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The President's Daily Brief
February 18th, 2025: U.K. Peacekeepers in Ukraine? & Hamas Agrees To Step Aside In Gaza
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- [00:00]
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- [00:29]
Mike Baker
Your attention I they would be just about it's Tuesday, the 18th of February. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. Today we'll kick things off with the latest on the war in Ukraine as Russia and US Officials engage in peace talks in Saudi Arabia. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has offered to send UK Troops as peacekeepers in any potential deal. But European leaders, well, they're divided with some pushing back on the idea of putting boots on the ground in Ukraine. Later in the show, reports claim that Hamas has agreed to hand control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority. But Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel is shutting that idea down fast. Plus, horrifying details are emerging from Hamas hostage survivors revealing the brutal conditions that they endured during captivity. And in today's back of the brief, Congo's government says Rwanda backed rebels have seized control of a second major city in the country's mineral rich east, escalating tensions in the region. But first, today's PDB spotlight. With members of the Trump administration set to begin peace talks with Russia without, for now anyway, the participation of Ukrainian and NATO officials, European leaders are now scrambling to coordinate their own plan to help ensure Ukraine's long term security. Leaders from six EU countries as well as the United Kingdom convened in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit intended to form a consensus on how to respond to President Trump's bilateral talks with Kremlin representatives, which kicked off today in Saudi Arabia. But finding common ground is proving tricky with officials clashing over what kind of security guarantees to offer Kyiv. That's according to a report from the Financial Times. President Emmanuel Macron hosted the summit and was apparently hoping for commitments from EU allies to deploy a coalition of peacekeeping troops to Ukrainian territory to enforce any potential deal. It's a plan that Macron has floated several times in recent months and one that has the full support of Ukrainian President Zelensky. Specifically, Macron envisions what he's described as a reassurance force. Well, that sounds friendly. Which would be stationed behind, but not on a future ceasefire line in Ukraine. Zelensky has called on European allies to commit a minimum of 200,000 troops to the effort, arguing that in the absence of NATO membership for Ukraine, something that the Trump administration, by the way, opposes, Kyiv will need to rely heavily on the support of Europe's militaries. On Sunday, ahead of the emergency meeting, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered Zelenskyy some hope, explicitly committing to deploying British troops to Ukraine, quote, if necessary. Starmer said, quote, securing a lasting peace in Ukraine that safeguards its sovereignty for the long term is essential if we are to deter Putin from further aggression in the future, end quote. Well, he's, he's not wrong. Starmer added, quote, the end of this war cannot merely become a temporary pause before Putin attacks again. He said he would work to sway European leaders still skeptical about joining the coalition, though on that score, frankly, he has his work cut out for him. Leaders from Germany, Poland and Spain are reportedly reluctant to commit to a deployment, arguing that the discussions are premature. They're also likely concerned about the implications of having their own troops in Ukraine should a hypothetical peace agreement break down. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was impossible to commit to any hypothetical post war security plan when the US was making decisions without NATO's input. He demanded a wider discussion between the US Kyiv and the NATO alliance, rejecting what he described as Moscow's effort to foist a dictated peace on Europe. Spain's foreign minister, meanwhile, also urged caution, saying nobody is currently considering sending troops to Ukraine. Peace is still very far away and for one reason only, and that would be Vladimir Putin, end quote. Now, he added that a peacekeeping coalition would raise complicated questions, of course, within the NATO alliance regarding what their specific mandate would be, how many troops each country would commit and under what flag they would be operating. Similarly, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Warsaw was not yet prepared to commit to a troop deployment, echoing the concerns of Spain's foreign minister. He did, however, urge all of Europe to immediately step up their spending on defense, saying if they fail to prevent a wider war, we will be forced to spend 10 times more. Currently, NATO members are required, in theory, to spend 2% of their GDP on their collective defense. That's a benchmark that many countries in the alliance have failed to meet over the weekend. However, NATO Secretary general Mark Rutte said the alliance would form a new agreement for defense spending targets at an upcoming summit in June, pledging that NATO members will significantly increase their contributions. Trump, who's been highly critical of NATO, has said he would like to see members contribute as much as 5% of their GDP towards defense, though it remains to be seen if members will step up to meet that demand. But Trump's blitz towards securing a quick peace deal with Russia has forced European allies to rapidly pivot and evolve their positions on issues of mutual defense. At the summit on Monday, officials reportedly discussed ways to boost contributions in the short term, such as temporarily easing the EU's rules on deficits regarding defense spending. Still, Starmer and other European leaders said that at the end of the day, security guarantees from the US Would be needed to keep Russia at bay. Starmer said, quote, a U.S. security guarantee is essential for a lasting peace because only the US can deter Putin from attacking again. All right, coming up next, reports claim that Hamas has agreed to hand control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority, while graphic details emerge from Hamas hostage survivors. I'll be right back. This podcast is brought to you in part by Stash Saving and Investing. Well, it can feel impossible, but with Stash, it's not just possible, it's easy. Stash isn't just an investing app. It's a registered investment advisor that combines automated investing with dependable financial strategies to help you reach your goals faster. They'll provide you with personalized advice on what to invest in based on your goals. 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Cozy Earth Representative
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Mike Baker
Right.
