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☆ Ukraine drone strikes: Russia oil refineries hit as Kyiv steps up drone attacks before Putin’s election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ukraine launched overnight drone attacks on three oil refineries deep inside Russia, a Ukrainian defense source told CNN on Wednesday, as Kyiv intensifies its cross-border strikes days before President Vladimir Putin’s anticipated re-election. It marked the second consecutive day of Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy sites, and the locations targeted represent a spate of attacks well within Russia’s territory. The border region of Belgorod has taken the brunt of Ukraine's cross-border attacks during the war. Russia’s Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said 10 civilians were injured and six were hospitalized in the region on Tuesday. During a lengthy interview on state television channel Rossiya 1 on Wednesday, Putin said Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod and Kursk are happening amid Kyiv’s “failures” on the battlefield.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Stringer, Pavel Malkov, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Putin, ” Putin, “ Organizations: CNN — Ukraine, CNN, Getty, Social Locations: Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine, Ryazan, Moscow, Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia’s, Ukrainian, Tyotkino, Russia’s Kursk, Belgorod, AFP, Leningrad, Finland, Oryol, Odnorobovka, Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Nekhoteevka, Spodariushino, Russia’s Belgorod, Kursk

☆ Polish Leader to Press for Surge in NATO Spending to Counter Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Polish president, Andrzej Duda, said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had made clear that NATO must take more seriously the possibility that Moscow would move against one or more members of the alliance. To prepare for that, he said, each NATO country should spend at least 3 percent of its own economy on military needs, up from a current goal of 2 percent. “A return to the status quo ante is not possible,” Mr. Duda wrote in The Washington Post before the meeting at the White House on Tuesday. “Vladimir Putin’s regime poses the biggest threat to global peace since the end of the Cold War.”The proposal to increase NATO military spending may not be adopted anytime soon by many allies that have yet to meet even the 2 percent target. But it reflects the tension within the alliance between its easternmost members, which feel most acutely vulnerable to Russian revanchism, and westernmost members, which are less alarmed and more eager to find a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine war.

Persons: Biden, Andrzej Duda, Mr, Duda, “ Russia’s, “, “ Vladimir Putin’s Organizations: NATO, Washington Post, White Locations: Poland, Europe, United States, Ukraine, Moscow, NATO, Washington, Russia, Russian

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's president on Monday called on other members of the NATO alliance to raise their spending on defense to 3% of their gross domestic product as Russia puts its economy on a war footing and pushes forward with its invasion of Ukraine. President Andrzej Duda made his call both in remarks in Warsaw and in a piece published by The Washington Post. His appeal came on the eve of a visit to the White House, where U.S. President Joe Biden will receive both him and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday. NATO increased its spending to 2% of GDP for its members after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, but most members, including Germany, still fall short of that benchmark. It is allocating close to 30 percent of its annual budget to arm itself," Duda argued.

Persons: —, Andrzej Duda, Joe Biden, Donald Tusk, “ Russia’s, ” Duda, Duda, Vladimir Putin’s, Jens Stoltenberg Organizations: NATO, The Washington Post, White, Polish, United, Russian Federation, Brussels Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Warsaw, Moscow, Ukraine's Crimean, Germany, U.S, United States

CNN —Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said Donald Trump would effectively end the war in Ukraine by cutting off funding to Kyiv, should the former US president return to power in November. “He (Trump) has a very clear vision,” Orbán said in an interview to Hungarian broadcaster M1 broadcast on Sunday. That’s why the war will end, because it’s obvious that Ukraine cannot stand on its own two feet.”Orbán’s comments came after Trump hosted the Hungarian strongman at Mar-a-Lago on Friday. And then the war will end,” Orbán said. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and former US President Donald Trump are seen at the White House in 2019.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Donald Trump, “, ” Orbán, Trump, Orbán, won’t, Vladimir Putin’s, Viktor Orban, Brendan Smialowski, Orban, Erdogan, anybody’s, ” John Bolton, CNN’s Jim Sciutto, Trump’s, Putin, ” Bolton, Kristen Holmes, Andrew Millman Organizations: CNN, Trump, Russo, Mar, European Union, NATO, Hungary's, White House, Getty, Republican, Ukraine Locations: Hungarian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Florida, Hungary, Europe, Moscow, AFP, Turkey, NATO

