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☆ Putin appears unstoppable, but even he 'doesn't know where the tolerance of the Russian people lies,' an economic historian said
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's economy appears resilient amid its war with Ukraine which has entered its third year. Military spending has reached 40% of Russia's budget, overshadowing social spending. AdvertisementDespite sweeping Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, Russia posted a GDP growth of 3.6% in 2023 after contracting 1.2% in 2022. Experts say Russia's growth is driven primarily by war spending and subsidies. An International Monetary Fund official told CNBC earlier this month that Russia's economy is starting to look like the Soviet Union's.

Persons: —, Putin, Mark Harrison, Harrison, Alexandra Prokopenko Organizations: Guardian, Military, Service, Warwick University, Monetary Fund, Foreign Affairs, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Center of Eastern European, International, International Monetary Fund, CNBC Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Soviet Union, Soviet

☆ Sweden clears final hurdle in bid to join NATO after Hungary approves accession
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | Stephanie Halasz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Of the 194 members of parliament who voted, just six rejected Sweden’s accession. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Sweden will join the alliance now that all allies have approved Sweden’s bid to join. As NATO states, Finland and Sweden will enjoy the protection granted under Article 5 of the treaty that established the alliance – which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack against all. While most NATO members quickly approved Finland and Sweden’s applications, Hungary and Turkey held out for some time. Video Ad Feedback Turkish parliament approves Sweden's NATO membership bid 01:05 - Source: CNNShortly after the Turkish vote, Orban told NATO chief Stoltenberg that his government would also support Swedish membership.

Persons: CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Ulf Kristersson, Viktor Orban, Sweden’s, ” Kristersson, Jens Stoltenberg, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Orban, Stoltenberg, Putin, Luke McGee, Lauren Kent Organizations: CNN, NATO, Stockholm, Swedish, Gripen, “, United, Russia, Ukraine, Union, EU, Sweden’s, Budapest, Kyiv Locations: Budapest, Hungary, Swedish, “ Sweden, Sweden, United States, Atlantic Treaty, Eastern Europe, Russia’s, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Stockholm, EU, Europe, Israel

☆ Here's why an influential US wargame was so wrong about Ukraine's chances against Russian invaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Or at least that was the expectation conveyed by pre-war US wargames that simulated a Russian invasion of Eastern Europe. The think tank convened an internal workshop to assess why its wargames had so overestimated Russian military prowess. Most of them examined a Russian invasion of the Baltic States (one also covered a Ukraine invasion), and how NATO might respond. In those games, Russian forces were able to quickly overrun Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania before NATO could stop them. A destroyed Russian tank is seen as Ukrainian serviceman rides a tractor and tows a Russian military vehicle near the village of Dolyna in Ukraine's Kharkiv region in September 2023.

Persons: —, Putin basks, Gian Gentile, Gleb Garanich, Ukraine's, Gentile, RAND's, Michael Peck Organizations: NATO, RAND, Service, RAND Corp, Baltic States, Russian, US, REUTERS, Baltic, US Army, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Baltic, Kyiv, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Riga, Tallinn, Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Baltics, Dolyna, Ukraine's Kharkiv, Forbes

☆ SAG Awards 2024: Winners list
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Saturday night’s winners were familiar to those who have been following awards season, as actors from “The Bear,” “Oppenheimer” and “Beef” took home statuettes as expected. Alan Ruck, center, and the cast of "Succession" photographed during the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards in Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles on Saturday, Feb. 24. The cast of “Succession” led the nominations among the television categories with five – nabbing the top honor for best ensemble. “Oppenheimer” reigned victorious with three of those awards, while “Barbie” was shut out. This is the first SAG Awards since last year’s prolonged actors’ strike in Hollywood – a fact that was brought up several times throughout the evening – and is also the last major entertainment awards event before next month’s Oscars ceremony.

