Russia’s war in Ukraine entered its 100th day on Friday, a bloody milestone that serves as a testament to the resilience of the Ukrainian forces against a vastly larger foe.
We’ll detail where Ukraine stands in the fight, plus a senator’s suggestion to use retired service members to protect schools and Biden’s possible trip to Saudi Arabia.
This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m Ellen Mitchell. A friend forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here.
100 days of war: Where Ukraine stands
An unprecedented diplomatic campaign in the lead up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 failed to prevent war. But the weeks of meetings, led by the U.S., succeeded in repositioning the global order in one of the greatest shifts to occur since World War II.
European nations including Germany, Sweden and Finland abandoned decades of cautious military policy to more fully join the U.S. and allies to deliver Ukraine the military means to fight, impose wide-ranging sanctions, shore up their own defenses and work to sever energy ties with Moscow.
While Ukraine and its supporters have declared victory in the battle for Kyiv, which U.S. intelligence had first predicted would fall within 72 hours, Moscow’s forces maintain advantages in the fight for Ukraine’s eastern territory.
Russia’s gains: Russia has gained control of a key port city, Mariupol, and is inching closer to dominating Severdonetsk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Russia controls about one-fifth of his nation.
“We’re in a situation now where obviously the Ukrainians are having a difficult time,” said Angela Stent, an expert in U.S. and European relations with Russia. “I’m not saying the tide is turning, but it’s becoming more difficult for the Ukrainians to sustain the counteroffensive.”
And its weaknesses: With the Russian’s slow progress in mind, the U.S. is stepping up its weapons shipments, sending advanced rocket systems for the first time to help the Ukrainians more effectively repel Russian advances.
A turning point?: Zelensky, speaking to a European security conference on Thursday, said the fight could reach a “turning point” if all nations increase their military, economic and political support for Ukraine.
“We are grateful for the help we already receive, to everyone who helps us. But arms supplies need to be increased. Because it is on the battlefield in Ukraine that it is decided whether freedom in Europe will be preserved for all nations without exception,” he said.
“Right now, these days, when Russia will lose the war against Ukraine, the freedom of Europeans will win for decades to come.”
A leader’s transition: The Ukrainian president’s remarks showcase his transition over the past 100 days from a leader under military siege and at risk of assassination — who rejected an offer by the U.S. to flee Kyiv in the early days of the assault — to a powerful global voice.
Uncertainty reigns: There’s still plenty of uncertainty about how the war will end, with a negotiated solution of some kind appearing far off.
Ukrainian officials, grappling with the horrors of civilian deaths and alleged Russian war crimes — from extrajudicial executions, rape and forced migration — are loath to come to the table or concede territory to the Russians.
“Russia attacked us. It’s them who are trying to occupy as much as possible, destroy and kill, rape and torture. So we will defend ourselves and we will not surrender,” Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova told The Hill.
Graham: ‘Mobilize’ former service members
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday called for retired and former military members to step up to enhance security in schools following the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last week.
Graham wrote in a thread posted to his Twitter account that the U.S. has “hundreds of thousands” of former military members “who could bring a lot to the table” in protecting schools and that trained ROTC instructors should be able to carry firearms to make schools more secure.
Graham’s thinking: The senator also said that he is working on creating a certification process for former military members that will allow them to go through security training and prepare them to help schools across the country.
“It is time to mobilize our retired and former service members who are willing to help secure our schools,” Graham added in a follow-up tweet. “Our schools are soft targets. They contain our most valuable possession – our children, the future of our country – and must be protected.”
A growing GOP push Graham’s remarks reflect a GOP-led push to sharpen security in schools — and reject gun restriction proposals called for by Democrats and gun control advocates — following the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that killed 19 students and two teachers.
A redundancy: Texas officials and media reports said that some of the security measures Republicans have been calling for were already in place at Robb Elementary prior to the attack.
Federal programs intended to keep schools secure, such as the Student, Teachers and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act which provided more than
$125 million in grants to schools, are in place across the country.
Biden says no final plans on Saudi Arabia visit
President Biden said Friday he does not have “direct plans” to soon travel to Saudi Arabia but acknowledged the trip was a possibility.
The Hill and other news outlets reported earlier this week that Biden administration officials are laying the groundwork for a presidential visit to Saudi Arabia later this month but that the visit has not been finalized.
“I have no direct plans at the moment,” Biden said Friday when asked by reporters, adding he is focused on bringing “more stability and peace to the Middle East.”
Some trip controversy: Biden did not directly answer Friday when asked if he would meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He also defended the possibility of such a trip despite having pledged in 2019 to make Saudi Arabia a pariah on the world stage over the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
A declassified U.S. intelligence report released by the Biden administration last year said the Saudi crown prince approved the murder of Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi royal family.
“I’m not going to change my view on human rights, but as president of the United States my job is to bring peace if I can,” Biden said. “And that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Other criticisms: It’s unclear when Biden’s trip to the Middle East will be finalized, but it’s widely expected to take place at the end of the month.
Israeli media reported on Friday that Biden is expected to travel to Israel on June 23 before the trip to Saudi Arabia.
Plans for the trip have already triggered some criticism. An organization representing families and survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks penned an open letter to Biden on Thursday urging him to hold Riyadh accountable for the role Saudi officials allegedly played in those attacks.
Also from The Hill: Biden lays groundwork for risky meeting with Saudis
WHAT WE’RE READING
- Ukrainian first lady urges US ‘do not get used to this war’
- More than 45K have signed up to sponsor Ukrainian refugees in US: report
- Police arrest retired NY police officer with BB gun, high-capacity magazines outside Capitol
- EU officially adopts Russian oil embargo
- Hillary Clinton: Putin has an ‘almost messianic belief in himself’
That’s it for today. Check out The Hill’s Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you next week!