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TikTok war: How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine played to social media’s youngest audience

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  • Young TikTok users are posting videos of the Ukraine conflict
  • Ukrainian influencers give a glimpse of life during the invasion
  • Researchers warn misinformation about Ukraine is widespread

March 1 (Reuters) – When Russia invaded Ukraine last week, some of social media’s youngest users experienced the conflict from the front lines on TikTok.

Videos of people huddling and crying in windowless bomb shelters, explosions blasting through urban settings and missiles streaking across Ukrainian cities took over the app from its usual offerings of fashion, fitness and dance videos.

Ukrainian social media influencers uploaded bleak scenes of themselves wrapped in blankets in underground bunkers and army tanks rolling down residential streets, juxtaposed against photos of blooming flowers and laughing friends at restaurants that honored more peaceful memories of their hometowns.

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They urged their followers to pray for Ukraine, donate to support the Ukrainian military and demanded Russian users in particular to join anti-war efforts.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which it has called a “special operation,” is the latest example of the central role TikTok has played in bringing news and current events to the app’s large Gen Z audience. Its famed algorithm is known for serving trending content even if users do not follow certain people, allowing topics to quickly go viral among its 1 billion monthly users.

The app has become so influential in this conflict that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to “TikTokers” as a group that could help end the war, in a speech directed at Russian citizens. Some TikTokers picked up where the politician left off.

A Ukrainian travel blogger named Alina Volik, who has over 36,000 followers on TikTok, took a break from posting highlights of her trips to Egypt, Spain and Turkey, to upload videos of life in the invasion, of emergency backpacks filled with first aid supplies and of sealed windows to protect against glass shards in a blast. In TikTok videos posted on Monday, Volik also urged her international followers to watch her Instagram Stories to “see the truth” about Ukraine.

In an email to Reuters, Volik said she wanted to combat misinformation in the Russian news that the country’s actions were a “military operation” rather than a war that is hurting Ukrainians.

Montages of residential buildings destroyed by missiles, empty grocery store shelves and long lines of cars piled up outside gas stations could be seen on the TikTok pages of top Ukrainian influencers.

“@zaluznik” who has 2 million followers, posted one such montage on Sunday with the caption “Russians open your eyes!”

Russian influencers have also taken to the app to share their reaction. Niki Proshin, who has over 763,000 TikTok followers, said in a video on Thursday that “normal people” in Russia do not support the war.

“None of my friends and none of the people I personally talk to supported today’s events,” he said, referring to the invasion of Ukraine.

On Monday, Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor demanded the app stop including military-related content in recommended posts to minors, saying much of the content was anti-Russian in character. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. read more

Online misinformation researchers warned that false information about the conflict were now mixed in with authentic ones and has spread widely on TikTok and other tech platforms including Meta Platforms’s (FB.O) Facebook, Twitter (TWTR.N) and Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) YouTube.

Footage of military simulator video game Arma 3, images of explosions from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip, old footage of heavy firing and animations of flying aircraft have been shared on social media sites as if they depict the Russian invasion of Ukraine last week.

“We continue to closely monitor the situation, with increased resources to respond to emerging trends and remove violative content, including harmful misinformation and promotion of violence,” a TikTok spokesperson said, adding that it works with fact checking organizations.

Some Ukrainian TikTok users have made it a mission to share information and spread awareness with Western audiences.

“I want people to understand this is not a joke, this is a serious situation that Ukrainians face,” Marta Vasyuta, 20, said in an interview on Monday.

One of Vasyuta’s TikTok videos showed what appeared to be a missile in the sky with the caption “Kyiv 4:23 am.” It had over 131,000 comments by Monday as users flooded the video to offer their prayers and express disbelief.

“Never thought I would get WAR updates on TIKTOK,” commented one user.

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Reporting by Sheila Dang in Dallas and Elizabeth Culliford in New York; editing by Kenneth Li & Shri Navaratnam

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Science

Scientists propose Tyrannosaurus had three species, not just ‘rex’

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WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – A group of researchers is proposing that Tyrannosaurus, the most famous of all dinosaurs and the ultimate apex predator, actually includes three species and not just the single T. rex, based on thighbone and tooth variations among dozens of its fossils.

