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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS – WESTERN SUPPORT
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the “unprecedented and absurd” delay to NATO accession after the alliance refused to give Ukraine a timeline. NATO states have said Ukraine can join the military alliance “when allies agree, and conditions are met.” Kyiv accepts it cannot join NATO while it is at war with Russia but wanted a timeline for when the fighting ends. Zelenskyy fears that the lack of an agreed timeframe meant Ukraine’s eventual membership could become a bargaining chip in negotiations with Russia. Toluse Olorunnipa, Emily Rauhala, Meryl Kornfield, and Michael Birnbaum report for the Washington Post.
The Group of Seven is expected to approve a long-term security arrangement with Ukraine at the NATO summit today. The arrangement will include defense equipment, training, and intelligence sharing. James Landale and Oliver Slow report for BBC News.
France will supply Ukraine with cruise missiles strengthening Kyiv’s long-range strike capabilities, French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday. France is only the second country after the U.K. to offer these weapons, putting pressure on the United States and other allies to do the same. Yaroslav Trofimov reports for the Wall Street Journal.
The Biden administration is quietly debating whether or not to send long-range missiles known as ATACMS to Ukraine, according to two U.S. officials and one European official. Officially, the Pentagon has maintained that Ukraine currently does not need ATACMS. U.S. defense officials have warned that their stocks of ATACMS are relatively small, and the missiles have been committed to other Pentagon war plans. Lara Jakes reports for the New York Times.
Ukrainian pilots will begin training to fly F-16 fighter jets in August in Denmark, and a training center will be established in Romania, officials said yesterday. Niklas Pollard and Justyna Pawlak report for Reuters.
A longshot bipartisan bid to block the Biden administration’s plan to send cluster munitions to Ukraine has attracted over a dozen democrats. Rep. Sara Jacobs’ (D-CA) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to ban the transfer of cluster munitions to other countries garnered support from House Democrats and Republicans. However, it is unlikely to succeed as Ukraine hawks comprise the majority in both chambers. Andrew Solender reports for Axios.
OTHER RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
Stanislav Rzhitsky, a senior Russian draft officer and former submarine commander accused by Ukraine of deadly strikes on its territory, was shot dead while jogging in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar on Monday. Russian FSB security services said yesterday that a man was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attack. The Ukrainian defense ministry’s intelligence service, GUR, did not claim responsibility for the killing. However, in a cryptic message, it did share details of the killing, including the time of the attack and the lack of witnesses. Pjotr Sauer reports for the Guardian.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
NATO members are increasingly united in their concerns for the Asia-Pacific region. Four Asia-Pacific leaders attended the NATO summit this week. “The Chinese government’s increasingly coercive behavior abroad and repressive policies at home challenge NATO’s security, values, and interests,” said Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of NATO. Jens Stoltenberg wrote for Foreign Affairs.
The U.N. Security Council yesterday failed to adopt two rival resolutions to extend cross-border aid into northern Syria from Turkey. Russia vetoed a Brazilian and Swiss proposal. A second Russian resolution failed after Britain, France, and the United States voted against it, and 10 Council members abstained. The failure effectively cuts off a vital lifeline to about 4.1 million people in opposition-held territories. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.
Large-scale protests flared up again in Israel yesterday following a vote on the judicial overhaul. Thousands converged on the U.S. Embassy waving U.S. and Israeli flags, as protesters increasingly see the Biden administration as an ally in opposing the overhaul. Dov Lieber report for the Wall Street Journal.
High rates of pregnancy-related deaths among women of African descent in North and South America are likely mainly due to racism, a United Nations Population Fund (U.N.F.P.A.) report found. The U.N.F.P.A. analysis refutes misconceptions that Black women’s lifestyle choices or genetics underlie their poorer childbirth experiences. According to the report, the disparity is most extreme in the United States, where Black women and girls are three times more likely to die while giving birth or within six weeks of giving birth compared to non-African descent and non-Hispanic women. U.N. News reports.
Testimonies from over 200 people who accuse senior Ugandan officials, including President Yoweri Museveni and his son, of crimes against humanity have been submitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, a lawyer for the complainants said yesterday. Abdi Latif Dahir reports for the New York Times.
Finland’s deputy prime minister, Riikka Purra, apologized yesterday for “stupid social media comments” after racist and sometimes violent remarks posted in 2008 surfaced in the Finnish press. This is only the latest scandal for the right-wing Finns party since it joined the governing coalition last month. Purra’s Eurosceptic, anti-immigration party took 46 seats in the country’s 200-strong Parliament, its strongest-ever showing. Johanna Lemola and Aaron Boxerman report for the New York Times.
U.S. RELATIONS
Chinese hackers planning to collect intelligence on the United States accessed government email accounts, Microsoft revealed yesterday. While the attack targetted specific accounts in over 25 organizations, no classified networks had been affected, Adam Hodge, a spokesperson for the White House’s National Security Council, said. Microsoft said that hackers had access to at least some of the accounts for a month before the breach was detected. Julian E. Barnes, Maggie Haberman, and Jonathan Swan report for the New York Times.
White House plans to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Turkey after Ankara gave the green light for Sweden to join NATO still needs approval from hesitant members of the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees. While indicating they could approve the transfer, several members have expressed concerns over Turkish incursions on Greek and Cypriot airspace and strikes on Kurds in Syria. Joe Gould reports for POLITICO.
North Korea tested what appeared to be a long-range missile today. The launch comes after the Kim Jong Un regime criticized the United States for flying a spy plane in North Korea’s self-proclaimed exclusive economic zone. The regime also expressed discontent over the Biden administration’s decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine and a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea. Timothy W. Martin reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley met his South Korean and Japanese counterparts for a rare trilateral meeting in Hawaii yesterday as North Korea launched its latest ballistic missile test. The rare meeting demonstrates U.S. efforts to ensure the uneasy neighbors work more closely to counter threats from China and North Korea. Idrees Ali reports for Reuters.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS – TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Lawyers for former President Trump on Monday asked Judge Aileen M. Cannon to indefinitely postpone the trial concerning Trump’s handling of classified documents. His lawyers said the proceeding should not begin until all “substantive motions” in the case were presented and adjudicated. A court filing shows.
Former President Trump can be held liable for his disparaging comments about E Jean Carroll, who accused him of rape, the Department of Justice said yesterday. The Department of Justice had previously argued that Trump was legally immune as he was president when he made the remarks in 2019. The decision boosts E Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against Trump. Chloe Kim reports for BBC News.
The Justice Department yesterday asked a federal appeals court to block District Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s decision allowing former President Trump to sit for a deposition concerning lawsuits filed by former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. Government attorneys argued that Jackson’s decision was wrong because a series of top federal officials delivered testimony that “revealed no substantial evidence” to suggest Strzok was wrongfully terminated following pressure from Trump. Zoë Richards reports for NBC News.
OTHER DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, yesterday said it was time for Supreme Court justices to bring their conduct in line with the ethical standards of other branches of government. Durbin and other lawmakers have announced a vote next week on legislation requiring the court to adopt an ethics code. While the measure is unlikely to pass, it signals discontent about recent revelations. Chris Megerian, Eric Tucker, and Brian Slodysko report for AP News.
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) is calling on Congress to stop funding Department of Justice investigations into elected officials, political candidates, and their families until a new policy for managing them is developed. Jordan is looking to withhold funding for “politically sensitive” investigations until the Department of Justice “establishes a policy requiring non-partisan career staff to oversee such investigations.” Annie Grayer reports for CNN.