Tag: conflict

UN to again ‘demand’ Russia ‘immediately’ end war in Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – The UN General Assembly is expected to vote Thursday on a new non-binding resolution which, if adopted by a majority of member states, will “demand” that Russia stop the war in Ukraine “immediately”. The vote comes after 141 countries approved an earlier resolution on March 2 that similarly demands Russia immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine. In that vote, five states, including Russia, voted against and 35 […]

Putin going to G20 ‘a step too far’: Australia PM

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) – Allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit with other world leaders at this year’s G20 summit would be “a step too far”, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday. Putin has already been invited to the G20 heads of state summit in November by this year’s host Jakarta, and he intends to be there, Russia’s ambassador to Indonesia said this week. But Morrison objected, citing Russia’s war in neighbouring Ukraine. “I […]

With war next door, Finland, Sweden train with NATO

by Pierre-Henry DESHAYES Agence France-Presse SETERMOEN, Norway (AFP) – In a muddy car park in Norway’s Far North, Finnish troops show off their military might, lining up rocket launchers, artillery and snowmobiles as they prepare to train alongside their NATO brothers-in-arms. While Finland and Sweden’s partnership with the Atlantic Alliance is nothing new, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed the two militarily non-aligned nations to deepen their cooperation with NATO even further. Norway’s Cold Response […]

Russian space agency wants foreign partners to pay it in rubles

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) – The Russian space agency said Wednesday it will insist its international partners pay it in rubles, after President Vladimir Putin said Russia will only accept ruble payments for gas deliveries to “unfriendly countries”. “We will also conclude all our external agreements in rubles,” the Roscosmos space agency head Dmitry Rogozin was quoted as saying by the official Tass news agency. Hours earlier Putin announced that only rubles will be accepted in […]

Biden heads to Europe to bolster West’s unity, toughen Russia sanctions

  by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden leaves Wednesday for Europe on a mission to bolster Western unity, ramp up unprecedented sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and attempt to upset the post-Cold War balance of power. The conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin is redefining Biden’s 14-month old presidency as he pivots from domestic woes to leading the transatlantic alliance in the most serious […]

Dutch firm Eneco says no more Russia gas contracts

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) – Dutch energy firm Eneco said Tuesday the company would not enter into new contracts with Russian gas suppliers over the war in Ukraine. In a statement, Japanese-owned Eneco said it would honour existing contracts but “under these circumstances” would not ink new deals with Russian suppliers. The company estimates that some 15 percent of the gas it supplies to its 5.6 million customers comes from Russia. Eneco chief executive As Tempelman […]

EU opens arms to fleeing Ukrainian researchers

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – The EU is extending an online welcome to Ukrainian scientists and researchers fleeing the war in their country, on Tuesday opening a website pointing them towards jobs and accommodation. The ERA4Ukraine portal aims to be a “one-stop shop for information and support services” for them, a statement said. It builds on an existing online research network used by EU countries and others linked to the bloc’s Horizon Europe funding research. It […]

‘Here there is nothing’: Yemen’s Aden scarred by grinding war

by Shatha Yaish Agence France-Presse ADEN, Yemen (AFP) – Bullet-riddled homes, buildings turned to rubble and countless pictures of “martyrs”: seven years into Yemen’s civil war, the interim capital Aden bears the scars of a conflict that shows no signs of abating. While Aden is now relatively stable, economically the ancient port city has been left on its knees. Water and electricity are intermittent, serving a population that officials say has tripled to more than […]

Russia would only use nuclear weapons faced with ‘existential threat’: Kremlin

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Russia would only use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an “existential threat,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN International Tuesday. “We have a concept of domestic security, and it’s public. You can read all the reasons for nuclear arms to be used,” Peskov said. “So if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept.” Peskov’s comment came as […]

Fortress Kyiv holds breath ahead of feared Russian assault

by Hervé BAR Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) – Filled with mountains of sandbags and weapons at the ready, Kyiv is waiting. On day 27 of Russia’s invasion, the advance of troops northwest and east of the Ukrainian capital seems to have stalled and residents are taking advantage of a curfew to catch their breath and prepare. With businesses ordered closed and residents told to stay home, Kyiv is a ghost town, with air sirens […]

NATO invites Zelensky to address summit via videolink

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to address a special NATO summit Thursday discussing the Russian invasion of his country, an official said. “President Zelensky is invited to address the NATO summit via video link,” the NATO official said Tuesday. “This will be an opportunity for allied leaders to hear directly from President Zelensky about the dire situation facing the people of Ukraine because of Russia’s aggression,” the official added. […]

Zelensky insists on need for ‘meeting’ with Putin

KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) – President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday insisted that a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “in any format” is needed to end the war in Ukraine. “I believe that without this meeting it is impossible to fully understand what they are ready for in order to stop the war,” Zelensky said in an interview with the Ukraine regional media outlet Suspilne. Zelensky has previously said that “without negotiations we cannot end […]