Esper predicts classified documents leak 'could ripple for some time'

Mike Brest

April 11, 03:33 PM April 11, 03:33 PM

The damage inflicted by the trove of classified documents released in recent days and weeks could be lasting, according to former Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

Dozens of photos of classified U.S. documents have appeared on social media platforms recently, though it's unclear the sheer volume of the leak, the authenticity of the documents, and whether the perpetrator has additional documents they plan to release moving forward. At this stage in the investigations, led by the Department of Defense and Department of Justice, there are more questions than answers.

LEAKED PENTAGON DOCUMENTS SHOW HOW DEEP US HAS PENETRATED RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE

Esper, who served during the Trump administration, told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday that "there are multiple impacts here that could ripple for some time depending on, again, the scale and scope of this leak, and of course, we have to find out whether it is authentic."

The classified documents released include insights on the war in Ukraine and purportedly showed the United States was spying on allies like Israel and South Korea as well.

One document, labeled "top secret," provided a bleak assessment of Ukraine’s highly anticipated spring offensive. This document, from early February, warned that large “force generation and sustainment shortfalls” make it more likely that the offensive will result in only “modest territorial gains,” according to the Washington Post.

The documents also indicate Ukraine has had alarmingly low levels of Western-supplied weaponry, specifically air defense and ammunition, which have long been concerns of Ukraine.

"At the tactical level in Ukraine, this could obviously have an impact on the conflict there at the strategic level with Russia. I mean, it appears that the means by which we acquire information, those sources and methods could get affected," the former secretary added. "There are pieces of this information that are that can be remedied, right, reports on Ukrainian air defense ammunition being low, we can fix that; we can provide them additional systems, ammunition, you name it, so I'm less concerned about that."

A different document also revealed that the U.S. had information from the Russian Ministry of Defense and knew of their plans to strike Ukrainian troop positions in two locations and when, which is where Esper's concern resides. He's worried about what the Kremlin may do "about plugging up, walling up sources and methods, and did somebody jeopardize the lives of people who were on the ground helping us acquire information."

Esper also emphasized the ongoing investigations, which he predicted "will take some time," arguing that the department has to get a better understanding of the leak, how to stop it, and can then determine how to respond accordingly. Until then, he said he would "tighten the circle of people who have access to this information."

The leaked documents don't only contain details about the war in Ukraine but have also included allies like Israel and South Korea.

"The trust issue with allies may take some time to rebuild, and again, this is assuming that these reports are true or not, but it's going to take some time to rebuild, and that's what I get concerned about as well. How do you, in a world in which you know the democracies are pushing back against the autocracies — there needs to be a good degree of trust among those democracies that sensitive information won't be shared or won't be exposed to the wrong party. So that's going to take some time as well," Esper said.

South Korean and U.K. officials have said some of the released documents appear to be manipulated.

Milley says Ukraine unlikely to retake all of its territory this year

Mike Brest

April 01, 09:55 AM April 01, 09:55 AM

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Staff, believes it's unlikely that Ukraine will accomplish its goal of recapturing all of its territory that's under Russian occupation by the end of the year.

Milley's assessment, which is in line with a similar assessment of his from the fall, is a stark one given Kyiv's stated goals of pushing all Russian forces out of Ukrainian territory, Crimea included.

UKRAINE HONORS ANNIVERSARY OF BUCHA LIBERATION, RECOGNIZES ATROCITIES

“I don't think it's likely to be done in the near term for this year,” Milley said in an interview with Defense One on Friday.

“Zelensky has publicly stated many times that the Ukrainian objective is to kick every Russian out of Russian-occupied Ukraine. And that is a significant military task. Very, very difficult military task," he added. "You're looking at a couple hundred thousand Russians who are still in Russian-occupied Ukraine. I'm not saying it can't be done. I'm just saying it's a very difficult task."

The front lines of the war are currently in the town of Bahkmut in the eastern part of Ukraine. The fighting has gone on near the city for months, with the Russians making incremental gains while both sides have suffered significant casualty counts.

"It's a slaughter-fest for the Russians," Milley told lawmakers this week. "They're getting hammered in the vicinity of Bahkmut, and the Ukrainians have fought very, very well," later adding, "It's probably about 6,000 or so actual mercenaries and maybe another 20 or 30,000 recruits that they get, many of whom come from prisons."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week that he's concerned the will of the Ukrainian people to keep fighting may be on the line with Bakhmut.

“Our society will feel tired" if they lose Bakhmut, he said. “Our society will push me to have compromise with them.”

One of Ukraine’s biggest asks of the United States in terms of military aid that the Biden administration has not complied with is for ATACMS long-range missiles. Milley explained in the Defense One interview that the administration isn’t providing them because the U.S. doesn’t have enough of them in its stockpiles.

“Well, there's a policy decision to date not to, so far. And I would never predict anything on the table, off the table, for the future," he said. "But from a military standpoint, we have relatively few ATACMS, we do have to make sure that we maintain our own munitions inventories, as well. And the range of the weapon — I think there's a little bit of overstating of what an ATACMS can do and can't do.”

The joint chief, who is only six months from leaving the position, also warned lawmakers this week that U.S. munition stockpiles are in a dangerous position that needs DOD attention.

“If there was a war on the Korean peninsula or great power war between the United States and Russia or the United States and China, the consumption rates would be off the charts,” Milley said in testimony to the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. “So I’m concerned. I know the secretary is ... we’ve got a ways to go to make sure our stockpiles are prepared for the real contingencies.”

The department is seeking $30 million in the 2024 fiscal year budget to invest in the industrial base and to “buy the maximum number of munitions that American industry can produce,” Austin said during the same hearing.

