The President's Daily Brief - February 27th, 2024: Farmers Descend On EU Headquarters, The CIA's Secret Role In Ukraine, & Why Putin Allegedly Killed Navalny

Episode Date: February 27, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:     Farmers descended on the European Union’s headquarters in Brussels on Monday to continue their protests of draconian environmental policies that threaten their sector, clashing with police. A bombshell New York Times report details how the CIA has been working closely with officials in Ukraine for nearly a decade, helping them hone their intelligence operations and providing critical support amid the darkest days of the war with Russia. Allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have alleged that he was set to be freed in a prisoner swap just before his tragic death in an arctic prison. In our 'Back of the Brief' segment, we’ll discuss the shocking death of a U.S. Air Force member, who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday to protest the war in Gaza. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Tuesday, 27 February. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world's stage. Let's get briefed. We'll start things off with coverage of the ongoing farmer protests in Europe, which escalated Monday as demonstrators convened on the EU headquarters in Brussels, clashing with police.

It's the battle of the farmers versus the bureaucrats. Later, we'll discuss a New York Times report detailing how the CIA has been secretly training and aiding Ukraine in their efforts to repel Putin's invasion. Of course, after the New York Times report, it's, well, less of a secret. Plus, we'll take a look at reports that Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was set to be freed in a prisoner's swap just before his tragic death in an Arctic prison. And in today's back of the brief, we'll discuss the shocking death of an active-duty U.S. Air Force member who set himself on fire outside.

the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday to protest the war in Gaza. But first up, the PDB spotlight. Let's begin with the latest regarding the angry farmers of Europe, who descended on the European Union's headquarters in Brussels on Monday to continue their protests of draconian environmental policies that threaten their sector. And yes, draconian is the PDB word of the day. As we've been reporting, there's widespread anger in the agricultural sector across Europe, as farmers are seeing their businesses eroded by the EU's environmental agenda, as well as cheap imports largely from Ukraine. On Monday, farmers took to fight straight to EU leaders in Brussels, demanding that they do more to address their mounting concerns, and that's according to a Reuters report.

Authorities in Brussels said roughly 900 tractors had entered the city to join the city to join the join in the protest outside the European Council building, where ministers were holding discussions regarding the ongoing demonstrations. The protests quickly spiraled out of control as farmers clashed with police, tossing eggs and spraying officers with liquid manure. Well, that sounds like fun. Authorities responded by blasting protesters with water cannons and tear gas. Okay, less fun. While anger differs over specific domestic concerns, the farmers are widely united. in opposition to EU environmental proposals that threatened the agricultural sector. Earlier this year, the EU had proposed a number of measures that upset farmers,

including a crackdown on pesticide use, and a plan to force farmers to cut non-CO2 emissions by 30% from 2015 levels. These are part of the EU's broader strategy to become carbon neutral by 2050, with a stated goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by, a staggering 55% by 2030. The protesters have already forced some concessions from leaders in Brussels. Earlier this month, the EU ditched plans to curtail pesticide use, remove the non-CO2 emission cuts from a draft proposal, and delayed rules on setting aside areas of farmland for protection.

Now, critically, the EU also opted to emit the agricultural sector from strict stipulations on all industries to cut greenhouses. gas emissions by 90% before 2040. Still, farmers say these concessions do not go far enough to address their long-term concerns regarding the sustainability of their livelihood. There is also intense anger over the EU's prioritization of Ukrainian exports, including waiving tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian goods in the wake of the war with Russia. Farmers in the EU are now increasingly seeing their prices undercut by cheaper goods coming in from Ukraine. The situation reached ahead last week when Polish farmers formed a near total

blockade of all Ukrainian border crossings and spilled grain bound for Germany onto the railway, prompting rebukes from Kiev. Polish farmers continued their demonstrations on Monday, this time, blocking a key highway at a border crossing with Germany. A spokesperson for the Solidarity Farmers Union said, quote, this is a show of common solidarity that both Polish and German farmers will not allow these goods from Ukraine to continue to enter the European market, end quote. Farmer protests continued also in Spain on Monday, with demonstrators also upset over the massive amount of red tape and environmental regulation being pushed by leaders in Brussels. Roberto Rodriguez, a Spanish farmer, said, quote, it's impossible to put up with these rules.