T. rex, meaning “tyrant lizard king,” has been the sole species of the genus Tyrannosaurus recognized since the dinosaur was first described in 1905. A genus is a broader grouping of related organisms than a species.

A team of three researchers led by Baltimore-based independent paleontologist and paleoartist Gregory Paul on Monday said variations they spotted in an examination of about three dozen Tyrannosaurus fossils warranted the recognition of two additional species: T. imperator, meaning “tyrant lizard emperor,” and T. regina, meaning “tyrant lizard queen.”

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“After over a century of all specimens being placed into one species without the issue being carefully examined, the first and only analysis finds that the variation in Tyrannosaurus is beyond the norms for dinosaurs, and is distributed over time in a manner that indicates that Darwinian speciation from one (species) to two new species had occurred before the final dinosaur extinction cut off further evolution,” Paul said.

Tyrannosaurus prowled western North America during the during the Cretaceous Period at the twilight of the dinosaur age before an asteroid struck Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula 66 million years ago, dooming the dinosaurs.

Paul and his colleagues cited differences in the robustness – some larger and others more lightly built – of the thighbone, or femur, and differences in the number of the small teeth at the lower jaw tip among the examined fossils.

“It is a concern that this will be controversial because of the charismatic status of T. rex, but on the other hand the study would not be getting so much attention otherwise,” said Paul, whose study was published in the journal Evolutionary Biology.

Paul was correct about controversy. Some paleontologists not part of the study disagreed with its conclusions.

“Ultimately, to me, this variation is very minor and not indicative of meaningful biological separation of distinct species that can be defined based on clear, explicit, consistent differences,” University of Edinburgh paleontologist Steve Brusatte said.

“It’s hard to define a species, even for animals today, and these fossils have no genetic evidence that can test whether there were truly separate populations. Until I see much stronger evidence, these are all still T. rex to me, and that’s what I’ll be calling them,” Brusatte added.

Paul did not rule out that differences among individuals or differences between Tyrannosaurus males and females were at play, but called this unlikely.

Tyrannosaurus had a massive head and tremendous bite strength, walked on two strong legs, and had puny arms with just two fingers. Perhaps the largest-known Tyrannosaurus is a specimen named Sue at the Field Museum in Chicago, at 40-1/2 feet (12.3-meters) long and an estimated 9 tons. The new study concluded that Sue is not a T. rex but rather a T. imperator.

The scale of the differences among the three proposed Tyrannosaurus species, Paul said, is akin to the differences between a lion – scientific name Panthera leo – and a tiger, scientific name Panthera tigris. Lions and tigers are members of the same genus, Panthera, but have enough differences that they are recognized as separate species.

Paleontologist Thomas Carr of Carthage College in Wisconsin, whose 2020 study of variation in T. rex found no evidence of multiple species, also differed with the new study.

“Perhaps most damning is the fact that the authors were unable to refer several excellent skulls to any of the three species,” Carr said. “If their species are valid, then more than just two features should identify them: nearly every detail – especially in the head – should be different.”

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Reporting by Will Dunham, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien

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Business

Novavax expects to apply for full approval of COVID vaccine in H2

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Vials labelled “VACCINE Coronavirus COVID-19” and a syringe are seen in front of a displayed Novavax logo in this illustration taken December 11, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

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Feb 28 (Reuters) – Novavax Inc (NVAX.O) said on Monday it would pursue full approval of its COVID-19 vaccine in the second half of this year and forecast total revenue of between $4 billion and $5 billion for 2022.

“We expect to gain additional authorizations where we have already filed, including in the U.S. We will pursue full approval of our vaccine including filing our BLA (biologics license application), in the second half of 2022,” Chief Executive Officer Stanley Erck said during a post-earnings call.

Novavax late last month filed for emergency use authorization of the shot in U.S. adults, a much-awaited step following months of struggles with development and manufacturing problems.

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Novavax said it has completed delivery of around 9 million vaccine doses to Indonesia, 6 million to Australia and 2 million to South Korea and expects to supply 69 million doses to Europe in the first half of this year.

