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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
Moscow air defenses downed three drones yesterday morning in an attack that reportedly injured one person and forced the temporary closure of one of Moscow’s main airports. The Ukrainian Air Force destroyed eight Russian drones overnight over the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Ann M. Simmons reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that war is “gradually returning” to Russia following the drone strike on Moscow. “Ukraine is getting stronger, and the war is gradually returning to Russia’s territory, to its symbolic centers and military bases,” Zelenskyy said, adding that this is “inevitable, natural, and absolutely fair.” Josh Pennington, Mariya Knight, Zahra Ullah, and Heather Chen report for CNN.
Saudi Arabia is set to host a Ukrainian-organized peace summit in August to find a way to start negotiations over Russia’s invasion, officials said yesterday. Aamer Madhani and Jon Gambrell report for AP News.
Russian forces struck another grain terminal in the Ukrainian city of Kherson, officials said over the weekend. The series of bombardments have increased fears that Ukraine will struggle to ship grain to the world. Marc Santora and Victoria Kim report for the New York Times.
Paramilitary organization Wagner group fighters stationed in Belarus could pose as migrants and enter the E.U., Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has warned. About 100 Wagner troops have moved close to the Polish and Lithuanian borders. Wagner could also facilitate illegal migration from Belarus, which Poland describes as “hybrid warfare,” Morawiecki added. Adam Easton and James Gregory report for BBC News.
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday said that an African initiative could be a basis for peace in Ukraine, but the Ukrainian counter-offensive made it hard to realize. The initiative would begin with confidence-building measures followed by a ceasefire and negotiations between Russia and the West. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the idea of a ceasefire now, as that would leave Russia in control of nearly a fifth of Ukraine. Reuters reports.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS – NIGER COUP
Leaders from Ecowas, the bloc of West African nations, threatened military action against Niger’s junta after it took power in a coup last week. The junta has been given seven days to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum, who is being held captive. Haruna Shehu Tangaza and Farouk Chothia report for BBC News.
Coup supporters gathered outside the French Embassy in Niger, burning French flags and calling for the withdrawal of French troops. Some of the coup supporters waved Russian flags and chanted the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The paramilitary organization Wagner group has operated in neighboring Mali, and Putin has expressed interest in expanding Russia’s regional influence. It is unclear whether the coup leaders would move away from the country’s Western leanings. POLITICO reports.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
There is no longer any hope of locating survivors from a military helicopter crash that happened during a multinational military exercise off Lindeman Island on Friday night, Australia’s defense minister said. Lt Gen Simon Stuart said none of the army’s other Taipan helicopters would be flown again until they were found to be safe. Australia previously grounded its Taipans for safety reasons. Derek Cai reports for BBC News.
At least 40 people were killed after a suicide bombing at a political party gathering in Pakistan yesterday. The hard-line Jamiat Ulema Islam party was targeted by jihadists who view democracy as un-Islamic. Pakistan is facing a renewed wave of terrorism ahead of elections due this year. Saeed Shah and Safdar Dawar report for the Wall Street Journal.
At least 1,000 Israeli Defense Forces reservists have so far resigned in protest over the judicial overhaul, reservists prominent in the protest movement estimate. Over 10,000 reservists threatened to resign from volunteer duty. It is unclear how many will follow through on this threat, as reserves are called up on a rolling basis. Patrick Kingsley and Ronen Bergman report for the New York Times.
Italy intends to leave the “wicked” Chinese Belt and Road Initiative “without doing damage” to its relationship with Beijing, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said. In 2019, Italy became the first Group of Seven member to join China’s global infrastructure program, surprising Western allies. Italy could not reduce its trade deficit with China under the initiative, “which led to a double negative result. We exported a load of oranges to China, they tripled exports to Italy in three years,” Crosetto said. Varg Folkman reports for POLITICO.
U.S. RELATIONS
Alix Dorsainvil, an American nurse, and her child have been kidnapped in Haiti, El Roi Haiti, the Christian aid charity she worked for, said in a statement. The U.S. State Department is aware of reports and is in “regular contact” with Haitian authorities. Alex Smith reports for BBC News.
The Biden administration is searching for malware it believes China has placed inside networks controlling critical infrastructure that supply military bases in the United States and around the world, according to U.S. military, intelligence, and national security officials. The malware could be designed to disrupt U.S. military operations in the event of a conflict, including if China moves against Taiwan. The impact of any subsequent cyberattack could be much greater as the infrastructure upon which the military relies also often supplies the houses and businesses of ordinary Americans, according to U.S. officials. David E. Sanger and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times.
Australia will accelerate efforts to make missiles for the United States and expand military cooperation and training under a plan announced by Australian and U.S. officials over the weekend. The Australian government set aside $2.7 billion to acquire long-range strike missiles, which would boost Australian stockpiles and could be exported to the United States or other countries, like Ukraine. The push for production in Australia reflects the reality that the defense industrial base in the United States is struggling to keep up with demand. Damien Cave reports for the New York Times.
Russian and Chinese intelligence and military assets are leading in the melting Arctic region as the United States lags. Russian commercial and government vessels active in the Arctic increased to a monthly average of 709 last year, up 22% since 2018. China is “looking for reasons to have a military presence in the Arctic,” explained Vice Adm Peter Gautier, the U.S. Coast Guard’s head of operations. Last year, Canada seized Chinese buoys believed to have been involved in surveilling U.S. submarines. William Mauldin, Alan Cullison, and Angela Owens report for the Wall Street Journal.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS – TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Senior Superior Court Judge Stephen Schuster scheduled a hearing on former President Trump’s motion to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. The motion also seeks to quash the special purpose grand jury report that gathered much of the evidence in the case. The hearing is scheduled for Aug. 10. Olivia Rubin reports for ABC News.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she would announce charging decisions by Sep. 1 in her investigation into efforts by former President Donald Trump to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. Sara Murray reports for CNN.
Federal Judge Raag Singhal dismissed former President Trump’s $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN, in which Trump claimed CNN’s description of his election fraud as the “big lie” associated him with Adolf Hitler. Singhal said CNN’s words, while “repugnant,” were opinions and could not be the subject of a defamation claim. Joseph Ax reports for Reuters.
OTHER DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The process for handling sexual assault allegations in the military has been moved outside the chain of command after President Biden signed an executive order on Friday, which the administration said would better protect victims and ensure prosecutorial decisions were independent. Independent military prosecutors rather than military commanders will decide how to pursue legal charges in such cases. There were 8,942 reports of sexual assault in the military in the fiscal year 2022, even though most victims do not report the assault. Chloe Kim reports for BBC News.
A man drove into a group of six migrant workers outside a Walmart yesterday in an “intentional assault,” according to a statement by the Lincolnton Police Department. “None is in critical condition,” Maj. Brian R. Greene of the Lincolnton Police Department said. “We’re trying to locate the individual that did this,” he added. Livia Albeck-Ripka reports for the New York Times.