenting naval drone attacks, has turned to combat aircraft to patrol the waters and protect its warships. Kyiv has relied on its fleet of naval drones, as well as long-range missiles, to inflict these losses.

Persons: —, HUR, Archer, Lloyd Austin Organizations: Service, Ukrainian, Directorate of Intelligence, Business, REUTERS, NATO, Sukhoi, MiG, Black, Grad, US Locations: Ukraine, Soviet, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kyiv

☆ Key holdouts at a Ukrainian diplomatic summit are proof that Putin's diplomatic playbook is working
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewOver the weekend, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rallied countries from around the world to support his call for Russia to end its invasion. It has been especially effective in the "global South" of non-Western powers whose wealth and influence on world affairs is growing. AdvertisementHowever, powerful non-Western countries refused to take part. Russia has also seized on claims that Western support for Israel in its war against Hamas is evidence of hypocrisy. AdvertisementIt is to Putin's advantage when those countries see Russia vs. Ukraine and Israel vs. Hamas as equivalent struggles, both complex enough to avoid taking a side.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Russia wasn't, didn't, Ukraine —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Natalie Sabanadze, Pavan Kapoor Organizations: Service, BBC, Business, Ukraine, West, Chatham, ANC, Israel, Hamas Locations: Russia, Switzerland, China, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, India, South Africa, Ukraine, American, Moscow, Soviet, West, USSR, Soviet Union, Pakistan, Western, Israel, Indian

☆ 'We're not backing down:' How the West plans to use Russia's frozen funds, and why some say it's still not enough to help Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Group of Seven has agreed in principal to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan. Profits from Russian frozen funds are to be used as collateral to back the loan. AdvertisementThe Group of Seven has finally moved the dial on a contentious idea to provide funding to Ukraine by using Russian funds. AdvertisementRoughly $322 billion in funds were frozen after Moscow invaded Ukraine and have sat untouched for over two years. That could mean Moscow taps Western funds in the country and punishes any Western companies that have remained in Russia.

Persons: —, Putin, we're, Joe Biden, Biden, Michael Froman, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Charles Lichfield, Chatham House's Timothy Ash Organizations: Seven, Service, Kyiv, European Commission, of Foreign, CNBC, Moscow, The, CEPA, Financial Times Locations: Ukraine, headbutting, Moscow, Europe, Kyiv, Russia, France, Germany

☆ 80 countries at Swiss conference agree territorial integrity of Ukraine must be basis of any peace
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Eighty countries jointly called Sunday for the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia's two-year war, though some key developing nations at a Swiss conference did not join in. Brazil, an "observer" country, did not sign on but Turkey — which has sought to an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine — did. The final document said the U.N. Charter and "respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty … can and will serve as a basis for achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the "first steps toward peace" at the meeting, and said the joint communique remains "open for accession by everyone who respects the U.N. "We all at this table need to do more so that children of Ukraine are back in Ukraine," he added.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Kamala Harris, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, —, Ukraine —, Viola Amherd, Ursula von der Leyen, Putin, Giorgia Meloni, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, it's, Maria Lvova, Belova, Milojko Spajic, I'm Organizations: United, United Arab Emirates, Union's, Analysts, White House, Children's Locations: States, United States, Ukraine, Stansstad, Lucerne, Switzerland, Swiss, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab, Brazil, Turkey, ., China, Gaza, Kyiv, Moscow, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Qatar, Europe, Montenegro

☆ Major Ukraine summit ends with fresh plea for peace but key powers spurn final agreement
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A two-day summit in Switzerland dedicated to forging a path forward to end the war in Ukraine concluded with key powers spurning a joint communique agreed to by more than 80 other countries and international organizations. The world cares deeply about the war provoked by Russia’s aggression,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. The sides also said that all children and civilians that were unlawfully displaced must be returned to Ukraine. And Ukraine must disarm so that is vulnerable to future Russian aggression down the road. No responsible nation could say that is a reasonable basis for peace,” Sullivan said.