☆ Opinion: Biden gave the speech of his life
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Opinion Cnn Contributors | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +29 min

CNN —CNN Opinion asked political and policy contributors to weigh in on President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. David Gergen: Biden just rewrote the presidential racePresident Joe Biden not only delivered perhaps the best speech of his life last night; he may have also changed the race itself. Roxanne Jones: Biden finally sounds like he’s ready to fightPresident Joe Biden finally has my attention. At the end of his speech, Biden reminded voters that he “grew up among working people” in Scranton. In his State of the Union speech, Biden had to answer the mail on all of these.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, David Gergen, Biden, Joe Biden, —, Carrie Sheffield, Carrie Sheffield Barry Morgenstein, Donald Trump’s, pandered, Sophia A, Nelson, Trump, Sen, Andrew, ”, Donald Trump, Harris, Daniel McCarthy, Trump President Joe Biden, Daniel McCarthy Biden, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, wasn’t, he’s, haven’t, Cori Bush, Rashida Tlaib, Bernie Sanders, Nikki Haley, Trump couldn’t, Reagan, Roxanne Jones, ” Biden, Smart, Jill Filipovic, Mike Johnson, David A, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ” David A, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, SubStack’s, Paul Sracic, It’s, White, Paul Sracic Arne Hoel It’s, Hillary Clinton, Joe, ” Paul Sracic, Raul A, Reyes, ” Raul A, Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, Laken Riley, Mark Zandi, Mark Zandi Moody's, Ana Marie Cox, Ana Marie Cox Faith Fonseca, Biden’s, Dobbs, Roe, Wade, Peter Bergen, George W, Bush, Vladimir Putin’s, –, beefed, Gazans Organizations: CNN, David Gergen CNN, Union, Harvard Kennedy School, Gallup, NATO, Democratic, Republicans, Trump, Independent Women’s, United States Senate, Biden, Congressional, Trump President, South Carolina Gov, GOP, Republican, Conservative, The Spectator, Syndicate, Big Pharma, Companies, American, Democrats, Twitter, NATO —, Israel, New York Times, CBS News, Democratic Party, United Auto Workers, Youngstown State University, Hudson Institute, Reyes CNN, Border Patrol, Georgia, ” Progressives, Pew Research Center, White, USA, Moody’s Analytics, Ana Marie Cox Faith, Jackson, Peter Bergen CNN, US Senate, New, Arizona State University Locations: Joe Biden’s State, America, United States, State, Gaza, Israel, New York, Ukraine, ”, American, China, Iran, Europe, Asia, Chicago, Scranton , Pennsylvania, Belvidere , Illinois, Scranton, Claymont , Delaware, Delaware, Ohio, Washington , DC, Georgia, Alabama, Austin, Iraq, New America

Moscow CNN —Thousands of mourners gathered in Moscow for the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny despite a heavy police presence and the threat of detention. APAround 20 minutes before Navalny’s funeral began, the live signal of the CNN team on the ground appeared to be blocked. The live feed organized by Navalny’s team also dropped. Mourners gather around the casket of Alexey Navalny during his funeral in Moscow on March 1, 2024. as the Kremlin critic's coffin is carried to the Moscow church hosting his funeral.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, clapped, “ Putin, ” Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Navalny’s, Frank Sinatra’s, ”, Dmitry Peskov, ” Maria Pevchikh, Navalny, CNN’s Matthew Chance, Putin, Lyudmila Navalnaya –, –, ” Marina, “, …, ’ ”, Tatiana, ” Tatiana, Yulia Navalnaya, “ I’m Organizations: Moscow CNN —, Kremlin, of, Police, AP, CNN, Navalny’s, Reuters Locations: Moscow, Russian, Moscow’s Maryino, Borisov, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, St . Petersburg, Siberian, Novosibirsk –, Yekaterinburg, Germany

Moscow CNN —Crowds of mourners have gathered at a Moscow church for the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny despite a heavy police presence and the threat of detention, a CNN team on the ground reports. Navalny’s team encountered difficulty in retrieving his body from Russian authorities and hiring a venue for his funeral, which began at 2 p.m. local time (6 a.m. Around 20 minutes before Navalny’s funeral was set to begin, the live signal of the CNN team on the ground appeared to be blocked. The feed organized by Navalny’s team was also not showing live coverage of the scene. APBut Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, had said ahead of the funeral that she is concerned police will crack down mourners.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Navalny’s, Dmitry Peskov, ”, clapped, “, ” Maria Pevchikh, ” Marina, …, ’ ”, Tatiana, ” Tatiana, Yulia Navalnaya, “ I’m Organizations: Moscow CNN, CNN, Kremlin, of, Police Locations: Moscow, Russian, Moscow’s Maryino, St . Petersburg, Russia, Germany

☆ Opinion: We must help Ukraine now or fight costlier wars later
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Opinion Mark T. Esper | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Whether Congress chooses to provide the continued financial support Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan desperately need will go a long way toward answering this question. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper testifies during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on July 9 in Washington, DC. Without renewed US support, the arms pipeline to Ukraine will continue to dwindle over the coming months, directly impacting what happens on the battlefield. Politics must be set aside, and politicians who spurn allies, coddle autocrats and argue for American retrenchment should be ignored. Leadership is a heavy cross to bear, indeed, but the benefits of doing so — especially in the face of clear threats — will always outweigh the costs and favor the United States.

Persons: Mark, Esper, Trump, Russia resurges, Defense Mark Esper, Greg Nash, Vladimir Putin’s, Israel dismantles, Joe Biden, Anatolii Stepanov, Putin, Xi Jinping, coddle autocrats Organizations: Times, The McCain Institute, CNN, Defense, Armed, Funds, Communist, NATO, Ukraine, Taiwan Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Israel, Taiwan, Washington , DC, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Communist China, Kyiv, Moscow, Russian, Kostyantynivka, Donetsk, AFP, China, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Washington, Iran, Afghanistan, East

☆ Opinion: Neither Russia nor the West know how this war will end
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Opinion Anna Arutunyan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It is doing so in part because the plans and intentions of Ukraine’s Western allies are so vague. Just as the Kremlin is doing, Ukraine’s Western allies are signaling their resolve to “defeat” Russia without actually articulating what that defeat means. The military support Ukraine’s allies are willing and capable of offering stops precisely where Ukraine’s most pressing shortages lie: manpower. But Ukraine’s Western allies are failing to reckon with these realities and, amid growing reluctance by right-wing parties in the US and Europe to shoulder the costs, are resorting instead to triumphalist rhetoric. Western allies need to start recognizing their limited resources, or at least the limits to what they can or will offer Ukraine.

Persons: Anna Arutunyan, Mark Galeotti, Prigozhin, Putin, Read, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin’s, ” Putin, Anatolii Stepanov, Dmitry Peskov, Ukraine’s, ”, Emmanuel Macron’s, Zelensky, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, Ukraine, Kremlin, Getty, EU, Munich Security Conference, Estonian Ministry of Defense, Law Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Switzerland, ”, Moscow, Kyiv, Ukrainian, AFP, Ukraine’s Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Crimea, NATO, Luhansk, Europe

☆ Russia’s presidential election is nearing. We already know who the winner will be
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Russia is nearing a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin’s rule throughout this decade and into the 2030s. The president’s dominance over the Russian electoral system has already been reinforced as the election looms. Voting will be held from Friday March 15 until Sunday March 17, the first Russian presidential election to take place over three days. The region makes up more than a third of Russia’s total territory but has only about 5% of its population. In order to vote against Putin, you just need to vote for any other candidate,” Navalny said on February 8.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Maxim Shemetov, Joseph Stalin, Putin’s, Dmitry Medvedev, ” Callum Fraser, Nikolay Kharitonov, Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Davankov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Boris Nadezhdin, Yekaterina Duntsova, Duntsova, Leonid Volkov, Volkov, Vladimir Nikolayev, euphemistically, Abbas Gallyamov, Gallyamov, Alexey Navalny –, –, ”, ” Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, “, “ Putin, Don’t Organizations: CNN, Russian, Duma, Federal, Reuters, Kommersant, CEC, Royal United Services Institute, Communist Party, Slutsky, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Kremlin, Freedom, Putin, Levada, EU, Foreign Affairs Council, European Union Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russia’s, Soviet, AFP

