DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

For months, NATO leaders had hoped that when they convened for their annual summit next week, they could use the occasion to welcome Sweden as the alliance’s newest member. Now, that outcome appears all but impossible, as stalling by Hungary and continued objections by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey have drawn out the process, raising questions about when Sweden might be able to join and what sort of breakthrough would be necessary. All 31 member states must agree to admit new members, and the split over Sweden risks denting the alliance’s ability to project a united front against President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as his forces seek to beat back a Ukrainian counteroffensive. NATO officials say the hope is to get all the alliance’s leaders to agree at the two-day summit set to begin on Tuesday in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, to let Sweden join. Then, the thinking goes, Mr. Erdogan and Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary can push the approval through their respective parliaments.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir V, Putin, Russia, Erdogan, Viktor Orban Organizations: NATO Locations: Sweden, Hungary, Turkey, Ukrainian, Vilnius, Lithuanian

☆ In his new spotlight, the Belarusian leader could gain leverage.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | More About Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A stray remark by President Alexander G. Lukashenko of Belarus neatly encapsulated the imbalance in his relationship with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in recent years. As the cameras rolled, Mr. Putin thanked him in February for traveling to Moscow for a meeting. But the brief mutiny in Russia last month led by the mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin has also given Mr. Lukashenko — at least temporarily — an opening to upend the relationship. In the aftermath, the Belarusian leader has positioned himself as the mediator, stepping into help bring an end to the armed rebellion. He again gloried in the spotlight on Thursday, as the purveyor of information about the whereabouts of Mr. Prigozhin.

Persons: Alexander G, Lukashenko, Vladimir V, Putin, ”, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Lukashenko —, gloried Locations: Belarus, Russia, Moscow, Belarusian

☆ Biden Backed NATO Expansion, but It Won’t Be Easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden welcomed Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden at the White House today to emphasize America’s support for the Nordic nation’s swift acceptance into NATO. Sweden’s entry into NATO would be a significant blow to President Vladimir Putin of Russia, who has sought to halt the alliance’s expansion. But as the alliance prepares for a show of unity at a summit in Lithuania next week, the only major barrier is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, a NATO ally. He has been able to block Sweden because acceptance requires unanimous consent. The U.S. has tried to placate the Turkish leader, including by supporting the sale of new F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, but Erdogan hasn’t budged.

Persons: Biden, Ulf Kristersson, Vladimir Putin of, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of, Erdogan hasn’t budged Organizations: NATO Locations: Sweden, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, NATO, Turkey, U.S, Stockholm

On Tuesday, Mr. Putin called for a “multipolar world” in an apparent reference to the role of these countries as a bulwark against Washington. China has made a long-term bet on Mr. Putin as a partner in challenging a global order that is dominated by the United States. India is also a member of a security-focused coalition with the United States called the Quad, which also includes Australia and Japan. For Mr. Modi, the summit was a forum to balance out India’s ties with the United States and other Western allies as it exercises a policy of nonalignment. Mr. Xi and Mr. Modi are bound by an economic interest as Mr. Modi looks to Beijing for answers on the question of how to advance India’s economy.

Persons: Here’s, Vladimir V, Putin, Xi Jinping, Xi, Narendra Modi, Modi Organizations: Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Mr, NATO Locations: Ukraine, China, India, Russia, Moscow, Washington . China, Beijing, United States, Europe, Washington, Australia, Japan, Kyiv . India

☆ After Armed Rebellion, Putin Tries to Reinforce His Defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is said to work out of identically constructed offices at multiple residences so that photographs don’t reveal his location. His assistants undergo such a rigorous selection process that a former bodyguard once called them “a caste of chosen people.”And more than three years after the pandemic’s beginning, the Kremlin has continued to enforce a “clean zone” around the president, requiring many who come near him to quarantine for days. For decades, people who know him say, Mr. Putin has been remarkably focused on his personal security and on preventing rivals from using the powers of government against him. Now, in the aftermath of last month’s short-lived rebellion led by Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner private mercenary group that fought for Russia in Ukraine, Mr. Putin appears to be scrambling to coup-proof his system once more.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Wagner Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Moscow’s Mayor Says Drones Targeted Russian Capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

A news conference to announce the launch of the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression in The Hague on Monday. “It’s the only crime that goes to the top table,” said Philippe Sands, a prominent international lawyer who first floated the idea of an aggression tribunal. Aggression is distinct from the offenses of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, for which the I.C.C. And unlike in many war crimes cases, there would be no need to link an official to specific crimes on the ground, which is often a cumbersome process. Overwhelmed courts in Ukraine have already tried and convicted some Russian soldiers for war crimes, but have tens of thousands of cases waiting.

