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    UK maritime insurers to play key role in slowing Putin’s oil money

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    Britain is to play a crucial role in the western strategy of preventing Russia “profiteering from its war of aggression in Ukraine” through the global sale of oil.Allies plan to cap Russian oil prices – a move they say will restrict revenue for the Kremlin while still permitting supplies to reach countries that have not imposed import bans, thus avoiding crippling energy shortages.Despite western financial penalties, Vladimir Putin’s war chest is growing. Russia is said to have made $100bn (£82bn) through the sale of oil and gas in the first 100 days of the war. It is currently earning an estimated $800m a day.Insurance companies will have a major part to play in any capping process. It would be extremely difficult for markets to receive Russian oil by sea without this service, and insurers in London, the international centre for marine insurance, must cooperate if the policy is to succeed.The International Group of Protection & Indemnity Clubs in London covers around 95 per cent of the global oil shipping fleet.IGPIC and other insurance groups have been drawn into sanctions regimes in the past; for example, they found themselves sanctioned for covering cargoes of Iranian oil during western sanctions on Tehran.Ministers are due to hold talks with the insurers on the capping scheme. Some industry figures have expressed unease about using insurance as a mechanism for enforcing political decisions, pointing out that underwriters may not necessarily know the trading price.Moscow and Beijing could set up their own marine insurance systems and, if global tanker fleets refuse to carry Russian oil, importers such as China and India – the latter now a major market for discounted supplies from Moscow – could use state-owned vessels.Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser, acknowledged at the G7 summit in Bavaria that the capping plan needs work and cannot be “pulled off the shelf as a tried and true method”.However, the idea was formulated in Washington and Janet Yellen, head of the US Treasury, is a strong backer.The US Treasury reports Ms Yellen has spoken to Constantinos Petrides, finance minister of Cyprus, which has Europe’s largest ship management centre, about “the goal of placing a price limit on Russian oil to deprive the Kremlin of revenue to finance their war in Ukraine while mitigating spillover effects for the global economy”.A senior US official said in London: “Every day that goes by, we see additional revenues flying into Russia and every additional day sees Vladimir Putin’s war chest growing.“We are doing everything we can to stop Russia profiteering from its war of aggression in Ukraine. There is a need for urgency in meeting the complex technical and diplomatic challenges we are facing.” More

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      UK defence and foreign secretaries in Turkey to talk war and weapons ahead of Nato summit

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      Weapons and war were the top agenda items in a pair of high-powered diplomatic meetings between the UK and Turkey on Thursday.The visits by the UK’s foreign and defence secretaries to Ankara followed news of the possible collapse of a major fighter jet deal between Ankara and Washington and came amid a crisis in Nato over efforts to include Nordic countries in the alliance.Defence secretary Ben Wallace met his counterpart Hulusi Akar in the Turkish capital. Ahead of a summit in Madrid next Wednesday, Nato allies are seeking to convince Turkey to remove its opposition to allowing Sweden and Finland to join the alliance.They hope to present a united front against Russia as it pursues its four-month war in Ukraine.Likely topics of discussion included a proposal to build fighter engines by Turkey and UK’s BAE Systems, possible construction of a Turkish aircraft carrier modelled on the Queen Elizabeth and sales of the Eurofighter Typhoon warplane.“The defence secretary is meeting his counterpart in Turkey today for routine bilateral talks on cooperation and security issues ahead of the Nato summit next week,” a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said in an email.Foreign secretary Liz Truss also flew to Turkey to meet senior officials, including foreign minister Melut Cavusoglu, to discuss defence industry cooperation as well as Ukraine, the Nato summit and the ongoing conflict in Syria, according to Turkish officials.The visits by the UK officials come at a time of frenetic diplomacy centred on Ankara.Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Turkey on Wednesday. Israel’s foreign minister and future premier Yair Lapid made a hurried trip to Ankara for a long-scheduled visit, even amid a government crisis in Tel Aviv. The visit came just hours after Turkish security forces arrested a number of purported Iranian operatives allegedly planning to harm or kill Israelis visiting Turkey.The Russian attack on Ukraine has transformed the balance of power in Eurasia, disrupting trade routes and energy supply lines as well as security assumptions. The years-long attempt by the US to step back from its dominant role in the Middle East has also prompted regional countries to confer and bolster ties.Talks about the possible sale to Turks of the Typhoon heated up as the US Congress appeared set to throw a spanner into plans to supply the Nato member with F-16 fighter jets. Lobbied by Armenian and Greek players and angered by Turkey’s opposition to Nato enlargement, US lawmakers have voiced concerns about selling advanced weapons to Turkey.Ankara was also removed from the programme to receive next-generation F-35 warplanes after it insisted on purchasing Russian S-400 anti-aircraft technology in violation of American restrictions.Prime minister Boris Johnson phoned Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday to discuss “cooperation in the defence industry”, as well as the Ukraine war, and the visits by the top officials came soon after. More

