DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Putin arrives in Vietnam as Russia seeks support in face of Western isolation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Considered a pariah by the West, Putin is looking to boost economic ties with friendly countries and show that Western isolation is not having an impact. Vietnam was among several Southeast Asian countries that abstained from joining a global summit on Ukraine in Switzerland last week. Last week, Vietnam sent a delegation led by its Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs to attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Summit in Russia. Analysts say Russia is likely to get more out of the visit than Vietnam, and Hanoi may even suffer reputational damage by hosting Putin following his trip to North Korea. “If no substantive deals are made, the visit will mainly be symbolic and a means for Putin and Russia to show the world that Western sanctions against Russia are not working,” said Le.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Putin, Nguyen Phu Trong, Lam, Minh, Yury Ushakov, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, ”, Le Hong Hiep, – Yusof, Le, ” Putin, Xi, –, John Kirby, Anwar Ibrahim Organizations: CNN, West, US, Reuters, Communist Party General, Vietnam’s, Vietnam News Agency, ” TASS, TASS, ”, Vietnam Studies, International Criminal Court, ICC, United Arab, Foreign Ministry, Foreign Affairs, ’ Summit, Analysts, Putin Locations: Hanoi, North Korea, Ukraine, Vietnam, Moscow, United States, China, Russia, Pyongyang, Russian, Soviet, India, US, South China, Switzerland, Beijing, Kazan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Egypt, Malaysia, BRICS, “

☆ Putin arrives in North Korea for first visit in 24 years as anti-West alignment deepens
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Following his visit to North Korea, Putin is scheduled to travel to Hanoi in a display of Communist-governed Vietnam’s ties to Russia that is likely to rankle the United States. Putin’s trip to North Korea will have a “very eventful” agenda, his aide Yuri Ushakov said during a press conference Monday. One image was of a grandstand being constructed on the eastern side of Kim Il Sung Square, the site where all major parades in North Korea are held. Putin arrives in North Korea on Tuesday, June 18. But Russia’s apparent increasing reliance on North Korea and rising frictions with the West appear to have shifted that dynamic.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Putin, Kim, Yuri Ushakov, Ushakov, Kim Il, John Kirby, Biden, wasn’t “, ’ Kim, ” Kim, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin’s, Defense Lloyd Austin, “, ” Putin, Kim Jong Il, Xi Jinping, Michael Mitsanas, Katharina Krebs, Mariya Knight, Yoonjung Seo, Betsy Klein, Paul P, Murphy Organizations: CNN, TASS, Putin, Planet Labs, Maxar Technologies, US, North Korean, North, South Korea’s, Chiefs of Staff, West, Ukrainian, Kyiv, NATO, Ukraine, Defense, Kremlin, United Nations Security, UN Locations: North Korea, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Korean, Korea, Hanoi, Russia, United States, Asia, Moscow, North, Zarubinreporter, South Korea, South, Russia’s, Eurasia, Italy, Kyiv, Russian, Vietnam, Beijing, China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil

☆ Record number of NATO allies expected to hit defense spending target amid war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at the Czernin Palace, in Prague, Czech Republic, May 31, 2024. A record more than 20 NATO member nations are hitting the Western military alliance's defense spending target this year, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, as Russia's war in Ukraine has raised the threat of expanding conflict in Europe. The estimated figure is a nearly fourfold increase from 2021 in the ranks of the 32 NATO members meeting the alliance's defense spending guideline. NATO members agreed last year to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense. But after Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, NATO members unanimously agreed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense within a decade.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Vladimir Putin's, Stoltenberg, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Putin Organizations: NATO, Wilson Center, White House, . Defense, Ukraine's Locations: Prague, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Europe, Washington, Sweden, Finland, Soviet Union, Russia, Ukraine's Crimean

