| | | | |  | | By Matt Berg and Eric Bazail-Eimil | |  The timing is near ideal: The Democratic National Convention is in a few weeks, and securing the trade was likely one of President Joe Biden’s final hopes before leaving office. | Alex Brandon/AP | With help from Miles J. Herszenhorn, Connor O’Brien and Phelim Kine Subscribe here | Email Matt | Email Eric The hostage deal that saw the release of Wall Street Journal reporter EVAN GERSHKOVICH and others today came together in recent weeks and “stayed really fluid” through this morning. That’s according to PAUL BECKETT, a Journal editor who has advocated full-time for Gershkovich’s release since he was detained by Russia on espionage charges in March 2023. “We were just on the edge of our seats,” Beckett told NatSec Daily in a call this afternoon. “It probably became clear two or three weeks ago that things are moving in a positive direction, after a long time when it was unclear where things stood.” Tension about whether the deal would falter at the last moment grew Wednesday evening, as news reports began to leak that a deal appeared to be in the final stretch. The swap involved four American residents — Gershkovich, ALSU KURMASHEVA, VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA and PAUL WHELAN — who were detained by Moscow, in a trade for several Russian nationals accused of or charged with a variety of criminal activities. U.S. officials cautioned the Journal that “it's not done until it’s done,” until Gershkovich and the others walk across the tarmac and are fully safe on American soil, Beckett said. “Things go wrong at the last minute. Planes turn around, there are delays, there are people in and out,” he said. “It's very hard to tell what the Russians are thinking of doing. And so we had to operate on faith.” U.S. Ambassador to Turkey JEFF FLAKE agreed: “You're never sure until it's wheels up,” he told NatSec Daily in a call minutes ago, adding that “it's a huge, huge accomplishment.” The deal is a bright spot in an otherwise tough week for the Biden administration on foreign policy, with prospects of a wider war in the Middle East looming and pressure mounting for the White House to take a more decisive stance on Venezuela’s controversial election. And the timing is near ideal: The Democratic National Convention is in a few weeks, and securing the trade was likely one of Biden’s final hopes before leaving office. It’s a sign that Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN might rather deal with Democrats after November rather than DONALD TRUMP, said HUGH DUGAN, the former acting special presidential envoy for hostage affairs in the Trump administration. Putin “doesn't want Trump back because he's a tougher driver,” Dugan told NatSec Daily. Sen. JD VANCE (R-Ohio), Trump’s running mate, told CNN today that he thinks the deal happened “because bad guys all over the world recognize Donald Trump’s about to be back in office, so they’re cleaning house.” That’s not cramping the White House’s style. President JOE BIDEN and national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN took victory laps today, hailing the release of the Americans as part of one of the biggest and most complex prisoner swaps in U.S. history. “Now their brutal ordeal is over, and they’re free,” Biden said in a speech from the White House State Dining Room, standing next to family members of the released prisoners. “It’s an incredible relief.” For as long as he needs, Gershkovich will recuperate from his detention abroad, reconnecting with family and celebrating his newfound freedom, Beckett said. Asked what’s next for the 32-year-old journalist — and whether he might return to reporting for WSJ — the editor was clear: “He can do whatever he wants.”