Persons: ” “ Oppenheimer, ”, Lily Gladstone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “, Idris Elba, Billie Eilish, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Robert Downey Jr, Fran Drescher, Jennifer Aniston, Barbra Streisand, ” Bradley Cooper, Alan Ruck, Robert Gauthier, Streisand, Wears, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt –, Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, David Cronenberg, “ Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer ”, ’, Bradley Cooper, “ Maestro ” Colman Domingo, “ Rustin ” Paul Giamatti, ” Cillian Murphy, “ Oppenheimer, Jeffrey Wright, Annette Bening, Carey Mulligan, “ Maestro ” Margot Robbie, “ Barbie, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer, Matt Winkelmeyer, Sterling K, Brown, ” Willem Dafoe, Robert De Niro, Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Danielle Brooks, Penélope Cruz, “ Ferrari, Jodie Foster, Matt Bomer, Jon Hamm, David Oyelowo, Bass Reeves, Tony Shalhoub, Mr, Monk’s, Steven Yeun, Painkiller ” Kathryn Hahn, Brie Larson, Bel, Ali Wong, Brian Cox, Billy Crudup, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfadyen, Pedro Pascal, Elizabeth Debicki, Bella Ramsey, Keri Russell, Sarah Snook, Brett Goldstein, “ Ted Lasso, Bill Hader, “ Barry ” Ebon Moss, Bachrach, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Allen White, Alex Borstein, Maisel, Rachel Brosnahan, Maisel ” Quinta Brunson, “ Abbott, Hannah Waddingham, “ Ted Lasso ” Ayo Edebiri, Frazer Harrison, Abbott, ” “ Barry ”, Ted Lasso ”, Indiana Jones, John Wick Organizations: CNN, Actors Guild, Auditorium, Netflix, SAG, Los Angeles Times, Jewish, “, Getty, Guardians Locations: Los Angeles, “, America, Brooklyn, Europe, Hollywood

☆ Putin is flexing his power with the deaths of his opponents — but he may also be highlighting the weakness of his regime
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"That's an extraordinary power, and Putin did it effectively, making sure it wound up in the news." AdvertisementThe display of power by the Russian state, while jarring, is not out of the norm for Putin's regime, which has been accused of assassinations abroad for decades. Both Navalny's and the pilot's deaths fit Putin's playbook to a T, exemplifying the lengths to which the Russian regime will go to maintain the illusion of total power, Schmidt said. AdvertisementFor years, Navalny represented the most formidable threat to Putin's regime, criticizing corruption in the Russian state and organizing powerful anti-Kremlin protests. AdvertisementNavalny's death shows Putin is easily threatenedThe two experts said Navalny's death, rather than simply displaying Putin's power, actually highlighted his weakness.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Alexey Navalny, Putin's, Putin, Matthew Schmidt, Schmidt, Navalny, Simon Miles, Miles, Robert English Organizations: Service, Business, The University of New Haven, US Army's School, Advanced Military Studies, Russia's Federal Prison Service, Kremlin, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, University of Southern Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Spain, Russia, Avdiivka, Russia's, Soviet, Moscow, University of Southern California, Soviet Union, Eastern Europe

☆ Exclusive: Russia-linked smear campaign against Hunter Biden began earlier than previously thought
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The man pushing the thumb drive was a citizen of an Eastern European country and a guest of Claremont. That evening, Rollie passed a thumb drive containing disinformation about Hunter Biden and Burisma to a Pompeo aide. Smirnov was indicted last week for lying to the FBI about Hunter Biden. The revelation about Rollie's thumb drive comes shortly after the indictment of Smirnov, for allegedly making false statements about Hunter Biden in June 2020. Like Smirnov, Rollie's materials accuse Hunter Biden of involving his father in Burisma's business and committing a vast off-the-books fraud.

Persons: Mike Pompeo, Hunter Biden, Rollie, Pompeo, Burisma, BI Rollie, I'm, Rollie's, Biden's, Josef, Johnathan Buma, Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Peter Schweizer, Rudy Giuliani, John Solomon, Hunter, Giuliani, Alexander Smirnov, Smirnov, Biden, David Weiss, Smirnov's, Joe Biden, GOP Sen, Charles Grassley, MAGA, Jack Posobiec, Buma, Anastasiia Carrier Organizations: Claremont Institute's, Claremont, Business, BI, KGB, Department, Claremont Institute, FBI, New York Times, Prosecutors, GOP, State Department, Justice Department, Anastasiia Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Beverly Hills, Eastern, Soviet, Los Angeles, Russian, Delaware, Ukraine, The Hill, East, West, Eastern Europe

☆ A fund manager beating 98% of his peers over the last 10 years breaks down why the stock market resembles the 'Nifty 50' bubble of the 1970s, when the market's biggest names got crushed as inflation s
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( William Edwards | ) 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. Disco is backOthers have also started to compare today's market and the 1970s' "Nifty Fifty." AdvertisementJPMorgan's Chief Global Strategist Marko Kolanovic also said in a note on Wednesday that fiscal spending and inflation could resemble the 1970s landscape. Similar to the 1970s, there are currently 3 active geopolitical conflict zones – eastern Europe, Middle East, and South China Sea," Kolanovic said. Kolanovic included in his note the chart below, which shows the correlation between inflation and the performance of the S&P 500.

