CHEAT SHEET
TOP 10 RIGHT NOW
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said that Russia’s minister of defense gave “assurance that Russian forces would not invade Ukraine.” Sergei Shoygu spoke with Hagel by phone to discuss the escalating situation in Ukraine. While Hagel asked for Shoygu’s help in securing the release of the seven captured inspectors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, there was no indication he necessarily would. Russia’s ambassador to the Vienna-based OSCE, Andrei Kelin, was also hesitant to push for their release, saying it was an “adventure or provocation” to send diplomatic observers into the region.