The Evening: Putin Defiant, Israel Strikes Gaza, Jazz Fest Allstars, and More

Defiant Putin

Vladimir Putin on Tuesday struck a defiant though largely familiar tone on Victory Day, the nation’s most important secular holiday, casting his invasion of Ukraine as a struggle for national survival akin to World War II. And, as the NYT reports, Putin’s remarks came just hours after Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted Russian cruise missiles headed for Kyiv.

UK prepares to send long-range missiles to Ukraine

Britain, which has prided itself on being ahead of its Western allies in introducing new weapons systems to Ukraine, now appears poised to send Kyiv the long-range missiles the Biden administration has long denied it, as The Washington Post reports.

Israeli Strikes in Gaza

Israeli airstrikes killed three Palestinian militant commanders and 12 others who were mostly civilians in a surprise attack in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the Israeli military and Palestinian officials said, threatening a new round of escalating violence, as the WSJ reports.

Executive Education

Expand your knowledge of American trade policy and politics with Crash Course: Trade Policy with the Trade Guys. This Crash Course is a two-day, online seminar for public and private sector professionals interested in learning more about international trade matters.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “The Recap,” “Data Unpacked,” “Testify,” “What's Happening,” “Preview,” and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

300

In a procurement notice posted May 2 by the British-led International Fund for Ukraine, a group of northern European countries that has set up a mechanism to send weapons to the battlefield, the United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry asked for “expressions of interest” in providing strike capabilities with a range of up to 300 kilometers, or nearly 200 miles.

Source: The Washington Post 

Critical Quote

iDeas Lab

Last Friday, the CSIS Americas Program hosted a conversation with Juan Guaidó, Former Interim President of Venezuela, on the current situation and humanitarian challenges in Venezuela. Watch the ReCap here. 

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen with President Of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky walk after joint press conference on May 9, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Recommended Reading

"Is a Smart Revival between the West and Turkey Possible?" by CSIS's Ilke Toygür.

This Town Tomorrow

At 2:00 p.m., the CSIS Aerospace Security Project explores space threat trends and how the U.S. Space Force is preparing Guardians to operate in a contested environment. 

Later, at 3:00 p.m., the CSIS Middle East Program and CSIS Global Food Security Program hold a conversation on the UAE's efforts to address rising challenges to domestic and global food security.

And, at 2:30 p.m., Brookings hosts a conversation with Admiral Linda Fagan, 27th commandant of the United States Coast Guard.

Video

Today, CSIS hosted a half-day conference featuring senior policymakers and industry leaders to formally launch the new Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies. The center addresses the most urgent policy questions around the governance of AI and emerging tech. Watch the video here.

Podcasts

The Trade Guys talk about Jake Sullivan’s speech last week, the IPEF, and how new EU legislation will impact U.S. companies.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

“Do like ya wanna…”

This kind of thing happens during Jazz Fest too: an all-star group of legendary New Orleans musicians gets together to perform Big Easy standards. Here’s George Porter Jr., Ivan Neville, Anders Osborne, Luther Dickinson and Stanton Moore performing The Meters classic “Fiyo on the Bayou.” And by the way, that’s New Orleans artist French live painting the gig.

I invite you to email me at aschwartz@csis.org and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz