Biden’s Comments on the First American Arms Deal with Ukraine: Implications for the Security, Military and Humanitarian Response to a Cold War
Mr. Zlatev and his partner took their first crack at international arms dealing. Contract documents and other records obtained by The New York Times show that the deal relied on layers of middlemen and transit across seven countries. And it exists in a legal gray area, designed to skirt the arms-export rules of other countries.
They wrote to the Ministry of Defense that time was of the essence. They outlined a plan to sell American, Bulgarian and Bosnian arms to Ukraine.
Biden will announce an additional $1.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine during the visit, with the coveted Patriot missile systems as part of that package, a US official told CNN’s Phil Mattingly. The Pentagon told the CNN team that Washington would send bomb kits to Ukraine that could be used to target Russian defensive lines. Congress is poised to sign off on another $45Billion in aid for Ukraine and NATO allies, furthering the commitment that has helped Kyiv’s forces inflicted an unexpectedly bloody price on Putin’s forces.
The statement said that Biden underscored his continued engagement with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia, hold Russia accountable for war crimes and atrocities, and provide Ukraine with security, economic and humanitarian assistance.
Biden’s blunt assessment caught several senior US officials by surprise, largely due to that lack of any new intelligence to drive them and the grim language Biden deployed.
Biden’s remarks serve as a window into a very real, very ongoing discussion inside his administration as the seek to calibrate the response to that environment.
The President has frequently used more colorful rhetoric in scripted remarks, and the comments were another unguarded moment from Biden. Officials say his off-the-cuff remarks at fundraisers tend to be a brief and unvarnished window into real concerns or debates Biden is grappling with at the moment.
His remarks are usually only slotted for 10 minutes but in the past he has stretched to half an hour or more, expounding on various topics. After the remarks, reporters are ushered out while Biden takes a few questions from the donors.
Biden’s comments about the possibility of a nuclear Armageddon were not scripted and aides in Washington first became aware of them through news reports and dispatches from the press pool in the room.
Mr. Biden said at the Democratic fund-raiser in New York that he was thinking about the Cuban Missile Crisis and his logic came right out of it. In that famous case — the closest the world came to a full nuclear exchange, 60 years ago this month — President John F. Kennedy struck a secret bargain with Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet premier, to remove American missiles from Turkey.
The use of Armageddon by the President was an example of the point that there is no escalation ladder when it comes to nuclear weapons, tactical or otherwise. Any move in that direction sets off a cascading response that only has one outcome.
The US has been wrestling with the potential for nuclear use since the beginning of the war, and officials pointed out that Putin’s saber-rattling isn’t new.
The speech strengthened the US view that Russian weakness and isolation was justified, but at the same time it raised concerns that Putin could escalate beyond a rational actor.
White House officials decided not to say anything publicly Thursday night, and there are no plans to address the remarks in isolation so far on Friday morning. If Biden wants to address it himself, it will be apparent when he departs for his Maryland event later in the morning, one official said.
More broadly, the most important element remains that US officials have seen no change in posture or specific intelligence that raises the threat level above where it has been.
“The President has been very clear that we are going to lean forward and be robust in our support for Ukraine on the military, economic, energy and humanitarian fronts, but we are not seeking to engage in a direct war with Russia. The official said that nothing would change tomorrow.
What has the Secretary of State told the Ukrainian Foreign Minister about the recent crisis in Ukraine, and why does it matter now that the US is behind it?
It was only after the deal came to light that a disaster that would have caused tens of millions of deaths in America and the Soviet Union was averted.
There would be new sanctions on Russia after Biden met with the Ukrainian President, and he announced over the course of the meeting a half a billion dollars of additional assistance.
NASAMS had yet to be delivered to Ukranian, according to a Department of Defense briefing. At that time, he was a brigadier. The general said two systems are expected to be delivered in the next two months, and the rest will arrive sometime in the future.
The Secretary of State spoke with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister on Monday to let him know that the US was behind him. Biden is expected on Tuesday to join an emergency video conference with G7 leaders during which Zelensky is expected to address the group.
Russia launched a total of 84 cruise missiles against targets across Ukraine on Monday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post.
There was 27 on this day. At least eight people, including two children, were killed when a Russian military strike hit a civilians’ crossing point outside of Kyiv.
Noisily, but that may be all. The latest statements from the Russian President can be analysed by Kremlin watchers whenever US weapons deliveries improve Ukraine’s position. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday the latest tranche “leads to an aggravation of the conflict and does not bode well for Ukraine.”
Zelensky told Biden that he had a peace plan but Putin said that Russia would keep fighting. The US and NATO seem to be slackening their support for Ukranian. That’s why this speech, reminiscent of Winston Churchill’s address to Congress in December 1941, was arguably the most important one Ukraine’s leader has given since the start of the war.
Administration officials are doubtful additional Ukraine aid will be passed this fiscal year. The current spending package for the Ukraine expires on September 30 and they think the last major package will be $45 billion.
What has the US President learned from the recent China-US diplomacy talks? A CNN correspondent’s view on the timing of the midterm elections
Kirby told CNN that it is clear that he feels the pressure at home and overseas, and that only he can say how he reacts to that.
Frida Ghitis is a world affairs columnist and a former CNN producer. She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN.
Judging by the statements from the White House and the Chinese government, that’s precisely what happened. Taiwan’s independence, the war in Ukraine, and China’s human rights record were among the topics discussed by the two sides. And they broached areas of potential cooperation, such as climate change, global health and economic stability.
Despite the fact that a democracy in the US is well-intentioned, it is likely to be disappointing to the autocrats, who want the system to be inferior to theirs and therefore weaken the country from within. The US President got a bigger hand to play with in the elections.
That’s not the only reason, however, why this was the perfect moment — from the standpoint of the United States and for democracy — for this meeting to occur: There’s much more to this geopolitical moment than who controls the US House of Representatives and Senate.