☆ Opinion: Who is winning? Gen. Petraeus on Ukraine war, two years in
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

CNN —Two years into the Ukraine war, the tide has shifted, and Russian forces have some momentum, according to retired US General David Petraeus. Michal Dyjuk/AP/FILELast weekend Gen. Petraeus was at the Munich Security Conference, the leading global national security conference that was attended by pretty much every European leader and by top American officials – including Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. BERGEN: At the Munich Security Conference, what was the mood like? BERGEN: Who’s winning the war in Ukraine? BERGEN: What’s going on in Ukraine looks a lot like World War I, in the sense that it’s trench warfare, minefields, machine guns.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, David Petraeus, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Lord Andrew Roberts, ” David Petraeus, Michal Dyjuk, Petraeus, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Alexey Navalny’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Gen, PETRAEUS, I’ve, Olaf Scholz, Jens Stoltenberg, Tobias Schwarz, they’ll, Who’s, I’m, Vladimir Putin, Alexey Navalny, we’re, didn’t, Thomas Peter, –, Zelensky, can’t, what’s, There’s, Sergei Supinsky, it’s, Andrew Roberts, Biden, Donald Trump’s Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, Trump Administration, CNN, Munich Security Conference, Conference, Supreme, NATO, Munich, Reuters, Republicans, Kremlin, Russian Federation, Kherson –, Tactical Missile Systems, Pentagon, Getty, Congress, Munich Security, PETRAEUS Locations: New America, Ukraine, United States, Afghanistan, Iraq, Avdiivka, BERGEN, Munich, Europe, Russia, Russian, Spain, Moscow, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kherson, Ukrainian, Swedish, Donetsk, Sevastopol, Crimea, North Africa, Egypt, Kremlin, St, Petersburg, Moldova, Transnistria, Baltic, Soviet Union, AFP, ” BERGEN

☆ As Ukraine marks two years since Russia’s invasion, Europe is facing difficult questions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Arguably most important among those questions: How long can it practically sustain such draining financial support for Ukraine? The United Kingdom, arguably the major security player in the region, has also pledged more than $15 billion to Ukraine since 2022. This is an alarming prospect for European officials who already believe Putin is digging in and trying to wait out the West. In the run-up to the US presidential election, the question of what happens to European security without America will inevitably be asked. Europe simply doesn’t have the manufacturing heft right now to independently serve Ukraine over the next 12 months.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Money, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen, Joe Biden, Stefan Rousseau, Donald Trump, White, Trump, Putin, Thomas Peter, ” Organizations: CNN, Ukraine, Bakhmut, European Union, NATO, EU, Kiel Institute, US, Parliamentary, Getty, White House, DC Locations: Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine, Europe, Ukraine, Avdiivka, United States, Kyiv, EU, Kiel, United Kingdom, Ukrainian, AFP, NATO, America, Kramatorsk, Brussels, China, Beijing

