Karah Rucker: AS RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE CONTINUES — RUSSIA IS STRENGTHENING TIES WITH ITS ALLIES AND FACING MORE ISOLATION FROM THE WEST.
THIS MORNING — A RUSSIAN ROCKET SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED AN IRANIAN SATELLITE INTO ORBIT.
WHILE IRAN SAID NO OTHER COUNTRY WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION THE SATELLITE GATHERS — THERE HAVE BEEN ALLEGATIONS RUSSIA MAY USE IT FOR SURVEILLANCE ON UKRAINE.
LAST MONTH RUSSIAN AND IRANIAN LEADERS PLEDGED TO WORK TOGETHER AGAINST THE WEST.
U-S OFFICIALS ARE REPORTEDLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP — FEARING THE SATELLITE WILL ALSO ALLOW IRAN TO MONITOR ISRAEL AND OTHER MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES.
YOU CAN ALSO ADD TURKEY TO THE LIST OF RUSSIA’S ALLIES.
LEADERS OF THE TWO NATIONS MET LAST FRIDAY – WHERE THEY AGREED TO ACT AGAINST TERROR ORGANIZATIONS IN SYRIA.
TURKEY HAS STEPPED UP ITS DRONE ATTACKS AGAINST U-S ALLIED KURDISH FORCES IN NORTHERN SYRIA.
Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich | U.S. Air force commander in the Middle East: “The Russian objectives here appear to me to be very much driven by trying to support the Assad regime, a brutal regime in Syria and it’s in their interest to have a foothold there in Syria so they can have access to the Mediterranean and access to the Middle East more broadly.”
Karah Rucker: THERE ARE INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS ABOUT RUSSIA’S GEO-POLITICAL MOVES.
IN JUST THE LAST FEW DAYS- THE LEADERS OF BOTH ESTONIA AND FINLAND CALLED FOR THEIR FELLOW EUROPEAN NATIONS TO STOP ISSUING TOURIST VISAS TO RUSSIAN CITIZENS.
MEANWHILE — IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE WASHINGTON POST — UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY SAID HE WANTS WESTERN COUNTRIES TO IMPOSE A BLANKET BAN ON ALL RUSSIANS — INCLUDING REFUGEES.