Vladimir Putin in the Early Stages of World War II: The First Triumphant Return to Kherson, the First Relic of the Russian Invasion
The president ofUkraine made a triumphant return to Kherson, the one provincial capital that had been conquered by the Russians, after Biden and the president of China met.
In the first days and weeks of the Russian full-scale invasion, a Russian attack intended to take advantage of the leader’s absence might have stirred confusion in the Ukrainian military. No military analyst has questioned Ukrainian command and control since the beginning of the war.
The world’s leading autocrats looked unstoppable even. Meanwhile, Western democracies appeared unsettled, roiled by sometimes violent protests against Covid-19 restrictions. Putin was getting ready for a victory. It was about time for Xi to solidify control of China as he basked in the attention of the Olympics.
Putin’s adventure turned to disaster as the Ukrainians defended their country with unexpected tenacity and as Biden rallied allies in a muscular push to support Ukraine.
Tellingly, Putin chose not to attend the G20 summit in Bali, avoiding confrontations with world leaders as he increasingly becomes a pariah on the global stage.
Zelensky, Putin and the Post-Putin-Political Era: The Case for a Strong Handshake Between the U.S. and China
To be sure, Biden is not the only leader with a strong hand. The fact that Xi has just won a third term as China’s leader means he can rule for as long as he wants. He does not have to worry about elections, the press or the opposition party. He will rule a mighty country for many years to come.
And yet Xi faces a mountain of daunting problems. The economy has slowed down so much that China is reluctant to reveal economic data. China’s Covid-19 vaccine, once used in global diplomacy, is a disappointment. And partly because of that, China is imposing draconian lockdowns as the rest of the world gradually returns to normalcy after the pandemic.
It’s important to show that democracy works, defeating efforts of countries like China and Russia to undermine it, and proving that wars of aggression won’t hurt democracy.
A global affairs analyst named Michael Bociurkiw is based in Odesa. He is a member of the Atlantic Council and a former spokesman for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He is a contributor to CNN Opinion. His opinions are his own in this commentary. CNN has more opinion.
It was this year. And the successful TV comedian turned commander in chief had traveled to Paris for a summit to negotiate a peace deal with Putin. Despite doubts, Zelensky was able to walk away with few concessions.
In Paris at the time, I witnessed how Zelensky pulled up to the Élysée Palace in a modest Renault, while Putin motored in with an ostentatious armored limousine. (The host, French President Emmanuel Macron, hugged Putin but chose only to shake hands with Zelensky).
Beyond the man himself, there is Zelensky the brand. It’s almost impossible these days to dissociate the Ukrainian leader from his olive green t-shirts; worn when meeting everyone from Vogue journalists to military commanders and world leaders.
Zelensky in Ukraine: a comedian, a humanitarian, and a leader of the Russian army in the midst of world wars
Failure to demonstrate further progress with billions of dollars worth of military kit is likely to be a source of concern for Western backers. But capitulation to Russia would be a political death sentence.
It is difficult to calculate how much the carefully managed stagecraft of the president’s inner circle has contributed to Zelensky’s popular image both inside and outside Ukraine – but it certainly can’t hurt.
“After the full-scale invasion, once he got into a position of being bullied by someone like Vladimir Putin he knew exactly what he needed to do because it was just his gut feeling,” Yevhen Hlibovytsky, former political journalist and founder of the Kyiv-based think tank and consultancy, pro.mova, told me.
This, after all, is the leader who when offered evacuation by the US as Russia launched its full-scale invasion, quipped: “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
It has been a long time since Zelensky thanked his supporters for his victory in the campaign celebration in a renovated Ukranian nightclub. He looked in disbelief while standing on stage with the confetti, after he defeated Petro Poroshenko.
His ratings seem to have been turned around by the war. Just days after the invasion, Zelensky’s ratings approval surged to 90%, and remain high to this day. Even Americans early in the war rated Zelensky highly for his handling of international affairs – ahead of US President Joe Biden.
His bubble includes many people from his previous professional life as a TV comedian in the theatrical group Kvartal 95. The press conference held at the platform of a Kyiv metro station in April had perfect lighting and camera angles that emphasized a wartime setting, even in the midst of the war.
I remember well the nightly broadcasts of his addresses brought solace in the midst of the air raid sirens and explosions in Lviv, his skills as comforter in chief.
The War of the World against the Invasion: Volodymyr Zelensky, a U.S. Senator and Digital Citizen
Zelensky is projecting competence and confidence in a modern way, thanks to wearing T-shirts and hoodies, the youthful uniform of Silicon Valley, rather than suits.
She said he is probably more comfortable on camera than Putin, as both an actor and a digital native. “I believe both of them want to come across as relatable, not aloof or untouchable, although Zelensky is definitely doing a better job balancing authority with accessibility.”
Journeying to where her husband can’t, Zelenska has shown herself to be an effective communicator in international fora – projecting empathy, style and smarts. Most recently, she met with King Charles during a visit to a refugee assistance center at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in London. TIME magazine did not include Zelenska on its cover and only gave a reference in its text.
Zelensky has a strong international influence but there are some signs that it could be waning. Zelensky tried to get the price cap lowered to $30, but the G7 did not relent and imposed a $60 a barrel price cap on Russian crude.
This is a menacing global problem that will only get worse—the economic toll alone is staggering—until it is stopped and reversed on terms acceptable to Ukraine that will protect its sovereignty and security.
As Zelensky said in a recent nightly video address: “No matter what the aggressor intends to do, when the world is truly united, it is then the world, not the aggressor, determines how events develop.”
“President Biden and I meet occasionally. We’ve invited the President. If he was able to visit Ukraine, I think he would be happy about it. Zelensky said on February 15 that it was an important signal to support the nation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will make his first trip to a foreign country since it was invaded 300 days ago to drum up military and economic assistance for his country.