Persons: —, “, ”, Philippe Sands, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: International Center, Criminal, European Union, United Nations, Russian, Kremlin Locations: The Hague, Ukraine, Russia, United States, I.C.C, Eastern Europe, Eurojust, Britain

☆ Russia’s Embassy in Washington Becomes a Different Kind of Battle Zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a warm June night, Benjamin Wittes was seated at a card table across the street from the Russian Embassy in Washington, kicking off his light show. Assembled around him was a sprawl of wires and equipment, including a laptop and two powerful light projectors. One of them was beaming a giant blue and yellow Ukrainian flag onto the embassy’s white facade. “We’ve got a little essay we’re going to project, line by line, in three languages,” said Mr. Wittes, a prominent national security law expert. Mr. Wittes and his friends have been lighting up the embassy once every few weeks since the war in Ukraine began last year.

Persons: Benjamin Wittes, “ We’ve, ”, Wittes, “, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Russian Embassy Locations: Russian, Washington, Russia, Ukraine

When he finally emerged for a five-minute televised speech on Monday night, the Russian leader skirted a host of questions to insist that the Russian government was presenting a united front to all threats. TUESDAY, JUNE 27:Mr. Putin’s spent a busy day in front of television cameras, portraying the rebellion as a heroic episode for the Russian state. In a televised meeting with military service members in Moscow, Mr. Putin suggested that Mr. Prigozhin — whose name he has refused to utter — or people linked to him might be guilty of graft. And in a grandly choreographed outdoor appearance at the Kremlin, Mr. Putin descended a red-carpeted staircase to deliver a speech from a stage on the medieval-era Cathedral Square. Later, Mr. Putin fed speculation about a broader crackdown in a closed-door meeting with Russian media figures at the Kremlin, presenting himself as a leader in total control.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Wagner, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, —, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, ”, Putin’s, Prigozhin — Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Russia, Russian, Moscow, Belarus, Dagestan

Satellite imagery shows that Belarus is rapidly building what appear to be temporary structures at a deserted military base, revealing a possible location for Wagner fighters who were given the option of relocating to the country after the group’s failed mutiny against President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. The construction was first visible in satellite images taken on Monday by Planet Labs, a private company with a network of shoebox-size satellites, two days after Wagner forces suddenly stopped their march on Moscow. By Tuesday, the images showed that a sports field covering approximately eight acres within the gated military facility had been transformed, packed with at least six rows of what appear to be temporary structures, like large tents. The satellite imagery also shows similar construction in open areas next to the sports field.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Planet Labs Locations: Belarus, Russia, Moscow

☆ After Mutiny Against Putin, Russia’s Friends Have Reason to Hedge Bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For Mr. Putin, who has cobbled together a surprisingly sturdy list of countries that either back his war on Ukraine or have stayed neutral, it was a much-needed display of mutual reassurance. Russia’s message, it seemed, was business as usual on foreign policy, even after the alarming events of last weekend. As rattled as they may have been by an armed insurrection in a nuclear-weapons state, Russia’s friends and business partners are unlikely to abandon Mr. Putin, according to diplomats and analysts. The more likely scenario, they say, is for them to hedge their bets against further Russian instability. But privately, if your goal is stability, then you should be worried about Putin’s ability to provide this stability.”

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Russia, I’m, ”, Michael A, “ It’s Locations: Moscow, Iran, Qatar, Ukraine, American, Russia

☆ Russia-Ukraine War Putin Delivers Fiery Speech as Mercenary Leader’s Future Remains Uncertain
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

President Biden said the United States and its NATO allies had “nothing to do with” a rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia. Mr. Biden said that the United States would continue to assess the fallout from the crisis in Russia and closely align responses with its allies. On Monday, Mr. Prigozhin broke his silence to claim that his advance on Moscow had never been intended as a bid to seize power. While Mr. Miller may have been articulating official U.S. policy, President Biden has previously expressed a different personal view. “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Mr. Biden said of Mr. Putin during a March 2022 visit to Poland.

