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☆ Putin says Russia does not reject talks with Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Russia's President Vladimir Putin gestures during a press conference following the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 29, 2023. Sergei Bobylyov/TASS Host Photo Agency via REUTERSJuly 29 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that an African initiative could be a basis for peace in Ukraine but that Ukrainian attacks made it hard to realise. "There are provisions of this peace initiative that are being implemented," he said. Putin said that one of the points in the initiative was a ceasefire. On the question of starting peace talks, he said, "We did not reject them...

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Bobylyov, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Alistair Bell Organizations: Agency, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, Ukraine, St Petersburg, Moscow

Chicago wheat futures , a benchmark of global prices, have risen around 20% since Russia ended the deal on July 17. It's absolutely an important national security issue for a lot of these African countries," he said. Putin says Russia is expecting a record harvest this year and is ready to fill the gap for African countries by supplying grain both commercially and for free. Dizolele said, noting that Russia backed African countries at the U.N., had defence and security agreements with some of them and gave scholarships to their students. But Putin's response, when Ramaphosa and other African leaders presented the proposal to him last month, was to repeat a familiar list of accusations against Ukraine and the West.

Persons: Anton Vaganov, Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Mvemba Dizolele, Samuel Ramani, RUSI, Dizolele, WAGNER, Cyril Ramaphosa, Ramani, Mark Trevelyan, Joe Bavier, Carien du, Tom Balmforth, Michelle Nichols, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Saint, REUTERS, Putin, Kremlin, U.S, Africa, Washington -, Strategic, International Studies, International Criminal Court, Treasury, Central African, Ukraine, South, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Isaac's, central Saint Petersburg, Black, Russian, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Chicago, Washington, Turkey, Qatar, Moscow, United States, Kenya, Somalia, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, West, London, Johannesburg, Carien du Plessis

☆ UN could start removing oil this week from decaying Yemen tanker
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The Nautica, a replacement oil tanker for the decaying FSO Safer, arrives in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 17, 2023. REUTERS/Adel al-KhadherUNITED NATIONS, July 18 (Reuters) - An operation to start removing some 1.1 million barrels of oil from a decaying tanker moored off Yemen's coast could start by the end of the week, the United Nations said on Tuesday. U.N. officials have been warning for years that the Red Sea and Yemen's coastline were at risk as the tanker Safer could spill four times as much oil as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska. Another vessel is already alongside the Safer to help with the transfer of oil. Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Iran-aligned Houthi group ousted the government from the capital Sanaa in late 2014.

Persons: U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Michelle Nichols Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Red, Hodeidah, Yemen, Adel, Alaska, U.N, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Tehran

Russia said at the time that the warrant was "outrageous" and legally void because Russia is not an ICC member. The Kremlin has yet to say publicly if Putin intends to go to the summit. In Saturday's statement it said Ramaphosa had briefed Putin about preparations for the event, but did not give details of their exchange. On the grain deal, which expires on Monday unless Russia agrees to extend it, Putin reiterated to Ramaphosa that commitments to remove obstacles to Russian food and fertiliser exports had not yet been fulfilled, the Kremlin said. Russia has threatened to quit the deal before, however, only to renew it at the last minute.

Persons: Ramaphosa, Putin, S.Africa, Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kopano, Clelia Organizations: Kremlin ICC, South, Kremlin, Putin, International Criminal Court, ICC, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Russia, South Africa, Brazil, India, China, Ukraine, Moscow

Only Cambodia has so far officially confirmed it intended to attend the talks. Myanmar's junta spokesman could not be reached for comment on Sunday. Thailand's foreign ministry was tight-lipped about exactly who was attending the two-day gathering in the resort town of Pattaya, for which outgoing Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai sent invitation letters just four days before its start. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn was to attend the meeting, his government said in a statement on Friday. Vietnam's government said its foreign minister would not attend "due to a prior engagement".

Persons: Nobel, Aung, Myanmar's, Swe, Don Pramudwinai, Don, Prak Sokhonn, Vivian Balakrishnan, Nantiwat Samart, Suu Kyi's, Panu, Phuong Nguyen, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Poppy McPherson, Devjyot, Kay Johnson, William Mallard Organizations: Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Reuters, Cambodian, Nation TV, National Unity Government, Thai, Ananda, Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, Cambodia, Suu, Thailand, Pattaya, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Thai, ASEAN, Malaysia, Philippines, Bangkok, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Shoon

[1/5] Ukrainian service members are seen on their position at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine June 18, 2023. "The enemy's 'wave-like' offensives yielded results, despite enormous losses," the official, Vladimir Rogov, said on the Telegram messaging app. A separate statement from Russia's Vostok group of forces said Ukraine had failed to take the settlement. Ukrainian officials have imposed an information blackout to help operational security, but say that Russia has suffered much greater losses than Ukraine has during its new assault. "In all these areas, Ukraine continues to pursue offensive operations and has made small advances," it said on Twitter.

