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☆ Senior White House official tapped to serve in important European ambassadorial role amid Ukraine concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Curtis Ried, a longtime career foreign service officer who has served under two presidents at the White House, who currently serves as chief of staff and counselor of the White House National Security Council is being nominated for the post, CNN has learned. As Congress grapples with next steps on Ukraine aid, Biden administration officials have warned of the consequences if Ukraine doesn’t receive billions in additional funding, citing losses on the battlefield and ceding ground to Russia. The OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organization and is made up of 57 members, including Russia. The move to nominate Ried comes as the US seeks to reaffirm leadership on the world stage amid political wrangling in Washington that’s stalled aid to Ukraine. It’s unclear, however, when Ried would assume the post as the nomination still needs to work its way through the Senate.

Persons: Joe Biden, Curtis Ried, Ried, Biden, Michael Carpenter, ” Carpenter, Washington that’s, Bill Burns, “, He’s Organizations: CNN, White House, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Ukraine, White, White House National Security Council, United Nations, Biden, OSCE, National Security Council, CIA, Senate Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Gaza, Ried, Russia, Israel, Russian, Washington

☆ Russia's Parliament to Vote on Suspending Moscow's OSCE Participation
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia's parliament will vote on Feb. 21 on suspending the country's participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE), Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on Tuesday. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the organisation has been largely paralysed by Moscow's ongoing use of the effective veto each country has. "It's time for us to say goodbye to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly," Volodin said at a meeting of the Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, according to a statement on the Duma's website. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesBoth chambers of the Russian parliament, the Duma and the Federation Council, will vote simultaneously on suspending participation and on stopping Moscow's payments to the OSCE, Volodin said. Ukraine and its Baltic allies, which are Russia's neighbours, refused to attend the OSCE annual foreign ministers meeting late last year over the presence of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov there.

Persons: Vyacheslav Volodin, Volodin, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Lidia Kelly, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Sonali Paul Organizations: Reuters, Organization for Security, OSCE, Soviet, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Duma, Federation Council, United, Russia's Locations: Parliamentary, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Washington, United Russia, Baltic

☆ Russia Suspends Annual Payments to Arctic Council, RIA Agency Reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia has suspended annual payments to the Arctic Council until "real work" resumes with the participation of all member countries, Russia's RIA state news agency reported, citing the country's foreign ministry. "At the moment, Russia's payment of annual contributions to the budget of the Arctic Council has been suspended until the resumption of real work in this format with the participation of all member countries," the ministry told RIA. Cooperation between the Western Arctic states of the intergovernmental body and Moscow came to a freeze after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. The Arctic Council was created in 1996 to discuss issues affecting the polar region, ranging from pollution to local economic development to search-and-rescue missions. For now, Russia does not consider leaving the Council, the foreign ministry told RIA.

Persons: Maria Zakharova, Lidia Kelly, Jacqueline Wong, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Arctic Council, RIA, Cooperation, Arctic, Council, TASS, Duma, Organization for Security Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, United States, Melbourne

☆ Belarus adopts new military doctrine involving nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Mariya Knight | Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Belarus on Friday adopted a new military doctrine that – if approved – would be the first step toward deploying nuclear weapons across the country. The Union State of Belarus and Russia Treaty sets up a legal basis for a wide-ranging alliance between the two countries. Baltic states reinforce bordersThe move by Belarus came as neighboring Baltic states signed an agreement to reinforce their borders with Belarus and Russia. During an interview with state news agency Belta in August last year, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said his country did not “bring nuclear weapons here in order to scare someone.”“Nuclear weapons represent a strong deterring factor. But these are tactical nuclear weapons, not strategic ones.