Persons: Biden, Wagner, Putin, Zelensky, group’s, Vladimir V, Russia, Mr, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Matthew Miller, Miller, Putin’s, ”, “, Lynne M, Tracy Organizations: NATO, White, United, State Department, Russian Federation, Russian Ministry of Defense, . Locations: United States, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Belarus, Africa, Poland, U.S

☆ Putin embraced turmoil, and now it is rattling his leadership.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia always seemed to thrive on chaos. For the last few months, as the mercenary chieftain Yevgeny V. Prigozhin escalated his feud with the Russian military, Mr. Putin did not publicly reveal any discomfort with his diatribes. The Russian leader’s key litmus test was loyalty — a fact that Mr. Prigozhin showed he understood, even amid his recent criticism of the military leadership: “I listen to Putin,” he said in May. At no point since being named acting president on Dec. 31, 1999, has Mr. Putin faced such a dramatic challenge. And it comes from a man who — like much of Russia’s elite — owes his power and status to the informal, personalist style of the Russian president.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Putin’s, “, ”, — Locations: Russia, Russian, Rostov, Moscow

☆ Timeline: What Led to the Standoff Between Russia and Prigozhin
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary leader who conducted a brief rebellion against the Russian military, had been a loyal supporter of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. In recent months, he continued to steer clear of directly criticizing Mr. Putin, even as he increasingly used social media to lambaste Russia’s military, accusing its leaders of treason and blaming them for failing to provide his forces with enough resources. Mr. Putin mobilized Russian troops to quell what he called an armed rebellion, and the Belarusian president, a Putin ally, negotiated a halt to the Wagner advance. Here’s a look at Mr. Prigozhin’s history and some of the claims he has made:December 2016The United States imposed sanctions against 15 Russian entities, including Mr. Prigozhin, for their dealings in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, and in Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists seized territory the same year. The Treasury Department targeted businesspeople who were associates of Mr. Putin or were involved in activities that aided in Russia’s destabilization of Ukraine.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Wagner, Vladimir V, Putin, Putin’s, Prigozhin, Mr Organizations: Russian, Treasury Department, Russia’s Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov, Moscow, Belarusian, United States, Crimea, Russia’s destabilization

In the war-torn Chechnya region, Mr. Kadyrov built up a private fiefdom while professing loyalty to no official but Mr. Putin himself. A judo sparring partner from Mr. Putin’s youth became a construction billionaire and built Mr. Putin’s landmark bridge to Crimea. And then there was Mr. Prigozhin, who has said that he met Mr. Putin in 2000 as a St. Petersburg restaurateur. In Ukraine, as Mr. Prigozhin tells it, Wagner troops were only called in after Mr. Putin’s initial invasion plan failed. But Mr. Putin seemed to vacillate on his own support for Mr. Prigozhin.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Putin’s, “, ”, —, “ Putin, Tatiana Stanovaya, ” Mr, Ramzan Kadyrov, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Mr, Wagner, tycoons, Boris N, Yeltsin, Kadyrov, Prigozhin’s, K.G.B, Donald J, Trump, Weeks, ’, Putin “, Andrei Soldatov, Prigozhin “, ” Mark Galeotti, ” Neil MacFarquhar, Valerie Hopkins Organizations: Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, ., Reuters, Federal Security Service, Kremlin, Television, Defense, Defense Ministry, Center for Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Chechnya, Belarus, Russia’s, Don, Ukraine, Putin’s, Crimea, St, Petersburg, United States, Syria, Africa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

