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☆ CNBC Daily Open: Bitcoin’s still struggling to gain acceptance
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. China's Shanghai Composite lost 0.72% as the country's service sector logged its slowest expansion in eight months, according to a Caixin survey. Overinvestment in ChinaChina is "overinvested," said Jitania Kandhari, a managing director and deputy chief investment officer at Morgan Stanley. By contrast, India is underinvested, Kandhari said, giving its economy and markets investment opportunities.

Persons: Narendra Modi, China —, Jitania Kandhari, Morgan Stanley, Kandhari, Weizhen Tan Organizations: CNBC, Labor, Shanghai, Indian, BMW, Ford, Mercedes Locations: Miami Beach , Florida, U.S, Asia, Pacific, India, Russia, China, China China, Munich, Germany

☆ India's G20 presidency risks ringing hollow as Ukraine war dashes hopes of consensus
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

US President Joe Biden, right, and Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, at an arrival ceremony during a state visit on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, June 22, 2023. One of the risks is that by elevating India's presidency of the G20 so much, there are now expectations for India to deliver some concrete breakthroughs. Russia-Ukraine impasseIndeed, the specter of Russia's Ukraine invasion has loomed large over G20 meetings for the various tracks that India has convened. He even labeled it the "biggest achievement" of India's G20 presidency so far — despite Russia and China abstaining. This development serves to buttress India's burgeoning economic clout, the basis of its greater confidence and assertiveness geopolitically.

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, India's, haven't, Manjari Chatterjee, Modi, Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Putin, Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Chaudhuri, Sergei Lavrov —, Putin —, CFR's Miller, Eurasia Group's Chaudhuri, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Sumedha Dasgupta, Biden, Taiwan —, assertiveness, It's, Pravin Krishna Johns Organizations: White, Bloomberg, Getty, Indian, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Foreign, Council, Foreign Relations, CNBC, Global, African Union, UN, Group Russia's, West, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, India's, Economist Intelligence Unit, Moscow, . Warming, Apple, Pravin Krishna Johns Hopkins University's School, International Locations: Washington , DC, New Delhi, India, Ukraine, Pakistan, South Asia, Washington ,, Russia, China, Varanasi, Bali, Eurasia, Asia, U.S, . Warming India, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Beijing

That means the two-day summit from September 9 will be dominated by the West and its allies. The G20 leaders who will attend include U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman and Japan's Fumio Kishida. "If the leaders' summit is a flop, New Delhi and especially Modi will have suffered a major diplomatic, and political, setback," Kugelman said. "The positions have hardened since the Bali Summit," a senior Indian government official told Reuters, referring to the 2022 summit held in Indonesia. Lavrov said last week Russia will block the final declaration of the G20 summit unless it reflects Moscow's position on Kyiv and other crises.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Li Qiang, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin's, Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman, Japan's, Michael Kugelman, Narendra Modi, Modi, Kugelman, Joko Widodo, Justin Trudeau, Sergei Lavrov, Putin, battlelines, Trudeau, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Lavrov, David Boling, N.K, Singh, Larry Summers, Katya Golubkova, Kentaro Sugiyama, Sakura Murakami Organizations: REUTERS, West, South Asia Institute, Wilson Center, Indian, New, Reuters, Bali, Canada's, Russian, Diplomats, Eurasia Group, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Ukraine, China, Russia, Saudi, Washington, Bali, Indonesia, Indonesian, CHINA, Brazil, South Africa, Johannesburg, U.S, Tokyo

☆ Russia to block G20 declaration if its views are ignored, Lavrov says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Russia will block the final declaration of this month's G20 summit unless it reflects Moscow's position on Ukraine and other crises, leaving participants to issue a non-binding or partial communique, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday. "There will be no general declaration on behalf of all members if our position is not reflected," Lavrov told students at the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations. The West denies any such intentions but says it wants Ukraine to defeat Russia on the battlefield and has imposed several rounds of sweeping economic sanctions in response to the invasion, which Russia calls a "special military operation". Lavrov said the West had raised Ukraine in meetings preparing for the summit, to which Russia had replied that "the issue is closed for us". "Another option is to adopt a document that focuses on specific decisions in the sphere of G20 competences, and let everyone say the rest on their own behalf," Lavrov said.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, West, Guy Faulconbridge, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, New Delhi, China, India, Brazil, Moscow