☆ Biden embraces bully pulpit as he escalates fight against Trump and GOP over Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Arlette Saenz | Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —President Joe Biden is embracing his bully pulpit as he calls out resistance from former President Donald Trump and Republicans on Ukraine and Russia. In repeatedly assailing Trump and his party from the White House, Biden also hopes to illustrate the stakes of the upcoming election and demonstrate his own efforts to unite the west against Russian aggression. House Republicans have scuttled efforts to pass a bipartisan border security bill and additional assistance for Ukraine – both at Trump’s urging. “Trump gave an invitation to Putin to invade some of our ally, NATO allies,” Biden said earlier this month. Why can’t Trump just say that?” Biden said in a White House video released Tuesday.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Donald Trump’s, Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Biden, Putin, Navalny, ” Biden, “, ” Trump, assailing Trump, Strom Thurmond, “ I’ve, I’ve, Thurmond, segregationists, Strom, ” “ I’m, Mike Johnson, Trump, He’s, “ Trump, Abraham Lincoln, America, can’t Trump, he’s, they’re, ” Organizations: CNN, Republicans, House Republicans, Trump, San, Wednesday, White, Ukraine –, Democratic, United States Congress, ”, NATO, Super, Quinnipiac, Russia Locations: Ukraine, Russia, California, San Francisco, Israel, Palestinian, Los Angeles, Bay, White, Russian, United States, Avdiivka, Michigan , Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish

☆ Opinion: I grew up in Russia and Ukraine. Here’s what I say when people ask where I’m from
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Opinion Sasha Vasilyuk | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She grew up between Ukraine, Russia and the United States. CNN —While for most of the world the war in Ukraine has been going on for two years, for my family it’s been 10. It was after that trip that I began writing a novel called “Your Presence Is Mandatory” that spans from World War II to the war in the Donbas. The world where Russia plays the role of the big sister to Ukraine has been shattered. And so, now when people ask me where I’m from, I say I’m from Ukraine and Russia.

Persons: Sasha Vasilyuk, Christopher Michel, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Tucker Carlson, It’s, “, who’d, Ukraine —, I’m, it’s Organizations: CNN, Russian, Soviet Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Russian, Soviet, Donetsk, Berlin

☆ Trump coopts Navalny’s legacy as a smokescreen for his own legal morass
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Alexey Navalny died a political martyr after returning home to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal rule. But that’s not stopping Donald Trump from coopting his heroic legacy to suggest false equivalence with his own legal troubles. He offered a tempered tribute to Navalny, before returning to his own false claims of political persecution. There is no world in which Trump and Navalny can be compared. “Instead, Trump said Navalny’s death made him realize how bad America is.

Persons: CNN — Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Donald Trump, Putin, Trump, Navalny, “, …, ” Trump, Joe Biden, “ Trump, ”, he’s, predecessor’s thrall, Biden, Trump’s, CNN’s MJ Lee, Alexey Navalny, ” Biden, America, can’t Trump, Mike Johnson, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Russia’s, Zelensky, it’s Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Russia, Communist, Fox, Trump, Kremlin, Biden, Republicans, Senate, NATO, White House, Soviet Union, Saturday Locations: Russian, Russia, West Coast, Ukraine, Moscow, Trump’s, America, Avdiivka, Washington

☆ 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

☆ Opinion | Trump’s G.O.P. Is a Confederacy of Fakers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I’ve got a suggestion for the next Trump-G.O.P. You know how sports memorabilia stores sometimes sell basketballs autographed by an entire N.B.A. For an extra $500, you could get a white flag autographed solely by Trump and J.D. This is a matter of principle for me. But I got a round of golf at Trump’s West Palm Beach course.

Persons: I’ve, Donald Trump, MAGA sycophants he’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Vance, Mike Johnson, Trump, Lindsey Graham, “, John McCain, Graham, you’ve Organizations: Trump Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Palm

