| | | | |  | | By Miles J. Herszenhorn and Eric Bazail-Eimil | |  Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya rose to prominence after her husband was arrested just days after announcing plans to challenge Lukashenko in the 2020 Belarusian presidential elections, which were exactly four years ago from Friday. | Mindaugas Kulbis/AP | With help from Joe Gould, Connor O’Brien, Nahal Toosi and Matt Berg Subscribe here | Email Matt | Email Eric As Berlin and Washington debate the wisdom of trading spies and a convicted assassin for journalists and democracy crusaders, the Belarusian opposition is smarting after it was iced out of the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War — with its key figures left behind bars. SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, who leads the Belarusian democratic opposition from exile in Lithuania, told NatSec Daily that she was “not included in any discussion” with Western governments about the prisoner exchange. “I understand the situation but, of course, I can’t lie to myself that I’m not frustrated because we want our political prisoners to also be in freedom,” she added. Last week’s historic, multi-country prisoner exchange freed 15 people from Russian penal colonies, including several leading Russian opposition leaders. The swap also featured the release of German citizen RICO KRIEGER from Belarus, where he had been sentenced to death on terrorism charges. But to the dismay of many Belarusian democracy advocates, not a single member of the country’s opposition was included in the exchange. Viasna, a human rights group, has estimated there are roughly 1,400 political prisoners that are currently detained by ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO’s regime. ALES BIALIATSKI, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Tsikhanouskaya’s husband SIARHEI TSIKHANOUSKI, are two of the most widely recognized opposition figures who are detained in Belarus. Tsikhanouskaya rose to prominence after her husband was arrested just days after announcing plans to challenge Lukashenko in the 2020 Belarusian presidential elections, which were exactly four years ago from Friday. Tsikhanouskaya took her husband’s place in the election, but was forced to flee Belarus after Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory. The U.S. and many other Western countries considered the 2020 election results to be fraudulent and have supported Tsikhanouskaya as the leader of the pro-democracy movement. In 2023, Lukashenko’s regime sentenced Tsikhanouskaya in absentia to a 15-year prison sentence on charges of treason and forming an extremist group. She would almost certainly face arrest if she attempted to return to Minsk. There are others who weren’t included in the swap like MARC FOGEL, an American citizen jailed in Russia for marijuana possession, Moscow municipal deputy ALEXEI GORINOV, and Navalny ally DANIEL KHOLODNY. But some members of the Belarusian opposition have argued that Tsikhanouskaya could have done more to pressure Western governments to include Belarusian political prisoners in the exchange. She rejected that characterization. “I don't think that I'm not working enough on political prisoners,” she said. “We need more attention from the democratic world because we, on our own, can’t dismantle this regime.” In particular, Tsikhanouskaya pointed to her movement’s efforts to highlight the plight of Belarusian political prisoners in its Strategic Dialogue with the U.S. State Department. Tsikhanouskaya and CHRISTOPHER SMITH, the State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for Eastern Europe, chaired the first Strategic Dialogue in December 2023, where the discussion of political prisoners was a “key topic.” Tsikhanouskaya said that the diplomatic efforts with the State Department are ongoing and that she would like to discuss possible deals in the future that would free members of the Belarusian opposition. “Of course, we have to remind the American government about Belarusian political prisoners,” she said. “We have a stable platform for this and, of course, this will be raised.” In a statement, the State Department said that the dialogue with the Belarusian opposition is ongoing and that it continues to call for the release of political prisoners held in Belarus. Still, Tsikhanouskaya said she has not had high-level engagement from the U.S. since the deal took place. National Security Council spokesperson SEAN SAVETT said in a statement that the U.S. “remains deeply concerned about the Lukashenka regime’s brutal crackdown on its people, including the more than 1,400 detained political prisoners.” “We continue to call for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus,” Savett added. Tsikhanouskaya emphasized most of all that a day doesn’t go by that she doesn’t think about securing the freedom of political prisoners in Belarus. Tsikhanouskaya said that she hasn’t heard from her husband in more than a year and doesn’t even know if he is still alive. “It sounds very strange that people blame me that I don’t care about political prisoners. My children are growing up without their daddy,” she said. “It’s my personal pain.” “But I also want everybody to be released,” Tsikhanouskaya added. Read: Even in death, Navalny helped Biden and Scholz get to a ‘yes’ on the prisoner swap by ERIN BANCO, LENNART PFAHLER, JÜRGEN KLÖCKNER and NAHAL TOOSI