☆ Rolex’s deal is ticking time bomb for retailers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In the short term, these concerns look overstated, but Rolex’s move may still have called time on WoS’s business model. In that context, Friday’s slump in WoS shares looks excessive. That’s a modest sum relative to the enterprise value of 4 billion Swiss francs that Vontobel analysts believe Bucherer is worth. The news sparked a sharp sell-off in the UK-listed shares of Watches of Switzerland, a major retailer of Rolex watches. Watches of Switzerland shares were down more than 20% at 0933 GMT on Aug. 25.

Persons: –, WoS, Bucherer, Cartier, ”, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Rolex, Reuters Graphics Reuters, RBC, Piguet, Switzerland, Thomson Locations: Switzerland, London, Swiss

ECOWAS responded days later by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention. ECOWAS leaders have said their preference is to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis and would send in troops as a last resort. The regional bloc will “uphold all measures and principles agreed upon by the extraordinary summit held on Niger on 30th July 2023,” at which strong sanctions were decided against the military junta in Niger. Niger’s armed forces appeared to be preparing for possible military intervention this week, a military source told CNN. Confusion and concernSeveral analysts told CNN that a military intervention in Niger would probably not be imminent, as it takes time to assemble the ECOWAS troops.

Persons: Omar Alieu Touray, Mohamed Bazoum, Touray, it’s, Murtala Abdullahi, Bola Tinubu, Abdourahamane Alkassoum, ”, Cameron Hudson Organizations: CNN, West, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, ”, Nigerien, Center, Strategic, International Studies Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Republic of Niger, ”, Niger, ” Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, ” Abuja, Gambia, “ Niger

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Second Summit Economic And Humanitarian Forum Russia Africa on July 27, 2023 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin is weighing whether to attend his first in-person meeting with Western leaders since his forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, a Kremlin source tells NBC News. In 2014, after Russia's annexation of Crimea, Putin was publicly shunned and sidelined during the G20 meeting in Australia. Next month's G20 summit is already set to be the most contentious in years and an important litmus test of many countries' true positions on Ukraine. "And some of the leaders, including President Biden, already decided to ignore President Putin and not take any picture with him."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, hasn't, Xi Jinping, Alexey Maslov, Maslov, Jonathan Eyal, Dmitry Peskov, Nirmala Sitharaman, Cyril Ramaphosa, Andrei Fedorov, Russia's, Putin's, Fedorov, Biden, Jamal Khashoggi, Modi, Eyal Organizations: Russia Africa, Summit ., Western, NBC News, Kremlin, Institute of, Studies, Moscow State University, Royal United Services Institute, International, ICC, United Nations, Washington Post, Mr Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Ukraine, New Delhi, Russian, Belarus, China, Central, London, Crimea, Australia, Bali , Indonesia, France, Bali, Russia's, Johannesburg, Brazil, India, South Africa, Rome, United States, Saudi Arabia, Saudi

☆ West Africa threatens force on Niger coup leaders, French Embassy attacked
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

NIAMEY, NIGER - JULY 30: Coup supporters take to the streets after the army seized power in Niamey, Niger on July 30, 2023. (Photo by Balima Boureima/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)West African nations imposed sanctions and threatened force on Sunday if Niger's coup leaders fail to reinstate ousted President Mohammed Bazoum within a week, while supporters of the junta attacked the French embassy in Niamey. At an emergency summit in Nigeria to discuss the coup last week, leaders of the Economic Community of West African States called for constitutional order to be restored, warning of reprisals if not. ECOWAS and the eight-member West African Economic and Monetary Union said that with immediate effect borders with Niger would be closed, commercial flights banned, financial transactions halted, national assets frozen and aid ended. Military officials involved in the coup would be banned from travelling and have their assets frozen, it added.