☆ US divisions over Putin’s Russia present grave global implications
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —US politics is now split by a fault line over Russia that could have far graver global implications even than condemning Ukraine to defeat after President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. Trump has also not repudiated his recent comment that he’d invite Russia to invade NATO nations that fell short of non-binding targets on defense spending. Aside from the mysterious hold that Putin appears to exert over Trump, the ex-president’s hostility towards Ukraine is easily explainable. Opposing aid to Ukraine is also an almost perfect issue for the ex-president and his allies in the GOP primary. These pressures weigh on Republican lawmakers as they cast increasingly tough votes on Ukraine aid.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Donald Trump, Trump, Mike Johnson –, Johnson, Joe Biden, Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia’s, ” Biden, Zelensky, –, Alexey Navalny, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Putin’s, Putin, Trump’s, Kevin McCarthy’s, hasn’t, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, Ukraine “, Vladimir Putin, ” Vance, Barack Obama, “, ”, Vance, Nikki Haley, Haley, Sen, Pete Ricketts, Ricketts, ’ ” Ricketts, ‘, ’ ”, It’s, Mitch McConnell Organizations: CNN, Donald Trump Republicans, NATO, Trump, GOP, Senate, Republican, Soviet, European Union, Russian, Republican Party, Republicans, Munich, Ohio, United, Chicago Council, Global Affairs, Trump Republicans, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Avdiivka, Russian, Kremlin, America, United States, Munich, China, “, Ohio, Crimea, East Asia, Beijing, Moscow, Iran, North Korea, we’re, ’ ” The Nebraska, Soviet Union

☆ Europe is nervous about a potential Trump win. China sees an opportunity
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

China – which has not condemned Russia’s invasion and claims impartiality in the conflict – has also emerged as a key lifeline for the sanctions-hit Russian economy. In Europe, this has galvanized concerns about China’s own global ambitions and played a role in the European Union’s ongoing push to recalibrate its policy toward China. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell reiterated the EU’s “expectation that China refrains from supporting Russia,” in a meeting with Wang Friday. “As long as war in Ukraine continues, EU policies toward China will move into closer alignment with the US. As president, Trump not only voiced skepticism of the system of US alliances in Europe, but leveraged tariffs on European steel and aluminum, sparking retaliatory measures on US goods from Europe.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Wang Yi, Wang, Donald Trump, Trump, ” Wang, Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, “, ”, Noah Barkin, Maxym Marusenko, Putin, Xi Jinping, –, Jens Stoltenberg, Josep Borrell, Christoph Heusgen, Dmytro Kuleba, Xi, hasn’t, It’s, Kuleba, Vladimir Putin, Xie Huanchi, Yu Jie, ‘, Liu Dongshu, “ Wang Yi, China …, ” Liu, Emmanuel Macron, GMF Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Munich, Washington, NATO, German Marshall Fund of, Communist Party, Wang Friday, Bloomberg, CNN, China’s, Ministry, ”, Ukrainian, Security, Beijing, Peace, Getty, ’ Observers, US, Chatham House, City University of Hong, “, White Locations: China, Hong Kong, States, Europe, Ukraine, Beijing, Munich, Moscow, Russia, United States, Russian, Ukraine's Kharkiv, West . China, Taiwan, EU, ”, China’s, Asia, Pacific, ” Beijing, Switzerland, Xinhua, London, Spain, France, City University of Hong Kong’s, Washington, York

☆ Speaker Mike Johnson faces critical decision on Ukraine aid as international pressure grows to act
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Melanie Zanona | Annie Grayer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Speaker Mike Johnson is facing international criticism over his lack of swift action on Ukraine aid, which is ratcheting up pressure to make a critical decision that will not only have massive implications for his rookie speakership but also for Ukraine’s ongoing war effort against Russia. “If there is a Mike Johnson plan, there aren’t any House Republicans that are aware of its existence.”The pressure cooker Johnson is facing has exposed some frustration over how he has approached his speakership. At a time when House Republicans are looking to their leader to make a decisive choice, the speaker has instead elevated members to bring forward their own ideas without articulating his own preferences. “Ukraine is in desperate need of the US aid, passed by an overwhelming bipartisan vote on the floor of the United States Senate. “We’re looking at a number of options on our leadership team.”Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has repeatedly hammered Johnson over his inaction.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, –, Alexei Navalny, Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump, Sen, J.D, Vance, Johnson —, Warren Davidson, ” Davidson, Virginia Sen, Mark Warner, ”, Ben Cardin, “, ” Cardin, It’s, Brian Fitzpatrick, someone’s, Mitch McConnell, Vladimir Putin, ” Johnson, Steve Scalise, Trump, ” Scalise, Joe Biden, ” Biden, NATO … I’ve, Biden, Chuck Schumer, Putin “, Vladimir Putin’s, ” Schumer, it’s, There’s, Mike Turner, ” CNN’s Alex Marquardt Organizations: CNN, Russia, Democratic, Congress, Global, Security, Republicans, Republican, NATO, GOP, Caucus, languishes, Senate Intelligence, United, United States Senate, Senate, NATO …, New, New York Democrat, House Intelligence, Ohio Republican, Press, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Warren Davidson of Ohio, “, Munich, United States, Russia, Pennsylvania, Baltic, Florida, New York, Washington

