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☆ Putin meets 'dear friend' Xi in Kremlin as Ukraine war grinds on
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 20, 2023. Putin and Xi greeted one another as "dear friend" when they met in the Kremlin on Monday, and Russian state news agencies later reported they held informal talks for nearly 4-1/2 hours, with more official talks scheduled for Tuesday. In televised comments, Putin told Xi he viewed China's proposals for resolution of the Ukraine conflict with respect. Xi, for his part, praised Putin and predicted Russians would re-elect him next year. Putin signed a "no limits" partnership with Xi last year shortly before the Kremlin leader ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

Neither Moscow nor Beijing are members of the ICC, whose action the Kremlin said was outrageous but legally void. "Either they do nothing and risk seeing Russia humiliated in Ukraine, which is not in China’s interest. Or they come to Russia’s aid and risk a much bigger deterioration in their relationship with the United States and other Western countries," he said in a telephone interview. We welcome China's willingness to play a constructive role in resolving the crisis," Putin said. The United States has reacted with extreme scepticism to China's involvement, given its refusal to condemn Russia's invasion.

☆ U.S. Seeks to Head Off Any Chinese Call for Cease-Fire in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Charles Hutzler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. is trying to head off a potential proposal from Beijing for a cease-fire in Ukraine ahead of a Russia-China summit, saying suspending fighting now would help solidify Russia’s hold on Ukrainian territory. With Chinese leader Xi Jinping due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week, the White House expressed concern Friday about China’s deepening ties with Russia during the Ukraine war. That makes a potential call for a cease-fire a one-sided proposal to Russia’s benefit, said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

☆ Poland says it will send MiG fighter jets to Ukraine 'in the next few days'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Poland will be the first NATO member to supply about a dozen fighter jets to Ukraine. This makes Poland the first NATO member to supply fighter jets to Ukraine. This plea for fighter jets has been a longstanding request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But Poland's decision to supply military jets to Ukraine may not push other allies to do the same. A White House representative said President Joe Biden has not changed his mind on not giving Ukraine fighter jets.

☆ Video appears to show Russian Wagner troops shooting their own comrade, shoving each other into enemy fire in chaotic trench battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A video from Ukraine shows a chaotic trench battle in the contested city of Bakhmut. A Ukrainian official said it showed Ukraine reclaiming territory from Russia's Wagner mercenaries. Gerashchenko quoted a soldier who sent him the video, saying it shows Ukrainian soldiers retaking a trench from Russian forces. Wagner group soldiers have been particularly involved in the battle for Bakhmut. The Wagner group took on a growing role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine as the country's army struggled to take over the country.

☆ US releases video it says shows Russian fighter jet taking down Reaper drone over the Black Sea in a 'reckless' intercept
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US released footage of a Russian jet forcing down one of its Reaper drones over the Black sea. The video shows a jet flying up to the drone and dumping fuel, and the drone's propeller getting damaged. 00:09 A Russian jet passes over the drone while releasing fuel, and the video transmission is disrupted. 00:27: A Russian jet starts to release fuel as it approaches the drone, and then starts to pass even closer to the drone. A composite image showing the rear of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone before and after the US military says a Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with it.

☆ U.S. drone may not be recovered from Black Sea after Russian interception -White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Doina Chiacu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In the first such incident since the Ukraine war began, Russian Su-27 jets struck the propeller of the unmanned drone and made it inoperable, the Pentagon said. Russia's defense ministry blamed "sharp maneuvering" of the drone for the crash and said that its jets did not make contact. The State Department on Tuesday summoned Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, to express U.S. concerns over the encounter. Antonov after the meeting said that the drone "deliberately and provocatively was moving toward Russian territory with transponders turned off." American officials have stressed that the United States would continue to fly over international waters in the area.

☆ The China-brokered Saudi-Iran deal has big repercussions for the Middle East — and the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Taking up a specific role that the U.S. could not have fulfilled, this was Beijing's first foray into Middle East mediation, an area that for the past few decades was largely occupied by Washington. "I think China was a good partner to do this. I think they're the right people," he said, noting that China invests heavily in Saudi Arabia and is its top trading partner. Chinese President, Xi Jinping (L) is welcomed by Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (R) at the Palace of Yamamah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 8, 2022. And not just economically, as it already exports an immense amount of goods to the Middle East and is the largest importer of Saudi oil – but politically.

☆ Russia says it will try to retrieve remains of U.S. drone
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev attends a meeting of the collegium of the Prosecutor General's office in Moscow, Russia, March 15, 2023. Sputnik/Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERSMarch 15 (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday it would try to retrieve the remains of a U.S. military surveillance drone that fell into the Black Sea after an incident involving Russian fighter planes, accusing Washington of "directly participating" in the war in Ukraine. Russia denied being responsible for the crash and said relations with the United States had reached their "lowest point". Kremlin Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev told the Rossiya-1 TV channel: "I don't know whether we will be able to retrieve it or not, but that it has to be done. "Secondly, regarding the drone - the Americans keep saying they're not taking part in military operations.

