The Kremlin has refused to comment on the rumors surrounding Tucker Carlson. Meanwhile, Russian war critic Boris Nadezhdin’s election bid is likely to be rejected due to signature defects. NATO allies are pushing for Sweden’s membership, with Hungary’s ruling party boycotting the vote on ratifying Swedish membership, preventing the session from meeting quorum. Additionally, the Netherlands has pledged to deliver six more F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
In other news, Georgia claims to have seized a Russia-bound cargo of explosives from Ukraine, and Israeli ambassador Simona Halperin was summoned by Russia’s Foreign Ministry over what it described as “unacceptable statements.” The Ministry of Defense of the UK suggests that Russia is unlikely to meet its 2024 revenue target and may need to raise taxes and reduce contributions to its sovereign wealth fund to fund its planned expenditure.
Regarding Tucker Carlson’s supposed trip to Moscow, the Kremlin declined to confirm whether he was in Russia or if Putin would grant an interview to Carlson. It is speculated that Carlson could be in Moscow for a potential interview with Putin.
On the EU enlargement front, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revived EU enlargement plans, with Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia applying for candidate status and Serbia being caught in a geostrategic rivalry between its Western allies and Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently visited the front-line village of Robotyne in southern Ukraine and met with troops there.
Last but not least, a $118.2 billion bipartisan aid proposal for Ukraine, Israel, and the southern U.S. border has been released by Senators after months of negotiations. Furthermore, UniCredit’s CEO, Andrea Orcel, stated that the business continues to be scaled down in Russia.