He came to say thank you. He said it over and over. “I hope my words of respect and gratitude resonate in each American heart.” Zelensky explained to the country that supplies the weapons that enabledUkraine to push back against an even bigger opponent, why this is not just Ukraine’s fight.
Zelensky met with soldiers and handed out awards, according to his office. Video posted by state TV showed the president clad in fatigues and a flak vest presenting awards to troops. Bakhmut has seen some of the most ferocious fighting in the whole of the country since Russian forces launched their siege on the city in earnest in May, turning it into ruins.
Reply to Comments on ‘Democracy, Security, and Security for the Patriot” by Nancy Pelosi
A member said that Pelosi made calls to members to come to the Capitol on Wednesday to make sure the chamber was full before the holiday break. Pelosi asked for members to be in attendance Wednesday night “for a very special focus on Democracy.”
Zelensky’s appearance was facilitated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as one of her final acts before relinquishing the speaker’s gavel. Earlier this year she took a surprise visit of her own to meet with Zelensky in Kyiv.
Ukraine claimed that 30 out of 35 missiles had been stopped on Monday, although it did not give a breakdown of how many missiles had been stopped. The Patriot is also a sign NATO’s best technology is on the table to help Ukraine win the war, or at least hold Russia back.
It is not certain what number of missile launchers will be sent, but a typical version includes a radar set that can identify targets, power generating equipment, an engagement control station and up to eight missiles.
Once the plans are finalized, thePatriots will ship quickly to Germany, and the Ukrainians will be trained to use them at a US Army base, officials said.
Unlike smaller air defense systems, Patriot missile batteries need much larger crews, requiring dozens of personnel to properly operate them. The training for Patriot missile batteries normally takes multiple months, a process the United States will now carry out under the pressure of near-daily aerial attacks from Russia.
The U.S. Mission to the War-Torn Ukraine: A Comment on Biden’s “Interaction with Russia” with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
The United States stood with its allies for the long haul as it battled the Soviet Union. It wasn’t surprising that Biden’s visit was intended to give similar historic heft to his comment, though it is unlikely that it will alleviate fears in Europe that a change of president might weaken that vow.
With the war nearing its one-year mark on February 24, Biden is hoping to demonstrate to the world that he’s committed toUkraine, even though it remains unclear how long US and western resolve can last.
The decision was made at the end of the meeting in the Oval Office. After the trip, US officials took steps to alert Russia of their plans so that they wouldn’t interfere with Biden while he was on the ground.
A Telegram account managed by Russian army and naval servicemembers, Zapiski michmana Ptichkina, noted ironically that Biden had reached Kyiv before Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Almost a year after the beginning of the Special military operation, we are waiting in the Russian city of [Kyiv] for the president of the Russian Federation, but not for the [President of the] United States,” it said.
The appearance would mark a potentially electrifying moment as Democratic control of the House — and Ms. Pelosi’s reign as speaker and a member of Democratic leadership — comes to a conclusion, with Republicans set to take over on Jan. 3.
It could also cause Republicans on Capitol Hill to oppose a plan to give $50 billion to the war-torn country, even though the Ukrainian leader supports the aid.
Some Republicans in the House have opposed previous military and humanitarian aid packages because they believe it is wasteful or better spent in the United States. Just earlier on Tuesday, Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado, a far-right Republican, posted on Twitter scoffing at the release of the new aid.
What do we know when we hear about an anonymous source: The Times reexamines the U.S. military mission to Ukraine after the Pearl Harbor attack
What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know what’s going on? What’s their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? The Times uses anonymous sources despite the questions being satisfactory. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source.
The President of the United States came to Kyiv on Monday for the first time since Russia launched its invasion of the country over a year ago, showing his commitment to Ukrainians as the war enters a new phase.
Zelensky’s arrival will draw poignant echoes of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s arrival in Washington, 81 years ago on Thursday, days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war, the alliance that won World War II was solidified by that Christmas visit.
However, the Kremlin denounced the transaction and said the US supplying Ukraine with Patriot missile systems will prolong the Ukrainian people’s “suffering.”
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, Wesley Clark said that Zelensky’s trip reflects a critical moment when the destiny of a war that Ukraine cannot win without upgraded US support could be decided before Russia can regroup.
Ukranian should not expect a blank check from the new House, warned Kevin McCarthy, the possible next speaker. Even though Ukraine still has strong Republican support in the Senate, it is a kind of shifting political dynamic that appears to inform Kremlin perception about how long US resolve will last in a conflict on which Putins political survival may well depend.
In March, for instance, Zelensky evoked Mount Rushmore and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream Speech” during a virtual address to Congress. He also referred to two days of infamy in modern history when Americans directly experienced the fear of aerial bombardment.
“Remember Pearl Harbor, terrible morning of December 7, 1941, when your sky was black from the planes attacking you. Just remember it,” Zelensky said. “Remember September 11, a terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn your cities, independent territories, into battlefields. Nobody expected innocent people to get attacked from air, you couldn’t stop it. Our country experiences the same every day.”
The U.S. Army’s Gold Standard, the Patriots, and the Ukraine’s Precision Artillery and Jets: A History of the Cold War with World War II
President Franklin Roosevelt met the British leader on December 22, 1941 at the Washington Convention Center, after they sailed to the United States in a plane from the coast of Virginia.
The two leaders plotted the defeat of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan after days of meetings fueled by a regime of sherry with breakfast, Scotch and sodas for lunch, and a sip of 90-year-old brandy before bed.
Churchill, who had pined for US involvement in World War II for months and knew it was the key to defeating Adolf Hitler, said during his visit, “I spend this anniversary and festival far from my country, far from my family, and yet I cannot truthfully say that I feel far from home.”
The historical similarities will most likely impress the Ukrainian leader. He made a speech to the British parliament in March, which was based upon one of Churchill’s most famous speeches.
