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BEIRUT/ANKARA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Syria is resisting Russian efforts to broker a summit with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan, three sources said on Friday, after more than a decade of bitter enmity since the outbreak of Syria's civil war. Assad says it is Turkey which has backed terrorism by supporting an array of fighters including Islamist factions and launching repeated military incursions inside northern Syria. Ankara is readying another possible operation, after blaming Syrian Kurdish fighters for a bombing in Istanbul. However, three sources with knowledge of Syria's position on possible talks said Assad had rejected a proposal to meet Erdogan with Russia's President Vladimir Putin. "It would be the beginning of a major change in Syria and would have very positive effects on Turkey.

☆ Heaviest Ukraine fighting rages in the east, NATO seeks to sustain support against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

This brutalization of Ukraine’s people is barbaric,” Blinken told a news conference in Bucharest following a two-day NATO meeting. At the NATO foreign ministers meeting, allies Wednesday pledged to help Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina as they face pressure from Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and ministers said. Russia invaded Ukraine in February in what it calls a “special military operation” to rid Ukraine of nationalists it considers dangerous. “We are analyzing the intentions of the occupiers and preparing countermeasures — tougher countermeasures than is now the case,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address Wednesday evening. “We haven’t seen these Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles for about two weeks ... the first batch has probably already run out,” he told Ukraine’s main television network.

☆ Antony Blinken Pledges Western Support for Ukraine’s Power Grid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( William Mauldin | Daniel Michaels | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure as a reason for Western nations to stick together in supporting Ukraine. BUCHAREST—Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Western countries would step up support for Ukraine’s power sector and remain united against efforts by Russian President Vladimir Putin to divide Europe over energy supplies. “His strategy has not and will not work,” Mr. Blinken told reporters following meetings of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies. “We will continue to prove him wrong,” said Mr. Blinken, who added that “heat, water, electricity—for children, for the elderly, for the sick—these are President Putin’s new targets.”

☆ Heaviest Ukraine fighting rages in east, West seeks to sustain support against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Ukrainian servicemen fire with a Bureviy multiple launch rocket system at a position in Donetsk region, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, Ukraine November 29, 2022. In Washington, a $1.2 billion contract for six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) for Ukraine was awarded to Raytheon, the Pentagon said. At the NATO foreign ministers meeting, allies on Wednesday pledged to help Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina as they face pressure from Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and ministers said. Russia invaded Ukraine nine months ago in what it calls a "special military operation" to rid Ukraine of nationalists it considers dangerous. "We haven't seen these Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles for about two weeks ... the first batch has probably already run out," he told Ukraine's main television network.

☆ NATO concerned about China's 'opaque' military buildup -Blinken
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on during a news conference at the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Bucharest, Romania, November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov/File PhotoBUCHAREST, Nov 30 (Reuters) - NATO allies are concerned about China's rapid and opaque military buildup and its cooperation with Russia, and discussed concrete ways to address the challenges posed by Beijing on Wednesday, said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "The members of our alliance remain concerned by the PRC's (People's Republic of China) coercive policies, by its use of disinformation, by its rapid, opaque military buildup, including its cooperation with Russia," Blinken told a news conference after a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the Western defense alliance. While NATO continues to be focused on maintaining unified support for Ukraine, members also want to boost the alliance's resilience by considering new challenges, including those posed by China, Blinken said. "But there's also a recognition that wherever possible, we have to find ways to cooperate on the really big issues."

☆ Ukraine says it will work to convince Germany to provide Patriot systems
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUCHAREST, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Ukraine needs the U.S. made Patriot missile defence systems to protect its civilian infrastructure, under heavy attack by Russia, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday, adding he would try to convince Germany to allow their delivery. Russia has carried out regular missile bombardments on Ukraine's energy infrastructure since early October, with damage accumulating as temperatures drop. Spare parts to repair the energy sector, air defence systems to prevent future attacks and NATO-style tanks were the priority, he said. "If Germany is ready to provide Patriots to Poland and Poland is ready to hand them to Ukraine then I think the solution for the German government is obvious," he said, adding that Kyiv would work with Berlin on the issue. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned NATO on Tuesday against providing Ukraine with Patriot systems.

