First, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Next, via Popular Resistance, a link to an analysis assigning blame to Western powers for preventing negotiations between Ukraine and Russia toward peace. — MCM
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Progressive Democrats withdraw a letter urging Biden to be more proactive in Ukraine. Reported by Deepa Shivram, Vincent Acovino, MATT Ozug, Sarah Handel, Krishnadev Calamur and Juana Summers | NPR Thirty members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus sent a letter to President Biden on Monday urging him to change his approach on the war in Ukraine and take a more proactive, diplomatic push with Russia. But Tuesday, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who leads that caucus, withdrew the letter, and she called it a distraction. Click HERE to listen and read. Click HERE for a copy of the letter.
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Progressives retract Ukraine letter to Biden after uproar, by Farnoush Amiri and Seung Min Kim | AP WASHINGTON — A group of progressive Democrats in Congress said Tuesday it had retracted a letter to the White House urging President Joe Biden to engage in direct diplomatic talks with Russia after it triggered an uproar among Democrats and raised questions about the strength of the party’s support for Ukraine. In a statement . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for a copy of the letter.
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Russia’s chaotic draft leaves some out in cold, without gear. From AP. The mobilized reservists that Russian President Vladimir Putin visited last week at a firing range southeast of Moscow looked picture-perfect. That stands in stark contrast with the complaints circulating widely on Russian news outlets and social media of equipment shortages, poor living conditions and scant training for . . . READ MORE . . .
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Despite modernization drive, Russia’s air force struggles for superiority in Ukraine, by James Beardsworth | The Moscow Times After billions of rubles were invested in modernizing Russia’s Air Force over the past decade, many analysts predicted that Russian air power would quickly overwhelm Ukraine’s defenses, gaining free reign in the skies over Kyiv. But heavy losses in early March pushed the Air Force to adopt more risk-averse tactics, playing a . . . READ MORE . . .
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Another casualty of Russia’s war: Some Ukrainians no longer trust their neighbors. Reported by Franco Ordoñez | NPR KUPIANSK, Ukraine — As towns recover from Russian occupation, residents perceive their neighbors differently. Among the challenges emerging is how months of Russian occupation have ripped apart the social fabric of these towns and villages. Neighbors no longer know whom they can trust. They don’t know who . . . Click HERE to listen and read.
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West must stop blocking negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, by Vijay Prashad | People’s Dispatch / Educate! The lack of willingness to allow Ukraine to negotiate with Russia was summarized in a March 10, 2022, article in the Washington Post where senior officials in U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration stated that the current US strategy “is to ensure that the economic costs for Russia are severe and sustainable, as well as to continue supporting Ukraine militarily in its effort to inflict as many defeats on Russia as . . . READ MORE . . .
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TO BE CONTINUED