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      in World Politics

      Support for EU membership highest in 15 years, survey finds

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      Support for membership of the European Union is at its highest level in 15 years, according to a survey by the bloc’s parliament.Nearly two-thirds of Europeans consider membership of the EU a “good thing”, the results, published on Wednesday, revealed.Most countries showed significantly more positive attitudes towards EU membership compared to a survey conducted at the end of last year, the European Parliament said in a statement, notably in the Baltic States of Lithuania and Estonia.Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, said: “With war returning to our continent, Europeans feel reassured to be part of the European Union.”The survey showed only one in 10 respondents saw Russia positively, compared to one in three in 2018.Attitudes to China also deteriorated, though Europeans reported a more positive image of the UK and United States.Almost 60 per cent considered defence of “common European values” a priority, even if it were to affect prices and costs of living, which have further shot up since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Another EU-backed survey published last week had shown 80 per cent support for economic sanctions again Russia and a common security and defence policy.EU leaders will seek to offer support this week to six Western Balkan countries that have long been knocking at the bloc’s doors.The two-day summit starting Thursday in Brussels is expected to approve the European Commission’s proposal to give Ukraine and Moldova candidate EU membership status – the beginning of a long process that the Western Balkan Six started years ago – although Kyiv would likely take years to become a member, if at all.The EC has repeatedly told Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia that their future lies within the 27-nation bloc. But progress has stalled — for all sorts of reasons. The countries are at different levels of negotiations and fulfilling numerous membership requirements, with Montenegro leading the pack and Kosovo not even starting the talks.The European Parliament poll surveyed nearly 27,000 people across the bloc’s 27 member states between April and May.Additional reporting by Reuters More

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      in UK Politics

      UK ‘very concerned’ about Navalny and urges Russia to release Putin critic

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      The UK’s foreign secretary Liz Truss said she is “very concerned” about the whereabouts of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and has urged Russia to release him after reports he was moved to a notorious high-security prison.Navalny, 46, an outspoken opponent of Vladimir Putin, was earlier this week apparently transferred to the maximum security IK-6 prison in the Vladimir region village of Melekhovo, about 155 miles east of Moscow.The facility is known for its strict inmate routines, which include standing at attention for hours, and has a notorious reputation within the Russian penal system, with allegations of torture and rape of inmates rife. There has not yet been any confirmation of where Mr Navalny is being held and on Wednesday said it was “not concerned” for his safety.In comments on Thursday, Ms Truss said: “We wholeheartedly support Navalny and we are very, very concerned about the reports we have heard and we urge Russia to release him as soon as possible.”Navalny wrote on the Telegram messaging app that he was confined in a “strict regime” and in quarantine, but did not elaborate further.He added: “My space travel continues. I’ve moved from ship to ship.”The opposition leader has been a target for an increased Kremlin crackdown on dissidents and critics of the Russian president in recent months.Navalny was arrested in January 2021 upon returning from Germany, where he had been recuperating from nerve-agent poisoning he blamed on Russian authorities.He received a two-and-a-half-year sentence for allegedly violating the conditions of his parole while outside Russia.In March, Navalny was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of fraud and contempt of court, allegations he rejected as a politically motivated attempt by Russian authorities to keep him behind bars for as long as possible.As well as calling for Navalny to be released, the UK government passed yet further sanctions on Putin allies and those who have brought “untold suffering to Ukraine”.The measures include the sanctioning of Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for her alleged involvement in the forced transfer and adoption of Ukrainian children.Lvova-Belova has been accused of enabling 2,000 vulnerable children being violently taken from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions and orchestrating a new policy to facilitate their forced adoptions in Russia.Ms Truss said: “Today we are targeting the enablers and perpetrators of Putin’s war who have brought untold suffering to Ukraine, including the forced transfer and adoption of children.“We will not tire of defending freedom and democracy, and keeping up the pressure on Putin, until Ukraine succeeds.”The sanctions also hit Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Sergey Savostyanov, the deputy of the Moscow city Duma and member of Putin’s political elite, and four military colonels from the 64th Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade, a unit known to have killed, raped, and tortured civilians in Bucha.Additional reporting by agenciesThe Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page. More