☆ Russia raises its flag in Avdiivka, then presses the advantage on a vulnerable Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Tim Lister | Maria Kostenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Russian military may have sensed a window of vulnerability in its adversary. Ukraine’s better units are exhausted after two years of combat; there is a new commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi; and Ukrainian troops are short of shells and vulnerable to relentless air strikes. The daily update from the Ukrainian military provides a glimpse of the firepower now being brought to bear by the Russians. This is how the enemy gained the advantage, destroying everything and advancing in the city.”Ukrainian servicemen build a temporary fortification near Avdiivka. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that in Avdiivka, seven Russians were being killed for every Ukrainian soldier lost.

Persons: they’ve, Ukraine’s, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin’s, ”, “, Ivan Tymochko, –, Firsov, Anatolii Stepanov, Chasiv Yar, Yevlash, ” Yevlash, Diego Herrera Carcedo, ’ Organizations: CNN, Russians, General Staff, Ukrainian Land Forces, Lyman, TV, Getty, Forces Locations: Avdiivka, Donetsk, Russia, Russian, Luhansk, Bakhmut, Kupiansk, Zaporizhzhia, Russians, Kharkiv, Robotyne, Severodonetsk, AFP, Mariinka, Vuhledar, Chasiv, Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Anadolu, Ukrainian

☆ Alexey Navalny: Arrests, vigils, and Kremlin silence as Russia marks Putin critic’s death
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The prosecutor’s office in Moscow warned that any demonstrations in the capital over the death of Navalny were forbidden. Stringer/ReutersSince Navalny’s death more than 366 people have been detained, according to OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights group that monitors Russian repression. “Navalny’s death is terrible: hopes have been smashed,” he said. On some of Russia’s state media channels, however, reports of Navalny’s death have been scant. The claims follow condemnation from Russia’s foreign ministry over the West’s response to Navalny’s death.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, “ Putin, Josef Stalin, SOTA, Stringer, Vladimir Putin’s “, ”, “ Navalny, Alexander, Andrei Bok, Mikhail, Surgut, Alexei Navalny, Peter Nicholls, Maria Zakharova, –, “, CNN’s Eve Brennan, Uliana Pavlova Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Don, Nizhny, Russian, Russian Embassy, CIA, Russia, Foreign, NATO, Putin, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Berlin, Paris, Hague, ”, Moscow, Siberian, Novosibirsk, St Petersburg, Murmansk, Rostov, Nizhny Novgorod, OVD, Ukraine, Germany, Soviet, Surgut, Siberia, St . Petersburg, Belgorod –, Chelyabinsk, Russia’s, London

☆ Opinion: Alexey Navalny, one man who stood up to a dictatorship
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. “In his courageous and too short life,” wrote Russia scholar Daniel Treisman, “Navalny became a symbol of hope for the younger generations of his compatriots. “He never gave up on the prospect of what he called ‘the beautiful Russia of the future,’” Treisman noted. “For a ‘beautiful Russia of the future’ to emerge in coming years, Putin must lose the war he started. Navalny understood this.”“Navalny’s death represents the extinguishing of all hope for Russia’s turnaround,” wrote Sasha Vasilyuk.