The company earlier forecast to send 2 billion COVID-19 shots around the world in 2022.

Novavax on Monday did not disclose how many doses it expects to deliver in the first quarter, but forecast $4 billion to $5 billion in overall revenue in 2022. Analysts had forecast $4.70 billion in revenue.

A big chunk of the revenue would be through product sales, and of that the vast majority is related to vaccine product sales, the company said.

Separately, Novavax said an extended analysis of a late-stage study conducted in the United Kingdom showed that its COVID-19 vaccine provided long-term protection against the coronavirus.

The protein-based vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, continued to provide protection and maintained overall efficacy of 82.7% over a six-month period.

Novavax is working on developing an Omicron-specific vaccine and said on Monday it expects to begin manufacturing doses of the shot at a commercial scale in the first quarter.

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Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru and Carl O’Donnell in New York; Editing by Maju Samuel

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Business

EXCLUSIVE MSCI says removing Russia from indexes “natural next step”

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LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Russia’s stock market is “uninvestable” after stringent new Western sanctions and central bank restrictions on trading, making a removal of Russian listings from indexes a “natural next step”, a top executive at equity index provider MSCI said on Monday.

“It would be not make a lot of sense for us to continue to include Russian securities if our clients and investors cannot transact in the market,” Dimitris Melas, MSCI’s head of index research and chair of the Index Policy Committee, told Reuters.

“It is obvious to all of us that the market is very difficult to trade and, in fact, it is uninvestable today.”

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Melas said the company could launch a consultation with investors immediately, the result of which could be announced within days along with the action which would be taken.

MSCI announced on Thursday that it had frozen the index and would not the implement changes for Russian securities it had previously announced as part of its February review. read more

“The natural next step that we could potentially implement – we haven’t made any decision yet – but the natural next step might be to actually consider removing MSCI Russia or removing Russian securities from our indices” Melas added.

Russia (.MIRU00000PUS) has a weighting of 3.24% in MSCI’s emerging market benchmark (.MSCIEF) and a weighting of around 30 bps in the index provider’s global benchmark (.MIWD00000PUS).

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Reporting by Sujata Rao and Karin Strohecker

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Business

Oil soars as Russian energy supply fears intensify

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Models of oil barrels and a pump jack are displayed in front of Ukrainian and Russian flag colors in this illustration taken, February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration


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  • Russia faces disruptions to oil exports without SWIFT
  • OPEC+ revises down 2022 market surplus estimate
  • Goldman Sachs raised one-month Brent forecast to $115

LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Oil prices jumped on Monday as Western allies imposed more sanctions on Russia and blocked some Russian banks from a global payments system, which could cause severe disruption to its oil exports.

Brent crude rose $2.32, or 2.4%, to $100.25 by 1436 GMT after touching a high of $105.07 a barrel in early trade.

The Brent contract for April delivery expires on Monday. The most active contract, for May delivery, was up $3.14 at $97.26.

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U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up $3.09, or 3.4%, at $94.68 after hitting $99.10 in early trade.

“Growing concerns about disruptions to Russian energy supplies are pushing oil and gas prices up sharply,” Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch said.

Russia is facing severe disruption to its exports of all commodities from oil to grains after Western nations imposed stiff sanctions on Moscow and cut off some Russian banks from the SWIFT international payment system. read more

“Russia could retaliate to these harsh measures by reducing or even completely suspending energy shipments to Europe,” Fritsch said.

Russian crude oil grades, which account for about 10% of global oil supply, were hammered in physical markets.

Goldman Sachs raised its one-month Brent price forecast to $115 a barrel from $95 previously. read more

“We expect the price of consumed commodities that Russia is a key producer of to rally from here – this includes oil,” the bank said.

President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert on Sunday. read more

Russian forces seized two small cities in southeastern Ukraine, the Interfax news agency said, but ran into stiff resistance elsewhere. read more

Talks between Ukraine and Russia have started at the Belarusian border, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said, aiming to agree to an immediate ceasefire. read more

“If there’s any progress made in this meeting, we’re going to see a sharp reversal in markets – we’ll see stocks rise, the dollar rise and oil fall,” said OANDA analyst Jeffrey Halley.