There are two key headline deliverables: first, the Patriot missile systems. Complex, accurate, and expensive, they have been described as the US’s “gold standard” of air defense. NATO preciously guards them, and they require the personnel who operate them – almost 100 in a battalion for each weapon – to be properly trained.
The second are precision-guided munitions for Ukrainian jets. Ukraine, and Russia, largely are equipped with munitions that are “dumb” – fired roughly towards a target. Ukraine has been provided with more and more Western standard precision artillery and missiles, like Howitzers and HIMARS respectively.
Increased US defense spending, in addition to money directly for Ukraine, is part of the larger year-end spending bill.
The Battle of Bakhmut: What Do the Soldiers in Ukraine Want to Do? The Ukrainian President Volodymymyr Zelensky and the United States Should Embrace
Moscow’s conventional forces are struggling to be equipped and rally while its nuclear forces are running out of new cards to play. China and India have joined the West in open statements against the use of nuclear force, which has made that option even less likely.
Western analysts said that Russia had grumbled about the deliveries but had been relatively cautious in its response to the crossing of what might have been considered red lines.
Whatever the eventual truth of the matter – and military aid is opaque at the best of times – Biden wants Putin to hear nothing but headline figures in the billions, to sap Russian resolve, push European partners to help more, and make Ukraine’s resources seem limitless.
Some elements of the Trumpism have questioned how much aid the US should give to the edges of eastern Europe.
Realistically, the bill for the slow defeat of Russia in this dark and lengthy conflict is relatively light for Washington, given its near trillion-dollar annual defense budget.
Members of the United States Congress, Republicans and Democrats, rose to their feet time and again Wednesday night, nearly drowning out Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in one emotional standing ovation after another. It was an extraordinary evening, concluding an extraordinary day during a crucial moment in history.
“Your money is not charity,” he assured a Congress about to debate billions more in military and economic support, where skeptical Republicans will soon have more influence. The investment is made in the global security and democracy and handled in a responsible way.
Zelensky said at the press conference that they will win against tyranny that is real life.
Underscoring the point, he said the soldiers fighting in the brutal battle for Bakhmut asked him to give their battle flag – a flag of Ukraine signed by its defenders – as a gift to the U.S. Congress. Tears were shed in the House.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress “extraordinary,” saying the country’s fight against Russian aggression has “proven that they are a really good investment for the United States.”
He said it was important for the American people and the world to hear directly from the President about the fight against the Russians.
NATO leaders agreed to train and equip the Ukrainians at their summit in March last year. It wouldn’t be a member, but the message to Moscow was unequivocal: In the coming years, Ukraine would look and fight like it was in NATO.
Clinton, who met Putin as secretary of state, said that he was impossible to predict as the war in Ukraine turned in Putin’s favour and his popularity faded at home.
“I think around now, what [Putin] is considering is how to throw more bodies, and that’s what they will be – bodies of Russian conscripts – into the fight in Ukraine,” Clinton said.
At a news conference with Zelensky, Biden said the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv one year ago. The event used a different kind of symbolism than any other capital because it did not feature two leaders cowering in a Bunker, but it proceeded in a room like any other capital capital press conference.
Emerging from their talks, both men made clear they see the war entering a new phase. Fears of a stalemate are growing as Russia sends more troops to the frontline and wages an air campaign against civilians.
Zelensky used threats to suggest that the road to ending the war would not involve making concessions to Russia.
He does not see a road to peace that involves Ukraine giving up territory or sovereignty.
US officials said after Zelensky delivered his address to Congress that he had offered a 10 point peace formula to Biden, the same one he had offered to world leaders at the Group of 20 summit.
Biden said it was up to Zelensky to determine how the war would end.
Zelensky peppered his address to lawmakers with references to American history, from the critical Battle of Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War to the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.
He delivered his address in English, which he telegraphed prior to the speech. Even his army green shirt, cargo pants and boots seemed designed to remind people that he was a wartime leader.
The Battle of Ukraine for a Better Future: The Art of Looking into Someone’s Eye, Not Just In the Eye Of A Neighbor
Zelensky has shown an ability to reach out to his audience and be able to appeal to them.
On Wednesday, he sought to harness Americans’ emotional response to his country’s suffering, evoking dark winter nights as Russia seeks to interrupt Ukraine’s power supply.
“In two days we will celebrate Christmas. Maybe, it would be nice to be at home. Not because it’s more romantic, no, but because there will not be – there will be no electricity,” he said.
Many Americans, including some Republicans in Congress, have wondered aloud why billions of US dollars are needed for a conflict thousands of miles away. He wanted to make the cause a bigger issue than his homeland.
“The battle is not only for life, freedom, and security of Ukrainians or any other nation which Russia attempts to conquer,” he said. We can’t decide what world our children and grandchildren will live in.
Zelensky asked for more of them and Biden chuckled at him as he asked for more of them.
On the surface, Biden and Zelensky have maintained a stalwart partnership. Zelensky praised Biden as he went from the Oval Office to the East Room to Capitol Hill.
That has not always been well with Biden or his team. Biden appeared to be aiming to translate physical proximity into understanding of his counterpart on Wednesday, just as he has with other foreign leaders.
It’s all about looking into someone’s eye. I mean it in the strictest of terms. I don’t think there is any substitute for sitting down face to face with a friend or a foe and looking them in the eye,” he said.
The victory of Vladimir Zelensky during the televised Ukrainian bloody front line attack on December 24, 1918: Where is the elephant in the room?
On Wednesday, the day after his trip to the bloody front lines in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky went to the US House of Representatives in his signature green military wear to protect his supply line.
On the dais where heads of state usually sport suits, Zelensky embraced the look of a warrior as he used confident English to claim “joint victory” in what he said was the defeat of Russia in the “battle for minds of the world.”
Although he did not mention the elephant in the room, the speech was a clear plea to Republican lawmakers, who will control the House in January, to stay with Ukraine.
The Senate was poised to approve a year-long spending bill that included emergency assistance forUkraine and NATO allies.