Persons: Balima Boureima, Mohammed Bazoum, Mahamat Idriss Deby, Bola Tinubu Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Economic, West, Nigerian, West African Economic, Monetary Union, Military Locations: NIAMEY, NIGER, Niamey, Niger, Niger's, Nigeria, States

[1/9] Demonstrators gather in support of the putschist soldiers in Niamey, the capital city of Niger July 30, 2023. Images showed fires at the walls of the French Embassy and people being loaded into ambulances with bloodied legs. Military officials involved in the coup would be banned from travelling and have their assets frozen, it added. The Niger military rulers later asked protesters to abstain from vandalism and destruction of property. The European Union and France have cut off financial support to Niger and the United States has threatened to do the same.

Persons: Stringer, Mohammed Bazoum, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Amadou Abdramane, Sani Idrissa, Russia's Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Boureima Balima, Moussa Aksar, Felix Onuah, Elizabeth Pineau, Bate Felix, Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Pro, Niamey Military, Sahel region's, French Embassy, Economic, West, West African Economic, Monetary Union, Military, United Nations, African Union, European Union, World Bank, The, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Sahel, NIAMEY, ABUJA, Niger's, Nigeria, States, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, United States, France, The United States, Italy, Germany, French, Niger national, Russian, Abuja, Paris

CNN —The Nigerien military has backed coup leaders who have reportedly seized the president of the West African country, prompting warnings from international leaders over further unrest in a region plagued by political volatility. President Bazoum was apparently taken by members of the presidential guard on Wednesday, although his precise whereabouts remain unknown. Niger’s presidential office said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday: “The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum, pictured on December 13, 2022, was reportedly seized by members of the presidential guard on Wednesday. 1,000 US troopsWorld leaders and humanitarian bodies issued stark warnings against the coup leaders.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, insurgencies, Bazoum, Evelyn Hockstein, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Abdramane, Jake Sullivan, Washington, Volker Türk, ” Türk, General Antonio Guterres, Bazoum “, African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, “ Organizations: CNN, Nigerien, Twitter, country’s Ministry of Defense, Interior Ministry, National Guard, White, US, Air Base, United Nations, Human, UN, African Union Commission Locations: West, ” Niger, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, France, Niger, Niamey, Washington, Agadez, The

BAMBOLIM, India, July 22 (Reuters) - The Group of 20 (G20) major economies meeting in India failed on Saturday to reach consensus on phasing down fossil fuels following objections by some producer nations. The G20 member countries together account for over three-quarters of global emissions and gross domestic product, and a cumulative effort by the group to decarbonise is crucial in the global fight against climate change. A joint communique is issued when there is complete agreement between member nations on all issues. A draft late on Friday reviewed by Reuters read: "The importance of making efforts towards phase down of unabated fossil fuels, in line with different national circumstances, was emphasized." Singh, in a press briefing after the conference, said some countries wanted to use carbon capture instead of a phase down of fossil fuels.

Persons: R.K, Singh, Sudarshan Varadhan, Nidhi Verma, William Mallard, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Power, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BAMBOLIM, India, China, United States, Bambolim, Goa, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Russia, South Africa, Indonesia

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russian missile volley hits Ukraine's port cities in 'revenge strike'; Crimea bridge partially reopens after attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The meeting of G20 ministers in Indian is concluding after two days of economic and finance policy deliberations without a joint communique, as countries remain divided over the war in Ukraine. The group has already failed to reach a unified position on the war in Ukraine several times. Other states like India, China, South Africa and Russia itself oppose condemning Moscow. India, the host nation for this week's G20 meeting, has refrained from blaming Russia for the war and calls for a diplomatic resolution, while also buying discounted oil from Moscow. Russia calls the invasion, now nearly two years old, its "special military operation."

Persons: European Union —, Natasha Turak Organizations: European Union Locations: Ukraine, Japan, South Korea, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Moscow

[1/2] Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building damaged during Russian missile strikes, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 24, 2023. Most western countries including the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany and France had pushed for a firm condemnation of Russia and the war in Ukraine, whereas Russia and its friend China had opposed any such move, the official added. The gathering in the western state of Gujarat was the G20's third finance track meeting under India's presidency. India has not been able to forge a joint statement in any of the key tracks since it took over the presidency of G20 last December. Reporting by Shivangi Acharya and Sarita Chaganti Singh; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: China, Janet Yellen, Shivangi Acharya, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Russian, REUTERS, Indian, Reuters, United Nations, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Valentyn, GANDHINAGAR, India, Russia, Gandhinagar, U.S, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Gujarat, Bengaluru