British oil major BP decided to exit its Russian oil and gas investments, opening a new front in the West’s campaign to isolate Russia’s economy. BP is Russia’s biggest foreign investor. read more

The sanctions and the exodus of Western oil companies could impact Russian oil production in the near term, analysts said.

Oil prices came under pressure after The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States and other major oil-consuming nations are considering releasing 70 million barrels of oil from their emergency stockpiles.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia, a group known as OPEC+, are due to meet on Wednesday. The group is expected to stick to plans to add 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of supply in April.

Ahead of the meeting, OPEC+ revised down its forecast for the oil market surplus for 2022 by about 200,000 bpd to 1.1 million bpd, underscoring market tightness. read more

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Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London; Additional reporting by Sonali Paul in Melbourne and Alex Lawler in London; Editing by David Goodman, Carmel Crimmins and Mark Porter

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Business

BP exit opens new front in West’s campaign against Russia

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  • BP to abandon Rosneft stake at cost of up to $25 billion
  • Companies with Russian assets coming under growing pressure
  • EU industry chief tells Alphabet to ban war propaganda accounts
  • Battle between Russia and big tech companies expected to deepen
  • Financial sanctions designed to isolate Russian economy

Feb 28 (Reuters) – Energy major BP opened a new front in the West’s campaign to isolate Russia’s economy, with its decision to quit the oil-rich country the most aggressive move yet by a company in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Western allies have ramped up efforts to punish Russia with new sanctions including shuttering their airspace to Russian aircraft, cutting some of its banks off the SWIFT financial network and limiting Moscow’s ability to deploy its $630 billion foreign reserves – measures that are expected to pulverize the country’s economy. read more

The rouble plunged nearly 30% to an all-time low against the dollar on Monday. read more

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BP, the biggest foreign investor in Russia, said it was abandoning its stake in state oil company Rosneft (ROSN.MM) at a cost of up to $25 billion, shrinking its oil and gas reserves in half. read more

The British company’s abrupt move puts the spotlight on other Western corporations with operations in Russia amid growing pressure from governments to tighten the financial screws on Moscow after it launched the biggest assault on a European country since World War Two. read more

Energy group Equinor (EQNR.OL), which is majority owned by the Norwegian state, said on Monday it will start divesting its joint ventures in Russia. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, will also divest its Russian assets, worth around 25 billion Norwegian crowns ($2.80 billion). read more

In a video call on Sunday, the European Union’s internal market chief told the chief executives of Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and its YouTube unit to ban users pushing war propaganda as part of measures to halt disinformation on Ukraine.

A 3D printed natural gas pipeline is placed in front of displayed BP logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

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The EU has banned the Russian media outlets RT and Sputnik and Alphabet’s Google has barred Russia’s state-owned media outlet RT and other channels from receiving money for ads on their websites, apps and YouTube videos, similar to a move by Facebook after the invasion. read more

A NO-GO ZONE

In an unprecedented step, European nations and Canada moved to shut their airspace to Russian aircraft and the United States is mulling similar action, according to U.S. officials.

U.S.-based United Parcel Service Inc (UPS.N) and FedEx Corp (FDX.N), two of the world’s largest logistics companies, have said they are halting delivery service to Russia and Ukraine. read more

Large parts of the Russian economy will be a no-go zone for Western banks and financial firms after the decision to cut some of its banks off from SWIFT, a secure messaging system used for trillions of dollars’ worth of transactions around the world.

Even neutral Switzerland will likely follow the European Union in sanctioning Russia and freezing Russian assets, its president said on Sunday. read more

Russians queued at ATMs over the weekend worried that the new sanctions will trigger cash shortages and disrupt payments. read more

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Reporting by Ron Bousso and Dmitry Zhdannikov in London and Foo Yun Chee in Brussels: Writing by Carmel Crimmins: Editing by Grant McCool

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Business

Crude rallies, rouble plunges to record low as Ukraine risks rise

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Russian Rouble coins are seen in this illustration taken, February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

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  • U.S., Aussie bond yields fall amid haven demand
  • Euro sinks with Aussie, kiwi; dollar, yen gain
  • Asian stocks swing, U.S., European futures slide

TOKYO, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Crude oil jumped while the rouble plunged nearly 30% to a fresh record low on Monday after Western nations imposed new sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, including blocking some banks from the SWIFT international payments system.

