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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Friday to discuss grain ahead of the Erdogan meeting. "It turned out that it is more difficult to do this than to build new corridors, new ground routes," said Shoigu, who attended the signing ceremony for the Black Sea deal in Istanbul in 2022. Turkey's foreign minister said at a briefing in Moscow on Thursday that reviving the deal was important for the world. U.S. wheat prices rose on Friday, though Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia saw no sign that it would receive the guarantees needed to revive the grain deal. Lavrov said he had discussed Putin's initiative to supply up to 1 million tonnes of Russian grain to Turkey at reduced prices for subsequent processing at Turkish plants and shipping to countries most in need.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Putin, Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, Dmitry Peskov, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, it's, Russia's, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Conor Humphries, Alison Williams Organizations: Sputnik, Erdogan, UN, United Nations, United, Kremlin, Turkish, Russian, Central African, Initiative, Qatar, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Thomson Locations: Asia, Astana, Kazakhstan, Sochi Turkey, Russia, MOSCOW, Black, Sochi, Ankara, Ukraine, United Nations, Turkey, Moscow, Istanbul, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, Eritrea, EU, Odesa

☆ 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

A G20 logo is pictured in front of the main venue of the summit in New Delhi, India, August 24, 2023. The heads of the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organisation and World Health Organisation will also be present. DEFENCE IN THE SKIESThe city will be guarded by nearly 130,000 security personnel, including the 80,000-strong Delhi Police, officials said. Modi inaugurated a $300 million venue in the capital in July to host the summit meeting - a conch shell-shaped building that can seat more than 3,000. The government has also leased 20 bullet-proof limousines at a cost of 180 million Indian rupees ($2.18 million) for ferrying leaders.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Dependra Pathak, Pathak, Ranvir Singh, Biden, Modi, Rupam Jain, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, NEW, India, British, Foreign, United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organisation, World Health, Delhi Police, Border Security Force, Indian Air Force, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Delhi, NEW DELHI, U.S, Saudi, Beijing, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Ukraine, Pragati, Gurugram, New, Arunachal Pradesh, Srinagar, Kashmir

President of China Xi Jinping attends the plenary session during the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 23, 2023. GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI/BEIJING, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to skip a summit of G20 leaders in India next week, sources familiar with the matter in India and China told Reuters. Xi last met Biden on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia last November. In China, two foreign diplomats and a government official from another G20 country said that Xi will likely not be travelling for the summit. Another upcoming summit mooted for face-to-face talks between the two leaders is an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Meeting in San Francisco on Nov. 12-18.

Persons: China Xi Jinping, GIANLUIGI, Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, Li, Xi, Joe Biden, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Gina Raimondo, Narendra Modi, Krishn Kaushik, Laurie Chen, Martin Quin Pollard, YP Rajesh, John Geddie, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Premier, Kyodo, U.S, India, Economic Cooperation, Indian, YP, Thomson Locations: China, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, DELHI, BEIJING, India, Beijing, New Delhi, East, Jakarta, Indonesia, Bali, Asia, San Francisco, Brazil, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ UN chief sends Russia bid to revive Black Sea grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Turkish-flagged bulker TQ Samsun, carrying grain under UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, is pictured in the Black Sea, north of Bosphorus Strait, off Istanbul, Turkey July 17, 2023. Two Turkish sources told Reuters the pair will meet on Monday and primarily discuss Black Sea grain exports. The Black Sea grain deal was intended to combat a global food crisis that the United Nations said had been worsened by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "We cannot have a Black Sea initiative that moves from crisis to crisis, from suspension to suspension. Russia has said that if demands to improve its own exports of grain and fertilizer were met, it would consider resurrecting the Black Sea agreement.

Persons: Yoruk, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Russia's, Guterres, Lavrov, Hakan Fidan, Michelle Nichols, Kanishka Singh, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Russian, United, Reuters, Turkish, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Thomson Locations: Samsun, Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey, Russia, United Nations, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, EU

Some investors and economic analysts are sceptical that expansion will lead to increased foreign direct investment (FDI) within the bloc. Still, BRICS leaders and other investors touted the increased economic heft from the expansion. Increasing use of national currencies to reduce U.S. dollar dependence was another goal BRICS leaders discussed at the summit in Johannesburg. And with oil producer heavyweights among the newcomers, investors said this would feed speculation that Saudi Arabia might increasingly switch to non-dollar-denominated currencies for oil trade. "The short-term consequences could be seen in oil," said Kaan Nazli, a portfolio manager at asset manager Neuberger Berman in London.

Persons: Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China Xi, Cyril Ramaphosa, India Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Viktor Szabo, Li Kexin, Ola El, Chris Turner, Jakob Ekholdt Christensen, Hasnain Malik, abrdn's Szabo, Kaan Nazli, Neuberger Berman, Rachel Savage, Karin Strohecker, Bansari Mayur, Marc Jones, Jorgelina, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Russia's, Iran, United Arab Emirates, abrdn, Emerging Markets, ING, Reuters Graphics, China, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: China, India, Sandton, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, JOHANNESBURG, LONDON, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Johannesburg, United States, Saudi, London, Van Eck, New York, Copenhagen, Dubai, Bangalore, Rosario

A cameraman films a wreckage of the private jet linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin near the crash site in the Tver region, Russia. Neither referenced the plane crash in which 10 people were said to have been killed. A Reuters reporter at the crash site on Thursday morning saw men carrying away black body bags on stretchers. Unnamed sources told Russian media they believed the plane had been shot down by one or more surface-to-air missiles. SECOND PLANE LINKED TO PRIGOZHINFlightradar24 online tracker showed that the plane had dropped off the radar at 6:11 p.m. (1511 GMT).

