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☆ Russian lawmakers seek to punish troops using smartphones on Ukraine battlefields
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Christian Edwards | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Russia’s lower house of parliament has proposed punishing Russian soldiers caught using smartphones while fighting in Ukraine, state media TASS reported, amid growing concerns that electronic devices can reveal troops’ location on the battlefield. According to a draft law supported by the State Duma Committee on Defense, carrying internet-connected cell phones whose data can identify Russian troops or the location of forces will be classified as a “gross disciplinary offense” punishable by up to 10 days of arrest. Both Russian and Ukrainian militaries have reportedly used enemy cell phones to identify targets during the war, scraping data from photos and messages to track coordinates and launch attacks. Although the Kremlin has acknowledged the risks posed by soldiers carrying cell phones, Russian military bloggers have criticized the draft law, claiming it shows the Duma’s lack of understanding of the nature of modern warfare. Russian soldiers are already banned from publicly distributing information that could reveal the identity or location of military personnel.

Persons: United Kingdom –, Elon, ”, let’s Organizations: CNN, TASS, State, Defense, Ukraine’s Security, Russia’s Defense Ministry, Kremlin, Veteran Records, Duma, Federation Council Locations: Ukraine, United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ukrainian, Makiivka

☆ Ukraine Strikes Preliminary $20 Billion Debt Restructuring Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine said Monday that it had struck a preliminary deal with a group of international private creditors to restructure more than $20 billion of the debt it owes them, a step that would save the war-torn country billions and preserve funds to support its battered armed forces. The creditors agreed to write off more than a third of the nominal value of the government bonds they hold, which would allow Ukraine to save $11.4 billion over the next three years, the Ukrainian government said. The deal has been approved by the International Monetary Fund, which has made its financial assistance to Ukraine conditional on the country’s ability to reduce its debt. Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s prime minister, said in a statement that the deal “allows us to free up resources for our defense, social spending and reconstruction.”The deal was signed with the largest group of creditors, representing about a quarter of private bondholders. Two-thirds of all bondholders must approve the agreement for it to take effect.

Persons: Denys Shmyhal, Olena Bilan Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Dragon Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ EU moves high-level meetings out of Budapest to protest Orbán’s Ukraine war stance
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( Caitlin Danaher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“I can say that all member states, with one single exception, were very much critical about this behavior,” he added. “European Union policy is not a pro-war policy. Borrell’s decision comes after European Council President Charles Michel firmly hit back at Orbán’s claim that the EU has led a “pro-war policy” in a letter published last week. “Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim exercising its legitimate right to self-defense. Russia is leading a war of aggression in blatant violation of international law, Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with the UN Charter,” Michel wrote.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, ” Borrell, “, ’, ” Borrel, Putin, Borrell’s, Charles Michel, ” Michel, Orbán, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Orban, Ursula von der Leyen, ” Orban, Niamh Kennedy, James Frater, Amy Cassidy, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: London CNN, European Union, Union, European, EU, UN, Ukraine “, CNN Locations: Budapest, Brussels, Hungary, Ukraine, Hungary’s, Hungarian, Russia, Moscow, Beijing, Florida

Former US President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “not to believe the ‘fake news’” that his possible reelection would help Russia, the Ukrainian president’s press secretary said Saturday. The two also talked about the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine and “agreed in principle” to hold a joint meeting, he said. The phone call between Trump and Zelensky marked their first conversation since the former president left the White House, and came the day after Trump formally accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for president. Trump’s newly minted running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, is a staunch critic of sending support to Ukraine. Trump on Friday said he “had a very good phone call” with Zelensky, while the Ukrainian president said he wished Trump “strength and absolute safety in the future,” and “noted the vital bipartisan and bicameral” US support for Ukraine.

