“Complete nonsense.” That’s how President Vladimir Putin qualified President Joe Biden’s warning that Russia is gearing up for a military confrontation with NATO. In an interview broadcast on Rossiya television this weekend, the Russian leader offered that "Russia has no reason, no interest – no geopolitical interest, neither economic, political nor military – to fight with NATO countries … and I think Biden understands that.”
Putin was referencing remarks the US president made earlier this month in his pitch to Congressional Republicans for additional aid to assist Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. ‘If Putin takes Ukraine, he won’t stop there,” Biden said. Putin will attack a NATO ally, he predicted, and then “we’ll have something that we don't seek and that we don't have today: American troops fighting Russian troops.”
But Putin simultaneously made some … uh … interesting comments about Finland. The Nordic nation is set to join NATO in April, which Putin said would force Russia to “concentrate certain military units” near the northern part of the countries’ 832-mile border. And just last Thursday, Finland announced that it will sign a bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement, or DCA, with the United States on December 17 – something that doesn't exactly endear Helsinki to Moscow.
Perhaps not coincidentally, last Thursday and Friday 300 asylum-seekers entered Finland from Russia, prompting Helsinki to close the border for a month. This comes after 900 asylum-seekers from Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen crossed over in November; previously, it was less than one per day. Finland alleges this influx is a deliberate action by Moscow in response to the DCA, a charge the Kremlin also denies.In this episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Ed Policy, President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, to discuss how purpose-driven leadership and innovation are shaping the future of one of the world’s most iconic sports franchises. Ed shares how technology and community-focused initiatives, from Titletown Tech to health and safety innovations on the field, are transforming not just the game of football, but the economy and culture of Green Bay itself. He explains how combining strategic vision with investment in local startups is keeping talent in the Midwest and creating opportunities that extend far beyond Lambeau Field.
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Egyptians are voting this month in parliamentary elections that aren’t expected to change who’s in charge, but could allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to rule beyond 2030.
Thailand and Cambodia’s ceasefire is on the verge of collapse. Strikes were launched across their disputed border today, following clashes over the weekend that resulted in the death of a Thai soldier.