Persons: Viktor Khrenin, ”, Khrenin, “, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Hanno Pevkur Organizations: CNN, ” Belarusian, Belarus ’, Collective Security, Organization, Union State, NATO, The Union, The Union State of, Russia Treaty, Belarusian People’s Assembly, Novosti, UN, OSCE, ” Minsk, Estonian Defense Ministry, Estonian Minister of Defense, Belta Locations: Belarus, Republic of Belarus, Russian, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, The Union State, The Union State of Belarus, Ukraine, NATO, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Baltic, Estonia, Estonian

☆ Opinion: A turning point in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Opinion Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Last year, Ukraine passed legislation shifting its Christmas celebrations in line with many Western dates – a step to further distance itself from traditions commonly observed in Russia. As 2023 drew to a close, Russia launched the biggest air attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion. The intensity and frequency of the attacks — on the back of reports that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is stalling and that western backers of Ukraine are holding back billions in funding — marks a major turning point in the war. While it’s impossible to put an exact number on Ukrainian war losses, anyone who visits the military portion of the Lychakiv Cemetary in Lviv can see that its expanded to almost maximum capacity. Ukraine scored a big win last week when the EU approved sanctions against Russia’s largest diamond producer, Alrosa, and its CEO.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Odesa, Odesa CNN —, –, Oleksandr Gimanov, Olha, Radkevych, Anatolii Stepanov, Volodymyr Zelensky, who’ve, Armed Forces Valeriy, who’s, Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Le Cosmopolite, ”, won’t, Putin, Kira Rudik, “ Organizations: Atlantic Council, Organization for Security, Cooperation, CNN, Odesa CNN, OSCE, Getty, Armed Forces, expats, “, European Union, Ukraine, Russia’s, EU, Holos Party Locations: Europe, Ukrainian, Odesa, Ukraine, Russia, AFP, Israel, United States, Russian, North Korea, Iran, Lviv, Kyiv, Belgium

☆ OSCE Limps Through Another Year as Russia Relents on Veto
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SKOPJE (Reuters) - The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should continue to function for another year as frequent holdout Russia joined others on Friday in approving Malta as OSCE chair for 2024 and extending four senior officials in their positions. The OSCE is the successor to a body set up during the Cold War for the east and west to engage with each other. In recent years, however, and especially since it invaded Ukraine, Russia has used what is effectively a veto each country has to block many key decisions, often crippling the organization. Russia spent months preventing NATO member Estonia from becoming the next OSCE chair as originally planned. While relenting on vetoes that could have brought the OSCE even closer to collapse, Russia showed no sign of warming to its critics among the OSCE's 56 other member states, particularly the United States.

Persons: Russia, Helga Schmid, Ukraine's, Sergei Lavrov, Antony Blinken, relenting, Lavrov, Blinken, OSCE Michael Carpenter, Fedja Grulovic, Felix Light, Francois Murphy Organizations: Reuters, Organization, Security, Cooperation, OSCE, NATO, Russian, Union Locations: SKOPJE, Europe, Malta, Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Friday's, Macedonia, Skopje, Baltic, U.S, United States, Moscow

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Baby among civilians injured in missile strikes on Ukraine; Russia causes a stir at security summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov both blamed the West for creating global insecurity and instability. The U.S. and its allies are seeking simultaneously to keep the OSCE alive and hold Russia to account for its invasion of Ukraine. The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said he understood unease about Lavrov attending the meeting in Skopje, North Macedonia. But he said it was a chance for Lavrov to hear broad condemnation of Russia's war in Ukraine. Estonia had been due to take over the annually rotating OSCE chairmanship but Russia blocked it for months.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Russia's Sergei Lavrov, Margus Tsahkna, Lavrov, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Dimitar Kovacevski, — Organizations: Organization for Security, Cooperation, Baltic, OSCE, Soviet, NATO, Tass, Russian, North Macedonia's, Kremlin Locations: Moscow's, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Estonian, Brussels, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Skopje, North Macedonia, Malta

☆ Russia accuses Bulgaria of malice over diplomatic overflight ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Russia accused Bulgaria of malice and stupidity on Thursday for refusing to allow Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's plane to fly through its airspace. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who is under European Union sanctions, said her presence on board the plane was the reason given by Bulgaria's foreign ministry for denying access to its airspace. Zakharova suggested that Russia could apply similar overflight bans to "thousands of NATO functionaries", and accused Bulgaria of creating "a dangerous precedent". Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania declared a boycott of the meeting in Skopje in protest of the Russian delegation's presence. Athens took all the steps required before allowing the overflight, the official added.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov's, Lavrov, Dmitry Peskov, Maria Zakharova, Zakharova, Felix Light, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Organisation for Security, Cooperation, Kremlin, Russian Foreign Ministry, European Union, Bulgarian, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Bulgaria, Greece, Europe, Skopje, North Macedonia, Russian, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Athens

