Ukraine

Al Jazeera reports: Brazil’s leader has withdrawn his personal assurance that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be arrested if he attends next year’s Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, saying it would be up to the judiciary to decide. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also questioned Brazil’s membership in the United Nations war crimes court, saying …

Bloomberg News reports: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva risked a clash with fellow Group of 20 leaders after saying that Vladimir Putin would be safe to travel to next year’s G-20 without fear of arrest. The Russian leader, who is subject to an international arrest warrant over his invasion of Ukraine, skipped India’s G-20 summit in its second …

Axios reports: U.S. military aid to Ukraine was the focus of one of the most heated exchanges during Wednesday’s GOP presidential debate, in a scene that reflected how the issue is dividing many Republicans. Ramaswamy was a hard “no.” Haley, Pence and Christie vigorously defended the aid as crucial to the security of NATO and the U.S., and to prevent …

The Washington Post reports: Republican Chris Christie, waging a long-shot bid for his party’s presidential nomination, visited Ukraine on Friday where he met President Volodymyr Zelensky on a trip that underscored the sharp GOP divisions over U.S. support for the country in its war against Russia and the high stakes for Ukraine, which now depends on American military and economic …

The Insider reports: The exodus of Russians started after many highly educated professionals — such as academics, finance, and tech workers — left Russia in the early days of the war. By October 2022, about 700,000 Russians had left the country, Reuters reported citing Russian media — however, the Kremlin rejected those numbers saying it doesn’t have this data. Many …

Reuters reports: Russia said on Monday that it had halted participation in a landmark UN-brokered deal which allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported through the Black Sea just hours after Moscow said Ukraine had attacked the Crimean Bridge. The Kremlin said the halting of the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to combat a global …

As you saw in the previous post, Tucker Carlson is holding a forum with GOP presidential candidates at an event put on by an Iowa anti-LGBTQ hate group, the Family Leader. In his interview with Mike Pence, Carlson claimed that Ukraine is persecuting Christians and is therefore unworthy of US support. Pence wasn’t having it. A partial transcript: Pence: I …

NBC News reports: NATO has extended an invitation to Ukraine to join the defense alliance, but only once all 31 members of the alliance have agreed to it and the conditions have been met, Stoltenberg said at a press conference today. “We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree …

“It seems to me that the sole desire to bring the war to an end is beautiful. But this desire should be based on some real-life experience. Well, it looks as if Donald Trump had already these 24 hours once in his time. We were at war, not a full-scale war, but we were at war, and as I assume, …

The BBC reports: One viral post last week focused on US military aid to Ukraine. It featured a screenshot of what appeared to be a headline from a news website, along with an image of two rifles. “French police are fired upon with American rifles that may have come from Ukraine,” reads the headline. The image used in the post …

Bloomberg News reports: A Russian general who’s been questioned over the failed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries was conspicuously absent at a meeting of top army chiefs where Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu denounced the rebellion. Sergei Surovikin, 56, a career military officer dubbed “General Armageddon” for his ruthless tactics in Syria, hasn’t been seen since the short-lived rebellion ended on June …

NBC News reports: Former Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Thursday, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the campaign. The visit comes at a crucial moment in the war, just after the Wagner mercenary group’s rebellion and the deadly Russian missile strike on a pizza restaurant in …

The Guardian reports: Glued to their mobile phones, millions of Ukrainians spent a sleepless night on Friday, after the head of the Wagner mercenary group declared war against his rivals in the Russian military, sparking unprecedented political turmoil in Moscow. “Events are developing according to the scenario we talked about all last year,’’ said Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to …

The BBC reports: The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group is being investigated for inciting mutiny after accusing the Russian military of a launching a deadly missile strike on his troops. Yevgeny Prigozhin said the “evil” in the military leadership must be stopped and vowed to “march for justice”. Authorities have denied the strike and demanded he halt “illegal actions”. …

Reuters reports: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said his country has started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, some of which he said were three times more powerful than the atomic bombs the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The deployment is Moscow’s first move of such warheads – shorter-range less powerful nuclear weapons that could potentially …

Reuters reports: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus “in several days” and that he had the facilities to host longer-range missiles too if ever needed. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, which will retain control of the tactical nuclear weapons, would start …

Reuters reports: Moscow cannot stop Ukraine from becoming a NATO member, the alliance’s chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, as divisions among allies about the speed of Kyiv’s accession became apparent only weeks before a decisive mid-July summit in Vilnius. “All allies agree that Moscow does not have a veto against NATO enlargement,” Stoltenberg told reporters as NATO foreign ministers …

The Daily Beast reports: A senior Russian lawmaker who was reportedly critical of the invasion of Ukraine died over the weekend, the Russian government confirmed, in the latest unexpected fatality of a prominent figure since the war began. In a statement, Russia’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education confirmed that Deputy Science Minister Pyotr Kucherenko, 46, died on Saturday. The …

The Guardian reports: Hungary has stepped up threats to block further EU funds for weapons to aid Ukraine, marring a show of unity from western nations at the G7 summit. The Hungarian foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, has said his government will block a further €500m from the European peace facility, a fund used to reimburse EU member states that supply …

Reuters reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked Pope Francis on Saturday to back Kyiv’s peace plan, and the pope indicated the Vatican would help in the repatriation of Ukrainian children taken by Russians. “It is a great honour,” Zelenskiy told Francis, putting his hand to his heart and bowing his head as he greeted the 86-year-old pope, who stood with …