☆ Russia-Ukraine War U.S. Rushes to Secure Aid for Ukraine to Repair Energy Grid Before Winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

On Tuesday, American officials pledged to give Ukraine $53 million to repair the electrical grid, and sought to rally other allies to make similar offers. Western officials say the Ukrainian energy reconstruction campaign should be considered a second front in the war. In April, not long after Russian troops swept into Ukraine, American officials marshaled dozens of allies to furnish Ukraine with long-term military aid, and organized the countries into the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. The United States is organizing a working group to help Ukraine repair energy equipment and to better defend its power plants and grid from attack. That energy “contact group” is centered on those nations and their close partners, and is expected to meet again next month in Paris.

[1/4] U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends the "Foreign Ministers of Partners at Risk of Russian Disinformation and Destabilization" session at the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Bucharest, Romania, November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovBUCHAREST, Nov 30 (Reuters) - NATO foreign ministers will on Wednesday seek to reassure fragile countries in Russia's neighbourhood that they fear could be destabilised by Russia as the conflict in Ukraine drags on, squeezing energy supplies and pushing up prices. Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu told reporters that NATO wanted to be ensure that, after the war in Ukraine, Russia would have "no chance to dictate security options and a way of life to its neighbours". Bosnian Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic, invited to join the NATO meeting, said she was concerned about Russia's intentions for her country. "The stability in western Balkans is important for peace," Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani said.

REUTERS/Lisi NiesnerCompanies Lockheed Martin Corp FollowBERLIN, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The leaders of Germany and Norway said on Wednesday they would jointly ask NATO to coordinate the protection of Europe's subsea infrastructure in light of the suspected attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipeline network. European countries have stepped up vigilance around critical installations after the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which connect Russia to Germany, ruptured in September and spewed gas into the Baltic Sea. "We take the protection of our critical infrastructure very seriously and nobody should think that attacks would remain without consequences," he said. In an emailed statement, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he welcomed Germany and Norway's proposal. "We have stepped up our efforts after the recent sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, and it is vital to do even more to ensure that our offshore infrastructure remains safe from future destructive acts," he said.

RIYADH/HONG KONG, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia plans to host a Chinese-Arab summit on Dec. 9 attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to the kingdom, three Arab diplomats in the region familiar with the plans said on Wednesday. Invitations have gone out to leaders in the Middle East and North Africa for the Chinese-Arab gathering, the diplomats said. The Saudi government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Xi's visit or summit timing. The Chinese delegation is expected to sign dozens of agreements and memoranda of understanding with Gulf nations and other Arab states covering energy, security and investments, the diplomats said without elaborating. "The level of representation depends on each country with many Arab leaders expected to attend, others would send at least their foreign ministers," one of the Arab diplomats told Reuters.

☆ NATO Chief Urges Military Support for Ukraine as Russian Attacks Rage On
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Isabel Coles | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As Russia presses a campaign targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine while winter sets in, the head of NATO said the alliance must deny Moscow a victory that would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and other authoritarian leaders. Speaking at a meeting of the military alliance’s foreign ministers, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday the group must continue to provide military support for Ukraine, at a time when U.S. officials have begun nudging Kyiv to consider peace, before the changing weather stalls the Ukrainian forces’ recent advances.

☆ NATO commits to future Ukraine membership, drums up aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “will get Finland and Sweden as NATO members” soon. Ukraine will not join NATO anytime soon despite Stoltenberg's comments. Yevhen Titov / AFP - Getty Images“We stand by that, too, on membership for Ukraine,” the former Norwegian prime minister said. “I think what he’s afraid of is democracy and freedom, and that’s the main challenge for him.”Even so, Ukraine will not join NATO anytime soon. During the two-day meeting, Blinken will announce substantial U.S. aid for Ukraine’s energy grid, U.S. officials said.