☆ Russia’s Putin to visit North Korea in rare trip as anti-West alignment deepens
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Following his visit to North Korea, Putin will travel to Hanoi Wednesday for another two-day trip, in a display of Communist-governed Vietnam’s ties to Russia that is likely to rankle the United States. Both countries have denied North Korean arms exports. The Kremlin has said that Russia hopes to build a partnership with North Korea “in all possible areas,” according to Russian state media. Putin’s move to bolster North Korean ties has also been a boon for Kim, who remains unbowed by years of international sanctions over his illegal nuclear weapons program. But Russia’s apparent increasing reliance on North Korea and rising frictions with the West appear to have shifted that dynamic.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Putin, Kim, ” Kim, Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin’s, Defense Lloyd Austin, “, ”, ” Putin, Kim Jong Il, Xi Jinping Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Putin, North Korean, Pyongyang –, North, North Korea “, Ukrainian, Kyiv, NATO, Ukraine, Defense, United Nations Security, UN Locations: North Korea, Russian, Ukraine, Pyongyang, Hanoi, Russia, United States, South Korea, Moscow, Korean, Russia’s, Italy, Kyiv, Beijing, China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil

☆ 80 countries at Swiss conference agree territorial integrity of Ukraine must be basis of any peace
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Eighty countries jointly called Sunday for the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia's two-year war, though some key developing nations at a Swiss conference did not join in. Brazil, an "observer" country, did not sign on but Turkey — which has sought to an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine — did. The final document said the U.N. Charter and "respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty … can and will serve as a basis for achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the "first steps toward peace" at the meeting, and said the joint communique remains "open for accession by everyone who respects the U.N. "We all at this table need to do more so that children of Ukraine are back in Ukraine," he added.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Kamala Harris, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, —, Ukraine —, Viola Amherd, Ursula von der Leyen, Putin, Giorgia Meloni, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, it's, Maria Lvova, Belova, Milojko Spajic, I'm Organizations: United, United Arab Emirates, Union's, Analysts, White House, Children's Locations: States, United States, Ukraine, Stansstad, Lucerne, Switzerland, Swiss, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab, Brazil, Turkey, ., China, Gaza, Kyiv, Moscow, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Qatar, Europe, Montenegro

☆ One of Russia's allies says it is quitting Putin's rival to NATO, in the latest snub to the Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA key Russian ally said it's quitting the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a group widely considered to be President Vladimir Putin's answer to NATO. The prime minister told lawmakers: "We will leave. Related storiesTensions have heightened between Russia and Armenia since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Pashinyan has refused to endorse on multiple occasions. Frankopan said the latest development may not end with Armenia leaving the CSTO if negotiations take place.

Persons: —, it's, Vladimir Putin's, Nikol Pashinyan, he'd, Pashinyan, Putin, Pashinyan's, Dmitry Peskov, Peter Frankopan, Frankopan Organizations: Service, Security, Organization, NATO, Armenian, Associated Press, Business, AP, Kremlin, Oxford University, West . Relations, Ukraine —, Azerbaijan, International Criminal Locations: Russian, Russia, Moscow, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Balkans, Azerbaijan

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russian-occupied territory comes under attack; Hungary accused of blocking Ukraine support
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivers his speech at the occasion of Hungary's Revolution and Independence Day outside the Hungarian National Museum on March 15, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary. EU foreign ministers are increasingly frustrated with Hungary's frequent opposition to measures by the bloc that are meant to provide aid to Ukraine and kick start EU accession talks for Kyiv. Lithuania's foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis accused Budapest of implementing a "systematic approach towards any efforts by the EU to have any meaningful role in foreign affairs." The Russian-occupied eastern Ukrainian territory of Luhansk came under attack overnight, Russian officials said, causing a fire and drawing emergency services to the scene. A senior Russian diplomat said he suspected the attack was followed by a second shelling of the area by Ukrainian forces.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Gabrielius Landsbergis Organizations: Hungarian National Museum, Kyiv, EU, CNBC Locations: Budapest, Hungary, Ukraine, Luhansk, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ Raisi’s funeral is about a lot more than the late Iranian president
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Unlike previous Iranian presidents, Raisi seemed content to serve as an empty vessel that carried out the reactionary policies of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the final arbiter on policymaking. So, when foreign dignitaries from a whopping 68 countries gathered for Raisi’s funeral on Thursday, they may not have been preoccupied with thoughts of the late president. Iranians follow a truck carrying the coffins of the late President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions during a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran. “This (funeral) is a way for countries to show the progress they have made in repairing relations with Iran,” said Parsi. He could also decide to change tack, opening it up so that Iran’s next president enjoys broad popular support.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi’s, Raisi, Ali Khamenei, Hassan Rouhani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad –, Qassem Soleimani, Quincy Institute Trita Parsi, –, Ismail Haniyeh, Ebrahim Raisi, Majid Saeedi, Donald Trump, ”, Khamenei, “, ” Mohammad Ali Shabani, Amwaj.media, CNN’s Becky Anderson, that’s Organizations: CNN, Quincy Institute Trita, United Arab, Getty, Obama, country’s Guardian Council, Supreme Locations: East, Iran, ” Washington, Gaza, Tehran, Israel, Damascus, Turkey, India, China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Kuwait, Europe, Islamic Republic, country’s