German Leopard 2 tanks and first British tanks arrive in Ukraine

Mike Brest

March 27, 05:02 PM March 27, 05:02 PM

Ukraine received its first tanks from Germany and the United Kingdom, among other tactical vehicles, officials of all three countries announced on Monday.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Facebook they had received Challengers, main battle tanks, from the U.K.; Strykers, infantry fighting vehicles, and Cougars, infantry mobility vehicles from the mine-resistant ambush-protected family, from the U.S.; and Marders, infantry fighting vehicles, from Germany.

AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL MADE ENEMIES THINKS US 'FECKLESS' FORMER CENTCOM COMMANDER SAYS

“A year ago, no one could have imagined that the support of our partners would be so strong. That the entire civilized world would reboot and eventually resist the bloody aggressor, the terrorist country of Russia,” he said. “This year, everything has changed. Ukraine has changed the world. The resilience of the Ukrainian people and the skill of our army convinced everyone that Ukraine will win.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany had also delivered the much-sought-after 18 German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine that had been promised to them.

“Our tanks, as promised, arrived on time in the hands of our Ukrainian friends," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on social media. "I am sure that they can do something important at the front!”

Germany had initially refused to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, going as far as to give them up only if President Joe Biden did the same with U.S. tanks. Biden ultimately gave in, ending the stalemate when he announced a plan to provide Ukraine with 31 M1A2 Abrams tanks, though the Pentagon later decided they would provide them with M1A1 tanks because it would reduce the length of time before they would arrive in Ukraine.

By making the change, the tanks will reach Ukraine "by the fall of this year," Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters last week, while initially officials thought it could take longer.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier this month that the U.S. and allies had collectively provided Ukraine with "more than nine brigades of tanks and other armored vehicles."

Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, who led US troops' Afghanistan exit, backs Hill investigation

Mike Brest

March 23, 11:14 PM March 23, 11:14 PM

Retired Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie, formerly the leader of U.S. Central Command, oversaw America's military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, nearly 20 years after the 9/11 attacks plunged the nation into a long-term commitment. But the Afghanistan troop withdrawal has long been a sore subject for House Republicans, who hold a narrow 222-213 majority and are now in a position to hold oversight hearings.

House Republicans are, among other moves, asking the Biden administration for documents about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. In the final weeks of the U.S. presence in the landlocked Central Asian country, the Taliban secured shocking territorial gains. Biden had to order troops to protect an airport perimeter to evacuate U.S. Embassy staff.

REVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL TO BE RELEASED BY MID-APRIL, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity]

Washington Examiner: The House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the withdrawal earlier this month — did you happen to pay attention to it?

McKenzie: I did not get an opportunity to examine it closely, no. I didn't.

Washington Examiner: Two of the six witnesses were service members who were on the ground at Abbey Gate. One of them, Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, lost limbs in the ISIS-K bombing, and both he and another service member at the gate discussed what they described as a lack of accountability. Can you talk about accountability?

McKenzie: Well, I'm not familiar with what they had to say, so there's not much I can really give you on that. I can tell you that we were focused very closely on what was going on in and around Kabul on that day — and the loss of life, casualties, tragic. Everybody that was associated with that is going to live with that for the rest of their lives, no more than those young men and women who were on the ground there. But I can tell you that we did everything we could within our power to protect them and to carry out the mission that we were given.

Washington Examiner: Sgt. Vargas-Andrews said that he and the service members he was with spotted the ISIS-K bomber ahead of the bombing and notified the people in their command. Are you aware of any service members who thought they identified the bomber ahead of time?

McKenzie: I'm not aware of that. And I'm not aware of any reporting from any source any time that would corroborate that.

Washington Examiner: This was the first of what's expected to be many hearings on Capitol Hill. Tell me about your expectations from Congress regarding oversight.

McKenzie: Well, I would hope that — first of all, I think it's a good thing. I think oversight is a good and necessary thing. So I think it's commendable that we're doing this. I think that that's the function that the Congress provides. I would hope that as they execute this oversight, they will do several things. First, they will examine the totality of the war, which lasted over 20 years and involved multiple administrations. They will examine all of the agencies of the executive branch that participated in these operations over this 20-year period. Then, I hope they would also examine their own responsibilities over the 20-year period.

Washington Examiner: How does the Pentagon go about holding itself accountable for a 20-year-long war?

McKenzie: So, I think that the secretary of defense has commissioned at least one study on the endgame of the war. But I think that there will be a deliberate process that looks at the totality of our experience in that war. We do a pretty good job of after-action reports. And so I would assume that's going on. I'm not in a position now to know what actions are being taken. But again, there's a lot more here than military equity in this operation. A lot of other parts of the U.S. government and the international community bears responsibility for what happened in Afghanistan. So I don't think it's possible to focus on one element of it and draw global conclusions from that. I think you need to look at everybody who was there, all the entities that were there, what they did and didn't do, and how effective they were.

Washington Examiner: How far back in the war should they go?

McKenzie: I think you should start at the very beginning. I think you should look at decisions that were made when we first went into Afghanistan, should go back to the Bonn conference, should do a variety of things. There are all kinds of things to take a look at there, and there are places to go to do that examination.

Washington Examiner: Can you talk about the terror threat from Afghanistan since the U.S. left?

McKenzie: Well, I think what we've seen from the Taliban is a systematic deconstruction of society to reduce it to a medieval or even a premedieval state erosion of human rights — human rights, education, and everything else that goes into a modern functioning society, even if it's not a society on the Western model. All of that's being systematically deconstructed by the Taliban. As for what's going on there in terms of their ability to deal with terrorist platforms, I would look no further than the statement from [CENTCOM's current commander,] Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla's testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he warned about the possibility of external attacks by ISIS within the next six months or so. So I would defer to the current commander for an opinion on that.