[1/3] Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov disembarks from a plane upon his arrival at an airport ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Skopje, North Macedonia, November 30, 2023. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told reporters on Wednesday in Brussels where he attended a NATO meeting. The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said he understood unease about Lavrov attending the meeting in Skopje, North Macedonia. But he said it was a chance for Lavrov to hear broad condemnation of Russia's war in Ukraine. I think that is simply wrong," said Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov disembarks, Russia's Sergei Lavrov, Margus Tsahkna, Lavrov, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Dimitar Kovacevski, OSCE Michael Carpenter, Antony Blinken, Helga Schmid, Krisjanis Karins, Humeyra Pamuk, Aleksandar Vasovic, Ronald Popeski, Francois Murphy, William Maclean, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Organisation for Security, Cooperation, Russian Foreign Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Organization for Security, Baltic, OSCE, Soviet, NATO, Tass, Russian, North Macedonia's, Kremlin, AS, Ukraine, United, U.S, United Nations General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Europe, Skopje, North Macedonia, BRUSSELS, VIENNA, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Estonian, Brussels, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Belarus, United States, Moscow, West, New York, Latvian

☆ OSCE Meeting Causes Rift Over Whether to Share Stage With Russia's Lavrov
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The United States and its allies are seeking to simultaneously keep the OSCE alive and hold Russia to account over its invasion of Ukraine. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told reporters at a meeting with his counterparts from other NATO member states. Estonia had been due to take over the annually rotating OSCE chairmanship but Russia spent months blocking it. A last-minute deal for neutral Malta to take over the chairmanship must also be formally approved at Thursday and Friday's OSCE meeting in Skopje, hosted by the current chair North Macedonia. I think that is simply wrong," Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins told reporters at the NATO meeting.

Persons: Andrew Gray, Francois Murphy, Ingrid Melander, Russia's Sergei Lavrov, Margus Tsahkna, Lavrov, Tsahkna, OSCE Michael Carpenter, Antony Blinken, Vladimir Putin, Helga Schmid, Krisjanis Karins, Humeyra Pamuk, William Maclean Organizations: Organization, Security, Cooperation, OSCE, Central Asia, Ukrainian Foreign, AS, United, U.S, Macedonian, United Nations General Assembly, NATO Locations: Ingrid Melander BRUSSELS, VIENNA, Baltic, Ukraine, Russia, Balkans, Central, United States, Estonian, Estonia, Malta, Skopje, Macedonia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moscow, West, New York, Latvian

☆ Morning Bid: Waller to Wall St, Fed's on the turn
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

A street sign for Wall Street is seen in the financial district in New York, U.S., November 8, 2021. But back in the markets, the Fed's policy pivot was all the rage as Treasury yields and dollar plunged anew. New York Fed chief John Williams said long-term inflation expectations were anchored, reassuring and "remarkably stable". Fed futures now have the first Fed rate cut of a quarter point fully priced for May and 110bps of rate cuts by year-end. Two-year Treasury yields plunged more than 15 basis points to four-month lows of 4.66% on Wednesday, with 10-year yields hitting their lowest since mid-September - a startling drop of more than 75bps in little over a month.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, Wall, Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway's Munger, Warren Buffett, Christopher Waller, Jerome Powell, Waller, John Williams, Austan Goolsbee, Michelle Bowman, Powell, Stocks, smartly, Hong, Thomas Barkin, Loretta Mester, Andrew Bailey, BoE, Andrew Hauser, Blinken, Sergey Lavrov, Jane Merriman Organizations: Wall, REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Waller . New York Fed, Chicago Fed, HK, Austria's, Holdings, Richmond Fed, Cleveland Fed, Bank of England, London, Russian, Foods, Intuit, Petco, Thomson, Reuters Locations: New York, U.S, Berkshire, Waller ., China, Europe, Vienna, North Macedonia

☆ Russia says it has got lots of requests for meetings with Lavrov at OSCE meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a joint press conference with Venezuela's Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto in Moscow, Russia, November 16, 2023. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday it had received a lot of requests for one-on-one meetings with Sergei Lavrov, Moscow's top diplomat, on the sidelines of an OSCE meeting in North Macedonia. "I can confirm that there are a lot of requests for bilateral meetings," Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, told reporters. "There will be multilateral meetings in multilateral formats, and bilateral meetings are planned as well," she said. She said that the foreign ministry will provide details on Lavrov's schedule in Skopje later.