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      in Elections

      In France’s Elections, Something Extraordinary Is Happening

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      MARSEILLE, France — For much of his presidency, Emmanuel Macron has focused on the far right. At every turn he sought to neutralize its threat, alternately prioritizing some of its preferred themes and presenting himself as the only possible bulwark against it.Now he has something else to worry about. After the first round of the country’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, the biggest challenge to Mr. Macron’s power comes not from the right but from the left. Over the next few years, it’s the other side of the spectrum that could in large part determine the country’s political direction.That’s the result of hard-nosed pragmatism. For the first time since 1997, France’s major left-wing parties put aside their differences and ran a single slate of candidates. The coalition, known as NUPES, for Nouvelle Union Populaire Écologique et Sociale, soared last week. By securing 26 percent of the vote, earning a virtual tie with Mr. Macron’s coalition, it has an outside chance of winning an outright majority in the National Assembly after the second round of voting this Sunday. Even if that proves out of reach, the left — under a shared banner — will become the major opposition force in Parliament.The effects will be profound. In the first place, it’s likely to reorient the terms of the national debate, bringing renewed focus to issues like funding for public services, the fight against climate change and tax justice, and put pressure on Mr. Macron. Yet the left’s advance could do more still. By striking against France’s highly personalized presidential system and the European Union’s commitment to fiscal rectitude, the coalition could shake up politics in the country and across the continent. It is, quietly, an extraordinary development.To be sure, a stronger presence in the National Assembly would be a major accomplishment on its own for the parties involved. Thanks to the agreement between them, they’re poised to expand their current share of just 60 seats, benefiting from scores of new lawmakers from Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s France Unbowed Party and the Greens while ensuring the embattled Communists and Socialists live to see another day. Shrewdness and an instinct for self-preservation are two of the biggest factors making unity possible.But as they conquer new ground in Parliament, the left parties may also deprive Mr. Macron of an absolute majority. If the president’s coalition is unable to capture at least 289 of the National Assembly’s 577 seats, it could be forced to govern with support from rival lawmakers — resulting in a fragile government whose fate would hinge on its ability to compromise. While Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally is likely to boost its parliamentary weight, France’s winner-take-all system gives an advantage to the more mainstream Republicans, who would be more natural governing partners for Mr. Macron. In any case, NUPES would be the top opposition force in Parliament.That would make for a dramatically different political landscape than today’s, where Mr. Macron’s agenda tends to breeze through a friendly National Assembly without much resistance. In a sense, the coalition would be taking the public opposition that already exists to much of the president’s agenda and bringing it into the halls of Parliament. Mr. Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age and overhaul a low-income aid program could become trickier to realize.And yet the possibility of a NUPES parliamentary majority cannot be ruled out either. For this to happen, the coalition needs its base to turn out in much greater numbers than it did in the first round — which featured historically low participation across the board — but especially among low-income voters and young people. If these groups do deliver a majority to NUPES, the effects would be truly seismic.Under pressure, Mr. Macron would be forced to nominate a prime minister backed by the left-wing majority, a situation known as “cohabitation,” which entails the sharing of executive power. The three previous times this has happened under France’s Fifth Republic — in place since 1958 — presidents have broadly controlled foreign policy, but the prime minister has overseen much of the domestic agenda. The left alliance already has their man for the job, Mr. Mélenchon.Amid tight polling and mounting anxiety, Mr. Macron and his allies have sought to tap into fears of this very scenario, reverting to red-baiting. The finance minister has likened Mr. Mélenchon to a “Gallic Chavez” who would “collectivize” the economy and bankrupt France, while a leading lawmaker from Mr. Macron’s party has warned of a “return to the Soviet era.” The chief of France’s top business lobby has said Mr. Mélenchon risks pushing the country “to the brink.”In fact, the coalition’s actual platform is far from revolutionary. It’s inspired more by the golden days of European social democracy than by the Bolsheviks. The coalition’s two signature economic policy proposals — a hike in the minimum wage to 1,500 euros, or about $1,560, a month and a cap on the prices of essential goods — are modest measures at a time of rapidly rising inflation.Plans to raise taxes on the superrich and boost investment in schools, hospitals and transport networks contrast with Mr. Macron’s embrace of the private sector, it’s true. Yet these are popular, standard-fare progressive policies in Europe. The alliance’s bold climate proposals — a five-year €200 billion, or nearly $209 billion, green investment plan driven by the principle of “ecological planning” — have led the ecology minister to accuse NUPES of “playing on young people’s fears.” But it’s hard to see the plans as anything other an attempt to tackle the climate crisis head-on. The costs of inaction would be much greater, anyhow.Jean-Luc Mélenchon at a campaign stop in Saint-Nazaire, France, in May.Sebastien Salom-Gomis/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesThe scaremongers are right about one thing, perhaps: An empowered left in one of the world’s most influential countries would have ripple effects abroad. It would be a source of inspiration for ideologically similar parties in Europe, which have struggled to contest for power since the heydays of Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain. What’s more, a French government willing to push back forcefully against the European Union’s restrictions on public spending and state intervention in the economy could encourage Brussels to evolve. As Europe struggles with the fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine, that could be a significant development.Yet the election’s consequences will be more immediately visible within French borders. The coalition is calling for the creation of a Sixth Republic that would rein in presidential power and return France to a more standard parliamentary regime — and the first-round results show a big chunk of the electorate agrees. Even if a change of that scope appears unlikely for now, a failure for Mr. Macron to win a clear majority just months after re-election would be more than a personal setback. It would mark a substantial blow to the office of the presidency itself, which was initially designed for the national hero and strongman Charles de Gaulle. The very structure of the Fifth Republic could come under scrutiny.That may ultimately be one of the most powerful and lasting messages sent by French voters. In a country as complex, large and diverse as theirs, a political system designed to concentrate authority in the hands of a single head of state maybe isn’t the best way of reflecting popular will. And perhaps, after 64 years, it’s time to try something new.Cole Stangler (@ColeStangler) is a journalist based in France who writes about labor, politics and culture.The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com.Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. More