Persons: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Joseph Stalin “, “, ”, you’ve, Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Navalny, fearlessly, Putin, Daniel Treisman, “ Navalny, Navalny’s, ’ ” Treisman, Sasha Vasilyuk, Alexey Navalny’s, Peter Bergen, Andrei Sakharov, ” Putin, Bergen, Nick Anderson, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, authoritarians, Bill Bramhall, James Mattis, ” Peter Bergen, Frida Ghitis, Fidel Castro’s playbook, Patrick Mahomes, Andy “, Amy Bass, New York Democrat Tom Suozzi, George Santos, ” Suozzi, CNN Suozzi didn’t, Biden, isn’t, Long, Max Burns, ” “, Alejandro Mayorkas, ” “ Suozzi, Burns, Robert Hur’s, Norm Eisen, Richard Painter, Joshua Kolb, Hur, ” Joel Pett, Lawrence C, Levy, Julian Zelizer, Dean Obeidallah, Mark Dent, Dent, Saw, Clay Jones, David Orentlicher, ” Orentlicher, Will Cooper, Fani, Willis, Nathan, Wade, ” “ Willis, Antony Blinken, Batniji, Blinken, Fatah, Hussein, Don’t, David Horsey, Agency Jill Filipovic, Lynda Gorov, Taylor Swift, Jim Parrott, Mark Zandi, Brigid Schulte, Yuliya, Kara Alaimo, Frankie de la, Jackie Robinson’s, Jon Stewart’s, Jon Stewart, Matt Wilson, Jon Stewart skewered Trump, Bill Carter, Stewart, ” “ Stewart Organizations: CNN, IK, Moscow Times, Kremlin, Twitter, Facebook, Soviet, Tribune, Agency, Republican, Senate, Agency Former US Defense, Trump, , Kansas City Chiefs, Chiefs, nab, New, New York Democrat, Democratic, GOP, Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, Super Bowl, Kansas, West Bank Locations: Soviet, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, New York, Washington, Georgia, ,, York, Glen Cove, Joel Osteen’s, Houston, Kansas City, America, ”, Kansas, Gaza, San Francisco, Israel, Iran

The reported death in prison of Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent political rival, sent shockwaves throughout Russia and the world on Friday – even if some were unsurprised by the outcome. “There is no doubt that the death of Navalny was the consequence of something Putin and his thugs did,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in remarks at the White House on Friday. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesHere is what you need to know about Navalny, his death and Russia’s handling of political prisoners. Who Was Alexei Navalny? Navalny later participated in several mass protests and lobbed criticisms more directly at Putin and other Kremlin officials.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Navalny, Joe Biden, “, ” Konstantin Sonin, ” Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, Navalnaya, ”, Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s, Evan Gershkovich, Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alexei Gorinov, Maria Ponomarenko – Organizations: White, overdevelopment, Associated Press, Reuters, Washington Post, University of Chicago, Ukraine, Munich, Russia’s Federal, Service, Nenets Autonomous, Tass, Wall Street Locations: Russian, Russia, U.S, Moscow, Ukraine, Belarus, Germany, Russia’s, Nenets, Nenets Autonomous District, Kharp, Bucha

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday that the apparent death of Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny brings new urgency to the need for Congress to approve tens of billions of dollars for Ukraine to stave off Moscow's invasion. Speaking at the White House, Biden said that no matter the cause, he holds Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for Navalny's death. He added, “I hope to God it helps” push U.S. lawmakers to send more aid to Ukraine. Photos You Should See View All 33 ImagesThe president sharply criticized House Republicans for letting the chamber enter a two-week recess without moving on the Ukraine funding. “President Biden pledged ‘devastating’ consequences should Navalny die in prison; now he must follow through.

Persons: Joe Biden, Alexei Navalny, Biden, Vladimir Putin, hasn't, ” Biden, ”, Mike Johnson, “, Putin, ” Johnson, Donald Trump, Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries, ” Jeffries, Vladimir Putin’s, Republican Sen, Tom Cotton of, Trump’s Putin, Illinois Sen, Dick Durbin, Carolina Sen, Thom Tillis, Navalny, ” Tillis, eyeing, Harry Truman Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, Republicans, Ukraine, GOP House, Democratic, Senate, Republican, America, ” Lawmakers, Trump, NATO Locations: Russian, Ukraine, U.S, United States, Baltic, Russia, Israel, Taiwan, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Illinois, ., Carolina, America

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