Persons: Sergey Lavrov, Yvan Gil Pinto, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Maria Zakharova, Lavrov's, Dmitry Antonov, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Russian, Venezuela's, Rights, OSCE, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Moscow's, North Macedonia, Europe, Skopje, Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania

☆ Neutral Malta to Chair OSCE After Moscow Blocks NATO Member Estonia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

OSCE countries' foreign ministers meet on Thursday and Friday in the North Macedonian capital of Skopje to discuss the chair role and renewing four senior OSCE officials in their posts at the Vienna-based organisation. Small, neutral European Union member state Malta was acceptable to all sides. The deal "brings with it the guarantee of another year of functionality and a legitimate chair," one senior Western diplomat said. Russia and staunch ally Belarus have still not backed the renewal of four senior OSCE officials in their posts, including veteran German diplomat Helga Schmid as OSCE secretary-general, diplomats said. "We do care about the top four but the chair is existential - the organization cannot operate without it," the Western diplomat said.

Persons: Francois Murphy VIENNA, Bujar Osmani, Helga Schmid, Francois Murphy, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Organization for Security, Cooperation, OSCE, Macedonian, Twitter, European, NATO, Union Locations: Europe, Malta, Russia, Estonia, Macedonian, Skopje, Vienna, United States, Canada, Central Asian, European Union, Britain, Ukraine, Belarus, Western, Moscow, Washington

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that he plans to travel to North Macedonia later this week to attend a conference, a trip that would mark his first visit to a NATO member country since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine. North Macedonia, which holds the group's rotating chairmanship, last week invited Lavrov to an OSCE meeting that starts Thursday in Skopje, the capital of the small, landlocked Balkan country. NATO members banned Russian flights after Moscow launched its military action in Ukraine in February 2022. To reach North Macedonia, Lavrov's plane would need to fly through the airspace of Bulgaria or Greece, which also belong to the Western military alliance. Speaking at a foreign policy conference in Moscow on Monday, Lavrov said Bulgaria apparently has given permission for an overflight.

Persons: Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov, ”, “, “ They’ve Organizations: MOSCOW, NATO, Organization for Security, Cooperation, OSCE, Moscow Locations: Russian, North Macedonia, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Skopje, Balkan, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, “, Soviet Union, U.S, Israel, Ukrainian, rearm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is turning his attention to Ukraine, NATO and the Western Balkans after weeks of intense focus on Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Now, amid signs that a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas due to expire on Monday may be extended, Blinken is departing for Brussels for a NATO foreign ministers meeting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said he plans to attend the OSCE meeting, possibly setting the stage for a U.S.-Russia confrontation over Ukraine. The NATO meeting in Brussels will also address the situation in the Western Balkans where there are calls for NATO to increase its military presence amid concerns that hostility between Serbia and Kosovo could escalate to outright conflict. Blinken will underscore U.S. and NATO support for democracy and regional stability in the region, including a commitment to back all countries’ aspirations to join the European Union, O’Brien said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, ”, Jim O’Brien, O’Brien, Sergey Lavrov Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, NATO, eventual, “, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Russian, OSCE, Kosovo —, Serbia —, European Union, NATO's Locations: Ukraine, Western Balkans, Gaza, Israel, Brussels, Kosovo, Serbia, Russia, Europe, Skopje, North Macedonia, U.S, Balkans, Washington