They want us to work in the field during the day and deal with paperwork at night. We're sick, he said, of the bureaucracy. Honestly, frankly, bureaucracy is the European Union's reason for being. It's their raison d'etre, as the posh folks say in Europe. How about that? The EU is really what happens when you smush red tape, file folders full of overbearing regulations, and a gaggle of self-important bureaucrats, you smush them all together, you get the EU. It's only surprising that it's taken this long.

I mean, the EU was created in 1993 for the average European citizen to realize that Brussels may not have their best interests at heart. EU ministers said they're working hard to address the farmers' concerns, but it's unclear whether they're willing to abandon their green agenda to meet the demands of the agricultural sector. I mean, after all, what's more important? Feeding your citizens or feeling self-righteous because you're posturing over climate justice.

The social and economic unrest currently ripping through Europe is expected to continue ahead of parliamentary elections in June, in which the demands of farmers will play a central role. All right, coming up after the break, we'll discuss an investigation from the New York Times detailing the secret role, okay, now it's not that secret, that the CIA has been playing to aid Ukraine in their efforts to repel Russia. Plus, we'll investigate reports that now-deceased Putin critic Alexei Navalny

was set to be freed in a prisoner swap just before his tragic death in an Arctic prison. Did I say tragic death? I meant murder. I'll be right back. Welcome back. A New York Times report published over the weekend detailed how the CIA has been working closely with officials in Ukraine, helping them home their intelligence operations and providing critical support amid the darkest days of the war with Russia. The New York Times based their report on interviews with more than 200 current and former officials in Ukraine, the U.S. and Europe, who were unable to keep their pie holes shut. The intelligence partnership between America and Ukraine was described as a linchpin of Ukraine's

defensive strategy, with the CIA assisting with targeted missile strikes, tracking Russian troop movements, and helping Ukrainian intelligence operatives establish their own spy networks. While the revelations are new, the arrangement has reportedly been a closely guarded secret for nearly a decade. The relationship, according to some, began in earnest in late February 2014, after former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia. Things developed after Ukrainian intelligence agents helped prove Russian-backed forces were behind the downing of a Malaysian Airlines plane in 2014. They further ingratiated themselves to leaders in Washington after they helped the U.S. identify the Russian agents involved in election interference in 2016.

And by late 2016, the CIA was reportedly, according to the story, training an elite Ukrainian special forces unit that included the current head of Ukrainian intelligence. As the story goes, according to New York Times sources who clearly loved to chat, this unit got their hands on Russian drones, which the CIA then reverse engineered, helping to crack and infiltrate encryption systems employed by Moscow. The relationship has not been without its hiccups, however. critically, before the outbreak of the war, U.S. intelligence agencies were prohibited from supporting

Ukraine in operations where there was a reasonable expectation of lethal outcomes. However, where to draw this to Bozod Red Line with Ukraine was never quite clear. An incident in Crimea in 2016 prompted threats from U.S. officials to cut off the relationship. However, tensions eventually calmed. And eventually, the CIA pulled Britain's MI6 and other European intelligence services into the relationship, creating a secret coalition where they could pool their insights on Russia. The relationship and building network helped the CIA gather intelligence pointing to Putin's imminent invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, which allowed them to give leaders in Kiev a heads up. The relationship has also reportedly stopped at least one attempt on Ukrainian President Zelensky's life.

Following Russia's invasion, the Biden administration authorizes CIA's involvement in lethal operations, at least when operating from Ukrainian soil. Ultimately, the CIA established 12 secret bases, again, not so secret now, in Ukraine along the border with Russia. The current CIA director, William Burns, has made at least 10, and there's that word again, secret trips to Ukraine during his tenure. His latest trip came just last week, as he reportedly tried to calm fears that the CIA will be forced to curtail the operations in Ukraine if Congress doesn't approve further military and financial aid to key. All right.