Persons: spurning, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Kamala Harris, Ursula von der Leyen, Jake Sullivan, ”, Putin, ” Sullivan Organizations: CNN, United Arab, European Union, Kremlin, NATO, Russian, Luhansk –, US National Security, Ukrainian Locations: Switzerland, Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Ghana, Canada, Chile, Lucerne, Argentina, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, United Kingdom, China, Moscow, Russian, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Harris

☆ Ukraine proves it can target the Russian air force's weakest link
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementBut these were pinprick attacks designed to embarrass the Kremlin and demonstrate that nowhere in Russia is safe from Ukrainian attack. The aircraft didn't appear to catch on fire, suggesting the damage wasn't catastrophic, perhaps to be expected from small drones with small warheads. The Akhtubinsk attack suggests that Russian electronic warfare capacity has sufficient breadth to cover the front, but not depth to protect the Russian interior. Much like Russia's vaunted T-14 Armata, the Su-57 has been conspicuous by its absence from the Ukraine war. AdvertisementEven with American-made F-16 fighters arriving soon, Ukraine's air force probably can't drive off Russian jets lobbing glide bombs from 50 miles behind Russian lines, safe behind ground-based air defenses.

Persons: Justin Bronk, Bronk, Su, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Russian Air Force, Kyiv, Royal United Services Institute, Russian, NATO, West, Stealth, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, British, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Volgograd, Stalingrad, Russian, Forbes

☆ Russian troops surrender to an elite brigade as the Kharkiv front holds, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRussian soldiers have been surrendering to an elite Ukrainian combat brigade in the northern town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, reports say. A video released on Wednesday by Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade appears to show Russian troops emerging from a trench with their hands raised above their head or tied behind their backs. Several of the captured soldiers said they had been forced into the Russian army due to financial or legal trouble. An earlier video published on June 6 by Ukraine's 36th Marine Brigade, appeared to show two Russian soldiers, both wounded, being captured during a Ukrainian counterattack in Vovchansk. AdvertisementIn February, some 30,000 Russian troops began pouring over Ukraine's northern border into the Kharkiv region, opening up a new front for Ukraine's already-stretched defenses.

Persons: —, Nazar Voloshyn, Voloshyn, John Kirby, Putin, Ann Marie Dailey, Dailey Organizations: Service, Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade, Business, 3rd Assault Brigade, Khortitsiya, Command, Ukraine's 36th Marine Brigade, White House National Security Communications, RAND, Putin Locations: Ukrainian, Vovchansk, Kharkiv, Moscow, Ukraine's, Russian, Belgorod, Russia

☆ Inside the Chechen Units Helping to Fight Russia’s War
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Nanna Heitmann | Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Russia’s fighters are waging bloody battles in Ukraine’s east to add to its captured territory. Moscow supports this war effort with soldiers from outside the regular army, including some from a training camp in Chechnya. Some join for the money, others to escape everyday drudgery. Soldiers trained in Chechnya sign up to fight for Russia for a variety of reasons: money, boredom patriotism. Mayhem awaits them, as evident in the devastation of the city of Bakhmut.

Organizations: Russia Locations: Ukraine’s, Moscow, Chechnya, Bakhmut

☆ Ukraine peace summit to kick off in Switzerland without China and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Nearly 100 countries and organizations are attending a major conference in Switzerland dedicated to setting out a path toward peace between Ukraine and Russia, but there will be no delegation from Moscow. The meeting, which is being held at a resort near Lucerne, will be attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who wants to gather support for the 10-point peace plan he first outlined late in 2022. It has said that any such meeting needs to be attended by both Russia and Ukraine. On Friday, the day before the summit was set to kick off, Russian President Vladimir Putin restated the Kremlin’s own peace plan, which Ukraine is unlikely to ever agree to. That most of the world is on the side of Ukraine, on the side of life.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Kamala Harris, Fumio Kishida, Ukraine’s , Vladimir Putin, Putin, Zelensky, ”, Zelensky “ Putin, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, White, Japanese, NATO, Russian, Luhansk – Locations: Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Lucerne, France, Germany, China, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia

