European leaders give Ukraine coveted E.U. candidate status

The European Union officially made Ukraine a candidate for membership on Thursday, signaling in the face of a devastating Russian military onslaught that it sees Ukraine’s future as lying in an embrace of the democratic West, as the NYT reports.

Taliban Seek Solutions After Afghan Earthquake

A day after a massive earthquake struck a remote part of eastern Afghanistan, leveling hundreds of simply built structures and wiping out whole villages, overwhelmed residents were digging with bare hands through what used to be their homes, while the country’s new rulers were grappling with the aftermath of one of the deadliest natural disasters in decades, as the Washington Post reports.

Jerome Powell Pressed Over How Fed Would Respond to Economic Slowdown

Lawmakers pressed Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell over how the central bank would manage trade-offs it could confront if its interest rate increases slow the economy sharply but don’t reduce inflation quickly. Mr. Powell on Thursday said that in such a scenario, the Fed would be reluctant to shift from raising rates to cutting them until it saw clear evidence that inflation was coming down in a convincing fashion, as the WSJ reports.

Executive Education

The CSIS Accelerator Series is a comprehensive training program for rising professionals who wish to develop their leadership, management, communication, and other professional skills to help advance their career.

Video Shorts

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In That Number

1,000

More than 1,000 people believed to be dead after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Southeast Afghanistan.

Source: NYT

Critical Quote

“Summer will be hot for Russian occupiers. And the last one for some of them.”

— Ukrainian defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov

iDeas Lab

Despite sanctions, Russia is still earning roughly $1 billion per day in export revenues from oil and gas, about half of which flows directly into Moscow’s coffers. Learn more here.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

(Photo credit: John Thys/AFP/Getty Images.) European Union leaders on June 23, 2022 agreed to grant "candidate status" to Ukraine and Moldova, in a show of support in the face of Russia's war, EU chief Charles Michel said.

This Town Tomorrow

At 11:00 a.m., join the CSIS Missile Defense Project for a fresh assessment of key issues related to boost-phase missile defense.

And, at 11:00 a.m., the Chicago Council on Global Affairs examines Russia’s gas squeeze on Europe and the impact on climate policies.

Then, at 12:00 p.m., the Wilson Center hosts a discussion about U.S. support to Ukraine four months after Russia's invasion.

Video

Earlier today, the CSIS Pacific Partners Initiative assessed recent developments in the Pacific region and U.S. relations with Pacific Islands Countries in an increasingly contested geopolitical landscape. Watch the event here.

Podcasts

This week, CSIS Burke Chair Eliot Cohen joins to evaluate the latest developments in Ukraine as well as U.S. support for Kyiv.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Van Morrison’s most epic performance captured on film was at The Band’s “Last Waltz.” I never get tired of this one.

I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz

The Evening is my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day. It is composed with the External Relations team: Kendal Gee and Paige Montfort.