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| | | | | First Thing: Zelenskyy hails ‘three years of resistance’ on anniversary of Russian invasion | | | It follows Russia’s biggest ever aerial attack on Ukraine. Plus, far-right AfD doubles support in German election | | | | Visitors stand next to a makeshift memorial paying tribute to Ukrainian and foreign fighters at Independence Square in Kyiv on 23 February. Photograph: Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty Images | | Jem Bartholomew | | | Good morning. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, hailed “three years of resistance … three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians,” as foreign leaders arrived in Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. It came after Zelenskyy said he was not willing to cave in to intense pressure from Donald Trump to sign a $500bn minerals deal. “I’m not signing something that 10 generations of Ukrainians are going to pay later,” he said. Zelenskyy said he was ready to quit as president if it meant “peace for Ukraine” or membership of Nato, which the US opposes. | | | | | | | | What’s the latest war news? Russia launched its biggest ever drone attack on Ukraine, using 267 drones and killing at least four people. What did Zelenskyy say about US demands? He claimed the Trump administration was asking Ukraine to pay back $2 for every $1 of military aid the US provides going forward. What do we know about the death toll after three years of war? Zelenskyy said in December that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed, with 370,000 injured. US officials estimated last October that 600,000 Russian troops had been killed or wounded. In November, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights verified 12,162 civilians killed, including 659 children, though the total is likely much higher. Conservatives win German election but far-right AfD doubles support | | | | | | | | The conservative opposition won the most votes in Germany’s general election, but a dramatic surge by the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is likely to complicate the formation of a government. The CDU/CSU candidate, Friedrich Merz, will try to form a ruling coalition after gaining almost 29% of the vote. The AfD, with its core issues of immigration, crime and energy costs, got about 21% of the vote – finishing second and nearly doubling its vote on 2021. How are the Bundestag seats split? The CDU/CSU won 208 seats; AfD, 152; SPD, 120; Greens, 85; Left, 64; SSW, one. What does it mean for Germany’s coalition government? All the mainstream parties have pledged to maintain a “firewall” barring formal cooperation with the anti-migrant, pro-Kremlin AfD, which attracted high-profile endorsements from Elon Musk and the US vice-president, JD Vance. What did Trump say about the result? “Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no-commonsense agenda, especially on energy and immigration,” he said on Truth Social. “This is a great day for Germany.” Israel sends tanks to Jenin as it says West Bank operation will last for a year | | | | | Israel enters the West Bank with tanks. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images | | | | Israel has sent tanks to the West Bank city of Jenin, in the first deployment of its kind in the area in more than two decades, as troops intensify operations. The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, said on Sunday that the latest operation across the West Bank was expanding, and that troops would remain in the area’s urban hotspots “for the coming year”, meaning approximately 40,000 people displaced by the fighting will not be able to return to their homes. Israel’s latest operation in the West Bank, launched two days after the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on 19 January, has killed more than 50 people and ripped up roads and infrastructure in the territory’s refugee camps, set up to house Palestinians displaced after the creation of Israel in 1948. Meanwhile, while Hamas released six Israeli hostages on Saturday, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has delayed the handover of more than 600 imprisoned Palestinians indefinitely. He accuses Hamas of using hostage handovers for propaganda, with the fragile ceasefire in jeopardy. How have Palestinians responded? Its foreign ministry said deploying tanks was a “prelude to expanding its crimes against the Palestinian people” and a “flagrant attempt to entrench genocide and forced displacement”. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, said: “I am gravely concerned by the rising violence in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers and other violations, as well as calls for annexation.” In other news … | | | | | | | | Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for three decades. The former US ambassador to Panama attacked Donald Trump’s approach to Latin America, comparing him to fictional mob boss Tony Soprano. A British couple in their 70s were arrested by the Taliban in Afghanistan, accused of “teaching mothers parenting with children”. An incendiary device exploded outside the Russian consulate in Marseille on Monday, authorities said, with no injuries reported. Stat of the day: More than 150,000 Canadians sign petition to revoke Musk’s citizenship | | | | | Elon Musk on Donald Trump’s inauguration day. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters | | | | More than 150,000 Canadians signed a petition calling for Elon Musk’s citizenship to be stripped. Donald Trump has repeatedly called for Canada to become the “51st state” of the US, and Musk has referred to Canada’s prime minister as “governor”. Don’t miss this: Literary gold … or betrayal of trust? Joan Didion journal opens ethical minefield | | | | | Joan Didion pictured in 1977. Photograph: Mary Lloyd Estrin/AP | | | | The announcement that the post-psychiatry notes of author Joan Didion, discovered by her literary executors after she died, are to be published has raised ethical questions around posthumous publishing. “Her privacy has been betrayed,” one friend said. Climate check: Waves are getting bigger. Is the world ready? | | | | | Large and powerful waves have been causing beach erosion and coastal inundation in New South Wales, Australia. Photograph: Felix Levesque/WeatherZone | | | | Waves in the Southern Ocean are growing larger and faster, potentially threatening coastal communities. Research suggests that, by 2100, about 60% of the world’s coastlines will have larger and more frequent extreme waves. But some scientists think, if harnessed effectively, tidal energy could play a role in tackling the climate crisis. Last Thing: Sega’s pop-punk classic Crazy Taxi at 25 | | | | | ‘I remember losing an entire summer trying to master the “crazy dash” technique,’ writes Thomas Hobbs. Photograph: Sega | | | | Initially released in arcades, the zany, pop-punk game celebrates its 25th anniversary this month, writes Thomas Hobbs, of a game that “captured the carefree hyperactivity of pre-9/11 America”. Sign up | | | | | | First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now. Get in touch If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com | |
| | | Betsy Reed | | Editor, Guardian US |
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| | I hope you appreciated this newsletter. Before you move on, I wanted to ask whether you could support the Guardian’s journalism as we begin to cover the second Trump administration.
As Trump himself observed: “The first term, everybody was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”
He’s not entirely wrong. All around us, media organizations have begun to capitulate. First, two news outlets pulled election endorsements at the behest of their billionaire owners. Next, prominent reporters bent the knee at Mar-a-Lago. And then a major network – ABC News – rolled over in response to Trump’s legal challenges and agreed to a $16m million settlement in his favor.
The Guardian is clear: we have no interest in being Donald Trump’s – or any politician’s – friend. Our allegiance as independent journalists is not to those in power but to the public.
How are we able to stand firm in the face of intimidation and threats? As journalists say: follow the money. The Guardian has neither a self-interested billionaire owner nor profit-seeking corporate henchmen pressuring us to appease the rich and powerful. We are funded by our readers and owned by the Scott Trust – whose only financial obligation is to preserve our journalistic mission in perpetuity.
With the new administration boasting about its desire to punish journalists, and Trump and his allies already pursuing lawsuits against newspapers whose stories they don’t like, it has never been more urgent, or more perilous, to pursue fair, accurate reporting. Can you support the Guardian today?
We value whatever you can spare, but a recurring contribution makes the most impact, enabling greater investment in our most crucial, fearless journalism. As our thanks to you, we can offer you some great benefits. We’ve made it very quick to set up, so we hope you’ll consider it. | | However you choose to support us: thank you for helping protect the free press. Whatever happens in the coming months and years, you can rely on the Guardian never to bow down to power, nor back down from truth. | | Support us |
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