Blinken said the administration would work with Congress to “to provide an additional $907 million of Foreign Military Financing under the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022.”
He talked about how the US troops were surrounded in the snow in Europe on D-Day in World War II.
Zelensky said that the brave Ukrainian soldiers are doing the same thing as the American soldiers who fought back Hitler during the Christmas of 1944.
He made the American people understand that they would fight for us, but he made it clear that they would just get the tools and we would finish the job. That’s what Churchill said,” Kearns Goodwin told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Wednesday evening.
What is to do about Ukraine? Lenin meets Vladimir Zelensky, Kevin McCarthy, and Vladimir Putin in the U.S. House of Representatives
This raises Lenin’s famous question: what is to be done? The United States needs to double down on diplomacy if it wants to convince nations that don’t want to support the defense ofUkraine to do so.
An address to Congress is the ultimate platform for a foreign president in the US and maybe around the world. It’s in contrast to Vladimir Putin, who canceled his annual year-end press conference.
Zelensky and Biden have both agreed that this is the time for the US to re- engage the public as Russia lags towards its one-year mark with no sign of an end to fighting.
Ukraine has performed better than anyone expected last February, when Russia invaded, but that brave fighting, with help from hardware from the US and other NATO countries has won Ukraine the beginnings of a stalemate, not the end of Russian occupation.
It was substantive due to the new money promised to Ukrainians in a larger spending bill and at the White House.
Kevin McCarthy, who wants to be House speaker and needs votes from Ukraine-skeptical Republicans to get there, met with Zelensky and the other three top congressional leaders.
A majority of Americans remain behind supporting Ukraine and keeping sanctions on Russia, according to recent polling, but in a December survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the share of Americans who believe the US should support Ukraine for “as long as it takes” dropped 10 percentage points since the summer to about half. Just a third of Republicans supported indefinite support in the survey.
The only Ukrainian-born member of Congress has expressed skepticism about some of the aid to the country.
Kyiv and its Western allies are “set for a long confrontation with Russia” following President Volodymyr Zelensky’s momentous visit to Washington, Moscow said as the war in Ukraine approaches 10 months.
The foreign ministry in Russia condemned the crimes committed by the regime in Kyiv, after Biden promised more military support to Ukraine at the White House on Wednesday.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that no matter how much military support the West provides to the Ukrainian government, “they will achieve nothing.”
Zakharova said the tasks set within the framework of the special military operation will be fulfilled, taking into account the situation on the ground and actual realities.
The meeting showed the US is in a proxy war against Russia to the last Ukrainian, Peskov told journalists.
It was historic and deadly, and it was just another year that tried patience and nerves. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the largest land war in Europe since World War II. There have been a lot of mass shootings in the US, and all too common horrors were unleashed once more. And, inevitably, luminaries who brought light to our lives were extinguished.
The Top 100 Digital Stories of the Past, Present, and Future: An Analysis of the First 10 Years of the CNN Digital History (the Top Ten Digital Story Stories)
CNN has been on television for more than 40 years and has been on digital platforms for more than 25 years. More than 165 million of you from all over the world came to CNN Digital in a year, according to Comscore.
The aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting, the election coverage of CNN and our digital pages of up-to-the-second results from hundreds of races were the other stories included in the top 10.
I wrote an analysis early in the conflict explaining what the US and its allies would and wouldn’t do in Ukraine. Limits have been contentious from the beginning and are now being accused of going too far by Russia.
The impact of the overturning of the Wade decision on women and US politics, as well as numerous mass shooting and natural disasters, were top stories for the year.
The last few weeks of the year have brought new fears to China and other areas, even though interest and fear around the Covid-19 Pandemic waned. History has taught us that pandemic developments know no borders.
Entertainment news brought millions of you to CNN. The DJ for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, died tragically. The Good Samaritans made a difference in the lives of strangers.
Our internal data shows that every piece of the top 100 stories this year received more than 3 million visits.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/31/us/top-100-digital-stories-2022-trnd/index.html
Ukraine Aid Republicans-Biden: Thank You for Sharing, and I’m so glad to be partnering with you
Thank you for being with us through it all. We promise we will be here for you in 2023, for every breaking news story and for every piece of joy, delight and triumph.
The Biden administration on Friday announced its largest drawdown yet in US military assistance to Ukraine, but there are lurking concerns that Republicans wielding newfound power in Washington could stand in the way of future aid – especially as chaos brews in the House.
Donalds and Roy were the two Republicans who were opposed to McCarthy until Friday afternoon. Other Ukraine aid skeptics have continued to oppose McCarthy’s bid.
Several Republican members who switched their votes to support McCarthy on Friday said they are encouraged by a framework of an agreement, but provided no specifics about the deal and said talks are ongoing.
The higher number was due to Democrats fearing that additional funding wouldn’t be as forthcoming in a GOP-led House. In many ways, that figure was an insurance policy for the White House in order to repel Republican resistance, and the thought was that it would sustain US support for several months.
A third diplomat expressed concerns concessions like crucial committee assignments, such as the House Rules Committee, could be given to lawmakers who have advocated against more aid to Ukraine, which could create immense hurdles for passing additional assistance legislation.
The diplomat said that the Freedom Caucus had just showed its clout and that it was a sign for a long legislative paralysis.
Others noted they were watching closely to see the kinds of maneuvers McCarthy would make to secure the role, which could potentially include cuts to aid.
Another diplomat told CNN they’re personally concerned about “the policy concessions McCarthy has to make, and if they are going to affect US role in the world.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/06/politics/ukraine-aid-republicans-biden/index.html
Zelensky’s Christmas epoch to win: A triumphant victory for the German government after the Ukraine crisis, and a triumphous victory for Germany
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was an awesome Christmas present for his country. And lawmakers in Ukraine told CNN they are not concerned that the future of assistance is at risk, noting the strong past bipartisan and public support for aiding their country.
