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Welcome to The Logoff: Donald Trump introduced a brand new plan to get American weapons into Ukrainian palms on Monday, as his persistence with Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to be working more and more skinny.
What simply occurred? Trump stated on Monday that NATO international locations will begin shopping for US weaponry to ship to Ukraine. Whereas the US has been supplying Ukraine immediately, funding appropriated for that objective is on the verge of working out — however Monday’s information ought to preserve weapons flowing to Ukraine.
Trump has stated the deal, which he introduced alongside NATO Secretary-Normal Mark Rutte, is already finalized and that weapons will probably be “rapidly distributed to the battlefield.”
What’s the context? That is the second bit of excellent information for Ukraine in as many weeks, after Trump introduced final Monday that he would raise a pause on US deliveries of air protection missiles and different weapons to Ukraine.
It additionally comes as Ukraine faces an ever-greater risk from Russian drones and missiles. The 2 largest assaults of the struggle, with a whole bunch of drones apiece, have struck at Kyiv this month, although Ukraine has been in a position to intercept many of the drones.
What else did Trump announce? On Monday, Trump additionally threatened “very extreme tariffs” on Russia if the struggle doesn’t finish inside the subsequent 50 days. That’s not more likely to have a lot of an influence, because the US and Russia have a restricted commerce relationship — however Trump stated the US would additionally impose secondary sanctions focusing on international locations that do enterprise with Russia on the 50-day mark, which might have extra chew.
Why is Trump stepping up his assist for Ukraine now? Trump’s tone towards Putin has shifted in current weeks, suggesting he’s more and more pissed off with the continuing struggle and Russian intransigence. Final week, he stated, “We get lots of bullshit thrown at us by Putin. … He’s very good to us on a regular basis, but it surely seems to be meaningless.”
And with that, it’s time to log out…
This story from my colleague Benji Jones, about efforts to avoid wasting the Hickory Nut Gorge inexperienced salamander, is price your time. Benji’s in-the-field reporting concerning the pure world is unmatched, and this story, from close to Asheville, North Carolina, isn’t any exception. The salamanders are tiny, visually placing — and endangered, after their pure habitat was devastated by flooding final 12 months. Now, scientists are hoping to avoid wasting the species by establishing a breeding inhabitants in captivity. I hope you give it a learn, and that it conjures up you to take a second and recognize how unimaginable nature might be.