Persons: —, Albert Edwards, Bank of America's Michael Hartnett, Jeffrey Gundlach, Cole Smead, Smead, Sears Roebuck, Alphabet's, Nvidia's, Microsoft's, Jeremy Siegel, David Rosenberg, Merrill Lynch, " Rosenberg, Marko Kolanovic, Kolanovic Organizations: Service, Societe Generale, Bank of America's, Treasury, Nasdaq, DoubleLine, Investments, Business, Morningstar, Microsoft, Nvidia, Xerox Locations: Europe, Middle East, South China

☆ Ukraine says its air force is bigger now than when Russia's full-scale invasion began
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

AdvertisementA Ukrainian air force officer said Ukraine had more combat planes available than it did in 2022, Voice of America reported. "At the moment, we have much more of them than we had at the time of the full-scale invasion," Bulatsyk said of Ukraine's planes. AdvertisementHe didn't give a figure, and there is no public data on the size of the Ukrainian air force. Ukraine's air force was initially vastly outnumbered by the Russian air force, and some expected it to be destroyed. The Ukrainian air force lost around 69 aircraft in the first year of the invasion, but Forbes reported that it has been able to replenish its fleet.

Persons: Yevhen Bulatsik, Bulatsik, Bulatsyk, Ukraine's, Forbes Organizations: 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade, Russian, Senate Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Russia, Russian, Poland, Slovenia, Ukrainian, Avdiivka

☆ Anti-Ukraine rhetoric has saturated right-wing media. Now it is helping to deliver actual war victories to Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Vladimir Putin’s information war in U.S. media paid off this weekend with a key victory halfway around the world. A CNN poll conducted last summer found that a staggering 71% of Republicans do not support additional aid to thwart Putin’s war on Ukraine. Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty ImagesMuch of the GOP’s softening toward Russia is owed to a near-total reversal in rhetoric from right-wing media personalities and outlets, prompted in large part by Donald Trump’s ascension to power in GOP politics. While the biggest players in right-wing media once fervently championed the foreign policy doctrines of the neo-conservatives, they now follow in the footsteps of Trump and vehemently reject the views once held by the George W. Bush administration. The rhetoric has had a considerable impact on the views of the party, which is now being reflected by its elected leaders.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Julian E, Barnes, Thomas Gibbons, Neff, Eric Schmitt, CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Mitt Romney, ”, Kostiantyn, Donald Trump’s, Trump, George W, Bush, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Matt Gertz, “ Tucker Carlson, ” “, ” Gertz Organizations: New York CNN, U.S . Congress, Eastern, Congress, GOP, Senate, Republican, Republican Party, CNN, Chemical Plant, Fox News, U.S, Ukraine, Republicans, Media Locations: New York, Washington, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Europe, Russia, Avdiivka district, Moscow, U.S

☆ Estonia thwarts ‘shadow war’ attack, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tells CNN
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Jim Sciutto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Estonia has thwarted a Russian-directed influence operation on its territory, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has told CNN. The Estonian Internal Security Service arrested 10 individuals, including both Russian and Estonian nationals. “There’s a shadow war going on against our societies,” Prime Minister Kallas told CNN. “The aim of Russia’s influence operations is to influence our democratic decision making. The Kremlin is also directly involved in shaping Russian influence operations in neighboring countries, according to Presidential Administration documents leaked last year.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Kallas, ” Kallas Organizations: CNN, Estonian, Estonian Internal Security Service, ”, Intelligence, SVR, Administration, Moldovan, NATO, European Union Locations: Estonia, Russian, Russia, –, NATO, Europe, Baltic States, Moldova

The GOP has been softening its stance on Russia ever since Trump won the 2016 election following Russian hacking of his Democratic opponents. Now the GOP's ambivalence on Russia has stalled additional aid to Ukraine at a pivotal time in the war. Things are changing just not fast enough.”Those who oppose additional Ukraine aid bristle at charges that they are doing Putin's handiwork. Even before Trump, Republican voters were signaling discontent with overseas conflicts, said Douglas Kriner, a political scientist at Cornell University. Skeptics of Ukraine aid argue the war has already decimated the Russian military and that Putin won't be able to target other European countries.