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      in Elections

      Your Tuesday Briefing: Europe Recalculates on Ukraine

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      Plus the Jan. 6 hearings continue and truckers in South Korea strike.Good morning. We’re covering Europe’s recalculation on Ukraine, revelations from the Jan. 6 hearings and a trucker strike in South Korea.This bridge once connected the cities of Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk.Ivor Prickett for The New York TimesEurope recalculates as Russia gainsAs Russia advances in the east, European leaders are under mounting pressure to forge a cohesive strategy to outline what might constitute Ukrainian victory — or Russian defeat.European leaders say that it is up to Ukraine to decide how and when to enter negotiations to end the war. They have all provided significant financial and military support to Ukraine, which has continued to press for more weapons.But some European allies are increasingly nervous about a long war. They do not want to bring NATO into direct conflict with Russia — and they do not want to provoke President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear or chemical weapons. Here are recent updates.What’s next: Yesterday, word emerged that the leaders of France, Germany and Italy planned to visit Kyiv, perhaps as early as this week.Fighting: Ukraine is outgunned and running out of Soviet-era ammunition in the east. Russian forces are poised to take Sievierodonetsk, the last major city in the Luhansk region. Moscow is now closing in on neighboring Lysychansk.Death: The burned corpse of one Russian fighter is still in the military vehicle where he died. “Two weeks later still he sits, his last thoughts gone from his skull, cracked open and wet from the rain,” my colleague Thomas Gibbons-Neff writes, reflecting on this war and his time as a U.S. Marine.Asia: Ukraine’s stubborn resistance has made Taiwan rethink its own military strategy.Committee members shared testimony yesterday.Doug Mills/The New York TimesTrump was ‘detached from reality’The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol continued to conduct hearings yesterday. One after another, members of Donald Trump’s inner circle testified that they told the former president that his claims of widespread election fraud were bogus. But Trump pushed the lie anyway.William Barr, the former attorney general, said in a recorded deposition that Trump had grown delusional. Barr said that in the weeks after the 2020 election, he repeatedly told Trump “how crazy some of these allegations were.”Better Understand the Russia-Ukraine WarDig Deeper: Understand the history of the relationship between Russia and Ukraine, the causes of the conflict and the weapons that are being used.Outside Pressures: Governments, sports organizations and businesses are taking steps to punish Russia. Here are some of the sanctions adopted so far and a list of companies that have pulled out of the country.Stay Updated: To receive the latest updates on the war in your inbox, sign up here. The Times has also launched a Telegram channel to make its journalism more accessible around the world.“He’s become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff,” Barr said, speaking of Trump. “There was never an indication of interest in what the actual facts were.”Resources: Here are four takeaways from yesterday’s hearings and five takeaways from the first day of hearings last week. The next hearing is scheduled for tomorrow at 10 a.m. Eastern (that’s 10 p.m. in Hong Kong).Analysis: The committee is trying to make the case that Trump knew his claims of a fraudulent election were not true. Barr’s testimony suggests another explanation: Trump actually came to believe his own lies.Finances: The committee said that Trump had used lies about fraud to raise hundreds of millions of dollars. The big lie was also a “big rip-off,” a committee member said.The truckers have disrupted life in South Korea.Yonhap/Agence France-Presse, via Getty ImagesTruckers in South Korea strikeA truck-driver strike in South Korea stretched into a seventh day yesterday, forcing the country’s manufacturers to scale back production and slowing traffic at its ports.The union representing the truckers said it asked repeatedly for safer conditions and reasonable fares. The truckers are protesting surging fuel prices and demanding minimum pay guarantees, Reuters reported. One trucker told Reuters that he earns about $2,300 a month, and that his monthly fuel bill had increased by about $1,000 since April.That strike is proving costly for South Korea’s economy and leading to widespread domestic delays: Over the first six days, it has resulted in production and shipment disruptions for automobiles, steel and petrochemicals worth 1.6 trillion won (about $1.25 billion), the government said.Global