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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Alexander Ward and Quint Forgey | With help from Daniel Lippman and Lara Seligman
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A Ukrainian serviceman walks on a destroyed Russian fighting vehicle in Bucha, Ukraine. | Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Quint The New York Times pulled no punches with a headline last night: “ U.S. Intelligence Is Helping Ukraine Kill Russian Generals, Officials Say.” In the lede of their excellent story, JULIAN E. BARNES, HELENE COOPER and ERIC SCHMITT reported just that: “The United States has provided intelligence about Russian units that has allowed Ukrainians to target and kill many of the Russian generals who have died in action in the Ukraine war, according to senior American officials.” But the Biden administration didn’t like the story and headline for two reasons: Bragging about America helping to kill top Russians might escalate an already brutal war — and that the headline wasn’t quite right. “The headline of this story is misleading and the way it is framed is irresponsible,” ADRIENNE WATSON, the National Security Council’s top spokesperson, said in a statement late Wednesday night. "The United States provides battlefield intelligence to help the Ukrainians defend their country. We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals." And on Thursday, Defense Department spokesperson JOHN KIRBY added: "We do not provide intelligence on the locations of senior leaders on the battlefield." Your friendly neighborhood NatSec Daily team has spoken with many White House, Pentagon and intelligence officials since the story was published. All would only speak on background or deep background, so we’ll paraphrase what we’ve heard. Basically, the U.S. doesn’t provide Ukraine with intelligence with the express and specific purpose of killing Russian generals. No American official tells their Ukrainian counterpart, “Hey, General X is going to be here at this time. Kill him.” What the Biden administration does share is intelligence about where the Russians are generally headed and where the next offensive might take place. What the Ukrainians do with that information is up to them — and sometimes what the Ukrainians do is kill roughly a dozen top Russian commanders. The New York Times had this nuance in their story, it should be noted, even if administration officials were upset with the headline because they ultimately feared how Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN would react. The Kremlin is firmly aware that America is aiding Ukraine’s military efforts. But it’s another thing entirely to openly boast about doing so, as it increases the pressure on Putin to do something — and potentially escalatory — about it. It’s why Russia experts, like the Atlantic Council’s JOHN SIPHER, asked on Twitter for U.S. officials to “ shut up” about the whole thing. Still, what last night’s brouhaha made clear is that the U.S. is more deeply involved in Ukraine’s defense campaign than previously known — even if the “intent” of that intelligence support isn’t solely to kill Russian generals.
| | | LUKASHENKO SAYS WAR HAS ‘DRAGGED ON’: Belarusian President ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO, who has supported Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, acknowledged in an interview today that the war there has lasted longer than expected, per the Associated Press’ IAN PHILLIPS. “I am not immersed in this problem enough to say whether it goes according to plan, like the Russians say, or like I feel it,” Lukashenko said. “I want to stress one more time: I feel like this operation has dragged on.” Lukashenko also expressed firm opposition to Russia potentially using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, which is Belarus’ southern neighbor. Such a scenario is “unacceptable because [Ukraine is] right next to us — we are not across the ocean like the United States,” he said. “It is also unacceptable because it might knock our terrestrial ball flying off the orbit to who knows where,” Lukashenko added. “Whether or not Russia is capable of that — is a question you need to ask the Russian leadership.” RUSSIA INCREASES ATTACKS ON UKRAINIAN RAILWAYS: It’s worth sitting with this JAMES MARSON lede from The Wall Street Journal : “Russia is intensifying strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, seeking to disrupt deliveries of Western weapons as Moscow’s offensive in the east appears to have stalled. Ukraine’s state railway operator said Thursday that 46 passenger trains were delayed by up to 11 hours due to damage from the Russian strikes.” The Pentagon is aware of this: “[T]hey are attempting to hit what we assess to be critical infrastructure targets out towards the west. Electrical power, transportation hubs, that kind of thing. We think this is an effort to try to disrupt the Ukrainians’ ability to replenish and reinforce themselves,” Kirby told reporters Wednesday. NatSec Daily has heard that