12:19
Graham: Biden is ‘enjoying footsie with Putin’
Republicans in Congress have loads of recommendation or abuse for Joe Biden over how he’s dealing with the Ukraine disaster. After all they do.


Right here’s Lindsey Graham, senator from the nice state of South Carolina, this morning: “You mentioned a few years in the past that [Vladimir] Putin doesn’t need you to win, since you’re the one individual that would go toe to toe with him.
“Proper now, Mr President, you’re enjoying footsie with Putin and also you’re shedding. He’s strolling throughout you and our allies. We’ve got too many Neville Chamberlains on this world. We’d like extra [Winston] Churchills.”
Right here, for what it’s value, is our review of Munich: The Edge of War, the brand new movie primarily based on a Robert Harris thriller through which Chamberlain, the British prime minister who appeased Adolf Hitler, is performed by Jeremy Irons.
More from Graham:
“The administration has pushed again in opposition to bipartisan sanctions laws that had pre-invasion penalties to Putin that have been actually robust on the oil and gasoline sector, believing that if we did that up entrance, it will be a provocation that will make him extra prone to invade. The administration has misjudged Putin about as badly as anybody for the reason that world misjudged Hitler.”
10:24
Vladimir Putin’s angry and rambling hour-long potted historical past of Ukraine’s failings on Monday night time, culminating in a dedication to recognise the self-proclaimed republics in Donetsk and Luhansk, left western diplomats scratching their heads and questioning whether or not they had been made redundant.
The Russian president not solely mentioned he would recognise Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, rendering eight years of negotiations over their future pointless, however he additionally signalled that Russia couldn’t tolerate an unbiased Ukraine on its borders. Nato was hardly talked about. His goal at one level appeared to be the Bolsheviks, for relinquishing land to the nationalists.
The lecture was a far cry from an announcement from Emmanuel Macron’s workplace 24 hours earlier saying the French and Russian leaders had “made agency commitments to hold out all helpful actions to keep away from escalation, scale back dangers and protect peace”.
Following the logic of Putin’s speech, it appears solely a matter of time earlier than a full invasion of Ukraine to reunite the 2 peoples should happen. Russia, seen by this lens, can not face the chance of assault from Ukrainian territory. The “puppet regime” should be eliminated.
09:30
Germany halts Nord Stream 2 approval
Germany has stopped the certification course of for the controversial Nord Stream 2 gasoline pipeline in response to Russia’s recognition of the self-proclaimed republics in Luhansk and Donetsk in east Ukraine, chancellor Olaf Scholz has introduced.
Germany’s power minister, Robert Habeck, on Tuesday morning instructed the withdrawal of a safety of provide evaluation granted below Angela Merkel’s tenure, which is required to authorise the pipeline between Russia and Germany.
“This may occasionally sound technical, however it’s the obligatory administrative step with out which the pipeline can’t be licensed,” Scholz mentioned at a press convention in Berlin at noon. “With out this certification Nord Stream 2 can not go into operation”.
Scholz mentioned he has commissioned a brand new evaluation into Germany’s power safety within the mild of geopolitical developments in east Ukraine.