Biden Says War With Russia Should End Before Ukraine Could Join NATO |
Speaking to CNN ahead of his trip to Europe, U.S. President Joe Biden said it was “premature” to call for a vote on Ukraine’s potential membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and that the alliance lacked unanimity about accepting Ukraine “in the middle of a war.” Biden met with officials (WaPo) in London today, including United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and discussed the war in Ukraine among several other topics before a NATO summit that begins tomorrow in Vilnius, Lithuania.
In addition to their ongoing support for Ukraine’s war efforts, NATO countries are due to consider Sweden’s pending application to the alliance. Though Hungary and Turkey have been blocking Sweden’s accession, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today that if the European Union opens the doors to Turkey’s application to the bloc, then he would approve Sweden’s entry (Reuters).
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“NATO membership [for Ukraine] is something to be put forward in the context of a cease-fire, armistice, or formal peace, but until then it makes little sense,” CFR President Emeritus Richard Haass writes for Project Syndicate. “The alliance ought to make a formal, open-ended commitment to provide Ukraine with the arms, intelligence, and training it requires.”
“The dispute over Sweden’s accession, which requires the approval of Turkish and Hungarian lawmakers to be finalized, not only represents a threat to Biden’s goal of brandishing his stewardship of a strong NATO but also serves as a reminder of other differences dogging the alliance, including fissures over military spending levels, Kyiv’s path to membership and, most recently, a White House decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine,” the Washington Post’s Kareem Fahim, Abigail Hauslohner, Loveday Morris, Emily Rauhala, and Missy Ryan write.
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North Korea Accuses U.S. Planes of Violating Airspace |
A spokesperson for North Korea’s defense ministry said U.S. aircraft have made several “provocative” flights over the East Sea and Yellow Sea this month, and that there is no guarantee (Yonhap) that Pyongyang will not shoot down such planes in the future.
This Backgrounder looks at North Korea’s military capabilities.
China/Solomon Islands: Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is on a week-long visit to China (Bloomberg) to mark the opening of a new Solomon Islands embassy there. The two countries have already agreed to upgrade bilateral relations to a “comprehensive strategic partnership.”
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Uzbek President Elected for Third Term |
Shavkat Mirziyoyev won an overwhelming majority in yesterday’s snap election, which comes after he oversaw a constitutional referendum (RFE/RL, AFP) earlier this year that expanded the length of the presidency from five years to seven.
Bangladesh: A delegation of U.S. diplomats will travel to Bangladesh tomorrow over concerns about the integrity of its upcoming election, Nikkei reported. Washington has pledged to invoke sanctions against officials who undermine election results, while last week Bangladesh’s ruling party reduced election authorities’ ability to impose consequences for voting irregularities.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Syria Withdraws BBC’s Media Accreditation |
Syria’s information ministry cited “misleading reports” that led to their decision. The revocation comes days after the BBC aired a report (AP) linking members of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s family and Syrian officials to illicit drug smuggling.
Syria: The U.S. military said that it killed (CNN) self-declared Islamic State leader Usamah al-Muhajir in a drone strike in eastern Syria on Friday.
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South Africa Says BRICS Summit Will Be Held in Person |
President Cyril Ramaphosa said next month’s summit for the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, a grouping known as BRICS, will be “physical” (AFP) for the first time in nearly three years despite an active International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ramaphosa did not say if Putin would attend.
Zimbabwe: A local court upheld a ban (AP) yesterday that prevents an opposition party from holding a rally to launch its presidential candidates ahead of the country’s elections in six weeks. The Citizens Coalition for Change party said the government aims to silence them.
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Dutch PM to Leave Politics After Government Collapsed Over Immigration Policy |
Mark Rutte said today that he will stay on as caretaker prime minister (Politico) until November’s election following the collapse of his coalition government last week over a dispute regarding immigration policy. |
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Global Talks on Deep Sea Mining Kick Off in Jamaica |
The three weeks of negotiations are weighing possible permissions (FT) for large-scale deep sea mining, especially for metals used for the production of batteries. Countries such as China, Norway, Russia, and South Korea support the mining, while France and Germany are among its opponents, citing concerns about environmental damage. In this episode of The President’s Inbox, Morgan Bazilian discusses how the search for critical minerals fits into geopolitical competition.
U.S./Mexico: A significant drop in the number of unauthorized migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border is due in part to steps that Mexico has taken, including busing and flying migrants from its northern border to the country’s interior, the New York Times reported. Mexico also for a time imposed a ban on issuing documents allowing migrants and refugees to stay in the country.
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Heat Dome Causes Weather Advisories Across Southwest |
A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix said on Sunday that he expects temperatures (NYT) of at least 110℉ (43℃) or above for the next week. In 2022, there were 425 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located.
This article by Madeline Babin and CFR’s Sabine Baumgartner and Alice Hill looks at how countries should adapt to a warming planet.
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