Persons: Republican Sen, Ron Johnson of, Vladimir Putin, “, Johnson, “ Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Putin, Mike Johnson, ”, “ Putin, ” Republican Sen, Thom Tillis, Mitch McConnell of, Alexei Navalny, Joe Biden, Tillis, ” Johnson, Missouri Sen, Eric Schmitt, ” Alabama Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Tucker Carlson’s, Matt Gaetz, Trump, Douglas Kriner, ” Kriner, ” Trump, didn’t, Olga Kamenchuk, ” Kamenchuk, That’s, “ He's, he's, ” Henry Hale, Russell Vought, Sergey Radchenko, Joey Cappelletti, Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro Organizations: Republican, GOP, Trump, Democratic, Republicans, NATO, ” Republican, Republican Party, ”, Cornell University, Northwestern University, Ukraine, Pew Research, George Washington University, Management, Center, Johns Hopkins ’ School, International Studies, Associated Press Locations: Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Europe, U.S, North Carolina, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, America, Missouri, ” Alabama, Waterford Township , Michigan, ” Russia, “, Moscow, Soviet Union, Putin's U.S, Israel, Taiwan, Western Europe, Soviet, Lithuania, Estonia, Washington

☆ LockBit: FBI and allies seize dark-web site of world’s most prolific ransomware gang
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The FBI and its international allies have seized a dark-web site that the world’s most prolific ransomware gang has used to extort its victims, according to a message on the website viewed by CNN. The hackers claimed credit for a November ransomware attack that forced New Jersey-based Capital Health to cancel some patient appointments. LockBit also claimed responsibility for ransomware attacks on the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Fulton County, Georgia, in recent months. The US Justice Department also announced the indictment of two Russian men for deploying LockBit ransomware against victim organizations throughout the US, including against unnamed manufacturing firms. While there have been notable arrests and law enforcement seizures of millions of dollars’ worth of ransom payments, the ransomware economy continues to thrive.

Persons: LockBit, ”, cybercriminals, LockBit’s ransomware, Don Smith, Cybercriminals, ” Allan Liska, ” Liska, “ LockBit Organizations: CNN, FBI, Health, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, National Crime Agency, LockBit, US Justice Department, Justice Department, Government Locations: New Jersey, Fulton County , Georgia, Australia, Germany, Eastern Europe, Russia, China, Secureworks

☆ 'It is urgent': European leaders appeal for greater support for Ukraine as Russia makes major gain
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's prime minister, speaks on day two of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized a waning sense of urgency among delegates at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday as Moscow's full-scale offensive nearly enters its third year. "The sense of urgency is simply not clear enough in our discussions," Frederiksen told a lunchtime session. Denmark has now donated its entire artillery to Ukraine, Frederiksen said, urging other countries to do the same as the war marks its second anniversary on Feb. 24. The policymakers were speaking at the 7th Munich Ukrainian Lunch, hosted on the sidelines of the MSC by the Yalta European Strategy (YES) forum and Ukrainian non-profit the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

Persons: Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's, Frederiksen, Putin, Radosław Sikorski, Victor Pinchuk, Tobias Billström, Bakhmut, Nikolay Denkov, Denkov, Genya Savilov, Hillary Clinton, —, Niall Ferguson, Clinton, Petr Pavel, Kaja Kallas, Alexander De Croo, Bulgaria Nikolay Denkov Organizations: Munich, Bloomberg, Getty, Kyiv, MSC, Yalta European Strategy, Victor, Victor Pinchuk Foundation, Sweden's, Moscow, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Bradley, Afp, Former, U.S, CNBC Locations: Munich, Germany, MUNICH, Ukraine, Danish, Denmark, Poland, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Moscow, Russia, Europe, U.S, Donetsk, Western, Czech Republic, Republic of Estonia, Belgium, Bulgaria

☆ Opinion: Navalny’s death extinguished the last hope I had for my former home
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Opinion Sasha Vasilyuk | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

She grew up between Ukraine, Russia and the US. As someone who grew up between Ukraine and Russia, I used to go back to both countries to visit family every year. She asked me if I’d heard about Navalny’s death and said she was heartbroken and had been crying all morning. But Navalny’s death represents the extinguishing of all hope for Russia’s turnaround. That speaks of Navalny’s power to inspire small acts of courage, even if they won’t bring any real change in the face of overriding fear.