Washington Examiner: Talk about your opinion on how the U.S. can handle it going forward.

McKenzie: So I said before, it would be very difficult, not impossible, and I think that's the way to describe it. It will be very difficult to maintain pressure, counterterrorism pressure in Afghanistan over the horizon. Nothing's happened since then to make me change that opinion.

Washington Examiner: Has the Afghan withdrawal had an effect on current events, like with China and Russia?

McKenzie: I think our actions in August 2021 convinced potential opponents that we were weak and feckless, and they may have drawn certain conclusions from that. I believe that they were wrong in those conclusions, that we would not stand behind our friends, that we couldn't be depended on in a crisis, and that we would turn and run from places of danger. That has proven not to be the case in Ukraine, and I'm very proud of the actions that the United States and our partners have taken to support Ukraine against Russia's unjust and aggressive war.

Washington Examiner: How does the U.S. vs. China and Russia feud play out regarding China's consideration of providing lethal aid to Russia?

McKenzie: I think should China provide lethal aid to Russia, that would be an act of shocking irresponsibility.

Washington Examiner: To go back to the Hill, would you testify in front of Congress? And what do you expect of your role as former CENTCOM commander as it relates to oversight?

McKenzie: I think Congress has a key role to play in oversight. I think we should welcome that oversight. It's the way our republic is designed. So they have a key role to play. So I welcome the oversight that they're going to provide here in the investigations they're going to do. As to my level of participation, I don't know, and I'm not willing to say now.

China's Xi leaves meeting with Putin without pledging military cooperation

Mike Brest

March 22, 11:29 AM March 22, 11:29 AM

Chinese leader Xi Jinping left Moscow on Wednesday after his multiday visit in which he and Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for continued and growing bilateral relations, but neither made any mention of military assistance.

Xi's highly anticipated and choreographed three-day trip projected unity for the growing partnership as both face an increasingly tense outlook with the West. Leaders globally were focused on the two leaders' discussion of Russia's war in Ukraine and whether Beijing would provide Russia with lethal aid, as U.S. officials have warned for about a month.

PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA SUPPORTS 'MANY OF THE PROVISIONS' IN CHINA'S UKRAINE PEACE PLAN

Beijing has repeatedly attempted to position itself as a neutral arbiter. However, it has not condemned the war and has often pushed Russia's account of the war, and a recently published peace plan from China was quickly dismissed as a nonstarter by Ukraine and its allies due to the tenets of the deal that would benefit Russia.

Putin said he supports "many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China" on Tuesday, which includes a ceasefire that would freeze the current battlefield positions in place, effectively solidifying Russia's gains, which U.S. officials have explained would provide Russia the opportunity to refit, resupply, and redeploy its troops for a future offensive.

The two leaders did not discuss Ukraine's peace plan, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, according to Russian state media outlet Tass.

U.S. officials have denounced the Chinese peace plan and warned preemptively that Xi may seek to play the role of peacemaker in the war.

"I don't think you can reasonably look at China as impartial in any way," National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said on Tuesday. "They haven't condemned this invasion. They haven't stopped buying Russian oil and Russian energy."

While there was no public mention of military aid, the two leaders affirmed their country's growing partnership. They jointly signed and released the Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era.

“Russia reaffirmed that it was committed to restarting peace talks as soon as possible, and China expressed its approval,” an excerpt from the joint statement said. “Settlement of the Ukraine crisis must respect the reasonable security concerns of every country and prevent the formation of confrontational blocs that add fuel to the flames.”

The White House made a sharp rebuttal to the joint statement, accusing China of parroting Russian propaganda.

“If China wants to play a constructive role in this conflict, then it ought to press Russia to pull troops out of Ukraine,” Kirby added.

U.S. officials reiterated this week that they have not seen intelligence to suggest China has decided to provide Russia with lethal aid.

British intelligence warns Russia likely preparing for wider military conscription

Misty Severi

March 18, 06:52 PM March 18, 06:53 PM

Russian forces are likely preparing for a larger military conscription amid its war in Ukraine, after Russia's parliament introduced a bill that raises the age of service from 18-27, to 21-30, intelligence from the United Kingdom claimed.

In a defense update, British intelligence officials reported on Saturday that the legislation is likely to pass parliament and will go into effect in January. However, the aging out increase would go into effect immediately. Raising the minimum age to serve would rise slightly through 2026.

HOW THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT HELPS PUTIN WITH ITS ARREST WARRANT

Young men in Russia often exempt conscription into the military to pursue higher education. However, raising the age requirement means that men will now likely serve at some point. Although the men are not supposed to fight in Ukraine, British intelligence said it believes hundreds are fighting anyways because of "mismanagement."

Another way Russia can send troops to fight in the war is by sending them to the four territories, such as Crimea, that have been annexed from Ukraine, the Moscow Times reported. Russia views the annexed lands as part of its own.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of its reserve forces in September to replace depleted troops. The move was the first time that a large call-up had been issued in Russia since World War II. The partial mobilization supplied as many as 300,000 reservists. The call-up resorted in numerous protests throughout the country.

Putin also approved a bill in December that would increase the Russian military from 1.15 million soldiers to 1.5 million. Russia has continued calling forward forces twice a year since the days of the Soviet Union, but the partial mobilization did not count towards the twice annual call-up, according to British intelligence.

Russia entered its second year of war with Ukraine in February, and has been charged with war crimes related to deporting children from Ukraine. The International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands, issued an arrest warrant for Putin on Friday. Although Putin has not commented on the charges, a spokesman for the Kremlin claimed the charges were "outrageous and unacceptable."