the growing rate and ferocity of strikes is complicating efforts to get equipment and people into Ukraine. The strategy for Russia currently appears to be one of attrition and denying Ukrainians what they need — both military and for civilian life. “Missile strikes late Tuesday hit two water pumping stations and three power substations in the western city of Lviv, knocking out electricity in part of the city, the mayor said. Trains around Lviv were particularly affected by Russian strikes, the railway operator said. Lviv, some 30 miles from the border with Poland, is a hub for moving weapons and supplies into Ukraine,” Marson wrote. UKRAINE ACCUSES RUSSIAN TROOPS OF RAPE: The Ukrainian government has accused Russian forces of rape. The Washington Post’s MIRIAM BERGER reports that it’s a very hard crime to prosecute. “According to Ukrainian officials, human rights groups, and victims and witnesses who spoke to journalists, Russian troops have engaged in rape and other forms of sexualized violence in multiple locations across Ukraine since the invasion on Feb. 24. Most of the victims have been Ukrainian women and girls, who statistically are most at risk. But preliminary reports also suggest that men and boys have been targeted,” Berger wrote. Further, per Berger: “Ukrainian prosecutor general, IRYNA VENEDIKTOVA , said Tuesday that she believed Russia used rape as a deliberate ‘strategy’ in the war, without elaborating. Russia has denied the allegations. ‘It’s a lie,’ Kremlin spokesman DMITRY PESKOV told reporters in March, the Interfax news agency reported.” Why is it so hard to hold those responsible accountable? “In Ukraine, the war is still raging, making it difficult to even reach hard-hit areas, let alone gather evidence from sites where crimes allegedly took place,” Berger reported. “One concern is that survivors don’t have immediate access to medical facilities where staff could conduct physical examinations, document signs of assault and possibly collect evidence such as DNA samples. Even when a conflict subsides, survivors of rape or sexual assault are often too ashamed or traumatized to speak out, experts say.” IT’S THURSDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily. This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at award@politico.com and qforgey@politico.com, and follow us on Twitter at @alexbward and @QuintForgey. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @nahaltoosi, @woodruffbets, @politicoryan, @PhelimKine, @ChristopherJM, @BryanDBender, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @AndrewDesiderio and @JGedeon1.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Our mission is to prepare you for the future by engineering advanced capabilities today.
Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more. | | | | | | BURNS WARNED BOLSONARO ABOUT ELECTION RHETORIC: CIA Director WILLIAM BURNS told senior Brazilian officials during a meeting last July in the capital of Brasília that President JAIR BOLSONARO should stop seeking to undermine public confidence in the country’s voting system ahead of the election this October, per Reuters’ GABRIEL STARGARDTER and MATT SPETALNICK. Burns’ visit to Brazil came six months after the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, which was incited by former President DONALD TRUMP ’s lies about election fraud in the U.S. Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist, has echoed Trump’s baseless claims in criticizing Brazil’s electronic voting system, prompting fears that he might reject the outcome of his country’s election this fall. Bolsonaro is currently trailing leftist former President LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA in polls. Burns, a former career U.S. diplomat, has previously represented the Biden administration in other contentious talks with foreign governments. Burns confirmed that he met with Putin in Moscow last November, and The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Burns met with Saudi Crown Prince MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN in Jeddah last month.
| | | CYBER COMMAND HELPS LITHUANIA: A three-month U.S. Cyber Command operation to help Lithuania defend its networks ended this month, per the Associated Press. “The U.S. Cyber Command mission, known as a hunt forward operation, involved a specialized team that worked to identify vulnerabilities and counter malicious cyber activity affecting the networks of Lithuania’s foreign affairs ministry and defense systems,” the story read, noting that the timing coincided with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “In the last several years, the Cyber National Mission Force has conducted 28 hunt forward operations in locations including Estonia, Ukraine and North Macedonia.” “These were countries that had asked for our assistance, deploying our defensive teams forward, being able to identify malware and tradecraft our adversaries were using, and then sharing that broadly with a commercial provider,” Gen. PAUL NAKASONE, the head of the Cyber Command, said Wednesday.
| | | | INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | CREDIT LINES: Our friends over at Morning Defense (for Pros!) have a great item: A State Department document obtained by our own PAUL McLEARY shows how much NATO and non-NATO allies in eastern Europe are set to get in military assistance from the $713 million aid package for the war in Ukraine announced in late April. The Foreign Military Financing will help them buy more American-made equipment and jettison older Russian-made gear. Topping the list are Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, with $54.5 million each. Georgia gets $35 million; Romania gets $35 million; Bulgaria gets $34.5 million; North Macedonia gets $28 million; Albania gets $17 million; Croatia and Moldova each get $15 million; and Slovenia will get $9.5 million. The package included about $300 million in military aid for Ukraine. DOD CANCELING AFGHANISTAN CONTRACTS: You know the war in Afghanistan has truly ended once the contracts get canceled. “The Pentagon is terminating contracts totaling billions of dollars meant to fund an Afghan security force that no longer exists. The process could prompt years of lawsuits, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction that was released Wednesday,” Stars and Stripes’ J.P. LAWRENCE reported. “The contracts came from the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund, which provided some $81 billion for equipment, salaries and facilities maintenance since 2005, the report said.” Navy Lt. JOSIE LYNNE LENNY, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, told Lawrence that the payments on those contracts ended in August 2021. “The military identified approximately 900 contracts that needed to be closed out, the U.S. Army said in a March statement. This involves figuring out how much the U.S. still needs to pay to the vendors,” Lawrence wrote.
| | | DURBIN CHATS WITH QIN: Senate Majority Whip DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.) met with QIN GANG , the Chinese ambassador to the U.S., on Wednesday in a rare meeting between Beijing’s top diplomat and a senior U.S. lawmaker. Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, pressed Qin for China to do more to help end the war in Ukraine, including putting pressure on Putin. The pair also discussed China’s efforts to retaliate against Lithuania after it strengthened ties with Taiwan. “They want a ceasefire [in Ukraine] and they’re prepared to help reach that goal, but they’re not prepared to take any actions against Vladimir Putin that we spelled out to me,” Durbin told our own ANDREW DESIDERIO outside the Senate chamber today. Durbin said he asked the ambassador about DAVID LIN, an American pastor who has been held in China since 2006. According to Durbin, Qin said he didn’t know anything about Lin. DISINFO BOARD INFO: Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee are asking for more information on the Biden administration’s new Disinformation Governance Board, Fox News’ KELLY LACO and THOMAS PHIPPEN reported. "Your recent testimony and media statements regarding the board, as well as a recent briefing for Committee staff, have only created more questions and concern," reads the letter, led by ranking member Rep. JOHN KATKO (R-N.Y.) and addressed to Homeland Security Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS. "This Committee will carry out rigorous oversight of this board," the Republicans continue. "In addition to further explanation regarding the establishment of the board, the American people deserve continued transparency surrounding the board’s discussions, decisions, and actions." As our own BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN and DANIEL LIPPMAN noted today, the small group formed to tackle information about irregular migration and Russia has angered the American right. “They only have themselves to blame for this firestorm,” BEN WIZNER, director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, told them. “They announced something with a creepy name and provided no information about the scope or authorities of the board.”
