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TITLE PLACEHOLDER | Europe In :60 | GZERO Media

Nervous mood in Russia after drone strikes

Carl Bildt, co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations and former prime minister of Sweden, shares his perspective on European politics (this week from Stockholm).

Will recent drone attacks in Moscow lead to Russian escalation in Ukraine?

I think there's nervousness in Moscow. The drone attacks have been, Putin was trying to play down. He couldn't do very much else. He said our defenses are working, but nothing was perfect. I think there's also nervousness on what might happen on the battlefront. What are Ukrainians up to? Will there be some sort of success in some sort of Ukrainian offensive? A nervous mood, we don't know. The inclination of Putin is always to escalate whenever he can.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of NATO, Ukrainian and US flags.

GZERO Media/ Jess Frampton

No, the US didn’t “provoke” the war in Ukraine

Is the US to blame for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

That’s what Jeffrey Sachs thinks. In a recent op-ed titled “The War in Ukraine Was Provoked,” the Columbia University professor – a man I’ve known and respected for a solid 25 years, who was once hailed as “the most important economist in the world” and who’s played a leading role in the fight against global poverty – argues that the United States is responsible for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to attack Ukraine 15 months ago.

This claim is morally challenged and factually wrong, but it is not a fringe view. Many other prominent figures such as political scientist John Mearsheimer, billionaire Elon Musk, conservative media star Tucker Carlson, and even Pope Francis have made similar assertions, echoing the Kremlin’s narrative that Russia is but a victim of Western imperialism.

This strain of Putin apologia has taken root in China, pockets of the US far left and far right, and much of the developing world, making it all the more important to debunk it once and for all.

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Ukraine drone attacks on Moscow imply they don't fear Russian response | World In :60 | GZERO Media

Ukraine drone attacks on Moscow imply they don't fear Russian response

Will recent Moscow targeted drone attacks lead Putin to escalate the war in Ukraine? Biden and McCarthy reached a deal. Is the US debt problem solved? After Erdogan's election, will it be more of the same for Turkey & its struggling economy? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

Will recent Moscow targeted drone attacks lead Putin to escalate the war in Ukraine?

Well, so far, Putin has been claiming that these are terrorist attacks like he did the recent raids in Belgorod region, also in Russia. Certainly, it's interesting to note that Ukrainians taking these actions imply that they don't believe that Putin can or will do much in escalation. Also, keeping in mind this seems to be indiscriminate targeting of residential areas. No Russians have been killed that we know of, so far. But this is tit for tat, the kind of behavior we've seen from the Russians, of course, committing war crimes all over Ukraine. Really hate to see the Ukrainians engaging in that kind of behavior. Should be condemned, frankly. Not what the Americans or what most NATO allies want to see. And also shows the limitations of how much influence NATO has over Ukrainian military decision making.

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Workers repair damage on the roof of a multi-storey apartment block following a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia

REUTERS

What follows the drone attack on Moscow?

Early Tuesday, Moscow was hit by several drones. Two people were injured, though no one was killed. Residential buildings were damaged, though it’s unclear whether they were targets of the attack or were simply damaged by debris as the drones were shot down. Russia says the drones were sent by Ukraine, but Kyiv denies this. If this was a Ukrainian attack on Moscow, the event raises three questions.

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David Malpass' advice to World Bank successor: time is short | GZERO World

David Malpass' advice to World Bank successor: time is short

In his final interview as president of the World Bank Group, David Malpass spoke with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World to reflect on his time leading the global development organization and to share his advice for his successor, Ajay Banga.

Malpass became president of the World Bank in 2019 and has seen the world change significantly during his term. He says he’s proud of how the bank handled major global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the Afghanistan evacuation. He also thinks the bank did a good job raising the alarm about an impending economic crisis: slow growth and skyrocketing global debt.

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An abandoned armoured vehicle, after anti-terrorism measures introduced for the reason of a cross-border incursion from Ukraine

REUTERS

The invasion of Russia

On Monday, fighters traveling in two tanks, an armored personnel carrier, and nine other armored vehicles crossed the Ukrainian border into Russia to attack targets inside the Russian region of Belgorod. Members of the so-called Liberty of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps claim to have captured the small Russian town of Kozinka. The Ukrainian government says the fighters were all Russian citizens who want to depose Vladimir Putin. The Russian government calls them terrorists and claims to have repelled the attack, killing 70 fighters.
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TITLE PLACEHOLDER | World In :60 | GZERO Media

F-16s for Ukraine redefine red line for Putin (again)

Will Biden's reversal to allow F-16s to Ukraine be a game-changer? What is holding up a debt ceiling deal? Will the EU's lawsuit against Meta lead to a data-sharing agreement with the United States? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

Will Biden's reversal to allow F-16s to Ukraine be a game-changer?

Well, Putin says it is. Says that that would absolutely be a line that would be crossed and be irreversible. Of course, he said that about a bunch of things, and his credibility in a response to NATO providing defense to Ukraine has been significantly eroding over the last year. Of course, we also see not just F-16s, but we see Ukrainian armored troop carriers suddenly five miles deep in Russian territory, in Belgorod. The Ukrainians say it wasn't them, but they're very happy to embarrass Putin over that. Look, a lot of things that would've been seen as red lines six months ago now are not. Of course, that's good for the Ukrainians, but it also does mean that the tail risk dangers of this conflict are also going up.

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Wagner mercenary group fighters wave flags of Russia and Wagner group on top of a building

REUTERS

Escalating Prigozhin claims and threats

Mission accomplished, says Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian businessman who leads the Wagner Group, the private army fighting for Russia in Ukraine. On Monday, Prigozhin announced his forces had taken the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut and planned to pass control of it to Russian regular army troops by June 1. He also continues to signal that his forces may be leaving Ukraine altogether to focus on battlefields in Africa that offer his mercenary company greater profits and glory than can be found in Ukraine.

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