The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 16th, 2025: Last Minute Crisis For Gaza Ceasefire Deal & Russia's Schemes To Lure Indians To Ukraine's Front Lines

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:   First, it appears the breakthrough ceasefire deal reached yesterday between Israel and Hamas is already at risk, as Israeli leaders delay a vote on the draft agreement, accusing Hamas of making last-minute demands that go back on their promises. Then, the Putin regime is facing blowback from their allies in New Delhi over their schemes to recruit young Indian men to fight on the front lines of the war in Ukraine. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at Mintmobile.com. Hi, Mike Baker here. I'm currently in the Middle East, crossing the deserts of Saudi Arabia and Jordan by Camel during a month-long expedition to raise awareness for the U.K. Special Forces Benevolent Fund. But don't worry, Mike Slater has got you covered on the President's Daily Brief while I spend my time pouring the sand out of my boots. Thanks, Mike. It's Thursday, 16 January 2025. Welcome back to the PDB afternoon Bolton. I'm Mike Slater, filling in from Mike Baker. Let's get briefed. Today, it appears the breakthrough ceasefire deal reached yesterday between Israel and Hamas is already at risk, as Israeli leaders delay a vote on the draft agreement, accusing Hamas of making last-minute demands that go back on their promises. Later in the show, Russia is reportedly recruiting Indian men into its military with promises of work and educational opportunities,

only to deploy them to the front lines in the war of Ukraine. The recent death of an Indian man in Ukraine has reignited the issue, fraying otherwise strong diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Moscow. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. I want to return to our coverage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed a scheduled vote to finalize the agreement, citing last-minute demands from the terror group as the reason for the postponement. Netanyahu stated the Thursday meeting would not proceed until Hamas'

pulled back on such demands. In a statement, Netanyahu added, quote, Hamas renegs on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators. Notably, Netanyahu lacked specificity about which elements of the deal were at issue. Hamas, however, denied Netanyahu's allegations. A member of the terror group's political wing reiterated its commitment to the mediated ceasefire announced by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States on Wednesday. In an interview with an Arabic TV outlet, a Hamas senior official labeled Netanyahu's allegations as baseless. The conflicting narratives cast doubt over the agreement's finalization, which was expected to bring an end to the 15 months of war in Gaza. Internationally, the Israeli Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the

roles of outgoing President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump in brokering the ceasefire deal with a phone call on Wednesday. Despite the external backing, Netanyahu faces domestic opposition. Hard-line members within his coalition government are staunchly opposed to any negotiations with Maas, even if it secures the release of hostages held since 7 October 2023. Several of these coalition members threatened to resign if the ceasefire deal proceeds, potentially prompting the dissolution of Netanyahu's administration. The Israeli president and moderate cabinet members have urged fellow ministers to support the agreement, emphasizing its humanitarian importance.

As we covered on the PDB earlier today, the proposed ceasefire would unfold in three critical phases. The initial phase involves the release of 33 hostages by Hamas, including American nationals, in exchange for Israel, freeing a thousand Palestinian detainees who were not implicated in the October 23 terror attack. Additionally, Israeli forces would begin gradually withdrawing from densely populated centers, such as the Philadelphia Corridor, along the border of Gaza and Egypt, and facilitate the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza. The second phase would include a permanent ceasefire and Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza, with the remaining hostages exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners. And in the final phase, Hamas is expected to return

the bodies of slain hostages and efforts to reconstruct Gaza will commence. The deal's implementation now hinges on overcoming last-minute obstacles and securing approval from Netanyahu's cabinet. If finalized, the ceasefire is slated to take effect on Sunday. Coming up next, we'll explore the growing controversy surrounding Russia's recruitment of Indian men into its military, who they lure with promises of work and educational opportunities. More on that after the break. 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. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new Elixircle. collection featuring three perfume intense scents inspired by a unique orchid accord paired with vanilla each with its own distinct attitude each with its own universe bold elixir sensual woody addictive magnetic elixir sweet and romantic like a lingering touch solar elixir a radiant expression of joy ultra concentrated for amplified impact and lasting power find your euphoria discover the euphoria elixir collection by calvin klein welcome back to the pdb afternoon bolton i'm later fill out in for Mike Baker. Turning our attention to Russia, the Putin regime is facing blowback from their allies in New Delhi over their schemes to recruit young Indian men to fight

on the front lines in the war of Ukraine. According to an exclusive report from the Washington Post, the recent death of an Indian man working for the Russian army has brought renewed focus to this thorny issue among India's leaders. While it's true that New Delhi has a thriving diplomatic relationship with Russia, the Kremlin's use of their citizens on the battlefields in Ukraine could potentially drive a wedge between the two eastern powers. Nearly a hundred Indians have been lured to Russia with false promises of work and educational opportunities, duped by an international network of employment agents and social media influencers working on behalf of the Kremlin.

Some even promise high wages for low-skilled jobs like driving, cooking, plumbing, and electrical repairs. Once they arrive in Russia, however, the deception becomes painfully clear. The recruits allegedly have their passports confiscated and are then coerced to sign a contracts with the Russian military that they can't even read. They're then sent into combat, receiving little or no training before being deployed. According to officials with the Indian government, at least 10 of their citizens have now been killed on the front lines in Ukraine. The latest victim was a 32-year-old electrician from the southern state of Kerala. He was killed earlier this month, and his death has provoked a sharp response from the Indian officials.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for India's Ministry of External Affairs told the Washington Post, quote, the matter has been strongly taken up with the Russian authorities in Moscow, as well as with the Russian embassy in New Delhi today. We have also reiterated our demands for the early discharge of the remaining Indian nationals. No surprise this year, but Moscow has consistently denied any wrongdoing. But following the death of several Indian men on the front lines last year, Indian officials raised the issue with their Russian counterparts. The Indian Prime Minister then directly pressed Vladimir Putin on the matter during a visit to Moscow in July. In September, Russia released 45 Indians that had been pressed into service, but nearly 20 still remain trapped

on the front lines. And it's unclear if the Kremlin plans to return any more of these conscripts to India. The two countries continue to expand their economic and military ties, but analysts expect this to remain a recurring point of tension. We should note, however, that this is hardly unique to India. As the war on Ukraine drags on, Russia has been desperately trying to replenish their frontline forces without having to engage in a full-scale mobilization of their own citizens, something that remains widely unpopular with the Russian population. To plug holes in their ranks, Russia has turned to recruiting mercenaries and unsuspecting foreigners whenever they can find them, including Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In late November, reports emerged that Russia was partnering with the Iranian-backed Houthi militants

in Yemen to traffic hundreds of Yemeni men to the battlefield of Ukraine. There also reports in February that some 15,000 men from Nepal had been enlisted into the Russian military, and many of their faiths still remain unclear. Russia has focused their efforts on impoverished nations, where promises of lucrative jobs in Russia are often too enticing to ignore, with Russian troop losses now exceeding 800,000, a number that includes both wounded and killed. We expect Moscow to continue engaging in these foreign recruitment schemes. And that is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday, 16 January, listen to the show ad-free. You can become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB Premium.com. On Mike Slater, Slater Radio, on Instagram and Twitter to follow me. I'll be back

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