Tag: diplomacy

US to host ASEAN leaders in mid-May

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden will meet in mid-May with the leaders of Southeast Asian nations, with a likely focus on the rising power of China, the host country announced Saturday. The summit, originally scheduled for March, “will demonstrate the United States’ enduring commitment to ASEAN,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “It is a top priority for […]

Russia warns US of ‘consequences’ of Ukraine military aid: reports

Russia has formally complained to the United States over its military aid to Ukraine, warning of “unpredictable consequences” if shipments of advanced weaponry go forward, US media reported. In a diplomatic note this week, Moscow warned the United States and NATO against sending the “most sensitive” weapons for Kyiv to use in the conflict with Russia, saying such shipments were “adding fuel” to the situation and could come with “unpredictable consequences,” the Washington Post reported. […]

Spain to expel around 25 Russian diplomats

Spain will expel around 25 Russian diplomats and embassy staff over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, following similar moves by Germany and France, Spain’s foreign minister said Tuesday. “The unbearable images we have seen of the massacre of civilians in the town of Bucha after the withdrawal of the Russian army deeply outrage us,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in a reference to a town outside Kyiv. The Russian diplomats and staff “represent a […]

Italy expels 30 Russian diplomats

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Tuesday that Rome has expelled 30 Russian diplomats as part of a joint European action after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “We have expelled 30 Russian diplomats for national security reasons,” Di Miao told Italy’s Rai television in Berlin, in news confirmed by the ministry in Rome. Di Maio said Russia’s ambassador to Italy, Sergey Razov, had been summoned earlier Tuesday “to notify him of the Italian government’s decision […]

Chinese, Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss Russia invasion

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China and Ukraine’s foreign ministers have spoken for the first time in over a month, with Beijing maintaining its push for peace talks even as allegations of Russian atrocities in towns around Kyiv grow. International condemnation of Moscow has intensified in recent days with the discovery of dozens of bodies in areas around the Ukrainian capital from which Russian troops have withdrawn, though they have denied involvement in the deaths. China […]

US, Iran spar over stalled nuclear talks

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The United States and Iran blamed each other Monday for a weeks-long impasse that has held up a return to the 2015 deal that sought to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the country’s negotiators would not return to Vienna, the site of the year-long talks to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), until Washington settles outstanding issues. “We will […]

Biden says US moving ‘strongly’ on Asia-Pacific despite Russia crisis

by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the United States is forging “strongly” ahead on its growing Asia-Pacific priorities, despite the crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Hosting Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the Oval Office, Biden said the world’s “rules-based order” faces “unprecedented challenges,” but that Washington has not been distracted by the Ukraine war. “Even as we address the crisis in Europe, my […]

Regime change, the controversial strategy the US no longer wants

    by Francesco FONTEMAGGI Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States says it is not seeking a “regime change” in Russia, hasty clarification that shows the strategy once popular among neoconservatives has become a hot button issue after negative experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. President Joe Biden caused a stir Saturday when, during an impassioned speech in Warsaw, said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power.” The […]

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 […]

China says Russia is ‘important’ G20 member, cannot be expelled by others

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing on Wednesday described Russia as an “important member” of the G20 after Washington raised the prospect of excluding Moscow from the group. China has provided a level of diplomatic protection to Russia, which is increasingly isolated over its invasion of Ukraine, with its economy tied up by sanctions. “The G20 is the main forum for international economic cooperation,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters. “Russia is an […]

Putin plans to attend G20 summit: Russian ambassador

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin plans to attend a G20 summit later this year in Indonesia, Moscow’s envoy said Wednesday, dismissing suggestions Russia could be excluded from the group over the war in Ukraine. A day earlier, the United States indicated it would consult allies over Russia’s membership in international forums to increase pressure over the invasion of Ukraine, which has prompted a refugee crisis in Europe and roiled global markets. Russian […]

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 […]