Persons: Anna Kudriavtseva, Piatykhatky, Vladimir Rogov, Russia's, Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Putin, Ramaphosa, Dmitry Peskov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Antonio Guterres, Hola Prystan, Tamara, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, Wendell Roelf, Mark Trevelyan, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Ukrainian, Twitter, South, Initiative, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk region, Ukrainian, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Russian, Donetsk, Kherson, Bakhmut, St Petersburg, Africa, Hola, London

☆ Ukraine tells African mission no peace talks with Russia before withdrawal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after meeting African leaders in Kyiv on Friday that peace talks with Russia would be possible only after Moscow withdraws its forces from occupied Ukrainian territory. Zelenskyy added that he failed to understand what could be gained from the leaders meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday in St. Petersburg. "We need real peace, and therefore, a real withdrawal of Russian troops from our entire independent land." Ukraine stood by its own peace initiative, based on a complete Russian withdrawal, but invited the African leaders to take part in an international peace summit that is being drawn up. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the leaders had come "to share the African perspective" and saw talks with Russia as part of the mission.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy, Cyril Ramaphosa, Nelson Mandela Organizations: Moscow Locations: Kyiv, Russia, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, South Africa, Comoros

☆ African leaders meet with Putin as part of their 'peace mission' to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —African leaders hoping to mediate in the Ukraine war met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg Saturday. The delegation aims to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table despite both of them playing down the possibility. Many African countries have been impacted by the Ukraine war, well into its second year, in particular with grain prices soaring. A statement released by the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed his arrival in St. Petersburg, alongside the leaders of Zambia, the Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Egypt, Senegal, and Uganda. The leaders visited Kyiv on Friday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ramaphosa, Zelensky, ” Organizations: CNN, Petersburg, South, Kyiv, Ukrainian, United Nations General Assembly Locations: Ukraine, Russian, St, St . Petersburg, Zambia, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Egypt, Senegal, Uganda, Russia, Africa, Kyiv, “

☆ Kremlin says Putin open to any contacts on 'Ukrainian problem'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 16 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is still open to any contacts to discuss a resolution of the Ukraine conflict, Russian news agencies reported. "President Putin was and is open to any contacts to discuss possible scenarios for solving the Ukrainian problem," Interfax quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. Russia has long said it is open to negotiations, but says Ukraine must recognise the "new realities" on the ground, where its forces control some 18% of Ukrainian territory. Ukraine says its own peace plan, which envisages the withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian land, must be the basis for any settlement of the war. The African delegation was due to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday before meeting Putin in St Petersburg on Saturday.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Crimea, St Petersburg

CNN —An African delegation on a peace mission to Ukraine headed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was greeted with explosions and forced to shelter in bunkers amid air strikes on the capital Kyiv. The African leaders are expected to travel to Russia Saturday to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin. “Russia’s missile attack took place just as African leaders arrived in the capital,” Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said Friday. He has also come under fire after the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, said South Africa supplied arms to Russia in December last year. He added that the future of this agreement would be discussed at his meeting with the African leaders on Saturday.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, “, ” Andriy Yermak, “ Putin, ”, Joe Biden, Antonio Guterres, ” Yermak, ” Ramaphosa, Macky Sall, Hichilema, Azali Assoumani, Andriy Kostin, Valentyn Ogirenko, Andrzej Duda, Ramaphosa, Reuben Brigety, Vincent Magwenya, Putin, Moscow, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, South, UN, Russia, Ukraine's, Reuters, Polish Border Guard, United Nations General Assembly Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, ”, Senegal, Zambia, Comoros, Egypt, Congo, Uganda, Africa, Bucha, Poland’s, Warsaw, Poland, South Africa, America, Latin America

"The internal dynamic of this war is a bit beyond what an external actor can really influence". After the latest 24-hour truce expired on Sunday, residents in Khartoum and capital area reported fresh artillery fire and clashes. The United States and Saudi Arabia, which lies across the Red Sea from Sudan, have sponsored talks in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. EXODUSThe failure of talks has put the nation, which was already reliant on aid, in a perilous humanitarian state. It could take generations to try to put back together," said Alan Boswell, Horn of Africa Director for Crisis Group.