context: The strike may further disrupt the battered global supply chain. But so far, The Associated Press reported, the country hasn’t reported any major disruption of key exports.What’s next: Yesterday, the truckers said they may escalate disruptions if demands are not met, Reuters reported, including stopping shipments of coal to a power plant. THE LATEST NEWSAsiaThe Japanese yen is approaching its lowest point in two decades, The Wall Street Journal reported.Beijing is racing to control a coronavirus outbreak linked to a 24-hour bar, Reuters reported.Chinese police arrested nine people on suspicion of assault after footage of an attack against women at a restaurant went viral, The Associated Press reported.World NewsPolice officers and rescue team searched for Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira this weekend.Bruno Kelly/ReutersPolice found the belongings of a British journalist and a Brazilian expert on Indigenous peoples who disappeared in the Amazon after receiving threats.Global stocks tumbled after U.S. stocks fell into a bear market yesterday, a 20 percent decline from January. Here are live updates.Iraq faces political chaos: Dozens of members of Parliament resigned under the direction of a powerful Shiite cleric, threatening the formation of a new government.Michelle Bachelet, the U.N.’s top human-rights official, said she would not seek a second term. The announcement followed her widely-criticized visit to China.Iran suspects Israel fatally poisoned two scientists, which could escalate the shadow war between the two countries.EuropeThe Grenfell Tower burning in 2017.Daniel Leal-Olivas/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesFive years ago today, 72 people died in the Grenfell Tower fire in London. Their families are still looking for answers and accountability.A court cleared the way for Britain’s controversial plan to resettle immigrants in Rwanda. Flights are planned to begin today.French centrists appeared to have maintained a majority in the first round of parliamentary elections, a victory for President Emmanuel Macron.What Else Is HappeningPresident Jair Bolsonaro has consistently questioned Brazil’s electoral process, despite little evidence of past fraud. Now, the military has joined him.A new study found that smokers lost their nicotine craving after suffering a stroke or other brain injury, which may reveal the neural underpinnings of addiction.SpaceX won approval to launch a giant new rocket to orbit, which could eventually travel to Mars.A Morning ReadHigh inflation, especially in food prices, has hurt Indians who work in the informal sector.Manjunath Kiran/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesIndia’s economy is growing quickly: Exports are at record highs and profits of publicly traded companies have doubled. But India can’t produce enough jobs, a sign of its uneven growth and widening inequality.ARTS AND IDEASArt as collectiveDocumenta, arguably the world’s largest exhibition of contemporary art, opens later this month in Kassel, Germany. It will run for 100 days and host nearly one million visitors.Ruangrupa, a radical Indonesian creative collective, is directing the 15th edition of Documenta. The group has long spurned the idea of art as object, and instead turns social experiences into art.For their sole solo gallery exhibition, ruangrupa threw a party and left the detritus as the exhibition. Some artists were skeptical it was art. “We told them: ‘You felt energetic and inspired. You met your friends. That’s the art,’” one member said.At Documenta, they will work with 14 other collectives and their colleagues to experiment with the idea of the lumbung, the common rice store traditionally found in Indonesian villages, built and shared by everyone. “It’s not just that they don’t create tangible objects, they don’t even create intangible experiences,” Samanth Subramanian writes in The Times Magazine, adding, “Instead of collaborating to make art, ruangrupa propagates the art of collaboration. It’s a collective that teaches collectivity.”PLAY, WATCH, EATWhat to CookKelly Marshall for The New York TimesThis spicy shrimp masala draws inspiration from Goa and Karachi.What to WatchStream these five science fiction movies.InterviewTom Hanks spoke to The Times about his new Elvis movie, his faith in America and the long arc of his career.Now Time to PlayPlay today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Furry foot (Three letters).Here are today’s Wordle and today’s Spelling Bee.You can find all our puzzles here.That’s it for today’s briefing. See you next time. — AmeliaP.S. Ben Hubbard, who has doggedly covered the Middle East, will be our next Istanbul bureau chief.The latest episode of “The Daily” is U.S. intelligence gaps in the war in Ukraine.You can reach Amelia and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. More