| | RAISING THE TEMP: The Israel Defense Forces confirmed today that MOHAMMED DEIF, second in command of Hamas militant wing, was killed in an airstrike on Khan Younis last month. The strike targeting Deif at the Al-Mawasi refugee camp in July killed at least 90 people, according to Hamas-run Gazan health authorities. At the time, Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU said it was unclear whether Deif had been killed in the attack. But Deif was killed along with RAFA'A SALAMEH, the commander of Hamas’ Khan Yunis Brigade, and other Hamas operatives — marking the third straight day that a top Hamas or Hezbollah leader has been confirmed to have been killed. Top Iranian leaders were set to meet with proxy allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen today to discuss retaliation against Israel, which Tehran promised shortly after Hamas political leader ISMAIL HANIYEH’s death on Wednesday: “Iran and the resistance members will conduct a thorough assessment after the meeting in Tehran to find the best and most effective way to retaliate against the Zionist regime,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters’ PARISA HAFEZI, AHMED RASHEED and LAILA BASSAM. The Biden administration maintains that a cease-fire deal with Hamas is the best way to lower the region’s temperature — and is working to keep them moving forward. Shortly after Haniyeh’s death, senior administration officials were in talks with Israeli, Qatari, Iraqi and Saudi officials to attempt to salvage a deal, a U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal’s LARA SELIGMAN. DEADLY AL JAZEERA ATTACK: An Al Jazeera journalist and cameraman were killed in an attack on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening, The Washington Post’s ANIKA ARORA SETH reports. Al Jazeera staff member ISMAIL AL-GHOUL and cameraman RAMI AL-RIFI were near Haniyeh’s home where people were gathering after his death. A local freelance photographer told the Post that after an airstrike near the house, an Israeli plane “chased the Al Jazeera employees’ car” while they fled. A Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson told the Post that a missile hit their car directly around 5 p.m. In a statement to the Post, Al Jazeera said it “condemns the ongoing crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces against journalists and media professionals in Gaza in the strongest possible terms.” The IDF said in a statement that it “eliminated a Nukhba terrorist who participated in the October 7th Massacre” and accused Al-Ghoul of recording and publishing “attacks against IDF troops.” It also claims he was an operative of Hamas’ military wing. AN INCOMPLETE EXCHANGE: Russian opposition leader ALEXEI NAVALNY was meant to be part of today’s prisoner swap involving more than 20 people, Sullivan confirmed at a White House press briefing today. “We had been working with our partners on a deal that would have included Alexei Navalny and unfortunately he died,” Sullivan said, referencing his death in a Russian prison colony earlier this year. Navalny’s allies have claimed for several months that Russia murdered Navalny to avoid including him in a prisoner swap with the West, and Sullivan’s comment was the first public confirmation that U.S. officials had been working on a deal that included Navalny. IVAN ZHDANOV, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said “This is an exchange in honor of Navalny. Without Navalny.” YULIA NAVALNAYA spoke on the phone with Vice President KAMALA HARRIS after the prisoner swap occurred and expressed the need to continue to support imprisoned members of the Russian opposition. “This is a huge joy. Every released political prisoner is a huge victory and a reason to celebrate,” Navalnaya wrote in a post on X. “No one should be held hostage by Putin, subjected to torture, or left to die in his prisons.” IT’S THURSDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at mberg@politico.com and ebazail@politico.com, and follow us on X at @mattberg33 and @ebazaileimil. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco, @reporterjoe, @JGedeon1 and @mherszenhorn.
| | | | Live briefings, policy trackers, and procedural, industry, and people intelligence from POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy this election cycle. Secure your seat. | | | | | | | | | DON SPEAKS HIS TRUTH: Trump criticized the Biden administration’s hostage deal in a rambling Truth Social post today, calling it “Bad precedent for the future.” “Our ‘negotiators’ are always an embarrassment to us!” he wrote. “They are extorting the United States of America. They’re calling the trade ‘complex’ — That’s so nobody can figure out how bad it is!” REKINDLING A BROMANCE? A high-ranking North Korean diplomat who defected earlier this year says that the Hermit Kingdom wants to restart nuclear talks if Trump wins in November, per Reuters’ HYONHEE SHIN. In his first interview since his defection, RI IL GYU, who was one of Pyongyang’s top diplomats in Cuba, said that North Korea has been strategizing for renewed negotiations with Trump over the future of its nuclear program, hoping that Washington will lift sanctions against its weapons programs, remove it from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and restore humanitarian aid to the struggling country. Ri’s comments signal a potential reversal in North Korea’s posture toward Washington. Nuclear talks in 2019 broke down between Trump and North Korean leader KIM JONG UN over the future of U.S. sanctions and Pyongyang has refused U.S. requests to return to the negotiating table under Biden.
