Daily News Brief

June 16, 2022

Top of the Agenda

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi met with (NYT) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their first trip to Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine. The visit came as European Union (EU) countries debate Ukraine’s bid for candidate status in the bloc and after the United States announced (Politico) $1 billion in additional military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Macron said the three leaders brought “a message of European unity and support for the Ukrainian people” and aimed to discuss “very difficult” weeks ahead. They visited a Kyiv suburb where investigations of reported Russian atrocities are underway.

Analysis

“EU countries are all for Ukraine in its war against Russia, but they are all over the map when it comes to Ukraine’s demand to be recognized as a candidate for EU membership,” Politico’s David M. Herszenhorn, Barbara Moens, Hans von der Burchard, Jakob Hanke Vela, and Maia de la Baume write.

“European leaders should approve [Ukraine’s EU] candidacy, on condition it passes reforms to bolster the rule of law and curb corruption before any membership talks begin. To do any less would be a geopolitical error—and send a highly unfortunate signal to Kyiv, and to Moscow,” the Financial Times’ editorial board writes.

This Backgrounder looks at how the EU works.

Pacific Rim

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed Australia (AP) to reducing greenhouse gases by 43 percent by the end of a decade, up from a previous commitment of 26–28 percent.

China/Russia: Chinese and Russian readouts of a call between the countries’ leaders gave slightly different versions (Bloomberg) of their conversation. Beijing said Chinese President Xi Jinping pushed for all parties to reach “a proper settlement to the Ukraine crisis,” while Moscow said Xi noted “the legitimacy of Russia’s actions.” 

This Backgrounder unpacks the China-Russia relationship.

South and Central Asia

The newly announced scheme reduces pension benefits (Indian Express) and job security for new recruits.

U.S./Afghanistan: The U.S. State Department said it will issue case-by-case exemptions (Axios) to a terrorism-related ban on Afghans’ asylum applications to ensure applicants are not barred from refugee status due to the ban’s “overly broad” restrictions.

Middle East and North Africa

The strike led by Tunisia’s main labor union seeks higher wages (AFP) for workers and concessions on reforms needed to access an International Monetary Fund bailout. The union has also criticized President Kais Saied for excluding the opposition from his plan to overhaul the government.

For Foreign Affairs, Sarah Yerkes looked at Saied’s power grab.

U.S./Syria: U.S. officials said the U.S.-led coalition fighting the self-declared Islamic State captured (ABC) Hani Ahmed al-Kurdi, thought to be one of the group’s top leaders in Syria.

Sub-Saharan Africa

French troops captured (AFP) Oumeya Ould Albakaye while preparing to complete their withdrawal from the country after fighting a jihadi insurgency for nearly a decade.

Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta called for a regional military force to deploy (Reuters) in response to violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where a rebel group seized a town on Monday.

Europe

Many Western government and business leaders were absent (Moscow Times) from this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, though officials from former Soviet Union countries, Asia, and the Middle East were present.

Americas

Police said the fisherman who confessed to killing journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous affairs expert Bruno Pereira also led them to the men’s remains (NYT), which were sent for forensic analysis.

U.S./Mexico: The countries are negotiating disputes involving U.S. energy companies’ investments in Mexico that are worth more than $30 billion, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico told Reuters. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has worked to extend state control over the country’s electricity sector.

This timeline traces U.S.-Mexico relations.

United States

The formal authorization of Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations for children under the ages of five and six, respectively, appears imminent (NYT). Shots are expected to be administered as soon as next week.

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