☆ US State Dept says Black Sea drone incident likely unintentional from Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. military surveillance drone's crash into the Black Sea after being intercepted by Russian jets was likely an unintentional act from Russia's side, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told MSNBC on Wednesday. The U.S military MQ-9 surveillance drone crashed into the Black Sea on Tuesday after a Russian Su-27 jet struck its propeller, the Pentagon said, the first such incident since Russia's invasion of Ukraine over a year ago. The U.S. State Department spokesperson also confirmed there is surveillance video of the incident and that the Department of Defense was determining whether to release it to the public. The Russian and U.S. defense ministers held a phone call on Wednesday, the Russian defense ministry said. Russia has said it will try to retrieve the remains of the drone while White House spokesman John Kirby said the drone may never be recovered.

☆ Russian jets crashed a US drone, and now Moscow wants to fish the busted aircraft out of the sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia wants to recover the remains of a downed US military drone from the Black Sea. An "out of control" Russian fighter jet clipped the drone on Tuesday, causing it to crash. US officials have said they're not sure if they'll be able to recover the aircraft from the deep water. Two Russian Su-27 fighter jets carried out an interception of the US drone above the Black Sea on Tuesday and engaged in maneuvers which US European Command described as "unsafe and unprofessional." And it is incumbent upon Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner," he said.

☆ The White House is 'not sure' the US can recover the drone a Russian warplane ran into over the Black Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian fighter jet hit a US military drone on Tuesday, forcing it to crash into the Black Sea. It's unclear if the US will be able to recover the aircraft, a White House official said Wednesday. I mean, where it fell into the Black Sea, very, very deep water. During the Tuesday incident, two Russian Su-27 jets conducted what US European Command described was an "unsafe and unprofessional intercept" of the Reaper drone as it flew in international airspace over the Black Sea. It was also the latest in a string of provocative and aggressive Russian actions against NATO militaries around the Black Sea, where intercepts, including unsafe intercepts, are fairly common.

WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. surveillance drone brought down over the Black Sea after a Russian military intercept probably broke apart and would be difficult to recover given the depth of the water in the area, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday. Russia's defense ministry blamed "sharp maneuvering" by the drone for the crash and said its jet did not make contact. Milley said the United States had already taken measures to guard against a loss of sensitive intelligence if the drone were to be recovered by Russia. The State Department on Tuesday summoned Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, to express U.S. concerns over the encounter. Antonov after the meeting said the drone "deliberately and provocatively was moving toward Russian territory with transponders turned off."

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden was briefed on Tuesday about an incident over the Black Sea in which a Russian Su-27 fighter jet struck the propeller of a U.S. military "Reaper" surveillance drone, White House spokesman John Kirby said. While there have been other such intercepts, Kirby said, this one was noteworthy because it was "unsafe and unprofessional" and caused the downing of a U.S. aircraft. "So it's unique in that regard," Kirby said. "The State Department will be speaking directly with their Russian counterparts, and expressing our concerns over this unsafe and unprofessional intercept," he said. Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Franklin Paul; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone sits in a hanger at Amari Air Base, Estonia, July 1, 2020. Two Russian Su-27 jets carried out what the U.S. military described as a reckless intercept of the American spy drone before one of them collided with it at 7:03 a.m. (0603 GMT). The U.S. military said the incident followed a pattern of dangerous behavior by Russian pilots operating near aircraft flown by the U.S. and its allies, including over the Black Sea. The Black Sea lies between Europe and Asia and is bordered by Russia and Ukraine, among other countries. "The State Department will be speaking directly with their Russian counterparts, and expressing our concerns over this unsafe and unprofessional intercept," said White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.

☆ Saudi-Iran detente: a setback for Israel and wake-up call on US ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

An Israeli official who requested anonymity described the detente as an unsurprising and preliminary process that should not hinder any parallel progress toward normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia. WAKE-UP CALLAmos Yadlin, a former military intelligence chief under Netanyahu, said the Saudi-Iran detente should be a wake-up call. Saudi Arabia remained aware of the key U.S. role in the region and of the value of bilateral ties with Israel, he said. Saudi Arabia has linked any move by the kingdom to normalise ties with Israel to a resolution of Palestinian statehood goals. For its part, the White House appeared to downplay China's involvement in Friday's development.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday that while Washington was not directly involved, Saudi Arabia kept U.S. officials informed of the talks with Iran. NUCLEAR TALKSThe agreement comes as Iran accelerates its nuclear program after two years of failed U.S. attempts to revive a 2015 deal that aimed to stop Tehran producing a nuclear bomb. "Saudi Arabia is deeply concerned about Iran's nuclear program," he said. "If this new opening between Iran and Saudi Arabia is going to be meaningful and impactful, it will have to address the concerns about Iran's nuclear program - otherwise the opening is just optics." Friday's agreement also offers hope for more durable peace in Yemen, where a conflict sparked in 2014 has widely been seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