Russia reasoned that if Washington blocked Nord Stream 2, which it ultimately did, then it would show that European power no longer flowed through Berlin, but actually via the White House.
Older overland lines that transited Ukraine provided vital revenue to the Westward-leaning leadership, and the United States did not want the new, high-capacity supply to replace them.
Germany is very much in play, since it wants hands on the controls, thanks to being late to recognize Russia’s threat, reorienting its military, and ramping up weapon supplies to Ukraine. He said Germany would coordinate the supplies of the Leopard 2 from allies to Ukraine because of legislation forbidding the transfer of war-fighting hardware to a third state.
Europe has been slow to respond to the deep fissures in US politics and the uncertainty another Trumpian-style presidency could wreak on its allies. Germany leads the way after decades of trust being replaced by pragmatism in the US.
Europe was led by a moral compass. Scholz has found unexpected metal in his ponderous, often stop/go/wait traffic-light governing coalition and won thunderous applause in Germany’s Bundestag on Wednesday as he flashed a rare moment of steely leadership.
It’s been a lot more than just getting tanks, fighting vehicles, air defenses and shelling for NATO member states that have helped Ukraine transition from the legacy soviet force to the NATO clone. In parliament on Wednesday, he made that point.
“Trust us,” he said, “we won’t put you in danger.” He explained how the government had handled Russia’s aggression and how people were not made aware of the consequences of a freezing winter. “The government dealt with the crisis,” he said, adding: “We are in a much better position.”
The applause at each step of his carefully crafted speech spoke as loudly as his words. In short, Scholz got it right for Germany, bringing with him a population typically averse to war and projecting their own power, and deeply divided over how much they should aid Ukraine in killing Russians and potentially angering the Kremlin.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/europe/germany-russia-us-relations-intl-cmd/index.html
The State of Ukraine: NPR’s First Day of War and the U.S.-Russian War on Nuclear Abundances
If Russia were to be defeated and used nuclear weapons, it would use them, said Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and deputy chairman of the national security council.
The mixed messaging has some Muscovites CNN spoke with after the announcements by Biden and Scholz on tanks confused. A lot of people thought that Russia would win, but they were dismayed by the death toll and even more so because Putin ignored their concerns.
If he thinks that Putin is relevant at this point, and if he sent tanks to help him, his actions could possibly ease Putin’s hold on power.
Zelensky will likely see a signal that weapons supplies will be on a German leash and less domineering by the US if longer discussions about the next military moves for Ukraine happen.
This shift in the power dynamic may not change the way the war is fought but could impact the contours of a final deal and shape a lasting peace when it comes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise Europe tour, meeting leaders in London, Paris and Brussels, and reiterating his call for allies to send fighter jets to Ukraine.
Russian forces began their next major offensive in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, attacking Ukrainian defensive lines and making marginal advances, according to the Institute for the Study of War. The Atlantic Council believes Russian forces are trying to encircle Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova attended President Biden’s State of the Union speech, for the second year in a row, but the war in Ukraine received far less attention in the address this time.
According to the international team investigating the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, there is strong indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the supply of anti-aircraft weaponry to the rebels in Ukraine.
Here is where you can read past recaps. You can find more of NPR’s coverage here. Listen to NPR’s State of Ukraine to get updates throughout the day.
The Last War Between the United States and the Russians: John J. Sullivan at the Embassy to Moscow in December 2019 – October 2022
Editor’s Note: John J. Sullivan was US Ambassador to Russia from December 2019 to October 2022. He was previously US Deputy Secretary of State. A distinguished fellow in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a partner in one of the country’s best-known law firms. The opinions expressed in this commentary are of his own. CNN has an opinion on it.
I told everyone I knew that Russian President Vladimir Putin was going to start a war on Europe that was not seen since World War II.
Although confident in my pre-war assessment, I was disconsolate. For two years, I had worked hard as US ambassador to make even modest progress in the few areas in which any dialogue was possible with the Russians.
I say this with a heavy heart, as a person who was an advocate for continued negotiations with the Russian government even as the downward spiral of our relationship accelerated. I left a comfortable perch on Mahogany Row at the State Department as the Deputy Secretary State to serve as the US ambassador in Moscow and take the lead in those negotiations.
The war changed things great and small, from where I lived in Moscow to Russia’s standing in the world. I had to go to the Embassy compound because the pace of teleconferences with Washington meant I had to be available at all hours.
More significantly, the invasion roiled the global economy, including energy and grain markets. And most tragically, it slaughtered thousands of innocents and caused unspeakable suffering for millions of Ukrainians because of a policy choice by Putin in his quest for empire.
Yet the merciless Russian violence (which has forced almost 15 million Ukrainians to become refugees or internally displaced), the catastrophic missile strikes on civilian targets and the unlawful occupation of sovereign Ukrainian territory continue. And all by a country, Russia, that is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, whose mission is to preserve and defend world peace.
“The tipping point in this war will not be when we receive another set of weapons but when our alliance will stop playing reactive roles to what Putin will do,” Kira Rudik, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, told “CNN This Morning.”
The Russian government will not realize that the goals of its Special Military Operation can’t be achieved. The Russian government should negotiate in good faith. And only then will peace return to Europe.
Violations of the Security Principles: U.S. General Relativity and the Status of Biden’s Visit to Ukraine
Biden said that the new assistance would include more military equipment, such as Howitzers and javelins. And he said new sanctions would be imposed on Moscow later this week.
Biden arrived in Kyiv at 8 a.m. local time after a lengthy, covert journey from Washington and arrived to the Mariinsky Palace half-an-hour later. He was leaving the city in the early afternoon.
Biden’s trip to Kyiv was shrouded in secrecy, a reflection of the steep security concerns. Air Force One departed Joint Base Andrews under cover of darkness at 4:15 a.m. ET on Sunday, and reporters aboard the plane were not allowed to carry their devices with them.