Haven demand boosted bond yields along with the dollar and yen while the euro sank after Russian President Vladimir Putin put nuclear-armed forces on high alert on Sunday, the fourth day of the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two. read more

The ramp-up in tensions heightened fears that oil supplies from the world’s second-largest producer could be disrupted, sending Brent crude futures up $4.21 or 4.3% at $102.14. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up $4.58 or 5.0% at $96.17 a barrel.

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U.S. and European stock futures sank, but Asia-Pacific stocks were mostly higher in volatile trading, buoyed by Wall Street gains from Friday, when the S&P 500 closed up 2.51%, said Kyle Rodda, a market analyst at IG Australia.

“We had a deluge of very negative information over the weekend,” Rodda said. “My sense is there’s not going to be much staying power behind this particular move (in Asia-Pacific stocks), considering we’re talking about financial stability risks, and sprinkle over that the threat of nuclear war.”

“Volatility is heightened,” he said. “Price action is incredibly choppy.”

U.S. emini stock futures were pointing to a 1.57% drop at the restart, while pan-European EURO STOXX 50 futures lost 2.83%.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 (.N225) rose 0.48%, recovering from an earlier loss. Australia’s benchmark (.AXJO) added 0.64% after also being down at one point. Chinese blue chips (.CSI300), though, slipped 0.21%.

MSCI’s index of regional stocks (.MIAP00000PUS) eked out a 0.09% gain.

Meanwhile, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell about 6 basis point to 1.92%, and equivalent Australian yields also retreated about 6 basis points, to 2.18%.

The euro slid 0.9% to $1.1170 and 0.87% to 129.065 yen , while the risk-sensitive Australian and New Zealand dollars sank 0.66% and 0.76%, respectively.

The rouble tumbled 29.37% to a record-low 119 per dollar.

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Editing by Stephen Coates

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Business

Euro slides with U.S. stock futures as Ukraine risks rise

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Euro currency bills are pictured at the Croatian National Bank in Zagreb, Croatia, May 21, 2019. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic

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  • Rouble set for 25% plunge to fresh record low
  • Safe-haven dollar and yen gain; Aussie, kiwi slide
  • U.S. 10-year Treasury futures jump a full point

TOKYO, Feb 28 (Reuters) – U.S. equity futures sank with the euro while the safe-haven dollar and yen were in demand on Monday after Western nations imposed fresh sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, including blocking some banks from the SWIFT international payments system.

U.S. 10-year Treasury futures rose a full point, while the Russian rouble indicated as much as 25% weaker at a new record low around 112 per dollar.

The fall in the rouble came after Russian President Vladimir Putin put nuclear-armed forces on high alert on Sunday, the fourth day of the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two. read more

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At the same time, Asia-Pacific stock markets were higher in early trade, with Australia’s benchmark (.AXJO) rising 0.39% and New Zealand’s (.NZ50) up 0.74%.

That was the knock-on effect of Wall Street gains from Friday, when the S&P 500 closed up 2.51%, said Kyle Rodda, a market analyst at IG Australia.

U.S. emini stock futures though were pointing to a 2.32% drop at the restart.

“We had a deluge of very negative information over the weekend,” Rodda said.

“My sense is there’s not going to be much staying power behind this particular move (in Asia-Pacific stocks), considering we’re talking about financial stability risks, and sprinkle over that the threat of nuclear war.”

“The FX market seems to be the best signal (of market sentiment) at the moment.”

The euro slid 0.9% to $1.1165 and 0.85% to 129.15 yen , while the risk-sensitive Australian and New Zealand dollars sank 0.76% and 0.85%, respectively.

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Editing by Stephen Coates

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Health

Detroit Zoo moves birds inside due to Avian Influenza concerns

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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed Thursday avian influenza virus was identified in a backyard flock of non-poultry birds in Kalamazoo County, which is about 140 miles west of Detroit. Similar infections have been reported across the United States in recent weeks.