| | MICROSOFT PUMPS THE BRAKES: Microsoft is changing its plan to share sensitive artificial intelligence hardware and intellectual property with an Emirati AI firm as concerns grow about the company’s ties to China, our own JOHN SAKELLARIADIS reports. In the last week, the tech giant has begun informing Congressional committees, executive branch agencies and White House staff that it plans to install greater safeguards around a sensitive part of the deal that is still under negotiation, a person familiar told John. That aspect of the $1.5 billion partnership would have involved the transfer of sensitive tech to the Abu Dhabi-based firm G42. The U.S. has tried to restrict China from accessing those technologies, which include advanced semiconductors, because they are viewed as critical in the race to develop the most cutting-edge AI tools. RUSSIA’S CYBER LOVE: Six of the 10 Russian nationals Washington traded to release Gershkovich, Whelan, Kara-Murza, Kurmasheva and others were alleged cybercriminals, our own MAGGIE MILLER reports (for Pros!). VLADIMIR DUNAEV was serving more than a five-year prison sentence in the U.S. for helping to develop and deploy TrickBot malware against schools, hospitals and other groups. VLADISLAV KLYUSHIN was sentenced in 2023 to nine years in prison after hacking and stealing corporate information. Others were involved in cryptocurrency laundering, identity theft and smuggling military-grade micro-displays.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Next-gen missions demand next-gen digital innovations
We’re transforming the way the U.S. Navy deploys combat system capability to 'defend against sophisticated threats. Learn more. | | | | | HERITAGE HITTING CHINA: The Heritage Foundation is pushing the next U.S. president to go all-in on deterring China in the Pacific, while pressing allies to shoulder the burden elsewhere — most notably in Europe. The new report out today, scooped by our colleagues at Morning Defense (for Pros!), argues the U.S. military is spread too thin, and calls for prioritizing China and defending the homeland above other regions and threats. The conservative think tank argues that major increases in defense spending can't be counted on —- a conclusion that could ruffle feathers among Republican defense hawks pushing for a big buildup. To facilitate the U.S. pivoting its military strength to the Pacific and rapidly arming Taiwan, the report calls for tradeoffs that include NATO allies taking over the primary responsibility for conventional defense against Russia in Europe. The increased allied burden-sharing extends to Middle East security. It also includes Europe taking over the effort to arm Ukraine while the U.S. dedicates its stockpiles and weapons production to Taiwan. The plan aims to serve as a blueprint for a new administration in 2025, and could particularly resonate in a second Trump term. Trump has opposed further Ukraine aid. The blueprint also aligns with Vance’s views, who argues that arming Ukraine saps resources needed for Taiwan's defense. SUPER SIZE ME: The Senate Appropriations Committee today unanimously approved annual Pentagon funding legislation that would add nearly $21 billion on top limits on military spending that lawmakers and Biden agreed to last year, our own CONNOR O’BRIEN reports (for Pros!).
| | | | DID YOU MISS IT? On Tuesday, POLITICO and McKinsey convened three conversations in D.C. with policymakers and space experts, including NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The discussions also featured a panel of experts, an interview with Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) and an executive conversation with McKinsey's Ryan Brukardt.