Persons: Magdi El, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Mohamed Mokhtar, Hemedti, Mokhtar, Omar al, Bashir, Mahasin Ibrahim, Alan Boswell, Horn, Aidan Lewis, Khalid Abdelaziz, Daphne Psaledakis, Nafisa, Edmund Blair, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Rapid Response Forces, United Arab Emirates, Valley Institute, U.S . State Department, Reuters, Crisis, Thomson Locations: Jeddah, Khartoum, CAIRO, truces, United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi, UAE, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, African Union, KHARTOUM, Omdurman, Bahri, Darfur, North Kordofan, Port Sudan, El Geneina, Chad, Sudanese, Africa, East, Europe, Dubai, Washington

☆ Operation to empty Yemen Safer oil tanker set to begin, UN says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, May 30 (Reuters) - Operations to salvage 1.1 million barrels of oil from a decaying tanker moored off Yemen's coast will soon begin after a technical support ship arrived on site on Tuesday, the United Nations said. U.N. officials have been warning for years that the Red Sea and Yemen's coastline was at risk as the Safer tanker could spill four times as much oil as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska. The Ndeavor tanker, with a technical team from Boskalis/SMIT, is in place at the Safer tanker off the coast of Yemen's Ras Isa, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen David Gressley said on Twitter from on board the Ndeavor. The war in Yemen caused suspension of maintenance operations on the Safer in 2015. Additional funding is still important to finish the process," the U.N said on its Yemen Twitter account.

Persons: U.N, SMIT, Yemen's Ras Isa, Yemen David Gressley, Muhammad Yusuf The, Nayera Abdallah, Lisa Barrington, Bill Berkrot Organizations: United Nations, Boskalis, Twitter, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Alaska, Yemen's, Yemen, Ras Issa, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Tehran

☆ Ukraine peace plan is only way to end Russia's war, says Zelenskiy aide
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

He pushed back on a flurry of peace initiatives from China, Brazil, the Vatican and South Africa in recent months. "There cannot be a Brazilian peace plan, a Chinese peace plan, a South African peace plan when you are talking about the war in Ukraine," Zhovkva said in an interview late on Friday. Zelenskiy made a major push to court the Global South this month in response to peace moves from some of its members. Moscow has bolstered ties with Global South powers during the war in Ukraine, including by selling more of its energy to India and China. 'PEACE SUMMIT'Zhovkva said the reaction to Ukraine's 10-point peace plan had been extremely positive at the G7 summit.

One presidential candidate from a small party, Muharrem Ince, withdrew on Thursday citing a faked "character assassination" carried out online. "We find it unacceptable for another country to interfere in Turkey's election process in favour of a political party. [1/4] FILE PHOTO-Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition alliance, greets his supporters during a rally ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Tekirdag, Turkey April 27, 2023. Kilicdaroglu said a fundamental problem of Turkey's foreign policy in Erdogan's AK Party (AKP) tenure was the exclusion of the foreign ministry from the policy-making process. Turkey, Kilicdaroglu said, will pursue a peace-oriented foreign policy that prioritises its national interest and acts in line with the modern world.

☆ Pope meets Moscow Church official after puzzling peace 'mission' comment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Pope Francis greets Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, May 3, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, May 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday spoke to a top member of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) days after the pontiff made an intriguing but puzzling comment about the Vatican being involved in a mission to try to end the war in Ukraine. Francis added that he had spoken about Ukraine with Orban and with Metropolitan Hilarion, the chief representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Budapest and Anthony's predecessor as head of the ROC's external relations. Francis, 86, has said previously that he wants to visit Kyiv but also Moscow on a peace mission. He also said he had repeated a standing invitation for the pope to visit Kyiv.

[1/3] People protest outside the embassy of Brazil in Portugal over Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's position on Russia-Ukraine war as he arrives in the country for a state visit in Lisbon, Portugal, April 21, 2023. Two Brazilian officials told Reuters on Thursday that Lula - keen to protect Brazil's neutrality - was expected to avoid criticism of the Western role in the Ukraine war during his visit to Portugal. "Brazil and president Lula have a vocation for peace and the president will work to unite other countries to seek an alternative to end this conflict", Macedo told reporters after receiving the letter. On Tuesday, Ukraine invited Lula to visit, a day after Lula had met with Russia's foreign minister in Brasilia. Asked if the president would visit Ukraine, Macedo said Lula's foreign policy adviser, Celso Amorim, would go.

The remarks brought a strong retort from Washington, where a White House spokesman accused Lula of "parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda." Lula is a pragmatic politician," one of the diplomats told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. Lula has suggested Ukraine needs to make concessions to end the war and Russia could return recently invaded territory but keep Crimea. The European Union has also rejected Lula's suggestion that both Ukraine and Russia are to blame for the war. Earlier this year, Lula turned down a reported German request to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine.

