NEWSLETTER
Thursday / September 29Sep 29
Thursday / June 30
US reinforces Europe
US President Joe Biden pledged more American troops, warplanes and warships for Europe on Wednesday as Nato agreed to the biggest strengthening of its deterrents since the Cold War in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Biden’s pledge at the Madrid summit “to defend every inch of allied territory” came as the US-led military alliance also set in motion a new plan to reinforce the Baltic states and Poland against any future Russian attack.
The United States is also adding to the 100,000 personnel already in Europe by sending more warships to Spain, planes to Britain, pre-positioned weapons to the Baltics and more soldiers to Romania.
US assesment of Putin's plans
Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to seize most of Ukraine, but his forces are so degraded by combat that they likely can only achieve incremental gains in the near term, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Wednesday.
"In short, the picture remains pretty grim and Russia's attitude toward the West is hardening," Haines said.
Haines said U.S. intelligence agencies see three possible scenarios, the most likely being a grinding conflict in which Russian forces "make incremental gains, with no breathrough."
The other scenarios include a major Russian breakthrough and Ukraine succeeding in stabilizing the frontlines while achieving small gains, perhaps near the Russian-held city of Kherson and other areas of southern Ukraine.
It will take years for Russia to rebuild its forces, she said.
"During this period, we anticipate that they're going to be more reliant on assymetric tools that they have, such as cyber attacks, efforts to control energy, even nuclear weapons in order to try to manage and project power and influence globally," Haines said.
Putin warns Sweden, Finland
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would respond in kind if NATO deployed troops and infrastructure in Finland and Sweden after they join the U.S.-led military alliance.
"With Sweden and Finland, we don't have the problems that we have with Ukraine. They want to join NATO, go ahead," Putin told Russian state television.
"But they must understand there was no threat before, while now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in kind and create the same threats for the territories from which threats towards us are created."
He said it was inevitable that Moscow's relations with Helsinki and Stockholm would sour over their NATO membership.
"Everything was fine between us, but now there might be some tensions, there certainly will. It's inevitable if there is a threat to us," he said.
EU warns UK
The European Commission is willing to negotiate trading arrangements for Northern Ireland with Britain, but only if talks are constructive and do not resume with an outcome already set by London.
"Our doors are open for negotiations but it has to be constructive negotiations and it cannot be done in a way that we negotiate but the result is given in advance," Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic told a news conference in Brussels.
Sefcovic later delivered a speech in London. Sefcovic told his British audience that the UK bill was not only a violation of international law but would lead to "constant uncertainty".
US President Joe Biden pledged more American troops, warplanes and warships for Europe on Wednesday as Nato agreed to the biggest strengthening of its deterrents since the Cold War in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Biden’s pledge at the Madrid summit “to defend every inch of allied territory” came as the US-led military alliance also set in motion a new plan to reinforce the Baltic states and Poland against any future Russian attack.
The United States is also adding to the 100,000 personnel already in Europe by sending more warships to Spain, planes to Britain, pre-positioned weapons to the Baltics and more soldiers to Romania.
US assesment of Putin's plans
Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to seize most of Ukraine, but his forces are so degraded by combat that they likely can only achieve incremental gains in the near term, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Wednesday.
"In short, the picture remains pretty grim and Russia's attitude toward the West is hardening," Haines said.
Haines said U.S. intelligence agencies see three possible scenarios, the most likely being a grinding conflict in which Russian forces "make incremental gains, with no breathrough."
The other scenarios include a major Russian breakthrough and Ukraine succeeding in stabilizing the frontlines while achieving small gains, perhaps near the Russian-held city of Kherson and other areas of southern Ukraine.
It will take years for Russia to rebuild its forces, she said.
"During this period, we anticipate that they're going to be more reliant on assymetric tools that they have, such as cyber attacks, efforts to control energy, even nuclear weapons in order to try to manage and project power and influence globally," Haines said.
Putin warns Sweden, Finland
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would respond in kind if NATO deployed troops and infrastructure in Finland and Sweden after they join the U.S.-led military alliance.
"With Sweden and Finland, we don't have the problems that we have with Ukraine. They want to join NATO, go ahead," Putin told Russian state television.
"But they must understand there was no threat before, while now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in kind and create the same threats for the territories from which threats towards us are created."
He said it was inevitable that Moscow's relations with Helsinki and Stockholm would sour over their NATO membership.
"Everything was fine between us, but now there might be some tensions, there certainly will. It's inevitable if there is a threat to us," he said.
EU warns UK
The European Commission is willing to negotiate trading arrangements for Northern Ireland with Britain, but only if talks are constructive and do not resume with an outcome already set by London.
"Our doors are open for negotiations but it has to be constructive negotiations and it cannot be done in a way that we negotiate but the result is given in advance," Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic told a news conference in Brussels.
Sefcovic later delivered a speech in London. Sefcovic told his British audience that the UK bill was not only a violation of international law but would lead to "constant uncertainty".
