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Straits Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Trump administration disbands group focused on pressuring Russia, sources say
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration shelved in recent weeks an inter-agency working group it had set up to formulate strategies for pressuring Russia into speeding up peace talks with Ukraine, according to three US officials. The effort, which was established earlier in the spring, lost steam in May as it became increasingly clear to participants that US President Donald Trump was not interested in adopting a more confrontational stance toward Moscow, said the officials. Despite pledging during his campaign to end the war in Ukraine on the first day of his presidency, Mr Trump in recent months has grown increasingly frustrated that his push has yielded no breakthroughs. He has begun saying that the United States may abandon its efforts to broker peace altogether. In light of that threat, the working group's task seemed increasingly irrelevant, added those officials, who requested anonymity to describe sensitive internal discussions. "It lost steam toward the end because the president wasn't there. Instead of doing more, maybe he wanted to do less," one of the officials said. The death of the working group, the existence of which has not been previously reported, is likely to deepen European allies' concerns over Mr Trump's at-times conciliatory tone toward Russia and his reluctance to express full-throated support for Ukraine ahead of a pivotal summit of Nato allies later in June. On the first day of a meeting of Group of Seven leaders in Canada on Monday, the Republican president said removing Russia from the former Group of Eight over a decade ago had been a mistake. The final blow for the working group came roughly three weeks ago, when most members of the White House National Security Council - including the entire team dealing directly with the Ukraine war - were dismissed as part of a broad purge, according to the three officials. The effort was set up and coordinated by high-ranking NSC staffers, the officials said, though it included participants from the State Department, Treasury Department, the Pentagon and intelligence community. Among those working on the effort was Mr Andrew Peek, the top NSC official for Europe and Russia, who was removed in May. It is unclear precisely who gave the order to discontinue the effort, but the officials suggested the depth of the NSC cuts made its continuation largely untenable. Since the effort's dissolution, Mr Trump's broader peacemaking efforts, which had been a central element of his campaign pitch, have hit a challenging stretch. Despite some successes - such as a US.-brokered ceasefire between India and Pakistan - Mr Trump has made little tangible progress in achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, and the risk of a full-blown regional war in the Middle East has risen rapidly with the Israel-Iran conflict. The dissolution of the group also follows a March suspension of work by some US national security agencies on a coordinated effort to counter Russian sabotage and disinformation operations, Reuters reported at the time. Nevertheless, Mr Trump could choose to adopt a firmer stance toward Russia regardless of the fate of the working group, which was set up to develop options for the president "if he wanted to get tougher on Russia," one of the officials said. Some Mr Trump allies, including Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, have publicly advocated for an expansive new round of sanctions directed at Russia, citing Moscow's effective rejection of US ceasefire proposals and the Kremlin's continual attacks on civilian targets as proof of Mr Putin's recalcitrance. Mr Trump has said he is considering such measures, but he has also regularly faulted both sides for the ongoing hostilities. The White House did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the Treasury Department, the State Department or the Pentagon. The Ukrainian and Russian embassies in Washington also did not respond to requests for comment. 'Deep frustration' The working group was formed in March or April at a time when some close Mr Trump advisers were growing increasingly sceptical of the Kremlin's willingness to reach a deal, while Mr Trump's rhetoric suggested he might be interested in modifying his accommodating stance toward Mr Putin. In an interview with NBC News in late March, he said he was "very angry" and "pissed off" at the Russian leader for raising questions about the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. NSC spokesman James Hewitt said in an April 1 statement to Reuters that there was a "deep frustration with the Russian government over negotiations." Among the topics discussed within the working group was how the US could incentivise or pressure former Soviet states, as well as other Eastern European and Asian nations, to limit the flow of goods and energy into and out of Russia, said the officials. It is unclear if Mr Trump was aware of the working group's formation or subsequent dissolution. The NSC removals left few high-ranking people on the Russia file, complicating the prospects for any robust inter-agency debate on the topic. While reluctant to discuss the details of the options drawn up by the group due to the sensitive nature of the work, US officials said the group was still brainstorming ideas when it was dissolved. The group's work was unrelated to the Russia sanctions package in the US Senate. Ideas ranged from tailored economic deals designed to peel some countries out of Russia's geopolitical orbit to covert special operations efforts, the officials said. One official mentioned the possibility of creating an incentive structure to push Kazakhstan to more vigorously crack down on sanctions evasion. The country, like other post-Soviet states, has been used by traders to bypass some Western-imposed import restrictions on Russia since Moscow's expanded invasion began in 2022. The Kazakhstani embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Gulf Today
30-04-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
This is how Europe's defence startups are luring AI talent