☆ Australia, New Zealand to send evacuation flights to New Caledonia amid unrest
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Australia and New Zealand said they will send government planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to evacuate nationals from the French territory which has experienced a week of deadly riots, sparked by electoral changes by the French government in Paris. France's High Commission in New Caledonia said on Tuesday the airport remains closed for commercial flights, and it will deploy the military to protect public buildings. There were around 3,200 people waiting to leave or enter New Caledonia as commercial flights were cancelled due to the unrest that broke out last week, the local government has said. New Zealand, French and Australian foreign ministers held a call on Monday evening, after New Zealand and Australia said they were waiting for clearance from French authorities to send defense aircraft to evacuate tourists. A meeting of France's defense council later agreed for arrangements to allow tourists to return home.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron Organizations: Commission, New Locations: New Caledonia, Elysee, Paris, Australia, New Zealand, France's, France, Noumea

☆ New Caledonia riots: Australia, New Zealand send evacuation flights after week of deadly violence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Sydney/Wellington —Australia and New Zealand said they will send government planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to evacuate nationals from the French territory which has experienced a week of deadly riots, sparked by electoral changes by the French government in Paris. France’s High Commission in New Caledonia said on Tuesday the airport remains closed for commercial flights, and it will deploy the military to protect public buildings. There were around 3,200 people waiting to leave or enter New Caledonia as commercial flights were canceled due to the unrest that broke out last week, the local government has said. Theo Rouby/AFP/Getty ImagesNew Zealand, French and Australian foreign ministers held a call on Monday evening, after New Zealand and Australia said they were waiting for clearance from French authorities to send defense aircraft to evacuate tourists. “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days – and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the government,” New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.

Persons: Theo Rouby, Winston Peters, “, Penny Wong Organizations: Sydney, Wellington —, Commission, Getty, New, ” New Zealand Foreign, Australia’s Locations: Wellington, Wellington — Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Paris, France’s, France, Normandy, Noumea, AFP, Zealand, Australia, “, Zealanders, Nouméa, ”

☆ Georgia president holds talks on 'how to save' the country as U.S., EU and NATO decry 'Russian law'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili delivers a speech during an gathering celebrating Europe Day outside her residence in Tbilisi on May 9, 2024. (Photo by Vano SHLAMOV / AFP) (Photo by VANO SHLAMOV/AFP via Getty Images)Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Wednesday held talks with European ministers to urgently discuss "how to save" the country, shortly after lawmakers adopted a deeply divisive Russia-style foreign influence bill. The U.S., European Union, NATO and the United Nations have all issued statements expressing concern about Georgia's new legislation, which opposition lawmakers have denounced as the "Russian law." Georgian lawmakers on Tuesday approved the legislation, with 84 members of the country's 150-member law-making body voting in favor. "On the agenda today is the following issue: how to save Georgia," Zourabichvili said, according to a translation.

Persons: Salome Zurabishvili, Vano SHLAMOV, VANO SHLAMOV, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili Organizations: Getty Images, Wednesday, Union, NATO, United Nations, EU Locations: Europe, Tbilisi, AFP, Russia, U.S, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Iceland, Georgia

☆ US says Russia used choking agents against Ukrainian troops, breaching chemical weapons ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident, and is probably driven by Russian forces’ desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield,” it said. Russia has previously denied using chemical weapons. The US has previously warned Russia against chemical warfare in Ukraine; in March 2022, a month after the invasion began, President Joe Biden said that NATO would respond if Russia used chemical weapons in Ukraine. The use of chemical weapons is banned by international law. Russia has signed those treaties and claims it doesn’t have chemical weapons, but the country has already been linked to the use of nerve agents against critics in recent years.

