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Merkel backs freezing arms sales to Saudi Arabia

German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Photo: John Thys /AFP/Getty Images

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that weapons sales to Saudi Arabia "can’t take place in the situation we’re currently in" after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, per the AP.

The big picture: Unlike the United States, which has sold nearly three times more weapons to Saudi Arabia any other country over the past two years, Germany is not a top arms exporter to the kingdom, but Merkel's position was echoed by some American lawmakers on the Sunday news shows, including Sen. Rand Paul.

Go deeper

Jonathan Swan
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

U.S. ambassador to Russia will return home briefly: State Department

John Sullivan, U.S. Ambassador to Russia, during a briefing in Moscow in 2015. Photo: Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS via Getty Images

The State Department said Monday that the U.S. ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, will now be returning to the United States this week before returning to Moscow "in the coming weeks."

Why this matters: The statement, from a State Department spokesperson, comes just hours after Axios reported that Sullivan had indicated he intended to stand his ground and stay in Russia after the Kremlin “advised” him to return home to talk with his team.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Jonathan Swan, Zachary Basu
3 hours ago - World

Scoop: Leaked Ukraine memo reveals scope of Russia's aggression

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits a military exposition in Sevastopol, Crimea, in Jan. 2020. Photo: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Russia has been holding last-minute military exercises near commercial shipping lanes in the Black Sea that threaten to strangle Ukraine's economy, according to an internal document from Ukraine's ministry of defense reviewed by Axios.

Why it matters: With the eyes of the world on the massive buildup of troops in eastern Ukraine, the leaked memo shows Russian forces escalating their presence on all sides of the Ukrainian border.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Courtenay Brown
4 hours ago - Economy & Business

Elon Musk: Autopilot feature wasn't enabled in fatal Texas crash

Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Monday that "data logs recovered so far" show the car's Autopilot feature was not enabled — and it did not have access to "full self-driving mode" — in the deadly crash in Texas involving the company's electric vehicle.

Background: Local investigators said they believed the car was operating without anyone in the driver's seat. At the time of death, one man was in the passenger seat, while another was in the rear seat, KPRC 2 reports.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow