The Trump administration is debating onboarding a North Korean envoy to help handle potential negotiations with Pyongyang alongside Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, one administration official told CNN. Seoul has announced that North Korea expressed interest in speaking with the U.S. about denuclearization in a potential breakthrough.
Why it matters: The State Department’s Special Representative for North Korea, Ambassador Joseph Yun, is leaving his post. The State Department lacks a permanent ambassador to Seoul, and the assistant secretary for East Asia is in place in an acting capacity and hasn’t yet been confirmed. But with such a delicate conversation, a point person may help negotiations along, per CNN.
Pro-Assad forces are "massing east of the Euphrates River" in Syria, which was established as a deconfliction line by the U.S. and Russia, CNN reports.
The big picture: Similar movements were seen in early February, before pro-regime forces crossed the river and began attacking Syrian Democratic Forces, resulting in rare U.S. strikes on pro-regime forces. The U.S. strikes resulted in the deaths of scores of Russian mercenaries.
Per CNN: "The U.S. military is monitoring the situation...to see if the pro-regime troops attempt to once again attack areas controlled by the [Syrian Democratic Forces]."
The Israeli legislature passed a bill Wednesday allowing the government to revoke the residency permits of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem.
Per Haaretz: "The government-sponsored law specifies three situations in which the interior minister can revoke permanent residency: If the status was granted under false pretenses, if the resident endangered public safety or security, or if he betrays the State of Israel."
Why it matters: The 420,000 Palestinians who currently reside in East Jerusalem possess permanent residency ID cards and are treated as foreign immigrants by the Israeli government. Deri claims the new measure will help "protect the security of Israeli citizens," but because East Jerusalem is considered occupied territory, opponents argue that it violates international humanitarian law.
In a series of interviews with Russian state television, detailed by the AP, Russian President Vladimir Putin showered President Trump in compliments, calling him a "great communicator" and noting he "made a very good impression on me."
Yes, but: Putin said the U.S. political system is a different story.
"[The U.S. political system] has demonstrated its inefficiency and has been eating itself up... It’s quite difficult to interact with such a system, because it’s unpredictable."
Investigators now believe that a nerve agent was used to poison a former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter in the English town of Salisbury on Sunday. Both victims remain in critical condition, as is a police officer who was on scene. Anti-terror police are treating the case as attempted murder.
Between the lines: Suspicion has, naturally, fallen on Russia (Vladimir Putin, himself a former intelligence officer, has vowed publicly that traitors will be killed) and the nature of the poison further indicates a state may be responsible. Moscow denies involvement.
Why it matters: "Mueller appears to be examining the influence of foreign money on Mr. Trump’s political activities and has asked witnesses about the possibility that ... Nader ... funneled money from the Emirates to the president’s political efforts."
The U.S. intends to continue its joint drills with South Korea at the conclusion of the Olympics and Paralympics, a senior administration official told reporters Tuesday. Seoul announced that North Korea said it might be willing to talk with the U.S. about denuclearization, a step the regime has previously said it would never take.
Why it matters: North Korea views those joint drills as highly threatening and as preparation for invasion. This alone could stymie any potential talks between the North and the U.S.
At a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Sweden, President Trump expressed a level of hope and confidence following news that North Korea indicated it be would be open to discussing denuclearization in exchange for the regime's safety. In response to whether Trump will be meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, he left the door open saying, "we'll see what happens."
"We have come certainly a long way at least rhetorically, it would be a great thing for the world, for the Peninsula."
— Trump during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Sweden
U.K. counter-terror police have taken over the investigation into how former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia became critically ill after exposure to a suspected toxic substance, with the government warning on Tuesday of “harsh consequences” if any state, including Russia, is found to be involved.
Why it matters: Russia is already under mounting pressure over rising evidence of the hybrid war — which includes cyberwarfare, disinformation, targeted assassinations and support for proxies fighting wars abroad — that it is waging against the West. If the Kremlin is found to be involved in the poisoning of the former spy on U.K. soil, the British government pledged to explore further sanctions on Russia, on top of those already being applied by the U.S. and the E.U. for the annexation of Crimea and fomenting of conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Senate Armed Service Committee that Russia and China are both developing state-of-the-art military technology to counter the U.S., per the AP.
The futuristic weapons: Ashley says China is developing long range cruise missiles and a bomber with a nuclear mission, which could give China a triad of weapons systems. The country is also developing sophisticated ballistic missile warheads and hypersonic glide vehicles that could counter the ballistic missile defense system, per Ashley. Last week Russia announced new nuclear weapons Putin says can’t be intercepted.
"I'm quite skeptical about all of this," said Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday referring to talks of a denuclearization breakthrough with North Korea.
Why he is skeptical: Past administrations "have been frustrated" with previous talks and so-called breakthroughs since many "have just given them time to further develop" their nuclear capability, added Coats.
Following discussions between South Korean and North Korean officials in Pyongyang, North Korea has expressed a willingness to discuss denuclearization with the U.S. if the safety of its regime is guaranteed, according to Bloomberg News. This is the first time since 2003 that the regime has floated denuclearization.
Other breakthroughs, per the AP: The Koreas have agreed to meet at a summit again in April and will establish a telephone hotline between their military leaders to avoid escalation. North Korea also agreed to a moratorium on its nuclear and missile tests if the U.S. comes to the table for direct talks, though President Trump has said negotiation will happen only after denuclearization.
A Russian military cargo plane has crashed at Khmeimim Air Base on the eastern coast of Syria, killing 33 passengers and 6 crew members, reports the AP. The Russian Ministry of Defense has said the crash was the result of a technical error and insists that it was not under fire.
President Trump reacted to the news out of Seoul on Tuesday that North Korea has expressed a willingness to discuss denuclearization with the U.S. in exchange for the regime's safety — using his favoritephrase:
He later expressed optimism for the talks, saying "a serious effort is being made by all parties concerned."