Persons: Ukraine’s, Chloropicrin, Joe Biden, Mallory Stewart, Sergei Skripal, Alexey Navalny –, Vladimir Putin, Navalny Organizations: CNN, US State Department, Ukrainian, Chemical Weapons Convention, CWC, Russian Embassy, CDC, State Department, United, United Arab Emirates, US, NATO Locations: United States, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Netherlands, China, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey, United Arab, Moscow, Ukrainian, Siberia

☆ EU raids offices of Chinese security equipment maker in subsidy probe
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —European Union officials have raided the offices of a Chinese company as part of a probe into subsidies, exposing rising tensions between the bloc and one of its biggest trading partners. The European Commission said Tuesday that it carried out “unannounced inspections” at the premises of a company making and selling security equipment in Europe, which it suspects may have benefited unduly from state subsidies. “The commission has indications that the inspected company may have received foreign subsidies that could distort the (EU’s) internal market,” the EU’s executive body said in a statement on its website. The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU said Wednesday that it had been informed that a Chinese company was the target of the investigation. The Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which came into force last July, is aimed at addressing market distortions caused by subsidies from foreign governments and ensuring that EU companies are competing on a level playing field.

Persons: “, ”, ” Ursula von der Leyen, Janet Yellen Organizations: London CNN — European Union, European Commission, China Chamber of Commerce, EU, CNN Locations: Europe, Poland, Netherlands, Romania, China, Puglia, Italy, United States, Beijing

☆ The US is weighing using the power of the dollar to stop Chinese banks aiding Russia — but its plan could backfire
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese banks are helping to aid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US alleges. The US is considering sanctions to cut Chinese banks off from the dollar, according to The Wall Street Journal. AdvertisementThe US is drawing up sanctions that could cause some Chinese banks to lose access to the dollar, according to The Wall Street Journal. In response to previous sanctions, Russia and China intensified efforts to create exchange mechanisms that don't rely on the dollar. Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center think tank, told The Wall Street Journal that regional Chinese banks had emerged that had little involvement in dollar exchanges.

Persons: —, Antony Blinken, Alexandra Prokopenko, Prokopenko, Maria Snegovaya Organizations: Wall Street, Service, Reuters, Financial, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Ukraine, China, Russia, Italy, Russian

☆ Israel Planned Bigger Attack on Iran, but Scaled It Back to Avoid War
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Ronen Bergman | Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel abandoned plans for a much more extensive counterstrike on Iran after concerted diplomatic pressure from the United States and other foreign allies and because the brunt of an Iranian assault on Israel soil had been thwarted, according to three senior Israeli officials. Israeli leaders originally discussed bombarding several military targets across Iran last week, including near Tehran, the Iranian capital, in retaliation for the Iranian strike on April 13, said the officials, who spoke on the discussion of anonymity to describe the sensitive discussions. Such a broad and damaging attack would have been far harder for Iran to overlook, increasing the chances of a forceful Iranian counterattack that could have brought the Middle East to the brink of a major regional conflict. In the end — after President Biden, along with the British and German foreign ministers, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent a wider war — Israel opted for a more limited strike on Friday that avoided significant damage, diminishing the likelihood of an escalation, at least for now.

Persons: Israel, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu Locations: Iran, United States, Israel, Tehran

☆ Rough Seas for Blinken and Co. as Israel, Iran and Ukraine Cloud G7 Meeting
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rough seas were a fitting symbol for this week’s meeting of Group of 7 foreign ministers on the Italian island of Capri. Coast Guard ships that ferried V.I.P.s across the Gulf of Naples to the island on Wednesday swayed precariously, leaving the passengers reaching for their motion-sickness medicine — and, in some cases, their sick bags. Though no ministers from this elite international coalition, including Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, were known to have lost their lunch, the global problems they confronted were enough to make even a seasoned diplomat queasy: the risk of war between Iran and Israel, the nightmare in Gaza and Ukraine’s uncertain fate. At the luxurious Grand Hotel Quisisana, Mr. Blinken came determined to project unity within a group that includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union. First created to help stabilize the world economy, the G7 has grown more active and ambitious in recent years, seeking to shape geopolitics and to be “a steering committee for the world’s most advanced democracies,” as Mr. Blinken put it in a closing news conference on Friday.