Persons: Sasha Vasilyuk, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Putin, Sasha Vasilyu, Christopher Michel A, I’d, hadn’t, Sergei GAPON, SERGEI GAPON, Sergei Gapon, “, ”, Russia lawlessly, –, didn’t, Sasha Alexeyeva, “ I’ve Organizations: CNN, Getty, Russian Embassy, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, California, Moscow, today’s Russia, Europe, Eastern Europe, Latvia, Warsaw, AFP, Crimea

Greece has become the first majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalize same-sex marriage under civil law. Public opinion in majority Orthodox countries has mostly been opposed, too. Civil unions may become more common among Orthodox countries gravitating toward the European Union. Greek Orthodox showed relative tolerance, with half of Orthodox saying homosexuality should be accepted and a quarter favoring same-sex marriage. As head of the Russian Orthodox Church, he oversees the world's largest Orthodox flock.

Persons: ”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, “, George Demacopoulos, ” Demacopoulos, —, Vladimir Putin, “ perversions, Putin, Kirill, Moscow, Tiny Montenegro, Aleksandar Vucic, ″, ___ Smith, Yuras, Stephen McGrath, Illia Novikov, Veselin Toshkov Organizations: European Union, Pew Research Center, Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Fordham University, Ukrainian, of, of Human, Russian Orthodox Church, Kremlin, Russia’s, Levada, MONTENEGRO Serbia, Balkan, Serbian Orthodox Church, of Human Rights, Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Associated Press, Gec, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Greece, Montenegro, Cyprus, Russia, Eastern Europe, Washington, New York, European, UKRAINE, Ukraine, RUSSIA, Russian, BELARUS, Belarus, SERBIA, MONTENEGRO, Serbia, ROMANIA, MOLDOVA Romania, Romania, Bucharest, Moldova, BULGARIA, Bulgaria, Pittsburgh, Tallin, Estonia, Belgrade, Kyiv, Sofia

☆ Opinion: In Navalny’s death, echoes of Stalin
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —We don’t yet know the exact details of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s death, reported Friday by the Russian prison service — and we may never find the precise truth. When the Wall fell, Putin was a KGB officer in Dresden in what was then East Germany. And the most dangerous thing a Russian leader can do is lose a war as the Romanovs did in World War I, which helped spark the Russian revolution in 1917. By contrast with Gorbachev, Stalin ruled with an iron fist and was critical to the Allies winning World War II. How will news of Navalny’s death be received in Russia?

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Alexey Navalny’s, Kamala Harris, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Navalny, Andrei Sakharov, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Mikhail Gorbachev, ” Gorbachev, quagmire, Alexis de Tocqueville, Gorbachev’s, Gorbachev, Stalin, Tucker Carlson’s, Boris Nadezhdin Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, Trump Administration, CNN, Munich Security, Human Rights, Soviet Union, Soviet, Kremlin, Great, Literature Locations: New America, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet, Eastern Europe, Dresden, East Germany, Afghanistan, Russian

☆ Ukraine Needs $486 Billion to Recover, Rebuild After Nearly Two Years of War - World Bank
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

That 10-year cost estimate is up from $411 billion last March, with housing needs topping the list at $80 billion or 17%, followed by transport needs of $74 billion or 15%, and commerce and industry at $67.5 billion, or 14%. The new estimate excludes reconstruction needs already met through the Ukraine state budget or through partners and international support. He said the Ukrainian economy had proven remarkably resilient in the face of the war. Four of five firms continued to operate in Ukraine, despite the war, with many relying on digital operations or moving sites to stay in business, he added. The number of internally displaced persons had also gone down to around 3.7 million, compared with 5.4 million in spring 2023.

Persons: Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON, Arup Banerji, Banerji, Andrea Shalal, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: World Bank, United, European Commission Locations: United Nations, Eastern Europe, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukrainian

☆ Tucker Carlson's interview with Putin captivated some GOP lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin was greeted with some interest on Capitol Hill. "Putin is a studied man of resolute spirit," said GOP Rep. Clay Higgins. AdvertisementWhen former Fox News host Tucker Carlson released his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, at least a few Republicans on Capitol Hill tuned in with interest. Conservative on one hand, rapidly changing on the other,” said Putin, according to Carlson’s translator. “And we have to be smarter.”AdvertisementAnd Higgins had little time for criticism of Carlson’s interview.

