GMDC: Increasing Uncertainty In The Face Of Intensifying Conflict Over Ukraine

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Good Morning DC!

It’s Monday, but the world has not gotten any closer to normal. World affairs are in uncharted territory, and the future appears bleak. 

In an address to Israel’s parliament, the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy accused Vladimir Putin of trying to carry out a “permanent solution” against Ukraine, comparing Russia’s actions to those of Nazi Germany. 

In a separate address over the weekend, the UK’s Boris Johnson compared the war in Ukraine to Brexit, causing fire and fury among his colleagues and frenemies. 

Your top news stories of today are below. 

THE WHITE HOUSE

This morning from the White House, Biden will talk on the phone with Emmanuel Macron of France, Olaf Scholz, Mario Draghi, and Boris Johnson about coordinated responses to Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine. 

Psaki and the Deputy National Security Advisor for cybersecurity, Anne Neuberger, will brief the press at 2:30 pm. 

At 6 pm Biden will join Business Roundtable’s CEO Quarterly Meeting at the Business Roundtable facility in Washington, DC.  

Biden will be going to Europe this week. On Wednesday, he will depart for Brussels, Belgium, to attend the NATO Summit.

Friday, Biden will go to Poland where he will meet with President Andrzej Duda of Poland on Saturday to address the humanitarian crisis and the influx of refugees in Poland fleeing Ukraine. 

DIGITAL ASSETS

FTX is expanding and has chosen Australia as the site of its next office, Sam Bankman-Fried has confirmed. 

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

NSA Jake Sullivan condemned the Houthi attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, which have occurred over the last 48 hours in Saudi Arabia.

“The Houthis launch these terrorist attacks with enabling by Iran, which supplies them with missile and UAV components, training, and expertise,” said Sullivan. “This is done in violation of UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting the import of weapons into Yemen. Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Government have endorsed multiple UN calls for ceasefires and de-escalation over the last year. The Houthis have rejected these calls, responding instead with new offensives in Yemen and terrorist acts, such as those launched against Saudi Arabia last night,” he concluded. 

Ukraine has refused a Russian ultimatum to surrender the city of Mariupol.

Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, has made her first comments after being released from Iranian jail. She said it shouldn’t have taken 6 years to secure her release.

“I have seen five foreign secretaries change over the course of six years. That is unprecedented given the politics of the UK. I love you, Richard, I respect whatever you believe, but I was told many, many times that, ‘oh, we are going to get you home.’ That never happened. There was a time that I felt like I wouldn’t trust you because I believe[d] many times I would be taken home and that never happened. How many foreign secretaries does it take? It should have been one of them eventually so now here we are, what has happened now should have happened six years ago,” said Nazanin. 

Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russia’s Channel One journalist who recently drew the attention of the world as she protested on-air with a sign reading: “Stop the war. Don’t believe propaganda. They’re lying to you,” is being accused of being a British spy by Kirill Kleimyonov. On the same news channel, Kleimyonov accused Ovsyannikova of acting at the instruction of the British Embassy, labeling her actions an act of treason against Russia.

In COVID global news, vulnerable people in England can get a 4th COVID vaccine, starting today. 

And that’s a wrap for this Monday morning, March 21 2022. Good Morning DC will be back tomorrow to bring you the latest first. 

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