Yevgeny V. Prigozhin became rich through his personal ties to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, winning lucrative catering and construction contracts with the Russian government while building a mercenary force known as Wagner. In recent months, Mr. Prigozhin (pronounced pree-GOH-zhin) has also emerged as a public power player, using social media to turn tough talk and brutality into his personal brand. At the same time, though, he began launching accusations at Russia’s military leadership, blaming it for failing to provide his forces with enough ammunition and ignoring soldiers’ struggles. But until Friday — when Russian generals accused Mr. Prigozhin of mounting a coup — Mr. Putin had not checked Mr. Prigozhin’s online accusations, despite jailing or fining many other critics of the war. It was a significant turnabout for Mr. Prigozhin, who acknowledged only last fall that he had founded Wagner.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin, Wagner, GOH, ’, Mr, ” Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Belarus Is Fast Becoming a ‘Vassal State’ of Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Schools give patriotic lessons and teach students how to assemble rifles, while textbooks have been rewritten to favor Russia’s view of history. These by-now familiar scenes would hardly bear mention in wartime Russia, except that these were drawn recently from Belarus, an autocratic country of 9.4 million neighboring Russia, Ukraine and the NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Long uneasily in the orbit of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Belarus is increasingly doing his bidding, socially, militarily and economically. It is also an important step, democracy advocates and military experts say, toward Russia’s absorption of Belarus, a longtime goal of Mr. Putin. “Belarus’ sovereignty is evaporating very fast,” said Pavel Slunkin, a former Belarusian diplomat who is now a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Persons: Long, Vladimir V, Putin, Moscow —, Mr, ”, Pavel Slunkin Organizations: NATO, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Moscow, “ Belarus, Belarusian

☆ Putin Asserts Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Has ‘No Chance’ at Economic Forum
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia wrapped up what was for him an extraordinary and sometimes rambling week of upbeat commentary on the Ukraine war by asserting on Friday that Russia was so assured of prevailing against the Ukrainian counteroffensive that he had ruled out using nuclear weapons. Yet, Mr. Putin’s assertions of success in the face of repeated setbacks seemed to rankle a small but ever louder chorus of critics. They point to the counteroffensive, drone attacks on Moscow, incursions by pro-Ukraine militias into southern Russia and cross-border shelling of Russian towns as evidence that things could be spiraling out of control. That could explain why Mr. Putin took care this week to present himself as a hands-on, knowledgeable commander in chief, even asserting at one point Friday that “right now” the Ukrainians were attacking with two tanks here and five tanks there. But his strategy of proclaiming success while brushing off problems with key military elements like smart weapons or border protection is a contradiction, his critics say, that cannot endure endlessly.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: St ., Economic Forum, Russian Locations: Russia, Ukraine, St, St . Petersburg, Moscow

☆ Russian Forces Strike Back Against Ukraine’s Advancing Troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Andrew E. Kramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian air forces and artillery weapons struck back against advancing Ukrainian troops on Tuesday, hammering them in the area of several southern villages that the Ukrainian Army had retaken over the past week in the opening phase of Kyiv’s counteroffensive. The attack reduced one village to ruins and came on the same day that a Russian missile strike killed at least 11 people in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, which lies about 100 miles from the eastern front line. Thunderstorms had swept over southern Ukraine before the Russian attack on the villages, muddying terrain and complicating operations for both armies, which have been locked in fighting at multiple points as Ukrainian troops have tested Russian defenses along the front. Conflicting claims made it difficult to assess the situation on the battlefield, but President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, speaking to Russian war correspondents and military bloggers, acknowledged that his forces had suffered some losses in June, including 54 tanks. He denied Ukraine’s assertions of progress on the battlefield, though, insisting that its military had lost hundreds more tanks and vehicles than Russia with no gains to speak of.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Ukrainian Army Locations: Russian, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Tucker Carlson launches first episode of low-budget Twitter show after Fox News firing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Tucker Carlson is back — sort of. He wrapped up by declaring that U.F.O.s and extraterrestrial life are ‘actually real.’”“As of today, we’ve come to Twitter,” Carlson said in the video. Regardless, whether the Twitter show has the same influence and reach as Carlson’s one-time Fox News time slot is far from certain. Carlson faces an uphill climb if he hopes to reclaim the power he once enjoyed through Twitter videos. The first episode of “Tucker on Twitter” didn’t help.