- [08:40]
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- [10:22]
Mike Baker
Welcome back to the pdb. Turning to Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu dismissed reports Monday that Hamas agreed under pressure from Ceasefire mediator Egypt to transfer control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, the PA reaffirming that neither group can be allowed to govern Gaza in the post war period. The reports published by Sky News Arabia were swiftly rejected by Netanyahu spokesman Omar Dylstri, who posted on x not going to happen, end quote. Well, that's fairly direct. Netanyahu later reaffirmed his commitment to President Trump's plan to depopulate Gaza and redevelop the Strip. That's a proposal that of course has drawn fierce opposition from Arab and Muslim majority countries, as well as some Western allies. As we've tracked here on the PDB unveiled in a 4th of February white House press conference alongside Netanyahu, Trump's plan calls for American, quote, ownership of Gaza and its reconstruction. An Israeli official told the Times of Israel that Israel is, quote, embracing with both hands Trump's vision and is actively working through the technical and logistical details to facilitate voluntary immigration from the Strip. And yes, you can imagine there may be some technical and logistical details in making that happen. The official stated, quote, our goal is to allow the creation of an infrastructure to, to enable Gazans to leave and we assess that many will leave, end quote. Last month, PA President Mahmoud Abbas signaled Ramallah's willingness to assume control of Gaza. That's big of him. Once the war ends, though, Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out any role for the pa. Back in July, three officials told the Times of Israel that Netanyahu had at one point privately considered allowing a PA presence in Gaza. That was a position that the then Biden administration has pushed for. But Netanyahu's hardline allies, well, they refused to entertain the idea equating the west bank based PA with Hamas due to its long standing financial support for Palestinian prisoners. Just last week, Abbas attempted to quell concerns by signing a decree ending the controversial pay to slay program which provides stipends to the families of Palestinians convicted of attacking and injuring or killing Israelis. But Israeli officials aren't buying it. On Monday, Israel's Khan public broadcaster reported that the payments were still being processed as usual, reinforcing Israeli skepticism toward Ramallah's commitment to ending the practice. Meanwhile, Hamas's political future remains central to ongoing ceasefire negotiations. While the terror group has previously suggested that it might disarm in exchange for statehood, there's no indication that it intends to do so under the current ceasefire deal. Speculation about Hamas ceding control of Gaza to the PA first surfaced during the initial stage of the hostage ceasefire talks, but Israel has made it clear Hamas and the PA cannot have a post war role. Trump's Middle east envoy Steve Witkoff reinforced that message Sunday, declaring that the next phase of the hostage deal is absolutely going to begin and will ultimately result in Hamas's removal from Gaza. Yet as it stands, the ceasefire agreement does not explicitly require the Iran backed terror group to relinquish power at the end of phase two, leaving Gaza's postwar governance. Well, an open question. Alright, I want to stick with Gaza for this next story as recently freed Israeli hostages detail the horrific abuses they suffered at the hands of Hamas terrorists during their captivity. First, as a reminder, Israel and Hamas completed their sixth round of exchanges over the weekend with another three Israeli hostages released from the enclave. The Iranian backed terror group has now released 19 out of the 33 Israeli hostages promised in the first phase of the deal, though at least eight of the remaining captives are confirmed dead. As the freed hostages attempt to adjust to life back in Israel, reports about the barbarity of their Hamas captors are coming to light and well, we should warn you that the stories are graphic and disturbing. According to a report from the Daily Mail, Hamas subjected male hostages to torture methods so brutal over their nearly 500 days in captivity that that many of them had to relearn how to walk before their release. The terrorists reportedly hung hostages by their feet for extended periods, regularly throttled them with ropes, gagged their mouths so they nearly suffocated and branded them with burning objects. Hostages were also deliberately starved and held inside tunnels so small that they could not move, let alone stand upright, leaving them struggling to breathe. The victims said they would go for days without any food or water and when they were fed they were given rotten food that they were forced to share. One unnamed hostage said, quote, we were treated like animals. 