The conversations focused on the next great innovation frontier – the space industry, including deeper discussion around which sectors of the global economy see their growth arc in space and what the role of government leaders is in expanding and regulating the growing number of orbital ideas. CATCH UP AND WATCH HIGHLIGHTS HERE | | | | | | | | REPUBLICANS’ SWAP ANGST: Republican lawmakers slammed the Biden administration for the Russian prisoner swap involving several high-profile U.S. citizens, saying that it will only fuel further hostage takings. Rep. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-Texas), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he’s “thrilled” about the news that Americans would return home. But the trade comes less than two years after the White House traded Russian arms dealer VIKTOR BOUT for WNBA player BRITTNEY GRINER, raising concerns on Capitol Hill that such deals will become more common. “I remain concerned that continuing to trade innocent Americans for actual Russian criminals held in the U.S. and elsewhere sends a dangerous message to Putin that only encourages further hostage-taking by his regime,” McCaul said in a statement. Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) concurred: “I think it speaks to the weakness of this administration and what they have done to our reputation overseas,” he said on Fox News. Sen. JIM RISCH (R-Idaho) noted that other American citizens are still being held by Russia, and that the U.S. “paid a steep price for this exchange.” FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — BIPARTISAN VENEZUELA RESOLUTION: The leaders of the Congressional Venezuela Democracy caucus are gathering support for a bipartisan resolution “standing in solidarity with the Venezuelan people and condemning Nicolás Maduro’s attempt to steal the Venezuelan presidential election,” NatSec Daily has learned. The resolution, introduced by Reps. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-Fla.) and MARIO DÍAZ-BALART (R-Fla.) will recognize EDMUNDO GONZÁLEZ as the president-elect of Venezuela and condemn the government’s reprisals against protesters and efforts to rig the election. It will also call for new sanctions against Caracas and international pressure to push President NICOLÁS MADURO to recognize the election results, which the opposition and international observers say saw Maduro lose by a two-to-one margin to González. MCGOVERN’S BADGE OF HONOR: Beijing today served up its version of payback to Rep. JIM McGOVERN (D-Mass.), a longtime China critic and member of the bipartisan Congressional Executive Commission on China, by placing him on a sanctions list, our own PHELIM KINE writes in. McGovern joins a long list of U.S. citizens that China has sanctioned in recent years in reprisal for criticism of Chinese policies: If Chinese leaders “don’t like it when people speak out against their horrific human rights record, maybe they should improve their horrific human rights record,” McGovern said in a statement.
| | | |   | | | | | EMPIRE STATE OUTRAGE: New York lawmakers are voicing their outrage at a plea deal between federal prosecutors and members of Al-Qaeda long accused of plotting the Sept. 11 attacks. Rep. ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.) posted on X this morning that the Biden administration “betrayed the American people.” She called the deal, which will see KHALID SHAIKH MOHAMMED, WALID BIN ATTASH and MUSTAFA AL-HAWSAWI avoid the death penalty and serve life sentences for their roles in the attacks, “sickening” and accused the administration of continuing “to placate terrorists.” The trio has been in U.S. custody at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba since 2003, but their cases have been mired in a decade of pretrial proceedings over CIA torture and the effects on the evidence collected against them. GEORGIA WANTS A TAKE TWO: Georgian Prime Minister IRAKLI KOBAKHIDZE today called for a “reset” of relations with the U.S. a day after the Biden administration paused some $95 million in aid due to concerns that the country is backsliding on democracy, Reuters’ LUCY PAPACHRISTOU reports.
| | FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — ANDREW MILLER, former deputy assistant secretary of State for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs in the Biden administration, is joining the Center for American Progress as a senior fellow for Middle East policy in the National Security and International Policy department. Miller was among the most senior officials focused full-time on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and he played a key role in discussions with U.S. partners about post-conflict governance, security and reconstruction arrangements. — JULIE KHERSONSKY, who previously worked at the State Department, joined Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security last month as deputy assistant secretary for strategic trade.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: '21st Century Security® Solutions that Power Multi-Domain Operations
'Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy’s Integrated Combat System utilizes common software and computer infrastructure to rapidly field capability across the surface fleet and all domains. Learn more. | | | | | — JOE PARKINSON, DREW HINSHAW, BOJAN PANCEVSKI and ARUNA VISWANATHA, The Wall Street Journal: Putin wanted his hit man back. A mother wanted her journalist son to come home — TIM MAK, POLITICO: U.S. aid is flowing to Ukraine again. Can it turn the tide of the war? — WANG JISI, HU RAN, and ZHAO JIANWEI, Foreign Affairs: Does China prefer Harris or Trump?
| | — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 11 a.m.: Forging America’s tech future: The need for a national computing strategy. Thanks to our editor, Rosie Perper, who makes everything go wrong at the last minute. Thanks to our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who is the ultimate dealmaker. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment