Category: Світ
Russia ‘Embarrassed’ by Diplomat Resignation, but Fear Enforces Loyalty
26/05/2022
The resignation earlier this week of veteran Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev over the invasion of Ukraine is an embarrassment for the Kremlin but analysts say fear prevents most Russian officials from voicing dissent. Henry Ridgwell reports. …
Analysts: Russia Embarrassed by Diplomat’s Resignation But Knows Fear Keeps Others in Check
26/05/2022
The resignation this week of veteran Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev over the invasion of Ukraine is an embarrassment for the Kremlin, but fear prevents most Russian officials from voicing dissent, according to analysts. The 41-year-old Bondarev forged a 20-year career in the Russian diplomatic service, including postings in Cambodia and Mongolia. Until this week, he …
Kyiv Mayor: Ukraine is ‘Key for Freedom in the World’
26/05/2022
Calling Ukraine the “key for freedom in the world,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged support Thursday for his country in the face of what he called “this senseless war” with Russia. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Klitschko said Ukraine is a peaceful country that was not aggressive to anyone, and that …
Latest Developments in Ukraine: May 26
26/05/2022
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT: 5:02 a.m.: Al Jazeera reports that at least 431 civilians have been killed and 1,168 more wounded in the Donetsk region since the Russian invasion began. 4:20 a.m.: Speaking at the World …
Greece Will Send Iranian Oil From Seized Ship to US, Police Say
26/05/2022
Greece will send Iranian oil from a seized Russian-flagged tanker to the United States at the request of the U.S. judiciary, Greek port police said Wednesday, a decision that angered Tehran. Last month the Greek authorities seized the Pegas, which was said to have been heading to the Marmara terminal in Turkey. The ship was …
Scars of War Seem to be Everywhere in Ukraine After 3 Months
26/05/2022
Piano music wafted from an apartment block on a recent spring evening in Kramatorsk, blending with distant artillery fire for a surreal soundtrack to a bomb-scarred neighborhood in the eastern Ukrainian city. Everywhere in Ukraine, the 3-month-old war never seems to be far away. Those in towns and villages near the front lines hide in …
EU Seeks More Clout Against Sanctioned Russian Oligarchs
26/05/2022
The European Union’s executive arm entered sensitive legal territory on Wednesday with a proposal to confiscate the frozen assets of oligarchs who try to violate the bloc’s sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine. The European Commission proposed two EU laws that would require the 27 member states to cede a degree of jealously guarded national …
New Media Law Casts Shadow Over Azeri Media
25/05/2022
Azerbaijan’s journalists are used to working in tense conditions, but a media bill passed into law earlier this year has many of them on edge. Lawmakers have not yet established penalties to accompany the law, but critics say provisions, including a media registry, will make working more difficult, especially for freelance or independent reporters. Journalists …
Delegations from Sweden, Finland Hold NATO Talks in Turkey
25/05/2022
Senior officials from Sweden and Finland held some five hours of talks with Turkish counterparts in Ankara on Wednesday in an effort to overcome Turkey’s strong objections to the Nordic nations’ bids to join NATO. Sweden and Finland submitted their written applications to join NATO last week. The move represents one of the biggest geopolitical …
Pope ‘Heartbroken’ by Texas School Shooting, Calls for Gun Control
25/05/2022
Pope Francis on Wednesday said he was “heartbroken” by the shooting at a school in Texas that killed at least 19 children and two teachers, calling for greater controls on weapons. The crowed in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly general audience applauded his appeal, made a day after worst school shooting in the United …
UK’s Johnson ‘Humbled’ But Wants to Move on From ‘Partygate’
25/05/2022
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other senior officials bear responsibility for a culture of rule-breaking that resulted in several parties that breached the U.K.’s COVID-19 lockdown rules, a report into the events said Wednesday. Revelations that Johnson and his staff repeatedly flouted the rules they imposed on others have elicited outrage in Britain and …
Latest Developments in Ukraine: May 25
25/05/2022
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT: 4:50 a.m.: Workers digging through the rubble of an apartment building in Mariupol found 200 decomposing bodies in the basement, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. The Ukrainian city was taken by …
Zelenskyy Says Only Path for Talks is Directly With Putin
25/05/2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday he would be open to negotiations with Russia, but only direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking by video link to the World Economic Forum, Zelenskyy said there is a potential for finding a diplomatic way out of the conflict if Putin “understands reality.” Zelenskyy added that a …