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We’re transforming the way the U.S. Navy deploys combat system capability to 'defend against sophisticated threats. Learn more. | | | | | BIBI SPEAKS: Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU is dismissing criticism about his government’s decision to strike at Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and throwing cold water on hopes of a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia. In an extensive interview with Time’s ERIC CORTELLESSA, Netanyahu rejected criticisms that he was sabotaging hostage release negotiations by expanding the conflict with strikes into Lebanon. Netanyahu said Israel is “faced with a noose of death that Iran is trying to place around our neck, and I think the message we're sending, 360 degrees, is that we're not going to be lambs led to the slaughter. “Israel is not, is not a sacrificial lamb for the Iranians or for their proxies,” he continued. In the interview, Netanyahu also emphasized he isn’t interested in advancing Palestinian statehood. He argued that the optimal solution is for Palestinians to enjoy limited autonomy within the West Bank and other Israeli-controlled territories such that “they should have their own self-governance. But they should not have the power to threaten us.” That, he explained, would be achieved by Israel maintaining security control over Palestinian territories. The interview comes as worries continue to mount that Israel’s strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon and its assassination of Hamas leader ISMAIL HANIYEH risks expanding the conflict into a full-blown regional war. And while Netanyahu signaled an openness towards the needs of Palestinians in his comments, the interview will disappoint proponents of a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. One of the requirements of the elusive deal has been a credible pathway towards Palestinian statehood. Advocates for a deal had been trumpeting its benefits earlier this week. Veteran diplomat DENNIS ROSS argued in Foreign Affairs Wednesday that now was the moment to secure a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia as a way to expedite the end of the war in Gaza. And national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN said on the Pod Save World podcast Wednesday that “Israel’s normalization with some of its Arab neighbors can actually aid in the cause of helping deliver tangible benefits and a political horizon to the Palestinian people.” AIRSTRIKES IN GAZA: Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip killed 25 Palestinians, per Reuters’ NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI. The airstrikes, concentrated mostly in central Gaza, targeted houses near some of the densest camps in the territory. The Israel Defense Forces has claimed those camps are strongholds of armed militant groups. World Central Kitchen announced today that NADI SALLOUT, a Palestinian staff member of the humanitarian group, was killed in central Gaza. It is unclear whether Sallout, who was off-duty, was killed in one of the airstrikes. RUSSIA’S DEFENSIVE STRUGGLES: Russia is struggling to push back Ukrainian columns that crossed the border into Russian territory, Reuters’ GUY FAULCONBRIDGE reports. Russia has called reserves into the Kursk region as it tries to fully repel the advance from 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers, tanks and armored vehicles. Russia’s defense ministry claims that it has halted the Ukrainian push, but intense battles continue near nuclear power plants and gas transit points in the border region. CUTE AND CUDDLY NEWS: Two giant pandas from China made their public debut at the San Diego Zoo today, per CNN’s AMANDA MUSA and MARNIE HUNTER. YUN CHUAN and XIN BAO are the first giant pandas to enter the United States in 21 years and come as Beijing revitalizes its panda diplomacy. IT’S THURSDAY: 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: @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco, @reporterjoe, @JGedeon1 and @mherszenhorn.