Jake Sullivan is the national security adviser for Biden while Annie Tomasini is his personal aide.
After several of his counterparts in Europe all had to take lengthy train journeys to meet with Zelensky in Kyiv, Biden was itching to visit Ukraine for months. The French President, the German Chancellor, the Canadian Prime Minister and the British Prime Minister have all traveled to the country to show their support.
Even Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, paid a surprise visit on Mother’s Day last year to a small city in the far southwestern corner of Ukraine. She met with Zelenska at a former school that was converted into temporary housing for displaced Ukrainians, including 48 children.
Biden could not make a similar trip because of security precautions. When he visited Poland in April last year, the White House did not even explore the potential for a trip across the border, even though Biden said he had voiced interest.
The China-US Connection since the Invasion of Ukraine: What Will the USA Do? – The Great Question of Right-Handed Security
Zelensky is not sure what parameters he will or won’t accept during peace negotiations, and the US has refused to say what a settlement might look like beyond commenting that it will be up to Zelensky to decide.
According to American officials, the US has begun to see disturbing trends such as Beijing attempting to give lethal military aid to Russia without being caught.
The officials would not describe in detail what intelligence the US has seen suggesting a recent shift in China’s posture, but said US officials have been concerned enough that they have shared the intelligence with allies and partners at the Munich Security Conference over the last several days.
Wang, who was named Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s top foreign policy adviser last month, is expected to arrive in Moscow this week, in the first visit to the country from a Chinese official in that role since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry of China says that Wang’s visit will give them the opportunity to continue developing their strategic partnership and exchange views on international and regional hotspot issues of shared interest.
But with no end to the war in sight, polls show a growing number of Americans are concerned about how much money has gone to the war — and some Republican budget hawks have said they would like to curtail the spending.
“My great fear is that there’s going to be some scandal,” said Mark Cancian, an expert in military procurement who has worked both at the Office of Management and Budget and the Pentagon. Either there are weapons in the Middle East where they are not supposed to be, or a tycoon with a yacht paid for by American taxpayers is sailing through the Mediterranean in a yacht that was paid for by the government.
John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said that if you spend that much money fast there will be problems.
Sopko, who has reported on failure after failure with aid for Afghanistan, warns that a country can only absorb so much aid before things begin to spill over into the illicit economy.
Iraq’s War-Initiated Sponge Crisis: How Do We Identify and Control the Mitigation of Weapons?
You fill the sponge with water by taking a sponge and putting it on the kitchen counter. You get a lot of drips, but don’t get a lot of drops. Sopko said that it holds the water. “Then all of a sudden it reaches a certain point, and then all the water starts spreading out from that sponge.”
Republican leaders in congress want more frequent reports on checks and balances on the spending as a result of the recent congressional funding package built in more for oversight.
There is a significant risk of diversion and misuse during the war, according to a report released last month. It also cites a classified Pentagon report that raised concerns that the Defense Department isn’t able to fully monitor the weapons, in part because U.S. troops are not allowed in the country.
But so far, there has been no credible evidence of wide-scale problems, said Jessica Lewis, assistant secretary for the State Department’s bureau of political-military affairs.
Lewis said that all of us should be concerned about the possibility of a weapon ending up in the wrong hands. “That is why we have to put all of these things in place.”
The defense staff at the Ukrainian embassy in the US has been increased, she said. The Ukrainian government has signed detailed security agreements about safeguarding the weapons and not transferring them to third parties.
“That is our responsibility to our own national security,” she said. “It’s our responsibility to our war fighters, and it’s our responsibility to the American public to make sure when we transfer a weapon, we are doing so responsibly.”
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/20/1141689717/ukraine-russia-biden-funding
U.S. aid to Ukraine’s bid for membership in the European Union, and why Ukraine isn’t going to join the NATO alliance
There are several administration offices that do oversight reviews in several departments and agencies. John Sopko said he is concerned that there’s a lack of coordination.
He said there should be a dedicated team for the work and he worries that the U.S. government is waiting too long to set that up. That’s a lesson that should have been learned from Afghanistan, he said, where his office would have been more effective had it been established much earlier in the conflict.
Sopko is particularly worried about economic aid. The U.S. is sending about $50 billion to help prop up the Kyiv government, money that helps pay the salaries of officials, police officers and teachers.
“That was one of the biggest concerns we had in Afghanistan,” he said. We were paying a lot of salaries that weren’t going to the right people. We had ghost civil servants, ghost people in the military, and ghost teachers.
This year, Ukraine has been ranked in the middle of the pack for corruption. The issue has scuttled the country’s bid to join the European Union and kept it out of NATO.
Just months before the war began, Biden was complaining about corruption, and it was why Ukraine wasn’t going to join the NATO alliance.
Biden said that they still have to clean up corruption. “The fact is, they have to meet other criteria to get into the action plan. The school is out on that question.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/20/1141689717/ukraine-russia-biden-funding
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine during the 2021 Ukrainian Corruptcy Scenario: A Poincar’e for the Security of Ukraine
President Volodymr Zelenskyy — who was elected to office on an anti-corruption platform — had submitted a bill in early 2021 to close the Kyiv Administrative District Court, long criticized for corruption.
“I think that that’s a pretty good example that corruption can be pretty resilient in Ukraine,” said Steven Pifer, a Clinton-era U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. “It took some time… But it was finally shut down after a long time. And that was a good thing for Ukraine’s justice system.”
The Zelenskyy fired officials in the corruption scandal last month. Zelensky in a video address during the scandal said that we will never return to the lifestyles that bureaucrats have gotten used to, and the old way of chasing power.
In Washington, there are calls for more oversight from both Republicans and Democrats who support the war effort. They do not want to give political leverage to those who are more interested in cutting assistance altogether.
“We as Democrats — as the White House — I think we should continue to work with these national security Republicans … and their fellow travelers in good faith to not let domestic politics prevent us from staying united behind Ukraine,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass.