“This is an important preventative measure,” said Dr. Ann Duncan, director of animal health for the DZS. “By bringing these animals indoors, we can more closely monitor them and prevent contact with wild birds who may be carriers” of the virus.

The virus can infect several species of birds, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (OiE), including poultry. New cases of bird flu have appeared in more than 40 countries over the last six months, according to OiE.

In the past few weeks, the USDA has identified the bird flu in Delaware, Maine, New York, Virginia and Kentucky.

People in close contact with infected birds can contract the virus, but no human cases of the bird flu have been detected in the United States, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

CNN’s Theresa Waldrop contributed to this report.

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US

Trump condemns Russia invasion; hints again at 2024 presidential run

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ORLANDO, Fla., Feb 26 (Reuters) – Former President Donald Trump condemned on Saturday Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and said he was praying for Ukrainians, switching tone from his praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week.

Trump’s remarks at the CPAC conservative gathering in Florida came hours after the United States and allies announced sweeping new sanctions that would kick some Russian banks off the main global payments systems and limit the ability of Russia’s central bank to support the rouble.

Addressing an adoring crowd at an event that touts itself as the world’s largest conservative gathering, Trump used his speech to bash Democratic President Joe Biden and again hint at a possible run for president in 2024.

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Trump had irked some Republican party members by describing Putin’s actions in Ukraine, where cities have been pounded by Russian artillery and cruise missiles, as “genius” and “pretty savvy.”

Trump expressed empathy for Ukrainians and this time praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, calling him “brave” as he stays in Kyiv, the capital.

“The Russian attack on Ukraine is appalling. We are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all,” Trump said.

Trump said that Putin took advantage of Biden’s being “weak” to attack Ukraine. He also linked the invasion to the U.S. 2020 presidential election, a fixation of his, again falsely saying that fraud was to blame for Biden’s victory.

“As everyone understands, this horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged and if I was the president,” he said, to which a woman in the packed audience responded: “You are the president!”

Trump has not confirmed whether he will run for president again in 2024, but has hinted at it heavily recently and did so again on Saturday.

“On November 2024, they (Democrats) will find out like never before. We did it twice, and we’ll do it again. We’re going to be doing it again, a third time,” Trump said.

Democratic lawyer Marc Elias tweeted that Trump’s words should trigger a “series of legal requirements related to his spend and disclosures.”

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S. February 26, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello

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Trump’s fundraising operations have raised a cash pile of more than $100 million and he is criss-crossing the country holding rallies. read more

TRUMP BLAMES BIDEN, WORLD LEADERS

Trump also cited Russia’s invasion of Georgia under George W. Bush and Crimea under Barack Obama before declaring: “I stand as the only president of the 21st century on whose watch Russia did not invade another country.”

Trump did address his past praise of Putin, saying he was correct that Putin was smart because he was outfoxing world leaders and NATO. “The real problem is that our leaders are dumb, dumb. So dumb,” he said.

The Democratic National Committee criticized Trump’s comments. “The defeated former president took the stage at CPAC to double down on his shameless praise for Putin,” it said in a statement.

In an interview released earlier on Saturday, Biden mocked Trump’s comment that Putin was a “genius.”

“I put as much stock in Trump saying that Putin is a genius than when he called himself a stable genius,” Biden said.

Conservatives at the CPAC conference in Orlando, Florida, which ends on Sunday, have repeated the line that Putin decided to invade Ukraine because he knew Biden was “weak.”

Republican politicians have broadly steered clear of lauding Putin, however, and hot-button domestic issues, such as mask mandates, have featured far more heavily than foreign policy.

Earlier on Saturday, J.D. Vance, a Republican candidate for an Ohio U.S. Senate seat, said the American political class was fixated on the Ukraine conflict to the detriment of problems closer to home, such as record crossings at the Mexican border.

“I’m sick of being told that we have to care more about people 6,000 miles away than we do people like my mom, and my grandparents, and all the kids who are affected by this crisis,” said Vance, a venture capitalist and author.

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Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Additional reporting by Steve Holland and Susan Heavey in Washington, D.C.; Writing by David Morgan
Editing by Leslie Adler

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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