Biden expresses support for Putin arrest warrant: 'Clearly committed war crimes'

Cami Mondeaux

March 18, 10:25 AM March 18, 10:25 AM

President Joe Biden expressed support for the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling the move “justified.”

“I think it makes a very strong point,” Biden told reporters on Friday. “[Putin] has clearly committed war crimes.”

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR PUTIN

The ICC announced the warrant on Friday, citing “reasonable grounds” to arrest the Russian president for his actions related to the war in Ukraine. Specifically, the court accused Putin of being “allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”

Biden’s support of the move is largely symbolic, as the United States is not a member of the ICC, nor does it recognize the group internationally. However, Biden expressed support for further investigations into Putin’s alleged war crimes.

The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the commissioner for children’s rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, whom they said also shared responsibility for his alleged crimes. ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmanski said in a video statement that the judges involved in the case decided to publicize the warrants "in the interest of justice and to prevent the commission of future crimes."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the ICC for its “historic” decision, but the move prompted criticism from Russian officials who called the move “outrageous and unacceptable.”

The arrest warrant comes just one day after the United Nations concluded that Russia’s forced deportation of children amounts to a “war crime.”

The number of children deported remains unclear to international investigators, though Ukrainian officials have said they have identified more than 16,000 specific children who were deported to Russia. U.N. investigators note that both governments at various times “have declared that hundreds of thousands of children have been transferred from Ukraine to the Russian Federation” since the beginning of the war more than a year ago.

Defense reporter Mike Brest contributed to this report.

Chris Christie rips DeSantis's Ukraine take: 'Hopelessly naive or hopelessly cynical'

Ryan King

March 15, 06:28 PM March 15, 06:28 PM

Former New Jersey GOP Gov. Chris Christie ripped Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-FL) characterization of the conflict in Ukraine as a "territorial dispute."

Joining a bevy of other Republicans speaking out against the Florida governor's remarks, Christie contended that "DeSantis is either hopelessly naive or hopelessly cynical" with his take on the war in Ukraine, stressing that the conflict is a bloody war of aggression by Russia.

CHRIS CHRISTIE KNOCKS TRUMP OVER SMALLER CROWD SIZES AT CPAC: 'HE’S NOT WHAT HE USED TO BE'

"This is not a territorial dispute, as Gov. DeSantis said. A territorial dispute is when you take a survey of your property at home and your neighbor's fence is 6 inches over your property line," Christie told the Washington Examiner. "This is an authoritarian regime who is invading a sovereign democratic country and trying to take its land by force."

Earlier in the week, WHD News host Tucker Carlson read responses from potential 2024 GOP aspirants to his questions about Ukraine. DeSantis argued that "becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia" is not in America's vital national interests.

“While the U.S. has many vital national interests — securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness with our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural, and military power of the Chinese Communist Party — becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” DeSantis told Carlson.

Christie conveyed to Carlson that he viewed "Russia’s aggression against Ukraine [as] a national security issue that threatens our alliances and our standing in the world."

Other prominent Republicans, such as 2024 GOP hopeful and onetime U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Senate Republican Whip John John Thune (SD), and Sens. Lindsey Graham (SC), and Marco Rubio (FL), have publicly split from DeSantis on Ukraine.

"All we're doing is helping the Ukrainians defend themselves," Christie continued. "If America walks away from that leadership role in the world, believe me, that vacuum will be filled ... by the Chinese and the Russians. And that will not make it a safer or more secure world. I think on this, Gov. DeSantis is either hopelessly naive or hopelessly cynical."

DeSantis has been widely pegged in second place after former President Donald Trump by myriad polls of a hypothetical 2024 GOP primary.

Christie also laid out a time frame for when he will decide on whether or not he will run in 2024.

"Next 45 to 60 days," Christie said. "I think running for president of the United States is an intensely personal decision. And that's one that anybody who's considering it should have the right to make on their own, regardless of anybody else's thoughts on it."

US announces $400 million military aid package for Ukraine

Mike Brest

March 03, 01:22 PM March 03, 01:22 PM

The Biden administration announced its newest military aid package for Ukraine on Friday worth an estimated $400 million and mainly consisting of ammunition for the weapons it has already provided.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the package, which is the 33rd drawdown of U.S. stockpiles for Ukraine since August 2021, saying in a statement, “We are again reminded of the boundless courage and steadfast resolve of the people of Ukraine as well as the strong support for Ukraine in the international community.”

TIMELINE OF RUSSIA'S YEARLONG WAR IN UKRAINE

“This military assistance package includes more ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS and howitzers, which Ukraine is using so effectively to defend itself, as well as ammunition for Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges, demolitions munitions and equipment, and other maintenance, training, and support,” he added.

A day earlier, Blinken had a brief in-person conversation with his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in India. It was their first in-person meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine over a year ago.

During the conversation, which the U.S. diplomat requested, Blinken reiterated the country's long-term support for Ukraine. He also urged Russia to reverse its decision to suspend its participation in the New START nuclear treaty between the two countries, and he pushed Moscow for the release of detained American Paul Whelan.

President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are set to meet at the White House later on Friday.

The leaders are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine as well as the possibility China could provide lethal aid to Russia for the war.

Biden administration officials have warned for weeks that Beijing was considering such an action, hoping that it could preempt the lethal assistance, but have reiterated that it hasn't seen Beijing do it yet. U.S. officials have threatened consequences if China goes through with it, but officials have declined to specify what that would entail.

"I certainly would expect in the context of talking about what's going on in Ukraine that the issue of a third-party support to Russia could come up," National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said on Thursday in reference to whether Scholz and Blinken would discuss sanctions against China.