It’s also in Biden’s political interests to work with those Republicans. He’s widely expected to make a run for a second term in the 2024 election, and he doesn’t want a Ukraine spending scandal to become an election issue.
“I thought it was important that the U.S. had unanimity about its support for Ukraine in the war,” Biden said.
President Joe Biden was in Washington for a romantic date on Saturday night, and ate rigatoni with fennel sausage ragu before he returned to the White House.
On the fate of a presidential trip into a war zone without a US military arm on the ground: The case of Kyiv
The next time he was seen in public was 36 hours later, striding out of St. Michael’s Cathedral in Kyiv into a bright winter day, air raid sirens wailing a reminder of both the risks and reason for visiting Ukraine as it nears a second year of war.
Yet it was more than symbolism that drove Biden to endure the significant risk of visiting an active war zone without significant US military assets on the ground.
“This is so much larger than just Ukraine. He said that it was about freedom of democracy in Europe and at the same time about freedom and democracy at large.
That was due to the nature of the trip. Even as the small circle of White House officials looped in on the planning grew confident it was an achievable undertaking, the realities of sending a president into a war zone where the US had no control over the air space were daunting.
There was no word on Biden’s departure from Washington on Sunday. The official White House schedule, released Sunday evening, still listed his departure for Poland at 7 p.m. ET on Monday.
NSC spokesman John Kirby said in an interview on MSNBC that there are no plans for the president to enter Ukraine on the trip.
But at that point, Biden had already lifted off from Joint Base Andrews hours before, not in the usual plane that is synonymous with Air Force One, but instead in a smaller Air Force C-32.
There would be a stop to refuel at a US base in Germany before continuing the flight into Poland. As he jetted eastward, Biden was scheming out his conversations with Zelensky, hoping to use his limited time wisely in discussing the coming months of fighting.
“I’m here in Poland to see firsthand the humanitarian crisis and quite frankly, part of my disappointment is that I can’t see it firsthand like I have in other places,” Biden said then. “They will not let me – understandably, I guess – cross the border and take a look at what’s going on in Ukraine.”
It was the culmination of a process that began months ago, as Biden watched a parade of his foreign counterparts cross into Ukraine.
In the planning stages for this trip, Biden was presented with a range of options for a visit to Ukraine but decided that only the capital Kyiv made sense as a venue, a person familiar with the matter said.
Kate Bedingfield, communications director for the White House, said that it was a risk that Joe Biden wanted to take. Even when it is hard, he directed his team to make it happen no matter what.
Jake Sullivan, a national security adviser, refused to say whether Biden had overruled the military or Secret Service in order to go ahead with the trip.
He was presented a very effective operational security plan. He heard that presentation, he was satisfied that the risk was manageable and he ultimately made a determination (to go),” Sullivan said.
The Teaser: Joe Biden Can’t Go to Warped Ukraine, he vowed to Go to the East, and he Headed to the West
Back then, the anniversary of the war might have been marked by a military parade and a visit by Putin to a nation he had installed as his own.
In the morning, President Barack Obama and his wife visited a historic church in the heart of the city in St. Michael’s Square, while air raid sirens wailed around them.
Biden wouldn’t be visiting Ukraine because he would be admitting that there were things Putin could prevent him from doing.
Putin is expected to respond to what happened on Tuesday, when he is expected to speak to the Russian people.
Biden has so far declined to agree to the request, which gets to the heart of a dilemma that defines his war strategy: How far to go to help Kyiv win while avoiding a direct clash between the West and Russia.
Texas Rep. Mike McCaul, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, complained on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that Washington had taken too long to send game-changing weapons to Ukraine in the past and should not make the same mistake with warplanes. Asked if the Biden administration was now considering the dispatch of F-16 fighter planes, the Texas Republican replied: “I hope so,” and added, “I think the momentum is building for this to happen.”
It felt like a jab at Biden detractors who question if he should be thinking about running for reelection at the age of 80.
There are a lot of Americans who agree that Biden has not done enough to secure the southern border, which will be a big issue in the next election. But Greene’s comment did not just exemplify the deterioration in civility in US politics. It was revealing from a pro-Trump Republican who has been supportive of the insurrectionists who tried to destroy American democracy on January 6, 2021.
“This is incredibly insulting. Today on our President’s Day, Joe Biden, the President of the United States chose Ukraine over America, while forcing the American people to pay for Ukraine’s government and war. I can’t tell you how much Americans hate Joe Biden.
It is possible to stand for America’s values of democracy and freedom, and to fight tyranny enforced at the point of the gun from a foreign oppressor whose fight for independence mirrors America’s own.
“Biden in [Kyiv]. Russian journalist Sergey Mardan wrote a sarcastic response to another journalist on his Telegram channel. Children may not see the miracle of hypersonics. Just like spells about the holy war we are waging with the entire West.”
Russian army veteran and former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer Igor Girkin meanwhile suggested that Biden could have visited the frontlines in eastern Ukraine and escaped unharmed.
It is quite possible that the grandfather, who is not good for anything but simple provocations, is brought to Bakhmut as well, and nothing will happen to him.
Girkin is among a number of hardline military bloggers – some of whom have hundreds of thousands of followers and provide analysis of the conflict for large swaths of the Russian population – who have repeatedly criticized what they consider a “soft” approach on the battlefield by Putin’s generals.
Biden visit to the Ukrainian capital will be unwelcome to the U.S. and its NATO embassy in Kiev during the first Russian embassy visit
A few hours before he departed, the United States informed Russia of the plans to visit the Ukrainian capital for “deconfliction purposes,” according to Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
The debate over Biden’s visit will be unwelcome to Putin, who will on Tuesday make a major speech to the Federal Assembly in which he will discuss the ongoing invasion.
The Kremlin has said that foreign guests will not be invited to the event, but participants of the special military operation will.