US, Germany allow Ukraine to target Russian territory with NATO-made weapons

Welcome to World Brief, where we examine NATO members lift gun restrictions to UkraineTHE UNITED STATES And China confront Shangri-LaAnd Israelthe offensive in the north Gaza.

Welcome to World Brief, where we examine NATO members lift gun restrictions to UkraineTHE UNITED STATES And China confront Shangri-LaAnd Israelthe offensive in the north Gaza.

Fight back

NATO foreign ministers met in Prague on Friday to discuss Russian threats to escalate their war against Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned alliance members on Tuesday that allowing kyiv to launch Western-supplied weapons into Russian territory increases the risk of nuclear war. Despite these threats, the main NATO powers are one after the other reversing their policy in Ukraine to give it more latitude in striking military targets in Russia.

For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has implored his biggest Western allies to lift long-standing restrictions on arms donations. US President Joe Biden, in particular, previously insisted on limiting Ukraine's use of US-supplied weapons to avoid direct conflict between Russia and NATO, which he called “World War III”.

Yet on Friday, the Biden administration confirmed that it had authorized kyiv to use US-supplied weapons to strike military targets in Russia, near its border with Ukraine's Kharkiv region, where Moscow launched a week-long offensive that killed dozens of Ukrainian civilians. Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine and is located approximately 40 km from the Russian border. Ukrainian officials have argued that Russia has made significant tactical progress around Kharkiv, in part because the Biden administration has barred Ukrainian troops from using U.S. weapons to fire across the border.

The White House policy shift marks the first time a U.S. president has authorized a limited military response on targets located on the territory of a nuclear-armed adversary. U.S. officials, however, reiterated that the use of long-range weapons in Russia is still prohibited. Washington is the largest arms donor to kyiv.

Following the White House's lead, Germany announced Friday that Ukraine could also use weapons supplied by Berlin to defend itself against Russian attacks on the Kharkiv region, launched just across the border. . The Netherlands, Finland and Poland expressed their support for these decisions. And French President Emmanuel Macron remained adamant that “no option should be ruled out” regarding sending Western troops to Ukraine, an idea he first proposed in February. Paris is currently in discussions with kyiv to send French military trainers to Ukraine.

The Kremlin denounced on Friday the policy reversals of NATO members. “Attempts to strike the Russian Federation with American weapons demonstrate American involvement in the conflict in Ukraine,” Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin has been more vague in his criticism, saying Tuesday that “constant escalation can lead to serious consequences.”

But NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Friday dismissed Putin's warnings as “nothing new.” “Ukraine has the right to self-defense, we have the right to help it enforce its right to self-defense, and that does not make NATO allies a party to the conflict,” he said. -he declared, adding that “Russia has worsened its situation by invading the country”. another country.”

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What we track

Trouble in paradise. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore for the first face-to-face meeting between the U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs in two years. The conversation focused on Taiwan's security; Austin told Dong that China should not use Taiwan's recent political transition as a pretext for coercive measures, and Dong warned Austin that the United States should not interfere in Chinese affairs against “separatist” forces. “. Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and President Xi Jinping has said their reunification is “inevitable”. Although they failed to find common ground in Taipei, the two enemies agreed to keep military communications open.

Meanwhile, the Philippines used Asia's largest defense forum to criticize Beijing's “illegal and coercive actions” in the South China Sea, where Philippine ships have repeatedly clashed with China's coast guard about the controversial second Thomas bench. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also warned that “the continued stability of this region requires that China and the United States manage their rivalry responsibly,” adding that “their rivalry is exacerbating trouble spots and has created new dilemmas security” in the country. Indo-Pacific.

Operations in northern Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdrew from the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Friday after a nearly three-week offensive that Israel said killed “hundreds” of militants and recovered the bodies. of seven hostages. Local authorities estimate that the operation destroyed more than 1,000 homes and damaged essential communications services. Israel said it renewed its attack on Jabalia earlier this month due to Hamas' attempt to rebuild military infrastructure there.

The Israeli army remains focused on the town of Rafah, south of Gaza. Israeli troops said they had reached the center of the city on Friday, just two days after Israel established “operational control” over the Philadelphia Corridor, a buffer zone along the Egypt-Gaza border that gives Israel effective authority over the entire land border of the enclave.

In a surprise speech Friday, Biden announced that Israel had offered Hamas a “new comprehensive proposal” for a ceasefire and hostage deal that could lead to an end to the war. The first phase of the agreement, lasting six weeks, would see Israeli troops withdraw from populated areas of Gaza; establish a “total and complete ceasefire” by both parties; and asking Hamas to release numerous hostages, including women and the elderly, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. A second phase would allow the return of all living captives, including male soldiers, and a third phase would launch a “major Gaza reconstruction plan”, allow Palestinians to return home and return the bodies of all hostages killed in Gaza. Israel. Qatar, which has long served as a mediator in the conflict, forwarded the agreement to Hamas.

Presidential election. Mexicans will go to the polls on Sunday to elect the country's first female president. Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling Morena party will face former senator Xóchitl Gálvez, who leads an opposition coalition group.

Sheinbaum vowed to continue the policies of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, including raising the minimum wage, investing in massive infrastructure projects and passing a series of controversial constitutional reforms. Gálvez, however, has advocated for tougher crackdowns on cartel violence and stronger protections for businesses.

Sheinbaum is currently leading in the polls, thanks in large part to López Obrador's high approval ratings. As many as 99 million eligible voters will also vote for 128 senatorial seats and 500 representative seats.

What is happening in the world?

Which African country went to the polls on Wednesday for general elections?

A. South Africa
B. Nigeria
C.Mozambique
D. Ethiopia

Tips

ABBA proves that the winner truly takes all. The Swedish pop group, which first gained global fame by winning the 1974 Eurovision contest with “Waterloo”, has added a new accolade to its portfolio of super-troopers. Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf awarded the Order of Vasa, one of Stockholm's most prestigious knighthoods, to the four artists on Friday. This is the first time such an honor has been given in almost 50 years, proving that ABBA has always been the queen of royal dancing.

And the answer is…

A. South Africa

The ruling African National Congress could lose its governing majority for the first time since the end of apartheid, writes Nosmot Gbadamosi of the FP in Africa Brief.

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