| | | | |  | | By Matt Berg and Eric Bazail-Eimil | |  What’s most important right now, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said, is that Ukraine’s backers continue to send assistance. | Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP | With help from John Sakellariadis, Alex Ward and Myah Ward Subscribe here | Email Matt| Email Eric Western countries, including the United States, shouldn’t be entirely opposed to the idea of sending troops to Ukraine if conditions there worsen, Finnish Foreign Minister ELINA VALTONEN told NatSec Daily. “It's important that we not rule everything out for the long term, because we never know how serious the situation becomes,” Valtonen said in an interview this morning. “But the Finnish position is clear: We are not right now sending any troops and not willing to discuss that.” Valtonen’s remark comes a day after French President EMMANUEL MACRON stood by his refusal to rule out sending troops to Ukraine, which has caused a rift with the U.S. and European leaders who staunchly oppose the potential move. Washington also isn’t so hot about the idea. Finland appeared closed off to the idea only a few weeks ago. After meeting with Macron during a summit of European leaders in late February, then-Finnish President SAULI NIINISTÖ said "there was a widely shared perception that there would be no military presence” — meaning no deployment of Western soldiers to Kyiv. He added, "this was also Finland's position.” Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN has been clear that he’d consider such troops coming to Ukraine’s defense a significant escalation — and could raise the risk of starting nuclear war with the West. But Ukraine’s soldiers have been struggling to fend off invading soldiers in recent weeks, and a lack of troops is among Kyiv’s main concerns. Valtonen’s remark was about a longer-term, hypothetical choice. But her reasoning shows that, as the war drags on, European countries who could face immediate danger from an emboldened Moscow may be willing to consider the option more seriously. A pair of former U.S. ambassadors to NATO told NatSec Daily they agree with the idea that the U.S. and other countries should be open to sending troops. Keeping it on the table — even if Washington never wants to deploy soldiers there — would signal to Putin that the West fully backs Ukraine. “Given where we are, and given the stakes of the conflict, rethinking assumptions is a good thing,” said IVO DAALDER, who served in the post during the Obama administration. “But the way to do that is behind closed doors, building consensus through persuasion and diplomacy, perhaps with the aim of getting agreement by the NATO Summit on who and what steps they might take.” The Biden administration is adamant U.S. troops won't go. KURT VOLKER, who was in the post during the last Bush administration, said he was very concerned with the response to Macron’s suggestion from the U.S. and Germany, which was “sharply critical and sent exactly the wrong message to Putin: that he can do what he wants.” "I can just speak for this sovereign nation and this commander in chief and he's made it clear that we will not put U.S. boots on the ground,” National Security Council spokesperson JOHN KIRBY said from the White House podium today. Kirby told reporters that the U.S. hasn’t urged other countries to stop talking about sending troops to Ukraine, and that the administration wouldn’t oppose other nations sending their forces to help Kyiv fight. “Those are sovereign decisions,” he said. What’s most important right now, Valtonen said, is that Ukraine’s backers continue to send assistance. As one of NATO’s two newest faces, Finland has been doing its part: It has spent more than 0.6 percent of GDP for Ukraine — the U.S. has earmarked about 0.3 percent for Kyiv — and surpassed the alliance’s 2 percent GDP spending target. “Many European countries could do so much more,” Valtonen said. And with Ukraine assistance stalled in Congress, Washington’s reputation on the world stage is at stake: “If the man or woman on the street feel that the U.S. basically doesn't care so much anymore about these values, then of course, it might have an impact,” she said.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Make Any Point your Center of Command