Persons: Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky “, Serhiy Nikiforov, ”, Trump, —, ” Nikiforov, “, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, Zelensky, Germany — Organizations: Ukrainian, Trump, White, Republican, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukraine’s, United States, Germany, Kyiv

☆ Facing difficult frontline reality and the prospect of Trump in the White House, Zelensky hints at negotiations with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Zelensky suggested Moscow should send a delegation to the next peace summit that he hopes to hold in November. Kyiv is currently facing the double whammy of a difficult frontline situation and political uncertainty over the level of future support from Ukraine’s closest allies. Trump and Zelensky spoke on Friday in what Trump called a “had a very good phone call”. Putin said Russia would end its war in Ukraine if Kyiv surrendered the entirety of four regions claimed by Moscow: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Despite being considerably bigger and stronger than Ukraine, Russia has not managed to fulfil its territorial goals – even when Kyiv was receiving only limited help from the West.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, –, Germany –, Ukraine John Herbst, Donald Trump, JD Vance, Herbst, Trump, ”, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Orysia Lutsevych, Russia … Putin, Lutsevych, Riley Bailey, Bailey, “, ” Bailey, hasn’t, Vance, Libkos, Ukraine wasn’t, doesn’t, ” Herbst, Ukraine doesn’t, you’re Organizations: CNN, NATO, Monday, Aspen Security, –, Chatham House, Kyiv, Trump, Democrats, ” Locations: Russia, Moscow, Switzerland, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine’s, United States, Germany, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Eurasia, Chatham, Kharkiv, Europe, Afghanistan, Crimea, Kerch, Russian

☆ Divisive Far-Right Politician in Ukraine Is Fatally Shot
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A gunman shot and killed a far-right Ukrainian politician who stirred controversy with campaigns to promote the Ukrainian language and discredit Russian-speaking compatriots, the authorities say. The former lawmaker, Iryna Farion, was a highly divisive figure. A linguist who belonged to a hard-line nationalist party, she was despised by some for her denunciation of Russian-speaking fighters in elite Ukrainian military units. Many Ukrainians speak Russian, especially in eastern regions closer to Russia. “This was not a spontaneous murder,” he told a news conference on Saturday, adding that it might have been politically motivated or a personal matter.

Persons: Iryna Farion, Farion, Ihor, ” Organizations: Ukrainian Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Lviv

After Russian forces took control of his village in 2022, Volodymyr Vakulenko, a well-known Ukrainian author, sensed he might soon be arrested. So he buried his new handwritten manuscript in his backyard, under a cherry tree. Best known in Ukraine for his cheerful and lyrical children’s books, Mr. Vakulenko was seething with anger at Moscow’s occupying forces. Soon enough, Russian soldiers indeed arrested Mr. Vakulenko, and his body later turned up in a mass grave. Six months later, a fellow Ukrainian author, Viktoria Amelina, learned of the buried book, dug it up, wrote a foreword and sent it to a publisher.

Persons: Volodymyr Vakulenko, Vakulenko, Viktoria Amelina Organizations: Russian Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian

☆ Trump and Zelensky speak by phone as Ukraine worries about U.S. backing.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Constant Méheut | More About Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke over the phone late this week amid mounting concern in Kyiv that a second Trump administration would spell the end of American support in Ukraine’s fight against Russia. Ukrainian officials worry that if a re-elected Mr. Trump kept to his vow to end the war quickly — he has suggested that he could end it in one day — it would allow Russia to keep the territory it occupies and leave it in a position to attack Ukraine again. In a social media post about the call, which took place on Friday, Mr. Trump said that, as president he would “bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives.” He said both Russia and Ukraine “will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence.”Mr. Zelensky said in a statement on Friday that he had underlined in the call “the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our nation’s freedom and independence.” He said he and Mr. Trump had agreed “to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Mr, Zelensky, “ Organizations: Russia Locations: Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, American

☆ Putin Counted on Waning U.S. Interest in Ukraine. It Might Be a Winning Bet.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin’s strategy for defeating Ukraine can be summed up in one revealing moment in his February interview with the former television host Tucker Carlson. Addressing the possibility of heightened U.S. involvement in Ukraine, the Russian leader asked Americans: “Don’t you have anything better to do?”After several tumultuous weeks in American politics, Mr. Putin appears closer than ever to getting the answer he seeks. President Biden, Ukraine’s most important ally, is engulfed in the biggest political crisis of his tenure, with calls from fellow Democrats to withdraw from the presidential race. Former President Donald J. Trump, favored in the polls, has picked as his running mate one of the loudest critics of American aid to Kyiv. And at the Republican National Convention Thursday night, Mr. Trump renewed his pledge to end the fighting and channeled Mr. Putin in warning of “World War III.”

