Supervising Producer/Editor for NPR’s @MorningEdition. Past: Ukraine, Southeast Asia @nprworld @theworld @foreignpolicy. @eastwestcenter @icfj 🇵🇭 #bbn Мама
Washington, DC
Joined October 2009
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Aw I lost my blue check mark bc I refuse to pay for validation on this hell site. I guess it’s up to you all now to do your homework on whether I’m legit or not!
Ashley Westerman retweeted
New: Sources from three countries confirm that the Trump Administration has advocated Viktor Orbán for UN Secretary-General.
The US has encouraged Orbán to enter the race, even bringing him the initial idea of a joint U.S.-Russia-China candidacy.
WSJ:
wsj.com/opinion/viktor-orban…
Ashley Westerman retweeted
As the UN votes on the question of New Caledonia as part of the Fourth Committee decolonisation mandate, only the United States and Israel vote No - even France and the UK had the grace to abstain. The US has called for the abolition of the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation
Ashley Westerman retweeted
⚡️Starshield operations restored to speeds of more than 400 km/h, Ukraine's Defense Ministry says.
"We record a speed of more than 400 kilometers per hour, the connection is stable," the ministry said.
kyivindependent.com/starshie…
Ashley Westerman retweeted
SPECIAL REPORT: Russian military victory over Ukraine is not inevitable. It is extraordinarily unlikely, in fact, unless Western support for Ukraine collapses.
There is simply no inevitable correlation between the relative size of combatants and the outcome of a war — particularly when the war is existential for the smaller state but not for the larger one, as is true today.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is nevertheless trying once again to breathe life into the myth of inevitable Russian military victory in order to persuade the United States and other supporters of Ukraine to compel Kyiv to surrender.
Ukraine, not Russia, has actually held the initiative in key sectors of the frontline for much of the year and has developed a number of ways of offsetting the overall Russian manpower advantage.
Russia’s population and relative (but diminishing) wealth will let Putin continue his war for a long time, to be sure. But Ukraine can also continue fighting for its existence as long as Western support continues.
First Lady Melania Trump brokers a ceasefire on Oleshky. The WH says "her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the localized ceasefire." whitehouse.gov/briefings-sta…
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The verified record of Russia's crimes in Ukraine: case files, UN statements, fact-checks, sanctions, the cost of the war, and a calendar of where Ukraine is on the agenda. Every figure has a source, a date and a tier. Open data, 6 languages. ukraine-evidence.org/?src=x
Ashley Westerman retweeted
Czech President Petr Pavel says a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was “quite close” – until Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel.
vist.ly/5pf23
Ashley Westerman retweeted
BREAKING: President Trump must sit for a deposition in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11, a judge orders. apnews.com/article/trump-bbc…
Ashley Westerman retweeted
SCOOP: The State Dept has started asking career diplomats up for promotion if they voted for Trump in 16, 20, 24.
Federal law prohibits politically based hiring for career staff.
State tells @washingtonsun it's screening for "fidelity" and execution of the president's vision👇
Ashley Westerman retweeted
Join @HudsonInstitute tomorrow for a special address by 🇺🇦 President Volodymyr @ZelenskyyUa on Ukraine’s defense, the challenges ahead this winter, and the path to a just and lasting peace. Watch live at 10 a.m. ET.
As Ukrainians prepare for another challenging winter, discussions across the West have reached a new intensity over how Ukraine can adequately secure the front line, defend its civilian population, and ensure a just and lasting peace at the negotiating table.
Please join Hudson Institute for a special address on the current state-of-play by Ukrainian President @ZelenskyyUa, who will join remotely, followed by a question-and-answer session on the war with Hudson Institute President and CEO @john_walters_.
Watch live on Friday, October 23 at 10:00 a.m.: hudson.org/events/special-ad…
Just wait until CBS News discovers that other cultures *already* eat communally like this…
Some parents are ditching plates and silverware for a “dump dinner,” pouring the meal straight onto a foil-covered table and letting the kids dig in. For these families, it’s less about manners and more about making memories.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The "dump dinner" is a viral social media trend of staged videos primarily for engagement, not a common family practice. Children in videos often react with alarm rather than requesting it.
thebiglead.com/dump-dinner-vi…
theguardian.com/food/2026/feb/…
newsweek.com/table-dump-din…
Ashley Westerman retweeted
They broke Eisenhower’s globe because they didn’t want to wait for a team of specialist historians to move it.
I cannot think of a more apt metaphor for Pete Hegseth’s DoD.
The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner
I have read dozens of outraged posts because the US special envoy Witkoff called Putin a "humanist." But no one is writing about the fact that the American negotiators are simply not doing their job. Let me explain.
Peace negotiations are important in their own right. Even if they do not lead to a lasting peace, the process itself is an opportunity to resolve urgent humanitarian issues. If, of course, the human dimension is a priority for the negotiators. But it is entirely obvious that neither Witkoff nor Kushner cares about people's fates in this war.
The Pope calls on Putin to save thousands of people from starvation in occupied Oleshky and the surrounding villages. The UN speaks about a humanitarian catastrophe and asks Russia to allow the evacuation of the civilian population. European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno goes on a hunger strike to draw attention to this tragedy unfolding before the eyes of the whole world.
And what are Witkoff and Kushner doing?
That's right, almost nothing.
Except for passing along greetings from Putin’s aide to the First Lady.
Thousands of people are already eating grass to survive and begging to save their lives. The Ukrainian side raises the issue of Oleshky at every meeting. And I can name dozens of such urgent humanitarian issues off the top of my head where American negotiators must be proactive.
Trump’s peace negotiations have already gone down in history as the deadliest years for Ukraine’s civilian population since the start of the full-scale invasion.