China deepens diplomatic support for Russia at G-20 meeting

Joel Gehrke

March 02, 11:46 AM March 02, 11:46 AM

China helped Russia block a joint G-20 statement that signaled opposition to the war in Ukraine, just a few months after Beijing backed a similar statement at a gathering of world leaders in Indonesia.

“You have virtually everyone in the G-20 signing on to what had already been stated in Bali, and the two holdouts, of course, were Russia and China,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in New Delhi. “So, I think we see broad consensus across the G-20 to work together, to act together, and to make commitments together.”

BLINKEN BRIEFLY MEETS WITH RUSSIAN COUNTERPART FOR FIRST TIME SINCE UKRAINE WAR

China reinforced Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opposition to the censorious language at the G-20 foreign ministers summit in India. Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping allowed the G-20 to memorialize international opposition to the war in November when he met with President Joe Biden on the sidelines of a G-20 leaders meeting that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend.

“Two countries, Russia and China, did not agree,” Indian external affairs ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said. “You need to ask them about why exactly, on how their perspective is, or are they no longer with that text from Bali? You have to ask them.”

The diplomatic shift comes in the context of Western warnings that Beijing may provide Russia with weapons for use in the war — a line of support, Blinken emphasized, that would provoke the U.S. and its allies to impose sanctions.

“I'm not going to detail what they would be, but of course, we have sanctions authorities of various kinds — that would certainly be one of the things that we and others would look at,” Blinken said Thursday. “This concern that China is considering providing lethal military assistance to Russia, this is a shared concern. And many other partners have raised this and not just raised this with us, but it's my understanding have raised it directly with China, including here today in Delhi.”

The Bali statement itself was a compromise document that acknowledged the United Nations General Assembly votes against the war but did not bind China to any specific rebuke.

“Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy — constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks,” the statement said. "There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions.”

'Kyiv stands tall': Biden vows to remain steadfast against Putin in Ukraine

Christian Datoc

February 21, 12:54 PM February 21, 12:54 PM

President Joe Biden sought to reaffirm U.S. support for Ukraine and targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech delivered in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday.

Biden's remarks, commemorating the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, came one day after a surprise visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he visited with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Earlier on Tuesday, Biden held bilateral talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.

SEE IT: BIDEN VISITS UKRAINE AHEAD OF ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF RUSSIAN INVASION

"I've just come from a visit to Kyiv," the president declared in his opening remarks. "Kyiv stands proud. It stands tall, and, most importantly, it stands free."

"When Russia invaded, it wasn't just Ukraine being tested. The whole world faced a test for the ages. Europe was being tested. America was being tested. NATO was being tested. All democracies were being tested. The questions we faced are as simple as they were profound. Would we respond?" he said. "One year later, we know the answers. Yes, we would stand up for sovereignty, and we did. Yes, we would stand up for the right of people to live free from aggression, and we did, and we will stand up for democracy, and we did. And yesterday, I had the honor to stand with President Zelensky in Kyiv to declare that we will keep standing up for these same things, no matter what."

Biden named Putin multiple times throughout his remarks and contrasted his miscalculations in the lead-up to the war with the "courage" of Zelensky, "forged" through "fire and steel."

"President Putin is confronted with something today that he didn't think was possible a year ago. The democracies of the world have grown stronger, not weaker, but the autocrats of the world have gotten weaker, not stronger," he said.

The Biden administration has stopped short of advocating regime change in Russia, but the president demanded that autocrats "must be opposed" on Tuesday.

"Tonight, I speak once more to the people of Russia. The United States and the nations of Europe do not seek to control or destroy Russia. The West was not plotting to attack Russia, as Putin said today. And the millions of Russian citizens who only want to live in peace with their neighbors are not the enemy," the president said. "This war is never a necessity. It's a tragedy. President Putin chose this war."

Biden's speech came ahead of an expected reelection campaign announcement and as some critics in the U.S. have questioned his handling of the war, specifically his seemingly open-ended pledge to support Ukraine's resistance for "as long as it takes."

National security adviser Jake Sullivan previewed Biden's remarks to reporters Tuesday morning and claimed the president will "speak to the larger contest between those aggressors who are trying to destroy fundamental principles and those democracies who are pulling together to try to uphold them."

"That tells you everything you need to know about who is responsible for this war," Sullivan stated. "This was a war of choice. Putin chose to fight it. He could have chosen not to, and he can choose even now to end it, to go home. No one is attacking Russia. There’s an absurdity to the notion that Russia was under some kind of military threat from Ukraine or anyone else."

Just prior to Biden's speech, the White House released a fact sheet outlining U.S. support for Ukraine throughout the first year of the war.

In total, the U.S. has supplied Ukraine nearly $45 billion in security and other aid, buttressed the country's frequently targeted energy system, and placed or expanded sanctions on more than 2,000 Russian people and entities. Furthermore, Biden said that the U.S. and allies will announce new sanctions next week in conjunction with the NATO summit in Washington, D.C.

The Biden administration, however, has not met Ukraine's request for F-16 fighter jets to patrol the skies over Kyiv and potentially go on the offensive against Russian forces.

You can watch Biden's remarks in full below.

How Biden's sneaky trip to Ukraine came together

Misty Severi

February 20, 09:02 PM February 20, 09:02 PM

President Joe Biden's "surprise" trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday was actually months in the making, U.S. officials revealed to Politico.

The president traveled to Kyiv to reaffirm his “unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” amid Ukraine's conflict with Russia and ahead of the war's one-year anniversary.

SEE IT: BIDEN VISITS UKRAINE AHEAD OF ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF RUSSIAN INVASION

“Coming over, the president was very focused on making sure he made the most of his time on the ground, which he knew was going to be limited,” Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters. “He was excited about making the trip.”