Persons: Vladimir V, Tucker Carlson, “, Putin, Biden, Ukraine’s, Donald J, Trump, ” Organizations: Ukraine, Republican, Convention Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Zelensky Becomes First Foreign Leader to Visit U.K. Cabinet Since Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky became the first foreign leader to attend Britain’s cabinet meeting in person since former U.S. president Bill Clinton in 1997, in a public display of Britain’s staunch support for Ukraine as doubts grow about future U.S. military aid if Donald J. Trump wins a second presidential term. Mr. Zelensky briefed the British government’s top ministers on Friday on his country’s military conflict with Russia, while discussing moves to prevent oil tankers from breaching international sanctions against Moscow. The Ukrainian president, who was greeted with a standing ovation, was the first foreign leader to be invited into Downing Street by Keir Starmer, the new British prime minister, following his general election victory earlier this month. The two leaders also discussed a new defense export support treaty designed to boost production of military hardware and weaponry in both countries. Mr. Zelensky’s visit to Downing Street followed his attendance on Thursday at a summit of more than 45 European leaders at Blenheim Palace, near Oxford, where Ukraine was high on the agenda, and where he won renewed pledges of support for his battle against the forces of Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Bill Clinton, Donald J, Zelensky, Keir Starmer, Zelensky’s, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Trump, British, Moscow, Downing Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Blenheim, Oxford

☆ Putin’s summer residence gets new air defenses as Ukraine steps up drone attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Satellite images have revealed that several Pantsir-S1 air defense systems have been installed in the vicinity of the presidential residence on Lake Valdai in Novgorod region. The Valdai residence could be a high-profile target, as Putin is known to be spending time there during the summer. CNN has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment but has not received a response. Satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows an air defense system near the summer residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian military has also managed to destroy fuel depots, military targets and energy infrastructure much further afield.

Persons: Vladmir, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Sukhoi Su, Joseph Stalin, –, Nikita Khrushchev, Boris Yeltsin Organizations: CNN, Radio Liberty, Maxar Technologies, Russian Defense Ministry, Technologies, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Institute for, Russian Presidential Property Management Department, Ria Novosti Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Valdai, Novgorod region, Russian, Ukrainian Kharkiv, Ukraine’s, Kerch, Ukraine’s Crimea, Russia –, Tatarstan, Ukrainian, Washington

☆ Ukraine: Germany to halve military aid despite possible Trump White House
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters —Germany plans to halve its military aid to Ukraine next year, despite concerns that US support for Kyiv could potentially diminish if Republican candidate Donald Trump returns to the White House. German aid to Ukraine will be cut to €4 billion ($4.35 billion) in 2025 from around €8 billion in 2024, according to a draft of the 2025 budget seen by Reuters. Germany has faced criticism for repeatedly missing a NATO target of spending 2% of its economic output on defense. Days after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a “Zeitenwende” – German for historic turning point - with a €100 billion special fund to bring the military up to speed. The defense budget is set to receive a meagre €1.3 billion more than in 2024, far below the €6.7 billion requested by Pistorius.

Persons: Donald Trump, Christian Lindner, Trump, JD Vance, Olaf Scholz, Kay Nietfeld, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Boris Pistorius, Pistorius . Scholz, Zelensky, John MacDougall, “, ”, Ingo Gaedechens Organizations: Reuters, House, Group, German, Washington, Ukraine, Trump, NATO, Social Democrats, Greens, Defense, Getty, CDU Locations: Germany, Ukraine, €, Europe, United States, Russia, Irpin, Kyiv, Berlin

☆ This is how Ukrainian athletes have been preparing for the Olympics amid shelling and blackouts
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Daria Tarasova-Markina | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Kyiv, Ukraine CNN —The memory of Russia invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022, is lodged in Ukrainian Olympic diver Anna Pysmenska’s mind. The Ukrainian Diving Federation had to buy a powerful generator for the swimming pool where the divers train to deal with constant power outages. Coming back after, athletes have to prepare again from scratch before jumping.”National diving team coach Ilya Tselutin with team members. Courtesy Ukrainian Diving FederationThere are set to be 136 divers from around the world who will participate at the 2024 Olympic Games in France. Konovalov was born in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, but because of the invasion, he couldn’t train in his hometown.