US to End Russia’s Ability to Pay International Investors
25/05/2022
The U.S. will close the last avenue for Russia to pay its billions in debt back to international investors on Wednesday, making a Russian default on its debts for the first time since the Bolshevik Revolution all but inevitable. The Treasury Department said in a notification that it does not plan to renew the license …
Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Campaigners See No Misuse of Western Military Aid
24/05/2022
Prominent Ukrainian anti-corruption campaigners say they have seen no signs that their armed forces are misusing Western military supplies in the three months since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a country long perceived as among the world’s most corrupt. The head of the Ukrainian government’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), Oleksandr Novikov, …
Hungary’s Government Gets Emergency Powers Due to Ukraine War, PM Orban Says
24/05/2022
Hungary’s government will assume emergency powers in order to be able to respond more quickly to challenges created by the war in neighboring Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a Facebook video on Tuesday. Orban, who won a fourth consecutive term in an election on April 3, has used the special legal order in …
Ukraine Calls for Faster Weapons Deliveries
24/05/2022
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba Tuesday urged other governments to send more weapons more quickly to aid Ukraine’s fight against Russian forces. “Too early to conclude that Ukraine already has all the arms it needs,” Kuleba tweeted Tuesday. “Russian offensive in the Donbas is a ruthless battle, the largest one on European soil since WWII. …
Navalny’s Appeal of 9 Year Jail Sentence Denied in Moscow
24/05/2022
A Moscow court has upheld a nine-year prison term for opposition politician Alexey Navalny, who is already behind bars for a previous conviction he and his supporters have called politically motivated. Navalny took part in the Tuesday hearing via a video link from a prison in the Vladimir region. The Kremlin critic used his final …
Latest Developments in Ukraine: May 24
24/05/2022
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT: 4:30 a.m.: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged other governments to send more weapons more quickly to aid Ukraine’s fight against Russian forces. 4:00 a.m.: U.S. President Joe Biden met …
France’s New Education Minister Sparks Surprise, Controversy
24/05/2022
At his swearing-in ceremony, new Education Minister Pap Ndiaye paid tribute to the nation’s teachers, singling out Samuel Paty, killed by an Islamist extremist in 2020. Ndiaye described himself as a symbol of meritocracy and diversity. Rather than feeling proud, he said, he assumed his new job with a sense of duty and responsibility. The …
Turkey Closes in on Kurdish Militants, Threatening Regional Shake Up
24/05/2022
Turkey is vowing to crush the presence of the Kurdish militant group PKK in Iraq. The PKK has used neighboring Iraq as the main base in its war for greater minority rights in Turkey. But as the Turkish military closes in on the PKK, analysts warn that the Kurdish group could turn to Iran, with …
Spain’s Ex-King Visits Son in Madrid for First Time in Two Years
24/05/2022
Scandal-tainted former Spanish King Juan Carlos I visited his son and current monarch Felipe VI in Madrid on Monday, during a brief but controversial trip home after almost two years in self-imposed exile. The meeting came at the end of the former king’s first visit to Spain since he moved to the United Arab Emirates …
Turkey’s Erdogan Says He Will No Longer Talk to Greek PM
24/05/2022
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he would cease talking to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and cancel a key meeting between their two governments, accusing the Greek leader of antagonizing Turkey. In a televised address following a Cabinet meeting, Erdogan accused neighboring Greece of harboring followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who …
Russian UN Envoy Quits in Protest of Ukraine Invasion
23/05/2022
A veteran Russian diplomat to the United Nations office in Geneva resigned Monday because he said he was “so ashamed” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine three months ago. In a rare, but not unprecedented protest within the Russian diplomatic corps, Boris Bondarev, 41, handed in his resignation in a letter addressed to …
Who is Buying Russia’s Oil?
23/05/2022
So far, Russia’s oil exports have not slowed down a bit from the war in Ukraine and international sanctions. In fact, Russia exported more oil in April than it did before the war. And high oil prices mean Moscow is raking in money. That’s one reason Europe is considering a Russian oil ban: Current sanctions …
Latest Developments in Ukraine: May 23
23/05/2022
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT: 4:30 a.m.: The energy security crisis wrought after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine must not lead a deeper dependence on fossil fuels, International Energy (IEA) chief Fatih Birol told the World Economic …