The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 9th, 2024: Ukraine's Path To NATO & China's Land Grabs Near US Military Bases

Episode Date: July 9, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    NATO allies are expected to issue draft language describing Ukraine’s path to joining the NATO alliance as "irreversible," a sign members are deeply committed to accelerating Ukraine’s membership bid. The U.S. Treasury is aiming to expand its jurisdiction to review land sales near U.S. military sites after a series of purchases by Chinese-backed companies that officials say pose a "national security risk." 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 PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] ☕ Blackout Coffee: https://www.blackoutcoffee.com/PDB Code: PDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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getting underway, even as we speak here in Washington, D.C. It marks the 75th anniversary of NATO. Also, the U.S. Treasury is aiming to expand its jurisdiction to review land sales near U.S. military sites after a series of purchases by Chinese-backed companies that officials have called a, quote, national security risk. Yeah, nothing, nothing suspicious about the Chinese regime being keen to purchase property near key U.S. military facilities. It's sure just a coincidence. But first, our afternoon spotlight. NATO leaders gathering in Washington, D.C. this week, are expected to make an announcement guaranteeing Ukraine's membership in the NATO alliance. As we've been covering on the BDB,

NATO is holding a critical summit this week marking the 75th anniversary of the alliance, as they look to find ways to bolster their diplomatic support of Kiev in the face of Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion. In addition to plans around increased aid, several members including the U.S. and Germany, are pushing for a clear commitment to Ukraine regarding their future in NATO, that's according to an exclusive report from CNN. We're now learning that NATO leaders are in final negotiations over language for a draft text of the alliance's joint communique that describes Ukraine's path to joining the NATO alliance as, quote, irreversible. And after all, as you know, you can't have a summit without issuing a joint communique, while the final text

could change, the inclusion of Irreversible would send a strong signal to both Keev and the Kremlin that the West is determined to bring Ukraine into the NATO family. An anonymous source, is there any other kind these days, would the White House told CNN that the U.S. would support the language so long as Keev agrees to a series of internal reforms required for membership. The official added that other members appeared in agreement and that such language would be included in the final draft. As we've previously discussed, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had suggested last week that NATO would outline a, quote, bridge to membership for Ukraine to ultimately join the alliance. But the draft language, well, it's even stronger than most analysts expected.

NATO Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg avoided specifics, but said, quote, we are working on the exact language on how to express that Ukraine is going to become a NATO ally and how we are moving forward, end quote. Now, Ukraine still has a long road ahead. They'll have to implement wide-ranging reforms addressing NATO concerns, including around issues of freedom of the press and judicial corruption. There also remains hesitation by some members arising from NATO's Article 5, which lays out the principle of collective defense commonly termed an attack on one is an attack on all. Some critics believe that Ukraine's accession to the alliance would all but guaranteed direct confrontation between the alliance and Russia. Still, those concerns are,

at this point anyway, theoretical, as Ukraine's membership bid is still expected to take many years to complete. In the past, Kiva said they hoped to officially join the alliance by the end of the decade. In the meantime, NATO leaders said they will announce plans this week in D.C. to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities and integrate them more closely with NATO's standards and procedures to accelerate their membership bid. Outside of the issue of NATO membership, the alliance is also set to approve a major new aid package for Ukraine. It will include a pledge of $43 billion next year in military aid

with a provision to reassess and potentially increase contributions at future NATO summits. They will also announce plans to increase the rate of training for the Ukrainian military, and that's an effort that will now be led by NATO out of a new commanding, base and logistical hub in Germany. The alliance will also pledge to deliver more weapons and ammunition and substantially increase Ukraine's air defense capabilities amid Russia's ongoing aerial assaults. While the road to NATO may take time for Ukraine, leaders in the U.S. and Europe do appear determined to make sure that Western support for Kiev stays strong over the long term. Coming up after the break, the U.S. Treasury is aiming to expand its jurisdiction to review land sales

near U.S. military sites after a series of purchases by Chinese-backed companies that, frankly, spooked security officials. One could ask whether any due diligence was done prior to these various purchases. I'll be right back. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade.

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Quiet, no, crispy, saucy, and $4? Very. Only at 7-Eleven. Valley through 62326, participating stores only well supplies last the app for full terms. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. In an effort to bolster national security, the Treasury Department has announced an expansion of its review authority over foreign purchases near U.S. military bases. The new rules will strengthen the authority of what's known as the Committee on Foreign Investment

in the United States, or Sipheus, because, well, frankly, nobody loves an acronym, like the U.S. government loves an acronym. They're the interagency government committee that reviews real estate transactions near sensitive government installations and properties. On Monday, the Treasury Department's proposed new rule would expand Sipheus' jurisdiction to review land sales near 56 additional military sites across 30 states, bringing the total to 227, sites. The new rule targets transactions within a one-mile radius of 40 U.S. bases, within a

100-mile radius of 19 sensitive sites, and land purchases between 1 and 100 miles of national security areas already under review. The expansion will be subject to a 30-day public comment period, inviting stakeholders to weigh in on the implications of these expanded powers. Treasury Secretary Janet Yelland states that the Biden administration remains steadfast. fast in using investment screening tools to safeguard military installations from external threats. Now, this expansion of authority, it's not coming out of the blue. As we've discussed on the PDB before, there's a rising concern about foreign land acquisitions near critical military sites, specifically by the Chinese.

This announcement follows a made decision by the White House to block a Chinese-backed cryptocurrency mining firm, Mine One Partners, limited, from owning land. near a Wyoming nuclear missile base, citing national security risks. Additionally, in 2021, the Chinese Fu Feng Group's plans to build a $700 million wet corn milling plant, approximately 12 miles from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which houses air and space operations in North Dakota, raised significant national security concerns. These concerns led to the project's cancellation. And that, my friends, is the PDB.

afternoon bulletin for Tuesday, 9 July. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. And if you want to listen to the show ad-free, be sure to check out our premium membership at PDB Premium.com. And by all means, don't forget our YouTube channel, President's Daily Brief. You can catch all our podcast episodes there, plus our weekend situation report. It's a weekly TV show with moving pictures and everything featuring excellent guests, news and site. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. You're great at protecting your data, but lots of places could still expose you to identity theft. I thought it was safe. If that happens, LifeLock gives you a U.S.-based restoration agent who will

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