The unprecedented journey was organized through a handful of people across multiple agencies, including the White House chief of staff’s office, the National Security Council, the White House military office, the Pentagon, the Secret Service, and the intelligence community. The White House itself did not address the president's travel until he had safely arrived in Poland.

The trip itself started at 4:15 a.m. Saturday, when the president departed Joint Base Andrews to fly to Germany and then Poland. From Poland, Biden boarded an eight-car train for the overnight trip into Ukraine.

He arrived just after 8 a.m. Monday, according to Politico. Biden is expected to return to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

The trip included a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the unveiling of a new aid package to Ukraine that's valued at $500 million.

Jonathan Finer, the deputy national security adviser, served as the logistical point man for the trip. The final decision to go to Ukraine was not made until Friday after the president met with his national security team in the Oval Office.

“His security team was able to bring risk to a manageable level, and that was what ultimately led him to make the call to go,” Sullivan said. “He got a full presentation of a very good and very effective operational security plan. He heard that presentation, he was satisfied that the risk was manageable, and he ultimately made the determination.”

The White House informed Russia of Biden's visit to Ukraine ahead of time, Sullivan said, in an attempt to avoid conflict.

The rest of Biden's European trip is expected to take place in Poland, where he will make a speech. However, other members of the Biden administration are visiting other countries across Eurasia. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently in Greece.

Russia launches 'one of the most massive missile attacks' in the war, Ukraine says

Mike Brest

December 29, 11:26 AM December 29, 11:26 AM

Russian forces launched one of their largest aerial campaigns on Thursday, though Ukraine's military said it was able to shoot down 65 missiles.

Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said that infrastructure in Kyiv, in the north-central part of the country, and Odesa, in the south, were damaged in a missile barrage and subsequently were experiencing emergency power outages.

YEAR IN REVIEW: THE PENTAGON'S 2022 DEFINED BY HELPING UKRAINE IN WAR WITH RUSSIA

"Today the enemy carried out another massive attack on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine," Halushchenko said in a post on Facebook. "Unfortunately, there is some damage to generation facilities and power grids."

Earlier this week, Halushchenko said that the power situation across the country remains “really difficult” and warned that New Year's Eve could see "maximum damage to the energy system."

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said they were able to shoot down 65 drones, composed of both Russian missiles and Iranian-made drones that have been provided to Russia.

"Russian terrorists have been saving one of the most massive missile attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion for the last days of the year. They dream that Ukrainians will celebrate the New Year in darkness and cold. But they cannot defeat the Ukrainian people," Ukraine's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Twitter. "Today, Ukraine's Air defense forces shot down 54 Russian missiles and 11 Shahed-131/136 drones."

For three months, Russia has launched waves of missile attacks at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in what U.S. and Western officials say is a strategy designed to weaponize the winter climate to demoralize the population. The strikes, which are launched on roughly a weekly basis, frequently result in parts of the country losing electricity, heat, and running water, and the ensuing damage is putting extraordinary strain on Ukraine's energy grid.

The Western world has pledged more than a billion dollars to support Ukraine's efforts to secure and rebuild its power grid.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said earlier this week United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres should mediate a “peace” summit between his government and the Kremlin, and he'd like to see it happen by the end of February. However, he demanded that Moscow would need to face prosecution for war crimes in an international court before Ukraine would extend an invitation to the Kremlin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Kuleba’s proposal, telling state media Ria Novosti that they “never followed conditions set by others. Only our own and common sense.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin also claimed days ago that he’s ready to engage in talks to end the war and blamed Kyiv for not taking that step, saying in a state television interview that Russia is “prepared to negotiate some acceptable outcomes with all the participants of this process,” and he argued, “It’s not us who refuse talks, it’s them.”

What is the Patriot missile defense system Biden promised to Ukraine?

Misty Severi

December 22, 03:09 PM December 22, 03:12 PM

President Joe Biden promised to supply Ukraine with a Patriot missile defense system on Wednesday, which will help Ukraine defend itself against missiles from Russia.

The PATRIOT, which is short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a surface-to-air missile defense system that was built by Raytheon Technologies. It was first implemented in the Gulf War in 1991.

‘YOUR MONEY IS NOT CHARITY’: ZELENSKY TELLS CONGRESS WAR AID CAN SECURE VICTORY FOR UKRAINE

The Patriot system is regarded as one of the best air defense systems that the United States owns, and it will aid Ukraine by intercepting incoming missiles and enemy aircraft. The Patriot systems have four operational functions: communications, command and control, radar surveillance, and missile interceptor guidance, according to a NATO fact sheet.

It is also capable of using two possible interceptors, including the PAC-2 interceptor, which triggers a blast-fragmentation warhead, and the PAC-3 missile, which is more advanced and hits a target more directly.

"This is a very important step to create a secure air space for Ukraine. That’s the only way we would be able to deprive [Russia] and their terror attack to strike our energy structure, our people," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference with Biden.

Patriot systems cost the U.S. between $450 million and $550 million, and they usually come equipped with one radar unit, four to eight missile launching stations, a command and control center, and power and support vehicles, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary, told reporters.

"In terms of integration with other air defense systems, the Patriot will help Ukraine strengthen its layered, integrated approach to air defense," Ryder said. "In addition to Ukraine’s own legacy capabilities such as the S-300, PATRIOT will complement a range of medium- and short-range air defense capabilities that the U.S. and our international allies and partners have provided to Ukraine."

