Friday Briefing: NATO considers sending trainers to Ukraine

May 17, 2024

	By Amelia Nierenberg

Good morning. We’re covering a NATO plan to send military trainers to Ukraine and the latest on Donald Trump’s trial.

Plus, Native American fashion.

A line of military vehicles travel on a highway surrounded by greenery as trucks and cars drive in the other direction.

Military vehicles traveling from Germany to Poland as part of a NATO exercise. Laetitia Vancon for The New York Times

NATO is considering sending military trainers to Ukraine

NATO allies are inching closer to sending military trainers into Ukraine. The move could draw the U.S. and Europe more directly into the war with Russia.

Ukrainian officials have asked their U.S. and NATO counterparts to help train 150,000 new recruits closer to the front line for faster deployment. So far the U.S. has been adamant that it will not put U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine, and has urged NATO allies not to do so either.

But yesterday, Gen. Charles Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that a NATO deployment of trainers seemed inevitable. “We’ll get there eventually, over time,” he told reporters.

For now, the general said, such a move would put NATO trainers at risk and would most likely mean deciding whether to use precious air defenses to protect the trainers — instead of critical Ukrainian infrastructure near the battlefield. Any attack on the trainers would force the U.S. to honor its NATO obligations, dragging it into the war.

At the front: Ukraine’s position has worsened as Russia has stepped up attacks, in particular in the northeast. Yesterday, President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to the Kharkiv region and acknowledged that the situation there “remains extremely difficult.” “We are strengthening our units,” he added.

Russia: As he intensifies his war effort, President Vladimir Putin called for stronger economic ties between Russia and China at a summit in Beijing with Xi Jinping, China’s leader.

U.K.: Moscow expelled Britain’s defense attaché in Russia. Britain had thrown out his Russian counterpart last week.

Michael Cohen sitting in the back seat of a black vehicle.

Michael Cohen will be the last prosecution witness. Cheney Orr/Reuters

Trump’s lawyers grilled Michael Cohen

Todd Blanche, a lawyer for former President Donald Trump, sought to cast Michael Cohen as a fabricator who had lied under oath to exact revenge on his former boss. Trump’s defense team is trying to undermine the credibility of Cohen’s testimony, which underpins the 34 felony counts against Trump.

Cohen, Trump’s onetime lawyer and fixer, was also questioned about phone calls he had previously described in his testimony — including one that he said concerned the $130,000 payment he made to Stormy Daniels to suppress her account of a sexual rendezvous with the former president. Blanche expressed incredulity that Cohen could accurately recall years-old phone calls. Cohen insisted that his testimony was accurate, and that he could remember the conversations because he had been talking about them for the last six years.

Blanche also tried to prove that Cohen was motivated by anger. He pressed Cohen on statements he had made about Trump’s indictment, including a clip of him saying “You better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to me and my family.”

What’s next: Cohen, who has kept his composure on the stand so far, will return on Monday.

Three Slovakian police officials stood at a podium covered in microphones and spoke to the press.

Slovak authorities said the suspect had no ties to radical organizations. Antonio Bronic/Reuters

A suspect was charged in Slovakia

The authorities have charged a suspect in the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot multiple times on Wednesday. The gunman was a “lone wolf,” radicalized after last month’s presidential election, officials said. Slovakian news media described him as a 71-year-old amateur poet.

Fico’s condition has stabilized after five hours of surgery, but the deputy prime minister warned that he was “not out of a life-threatening situation.” He said Fico faced a “difficult” recovery.

Politics: Slovakia is sharply divided between Fico supporters, who back his right-wing nationalist and anti-immigration policies, and opponents who say he’s destroying democracy. Critics have accused him of trying to take the country back to its repressive communist past.

MORE TOP NEWS

a person sits near a cook stove on a balcony. there is a large puddle on the dirt street below, and tents.

A person cooking on the balcony of a damaged building in Gaza yesterday. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Gaza: Israel’s defense minister said that the Israeli army would send more troops to Rafah, in southern Gaza, despite international concerns about its ground invasion.
Serbia: The government approved a contract with Jared Kushner to build a luxury hotel, drawing criticism from opposition leaders.
Mpox: A deadlier version of the infectious disease formerly called monkeypox is ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo, the C.D.C. warned.
The Netherlands: Four right-wing parties said they had reached a preliminary deal to form a government that would exclude Geert Wilders from becoming prime minister.
TikTok: The billionaire Frank McCourt, a critic of how tech companies use data, mounted a bid to buy the app.
Boston: A woman was accused of murdering her boyfriend — a police officer. The city is transfixed by the trial.

MORNING READ

a person wearing boots, brown pants and a green sweatshirt holds a large rifle. the ground is arid and covered in small rocks and bushes.

Our reporters spent years interviewing more than 100 former and current Israeli officials. Peter van Agtmael/Magnum, for The New York Times

For decades, Israel has allowed Jewish ultranationalists to terrorize Palestinians in the occupied territories. A Times Magazine investigation shows how a radical ideology in Israeli society moved from the fringes to the heart of power.

In a video, the writer Ronen Bergman explained how the failure to stop crimes by Jewish settlers and ultranationalists threatens Israeli democracy. Here are takeaways from the investigation.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Take charge: We chatted with a psychologist who has ideas for how to avoid kneejerk decisions.
Get mad: Natural disasters made “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” the most expensive movie ever shot in Australia.
Take care: Tending to aging family members is fraught, so caregivers have to look after themselves as well.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

Four people wear outfits that incorporate both painted and shredded denim.

Models at Native Fashion Week. Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times

Showcasing Native American style

This month, Indigenous designers, models and artisans from across North America went to New Mexico for Native Fashion Week.

A large bird medallion, worn around the neck and decorated with patterns of vividly colored beadwork.

Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times

The runway looks — and the street style — included patchwork coats and patterned skirts. Chanting and traditional dance were part of the runway shows. Accessories were key to many looks: turquoise-embellished hats and belts, beaded necklaces and clam-shell earrings.

See photos of all the eye-catching looks.

RECOMMENDATIONS

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Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.

Bake: Celebrate the weekend with a regal strawberry cake.

Read: In “Henry Henry,” Shakespeare’s Henry V gets a modern, queer makeover.

Watch: Hong Sang-soo’s “In Our Day” is a tender film about simple pleasures.

Glow: Some pimple patches are worth trying.

Style: These yellow bags enliven any outfit.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. Enjoy your weekend. — Amelia

Email us at briefing@nytimes.com.

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