Russia acknowledges attacking Ukrainian infrastructure but denies deliberately seeking to harm civilians. NATO foreign ministers pledged to step up political and practical support to Ukraine and maintain it for as long as necessary. If we have air defence systems, we can protect from the next Russian missile strikes," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. [1/4] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg poses with foreign ministers of NATO countries during the family photo at their meeting in Bucharest, Romania November 29, 2022. Foreign ministers also reaffirmed a 2008 NATO summit decision that Ukraine would eventually become a member of the alliance.

NATO foreign ministers meeting in Bucharest will focus on ramping up military assistance for Ukraine such as air defence systems and ammunition, even as diplomats acknowledge supply and capacity issues, but also discuss non-lethal aid as well. Part of this non-lethal aid - goods such as fuel, medical supplies, winter equipment and drone jammers - has been delivered through a NATO assistance package that allies can contribute to and which Stoltenberg aims to increase. On the military side, NATO keeps pushing weapons manufacturers to accelerate production but a second diplomat cautioned there were increasing problems with supply capacity. Ministers will also discuss Ukraine's application for NATO membership. NATO ministers will also talk about how to strengthen the resilience of society, days after Stoltenberg warned Western nations must be careful not to create new dependencies on China as they wean themselves off Russian energy supplies.

☆ Blinken to announce help for Ukraine's power transmission on Tuesday - U.S. official
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at Henri Coanda airport, in Bucarest, on November 29, 2022, ahead of a NATO meeting. Daniel MIHAILESCU/Pool via REUTERSBUCHAREST, Nov 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday will announce new assistance to help restore Ukraine’s power transmission ability in the face of Russian attacks targeting the country’s energy grid, a senior State Department official said. Blinken arrived in Romania on Monday evening ahead of a meetings with NATO allies and foreign ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies. The official did not specify what form the assistance would take or how much it would be worth. “They’re out in the open, they’re not in buildings, they’re very hard to protect," the official said.

☆ NATO's Stoltenberg: Putin trying to use winter as war weapon against Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BUCHAREST, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Russia will likely continue attacking Ukraine's power grid, its gas infrastructure and basic services for the people, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. "Doing that when we enter winter demonstrates that President (Vladimir) Putin is now trying to use ... the winter as a weapon of war against Ukraine," he told reporters at a news conference in Bucharest ahead of a two-day NATO foreign ministers' meeting. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Benoit Van OverstraetenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Transformers, air defences needed, Ukraine tells visiting ministers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Foreign ministers of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, Lithuania's Gabrielius Landsbergis, Iceland's Thordis Gylfadottir and Sweden's Tobias Billstrom attend a joint news conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/PoolKYIV, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told a gathering of seven Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers on Monday that his country needed transformers and improved air defences to stave off Russian air strikes on energy infrastructure. Kuleba was flanked by officials from Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden ahead of a meeting of NATO military alliance foreign ministers in Bucharest on Tuesday and Wednesday. And we need air defence that will allow us to shoot down Russian missiles targeting our infrastructure." The ministers issued a joint statement after their talks calling for efforts to improve Ukrainian air defences.

☆ Estonia says European nations should double defence expenditure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Nov 28 (Reuters) - European countries should double their defence expenditure because of Russia's war in Ukraine, Estonia's foreign minister said on Monday, adding that his own country planned to raise national defence spending to 3% of GDP. Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu made his comments in an interview with Reuters during a trip to Kyiv with six other foreign ministers. "We would like to see European countries doubling their defence expenditure in the time of the Ukrainian war and after the war, and we are going to spend 3% of our GDP on national defence," he said. Many NATO allies have already increased their military spending since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. Reinsalu said the 27-nation European Union, which includes Estonia, should also increase the level of funding it earmarks in military support for Ukraine.