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      in UK Politics

      The oligarch who could hold key to fate of Britons facing death sentence

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      Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were supposed to receive the protection of the Geneva Convention as members of the armed forces of a sovereign country, Ukraine.They have been sentenced to death after a show trial in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), a “state” recognised only by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.The fact that Mr Aslin and Mr Pinner are British citizens and a third defendant at the trial, Saadoun Brahim, is a Moroccan national, does not affect their status as prisoners of war.Prosecutors in the DPR have repeatedly accused the three men of being foreign mercenaries. But all three are signed-up members of the Ukrainian armed forces, and many countries across the world have foreign nationals in the ranks.This includes Britain, where recruitment is largely restricted to those from the Commonwealth. Russia is among the most welcoming to foreigners in its forces. Citizens of any country, aged between 18 and 30 and with a knowledge of the Russian language can join and they become eligible for Russian citizenship after serving three years.DPR forces also include foreigners. During a visit there after the separatist war of 2014, I met a Scot (who advocated an independent Donbas but had voted against Scottish independence) and an American from Texas, as well as French, Finnish, Portuguese and Spanish nationals and others from eastern Europe.Russian news agency Tass reported that the men’s guilt had been proven “based on the analysis of the totality of the evidence”.What the “evidence” consists of is unknown because the trial took place behind closed doors. Mr Pinner and Mr Brahim allegedly pleaded guilty to “actions aimed at the violent seizure of power”, it was claimed, and Mr Aslin to “illegal use of weapons and explosives”.In reality, the trial and sentencing in Donetsk is a political rather than a legal issue and the two Britons will undoubtedly be regarded as bargaining counters.Boris Johnson is “appalled” by the death sentences and “has asked ministers to do everything in their power to try and reunite them with their families as soon as we can”, according to his spokesman. Britain is “prioritising” talking to Ukraine rather than Russia because “we don’t have regular interaction with the Russians”.The Kremlin holds that it is not Russia that Britain needs to talk to, but the separatists. Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described the British reaction as “hysterical”.Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters: “The trials  are being held on the basis of the legislation of the Donetsk People’s Republic because the crimes in question were committed on the DPR’s territory. I will not comment on the Donetsk People’s Republic judiciary.”It would be astonishing if Britain were to negotiate directly with an administration it does not recognise, let alone one that is at war with an ally.  So any talks over the release of the two men will be between Volodymyr Zelenesky’s government of Ukraine and the Russians, who regularly liaise on prisoner swaps.Russian state media has reported that more than 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners who surrendered in Mariupol have been transferred to Russia for “investigation”. Politicians in Moscow and the separatist republics have threatened to carry out “Nuremberg-type” trials of prisoners from the Azov battalion, whom they accuse of being neo-Nazis and fascists.Ukraine, too, has put Russian servicemen on trial. Courts in Kyiv and near Kharkiv have handed out lengthy sentences – life imprisonment in one case – on war crimes charges. Iryna Venediktova, the country’s prosecutor general, said on Wednesday that she had filed eight more cases for trial.The Russians and their DPR allies may offer to exchange the two Britons and the Moroccan – as well as others they might put on trial and convict in the future – for detainees held in Ukraine.Moscow is in a strong position when it comes to negotiations on the exchanges. The total number of Russian soldiers being held by Ukraine has fallen to 550 from 900 in April after a series of exchanges. Russia has more than 5,600 Ukrainian troops in captivity, the figure enlarged by the surrender of 2,500 in Mariupol.However, Moscow might have someone else in mind for a swap with Mr Aslin and Mr Pinner rather than soldiers. Both the Britons appeared on the state-run Rossiya 24 channel asking Boris Johnson to get them home in exchange for Viktor Medvedchuk, an oligarch with pro-Moscow sympathies who is under arrest in Ukraine.In the footage, Mr Aslin and Mr Pinner could be seen watching a video of Mr Medvedchuk’s wife Oksana making an appeal for her husband to be exchanged for the two Britons. Mr Aslin says to camera “we look to exchange myself and Aiden Aslin for Mr Medvedchuk. Obviously I would really appreciate your help on this matter.”The Russians and their proxies had gone to some lengths to orchestrate this. But Mr Medvedchuk is no ordinary pro-Moscow oligarch. Mr Putin is godfather to his daughter Daria and the pair’s friendship goes back two decades. They have holidayed together.After Mr Medvedchuk was accused of treason and placed under house arrest, and his television station seized by authorities, Mr Putin delivered one of his most aggressive condemnations of Ukraine, accusing it of turning “slowly but steadily into an antipode of Russia, an anti-Russia”. More