34 year old or Levy, who was freed on Saturday, said that the hostages were only given proper food in the days leading up to their release so that they could stand on their own feet during the public handover. Levy said, quote, I was bound in chains and towards the release I learned how to walk, end quote. The hostages were also subjected to psychological torture by their captors, who kept them in the dark about the fate of their loved ones following the brutal 7th of October attacks back in 2023 that ignited this war. Levy, for example, only learned that his wife was killed during the attacks. Upon his release on Saturday, Levy's brother told reporters, quote, yesterday after a year and four months I saw my brother again. But he wasn't the same who left home on October 7. He came back in very poor physical condition for 16 months. He was hungry, barefoot and in constant fear that every day could be his last. He added, quote, the stories he tells are harrowing. I can't even describe them, end quote. Another hostage released on Saturday, 54 year old Eli Shirabi, also learned that his wife and their two teenage daughters had been killed on 7 October when he was released. Before learning the tragic news, his Hamas captors taunted him during the handover, forcing him to say he was looking forward to seeing his wife and children once he returned home. As we recently discussed on the PDB, the emaciated state of three hostages that were freed on 8 February ignited public fury in Israel and across the world, prompting international condemnations about the barbaric treatment of the hostages. And as the exchanges continue, it's likely that similar stories will continue to emerge. There are still as many as 76 hostages that remain in Gaza, though their condition is unknown, and reports emerged Monday that Israel is preparing to receive the remains of an unknown number of hostages from Gaza on Thursday, marking the first handover of deceased hostages since the ceasefire began. Okay, coming up next, in the back of the brief unrest in Africa where Rwanda backed rebels have seized a second major city in the growing conflict in eastern Congo. I'll have those details when we return.
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Shopify Representative
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Mike Baker
In today's Back of the Brief Rwanda backed M23 rebels seized Bukavu, the second major city in mineral rich eastern Congo, marking an escalation in their largely unopposed ongoing territorial gains. The Congolese government, which initially downplayed the situation, was forced to acknowledge on Sunday that Bukavu, a city of over 1 million people, had been occupied after M23 rebels seized control of the governor's office there. M23 vowed to clean up the disorder left over from the old regime, referring of course to the government. Associated Press journalists on the ground witnessed scores of residents cheering the rebel fighters as they rolled into the city following a days long march from Goma, a city of 2 million that fell to M23 just last month. Despite government vows to restore order, there were no visible efforts to retake Bukavu. Thousands of civilians, along with Congolese troops fled on Saturday, leaving the city essentially defenseless. Now this is a Stark departure from 2012, when M23 briefly occupied Goma before bowing to international pressure and withdrawing. This time, the group appears intent on cementing long term political power in Bukavu. Supporters called for the rebels to push all the way to the capital, Kinshasa, nearly 1,000 miles away, backed by an estimated 4,000 Rwandan troops. According to the United Nations, M23 is just one of over 100 armed groups vying for dominance over eastern Congo's vast mineral wealth, resources critical to global supply chains. Uranium and cobalt and other critical minerals have been the key to conflict in the Congo for generations, going back to and before the country's independence in 1960. The conflict has already displaced more than 6 million people, and that's a humanitarian crisis that the UN describes as the largest in the world. At the heart of this war is a decades old ethnic struggle. The M23 claims to be defending Congo's ethnic Tutsis, while Rwanda insists that the Congolese military has absorbed Hutu militias responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide. In the wake of Bukavu's fall, the Congolese president states that the conflict risks spiraling into a regional war. Congolese forces have leaned on South African troops in Goma and Burundian forces in Bukavu. The crisis took center stage over the weekend at the African Union summit in Ethiopia. But for now, neither African leaders nor the broader international community appear willing to take decisive action against M23 or Rwanda, whose military is one of the most formidable on the continent. And that, my friends, is the President's daily brief for Tuesday 18th February. Now if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the firsttv.com and of course to listen to the show ad free, which you could do become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief Simply by visiting PDB premium.com See, I told you it was simple. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. SA.