Its 3AM in the morning in Tbilisi. After waves of crackdowns, pepper sprays, tear gas, water canons, beating up, many still remain at the parliament bravely fighting for their freedom and Russia-free future.

A very sobering Oliver Carroll interview with Ukraine’s deputy mil intel chief. He says Chasiv Yar will fall eventually, that Ukraine is far from stabilising the front and that Russia is “generating a division of reserves” & wants to strike at Sumy/Kharkiv. economist.com/europe/2024/05…

#NATO is deeply concerned by an intensifying campaign of Russian hybrid activities, including on Alliance territory. These actions will not deter us from supporting #Ukraine . Read the statement:

nato.int/cps/en/natohq/…

“We don’t know for certain if [ICC] arrest warrants are imminent,” says one Israeli official. “What is certain is that Netanyahu thinks they are—and he’s in a panic.” economist.com/middle-east-an…

I think this is a very useful encapsulation of what ‘liberal’ meant in the context of 1990s Russia.

NATO countries say tonight that the “Alliance and Allies are prepared to deter and defend against hybrid actions or attacks,” as Russia intensifies its malign activities against 7 NATO countries including the UK, Germany and Poland.

Excellent thread on the possible use of chemical agents by Russia in Ukraine. Highly problematic development as it is another sign of Russia moving away from arms control obligations.

Dass Olaf Scholz heute Abend mit seiner Frau zum diskreten Dinner beim Ehepaar Macron in Paris weilt, ist ein mit beiläufiger Eleganz vorgetragener, schöner kleiner Scoop von Noah Barkin:
gmfus.org/news/watching-…

I've been sanctioned today by the Islamic Republic of #Iran . I'm proud to join this list along with great Americans like the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet; Jason D. Greenblatt; Clifford D. May; Michael Rubin; & British officials. I can assure Tehran: my work will continue to isolate & weaken

Iran is under tough sanctions but oil sales have hit a six-year high and China is buying more Iranian crude than ever before. So what's going on?

With input by Nader Itayim | ‌‌نادر ایتیّم, Gregory Brew, and Steve Hanke.

rferl.org/a/iran-oil-san…

NEW: Huawei, the Chinese telecom blacklisted by the US, is secretly funding cutting-edge research at American universities including Harvard through an independent Washington DC-based foundation.

Proud to share my first article for Bloomberg:
bloomberg.com/news/articles/… Bloomberg

More interesting prep for Macron's meetings with Xi

Today marks 400 days since Evan was jailed for doing his job, another grim milestone that we hoped would never come. Evan has missed out on so much, isolated from the world that he loves and covered so well. There is a big hole in our hearts that won’t be filled until he is free

Typically interesting Macron mega-interview.
One nice disclosure for a niche market: he says he made a deal with Merkel: Germany stopped blocking nuclear power policy in the EU in exchange for him lifting his blockade for Nord Stream 2.
economist.com/europe/2024/05…