☆ The Sticking Points That Kept Russia and Ukraine Apart
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Anton Troianovski | Michael Schwirtz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The Sticking Points That Kept Russia and Ukraine ApartRussia and Ukraine failed to agree on a range of critical issues when they held peace talks in the spring of 2022. Russia’s Position Russia demanded that Ukraine never join NATO or other alliances; host foreign military bases or weapons; or conduct military exercises with other countries without its consent. Russia’s Position Russia agreed to much of Ukraine’s security guarantees proposal but with key exceptions. Russia’s Position Russia’s stance has also fluctuated. Russia’s Position But Russia’s definition of “denazification” shifted quickly after its initial invasion failed.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, —, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia’s, ” Organizations: The New York Times, NATO, European Union, Ukraine’s, Crimea ”, Ukraine, Mr, Russia’s, ” International, United Nations Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, France, China, guarantors, Belarus, Turkey, Territory, Crimea, Moscow, Ukrainian, Russian

Representatives from the warring nations held peace talks in the early weeks of the Russian invasion. It was the only time that Ukrainian and Russian officials are known to have engaged in direct peace talks. This includes the Crimean Peninsula, which Mr. Putin annexed in 2014 in a swift operation that he considers central to his legacy. At another point, Russia’s lead negotiator, Mr. Medinsky, interrupted a video conference by claiming that Mr. Putin was phoning him directly. There were signs that Mr. Putin was micromanaging not only the Russian invasion but also the peace talks.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, —, Putin’s, … ”, “, Oleksandr Chalyi, Mr, Vladimir Medinsky, Oleksii Reznikov, Vladimir Putin, Leonid Slutsky, Medinsky, ”, Aleksandr Fomin, Reznikov, Ukraine’s, … “, Sergey Ponomarev, Ukraine —, Andrzej Duda, Duda, Putin “, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Murat Cetin Muhurdar, Russia’s, Zelensky, …, ‘, ’, Daniel Berehulak, Davyd Arakhamia, ” “, Roman Abramovich, ” Mr, Arakhamia, Abramovich, micromanaging, Nanna Heitmann, France —, Laetitia Vancon, Kamala Harris, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ Putin, Marc Weller, Russia “, Weller Organizations: The New York Times, Ukraine, Kremlin, NATO, “, Russian Federation, ”, European Union, West, Ministry, Times, Europe’s, Russian, Moscow, Donetsk People's, Nazi, U.S, Ukrainian, Turkish Presidential Press Service, Agence France, The Times, Russia, New York Times, stoke, Cambridge Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Crimean, Switzerland, Ukrainian, Crimea, “ Ukraine, Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, ”, … ” Russia, Russian, ” Russia, Istanbul, Geneva, Belarus, Western, Russia’s, Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Simferopol, Poland, Germany, France, European, Brussels, Turkish, Zelensky, “, Great Britain, China, United States, Turkey, Canada, Italy, Israel, Bucha, Washington, Swiss, Russians

☆ German chancellor says it's 'very likely' that President Joe Biden could win a second term
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewGerman chancellor Olaf Scholz believes it is "very likely" that President Joe Biden could be reelected in November. I think it is very likely that the current president could win the election," said the German leader. Advertisement"He is committed to togetherness and cohesion in his country," Scholz added. But the German chancellor dismissed such worries, saying the president is "very clear." AdvertisementThe German chancellor was speaking ahead of a Ukraine peace conference set to be held in Switzerland.