Persons: Anna Pysmenska’s, Pysmenska isn’t, ”, Psymenska, Anna, I’d, won’t, Anna Pysmenska, Ilya Tselutin, Konovalov’s, Konovalov, “ I’m, ” Konovalov, “, It’s Organizations: Ukraine CNN, CNN Sport, Olympic Games, “, Games, Ukrainian Diving Federation, CNN, Ukrainian, Paris The Paris Games Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia, Paris, Luhansk, Croatia, France, Ukrainian, Mykolaiv

☆ Dysfunction Sidelines Ukraine’s Parliament as Governing Force
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Andrew E. Kramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine’s Parliament is in a state of disarray. Under martial law, with the country at war, no elections are possible to replace members who switched jobs, joined the army, fled the country or quit. The Parliament regularly gathers with more than 10 percent of its lawmakers absent. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party, once a political juggernaut, has in effect lost its majority by unraveling into factions. The overall picture, said Volodymyr Fesenko, a Ukrainian political analyst, is of a Parliament sidelined during the war and slipping from its once powerful role in Ukrainian democracy.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Volodymyr Fesenko Locations: Ukrainian

☆ JD Vance: Why Europe looks at Trump’s VP pick with anxiety
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Many of America’s closest allies were already dreading the prospect of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Now that the former president has picked JD Vance as his running mate, they potentially have a lot more to worry about. By choosing Vance, Trump has sent a clear signal that, if elected, his America-first foreign policy will be back in force. “JD Vance does not appear to be interested in being a good ally to Europe,” Berzina said. I think Russia has incentive to come to the table right now.

Persons: America’s, Donald Trump’s, JD Vance, Vance, Trump, ”, Kristine Berzina, “ JD Vance, ” Berzina, Putin, Vance’s, “, Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov, Volodymyr Zelensky, CNN’s Kaitlin Collins, Zelensky, Jose Luis Magana, China Vance, we’re, ” Vance, Trevor McCrisken, you’ve, Ukraine that’s, ” McCrisken, ” Sam Greene, Biden, Greene, Joe Biden, ” Greene, –, Nikki Haley Organizations: CNN, Trump, NATO, Labour, Marshall Fund of, United, Munich, Conference, United Nations, Conservative Political, East, Fox News, New York Times, Patriot, University of Warwick, Republicans, Democratic, Center for, King’s College London, Republican, Republican Party Locations: America, Ohio, Ukraine, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, Washington, Europe, Russian, Munich, Oxon Hill, China, East Asia, Beijing, Taiwan, Asia, Czech, UN

☆ Two days after surviving an assassination attempt, Trump picks his MAGA heir
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

And if Trump wins the election in November, a millennial will be a heartbeat away from the presidency. The Ohio Republican has turned on the establishment and elite academe that helped make his name with the vehemence that only a defector can muster. But he has explained that he was wrong about Trump and now believes that he was a great president. Trump critics are also seizing on the pick to question Trump’s commitment to his new unity message after he escaped the assassination attempt. Ultimately, Trump is clearly comfortable with Vance, a favorite of his firebrand son Donald Trump Jr.

Persons: CNN — JD Vance, Donald Trump —, MAGA, —, Vance, Trump, he’s, Trumpism, Trumper, “, Trumper ”, Critics, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “ I’m, Mike Pence’s, ”, ” Vance, Donald Trump, it’s, Joe Biden’s, Biden, won’t, reclaims, America’s, ’ ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vance’s, CNN’s Collins, It’s, ” Zelensky, Dick Cheney, Bush, Donald Trump Jr, Mike Pence, Collins Organizations: CNN, Republican Party, Trump, Senate, Ohio State University, Marine Corps, Yale Law School, Ohio Republican, White, Democratic Party, Buckeye State, Republican, Munich, Conservative Political, Wing, “ America, The Locations: Ohio, Appalachia, Kentucky, Iraq, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Omaha , Nebraska, America, Ukraine, The Ohio

☆ Ukraine Battles to Contain Russian Advances Across the Front
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian forces over the weekend pushed into Urozhaine, a southern village won back by Ukraine last summer, the latest in a series of slow but steady advances that are reversing hard-won Ukrainian victories. The Russian advances are a sobering development for Kyiv as its troops battle to contain attacks along a more than 600-mile front line. They have entered the outskirts of Chasiv Yar, a Ukrainian stronghold in the region, and are closing in on a key Ukrainian supply route. Ukraine hopes that weapons and ammunition recently supplied by Western allies will help it hold back Russian forces. That has already happened in the northeast, where beefed up Ukrainian defenses have managed to halt a Russian offensive that threatened Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Persons: Chasiv Yar Organizations: Western Locations: Urozhaine, Ukraine, Kyiv, Chasiv, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s, U.S, Russia

