Page 20 - Max Bergmann News Today

US President to visit Europe tending to alliances tested by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden leaves on Sunday for Europe, where he will spend time in three nations tending to alliances that have been tested by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

His national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the trip would 'showcase the president's leadership on the world stage.'

In the wake of the uprising by Wagner Group forces in Russia, the US and Europe have turned their gaze to an increasingly unpredictable Belarus – a key Russian ally that Western officials fear could give the exiled mercenary troops a new home and serve as a staging ground for Russian nuclear weapons.

The US Defense Department defended the decision to send controversial Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICMs), also known as cluster munitions, to Ukraine, citing the lower failure rates of the weapons than the Russian versions, as well as Ukraine’s commitment to "responsible use" of them.

Washington wants European defense euros to go to American companies; EU leaders hope to boost their own industries.

The new U.S.-U.K. agreement will serve as a framework for bolstering cooperation between the two countries on clean energy transition, development of emerging technologies, and protecting technology that is critical to national security

President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday reiterated their commitment to help Ukraine repel Russia’s ongoing invasion, while agreeing to step up cooperation on challenges their economies face with artificial intelligence, clean energy, and critical minerals.

The two sides will kick off negotiations on the use of minerals from the UK

Russia's army on Friday reported heavy fighting in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, saying over 21 Ukrainian tanks had been destroyed in battles across key sections of the front line. A spokesman for Russia's Vostok group of forces said 13 Ukrainian tanks were destroyed in battles in the Zaporizhzhia region and eight in the Donetsk region. It reported artillery, drone and infantry battles. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield claims.