☆ Opinion: Putin’s virtual bravado, Xi’s big win, and 6 new members. Why this was a summit like no other
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Opinion Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The move breathes new life into a group set to rival the G7 and brings the world closer to multi-polarity. BRICS leaders could be forgiven for not knowing whether to exhibit exuberance or concern on Wednesday. (Summit host, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said it should be seen as an accomplishment for the entire BRICS bloc.) Hours later, just as BRICS leaders were sitting down to dinner, news alerts started to steal the show on the crashed private jet said to be carrying Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Host South Africa just manages to pull it offThat South Africa managed to pull off hosting the summit is an accomplishment in itself.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia, “, —, Xi Jinping, you’ve, Nicolás Maduro, Russia’s, Cyril Ramaphosa, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, couldn’t, Swagger, I’ve, Modi, Vladimir Putin’s, Sergey Lavrov, Lula da Silva, Lula, Vladimir Putin, Michele Spatari, It’s, ” Nontsikelelo, Facebook Xi, Xi, Putin Organizations: Atlantic Council, Organization for Security, Cooperation, CNN, Johannesburg CNN, United Arab, —, for Security, UN, Wagner, Getty, Democratic, Twitter, Facebook, National Congress, ANC Locations: Odesa, Europe, Johannesburg, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Africa, ”, Beijing, Donbas, Ukraine, AFP, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon

State Emergency Service of Ukraine/ReutersThe twin strikes bore hallmarks of a "double tap." Another clip showed emergency officials working through the smoke-filled, hazy ruins after what seemed to be one of the missile attacks. A wounded local resident is seen in her destroyed flat after the strikes in Pokrovsk. Russian forces have been accused of carrying out double-tap strikes in both Ukraine and Syria. Pokrovsk is located in Donetsk, an eastern Ukrainian region where fighting has been ongoing since 2014, when Russia began backing pro-Moscow separatists in the Donbas region.

Persons: Serhii Dobriak, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Pavlo Kyrylenko, Dobriak, ” Dobriak, Mstyslav Chernov, Andrii Omelchenko, Viacheslav Ratynskyi, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Donetsk Regional Military Administration, Kremlin, Emergency Service of, Emergency Service, Authorities, Ukrainian, Reuters, Tuesday, State Emergency Service, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Moscow Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Pokrovsk, Donetsk, Mariupol, Emergency Service of Ukraine, Ukraine, Syria, Europe, Russia, Kharkiv, Donbas

CNN —President Joe Biden has decided to allow the US to cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s investigation of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, two US officials and a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The decision comes after months of internal debate and marks a historic shift, as it would be the first time the US has agreed to share evidence with the court as part of a criminal probe into a country that is not a member of the ICC. “It could be deeply consequential,” one of the sources said, adding that the US government now has “a clear green light” to share information and evidence with the ICC. Over the course of the war, Biden administration officials have obtained evidence of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine, through intelligence gathering mechanisms among other channels, officials told CNN. The Pentagon was the most concerned about cooperating with the court, officials said, and worried that doing so might set a precedent for the ICC to investigate alleged war crimes carried out by Americans in Iraq.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden “, ”, Biden, Defense Lloyd Austin, CNN’s Wolf Organizations: CNN, ICC, National Security, Joint, Eurojust, United Nations Human Rights, Criminal Court, The New York Times, Pentagon, Defense, Defense Department, Ukraine’s, Department of Justice Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, United States, Iraq

☆ Zelensky gets a NATO boost and rockstar's welcome in Vilnius
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But while Ukraine’s NATO allies reaffirmed their support for Kyiv’s bid for membership, they remained vague about the timing. “Ukraine’s future is in NATO,” the leaders of the alliance declared in the summit’s final communique. This will change Ukraine’s membership path from a two-step process to a one-step process,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltengberg told reporters on Tuesday. The process can be a burdensome and lengthy and its removal could significantly streamline Ukraine’s membership bid once it is formally invited to apply. It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance,” Zelensky said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, –, Zelensky, ”, Jens Stoltengberg, Stoltenberg, ” Biden, Susan Walsh, “, Joe Biden, “ We’re, We’re, Ben Wallace, Wallace, General, Biden, ” Zelensky, Odd Anderson, Gitanas Nauseda, – Zelensky, Ukraine “, Lenin Organizations: CNN, NATO, AP NATO, United Nations, OSCE, CNN Sunday, Alliance, Getty, Lithuanian, Lukiskes, “ Locations: Vilnius, Ukraine, Russia, ” Ukraine, “, Crimea, Kyiv, NATO, Vilnius –, Lithuania, Soviet Union, Bakhmut, Russian, Ukrainian