☆ Saudis kept U.S. informed on talks with Iran - White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia kept Washington informed of its talks with Iran to restore diplomatic relations but the United States was not directly involved, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Friday. The White House believes that internal and external pressure, including effective Saudi deterrence against attacks from Iran or its proxies, ultimately brought Iran to the table, Kirby said. "We support any efforts to de-escalate tensions there and in the region. We think it's in our interests, and it's something that we worked on through our own effective combination of deterrence and diplomacy." Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Steve Holland; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Reaction to Iran and Saudi Arabia resuming ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

STATEMENT ISSUED BY IRAN, SAUDI ARABIA AND CHINATehran and Riyadh agreed "to resume diplomatic relations between them and re-open their embassies and missions within a period not exceeding two months". HEZBOLLAHThe head of Lebanon's powerful armed group said the resumption of ties between its backer Iran and longtime rival Saudi Arabia was a "good development". ANWAR GARGASH, DIPLOMATIC ADVISER TO UNITED ARAB EMIRATES PRESIDENT"We welcome the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic relations, and we hail the Chinese role in this regard," he tweeted. QATARPrime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who also acts as foreign minister, called the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia to welcome the deal. IRAQ STATE NEWS AGENCYIraq welcomes "turning a new page" between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

☆ Ukraine sees bloody battle for Bakhmut as chance to wipe out Wagner's army of convicts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wagner Group is increasingly relying on its professional recruits as inmates flounder in Bakhmut. Wagner soldiers have played an outsized role in the battle of Bakhmut thus far. Meanwhile, US intelligence from December suggested an estimated 10,000 professional Russian soldiers, the majority of whom are veterans, were also acting as Wagner soldiers alongside the former inmates. A mural depicting mercenaries of Russia's Wagner Group that reads: "Wagner Group - Russian knights." Despite rumors that Ukraine was preparing to withdraw from Bakhmut, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that he would send further reinforcements to the city.

☆ Pro-Ukraine group sabotaged pipelines, intelligence suggests, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

On the battlefield, Ukraine's forces continued to fight for the eastern city of Bakhmut on Tuesday despite Russian troops and mercenaries nearly encircling them. "Without a doubt, Ukraine is absolutely not involved in the excesses on the pipelines," presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said in a statement. Several towns and villages near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region came under Russian shellfire, including Dubovo-Vasylivka, Ivanivske, Dyliivka and Bohdanivka, the statement said. Other provinces of Ukraine were attacked by Russian troops on Tuesday, the Ukrainian military said, including in central Zaporizhzhia region. That narrative is rejected by Kyiv and the West, which say Ukraine is fighting for survival against a Russian imperial land grab.

☆ The battle for Bakhmut is getting so close that 'fistfights have been happening,' Ukrainian soldier says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian soldier told the Washington Post the fighting in Bakhmut is brutal and at close quarters. The soldier said there have even been fistfights as they fight off waves of Russian mercenaries. Bakhmut is widely expected to fall to Russian forces soon, but it will be a hollow victory. In some cases, Ukrainian troops have searched house-to-house for the enemy and been forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat, Dmytro Vatagin, a 48-year-old Ukrainian soldier, told the Washington Post. "This fight doesn't play to Ukraine's advantages as a force," Kofman said, warning that if Ukrainian forces continue to expend resources on Bakhmut "it could impede the success of a more important operation."

☆ Pro-Ukrainian group blew up a controversial Russian gas pipelines, but it's unclear who sent them, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A pro-Ukrainian group was behind the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, per new reports. The pipelines were controversial even before Russia launched the war in Ukraine. The Nord Steam 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which transported natural gas from Russia to Germany, were controversial even before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine last year. Nord Stream 1 was shut down indefinitely last September, and Nord Steam 2 was never operational. Facing immense pressure to end its reliance on energy from Russia, Germany froze the Nord Stream 2 project two days before Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

☆ White House says it sees no change in US-China relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday brushed off bellicose rhetoric from China that the United States risked a confrontation with Beijing, saying Washington was not seeking a conflict and saw no change in U.S.-Chinese relations. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, responded to China's foreign minister's warning to Washington to change its "distorted" attitude or risk conflict. We do not seek conflict," Kirby told reporters. Kirby said the United States respected the "one-China policy" and did not want to see a change to the status quo pertaining to Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province. Kirby also urged China not to provide military assistance to Russia in support of its war with Ukraine.

☆ White House says it sees no change in U.S.-China relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

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