I don’t know if anyone will remember the names of Witkoff and Kushner.
But history will certainly record how American negotiators, who had the opportunity to save a huge number of people, refused to raise uncomfortable questions before "humanist Putin."
Ashley Westerman retweeted
MORE: ISW has observed evidence to assess that Russian forces suffered a net loss of 122 square kilometers between September 1, 2026, and October 16, 2026, and seized about 100 square kilometers since January 1, 2026.
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 30, 2026: Operation Vivaldi and other Ukrainian counteroffensive efforts in the Oleksandrivka and Kupyansk directions in 2026 have enabled Ukraine to contest the operational initiative across the frontline, virtually halting Russian advances. ISW has observed evidence to assess that Russian forces suffered a net loss of 122 square kilometers between September 1, 2026, and October 16, 2026, and seized about 100 square kilometers since January 1, 2026.
Biletskyi reported on October 19 that Operation Vivaldi degraded the Russian 144th Motorized Rifle Division (20th Combined Arms Army [CAA], Moscow Military District [MMD]), which was part of the Russian contingent previously operating from a bridgehead on the right (western) bank of the Zherebets River, to the extent that the division effectively ceased to exist as an organized military force.
Russian forces will have to reconstitute the 144th Motorized Rifle Division for any future offensive operations in the Lyman direction, which will impose further constraints on already costly Russian force generation. Russia has been facing increased combat losses since Summer 2026, with Russian forces losing over 40,000 killed and wounded in several months. Russia’s voluntary recruitment force generation system that relies on contract recruitment has become increasingly costly, and as average contract prices have significantly risen since 2022, to the point that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s is reportedly reluctantly considering ordering another unpopular involuntary reservist call-up. (1/2)
Ashley Westerman retweeted
BREAKING: Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the U.S. next month, a Kremlin official says. apnews.com/article/russia-uk…
Fact Check: Ukraine dates back to the 9th century
⚡️ Rubio says Ukraine wouldn't exist today without the US
"We're no longer going to be defensive about this topic, okay?" the US Secretary of State told reporters in a visibly irritated tone, stressing that Ukraine would not exist as a sovereign state without American assistance.
According to Rubio, the US has provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in aid, starting under the Biden administration and continuing under Trump.
At the same time, Rubio acknowledged the bravery of Ukrainian soldiers, who have "very bravely fought for their country" against a much larger nation.
What?..
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Trump has provided no new aid Trump after he took office. Biden provided €30B a year.
29 countries have put $6.7B into PURL to buy US weapons, which supply about 95% of Ukraine's Patriot interceptors. US refuses to supply them.
kielinstitut.de/media/news/eur…
assets.ctfassets.net/mj324dykhxwi/4…
defence-industry.eu/ukraine-says-p…
statista.com/chart/35554/mi…
Ashley Westerman retweeted
MORE: Ukrainian forces continue to face in-motion speed restrictions to SpaceX’s low-earth orbit satellite communication technology (Starlink and Starshield) that limit Ukraine’s ability to counter Russian piston engine-driven and jet-powered strike drones.
Ukrainian Presidential Advisor on Defense Technologies Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov stated on October 19 that the 160 kilometers per hour (around 100 miles per hour) in-motion speed restrictions to Ukraine’s satellite internet service as part of the Starshield package remain in place.
Beskrestnov emphasized that the Starshield in-motion speed restrictions disrupt data transmission to Ukrainian drones used to intercept Russian piston engine-driven Geran drones since the helicopters fly faster than 160 kilometers per hour. Beskrestnov noted that the Starshield speed restrictions limit Ukraine’s jet-powered interceptor drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on October 19 that Ukraine continues to experience speed restrictions on Starlink and Starshield services in various sectors of the frontline that undermine Ukraine’s frontline logistics, intermediate-range strikes, and counter-drone air defense operations.
Starshield is a more secure, jam-resistant, and military-oriented version of the Starlink satellite network that SpaceX designed for government use, while Starlink serves civilian and commercial purposes. Ukrainian forces do not have access to Starshield or any other Starlink services over Russian territory, as SpaceX has geographically restricted Ukraine’s access to within Ukraine’s international borders.
Data from Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) between July 1, 2026, and October 19, 2026, indicates that the Starshield in-motion speed restriction, which Ukrainian forces first reported on October 14, has significantly degraded Ukraine’s intermediate-range strike campaign targeting primarily Russian logistics across the frontline. ⬇️
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 30, 2026: Operation Vivaldi and other Ukrainian counteroffensive efforts in the Oleksandrivka and Kupyansk directions in 2026 have enabled Ukraine to contest the operational initiative across the frontline, virtually halting Russian advances. ISW has observed evidence to assess that Russian forces suffered a net loss of 122 square kilometers between September 1, 2026, and October 16, 2026, and seized about 100 square kilometers since January 1, 2026.
Biletskyi reported on October 19 that Operation Vivaldi degraded the Russian 144th Motorized Rifle Division (20th Combined Arms Army [CAA], Moscow Military District [MMD]), which was part of the Russian contingent previously operating from a bridgehead on the right (western) bank of the Zherebets River, to the extent that the division effectively ceased to exist as an organized military force.
Russian forces will have to reconstitute the 144th Motorized Rifle Division for any future offensive operations in the Lyman direction, which will impose further constraints on already costly Russian force generation. Russia has been facing increased combat losses since Summer 2026, with Russian forces losing over 40,000 killed and wounded in several months. Russia’s voluntary recruitment force generation system that relies on contract recruitment has become increasingly costly, and as average contract prices have significantly risen since 2022, to the point that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s is reportedly reluctantly considering ordering another unpopular involuntary reservist call-up. (1/2)