Persons: CNN — Tucker Carlson, “ Tucker, Carlson, Katie Robertson, Jeremy Peters, Vladimir V, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Carlson, “ We’re, Bryan Freedman, Rupert Murdoch’s, Musk, Nielsen Organizations: CNN, Elon, Twitter, Fox News Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Tucker Carlson Posts First Installment of New Show on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Katie Robertson | Jeremy W. Peters | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tucker Carlson, the sidelined prime-time Fox News host, on Tuesday released the first installment of what he said would be his new show on Twitter, potentially setting up a confrontation with the cable network, where he remains under contract until early 2025. The 10-minute video, Mr. Carlson’s first extended commentary since Fox took him off the air in April, was similar to a stripped-down version of what his roughly three million Fox viewers would have seen on his nightly program. There were no guests or produced segments — only a monologue from Mr. Carlson, in which he hit some familiar themes. He expressed sympathy for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and mocked President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. He wrapped up by declaring that U.F.O.s and extraterrestrial life are “actually real.”“As of today, we’ve come to Twitter,” Mr. Carlson said in the video.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Carlson’s, Fox, Carlson, Vladimir V, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Mr, “ We’re, ” Organizations: Fox News, Twitter, Fox Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ In Finland, NATO’s Newest Member, Blinken Details Russia’s ‘Failures’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Friday took the stage in NATO’s newest member, Finland, to say that further strengthening Ukraine’s defenses against Russia was a “prerequisite” for diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine and to warn against short-term cease-fires that might play to Moscow’s advantage. In a powerfully symbolic address at the City Hall in Helsinki, Finland’s capital, Mr. Blinken cataloged the many ways the war by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had backfired since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He noted, for one, Finland’s decision last year to break from decades of firm neutrality and join the NATO alliance in a major strategic blow to Mr. Putin, who calls NATO’s expansion a grave threat to Russian security. Mr. Putin’s war “has been a strategic failure — greatly diminishing Russia’s power, its interests and its influence for years to come,” Mr. Blinken said. “When you look at President Putin’s long-term strategic aims and objectives, there is no question: Russia is significantly worse off today than it was before the full-scale invasion — militarily, economically, geopolitically,” he added.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Vladimir V, Putin, “, Mr, Putin’s Organizations: City Hall, NATO Locations: NATO’s, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Helsinki, Finland’s, Moscow

☆ Five Takeaways From Turkey’s Presidential Election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s re-election grants him five more years to deepen his conservative imprint on Turkish society and to realize his ambition of increasing the country’s economic and geopolitical power. Turkey’s Supreme Election Council named Mr. Erdogan the victor after a runoff election on Sunday. He won 52.1 percent of the vote against the opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who had 47.9 percent with almost all votes counted, the council said. The election was closely followed by Turkey’s NATO allies, including the United States, who have often seen Mr. Erdogan as a frustrating partner because of his anti-Western rhetoric and close ties with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, which have grown since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Erdogan has given no indication that he plans to change his policies abroad, where he has sought to use Turkey’s place at the juncture of Europe, Asia and the Middle East to expand its influence, or at home, where has consolidated power in his hands and responded to an inflation crisis with unconventional measures that economists said exacerbated the problem.

HIROSHIMA, Japan — President Biden and other leaders of the world’s major industrial democracies rallied around Ukraine on Sunday with vows of resolute support and promises of further weapons shipments even as Russian forces claimed to have seized full control of a bitterly contested city. Mr. Biden and his counterparts figuratively and, in some cases, literally wrapped their arms around President Volodomyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who made an audacious journey halfway around the world from his ravaged homeland to Hiroshima, Japan, to solicit aid for the first time in person from the Group of 7 powers at their annual summit. “Together with the entire G7, we have Ukraine’s back, and I promise we’re not going anywhere,” Mr. Biden told Mr. Zelensky while announcing another $375 million in artillery, ammunition and other arms for Ukraine. At a later news conference, Mr. Biden voiced defiance of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. “I once more shared and assured President Zelensky, together with all G7 members and our allies and partners around the world, that we will not waver,” he said.

☆ Russia’s Latest Sanctions on U.S. Officials Turn to Trump Enemies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russia has expanded its list of sanctioned Americans in a tit-for-tat retaliation for the latest curbs imposed by the United States. But what is particularly striking is how much President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is adopting perceived enemies of former President Donald J. Trump as his own. Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state of Georgia who rebuffed Mr. Trump’s pressure to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election, also made the list. None of those three has anything to do with Russia policy and the only reason they would have come to Moscow’s attention is because Mr. Trump has publicly assailed them. He also refused to commit to supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia if he is elected president again, saying instead he would seek to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow.

Search resuls for: "Putin of Russia"

25 mentions found