Russia Expands Territorial Aims

Russia’s ambitions in Ukraine now stretch beyond the country’s eastern territories, the country’s foreign minister said Wednesday, a departure from the Kremlin’s earlier claims that it is not waging a war of imperial expansion, as the NYT reports.

Russia’s Gas Commitments

Vladimir Putin said Russia would fulfill its commitments to supply natural gas to Europe but warned that flows via the Nord Stream pipeline could be curbed soon if sanctions prevent additional maintenance on its components, as the WSJ reports.

Italy’s Draghi Falls Short

Italy’s government broke apart in rancor on Wednesday, as major parties sat out a confidence vote and delivered a stinging blow to Prime Minister Mario Draghi, setting the stage for his likely resignation, as the Washington Post 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

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Data Unpacked,” Testify,” “What's Happening,” “Preview,” and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

15%

As Russia weaponizes energy, the EU announced a target for member states to reduce their gas demand by 15% between August and March of next year.

Source: CNN

Critical Quote

“Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon.”

— Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President

iDeas Lab

New satellite imagery analyzed by CSIS shows the first stages of construction are now actively being pursued at North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station.

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: Jabin Botsford/POOL/AFP/Getty Images.) Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska is introduced by U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as she arrives to give an address to members of the United States Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on July 20, 2022.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:00 a.m., the CSIS Trustee Chair hosts Thomas Orlik, chief economist for Bloomberg Economics, to discuss his new book book, China: The Bubble That Never Pops.

Then, at 11:00 a.m., the CSIS Economics Program hosts the German and U.S. G7 sherpas for a conversation about the commitments made during the G7 summit in Germany.

And, at 1:30 p.m., Brookings holds a discussion on the United States' domestic renewal, featuring a panel that includes CSIS's Jude Blanchette and Sujai Shivakumar.

Video

This morning, the CSIS Scholl Chair and the CSIS Energy Security & Climate Change Program hosted Senator Sheldon Whitehouse to discuss the Clean Competition Act. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

Caitlin Chin, a fellow in the CSIS Strategic Technologies Program, speaks with Zach Meyers, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, on the forthcoming Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act in the EU.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

If there is anyone cooler than sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell of the band Larkin Poe, I don’t know who they are. The Georgia roots rock stars who named the band after their great-great-great-great-grandfather just posted this rousing cover of the Steve Miller Band classic “The Joker.” Such a smile.

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: Paige Montfort, Claire Dannenbaum, and Claire Smrt.