| | | | Breaking News Briefing: Where Tim Walz Stands on the Issues — The Democratic ticket is set now that Vice President Kamala Harris has named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Join POLITICO Pro on Friday Aug. 9 for a detailed discussion with specialist reporters on what Walz's track record says about the policies he and Harris will embrace in the final stretch of the 2024 presidential campaign. Register for the Briefing | | | | | | | | | HARRIS’ GAZA WOES: The vice president’s honeymoon with pro-Palestinian activists turned out to be short-lived as protesters attempted to drown out her remarks at a rally in Detroit Wednesday night, The New York Times’ ERICA GREEN, KELLEN BROWNING and JONATHAN WEISMAN report. When faced with protesters chanting about Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza, Vice President KAMALA HARRIS first patiently waited for them to quiet down before scolding them. “If you want Trump to win, then say that,” she said, visibly displeased. But the Times also reported that Harris privately met with leaders of the “uncommitted” campaign and signaled openness to an arms embargo on Israel, which would represent a major change in policy towards the U.S. ally. The public and private dance comes as Harris has tried to navigate competing tensions within the Democratic coalition about Israel’s conduct of the Gaza war and the Biden administration’s support for Israel. Republicans have sought to use Israel as a cudgel to divide Democrats. Harris’ national security adviser PHIL GORDON took to social media to clarify that Harris “does not support an arms embargo on Israel.” He added: “She will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law.”
| | EUROPE WATCHES THE RIOTS: Regulators in Brussels are keeping a close eye on how ELON MUSK and X are navigating the ongoing anti-immigrant riots in the United Kingdom, per Reuters’ MARTIN COULTER. Officials have been probing X, formerly Twitter, under the auspices of its Digital Services Act. Under that law, social media platforms are required to take more action to curb illegal content and risks to public security, including disinformation and misinformation. Even though the U.K. left the European Union in 2020, regulators say that misleading or inflammatory content may have been viewed by users on the continent, potentially contributing to additional breaches of the Digital Services Act. "What happens outside of the EU is not covered by the DSA, but what happens in the U.K. is visible here. If there are examples of hate speech or incitements to violence, they could be taken into account as part of our proceedings against X," a European Commission spokesperson told Reuters. ICYMI: It’s Elon Musk’s X and governments are having to live with it by our own JOHN SAKELLARIADIS, CHRISTINE MUI and BRITTANY GIBSON
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | | WALZ’S BIO GETS A CLEAN UP: The Harris campaign edited inaccuracies out of Minnesota Gov. TIM WALZ’s campaign biography amid Republican criticism over his military service record, our own JARED MITOVICH scoops. The tweaks, which clarified Walz’s final rank in the Army National Guard, come as Republicans have sought to poke holes in her running mate’s military record, as Jared, MERIDITH MCGRAW and CONNOR O’BRIEN report. Vice presidential nominee Sen. JD VANCE (R-Ohio), who served in the Marines, said Walz “has not spent a day in a combat zone” and misrepresented his service. It’s worth noting that Vance also did not see combat, as he deployed to Iraq as a combat correspondent. Walz has also been slammed for retiring before his unit deployed to Iraq. His retirement came shortly after he filed paperwork for his 2006 run for Congress. Republicans insist the swipes are fair. “The two biggest sins in the military are claiming credit for decorations you don’t have or claiming combat action that you did not participate in, those are the two biggest sins. And this much is certain: He’s guilty of at least one of them,” said CHRIS LaCIVITA, a top Trump campaign adviser who was instrumental in the effort to discredit then-Sen. JOHN KERRY (D-Mass.)’s military record during the 2004 election campaign.