Persons: Tucker Carlson's, Vladimir Putin, JD Vance, Ron Johnson, Putin, Clay Higgins, —, Tucker Carlson, he’s, ”, Higgins, “ Putin, ‘, ’, Troy Nehls, Texas —, Tucker Carlson’s, Nehls, Donald Trump, “, Vlad, Mike Johnson, Sen, Ron Johnson of, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s, Johnson, Tucker, ” Johnson, Carlson, Ukraine can’t — Putin, He's, Evan Gershkovich, Victoria Spartz, Anna Rose Layden, Ukraine’s, Victor Yanukovich, ” Spartz, Ohio, ” Vance, Abigail Spanberger, Putin spouted, ” “ Organizations: Capitol Hill, Service, Fox News, Republicans, Capitol, Caucus, Business, Milwaukee ”, America’s, Ukraine, Wall Street, Conservative, GOP, NATO, CIA, Victoria, Twitter, Democratic Locations: Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Texas, Chicago, Ukraine, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Kyiv, Russian, Colorado, Ukrainian, Eastern Europe, Russia, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Rus, Kyiv Rus, Moscow, Virginia

☆ Russia historians say the Tucker Carlson interview solidified one thing about Putin — he's off the rails
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewRussian President Vladimir Putin delivered a strange performance fueled by Russian propaganda and imperialist posturing in his interview with right-wing media host Tucker Carlson last week. The two-hour interview revealed little new information about the war in Ukraine — beyond that it is likely to continue — but did manage to highlight Putin's increasing delusion, according to two Russia historians. AdvertisementThe Russian president parroted in great, slogging detail many of the erroneous talking points he's used over the years to bolster his belief that Ukraine ought to be under Russian control. "Instead, he showed that it wasn't Russian insecurity, but Putin's personal imperialism, that motivated the war," English said.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Tucker Carlson, Robert English, Putin, parroted, he's, Rurik, Simon Miles, Carlson, combusted, Putin didn't, Miles, Masha Gessen, Hitler, Gessen, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, Business, University of Southern, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, GOP, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Russia, University of Southern California, Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Russian, Polish, Lithuanian Commonwealth, Soviet, West, Kyiv, United States, Israel

☆ 'Stability is fragile': An overlooked European conflict zone is at a tipping point between peace and combat
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The clash broke out in the village when a group of armed Serbs blocked a bridge with two trucks. A shootout erupted after the group opened fire on police, leaving one police officer dead and another injured. Relations between Serbia and Kosovo, which have been fraught since the pair's brutal conflict in the 1990s, remain delicate one year on from a tentative agreement on a new path to normalization. We cannot take peace and stability for granted," Miroslav Lajčák, EU special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC in Davos, Switzerland last month. The Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is a series of talks facilitated by the European Union designed to ease hostilities between the neighboring southeastern European countries.

Persons: Milan Radoicic, Vudi Xhymshiti, Miroslav Lajčák Organizations: Kosovo Police, Kosovo Serb, Milan, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Belgrade, CNBC, European Union Locations: Banjska, Zvecan, Kosovo, Davos, SWITZERLAND, Russia, Ukraine, EU, Serbia, Pristina, Balkans, Switzerland, Belgrade, Serbs

☆ Putin Calls on U.S. to ‘Negotiate’ on Ukraine in Tucker Carlson Interview
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Wouldn’t it be better to negotiate with Russia? Make an agreement,” Mr. Putin told Tucker Carlson, the American conservative commentator, in the Russian leader’s first interview with an American outlet since 2021. Mr. Putin also laid out his well-worn and spurious justifications for invading Ukraine, asserting that Russia’s goal was to “stop this war” that he claims the West is waging against Russia. But Mr. Putin was more direct than usual about how he sees his Ukraine invasion ending: not with a military victory, but through an agreement with the West. At the interview’s end, Mr. Putin told Mr. Carlson that the time had come for talks about ending the war because “those who are in power in the West have come to realize” that Russia will not be defeated on the battlefield.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, ” Mr, Tucker Carlson, Mr, Carlson Organizations: Fox News, “ Locations: United States, Russia, American, Russian, Eastern, Ukraine

