Daily News Brief

June 14, 2023

Top of the Agenda

Russian President Vladimir Putin told pro-war bloggers at the Kremlin yesterday that Russian forces in Ukraine lacked weapons (Politico), including precision-guided munitions, aircraft, and tanks. Russia’s weapon production capabilities have been hampered by Western sanctions. As Ukraine continues its counteroffensive against Russian troops, the United States announced yesterday it will commit fifteen additional fighting vehicles (CBS) and ten more armed personnel carriers in a $325 million weapons package to support Ukraine’s war effort. 

Putin also discussed divisions between the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group and the Russian defense ministry in yesterday’s meeting, saying that he backed a Russian military effort (FT) to bring Wagner under control of the defense ministry. Separately, Wagner’s founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said yesterday that his fighters had been taking a break since June 5 and would return to the battlefield in early August, but expressed doubts over going back to Ukraine specifically. 

Analysis

“The Ukrainians will be attacking elaborate fortifications, and the Russians are likely to be better at defense than offense. But this offensive should nevertheless make major gains and continue Ukraine’s track record of changing outsiders’ views about what outcomes are ultimately possible,” CFR expert Gideon Rose writes for Foreign Affairs.  

“While the quality of the military equipment used by the Ukrainian army continues to improve thanks to the Western aid, the quality of Russia’s weapons continues to degrade. At the same time, the Kremlin still possesses a significant degree of adaptability to Western sanctions,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Max Bergmann, Tina Dolbaia, Nick Fention, and Maria Snegovaya write.

Pacific Rim

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said yesterday that Japan will remove an income limit (Kyodo) for parents raising children to receive financial support and increase payments for paternal leave. The measures are part of a suite of policies aimed at boosting Japan’s falling birth rate. 

China/U.S.: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang discussed the importance of maintaining open communication channels during a phone call (SCMP) this morning, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. This marks the latest high-level engagement between the two countries in weeks.

South and Central Asia

Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall (AFP) on Thursday evening along the western coast of the two countries with destructively high winds, Indian weather monitors said.

India/U.S.: U.S. officials have urged India to reduce bureaucratic barriers that prevent it from advancing a deal to purchase as many as thirty U.S.-made armed drones in advance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House next week, Reuters reported.

Middle East and North Africa

The World Food Program said that it had already reduced ration sizes and now has to remove recipients from the program (UN News) amid an unprecedented funding crisis in order to prioritize aid to the three million Syrians who rely on food assistance. 

This photo essay by Zachary Laub depicts the horrors of Syria’s civil war.

Lebanon: Divisions in Lebanon’s legislature blocked a vote (AP, Times of Israel) today in its twelfth attempt to elect a new president. The country has lacked a head of state for seven months.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Refugees fleeing the war in Sudan are part of some 110 million people (AP) who are forcibly displaced around the world, the UN refugee agency said in a new report. 

Nigeria: A boat accident in western Kwara State killed more than one hundred people (Vanguard) yesterday, authorities said. River capsizes are common due to inadequate safety procedures and heavy flooding during Nigeria’s rainy season. 

Europe

The draft law would severely limit (NYT) the use of facial recognition software in artificial intelligence (AI) and would require creators of AI systems to publish more information about the data they use to create their programs. European Union officials said they hope to pass the law before the end of the year.

This episode of the Why It Matters podcast looks at how AI will affect labor, science, and national security. 

Americas

U.S. and Costa Rican officials announced that some Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants who are awaiting asylum hearings in Costa Rica will be eligible (AP) for legal pathways to come to the United States. They did not immediately say how many of the 240,000 asylum seekers in Costa Rica would be considered.  

Uruguay/U.S.: Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou made an unannounced visit to the White House yesterday (MercoPress) and spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden about the two countries’ economic relationship and cooperation on security and climate change.

United States

The move, announced yesterday morning, will allow the migrants (CBS) from El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua to continue to legally live and work in the United States under a program known as Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. Former President Donald Trump tried to end many TPS programs but his efforts were blocked in court. 

This Backgrounder by Claire Klobucista and CFR’s Diana Roy explains TPS.

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