The vast majority of global sanctions against Russia stem from its invasion of Crimea in 2014 — a violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity that Moscow is now threatening to repeat on a far larger scale in the remainder of the country.
Why it matters: Top Biden officials openly admit costs imposed on Russia since 2014 have failed to deter President Vladimir Putin. That's why the U.S. and its allies are preparing sanctions that would "start at the top of the escalation ladder and stay there."
President Biden is considering Stephen Robert, a former Wall Street executive with close ties to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to become U.S. ambassador to Italy, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The president has struggled with and waited to fill the post — despite the desirability of living in Rome. The ambassadorial residence, Villa Taverna, boasts a pool, private gardens and a three-story wine cellar, nestled in the catacombs below.
A cyclone slammed into Madagascar's east coast Saturday, causing widespread damage and leaving some 45,000 people displaced as of Sunday, per AP.
Why it matters: Cyclone Batsirai comes just weeks after Cyclone Ana struck the island on Jan. 22, killing 55 people and displacing 130,000, Reuters reports.
Queen Elizabeth II kicked off festivities Saturday to mark her Platinum Jubilee — the 70-year anniversary of Feb. 6 1952, when she ascended to the throne at age 25.
Driving the news: “It is a day that, even after 70 years, I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign,” the Queen wrote in a statement Saturday.
Two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi made a show of reinforcing their unity against Western "interference," U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the two would also be tied together in some manner if the Kremlin decides to invade Ukraine.
Driving the news: “We believe that Beijing will end up owning some of the costs of a Russian invasion of Ukraine and that they should calculate that as they consider their engagements with the Russian government,” Sullivan told host Chuck Todd on NBC's "Meet the Press."