The technology will arrive in Ukraine in the next few months. But first, it will be sent to Germany, where the U.S. military will train Ukrainians on how to operate the new defense system. U.S. forces have been training Ukrainians in Germany since 2015, but they have revitalized the training after Russia invaded Ukraine. The first Ukrainian forces trained on U.S.-based weapon systems since the war began returned to Ukraine in May. Roughly 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in Germany now.

The recently passed National Defense Authorization Act also includes an additional $45 billion in security aid to Ukraine.

Raytheon has built more than 240 Patriot systems so far, which are used by 18 countries, including the U.S.

'We will find you': Russians using hit lists to hunt down influential Ukrainians

Rachel Schilke

December 21, 02:57 PM December 21, 03:02 PM

Several influential Ukrainians have been the targets of Russian forces as war between the two countries continues to escalate.

An investigation determined the Russians have been systemically targeting Ukrainians nationally and locally through torture, detention, and executions. The Ukrainians were hunted by name, and they held various positions, including government officials, journalists, activists, veterans, religious leaders, and lawyers, per the outlet.

RUSSIAN FORCES 'BREAKING' THEMSELVES, ZELENSKY SAYS IN VISITS TO FRONT LINES

Through the investigation, the news outlet examined a sample of 61 cases using documented written and photographed evidence, as well as interviews with family, friends, and activists. Members of Russian intelligence had compiled "hit lists" for months before the invasion in February, according to U.S. intelligence leaks and national security analysis from the United Kingdom. Russian agents made note of influential Ukrainians who could either become collaborators or "unreliable elements" who would be intimidated or even killed, per WHD.

In one case, Andrii Kuprash, the head of a village north of Kyiv, got a call from a man speaking Russian asking if he was the village head.

Lying, Kuprash said, "No, you've got the wrong number."

"We will find you anyway. It’s better to cooperate with us," the man said in response.

The outlet obtained copies of five hit lists with 31 people on it, including people's full names and often nicknames, dates of birth, and addresses. The list contained "eight soldiers, seven veterans, seven apparent civilians, and nine people accused of helping the Ukrainian military or intelligence services," according to the report.

Even those who have no influential ties are targets, as well. Oleksandra Matviichuk, the head of the Center for Civil Liberties, said she is seeing over 770 cases of civilian captivities. What's surprising to her, she told WHD, is that some of the people taken captive have no ranking titles or connection to aiding intelligence services.

"Everybody can be a target. It shocked me. We were prepared for political persecution. ... We weren’t prepared for terror," Matviichuk said.

Kuprash had plenty of experiences with terror. After receiving that call, Kuprash fled into the woods to a hiding spot. Shortly after, Russians arrived at his home and held a knife to his son, 15, threatening to kill him if he did not give up his father's location.

Three weeks later, a Russian commander appeared at his home. Kuprash was sat down at gunpoint and promised "a great life" if he gave them information on Ukrainian positions and names of veterans and fighters. He told the commander repeatedly that he did not have access to the information.

BLINKEN ATTACKS WAGNER GROUP TO PUT RUSSIA ON DEFENSE IN AFRICA

Human rights lawyers told WHD that under the laws of war, Russians could detain spotters, those who were giving up precise locations of forces, in humane conditions, but not make them disappear or torture them. It is evident, the WHD found, that Russians are ignoring these laws.

Kuprash and several others accused of being spotters have been taken by Russian forces and brought to remote locations. They are subjected to jeering, humiliation, and torture.

Oleksii Dibrovskyi, a deputy of the Polohy City Council, was taken from his village after Russians found he had been sending Russian troop positions to the Ukrainian military. After removing him from his home, he was taken to a basement, a garage, and then a detention center, where he was beaten repeatedly.

At one point, they forced him into a safe with little breathability and later to a filtration and detention center, where he saw several others beaten and treated inhumanely.

Both Kuprash and Dibrovskyi survived. Kuprash said he was taken back to the village, where the commander said, "Live," before driving off. Dibrovskyi was forced to say in a video before he was released that he was treated well, with the brutal injuries being from a fall.

With stockpiles of evidence into torture and capture from Russia, several intelligence analysts and human rights specialists have cause to believe that Russia's actions are grounds for an investigation into genocide.

"This is where the investigation of genocide should start,” Wayne Jordash, the director of Global Rights Compliance, said. "It’s how the Russians intended to take over and extinguish identity.”

Russia launches a new massive wave of strikes against Ukraine

Mike Brest

December 16, 10:50 AM December 16, 10:50 AM

Russian forces launched their latest barrage of missiles across Ukrainian territory, damaging Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in several regions on Friday.

Ukraine’s ministry of defense said it had destroyed 60 of the 76 air and sea-based cruise missiles fired at targets across the country from Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv, as well as in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the central city of Kryvyi Rih. Kyiv, Odesa, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, and Sumy all reported strikes.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said “nine power generation facilities” were damaged in Friday’s attacks. The damage will lead to “restrictions of electricity production at nuclear generation facilities,” he added.

RUSSIA AND IRAN DEVELOPING 'FULL-FLEDGED DEFENSE PARTNERSHIP,' WHITE HOUSE SAYS

At least two people were killed, and eight more were injured, when a residential building was hit by one of the strikes in Kryvyi Rih, officials said, according to the Washington Post. Most of the missiles had been targeted at Kyiv.

White House National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby told reporters on Friday that the attacks hit “largely civilian infrastructure.” Kirby said Russia is “again trying to put fear into the hearts of the Ukrainian people and to make it that much harder on them as winter is now upon them.”

The United States announced late last month that it would provide more than $53 million to Ukraine to support efforts to repair the destroyed critical infrastructure that Russia has spent weeks deliberately targeting. Kirby said that the first tranche had “arrived in Ukraine.”