Speaking at a lunch with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Lula said a group of neutral nations must come together to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine. A White House spokesman accused Lula of "parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without looking at the facts." Lula has pitched himself as a peace broker to end the war, which began when Russia invaded the neighboring country in February 2022. The European Union has also rejected Lula's suggestion that both Ukraine and Russia are to blame for the war. Among Western nations so far, only French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed Lula's peace initiative.

[1/4] Head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, meets with Saudi and Omani delegations at the Republican Palace in Sanaa, Yemen April 9, 2023. Another Houthi official, Abdulmalik Alejri, said on Twitter that "with determination and honest intentions remaining difficulties can be resolved". STICKING POINTSTwo Yemeni sources, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the parties could agree on an extended truce deal as they work out remaining differences. The United Nations and the PLC are not directly part of the Saudi-Houthi talks. The PLC was created to solidify the anti-Houthi bloc but has been beset by differences among Yemeni factions.

☆ Explainer: What is the Good Friday Agreement and when was it signed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - The Good Friday Agreement largely ended the "Troubles", three decades of violence that had racked Northern Ireland since the late 1960s. It was signed on April 10, 1998 - which fell that year on Good Friday in the Christian Easter holiday. The deal was formally two interlinked agreements: a treaty between the British and Irish governments and an agreement between the Northern Irish parties. "North-south" bodies were created to encourage cooperation between Northern Ireland and Ireland, while "east-west" institutions linked Britain and Ireland. Overall, Northern Ireland has enjoyed peace for much of the 25 years since the agreement was signed, with only a small number of splinter groups involved in sporadic attacks.

☆ Top diplomats, former UN officials seek to fix 'Wild West' of peacemaking
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But the framework's proponents, who have just completed a two-year consultation period in dozens of countries, say today's peace brokers are applying the wrong strategy. "You could say 'Why the hell are people talking about peace when the whole thing falls apart?' "Right now the peacemaking space is like the Wild West," said Hiba Qasas, the executive director of the Principles for Peace Initiative, who is Palestinian and a former U.N. official. Current shortcomings are widely acknowledged and U.N. chief Antonio Guterres is working on a so-called "New Agenda For Peace" this year. (This story has been corrected to change "UN officials" to "former UN officials" in the headline)Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

CNN —FIFA announced on Thursday that shared flights have been organized to permit Israeli and Palestinian fans into Qatar to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The temporary direct charter flights between Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, represent the only official direct flights between the two nations. READ: Qatar World Cup ‘is a mistake,’ says former FIFA President Sepp BlatterThe Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alon Ushpiz, said: “Today’s announcement will allow Israeli citizens to freely travel to Qatar and attend matches at the World Cup. We have always said that anyone with a World Cup match ticket will be allowed to enter Qatar. Because of this agreement, Palestinians will now be able to enjoy the first World Cup in the Arab and Muslim world.”The 2022 FIFA World Cup runs from November 20 through December 18.

Asked about the peaceful proceedings, Ruto said that the situation has been improving since 2007, and the next election will be even better. Amanpour later asked whether outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, who supported Odinga's election bid despite Ruto being his vice-president, had been in touch since the election. "Unfortunately, President Kenyatta has not seen it fit to congratulate me," he said. Amanpour later quizzed Ruto on human rights, particularly his previous comments that there was "no room" for homosexuality in Kenyan society. Amanpour also pressed Ruto on his controversial promise to deport Chinese people from Kenya, but the President-elect argued that he had been taken out of context.

His comments have given fuel to the growing interest in a one-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as negotiations to create a sovereign Palestinian state have achieved little in recent years. But such a process insists on a sovereign Palestinian state. 01:18 - Source: CNNThe idea of the two-state solution sounds simple enough – an Israeli state next to a Palestinian state, existing side by side in peace. OPINION: What Trump’s meeting with Abbas meansWhat would a one-state solution look like? It is land that Palestinians, along with the international community, view as territory for a future Palestinian state.

Persons: Donald Trump, Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday, Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ” Trump, Netanyahu, Obama, Abbas, Kerry, Israel, Israel doesn’t, MUSA, CNN Trump, David Friedman, Jason Greenblatt, Jared Kushner, CNN Abbas ’, Abbas ’, It’s, ”, Mohammed Shtayyeh, Zakaria, –, it’s Organizations: CNN, Palestinian, White, Israeli, Israel, West Bank, AFP, Getty, UN, Trump, New, State Department, Fatah Central Committee, Initiative, Arab, Oslo Peace Locations: Israel, Washington, Palestinian, Jerusalem, Gaza, Bank, AFP, East Jerusalem, Trump’s, New York, Trump's, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Hamas, Israel’s, Oslo

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