November 21st, 2024: US Embassy Evacuated in Kyiv & China’s Role in Baltic Sea Cable Mystery
2024/11/21
The President's Daily Brief
M
Mike Baker
Mike Baker: 报道了美国基辅大使馆因潜在的俄罗斯空袭威胁而关闭的消息。这一事件发生在乌克兰军队使用英国制造的远程导弹袭击俄罗斯境内目标之后，引发了人们对俄罗斯可能升级袭击的担忧。乌克兰官员则认为美国及其盟友的反应过度，反而有利于俄罗斯。尽管如此，美国国务院发言人表示大使馆将于周四恢复正常运作。此外，他还报道了波罗的海海底光缆疑似遭到破坏的事件，调查集中在一个最近停靠在俄罗斯港口的中国货船上。欧洲国家认为这是蓄意破坏，而美国官员则认为可能是意外事故。最后，他还报道了美中高级军事会谈受阻的消息，原因是中国拒绝了五角大楼关于举行会晤的请求，这与美国向台湾出售武器有关。
Deep Dive
Why did the U.S. temporarily close its embassy in Kyiv?
The closure was prompted by intelligence warnings of a potential significant Russian airstrike, leading embassy personnel to prepare for shelter in place.
What is the role of the Chinese ship in the Baltic Sea cable sabotage?
Denmark is monitoring a Chinese ship suspected of involvement in the sabotage, as it passed over the damaged cables at the time of the incident.
Why did China refuse a meeting between its Defense Minister and U.S. Secretary of Defense?
Beijing cited a $2 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan in October, which included missile systems aimed at countering Chinese threats in the South China Sea.
What is the significance of Matt Whitaker's appointment as U.S. ambassador to NATO?
Whitaker's appointment reflects Trump's skepticism of the transatlantic alliance and his push for increased defense spending among NATO members.
How have U.S. efforts influenced NATO member countries' defense spending?
Under Trump's pressure, the number of NATO countries meeting the 2% GDP defense spending benchmark grew from three in 2014 to 18 in early 2024.
The U.S. temporarily closes its embassy in Kyiv due to intelligence warnings of a potential Russian airstrike, sparking debates on the validity of the threat and the response from both U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
- U.S. Embassy in Kyiv closes due to intelligence about a potential significant air attack.
- Ukrainian forces launch U.K.-made Storm Shadow missiles into Russian territory.
- Ukrainian officials criticize the U.S. and European allies for overreacting to Russian threats.
Shownotes Transcript