☆ The West finally allowed Ukraine to strike back at Russia — and it seems to be working
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The newly granted permission by the United States and other allies to use Western weapons to strike inside Russia has had a huge impact, Bankir said. While Kyiv hasn’t managed to reclaim large swathes of territory, it has successfully averted what could have been a disaster: The occupation of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city. “(Russia) knew that Ukraine did not have the capacity to strike these targets on the Russian territory,” Melnyk said. While Ukraine was previously able to strike targets inside Russia using Ukraine-made drones, ATACMS make these strikes far more efficient. However, Ukraine can still use the F-16 to deny Russia control over the skies – and push away Russian aircraft delivering bombs.

Persons: CNN — Bankir, Bankir, “, ” Ivan, Kyiv hasn’t, Valentyn Ogirenko, Oleksiy Melnyk, ”, ” Melnyk, wasn’t, Melnyk, Konrad Muzyka, Rochan, –, Muzyka, it’s, ” Muzyka, Ukraine’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump, Maria Kostenko, Daria Tarasova, Markina Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Security, Artillery, 148th, Kyiv, 148th Separate Artillery Brigade, Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, United Nations, Human Rights, Razumkov, Rochan Consulting, People, Reuters, US, NATO Locations: United States, Russia, Russian, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Izium, Balakliia, Moscow, Kharkiv –, Ukrainian, “, Belgorod, Voronezh, Krasnodar, Bryansk, Crimea, Washington , DC, –

☆ Ukraine Is Targeting Crimea, a Critical Base for Russia’s Invasion
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In a clear night sky above the shores of Odesa, the faint glow from missiles streaks over the Black Sea. For much of the war, it was one-way traffic, with Russia using the occupied Crimean Peninsula first as a launchpad for its full-scale invasion and then as a staging ground for routine aerial bombardments. Ukraine, now armed with American-made precision missiles, is for the first time capable of reaching every corner of Crimea — and the missiles are increasingly flying in both directions. It is a new strategic push as Kyiv seeks to raise the cost for Russian occupation forces that have long used the peninsula as a base of operations just off Ukraine’s southern coast.

Organizations: Crimea — Locations: Odesa, Russia, Crimean, Ukraine, Crimea

☆ ‘It was a mistake’: Zelensky defends Biden’s ‘President Putin’ gaffe
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has defended Joe Biden after being called “President Putin” by him, calling it “a mistake.”The US president accidentally referred to Zelensky as “President Putin” when introducing Zelensky at a NATO event on Thursday, before correcting the name moments later. While the US president – who faces mounting pressure over whether he is fit enough to serve another term in office – played down the gaffe at a high-stakes news conference later that day, the incident was scrutinized internationally. We can forget some mistakes, I think so,” he continued. The US is providing Ukraine with much-needed military support in its war against Russia. Weeks earlier, the United States and Ukraine signed a bilateral security pact, which commits the US for 10 years to continued training of Ukraine’s armed forces, as well as more weapons support and intelligence sharing.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Putin ”, –, shrugged, ”, Biden Organizations: CNN, NATO, Ireland’s Shannon, Russia, Biden Administration, Ukraine, Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, ” Locations: Ukraine, United States, Kharkiv

☆ Takeaways from Biden’s critical NATO news conference as he tries to save his campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Toward the beginning of the question-and-answer, Biden mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as former President Donald Trump. It was exactly the type of slip-up the White House and Biden’s campaign presumably would have feared amid mounting questions surrounding his mental acuity. “I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president did I think she was not qualified to be president,” he said. He made a similar mistake earlier in the day, accidentally calling Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky “President Putin” while introducing him during a NATO event. He continued, “There’s a long way to go this campaign and so I – I’m just gonna keep moving.”The length of Biden’s resume has never been in doubt.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Biden’s, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Trump, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky “, Putin ”, ‘, ’, “, ” Biden Organizations: Washington CNN, NATO, White, ’ Biden, Democrats, House Democratic Locations: Russia, Israel, China

American intelligence agencies uncovered a Russian plot to kill the chief executive of a German weapons manufacturer, according to multiple Western officials, as Moscow steps up a campaign to undermine support for Ukraine’s war effort. The United States warned Germany about the plot, and German officials increased protection for Armin Papperger, who leads Rheinmetall, which makes artillery shells and tanks that Ukraine has used in its war against Russia. The assassination plot is a significant escalation, officials said, representing a more concerted covert effort to deter Western companies from producing supplies for Ukraine. A senior Western intelligence official said that the threats were flagged this past spring. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Russian operation.