“It includes the kinds of equipment that they need to make emergency repairs, such as relays, and bus bars, and surge arresters, disconnectors, [and] circuit breakers, that kind of thing,” he said. “So this first tranche is really designed to assist them with emergency repairs, but it's just the first tranche. There will be more coming in, in coming weeks, to fulfill that pledge of more than $50 million.”

Kirby did not announce new military aid despite reports that the administration is finalizing plans to send Ukraine the Patriot missile defense system. While the highly sophisticated U.S. system that is designed to track and intercept incoming ballistic and cruise missiles would help Ukraine, it would also likely take weeks or months of training in a third country before Ukrainians would have the system on the battlefield.

US diesel inventories get encouraging Thanksgiving sign with small gains

Breanne Deppisch

November 25, 05:14 PM November 25, 05:14 PM

U.S. inventories of diesel fuel and home heating oil saw small gains this week, an early but encouraging sign at the start of the winter heating season—and with stocks depleted to their lowest level in decades.

Distillate fuel inventories increased in the United States by more than three million barrels in the six weeks between Oct. 7 and Nov. 18, according to data from the Energy Information Administration.

The gains, caused primarily by easing global demand and extraordinarily high prices, are small yet significant for this time of year—when inventories normally begin to fall amid heightened demand for home heating oil, especially in the Northeast.

The last time the U.S. saw its distillate stocks rise during the same period was 14 years ago, in 2008, according to government data.

News of the slight increase comes as the U.S. has struggled to respond to a diesel supply crisis due primarily to a sharp imbalance between refining capacity and demand, including from the U.S. and China, the world’s top two diesel refiners, each producing at less capacity than they were compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The U.S. ban on Russian oil imports also affected the industry. Prior to the war in Ukraine, the U.S. was importing roughly 700,000 barrels of petroleum from Russia each day—most of which were shipped directly as refined petroleum products.

The supply crisis sent U.S. distillate stocks plunging to their lowest level since 1951. Prices for diesel fuel have climbed 43% higher over the last 12 months, compared to just 15% for gasoline.

Analysts have warned that diesel costs are expected to average around $6 per gallon this winter—though they could climb higher if the weather gets colder.

US PREPARES TO GRANT CHEVRON AUTHORIZATION TO PUMP OIL IN VENEZUELA

The small uptick in distillate inventories is due primarily to a slight slowdown of U.S. distillate exports, as well as a small rise in domestic production and a reduction in global demand.

In the four-week period ending Nov. 18, U.S. producers sent an average of 4.03 million barrels per day to the domestic market.

But the more encouraging news was due to lower exports: U.S. distillate exports slowed by 0.4 million barrels per day (bpd) since Oct. 7, government data shows.

This could be encouraging news if the trend continue, but analysts say it’s unlikely that distillate inventories will return to normal levels until summer at the earliest.

According to the EIA, residents who rely on home heating oil will spend an average of $2,354 to heat their homes this winter— a 27% increase from the previous winter and the highest price point in more than 25 years.

World leaders connect Stalin's crimes to Ukraine's current plight

Mike Brest

November 24, 04:00 AM November 24, 04:00 AM

Leaders from around the world are honoring the Ukrainian victims on the anniversary of the Holodomor — “death by hunger” — brought on by the Stalin regime in the 1930s and comparing those circumstances to the present day.

The Holodomor was a man-made famine in then-Soviet Ukraine in 1932-1933 brought on by Soviet leader Josef Stalin’s policies that resulted in the deaths of millions of Ukrainians.

RUSSIA TARGETS UKRAINIAN INFRASTRUCTURE AHEAD OF LONG, HARD WINTER

Ukraine commemorates the anniversary of the start of the family on the fourth Saturday of November, and this year will be the 90th anniversary.

“This November marks the anniversary of the Holodomor — ‘death by hunger.’ During his regime, Joseph Stalin imposed harsh and repressive policies on Ukraine, including creating a deliberate famine in 1932-33 that caused millions of innocent Ukrainian women, men, and children to perish,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “We commemorate all the lives lost in this senseless tragedy, and we pay tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian people who endured devastation and tyranny to ultimately create a free and democratic society.“

The president also tied in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has taken the lives of thousands and displaced millions in the nearly nine months of the war.

“Even as the brave Ukrainian people continue to defend their democracy and freedom from Russia’s brutal aggression, we pause to also honor the victims of past injustices and horrors inflicted on Ukraine,” the president added.

The Holodomor is recognized as a genocide by only 16 countries, including the United States and the Vatican City.

Pope Francis also made a similar comparison in comments to thousands of people in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, according to the .

“Saturday begins the anniversary of the terrible genocide of the Holodomor, the extermination by starvation artificially caused by Stalin between 1932-1933,” Francis said. “Let us pray for the victims of this genocide and let us pray for so many Ukrainians — children, women, elderly, babies — who today are suffering the martyrdom of aggression.”

Russian forces have been targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure for weeks ahead of the winter, putting millions of civilians at risk of facing the cold without electricity, heat, or running water. U.S. officials have accused the Russians of war crimes, and targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure could amount to war crimes.

Andrew Weinstein, U.S. Public Delegate of the United States to the General Assembly of the United Nations, spoke at the Holodomor Remembrance Prayer Service earlier this week at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, and he said this year’s commemoration “is set against the backdrop of yet another tragedy against the Ukrainian people.”

“90 years ago, we saw a complete disregard for human life and the weaponization of food. Today, we see the same,” he added. “The Holodomor included deliberate acts to impose suffering and repress dissent. And today, we see the Kremlin create the exact same misery and deploy policies to suppress the ability of Ukrainians to express their separate identity and attempt to impose 'Russification' and annexation."