Persons: precariously, Antony J, Blinken, queasy Organizations: Coast Guard, European Union Locations: Capri, of Naples, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United States

☆ Israeli and Iranian strikes transform Middle East geopolitics
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Israel and Iran have now thrust the Middle East into a dangerous new era by erasing the taboo against overt military strikes on one another’s territory. Most immediately, the ball is in Iran’s court after Israel conducted strikes near the city of Isfahan early Friday. Initial reports suggest that the action was limited and, according to US officials, did not target Iranian nuclear sites in the area. Hours before the Israeli strikes, for instance, Iran had warned that any Israeli attack would be met with a robust response. “I do think it sends a message to Tehran that really they are more vulnerable to Israeli strikes than they would like to admit,” Davis said.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, John Kennedy, Netanyahu, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden’s, it’s, Antony Blinken, Donald Trump, ” Aaron David Miller, ” Israel, they’d, Malcolm Davis, CNN’s Michael Holmes, ” Davis, Israel – Organizations: CNN, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s, Cuban, Israel, American, Hamas, Republicans, Democratic, US, Australian Strategic Policy Institute Locations: CNN — Israel, Iran, Isfahan, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Damascus, Gaza, United States, Washington, Italy, Lebanon, Tehran

☆ Blinken Heads to G7 Meeting for Talks on Israel and Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken arrived in Italy on Wednesday for a gathering of foreign ministers from the Group of 7 nations at which the Middle East turmoil and the fate of Ukraine will be central topics. The meeting will take place as world leaders try to contain the growing fallout from the war between Israel and Hamas. At the opening session, the officials will also discuss Israel’s invasion of Gaza and international efforts to reach a cease-fire deal. The G7 is a conference of seven industrialized democracies — Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Britain and the United States — as well as representatives of the European Union. The meeting, which is being held on the Mediterranean island of Capri, is a prelude to a summit of G7 leaders scheduled for mid-June in Puglia, Italy.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Israel Organizations: United, United States —, European Union Locations: Italy, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Britain, United States, Capri, Puglia

☆ The West urges China to intervene with Iran amid fears of a direct attack on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Iranians attend a funeral procession in Tehran, held for seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike in Syria. Western diplomats have mounted pressure on China to prevent Iran from escalating tensions in the Middle East with a direct retaliatory strike against Israel. U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken earlier this week spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other counterparts in Turkey and Saudi Arabia amid rising fears of retaliation by Tehran against Israel. Beijing is a critical trade partner of Russia and Iran as one of the last recipients of their oil exports. The three countries are also members of the China-led BRICS coalition of emerging markets.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Blinken, Matthew Miller, it's, Olaf Scholz Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Israel, U.S, Chinese Foreign, U.S . State, BRICS Locations: Tehran, Syria, China, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel, U.S, Germany, Beijing, Russia

☆ The $100bn Ukraine support fund was well received at last week’s NATO foreign ministers meeting, NATO deputy secretary-general says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe $100bn Ukraine support fund was well received at last week’s NATO foreign ministers meeting, NATO deputy secretary-general saysNATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoană discusses support for Ukraine, Russia's threat to the coalition and burden-sharing among NATO allies.

Persons: Mircea Geoană Organizations: NATO, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine

☆ Western officials warn munition shortages could be catastrophic for Ukraine as US stalls on providing more aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Ukrainian military is “experiencing shortages in air defense munitions, mostly in the medium to long range,” a NATO official said on Wednesday. Last fall, the administration asked Congress for more than $60 billion in additional funds to help support Ukraine, but more than 6 months later the funding has not passed amid opposition from Republican lawmakers. And the separate shortages of artillery ammunition could be “potentially catastrophic” for Ukraine in the short term, the official added. The NATO official said that as of now, Russia appears to lack the necessary maneuver units to mount such a large-scale, successful attack. That is why they believe it is critical for the west to continue to support Ukraine through this period of attrition.