Persons: —, Olaf Scholz, Joe Biden, Biden, Scholz, Axel Springer, Trump, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters, Trump, Biden, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Switzerland, Moscow, Russia

☆ Russian ally ditching Putin's rival to NATO damages the image Putin wants to project of himself, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewArmenia's announcement that it's going to leave a Russia-led alliance that was set up to rival NATO is a blow to the image Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to project, experts told Business Insider. In fact, experts say it's the opposite of what Putin hoped to achieve with the alliance. But leading it is still important to Putin as, in Putin's mind, "great powers lead alliances and organizations." Armenia snubbing RussiaPashinyan's announcement came after months of snubs against Putin, and criticism of the CSTO in general.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan, Putin, Davis Ellison, Alexander Cooley, Thomas Graham, snubs, Pashinyan, Graham, Armenia doesn't Organizations: Service, NATO, Collective Security, Organization, Business, The Hague, Strategic Studies, Columbia University, Yale, Armenia's, Reuters, Getty Locations: Russia, Armenia, Kremlin, Soviet Union, Moscow, Soviet, East, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Washington, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

A simple principle underpins a contentious Thursday decision by the U.S. and key allies to tap profits from Russian sovereign assets in support of Ukraine: Moscow must make reparations. Questions have also been raised over the legality of setting such a precedent: Russia has been cut off from its frozen assets, but retains their ownership. The proposal must now pass various legal hurdles and be backed by European states, where the majority of frozen Russian assets are held. Further loans secured against the interest accrued by Russian frozen assets could be forthcoming, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen signaled on Thursday. The annual summit comes as most of the G7 leaders face their own domestic upheavals including national elections and falling approval ratings.

Persons: Charles Michel, CNBC's Steve Sedgwick, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin, we're, Biden, Michel, Janet Yellen, Yellen, We're, Russia's, Ursula von der Leyen, Georgia Meloni Organizations: U.S, West, . Security, Kyiv, Treasury, Bank, European Commission Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan . U.S, Kuwait, U.S, Borgo Egnazia, Puglia

☆ Ukraine Welcomes Pledges of More Military Aid With Cautious Optimism
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine has in recent weeks faced the full force of Russia’s multifaceted attacks, with Moscow sending waves of troops to break through Ukrainian lines in the east and barrages of missiles to knock out the country’s energy system. So it was with a sigh of relief that the embattled nation welcomed a series of pledges of military and financial aid made by Western allies this week, including a 10-year security agreement with the United States and a $50 billion loan issued by Washington and the European Union. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that the promises, announced during a flurry of diplomatic meetings at the Group of 7 summit in Italy on Thursday, meant that his country would receive more air defense systems to protect its battered cities. “Patriots is practically a Ukrainian word now,” he said, referring to the advanced — and scarce — American-made missile batteries that Ukraine has long asked for. Washington agreed last week to send an additional battery, adding to the at least three systems that Ukraine already has.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Organizations: European Union, Group, “ Patriots, Washington Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, United States, Washington, Italy, “

☆ Russia's Putin sets out conditions for peace talks with Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during visit to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research on June 13, 2024 in Dubna, Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday set out the requirements for Moscow to start peace talks with Ukraine, more than two years after the Kremlin's full-fledged invasion of its neighbor. He said that Moscow was committed to ensuring the "unhindered and safe withdrawal" of Ukrainian forces if Kyiv agrees to such a concession. If the peace proposal is refused, Putin added, Moscow's future demands will be different. He has also insisted that Ukraine regain the peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed illegally prior to the current war, in February 2014.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Organizations: Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Foreign Ministry, NATO —, Google, Tass, CNBC, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Dubna, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kyiv, ., Crimea

☆ Putin Makes Cease-Fire Offer With Sweeping Demands on Ukraine’s Territory
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin said on Friday that Russia would be ready to order a cease-fire in Ukraine and enter negotiations with its government if Kyiv withdrew troops from the four regions that Moscow has claimed as its own and dropped its aspirations to join NATO. Ukraine’s foreign ministry quickly denounced Mr. Putin’s statement, saying that his goal was “to mislead the international community, undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a just peace and split the unity of the world over the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter.”Mr. Putin’s new announcement stipulates that Ukraine effectively surrender huge swaths of its land to Moscow, including the capitals of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. They represent Mr. Putin’s most concrete set of territorial conditions to stop the war to date. Until now, Mr. Putin has said that any negotiations should take into account “the realities of today,” a stance that some analysts interpreted as offering a cease-fire at the current battle lines.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Putin’s Organizations: NATO, United Nations Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia

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