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Updated Resources - November 20, 2024
A Ukrainian flag suspended on barricades in front of the White House during a protest against the war, shortly after the Russian invasion in 2022. 27 February 2022 (Amaury Laporte, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Kyiv Independent: Newsfeed
Novaya Gazeta Europe: Newsfeed
The Insider: Newsfeed
The Telegraph via Apple Podcasts - Ukraine: The Latest
Ukrainian flag in front of the White House during a protest against the war shortly after the Russian invasion. 27 February 2022 (Amaury Laporte, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
WHAT'S ON OUR MIND
In addition to our weekly resource update, today we also offer an updated collection of pieces on the Israeli-Hamas war.
The impact of a US election with wide ranging implications for international dynamics has begun to ripple across the global landscape. In Washington, the Biden administration reverses course, authorizing the use of long-range missiles and anti-personnel mines to provision Ukraine before January’s inauguration and potential shifts to US foreign policy, but experts question how substantially their use will turn the tides. Kyiv rushes to secure pledged aid from the West, while attempting to navigate and decipher fluctuating parameters for relations with the next Administration. Europe contemplates the future of NATO and signals increasingly urgent desire to end the war. Visit this week’s edition of our resource page for insights and analysis of these developments.
Sunday’s announcement that Biden has authorized limited use of ATACMS to strike Russian targets in response to the deployment of North Korean troops in aid of Russia is examined in The Washington Post, while the BBC details Ukraine’s first use of this long-sought after weapons system. The former notes that yesterday, Biden approved the use of antipersonnel land mines. These decisions coincide with French and British authorization to conduct deep strikes on Russian territory with Storm Shadow (SCALP) cruise missiles, as outlined by The Kyiv Independent. Meduza publishes the Kremlin’s past warnings and first reaction to Biden’s authorization, and Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists suggests this authorization is ‘too little too late’.
The Washington Post examines the Biden administration’s effort to render as much support to Ukraine as possible ahead of January’s presidential inauguration and Europe’s increasing consideration of territorial concessions to end the war. In another piece, the former publication delves deeper into this issue of ‘land-for-peace’ as, in the aftermath of the US election, Ukraine’s European allies look to the option with more urgency.
The perils and impracticalities of American isolationism and European fears of the US ‘pivot’ toward Asia are explored in Desk Russie’s piece on the ‘Europeanization’ of NATO. On this issue, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace identifies the issues that should be top of mind for European leaders, suggesting that urgent action is needed.
Towards further dynamics at play in Europe, Al Jazeera reports on the first phone call in two years between the leaders of Russia and Germany, initiated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a move seen by many as preparation for president-elect Trump’s return to office in January and February’s snap election in Germany. Responsible Statecraft explores the implications of earlier reporting suggesting that Scholz informally hinted at opposition to NATO membership for Ukraine, suggesting instead the ‘Finlandization’ neutrality option.
In The Moscow Times, Zelensky responds to the undulating geopolitical seas, stating that Kyiv would like to bring an end to the war via diplomatic means next year. Kyiv’s precarious balancing act in navigating relations with the incoming US administration is explored in Foreign Affairs. Meduza’s conversation with top Zelensky aide, Mykhailo Podolyak, provides insight into Ukrainian authorities’ view of the US political landscape in flux.
Kyiv and Moscow’s reactions to Trump’s re-election in a piece from The New Yorker that examines what each contingent wants from his second term. Re: Russia outlines ‘every day’ Russian and elites’ propensity towards the president-elect via polling data. The Kyiv Independent examines what Putin may hope to achieve in Ukraine before the US president-elect takes office. The Russian leader’s resolve to reclaim Kursk prior to stepping up to the negotiating table, and the fierce counteroffensive now faced by Ukrainian troops in the region, are detailed in The Washington Post.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists surveys global security and nuclear experts for their view of the next four years, and The Moscow Times catalogs the stances of Trump’s cabinet nominees on Russia and Ukraine over time. In the absence of a decisive victory, the potential for shifts in leadership to uncover new paths to the negotiating table is touted in a perspective from The Wilson Center. Similarly, a piece from Novaya Gazeta Europe urges caution in predicting Ukraine’s doom during Trump’s second term.
In videos, Yulia Navalnaya’s first major Russian-language interview since Navalny’s death, Ukraine’s economy during and after the war, and former US Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst discusses the future of US policy towards Ukraine. Find also a discussion of the Smithsonian Institute Cultural Rescue Initiative's endeavor to preserve Ukrainian cultural heritage. In the arts, London’s Finborough theatre spotlights the siege of Mariupol, a clown who brings respite to Ukraine’s hospitals pens a testimony to the spirit of play defeating fear, and celebrated musicians pay tribute to Russian pianist and anti-war activist Pavel Kushnir who passed away in a Russian pre-trial detention center.
Find these stories and more on today’s Russia-Ukraine resource page. Visit our blog for the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas War, as well as reflections from our network.
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