Pentagon spokesperson says we believe the weapons the US *and* other countries give to Ukraine should only be used to “take back Ukrainian sovereign territory.”

This is a bizarre policy. Ukraine can only attack, but can’t defend against Russian strikes from across the border?

Proud of our Top 10 position in the Rule of Law Index.

Also proud of the fact that 9 out of the top 10 positions belong to 🇪🇺 Member States.

Spain supports a defence Eurobond. Opposition in Sweden and Finland seems to be diminishing. But I think Germany and (especially with the new government) Netherlands will be very hard to persuade.

DOD spokesperson Sabrina Singh confirms U.S. restrictions on Ukraine using U.S. weapons to strike targets within Russia and also implies the U.S. is pressuring Ukraine to apply this restriction to equipment 'other countries' donate to Ukraine as well. x.com/OstapYarysh/st…

The consequences of this restriction have been widely reported and have had an extremely negative effect on Ukrainian efforts to defend Kharkiv Oblast; Ukraine's military did detect Russian troop concentrations but were unable to use their most effective weapons to strike them.

So many people were trying to claim Blinken had lifted restrictions on Ukraine using U.S. weapons to strike targets inside Russia - despite the fact the language he used was ambiguous at best. Now both the State Dept. and the Pentagon have confirmed U.S. policy has not changed.

BREAKING: GD quietly amended the Russian law before the third vote to extend gov’t access to personal information & impose heavy fines on individuals. It no longer includes just organizations. Persons will be subjected to freezing fines, making their lives in Georgia impossible.

Meanwhile, the muted reaction from the political class and public speaks to how far we have defined political deviance downward. The incident serves to underscore the casual sleaziness that is routine in Trump’s inner circle (see hush $) washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/…

Cool cool cool

Exactly. The talk about Russia becoming a 'vassal' is overblown and leads to bad tactics (such as providing captured Russia alternatives). This is a real strategic partnership /quasi-alliance /axis from which both sides think they hugely benefit in their joint revisionist fight.

Estonian Def Min Hanno Pevkur doesn't worry about what choice Americans will make in November. 'So what' if Trump wins, he shrugs; Europe has to do its own work either way.

What he's more concerned about is whether Russia will influence the process. #LennartMeriConference

'My hope, my expectation, for the summit is that NATO takes over the lead, and takes the decision that Ukraine has to win, because if Ukraine loses we all lose.' -Johann Wadephul Johann Wadephul

🔹 75 Years of NATO: What to Celebrate in Washington This Summer? #LennartMeriConference

German parliamentarian Johann Wadephul tells #LennartMeriConference 'If the war continues as it is now, Ukraine will lose.'

Wadephul says #NATO allies should stop defining THEIR red lines while the 'invader is allowed to do everything' on Ukrainian territory. ICDS Tallinn

Moderator Kim Dozier ✍️ is worried: 'It's like #Ukraine is a drowning man, and he's getting pulled out just enough to get a breath of air before going back under.'

🔹 75 Years of NATO: What to Celebrate in Washington This Summer? #LennartMeriConference

'World order depends on what is happening in #Ukraine . This is not surprising if we think how many times it depended before' Timothy Snyder

Lennart Meri Lecture by Timothy Snyder: Ukrainian History and the Future of the World

🎞️ lmc.icds.ee/agenda/lennart…

#LennartMeriConference

Sam Alito clarifies that his wife wrote Dobbs

And then next week they’ll go back to their regular scheduled programming of trying to defund the FBI and calling felons convicted of assaulting police officers “hostages.”

A sobering wide-angle perspective on the Russia-Ukraine war. European governments must do a lot more and defence cooperation with Ukraine must deepen massively at all levels.

Good move from the #EU . #Russia ’s war of aggression against Ukraine: Council bans broadcasting activities in the European Union of four more Russia-associated media outlets europa.eu/!8y8np6