☆ Air raid sirens blare in Ukraine as NATO meets to promise aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"NATO will continue to stand for Ukraine as long as it takes. [1/7] A view shows the city without electricity after critical civil infrastructure was hit by Russian missile attacks, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 23, 2022. That will make it harder for Ukrainian forces to find weakly defended stretches to attempt new breakthroughs. Ukraine's armed forces General Staff said late on Monday that Russian forces were heavily shelling towns on the west bank of the Dnipro River, including Kherson. Ukrainian forces had damaged a rail bridge north of the Russian-occupied southern city of Melitopol that has been key to supplying Russian forces dug in there, it added.

☆ Azerbaijan cancels Armenia talks, says Macron cannot take part
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Aliyev said Macron had "attacked" and "insulted" Baku and should not act as a go-between. Each side accused the other of triggering the latest bout of fighting, in which Armenia said Azerbaijan had seized settlements inside its borders. "Macron ... attacked Azerbaijan and accused us in what we haven't done," Aliyev said, speaking in English at a conference with international representatives in Baku. "It is clear that under these circumstances, with this attitude, France cannot be part of the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia." A spokesperson said Azerbaijan's assertion that Yerevan was trying to disrupt peace talks "has nothing to do with reality," the Interfax news agency reported.

☆ NATO will not back down but continue supporting Ukraine - Stoltenberg
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - NATO will not let down in its support of Ukraine and also ramp up non-lethal aid for the country, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday. "NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will not back down," he told reporters in Brussels ahead of a foreign ministers' meeting of the alliance in Bucharest next week. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Bart MeijerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine's finance minister says reconstruction costs are rising
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko has said more Western aid is needed to help it meet its growing reconstruction costs following this week's escalation of Russian missile attacks. Marchenko also said current Western support meant "we'll have approximately $3-3.5 billion a month vs $5 billion this year". However, he said the current budget includes only a very small amount for reconstruction costs which it needs to increase if possible. For now, though, Western support continues. Also, G7 foreign ministers will discuss how to ensure Ukraine's energy supply when they meet next week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock tweeted on Thursday.

☆ G7 calls for 'significant' U.N. response to North Korea missile launches
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The United Nations' Security Council needs to take "significant measures" in response to the latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch by North Korea, foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) major industrialised nations said on Sunday. The Security Council is set to discuss North Korea in a meeting on Monday at the request of the United States, following the latest in a series of missile test launches this year. "(North Korea's) actions demand a united and robust response by the international community," the ministers of the United States, Japan, Canada, Germany, Britain, France and Italy said. The G7 statement said Friday's test was a "reckless act" and "another blatant violation" of U.N. resolutions. "The unprecedented series of unlawful ballistic missile launches conducted by (North Korea) in 2022 ... pose a serious threat to regional and international peace and security," the G7 statement said, adding that the country "cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon state".

☆ Geopolitics to stay in focus at APEC summit in Thailand
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Delegates walk inside the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center where the APEC summit will be held, in Bangkok, Thailand, November 14, 2022. On the sidelines, Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to have bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later in the day. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are among those also attending the main meeting. Host Indonesia said the Ukraine war had been the most contentious issue at the summit in Bali. He was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the G20 and First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov will stand in for him at APEC.

☆ Ghana president sacks junior finance minister over alleged impropriety
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bernd Lauter/Pool via REUTERSACCRA, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has sacked Charles Adu Boahen, the minister of state for finance, the presidency said on Monday after allegations of impropriety were circulated by a well-known Ghanaian investigative journalist. Adu Boahen did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. read moreThe allegations against Adu Boahen did not appear to be related to those previously raised against Ofori-Atta. Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia said in a statement the video showed Adu Boahen "apparently using my name, inter alia, to peddle influence and collect money from supposed investors". "I would like to state that if what the minister (Adu Boahen) is alleged to have said is accurately captured in the video, then his position as a minister of state is untenable.

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