Section: US & Canada
UK sends military advisers to Ukraine
British military advisers are training Ukrainian troops in Ukraine, the UK said Thursday, as part of efforts to support the government in Kiev as it combats pro-Russian separatists in the east. …read more Source:...
The US mission to NATO just called out Putin’s Crimea narrative
After a year of denying Russian encroachment on the Crimean peninsula, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted in a television interview that all along he did have a plan to take the region from Ukraine. The US mission to NATO outlined Putin’s narrative over the past year: Putin and Crimea: an evolution of views? You can be the judge....
The lessons of Debaltseve: Armored vehicles still matter, but they need to be mobile, lethal, and survivable
By Brian Drohan and Andy Forney Best Defense guest columnists After nearly fifteen years of counterinsurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan, American advocates of heavy armored forces interpreted Ukrainian forces’ defeat at the battle of Debaltseve as an indication that “tanks still matter.” But the key lesson of the Debaltseve fight is a broader...
Don’t Punish Russia for Compromising in Ukraine
EU leaders should put off the decision on extending sanctions against Russia to help the truce in eastern Ukraine. …read more Source:...
EU Likely to Keep Russia Sanctions After Merkel Weighs In
European Union leaders look likely to keep economic sanctions on Russia in place until a Ukraine cease-fire deal is fully working, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday it would be wrong to ease pressure on Moscow prematurely. EU governments have until now been divided on whether to act now to renew those sanctions, which expire...
The lessons of Debaltseve: Armored vehicles still matter, but they need to be mobile, lethal and survivable
By Brian Drohan and Andy Forney Best Defense guest columnists After nearly fifteen years of counterinsurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan, American advocates of heavy armored forces interpreted Ukrainian forces’ defeat at the battle of Debaltseve as an indication that “tanks still matter.” But the key lesson of the Debaltseve fight is a broader...
UK military trainers in Ukraine for medical, tactical drills
Britain’s defense ministry said it aims to boost Ukrainian armed forces’ defensive capability in their armed campaign against Russian-backed separatists in the east. British trainers will run a series of combat first aid courses at bases across the country, Ukrainian defense ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianik said....
Putin: No Reason Yet for Confidence in Russia’s Economy
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday it was still too soon to feel confident about the country’s economy, although his ministers said the worst is over. Speaking to a conference of Russian businessmen, Putin said the central bank’s main interest rate, now at 14 percent, remains high but that the level was warranted by the...
What’s on the agenda at the EU summit
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union heads of state and government are meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to talk about economic and energy policies, and the crises in Ukraine and Libya. A special meeting has also been arranged to discuss the Greek debt problem. …read more Source: U.S....
A Brief History Of Artists Grappling With Loss Through Their Work
“Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it,” Joan Didion wrote in A Year of Magical Thinking. Many of us are blind to the realities of loss and mourning until we’re confronted with it head on, whether in the face of a devastating news headline, a lifeless animal on the side of the road, or the life-altering...
