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by Philippe Rater with Shaun Tandon in Washington © Agence France-Presse United Nations, UNITED STATES (AFP) — China and Russia on Thursday vetoed a US-led bid at the United Nations to toughen sanctions on North Korea over its missile launches, laying bare divisions that Western envoys fear would be exploited by Pyongyang. The Security Council resolution put forward by the United States would have reduced the amount of oil North Korea could legally import as […]
Russia’s central bank cut its key interest rate Thursday following an emergency meeting, as authorities seek to rein in the ruble which has surged in value despite the conflict in Ukraine. The Bank of Russia slashed the rate to 11 percent from 14 percent, saying external conditions for the economy remained “challenging, considerably constraining economic activity.” The policy-setting meeting was originally set to take place on June 10 but the central bank surprised the market […]
by Charlotte Plantive with David Stout in Mykolaiv © Agence France-Presse Kyiv, UKRAINE (AFP) — Fierce battles raged in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, with Russian troops on the verge of encircling a key industrial city, as President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a bitter rebuke of the West for not doing enough to help Kyiv win the war. Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday described fighting outside of the industrial city of Severodonetsk, a key military goal […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a decree simplifying a procedure to obtain a Russian passport for residents of the southern Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. The southern region of Kherson is under the full control of Russian troops, while the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia is partially controlled by Moscow. Moscow and pro-Moscow officials have said both regions could become part of Russia. The official order published Wednesday came […]
Chinese and Russian fighter jets carried out joint flights near Japan on Tuesday as leaders of the Quad bloc met in Tokyo, the Japanese defence minister said. Nobuo Kishi said the government had expressed “grave concerns” to Russia and China over the flights, which took place while leaders from the United States, India, Australia and Japan held talks on regional security. The planes did not breach territorial airspace, the defence ministry told […]
British clothing-to-food retailer Marks and Spencer on Wednesday announced a full exit from Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. After halting product shipments to Russia at the start of March, Marks and Spencer said it had decided “to fully exit” its Russian franchise run by Turkish conglomerate Fiba Group. The exit, plus disruption to M&S operations in Ukraine run also by franchisee Fiba, is costing the British company £31 million ($39 million, 36 million […]
by Charlotte Plantive with Dmitry Zaks in Severodonetsk and Patrick Fort in Kharkiv © Agence France-Presse Kyiv, UKRAINE (AFP) — Russian forces on Tuesday stepped up their offensive on the last pocket of resistance around Lugansk in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, as the conflict entered its fourth month. Since Moscow’s invasion in late February, Western support has helped Ukraine hold off its neighbor’s advances in many areas — including the capital Kyiv — but Russia […]
by Charlotte Plantive with Dmitry Zaks in Severodonetsk and Patrick Fort in Kharkiv © Agence France-Presse Kyiv, UKRAINE (AFP) — With a verdict due Monday in the conflict’s first war crimes trial, Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine is only intensifying, with the city of Severodonetsk under “round-the-clock” bombardment as Russian troops attempt its encirclement. The trial in Kyiv — seen as a public test of the Ukrainian judicial system’s independence — comes as […]
by Laurent Thomet © Agence France-Presse Davos, SWITZERLAND (AFP) — The Davos summit of global political and business elites returns Monday after a Covid-induced two-year break to face another momentous crisis: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The theme of the World Economic Forum, “History at a Turning Point”, sets the tone for the four-day meeting in the glitzy Swiss mountain resort that will be dominated by the political and economic fallout from the conflict. When the […]
HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — Russia on Saturday stopped providing natural gas to neighbouring Finland, which has angered Moscow by applying for NATO membership, after the Nordic country refused to pay supplier Gazprom in rubles. Following Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has asked clients from “unfriendly countries” — including EU member states — to pay for gas in rubles, a way to sidestep Western financial sanctions against its central bank. Gazprom said in […]
by Charlotte PLANTIVE, with Dmitry ZAKS in Severodonetsk Russia said Thursday that 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered this week at Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant, after a desperate battle that has become emblematic of the nearly three-month-old war. The number included 80 wounded who were taken to a hospital in Russia-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine, Moscow said. The Russian defence ministry released a video appearing to show exhausted Ukrainian soldiers trudging out of the sprawling steelworks, […]
by Aurélia END / Camille CAMDESSUS The US Congress on Thursday approved a gargantuan $40 billion aid package for Ukraine to help fight Russia’s invasion as President Joe Biden rallied behind the historic NATO membership bids of Sweden and Finland. With unusually bipartisan support, the Senate voted 86-11 to pass the package — the equivalent of the 2020 GDP of Cameroon — after one senator briefly held up the vote, voicing alarm on the costs. […]