☆ The Senate Moved to Salvage Ukraine Aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Democrats in the Senate are pushing to advance a package that would send billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine and Israel, after Republicans blocked similar legislation that paired the foreign aid with stringent border security measures. Members of both parties have privately said that they believe the legislation could eventually receive support from at least 60 senators, putting the measure on track to pass in the Senate within days. The bill would send about $60 billion to Ukraine for its war against Russia, $14 billion in security assistance to Israel and $10 billion in humanitarian aid for civilians in global crises, including Palestinians and Ukrainians. But even if lawmakers succeed in resurrecting the aid bill in the Senate, it still faces stiff headwinds in the Republican-led House, where right-wing lawmakers oppose sending additional assistance to Ukraine. Some have even threatened to oust Speaker Mike Johnson if he brings any bill to the floor that includes aid for Ukraine.

Persons: Mike Johnson Organizations: Republican Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Russia, Eastern Europe

☆ Ukraine’s railways are still running after two years of war. Here’s how
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Ben Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Ukraine’s rail network, known as Ukrzaliznytsia or UZ for short, has always been a source of pride and practicality in the eastern European nation, even before the war. ‘Constant threat’Ukraine's rail network, known as Ukrzaliznytsia or UZ for short, has always been a source of pride and practicality in the eastern European nation. UZ says a further $9 billlon is likely required to repair and modernize the existing UZ network, which at 19,700 kilometers is one of the world’s longest. “Our responsibility is to be a stable partner.”Indeed, despite the war, UZ says it has repaired and renewed 289 kilometers of track in 2023, rebuilt 15 bridges, built 528 new freight cars and repaired around 9,000 others. Britain’s Network Rail and Swiss Federal Railways are providing engineering support to help rebuild damaged infrastructure, while the Global Ukraine Rail Task Force (GURTF) was established in 2022 to raise funds to support Ukrainian rail workers and their families.

Persons: UZ, – UZ, ”, Jeff J Mitchell, Yarema Dul, “, ” UZ, it’s, Ukraine’s, Olena Zelenska, Dul, Transport Network Mykola Panov, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, Yevhen Liaschenko, ” Liaschenko, GURTF, Andy Bagnall Organizations: CNN, UNICEF, Russia, UZ’s, Transformation Department, Transport Network Mykola, CNN Travel, “, ” Railway, Publishing, Transport Network, Britain’s, Rail, Swiss Federal Railways, Global Ukraine Rail Task Force, Rail Partners Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Lviv, Warsaw, Vienna, Panama7, Odesa, Kharkiv, Russian, Poland, Germany, Soviet Union, Budapest, Prague, Berlin, Hungary

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine has had an unlikely consequence — it has revived the EU's plans to get even bigger
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People hold a banner and Ukrainian flags during a rally to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia. As part of the Western Balkans block waiting for EU-membership, Serbia is caught in a geostrategic rivalry between its Western allies and Russia. Davos, SWITZERLAND — As spiking geopolitical tensions thrust the European Union into the spotlight, attention has turned to the strategically important Western Balkans. The Western Balkans, comprised of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia, represent a notable gap in the map of EU membership in southeastern Europe. "I see the European Union more ready for the Balkans than the Balkans for the European Union," Miroslav Lajčák, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC last month.

Persons: —, Miroslav Lajčák, Lajčák Organizations: EU, Union, European Union, Belgrade, Pristina, CNBC Locations: Ukraine, Belgrade, Serbia, Balkans, Russia, Davos, SWITZERLAND, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Europe, Yugoslavia, European, Western Balkans

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kremlin dismisses threat from anti-war election hopeful; Zelenskyy visits front-line war hot spot
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

As part of the Western Balkans block waiting for EU-membership, Serbia is caught in a geostrategic rivalry between its Western allies and Russia. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine brought fresh political momentum to the European Union and its plans for enlargement in the Western Balkans. "I see the European Union more ready for the Balkans than the Balkans for the European Union," Miroslav Lajčák, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC last month. Within days of Russia's invasion, Ukraine, neighboring Moldova and, soon after, nearby Georgia applied for EU candidate status — which they were granted in quick succession. "Now, it's very clear that the European Union is serious."

Persons: Russia's, —, Miroslav Lajčák, Lajčák, — Karen Gilchrist Organizations: EU, European Union, Belgrade, Pristina, CNBC, European Locations: Ukraine, Belgrade, Serbia, Balkans, Russia, Western Balkans, European, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Europe, Yugoslavia, Moldova, Georgia, European Union

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