NEW: Biden spoke with Putin. Kremlin readout says the presidents discussed int'l security & the exchange of documents today to extend the New START nuclear treaty.
Also discussed: the pandemic, trade & economic issues, Open Skies Treaty, Ukraine, & more. kremlin.ru/events/preside…
The Kremlin says, "On the whole, the conversation between the leaders of Russia and the United States was businesslike and frank in nature. [Putin and Biden] agreed they would stay in contact."
No readout from the White House yet. But here's what Biden said about it moments ago:
Incredible scenes across Russia—from Tomsk to Chelyabinsk to Ulan-Ude to St. Petersburg—of crowds in the tens of thousands (or more?) coming out to protest the arrest of Alexei Navalny. Here’s Moscow’s Pushkin Square just 20 min after the start of the protest in Russia’s capital.
I'm also told that Pompeo has ordered an internal investigation into the matter, beginning with interns and employees leaving the State Department this week and next ahead of the transition to the Biden administration. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
The int’l secretary for the violent Ukrainian far-right Azov movement has been granted a fellowship in Vienna. Here’s my 2018 interview with her, which shows her connections to US white supremacists & European neo-nazis. She said Azov has global ambitions. rferl.org/a/azov-ukraine…
To put it another way, @IWM_Vienna has accepted as a fellow a top ideological figure from what the @StateDept deemed a “nationalist hate group” who has extensive neo-nazi ties and is actively trying to connect likeminded hate groups to form alliances and infiltrate governments.
The post about Olena Semenyaka, the far-right Azov movement’s international secretary described above, has been removed and @IWM_Vienna is reconsidering. Still, it would be good to know how she slipped by fellowship decision makers.
US Attorney Michael Sherwin said during a news briefing Thursday that materials were stolen from the Capitol during the riot. “We have to identify what was done, mitigate that, and it could have potential national security equities.” buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
"If I was sitting in the rezidentura, the [Russian] Embassy, whether I was the SVR or GRU, I would immediately be thinking, OK, well there are these things that are out in the wild," @MarkGaleotti said of the stolen material. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…