Ukraine gets tanks to repel Russia’s invasion: Weekend Reads

Your Weekend Reads takes a look at the decision to send battle tanks to Ukraine and the upcoming clash over the US debt ceiling. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( The US and Germany agreed to give Ukraine the modern NATO-standard battle [tanks]( Kyiv has been requesting for months so that it can better defend and take back territory from Vladimir Putin’s invading troops. The decision marked a reversal for US President Joe Biden, whose administration had said it wasn’t thinking of sending M1 Abrams tanks. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also invited criticism and may have suffered reputational damage for dragging his feet on the [decision](. In Britain, ambulance workers walked out in the biggest show of industrial [action]( by first responders since labor unions kicked off a historic series of protests against pay levels in Britain’s National Health Service. The US is barreling toward a [fight]( in Congress over extending its debt ceiling that could unleash economic catastrophe if it’s not resolved in time. Dig into these and other top political stories from the last seven days in this edition of Weekend Reads. — [Michael Winfrey]( The site of a Russia rocket attack in Kyiv on Thursday. Photographer: Daniel Cole/AP Photo Click [here]( for this week’s most compelling political images. And if you’re enjoying this newsletter, sign up [here](. Biden Reversal on Abrams Tanks Underscores Focus on NATO Unity US President Joe Biden’s about face on giving Ukraine Abrams battle tanks shows that, nearly a year into Russia’s war, keeping NATO unified remains paramount among the alliance’s leaders. [Courtney McBride]( and [Jenny Leonard]( look into the decision. Scholz Gets US Tank Pact He Wanted and a Bucketload of Criticism German Chancellor Olaf Scholz managed to secure the international alliance he wanted before sending tanks to Ukraine. But as [Michael Nienaber]( and [Chris Reiter]( report, his hesitation has raised [questions]( about whether Germany can be counted on to lead. Putin Braces for Long War as He Plans New Offensive in Ukraine The Russian President is preparing a new [campaign]( against Ukraine, sources say. While Putin aims to show his forces can regain the initiative after months of defeats, he can’t deny the weaknesses of his military after it lost more than half of its initial gains. Zelenskiy Fires Officials in Shake-Up After Call for Fairness Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy [dismissed]( at least 10 officials in a government shakeup. As [Aliaksandr Kudrytski]( reports, it followed rising public outcry over perceived excesses by civil servants amid the country’s efforts to fight off Russia’s invasion. Best of Bloomberg Opinion this week - [Trump Finds an Opening Against DeSantis: Joshua Green]( - [We Already Know Which Gun Policies Work: Francis Wilkinson]( - [World Ignores Myanmar’s Plight at Its Peril: Clara F. Marques]( - [US Could Defend Taiwan From China — at Great Cost: Tobin Harshaw]( - [Yemen’s Fragile Truce Needs Good Deeds to Survive: Bobby Ghosh]( EU Sees Legal Grounds to Use Seized Russian Central Bank Assets European Union member states have been told the bloc has the legal authority to temporarily leverage at least $36.8 billion worth of Russian central bank assets to help pay for the [reconstruction]( of Ukraine, sources say. The UK’s public health system is suffering its worst winter [crisis]( to date. [Philip Aldrick]( reports that excess deaths are soaring, ambulance waits are at record highs, patients lie for hours on trolleys, and stressed-out staff are striking over pay and conditions. Biden Risks Drawn-Out DOJ Probe as Documents Dribble Out Biden’s hope for a quick [resolution]( of a probe into his mishandling of classified documents has become politically entangled with separate questions about former President Donald Trump and now ex-Vice President Mike Pence. [Chris Strohm]( and [Ryan Teague Beckwith]( report. Biden Faces GOP Debt Showdown With Bitter Memory of 2011 Crisis Twelve years after a political fight over raising the federal debt ceiling almost triggered a default and led to the first-ever US credit-rating downgrade, Biden has made clear he [remembers]( the lesson. As [Josh Wingrove]( writes, he says he won’t negotiate while the debt limit is held hostage. - [David Wilcox]( looks at how even a short-lived halt in Treasury payments could have a devastating [impact](, triggering a plunge in markets and potentially a full-blown financial crisis. Trump Back on Facebook Restores Potent Weapon at Crucial Time Trump’s reinstated Facebook and Instagram accounts could prove to be the [accelerant]( he needs as he tries to spark Republican enthusiasm around his so-far listless 2024 White House comeback bid. And as [Mark Niquette]( writes, his campaign will be able to buy fundraising ads again. Explainers of the week - [What Tanks Ukraine Will Get and Why It Wants Them]( - [Ukraine Seeks Weapons to Beat Back Russia: Here’s What It’s Got]( - [Why Turkey Is Still Blocking Sweden’s NATO Accession]( - [How Trans Rights Turned Into a UK Constitutional Feud]( - [What Europe Risks With Wider Sanctions on Russian Oil]( Agonizing Over Ukraine, Europe Risks Stumbling Into Another War While the world is focused on Ukraine, tensions are threatening to ignite another conflict on the EU’s doorstep. [Acrimony]( between Serbia and Kosovo has escalated to near the most since fighting in the Balkans ended in 1999, [Andrea Dudik]( and [Misha Savic]( show. A Serb nationalist mural on the north side of the River Ibar, which divides ethnic Serb and Albanian communities, in Mitrovica, Kosovo, on Wednesday. Photographer: Ben Kilb/Bloomberg Widespread Spying on US, UK, EU Lawmakers Prompts Investigations Pegasus [spyware]( has been used routinely to listen in on conversations with US, UK and EU officials, prompting investigations into abuses of its shockingly affordable military-grade surveillance. [Peter Guest]( reports how it has been used to hack hundreds of phones around the world. Erdogan’s Political Foes Strive to Join Forces Ahead of Election Turkey’s largest ever grouping of opposition leaders is striving to name a joint candidate to [take on]( President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is looking to extend his two decades in charge in May elections. Bridging gaps will be key, [Selcan Hacaoglu]( and [Firat Kozok]( report. - Turkey is keeping up the [pressure]( on Sweden and Finland, again telling the Nordic countries to do more to fight Kurdish groups in exchange for allowing them to join NATO. Israel’s Politics-Proof Markets Under Stress in Netanyahu Revamp Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition has ignited a debate over the character of the Israeli state. [Gwen Ackerman]( writes that the new government has set off a [firestorm]( with its proposals to overhaul the judicial system and give parliament more power over the courts. - The Palestinian Authority said it’s ending security ties with Israel after eight militants and one civilian were [killed]( in a West Bank gunfight. Burning Trees in the Amazon Melts Snow in the Himalayas Vegetation set ablaze in Brazil could contribute to melting glaciers in the Himalayas. [Laura Millan Lombrana]( looks into a discovery by Scientists of a new atmospheric [pathway]( that originates in the Amazon, runs along the South Atlantic, across Africa and the Middle East until it reaches Asia. And finally … Zimbabwe’s political leaders have a remedy for the collapse of the capital: Build a new “[cybercity](” with as much as $60 billion of other people’s money. [Ray Ndlovu]( and [Archana Narayanan]( explain, it will be a world apart from Harare, which has become a dilapidated urban sprawl where trash sits uncollected, electricity supply is often absent and many suburbs and townships have had no reliable running water for years. An artist impression of Zim Cybercity. Source: Zim Cybercity Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Politics newsletter. 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