[1/7] Indonesian President Joko Widodo greets Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn during the Courtesy Call at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/PoolJAKARTA, July 14 (Reuters) - Foreign ministers of two dozen countries meet in Indonesia on Friday with U.S.-China rivalry, the war in Ukraine and North Korean missiles set to dominate roundtable talks in Southeast Asia's annual security gathering. In opening remarks to foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), chairman Indonesian President Joko Widodo said the gathering aimed to seek solutions rather than exacerbate regional and global problems. LAVROV: WESTERN 'DOMINATION'The 10-member ASEAN hosts an East Asia Summit on Friday morning before holding a separate meeting with Blinken. China's Wang also met with Lavrov, and said the two sides would "strengthen strategic communication and coordination".

Persons: Joko Widodo, Prak Sokhonn, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Nancy Pelosi, Matthew Miller, Wang, Blinken, Sergei Lavrov, China's Wang, Lavrov, Myanmar's, Martin Petty, Michael Perry Organizations: Cambodia's, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, REUTERS, U.S, North Korean, Friday's ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN, State Department, ARF, enraging, Washington, Department, U.S . Navy, East Asia Summit, United Nations Security Council, Russian, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, JAKARTA, China, Ukraine, North, United States, Russia, Taiwan, enraging Beijing, LAVROV, Australia, Japan, Britain, South Korea, Myanmar

☆ Analysis: NATO's crucial summit in Vilnius nearly came off the rails and gave Russia a PR victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing for a clear path to join NATO for some time. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty ImagesWestern officials and diplomats, however, hoped that the issue would not be the focus of this week’s summit. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, and Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda, second right, address the public during an event on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday, July 11, 2023. All of which created room for speculation about NATO’s unity, and allowed its adversaries to call the summit a failure. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (C) poses for an official family photo with the participants of the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 11, 2023.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Zelensky, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Gitanas Nauseda, Pavel Golovkin, Ben Wallace, ”, ” Brett Bruen, Obama, “, Jens Stoltenberg, Odd Andersen, There’s, David van Weel, – Organizations: CNN, NATO, Ukraine, Getty, Ukraine's, British, USA, ”, NATO “ Locations: Lithuanian, Vilnius, Sweden, Turkey, Brussels, Ukraine, AFP, Russia, Lithuania, Russian, America, Vilnius –, Washington

☆ Vintage Zelenskiy gets less than he wanted from NATO but takes home real gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

That would mean the alliance itself would be at war, and leaders won't go that far. But by the end, after one-on-one meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders, Zelenskiy had softened his tone, describing the outcome as "good", though not "ideal". "It is very important: for the first time since independence, we have formed a security foundation for Ukraine on its way to NATO," Zelenskiy said, adding there had also been "a good reinforcement with weapons." On the summit's sidelines, Group of Seven countries unveiled an international framework to boost Ukraine's long-term security against Russia. A slew of other military packages were announced at bilateral meetings between Zelenskiy and NATO leaders.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Neil Melvin, Biden, Putin, craven, Melvin, Mykhailo Podolyak, Olha Stefanishyna, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Tom Balmforth, Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, Anna Dabrowska Organizations: NATO, Russia, Kyiv, U.S, Ukraine Council, London, Royal United Services Institute, Reuters, Eastern, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Vilnius, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Kyiv, NATO, Zelenskiy, Moscow, United States, Germany, Bucharest, Reuters Ukraine

☆ What Zelensky wanted from NATO – and what he got
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —At last year’s NATO summit in Madrid, the alliance formally invited Sweden and Finland to join its ranks. But NATO membership is far more significant than military hardware, and it may be some time before Kyiv’s final wish is granted. “This means that a window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine’s membership in NATO in negotiations with Russia. However, the ultimate goal of NATO membership looks likely to elude Zelensky for some time. Wallace reminded reporters Wednesday that before the summit the question of Ukraine’s NATO membership was still an “if.” Now, it’s a “when.”

