The G7 nations agree to set up a donor platform to funnel money to Ukraine

The leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations on Monday pledged their unwavering support for Ukraine as they agreed on elements of a new system to funnel short- and long-term funding to a war-torn nation facing a bitterly cold winter and continued Russian aggression, as the NYT reports.

Ukraine Presses West for Advanced Weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed Western leaders on Monday to provide more advanced weapons to help his country in its war with Russia, and he repeated his calls for Russian forces to withdraw from occupied areas of Ukraine, suggesting Christmas as a retreat date, as the AP reports.

Japanese Defense Buildup

Alarmed by increasing security threats and the risk of war in the Indo-Pacific, Japan will seek to purchase hundreds of U.S.-built Tomahawk cruise missiles as part of a major defense buildup unprecedented in the postwar period, as The Washington Post reports.

Executive Education

Apply to CSIS's flagship leadership program, the AILA International Fellowship, which equips aspiring global leaders to be effective and ethical changemakers. Through an intensive and interactive week of seminars and experiential learning, AILA International Fellows will gain a deeper understanding of global policy and their own leadership skills.

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

2 billion

European Union foreign ministers on Monday agreed to provide an extra 2 billion euros in funding for the European Peace Facility, a program used to reimburse member states for sending weapons to Ukraine.

Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

“It is a terrible war in Ukraine. It is also a war that can become a full-fledged war that spreads into a major war between NATO and Russia. We are working on that every day to avoid that.”

— NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg

iDeas Lab

On November 29, 2022, the CSIS International Security Program hosted Netherlands' Minister of Justice and Security, Ms. Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, for a panel discussion on the threats posed by extremism to modern democracies and their magnification by social media. Watch the ReCap 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: Chris McGrath/Getty Images.) A building burns after being hit by Russian shelling on December 12, 2022 in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Russia continues its campaign to seize Bakhmut, Donetsk region, in what many analysts regard as an offensive with more symbolic value than operational importance for Russia.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:00 a.m., CSIS hosts a Smart Women, Smart Power conversation with Ambassador Julianne Smith, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO.

Later, at 11:00 a.m., the CSIS Africa Program holds a conversation on the challenges and opportunities for strengthening ties between the U.S. and African countries during this week's U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.

Also at 11:00 a.m., the CSIS Trustee Chair in Chinese Business hosts the first annual Big Data China Conference.

Video

The European Union and the United States convened outside of Washington, D.C. on December 5th for the third ministerial meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC). Today, CSIS experts discussed the results of the ministerial. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

Michael Green and Jude Blanchette sit down with Pete Connolly, a retired officer in the Australian Defence Force and adjunct fellow with the Asia Program at CSIS, to discuss Chinese statecraft in the Pacific Islands.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

I’m often asked about what is new and worth listening to in New Orleans these days and who to go see live when you’re in the Big Easy. While the music scene isn’t what it was in the late 1980s-90s of the Neville Brothers era, it’s firing back to life in a big way now that clubs have been open for a minute since they closed for Covid.

If you’re in New Orleans anytime soon, I’d make it a point to try to catch the Grammy nominated musicians of The Rumble who incorporate a bit of every Crescent City musical style into their act to establish a fresh sound of their own.

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.