Persons: Armin Papperger, Papperger Organizations: United, Rheinmetall, Russia, NATO Locations: Moscow, United States, Germany, Ukraine, Western

For more than six months, Russia has been carrying out a sabotage campaign across Europe, largely by proxy. “We’re seeing sabotage, we’re seeing assassination plots, we’re seeing arson. Russia’s sabotage campaign has, at times, smacked of a shotgun approach carried out by amateurs. In London in March, several men were charged with working with Russian intelligence services to set fire to a Ukrainian-linked warehouse. And French authorities last month detained a Russian-Ukrainian man who was allegedly building bombs as part of a sabotage campaign orchestrated by Moscow.

Persons: Armin Papperger, Olaf Scholz, Boris Pistorius, Fabian Bimmer, “, ”, Adrienne Watson, “ Russia’s, Oliver Hoffman, ” Hoffman, Donald Tusk, Papperger, Dariusz Borowicz, Agencja Wyborcza.pl, Reuters “, ” CNN’s Zachary Cohen Organizations: CNN, Kyiv, Rheinmetall, NATO, National Security, NATO Allies, Embassy, intel, US, Reuters, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Kyiv, Germany, Berlin, Russia, West, Moscow, Papperger, Unterluess, United States, Washington, Russian, Polish, Lithuania, Poland, Ukrainian, London, Warsaw

The NATO official said they had observed “an unprecedented escalation and spread of Russia’s hybrid warfare” over the past six months, which included “physical sabotage” on the supply line of NATO weapons intended for Ukraine. “It is everything from point of production and origin, to storage, to those who are making decisions, to the actual delivery,” the senior NATO official said. Recent high-profile arrests have revealed the ad-hoc, clumsy nature of how the Kremlin’s intelligence operations have evolved since the start of the war in Ukraine. Russia is big enough to have resources to fight a war against Ukraine and also maintain its security operations against European countries… against us. There are people who take part in the war against Ukraine, and then they are rotated to some other region or area.

Persons: Blunt, ”, Donald Tusk, Dariusz Borowicz, Agencja Wyborcza.pl, Maxim, Andrzej, Jaroslaw, “, Don’t, ” Andrzej, I’d, Wagner, Volodymyr Zelensky, Sean Gallup, Paris Charles de, Vladimir Putin’s, Harrys Organizations: CNN, NATO, Polish, Reuters, Ukraine, Getty, London’s Metropolitan Police Service, Kremlin, EU, Estonian Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, “, Reuters Russia, Washington , DC, Moscow, Poland, Russian, Lublin, Medyka, Ukrainian, Biala Podlaska, Warsaw, Polish, surveilling Rzeszow Jasionka, Kyiv, Berlin, Germany, Russian Ukrainian, Paris Charles, Paris Charles de Gaulle, East London, Estonia, Russia’s

☆ UN says ‘high likelihood’ a Russian cruise missile hit Ukraine’s main children’s hospital
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Helen Regan | Hira Humayun | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The UN’s monitoring mission said it was likely that a KH-101 cruise missile launched by Russia struck the children’s hospital. The UN mission’s assessment matches analysis from weapons experts who told CNN that footage of the hospital strike is consistent with a cruise missile rather than a Ukrainian air defense missile. Always.”On Tuesday, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia reiterated Moscow’s denial that it had targeted the children’s hospital. “We have not bombed the children’s hospital,” Nebenzia said at a special meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) convened following the attack. “If this had been a Russian strike, there would have been nothing left of the building at all.

Persons: CNN —, Danielle Bell, Bell, ” Bell, General Antonio Guterres, Volker Turk, Joe Biden, Biden, Valentyna, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Vassily Nebenzia, ” Nebenzia, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Putin, SBU, Vasyl Maliuk Organizations: CNN, United, NATO, UN, UN Security Council, UNSC, Kyiv, Ukrainian State Security Service Locations: Russian, United Nations, Russia, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Kyiv’s, Washington, United States

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