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Zaporizhzhia –, Putin’s, ” Zelensky, Pavel Golovkin, Joe Biden, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Biden, ” “ We’re, We’re, ”, Ben Wallace, Wallace, ” Biden, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Dmytro Kuleba, “, Jens Stoltenberg Organizations: CNN, NATO, Kyiv, Ukraine, Sweden’s, AP, Sunday, UK, Getty, Foreign, Twitter Locations: Madrid, Sweden, Finland, Vilnius, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Vilnius ’, Lithuania’s, United States, Russia, NATO, Zelensky, AFP, Kyiv, Vilnius –, Germany, France

Helsinki, Finland CNN —More than 500 days after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, the war loomed over President Joe Biden’s weeklong, three-stop trip to Europe. Drama over Ukraine’s membershipUkraine was the top agenda item for NATO leaders in Vilnius, and the discussion of a pathway for the war-torn country to join the alliance prompted division among leaders. After meeting with Zelensky for more than an hour, Biden told reporters that he was able to reassure his Ukrainian counterpart. The former president raised the prospect of withdrawing from the alliance multiple times in 2018, The New York Times reported. I don’t think NATO’s ever been stronger,” Biden said during his meeting with Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö

Persons: Finland CNN —, Joe Biden’s weeklong, reasserting, Biden, Jens Stoltenberg, Ulf Kristersson, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Monday, Erdoğan, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Donald Trump’s, Trump’s, –, ” Biden, Trump, Rishi Sunak, King Charles III, Putin, “, Stoltenberg, Wang Wenbin, Biden “, “ I’ve, Sauli Niinistö Organizations: Finland CNN, Russia, NATO, Zelensky, Vilnius University, Nordic, Senate, The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Ministry, Microsoft, House, Lithuania, State, Government Locations: Helsinki, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Washington, Turkey, Sweden, Ankara, Vilnius, London, Finnish, China, Beijing, Asia, Indonesia, Hiroshima

☆ Blinken to meet China's Wang Yi in Jakarta - State Department
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] China's Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi attends during a trilateral meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar UlfianaJuly 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on Thursday as officials gather in Indonesia for ASEAN meetings, the State Department said in announcing the latest in series of interactions between the rival superpowers. Wang is representing China at the Jakarta meetings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and partner countries after Beijing said Foreign Minister Qin Gang would not attend due to health reasons. Blinken met Qin and Wang in Beijing last month, marking the first visit to China by a U.S. secretary of state in five years. Wang, who is the foreign policy chief for the Chinese Communist Party, ranks above Qin, who as the foreign minister is the government's foreign policy chief.

Persons: Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi, Retno Marsudi, Sergei Lavrov, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Wang, Qin Gang, Blinken, Qin, Janet Yellen, John Kerry, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Daniel Kritenbrink, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Dan Whitcomb, Michael Perry Organizations: Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Indonesian Foreign, Russia's, REUTERS, ASEAN, State Department, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Foreign, U.S, Treasury, Chinese Communist Party, Pentagon, NATO, senior State Department, East, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, China, Beijing, United States, Asia, U.S, Lithuanian, Vilnius, Pacific, East Asia

☆ US officials almost altered plans for Ukraine's NATO membership timeline after Zelenskyy's fiery tweet: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Zelenskyy called the invitation "unprecedented and absurd," but his tone changed during the summit. He expressed frustrations at NATO's proposed timeline for Ukraine's membership — which, given the final copy of the summit's communiqué, isn't really a timeline at all. "It's unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership. "This means that a window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine's membership in NATO in negotiations with Russia. Prior to Kyiv arriving, there were informal discussions on how best to respond, leading to US officials suggesting they revisit or remove any mention of Ukraine's invitation to membership at all.

Persons: invitiation, Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, —, NATO's, isn't, George W, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Washington Post, White House, NATO, Service, Alliance, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Lithuania, NATO, Russia, Kyiv, Crimea, Ukraine's

☆ ASEAN struggles for unity on Myanmar conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The cause of the delay was unclear but an ASEAN official said a communique was being finalised and would be released soon. ASEAN chair Indonesia on Wednesday urged the group's foreign ministers to remain united in tackling the escalating violence in Myanmar. Malaysia, a vocal critic of the junta, urged ASEAN to strongly condemn the junta's actions, including violence. RIFTS APPARENTRifts within ASEAN over Myanmar were highlighted when Thailand invited Myanmar military officials to a meeting last month aimed at "re-engaging" with the junta. Indonesia, as ASEAN chair this year, is working behind the scenes to bring all stakeholders in the Myanmar conflict together for informal talks, but diplomats say it is struggling to make headway.