Persons: “ It’s, Jens Stoltenberg, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s, Olha Stefanishyna, Stoltenberg, Donald Trump, ” Stoltenberg, Kylie Atwood Organizations: CNN, NATO, Patriots, Republican, ” Energy, “, Pentagon, Ukraine Contact Defense, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Brussels, Avdiivka, Russian, Belarus

☆ Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Russian drone attack kills rescue workers in Kharkiv; Russia says NATO dialog at 'zero' but does not seek conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Military experts operate at the site of a Russian aerial bombing of a high-rise residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district on March 27, 2024 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv early Friday morning killed at least four people, including three rescue workers, and injured 12 more, according to Ukrainian officials. A repeat attack on a separate area of Ukraine's second-largest city killed three rescue workers who had arrived on the scene after the first strike, he added. As NATO foreign ministers gather in Brussels to mark the defense alliance's 75th anniversary, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told state news agency RIA that dialog with Moscow had been reduced to a "critical zero" by Washington and Brussels. Grushko reportedly said relations were "predictably and deliberately" deteriorating, but that Russia has no intention of entering into open conflict with any NATO member.

Persons: Igor Terekhov, Alexander Grushko, Grushko Organizations: Kharkiv, NATO Locations: Shevchenkivskyi, Kharkiv, Ukraine, Russian, Brussels, Moscow, Washington, Russia

☆ Ukraine war live updates: NATO chief floats 100 billion euro fund for Kyiv; Ukraine shoots down 4 Russian drones overnight
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press conference at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, October 11, 2023. NATO foreign ministers are gathering in Brussels, where the alliance's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is proposing a five-year, 100 billion euro ($107 billion) military and fund for Ukraine. It is not yet clear where the money would come from. The U.K.'s Foreign Minister David Cameron meanwhile is urging member states to invest more in defense and increase industrial production, saying it is necessary if the alliance wants Ukraine to defeat Russia. Elsewhere, Ukraine's air defenses shot down four Iranian-made Shahen drones fired from Russia overnight, its air force said in a statement.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, David Cameron meanwhile Organizations: NATO, International Monetary Fund, Bank Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Brussels, Ukraine, Russia

☆ NATO’s next challenge: How to reverse years of underfunding defense
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

For over a decade, allies have chronically underspent on defense while the West’s adversaries modernized and bolstered their own military capabilities. Defense spending stayed low across the West not just because of budget pressures, but also because everyone – including the US – was frightened to provoke Russia. However, the nature of NATO allies’ support for Ukraine – much of it direct military support – has exposed the vulnerability that years of underfunding has caused the alliance. Fabian Bimmer/Pool/ReutersThis means that the challenge in front of NATO allies now is not just how can they meet the demand for weapons coming from Ukraine, but how do they reverse years of underfunding their own defenses? Some allies don’t trust that others will be quite so generous with defense spending if the Russia-Ukraine war were to end.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Murat Kula, ”, ” John Herbst, Antony Blinken, Ulf Kristersson, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, underfunding, It’s, Herbst, NATO’s, –, Jens Stoltenberg, Olaf Scholz, Fabian Bimmer, Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Peter Ricketts, Douglas Lute, “ Organizations: CNN, NATO, Turkish, Anadolu Agency, Pentagon, “, Swedish, US State Department, Getty, Ukraine, Rheinmetall, Trump Locations: Soviet, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, United States, British, Vilnius, Russia, Kyiv, Europe, Germany, AFP, North Korea, Iran, Washington, Unterluess, Baltic, Brussels, Finland, Sweden, NATO

☆ NATO looking at options to shore up long-term support for Ukraine amid concerns about Trump winning November’s election
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that the alliance needs to commit to providing more support for Ukraine and rely less on voluntary contributions. This move would mean that Trump winning the presidency would have less of an impact on the mechanics of getting necessary weapons support into the country from dozens of nations around the globe. Politico was first to report on NATO considering taking these steps. Another ongoing push is for NATO countries to independently establish their own commitments with Ukraine, explained one of the sources. This would mean that not all Ukraine support gets funneled through NATO – creating sources of funding that could not be disrupted by individual alliance members.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, ”, Donald Trump, Stoltenberg, CNN’s Louis Mian, Eve Brennan Organizations: CNN, NATO, Kyiv, Ukraine, Trump, Pentagon, Ukraine Contact Defense, Politico Locations: Ukraine, European, Russia, Brussels

Search resuls for: "Foreign Ministers"

25 mentions found