PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 20th, 2024: Zelensky's Stark Warning To America & Iran Accelerates Pursuit Of Nuclear Weapons
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What warning did President Zelensky issue about Ukraine?
I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First up, President Zelensky has issued a stark warning about Ukraine's fate should the incoming Trump administration cut aid to Kyiv, as President Biden doubles down on military support, greenlighting the use of anti-personnel landmines to slow Russia's advances on the battlefield. Then, an update on Iran's nuclear program as a confidential report reveals the regime has significantly increased its stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium, despite ongoing efforts by the UN's nuclear watchdog to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table. But first, our afternoon spotlight. President Zelensky is warning that the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance and hinges on long-term support from the U.S. to sustain their defensive war against Russia. In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Zelensky said Ukraine will not survive the Putin regime's current onslaught if America does not continue to fund Kiev's military needs at current levels.
Now, that is likely a cautionary statement meant for President-elect Donald Trump, as he prepares for a second term. The statement comes as the war passes the 1,000-day mark, and Moscow escalates their missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities. Addressing the possibility of military aid drying up in the new year, Zelensky told Fox News, "...if they will cut, we will, I think we will, lose. We have our production, but it is not enough to prevail, and I think it is not enough to survive." End quote. Still, Zelensky said the incoming Trump administration could provide opportunities to change the current direction of the conflict, saying he believes Trump is, quote, much stronger than Putin and could potentially influence the dictator to end the war.
How is the Biden administration supporting Ukraine?
Regarding future negotiations with Moscow, Zelensky said, quote, it depends on Putin, but it also depends on the United States of America much more. Putin is weaker than the United States. The president of the U.S. has the strength and authorities and the weapons. Speaking of weapons, President Biden, or whomever is running the White House, authorized on Tuesday the use of anti-personnel landmines for the Ukrainian military to blunt Russia's advances in the eastern Donetsk region. The approval came just two days after the U.S.
What are the implications of the use of anti-personnel landmines?
greenlit Ukraine's use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russian territory, and that's obviously a controversial decision that has raised fears of escalation. Now, obviously, the use of anti-personnel landmines is also not without controversy. More than 160 countries have signed an international treaty banning their use, citing, of course, the extreme risks that they pose to civilians. But Russia has been using them liberally since the war began, significantly impacting Ukrainian efforts to retake captured territory in the east. Ukraine has long sought approval to use these mines in order to be on relatively equal footing with the Russian aggressors. Pentagon officials said the decision was prompted by Russia's renewed offensive push on the front lines in Donetsk in recent weeks, saying that the land mines are the best way to slow down Russian forces and ensure more towns and cities don't fall into Moscow's hands. U.S.
officials also stressed that these landmines are, quote, nonpersistent, meaning that they either lose battery charge or self-destruct after several days or weeks, limiting any long-term danger to civilians. Unless, of course, civilians are there in the vicinity when the landmines self-destruct. An anonymous U.S. source told The Washington Post, quote, Russia is attacking Ukrainian lines in the east with waves of troops, regardless of the casualties that they're suffering. These mines were made specifically to combat exactly this, end quote.
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