| | REED BETWEEN THE LINES: Senate Armed Services Chair JACK REED (D-R.I.) quickly batted down talk that he could serve as defense secretary if Harris wins the election, Connor writes in. After Reed's name was floated as a potential Pentagon pick in a Harris administration, the five-term senator told Rhode Island's WPRI that he's "not really" interested in the job. Reed has turned down the job in the past, and argued he's of most use in the Senate. "I am in a very critical role, I believe, as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee," Reed said. "I’ve learned a great deal over the years. I think as a legislator I can do more for the nation and more for Rhode Island, and hopefully I can continue in that role." RELIEF FOR THE FLEET: With Navy destroyers locked in combat against Houthi rebels and more warships to deter Iran from an all-out attack on Israel, Senate appropriators are proposing billions of dollars to relieve the pressure on the U.S. military in the Middle East, where, our friends at Morning Defense (for Pros!) report. Though Congress’s ultimate path on defense spending remains to be seen, Senate appropriators crafted their fiscal 2025 defense bill with $1.8 billion for Central Command to protect its troops, replenish missiles, and continue operations. That money — part of the bill’s global $21 billion emergency funding pool — would continue some of the spending Congress approved in April through the National Security Supplemental. Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s battle in the Red Sea against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels is draining an ever-growing amount of U.S. resources — sometimes millions of dollars per attempt to hit Houthi drones and unmanned boats. There may be further strain in store should Iran and its proxies mount another attack on Israel, as has been expected for days, and U.S. military assets are again called on to knock down missiles and drones. “We are burning readiness to the tune of tens of billions of dollars for what really amounts to a ragtag bunch of terrorists that are Iran proxies,” said Rep. MIKE WALTZ (R-Fla.), who chairs the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness. “Iran is the core of the issue.” During the USS Eisenhower carrier strike group’s twice-extended nine-month deployment to the Red Sea, U.S. forces fired over 135 Tomahawk land attack missiles, weapons that cost upwards of $2 million apiece, at Houthi targets in Yemen. The ships also launched 155 standard missiles of various kinds, which cost between $2 million and $4 million per missile, to destroy the drones. The F-18 aircraft aboard the Eisenhower also fired 60 air-to-air missiles and 420 air-to-surface weapons during the defense strikes at sea and targets on the ground. Rep. JOE COURTNEY (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Seapower panel, said extended combat deployments are also “stressing our Navy.” It’s clear that “we’re going to have to come to grips with either going up higher with the topline,” Courtney said, adding that lawmakers may need to deliberate on whether a supplemental spending bill “will be on top of that.” ICYMI: Cost rising for US as it fights off Houthi drones, via our own PAUL MCLEARY, JOE GOULD and Connor.
| | | |   | | | | | NORWAY GETS KNOCKED: Israel took away accreditation for eight Norwegian diplomats representing Oslo before the Palestinian Authority, per Reuters’ TERJE SOLSVIK and MAAYAN LUBELL. The Israeli government defended the revocation, accusing Norway of “anti-Israel conduct.” Norway, which helped broker the Oslo Accords, officially recognized a Palestinian state in May, arguing that the move would help speed up an end to the war in the Gaza Strip. That decision, Israeli Foreign Minister ISRAEL KATZ said, means “Norway conducts a one-sided policy on the Palestinian issue, and will therefore be removed from the Palestinian issue.” Oslo and the Palestinian Authority both condemned Israel’s actions. Norwegian Foreign Minister ESPEN BARTH EIDE called it “an extreme act that primarily affects our ability to help the Palestinian population” and warned it ”will have consequences for our relationship with the Netanyahu government.” The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, blasted the decision as a “violation and breach of international laws.”
| | — FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — Retired Vice Adm. COLLIN GREEN has been tapped as the head of defense solutions at DZYNE, the AI drone company that has former Attorney General WILLIAM BARR and Defense Secretary CHRIS MILLER in its C-suite. Green most recently served as the deputy commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command in the Biden administration.
| | — LAUREN LEATHERBY and LEANNE ABRAHAM, The New York Times: The toll of 10 months of simmering conflict on the Israel-Lebanon border — ELIOT COHEN, The Atlantic: How to fix the Secret Service before it fails again — ANSEL BAYLY and SARAH TZINIERIS, The Diplomat: Securing America’s critical minerals: A policy priority conundrum
| | — The National Defense Industrial Association, 8 a.m.: 2024 emerging technologies for defense conference and exhibition. Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who doesn’t include us in her negotiations. Thanks to our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, the best person to lead the opposition against Heidi.
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