| | | |   | | | | | | PETA PANS PENTAGON: PETA Vice President SHALIN GALA demanded in a statement today that the Defense Department and other federal agencies “stop dragging their feet and permanently end the use of animals in trauma training drills.” Gala’s statement came after the U.S. Government Accountability Office published a report Tuesday which found that the Pentagon “has not established measurable objectives and performance measures to track progress in reducing animal use for combat trauma training.” More than 70 percent of NATO allies have already ended the use of animals in such drills, according to PETA, and the U.S. Coast Guard has also banned them. In 2017, the Defense Health Agency concluded that the practice was “outdated and cost-prohibitive.” BOLTON: DEMS ARE THE ISOLATIONISTS: If you’re looking for the more isolationist political party in America, look no further than the Democrats, JOHN BOLTON, Trump's third national security adviser, told a room full of young conservatives Thursday. Isolationism hasn’t grown within the Republican Party, he said, though he noted such a strain has long been there at a low level. “I think the bigger threat of isolationism is within the Democratic Party, because there is no national security wing of the Democratic Party anymore. Where’s SCOOP JACKSON? For God’s sake, where’s JOE LIEBERMAN?” Bolton, a longtime critic of Democrats and foreign policy, has an extra incentive to make his case: He formed a PAC to help Republicans with a “Reaganite” vision get into Congress and the White House. He hopes to undo the “damage,” as he terms it, of Trump’s handling of foreign policy on Republicans. “He doesn’t have policies,” Bolton said, “he has neuron reactions that are largely seen through the prism of how it benefits him politically, and I think we’ll see more of that over the next two and a half years.” Oh, and he also made some comments about why the U.S. should more strongly consider regime change in countries that don’t behave the way America wants.
| | | — CARY FOWLER has joined the State Department as U.S. special envoy for global food security. He also will serve as deputy coordinator for diplomacy under the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Feed the Future initiative. He is a noted agriculturalist best known as the “father” of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. — LINDSEY ZULUAGA is now special adviser for global economic issues to Vice President KAMALA HARRIS. She previously worked at the State Department, where she has been a foreign service officer for almost 14 years. — ASHLEY TOWNSHEND is joining the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as a senior fellow for Indo-Pacific security. He’s currently the director of foreign policy and defense at the United States Studies Center in Sydney, Australia. — ANDREY BAKLITSKY has joined the U.N. Institute for Disarmament Research as a senior researcher in the WMD program.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | — ANDREA KENDALL-TAYLOR and ERICA FRANTZ, POLITICO Magazine: “ Opinion: Is Russia Better Off Without Putin? The Answer is Changing.” — MARI SAITO, photography by ZOHRA BENSEMRA, Reuters: “ Love Letter, ID Card Point to Russian Units That Terrorised Bucha” — GREG MILLER and SHIRA RUBIN, The Washington Post: “Oligarch’s Effort to Broker Peace Falters Even as It Shields Him From Sanctions”
| | | — The Atlantic Council, 10 a.m.: “Is Humanitarian Assistance Reaching Ukraine? — with MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, MELINDA HARING, HLIB SHAMAL , ANDRIY STAVNITSER and OLGA STEFANISHYNA” — The Ronald Reagan Institute, 10 a.m.: “Linking Resources to Strategy: A Discussion on the National Defense Strategy and FY23 Budget — with MICHÈLE FLOURNOY, KATHLEEN HICKS, ELAINE LURIA, MAC THORNBERRY and ROGER ZAKHEIM” — EXTRA! EXTRA! At 7 p.m. this evening, the Hayden Center presents “Afghanistan: A Year After ” — with MASOUD ANDARABI and MICHAEL MORELL. We at NatSec Daily neglected to feature this event Wednesday. Apologies, Larry! Have a natsec-centric event coming up? Transitioning to a new defense-adjacent or foreign policy-focused gig? Shoot us an email at award@politico.com or qforgey@politico.com to be featured in the next edition of the newsletter. And thanks to our editor, John Yearwood, who sends information to POLITICO’s HR department about us without the “intent” of getting us fired. | | A message from Lockheed Martin: Our mission is to prepare you for the future by engineering advanced capabilities today.
Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