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      in UK Politics

      A sticky end? Kyiv cafe names puff pastry cake after Boris Johnson as he fights for political survival

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      As he battles for his political survival in the UK, prime minister Boris Johnson has been honoured in Kyiv by having a cake named after him.Zavertailo Cafe, one of Kyiv’s top bakeries, came up with the idea to thank him for the UK’s military donations to Ukraine. Since the start of the Russian invasion, Britain has given Ukraine hundreds of millions of pounds and on Monday pledged to give it long-range weapons systems.The puff pastry confection is designed to resemble the British prime minister’s hairstyle, which is depicted in cascading meringue. The cake, whose filling contains apple and cinnamon, costs the equivalent of £2.60.Mr Johnson, who faces a no-confidence vote on Monday evening due to his party’s dissatisfaction with his leadership, held a phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.The British leader confirmed a new package of support for Ukraine, according to Mr Zelensky, who added that Mr Johnson was helping him to look for “ways to avoid the food crisis and unblock (Ukraine’s) ports”.Millions of tonnes of wheat and other cereals remain in silos at ports across Ukraine as a result of a Russian blockade, aggravating the global food crisis.The cake naming is not the first time that Mr Johnson has been singled out for praise by Ukrainians. In April, a small town near Odesa in southern Ukraine decided to rename one of its roads after him.For his support in Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion, the council of Fontanka ordered Mayakovsky Street to be changed to Boris Johnson Street.“The prime minister of the United Kingdom is one of the most principled opponents of the Russian invasion, a leader in sanctions on Russia and defence support for Ukraine,” the council said.To express his solidarity with Ukraine, Mr Johnon visited Mr Zelensky in Kyiv in mid-April on an unannounced trip. During his visit, a Ukrainian woman thanked him by giving him a ceramic cockerel – a symbol of defiance after one was discovered intact in the besieged town of Borodyanka earlier in the war.“The UK and others [will] supply the equipment, the technology, the knowhow, the intelligence, so that Ukraine will never be invaded again,” Mr Johnson said at the time.“So Ukraine is so fortified and protected – so that Ukraine can never be bullied again. Never be blackmailed again. Never be threatened in the same way again,” he added.A cake may not be the most appropriate present given to the British PM however, after he was “ambushed” by cake at a Downing Street lockdown party, which got him into so much trouble.In Monday’s vote of no confidence, Mr Johnson needs the support of at least 180 Tory MPs to retain his position. Scandals including Partygate have dented his reputation at home, leading to fears among some Conservatives that his party will lose the next general election if he remains in power. More