Some European tech workers who might once have headed to the United States are looking at defence startups closer to home. Others are rushing back to Europe from jobs abroad. A sense of patriotism stirred by the war in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump's upending of security alliances is a motivation for many, as well as the opportunity to make money as European governments boost military spending. For others, it's the appeal of working on cutting-edge battlefield applications that use artificial intelligence. Reuters spoke to two dozen AI engineers, venture capital firms, government officials and defence companies in Europe who said the influx of tech talent reflected a changed political landscape as the United States retreats from its post-World War Two role as guarantor of Europe's defences. 'There are people that are really mission-focused, and what they want to do in their life is to have an impact and not only earn a big salary,' said Loïc Mougeolle, CEO of Paris-based battlefield AI provider Comand AI. 'They're really motivated to have an impact rebuilding Europe and change the course of history for Europe.' There are longstanding ethical concerns about the use of AI in battlefield contexts. But the technology appeals to investors: Comand AI raised $10 million in a December funding round, while Germany's Alpine Eagle, which focuses on technology to counter autonomous drones, raised 10 million euros ($11.4 million) in March. Amid intense competition for AI talent, Mougeolle said Comand AI has recruited engineers and product managers from US.-based ChatGPT maker OpenAI and data analytics provider Palantir Technologies. Alpine Eagle plans to hire across product, engineering, business development and sales as it looks to expand outside Germany. 'Europe, in terms of defence and also public security, is a huge market,' CEO Jan-Hendrik Boelens said. Salaries in Europe can be significantly lower than in the United States: Glassdoor data shows Helsing — Europe's only defence 'unicorn', valued at over $1 billion — pays up to $150,000 per year for an AI engineer, compared with $270,000 at Palantir or $380,000 at Google. Helsing declined to comment for this story. As well as poaching experienced talent, companies like Comand AI, Helsing and Alpine Eagle are recruiting new graduates. Stelios Koroneos, founder of a Greek defence tech startup, said the war in Ukraine had reduced the stigma around working in defence for many young engineers. 'Young people started realizing freedom does not come for free,' Koroneos said. 'You need to be able to defend yourselves. Some do it with guns and others do it with the knowledge they have and the things they build.' Julian Dierkes, a 27-year old doctoral student at Germany's RWTH Aachen University, researches reinforcement learning, which trains software to make autonomous decisions to achieve optimal results and has broad applications for defence. 'For me it is important if I do research in defence that I am protecting European democracies,' he told Reuters. Defence startups have surged since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and technology — particularly drones — has helped keep Kyiv in the fight. PitchBook data shows venture capital investment in European defence companies reached $626 million in 2024, up from $254 million in 2023 and $62 million in 2022. And Europe's rearmament plans promise more: the European Union aims to mobilise 800 billion euros ($911 billion) for defence while countries like Germany have pledged massive increases in their defence budgets. According to the Zeki State of AI Talent Report, European defence companies are targeting top engineers as even established firms shift focus from hardware to software for everything from drones to troop-tracking technology. Its analysis, based on a dataset of 800,000 people, found the number of top AI engineers in Europe's defence sector based on published research soared to 1,700 in 2024 from 144 in 2014. Comparable US roles grew to 6,927 from 487 over the same period, according to Zeki data. Zeki defined top talent as engineers with a proven track record of breaking new ground in AI discovery such as published research. 'We believe this represents significant and sustained growth in the sector,' Zeki's chief executive Tom Hurd told Reuters. Investors, tech workers and recruiters said unease with the current U.S. political environment was prompting some Europeans to seek opportunities at home. Deep cuts to funding for universities and research bodies by Trump's administration have prompted scientists in other disciplines to consider moving to Europe. 'Many of the world's top AI researchers come from Europe. Some went to the US, but many are returning to work on European sovereignty, resilience, and long-term value creation,' said Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, managing director at US venture capital firm General Catalyst in Berlin. 'I think that's a powerful signal.' Reuters
Straits Times
22-04-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Tesla's Musk plans to cut back work with Trump to one or two days per week
Mr Musk said the major work setting up his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) initiative was done. PHOTO: REUTERS Tesla's Musk plans to cut back work with Trump to one or two days per week SAN FRANCISCO - Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on April 22 he will cut back his work for US President Donald Trump to a day or two per week starting sometime in May, after the billionaire's aggressive cost-cutting tactics sparked public backlash and investor concern. Mr Musk's 130-day mandate as a special government employee in the Trump administration is set to expire around late May. 'I think starting probably next month, in May, my time allocation to Doge will drop significantly,' Mr Musk told investors on a conference call after the electric car marker reported results that topped Wall Street's rock-bottom expectations. Tesla has faced a troubling few months as deliveries of its ageing line-up of electric vehicles have nosedived, Mr Musk's political activities have drawn protests, and its stock has nearly halved from its December peak. Many investors had been calling for Mr Musk to leave his work as Trump's adviser and manage Tesla more closely. Mr Musk said the major work setting up his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) initiative was done. Under Mr Musk's leadership and with the stated aim of increasing efficiency, Doge staff upended agencies in a sweeping restructuring that has challenged congressional authority and faced a series of lawsuits. Mr Musk, the world's richest person, has defended his role as an unelected official who was granted unprecedented authority by Mr Trump to dismantle parts of the US. government. As of April 22, Doge estimated on its website that it has saved US taxpayers some US$160 billion (S$210.44 billion). However, the group's calculations have been rife with errors, corrections and incomplete explanations. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Japan Times
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Services to millions of people collapse as USAID cuts contracts worldwide
LONDON/JOHANNESBURG/GENEVA – U S.-funded projects worldwide, including those providing lifesaving care for millions of people in countries such as Sudan and South Africa, received termination notices on Thursday, sending shock waves across the global aid community. The latest cancellations come as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration nears completion of a review to ensure that grants are aligned with his "America First" agenda after ordering a 90-day pause on all foreign aid in January to assess whether projects were consistent with his policy aims. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had dismissed concerns that Washington was ending foreign aid, saying waivers had been provided to life-saving services.