Lockheed Martin, guided by our 21st Century Security vision, is driving innovation to connect data points across domains to elevate the capabilities of crucial platforms, empowering customers to stay ahead of evolving threats. Learn more. | | | | | BIDEN PRAISES SCHUMER SPEECH: Biden today praised Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER’s Thursday speech calling for new elections in Israel, our own JONATHAN LEMIRE reports. Responding to a reporter’s question, Biden said the New York Democrat “made a good speech, and I think he expressed serious concern shared not only by him, but by many Americans.” Biden’s defense of Schumer’s speech follows fierce criticism from Israeli politicians across the ideological spectrum, who assailed the U.S.’s highest-ranking Jewish elected official for wading into their country’s politics. It also comes as Democrats’ patience with Israel has worn increasingly thin as the war in Gaza rages and Israel ignores U.S. pleas for restraint. AID CONVOY ATTACK: The Israel Defense Forces denied today said it did not “open fire” on an aid convoy in Gaza City, The Washington Post’s ADELA SULIMAN reports. At least 20 people were killed and 155 injured in an attack in the city Thursday, Gaza’s Hamas- run health ministry said, accusing Israel of targeting people who were seeking aid. Israel’s military disputed that, saying “armed Palestinians” opened fire into the crowd of people as they rushed aid trucks. Some people were run over by the trucks, the IDF said. The violence comes amid pressure from lawmakers for the U.S. to leverage its influence with Israel to stop the fighting and push aid into Gaza. That’s now being compounded by a pair of major humanitarian aid organizations, which concluded that members of their teams were almost killed in an Israeli airstrike in January. MOSCOW’S POTEMKIN ELECTION: Russians are voting in a three-day national election this weekend that, in theory, could see them voice their frustrations over the death of ALEXEI NAVALNY, their country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and economic malaise. In practice, the outcome is already decided. There’s no question that Putin will win reelection, especially in the face of his consolidation of power and the absence of a viable opposition candidate that could create real headaches for the Russian leader. Putin’s foes in Brussels have already launched some zingers ahead of the election. EU President CHARLES MICHEL “congratulated” Putin on his landslide victory and quipped there was “no opposition, no freedom, no choice,” our own CLAUDIA CHIAPPA reports. “We're calling on Western governments not to recognize Putin’s legitimacy,” MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKY, an exiled Russian oligarch and vocal Kremlin critic, told a small group of journalists including NatSec Daily this week. Western countries previously recognized Putin’s legitimacy in elections despite his annexation of Crimea, he added. “It would not be worth repeating the same mistake now for the West,” Khodorkovsky said. Read: Russian opposition trolls Putin’s rigged election by our own DENIS LEVEN WEST BANK SANCTIONS: The Biden administration on Thursday evening placed sanctions on a pair of Israeli settler outposts in the West Bank, marking the first time ever that full outposts in Palestinian territory have faced economic restrictions. The State Department cited acts of violence against civilians as reason for the sanctions, saying there’s “no justification for extremist violence against civilians, whatever their national origin, ethnicity, race, or religion.” DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: By popular demand, this feature is here to stay. At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of Washington’s national security scene prefers to unwind with a drink. This week, we’re featuring Finnish Foreign Minister Valtonen (we couldn’t let her get off the phone without asking). When Finland applied for NATO membership two years ago, a small brewery in the country’s lake district started making a lager with a medieval knight in armor and the alliance’s compass symbol on the can. After a grueling process to get Helsinki and later Stockholm into NATO, Valtonen just wants to crack open a cold one. “I would say, after this long week, that would be my choice,” she said. It’s not quite reaching summer temps in Helsinki like it’s starting to here in Washington, but “if the weather was a little bit better, I'd definitely like to be in the beautiful lake district close to the greenery,” Valtonen said. A local brew in nature, what could be better? Kippis, foreign minister! IT’S FRIDAY. WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at mberg@politico.com and ebazail@politico.com, and follow us on X at @mattberg33 and @ebazaileimil. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @alexbward, @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco, @reporterjoe, and @JGedeon1.
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | | | | | MELONI AND TRUMP: Italian Prime Minister GIORGIA MELONI is on a mission to befriend former President DONALD TRUMP as she hopes to expand her reach on both sides of the Atlantic, our colleagues in Europe report this morning. Meloni, who has become a key broker in European politics and an influential voice within the EU and NATO, is looking to deepen her ties with Trump and his allies — a member of her party is based in the U.S. and focuses on outreach to Republicans lawmakers and she’s worked to court anti-Ukraine Republicans. As they write, “Meloni’s openness to Trump is sure to deepen suspicion among Ukraine’s staunchest allies in Europe about her long-term position. … But amid a standoff between Brussels and Hungary over aid for Ukraine, it was Meloni who helped to convince Orbán to sign off on a [$54 billion] aid package for Ukraine — an achievement rooted in a months-long charm offensive to woo the rebellious leader.”
| | | | STATE HAS MICROSOFT ANXIETY: A regular stream of security breaches involving Microsoft software has unnerved government officials to the point that agencies, including the State Department, have begun revisiting their usage of the company’s software bundles, according to The Information’s AARON HOLMES. After Chinese hackers broke into the State Department’s computer systems, the agency began exploring alternatives to Microsoft, including Amazon Web Services and Google Drive, in order to better safeguard their information, according to a technical adviser and a tech executive who spoke with The Information. The State Department has also looked into bigger cloud deals with these companies. State did not immediately respond to NatSec Daily’s request for comment. DOJ SLAMS DURBIN 702 BILL: The Department of Justice is not a fan of Sen. DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.)'s new surveillance powers bill. DOJ said in a statement to our own JOHN SAKELLARIADIS that "proposals — such as prohibiting U.S. person queries, imposing a warrant requirement for all such queries, or barring the FBI from receiving Section 702 collection — would force the government to turn a blind eye to threat information that it had lawfully acquired, with potentially grave consequences to our nation’s security.” Durbin's bill, introduced Thursday, was framed by the lawmaker as a "compromise" that would preserve the program's national security value while placing stronger privacy guardrails around its usage. It would require a FISA Title I order or warrant if intelligence and law enforcement agencies’ want to access Americans' records in the 702 database. It also restricts their ability to freely purchase Americans’ information from data brokers without a warrant. In the House, Speaker MIKE JOHNSON is planning to hold a vote next month on a stand-alone bill to reauthorize 702 that was negotiated by leadership and members of the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees, as our own JORDAIN CARNEY and OLIVIA BEAVERS reported Thursday.
| | | |   | | | | | GAZA PORT QUESTIONS: Lawmakers who have been briefed by the administration are scratching their heads at how the U.S. will send humanitarian aid into Gaza via a floating port, our own JOE GOULD and LARA SELIGMAN report. “I’m trying to get more details about the concept of operations,” said Sen. CHRIS COONS (D-Del.). “One of my concerns is security for this operation. Because if the U.S. military is seen to be building and operating it, I think it puts it at greater risk. I would prefer something done in partnership with or supportive of an Arab-led effort, a regional effort, or an NGO-led effort.” Though Biden said there would be no U.S. boots on the ground, Sen. JONI ERNST (R-Iowa), the top Republican on the SASC Emerging Threats Subcommittee, wanted to know what the division of labor would be between U.S. and Israeli troops: “How do we prevent Hamas from taking the supplies that are going into Gaza? I have a lot of questions about this and what our role should and shouldn't be.” House Armed Services Chair MIKE ROGERS, even after he was briefed on the plans, said he was not clear how it would all work — and he questioned the relevance of a pier that would take two months to build. How U.S. troops would be protected and whether Israeli forces would offer security for aid distribution efforts were both unclear, he said.