While nobody who spends any time following geopolitics and the ways of the real world should be surprised that the CIA and allied partners have built a supportive relationship with the Ukrainian military and intel apparatus, I do find it disappointing that some 200 individuals with varying degrees of knowledge and access to the effort lack the discipline to shut their yaps. This is not some historical event that's being discussed. It's an ongoing invasion by Putin's military, with lives being lost every day and sources and methods at risk. Now, of course, there are many folks who say that we need full transparency. There's no need for secrets. Those folks tend to have an overly optimistic view of the world, that somehow we live in a community of nations where everyone is focused on the

common good. It's a lovely thought, but it's not the real world. Okay, I want to shift our focus back to the tragic death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison in Russia. Those closest to him claimed on Monday that he was scheduled to be traded in a prisoner swap with Germany, but was killed because Russian dictator, oh, sorry, President, Vladimir Putin reportedly could not stand the thought of Navalny breathing free air. Navalny, the leading critic of Putin, one of the few actual critics of Putin, died under mysterious circumstances on February 16th at the Polar Wolf Penal Colony, where he was being kept on trumped up charges related to his criticism of the Putin regime.

Now, the Kremlin has claimed he died of natural causes, and they refer to it as sudden death syndrome. I'm sure this will come as a shock to PDB listeners. But the list of Putin critics and opponents who have reportedly died of natural causes, it's a rather lengthy one. On Monday, Maria Pevchik, a close ally of Navalny, alleged he was due to be exchanged, along with two unnamed Americans in a prisoner swap with Germany for Russian FSB security service hitman Vadim Krasikov.

The deal, according to a Voyager's report, was close to being finalized when news of Navalny's death broke. Pevchik said that Russian billionaire oligarch Roman Abramovich had helped to negotiate the deal with officials in the West, by that it was actually. too much for Putin to stomach. Pevchik said Putin opted to, quote, get rid of the object of bargaining by having Navalny killed. Pevich added, quote, it's the behavior of a mad mafioso, she said, but the point is that Putin has gone mad with hatred for Navalny, end quote. While Pevchik did not provide hard evidence to back up the claims, the narrative appears to have some truth behind it.

An unnamed Western official acknowledged to Reuters that early discussions regarding a swap had taken place between Russia, the U.S. and Germany, but nothing formal had been agreed upon. Unnamed sources in Russia similarly confirmed discussions, but said the plans were far from finalized. All right, coming up in today's back of the brief, we'll discuss the shocking death of a U.S. Air Force active duty member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. I'll be right back. How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount, safe driver discount, new vehicle discount, storage discount, legacy.

How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. In today's back of the brief, a bizarre and tragic story as an active duty member of the U.S. Air Force died after setting himself on fire in protest of Israel's operations against Hamas and Gaza. The disturbing incident unfolded outside the Israeli embassy in the early afternoon in Washington, D.C. on Sunday. Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, doused himself in an unknown liquid while saying he could, quote, no longer be complicit in genocide, and that his suffering would be small compared to what Palestinians are facing in Gaza, according to a CNN report. He repeatedly screamed free Palestine as he lit himself ablaze before collapsing to the ground. Local police rushed to the scene with fire extinguishers and quickly transported him to a local hospital, but he ultimately died. Authorities said Bushnell began live streaming to the social media platform Twitch.

As he approached the Israeli embassy, he reportedly set the phone down to capture his protest before engaging in the self-immolation. The video was quickly removed from Twitch, but police investigators are reportedly reviewing the footage and working with members of the U.S. Secret Service and others to determine what exactly led to this tragic incident. Now they are undoubtedly scouring his social media profile, tracking down friends and colleagues, family, and associates, and retracing his recent activities and behavior in an attempt to understand his mental state and motivations. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday 27 February. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker, I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin.

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