Persons: Zambry Abdul Kadir, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Don Pramudwinai, Don, Myanmar's, Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi, Malaysia's Zambry, Suu Kyi's, Kate Lamb, Stanley Widianto, Kanupriya Kapoor, Rob Birsel, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Myanmar's, Association for Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Junta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Myanmar, Thai Foreign, National Unity Government, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Jakarta, Myanmar, Malaysia, United States, China, Russia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Aung San Suu, Naypyitaw

☆ Blinken to meet China's Wang Yi in Jakarta -State Department
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ In rare UN appearance, North Korea defends missile launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is launched from an undisclosed location in North Korea in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on July 13, 2023. The 15-member Security Council met after North Korea said it tested on Wednesday its latest Hwasong-18 ICBM, adding the weapon is the core of its nuclear strike force. "We categorically reject and condemn the convening of the Security Council briefing by the United States and its followers," North Korea's U.N. North Korea last spoke at a council meeting on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in December 2017, diplomats said. North Korea - formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) - has been under U.N. sanctions for its missile and nuclear programs since 2006.

Persons: Kim Song, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, NATO DeLaurentis, Washington, China's U.N, Zhang Jun, Zhang, Michelle Nichols, Mark Porter, Deepa Babington Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS UNITED NATIONS, Security, Democratic People's, U.S, United Nations, NATO, DPRK, Thomson Locations: North Korea, United States, U.N, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, Pyongyang, Russia, China, Britain, France, South Korea, Washington, Beijing, Moscow, emboldening North Korea, CHINA, U.S, NATO, China's

☆ What NATO Said About Ukraine: Highlights of the Alliance’s Communiqué
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Steven Erlanger | More About Steven Erlanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After weeks of tense negotiations, NATO on Tuesday invited Ukraine to join the alliance at some unspecified point in the future, but only when allies agree that conditions are ripe and that Ukraine has met the qualifications to join. The wording essentially marked a victory for President Biden, who recently declared that “Ukraine isn’t ready for NATO membership.” Just hours before the communiqué was issued, Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine sharply criticized the “uncertainty” over Ukraine’s path to membership in the alliance. Alliance leaders struggled to agree on language about how to describe a timeline and conditions for what everyone agrees will be Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO. The battle inside NATO was not over whether Ukraine would join, but how and under what conditions. Some countries wanted an immediate invitation after the war ends; other countries, like the United States, wanted to avoid any notion that entry would be automatic.

Persons: ”, Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: NATO, Tuesday, Alliance Locations: Ukraine, Russia, United States

☆ NATO Summit 2023: Ukraine's wait for membership -- and Zelensky's frustration -- loom over final day of summit, meeting with Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Betsy Klein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

We’re looking for a continued, united NATO,” Biden said in brief remarks alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the summit site. Participants of the NATO Summit pose for an official photo in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023. NATO first welcomed Ukraine’s membership aspirations during a 2008 meeting in Bucharest, Romania, but little progress has been made and the timeline remains uncertain. Biden and NATO leaders have “unanimously agreed” to send a “substantial” new aid package to Ukraine, Sloat told reporters Wednesday — but she declined to provide additional details. Biden is also set to give a foreign policy speech that his aides have described as a “major address” later on Wednesday, reflecting on the strength and power of the NATO alliance.

Persons: Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Biden, ”, ” Zelensky, Gitanas Nauseda, Olena Zelenska, Kacper Pempel, Jens Stoltenberg, That’s, Stoltenberg, ” Biden, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Amanda Sloat, Sloat, “, ” Sloat, Zelensky’s, Chris Skaluba, Biden’s, ’ Biden Organizations: Lithuania CNN, NATO, Alliance, Reuters, Wednesday, CNN, ” National Security Council, Ukraine ”, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Strategy, Security, Ukraine Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Ukraine, Ukrainian, NATO, Russia, United States, Kyiv, Washington, St, Michael’s, Hiroshima, Japan, Bakhmut, Bucharest, Romania, Eastern Europe, NATO’s

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