| | EYEING IRAN: The U.S. should threaten to sink Iranian ships if the Houthis keep attacking American troops in the Red Sea, Sen. DAN SULLIVAN (R-Alaska) recommended today, our own ALEX WARD reports. In a letter to Biden, Sullivan, an Armed Services Committee member, argued the Iran-backed, U.S.-designated terrorist group in Yemen has not been deterred from targeting commercial ships, despite numerous U.S. attacks to destroy their capabilities. The only way to stop the Houthis’ assaults, Sullivan wrote: Let Iran know it would face direct consequences for continued violence. “Tell Iran that the next Houthi missile or drone launched at an American ship will result in the sinking of Iran’s spy ships that target our Navy,” the senator wrote in the letter. “If we ever expect Tehran to call off its terrorist proxies and make deterrence more than a temporary respite, Iran must be made to pay a price.” AMBASSADOR BACKLOG: Yesterday’s confirmation of DENNIS HANKINS renewed focus on the backlog of ambassadorial nominees awaiting confirmation in the Senate. Dozens of other nominees have been subjected to holds from Republicans and delays in getting floor votes. Ambassadorships are still going months, and in some cases, years without being filled. Senators in both parties told NatSec Daily it’s a problem — they just disagree on who’s to blame. Republicans are blaming Schumer for prioritizing judicial nominees in his use of floor time. “Once a nominee is reported to the floor, it’s up to Schumer — not SFRC or even Republicans — to work to resolve outstanding issues or schedule floor time for confirmation votes,” Sen. JIM RISCH (R-Idaho), the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told NatSec Daily. A spokesperson for Schumer’s office did not return a request for comment. Schumer’s fellow Democrats argue Republicans are obstructing the confirmation process by refusing to allow many ambassadorial nominees to pass through by unanimous consent. “We should not be spending as much time on confirmations. Many of these are non-controversial,” Senate Foreign Relations Chair BEN CARDIN (D-Md.) said. Coons, a close ally of the White House, criticized Republicans for using nominee votes as a way to protest the administration’s foreign policy decisions, saying that “They think this is a free way to send a negative signal to the administration. It's not. It has real consequences.”
| | | | JOIN US ON 3/21 FOR A TALK ON FINANCIAL LITERACY: Americans from all communities should be able to save, build wealth, and escape generational poverty, but doing so requires financial literacy. How can government and industry ensure access to digital financial tools to help all Americans achieve this? Join POLITICO on March 21 as we explore how Congress, regulators, financial institutions and nonprofits are working to improve financial literacy education for all. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | G7 WARNS IRAN: The U.S. and its G7 partners sent a sharp warning to Iran today, threatening “significant measures” if Tehran sends ballistic missiles to Russia, Eric reports. In a statement, the alliance, whose members include the United States, France, Japan, Italy, Germany, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada, said that “were Iran to proceed with providing ballistic missiles or related technology to Russia, we are prepared to respond swiftly and in a coordinated manner including with new and significant measures against Iran.” A senior administration official told reporters that among the options being considered was a ban on Iran Air flights to Europe. The warning comes as concerns mount in Washington and Europe that Russia will be able to sustain its invasion of Ukraine longer than Kyiv’s allies can support and replenish Ukraine’s arsenals. It also comes as Moscow deepens its ties with other U.S. adversaries like Iran and North Korea as it pursues new supplies of munitions, missiles and other military hardware. Read: We’re in a war right now, Britain’s former spy chief warns by our own JAMIE DETTMER
| | — Shield Capital announced DENIS BOVIN has joined its national security advisory board. He previously worked as a senior adviser to Evercore Partners, an investment banking and advisory firm.
| | — Editorial board, The Washington Post: How the House could save Ukraine, with or without Speaker Johnson’s help — RICHARD HAASS, The Wall Street Journal: The war that Israel could have fought — SCOTT NOVER, TIME: The grim reality of banning TikTok
| | — Association of the United States Army, 7:15 a.m.: A discussion on the Army's budget — Hudson Institute, 9 a.m.: Furthering U.S.-Japan collaboration on communications security — Henry L. Stimson Center, 9 a.m.: Japan's nuclear dilemma — Wilson Center's Middle East Program, 10:30 a.m.: A conference on Iran, the Middle East and the United States — Atlantic Council, 1 p.m.: Launch of the Syria Strategy Project focusing on "a holistic strategy to sustainably forge a pathway to resolving the Syrian crisis" — Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program, 4 p.m.: Book discussion on "Days of Opportunity: The United States and Afghanistan Before the Soviet Invasion" — Politics and Prose Bookstore, 7 p.m. A book discussion on JIM SCIUTTO’s new book "The Return of the Great Powers: Russia, China, and the Next World War" Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who doesn’t care so much about any values. We also thank our producer, Raymond Rapada, who is the most virtuous of us all.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Make Any Point your Center of Command
Lockheed Martin, guided by our 21st Century Security vision, is driving innovation to connect data points across domains to elevate the capabilities of crucial platforms, empowering customers to stay ahead of evolving threats. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
