UN Events, Fresh Sanctions Mark Two Years of Russia’s War in Ukraine |
The UN General Assembly and Security Council are convening today (Ukrainska Pravda) to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine ahead of its two-year anniversary tomorrow. Meanwhile, the United States and European Union announced hundreds of new sanctions (AP) today on Russia and foreign entities aiding Moscow’s war effort. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is in Ukraine today (NYT) with a congressional delegation and is due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reiterate U.S. support for Ukraine.
The second anniversary of the war comes as Ukraine’s battlefield progress has stalled and as U.S. officials seek to rally the Republican support needed to pass more than $60 billion in military aid for Kyiv. The U.S. delegation believes “we can bring back a view and give great detail as to how Ukraine can win this war, if they’re given what they need,” Schumer said. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is due to hold (Reuters) a summit of European leaders on Monday to boost support for Ukraine.
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“The way the war develops over 2024 will depend not only on how Ukraine faces its military challenges but also on how much—and in what ways—the West supports it,” King’s College London’s Lawrence D. Freedman writes for Foreign Affairs. “If Western support can hold steady, Putin may still find that the war appears to be as unwinnable on its third anniversary as it appears now at its second.”
“Russia’s economy has been more resilient, and the sanctions effort much leakier, than was hoped,” the Economist writes. “There is no magic weapon; financial warfare is not a substitute for sending Ukraine the money and arms it needs.”
This Global Memo from the Council of Councils includes expert perspectives from thirteen different countries on ways to contain or end the war.
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Leaked Documents Reveal Details of Chinese Hacking Campaigns |
Documents published online last weekend reveal (CNN) the operations of a Chinese hacking firm that sells its services to government agencies. Chat logs and records from government employees and tech firm I-Soon detail campaigns to penetrate targets in foreign governments and companies, mostly in Asia. Targets also include Tibetan exile-run political groups and Hong Kong universities following pro-democracy protests. The firm did not immediately comment on the matter, while a Chinese government spokesperson denied contracting hackers.
This episode of the Why It Matters podcast discusses espionage in the twenty-first century.
Australia/Indonesia: The countries plan to sign (Reuters) a defense cooperation deal within the next few months, their defense ministers said after meeting in Jakarta today.
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New Delhi Requests Early Release of Indians Working for Russia in Ukraine |
India has requested (PTI) “early discharge” of nationals working as support staff for the Russian army in Ukraine, its foreign ministry spokesperson said. He urged Indian nationals to stay away from the conflict. Recent media reports that some Indian workers had been forced to fight for Russia in Ukraine.
India: A global collection of semiconductor industry groups called on (Reuters) New Delhi to rethink plans to push for taxes on cross-border data flows and e-commerce at a World Trade Organization meeting next week. Indonesia and South Africa also support the taxes.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Israel to Take Part in Paris Weekend Talks on Gaza Cease-Fire, Hostage Deal |
Negotiations on a potential deal are set to include (Al-Monitor) delegates from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. U.S. envoy to the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel yesterday ahead of the talks.
Kenya/United Arab Emirates: The countries reached (Reuters) a broad economic partnership deal and plan to expand bilateral business in areas including food production, mining, and technology, the Emirati trade minister said today.
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CFR’s Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the World Trade Organization’s thirtieth ministerial conference, Blinken’s South America tour, and more. |
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Senegal’s President Says He Will End His Term on April 2 |
President Macky Sall’s decision earlier this month to delay presidential elections originally scheduled for February 25 has caused street protests in recent weeks. A new election date has still not been set. Sall said talks with political leaders in the coming weeks will determine (AP) “what happens next.”
South Africa: The legislature impeached (BBC) two High Court judges, its first use of that ability since the country’s democratic era began in 1994. One was found to have influenced other justices to support former President Jacob Zuma in a corruption case, while the second engaged in disorderly conduct related to a drunk driving incident in 2007. Both have denied the accusations.
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Hungary to Approve Sweden’s NATO Accession After Receiving Fighter Jets |
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced (Bloomberg) the deal after a meeting in Budapest today with his Swedish counterpart. Orbán said Hungary’s legislature will take the steps needed to ratify Sweden’s application for accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) next week.
This Backgrounder by CFR’s Jonathan Masters unpacks NATO.
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Canada Pledges $59 Million for Security Mission in Haiti |
The money will go (Canadian Press) to a Kenya-led mission to improve security in the country as it grapples with surging gang violence. Canada’s foreign ministry announced the pledge yesterday after foreign ministers discussed the mission at the Group of Twenty (G20) ministerial meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Mexico: U.S. law enforcement officials looked into claims that allies of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador met with and took money from drug traffickers, but ultimately decided not to launch a formal investigation, the New York Times reported. López Obrador said the allegations were “completely false” and read the phone number of a Times reporter who had contacted him for comment aloud at a press conference yesterday, prompting denunciation (NYT) from press freedom groups and Mexico’s own freedom of information institute.
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U.S.-Made Vessel Becomes First Commercial Spacecraft to Soft-Land on Moon |
The Odysseus has begun to send data (NYT) back to Earth after becoming the first U.S.-made spacecraft to touch down on the moon in more than half a century. NASA hired its manufacturer, Intuitive Machines, to take surveying equipment to the moon. The landing shows (Bloomberg) “the power and promise of NASA’s commercial partnerships,” NASA’s administrator said.
This Backgrounder by Andrew Chatzky, Steven J. Markovich, and Anshu Siripurapu explores U.S. space competitiveness.
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In this video, the New York Times spotlights the evolution, intricacies, and importance of the Chinese tradition of lion dancing. |
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