XIAN, China, May 17 - China will for the first time host an in-person summit of central Asian leaders this week, seeking to cement ties in a region seen as Russia's backyard as its relations with the West sour. "Beijing wants to promote a new alternative to the global order, and try to persuade the Central Asian region that this new global order is better for them too," said Adina Masalbekova, a research fellow at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. For the first in-person summit, Xian is a symbolic nod to the importance of economic ties as the city was pivotal in the ancient Silk Road trade route that spans Central Asia. "One of the biggest trump cards that we expect to see at this summit is a serious opening for Central Asian products to enter the Chinese market. But with the region's main backer Russia caught up in a grinding war with Ukraine and subject to international sanctions, analysts say the Central Asian states will welcome Beijing's overtures.

☆ Some Ukrainian families who refuse Russian passports are evicted and their homes given to Putin's soldiers, says Ukraine military
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainians living under occupation who refuse a Russian passport are being evicted, an army report said. If Ukrainian citizens refuse a Russian passport twice, "on the third time, people and their belongings are forcibly thrown out into the street," the statement said. "Ukrainian citizens are being taken to filtration camps in a concerted effort to suppress their resistance. Many Ukrainian citizens are facing forced deportations, arbitrary detentions, and torture and other abuses," said a report by the State Department. While at "filtration camps," Ukrainian citizens are often strip-searched for "nationalistic" tattoos, photographed, and have their fingerprints taken.

☆ Putin makes surprise trip to Russian-occupied Mariupol in wake of ICC warrant
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A day after being accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court, President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, scene of some of the worst devastation of his year-old invasion. State television showed extended footage of Putin being shown around the city on Saturday night, meeting rehoused residents and being briefed on reconstruction efforts by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin. Moscow denied that and has said since it invaded on Feb. 24 last year that it does not target civilians. The visit to Mariupol was the first that Putin has made to the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine's Donbas region since the war started, and the closest he has come to the front lines. Kyiv and its allies say the invasion is an imperialistic land grab that has killed thousands and displaced millions of people in Ukraine.

☆ Putin makes surprise trip to Mariupol, first to occupied Donbas in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Lidia Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 19 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol, Russian state media reported on Sunday, in what would be the Kremlin leader's first trip to the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine's Donbas region since the start of the war. Putin flew by helicopter to Mariupol, Russian new agencies reported citing the Kremlin. The Organization for Security and Cooperation and Europe (OSCE) said Russia's early bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol was a war crime. In the Nevsky district of Mariupol, a new residential neighbourhood built by Russian military, Putin visited a family in their home, Russian media reported. Mariupol is in the Donetsk region, one of the four regions Putin moved in September to annex.

☆ Putin visits Mariupol as part of surprise tour of occupied Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Lidia Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Putin flew by helicopter to Mariupol for "a working trip", Russian news agencies reported citing the Kremlin. 'BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN'In the Nevsky district of Mariupol, Putin visited a family in their home, Russian media reported. Russian media broadcast videos showing the Russian leader driving a car at night through a built-up area as well as walking into what media said was the philharmonic, restored in just three months. Mariupol is in the Donetsk region, one of the four regions Putin moved in September to annex. Russian media reported on Sunday that Putin also met with the top commander of his military operation in Ukraine, including Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov who is in charge of Moscow's war in Ukraine.

☆ Austria expels four Russian envoys for breaching international agreements
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VIENNA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Austria is expelling four Russian diplomats for behaving in a manner inconsistent with international agreements, a reason often invoked in spying cases, the Austrian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday without giving specifics. "Two diplomats at the Russian embassy have acted in a manner inconsistent with their diplomatic status. The two working at the Russian mission to the U.N. acted in a way that was inconsistent with the host country agreement between the United Nations and Austria, it added. Vienna is a major diplomatic centre hosting both the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and United Nations organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency. The large diplomatic presence offers the opportunity to station intelligence agents there under a diplomatic cover granting them diplomatic immunity.

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