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Marina Lystseva, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Anatoly, Putin, WAGNER, Dmitry Utkin, Abbas Gallyamov, Gallyamov, Bill Browder, Browder, Joe Biden, I’m, Biden, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Andrew Osborn, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Marina, Defence Ministry, Embraer, SA, Reuters, Telegram, Kremlin, Twitter, General Staff, Thomson Locations: Tver, Russia, MOSCOW, Ukraine, South Africa, Moscow, St, Petersburg, Kuzhenkino, Russian, St . Petersburg, Grey, Africa, Belarus

☆ BRICS nations should strengthen cooperation on cross-border payment: China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING,/JOHANNESBURG Aug 24 (Reuters) - BRICS nations should strengthen cooperation on cross-border payment, a Chinese foreign ministry official said on Thursday, the final day of a three-day BRICS summit in South Africa. They should also study local currency cooperation payment tools and platforms, and promote local currency settlement, said Li Kexin, Director-General of the Department of International Economic Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of China. The leaders of BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - agreed at the summit in Johannesburg to encourage more local currency usage in trade and financial transactions, as they seek to shift away from dependence on the U.S. dollar. "So it's important to have a more sophisticated payment system... Many of Russia's top banks were cut off from the SWIFT messaging system last year under sweeping Western sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Li Kexin, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Li, SWIFT, Rachel Savage, Marc Jones, William Maclean, Emelia Organizations: Department of International Economic Affairs, Foreign Ministry of China, U.S ., Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, BRICS, Brazil, Russia, India, China, Johannesburg, Russians, Ukraine, London

BRICS - whose acronym was originally coined by an economist at Goldman Sachs, currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called the BRICS leaders' decision to invite Ethiopia to join "a great moment". "It shows the determination of BRICS countries for unity and cooperation with the broader developing countries." More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, say South African officials, and 22 have formally asked to be admitted. "The expansion and modernization of BRICS is a message that all institutions in the world need to mould themselves according to changing times," he said.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Alet Pretorius, Goldman Sachs, BRICS, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ramaphosa, Lula, globalisation's, Mohammed bin Zayed, Abiy Ahmed, Antonio Guterres, Xi Jinping, Bhargav Acharya, Sergio Goncalves, Ethan Wang, Vladimir Soldatkin, Joe Bavier, Toby Chopra, Emelia Organizations: South, India's, Russia's, REUTERS, United Arab, United, United Arab Emirates, New Development Bank, Ethiopian, United Nations, . Security, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, BRICS, Indian, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, UAE, JOHANNESBURG, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Russia, India, China, Ukraine, United States, Beijing, Moscow, United Arab, Lisbon

Lula and counterparts Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met for dinner and a mini-retreat on Tuesday evening. China and Russia are keen to expand BRICS to give the bloc more global clout. LEADERS DISCUSS MEMBERSHIP CRITERIAMore than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, say South African officials. While no new members are expected to be admitted to BRICS during the summit, leaders are weighing a framework and criteria for joining, details of which could be included in a joint declaration due to be finalised on Wednesday. South African organisers say there will be no discussions however of a common BRICS currency, an idea floated by Brazil as an alternative to dollar-dependence.

Persons: Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China Xi, Cyril Ramaphosa, India Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Cyril Ramaphosa of, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, Africa's Ramaphosa, Modi, Putin, Plessis, Krishn Kaushik, Joe Bavier, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Russia's, China, Washington, United States, Group, Indian, BRICS, U.S ., Thomson Locations: China, India, Sandton, JOHANNESBURG, Russia, Ukraine, South, Johannesburg, Brazil, United, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, BRICS, Argentina, South Africa, Johanneburg, New Delhi

☆ Russia, expansion and Western relations in the spotlight as leaders gather for pivotal BRICS summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

South African police officers walk in front of an event banner outside the venue for the BRICS summit at the Sandton Convention Center in the Sandton district of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. Ramaphosa invited 67 leaders from across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean to attend the summit, but no Western leaders received an invitation. watch nowBilateral deals and cooperation is common among BRICS members, but de Carvalho challenged the idea that there is a unanimous desire to compete with the G7. He added that the BRICS members do not always agree and do not see the group as a "panacea," but simply a "vehicle to become more influential in global discussions." "The G7 contains the rich Western economies, while BRICS contains the two most populous countries and the leading countries on three continents.

Persons: Michele Spatari, Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ramaphosa, Gustavo de Carvalho, de Carvalho, Lula, BRICS, It's, it's, Steven Gruzd, Gruzd Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, West, South, Indian, Russian, International, Court, ICC, Western, African Union Commission, New Development Bank, South African Institute of International Affairs, CNBC Locations: Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, Ukraine, Africa, Latin America, East, Asia, Caribbean, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, BRICS, Russia, Brazil, China

☆ Factbox: BRICS summit 2023: What's likely to be discussed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Putin will participate in the summit virtually and will be represented in Johannesburg by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. BRICS EXPANSIONThe leaders are divided over the expansion of the bloc by adding new members, including the admission criteria. BRICS BANKThe group is also expected to discuss how to boost local currency fundraising and lending within the New Development Bank (NDB), or so-called BRICS bank. While the NDB, which was established in 2015, is still looking at the potential use of alternative currencies, there will be no talk about a common BRICS currency during the summit, South Africa's senior BRICS diplomat said. 'FRIENDS OF BRICS'The last day of the summit is expected to focus on talks with leaders from other countries.

Persons: Aly, Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Enoch Godongwana, BRICS, Naledi Pandor, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Pandor, Anait Miridzhanian, Olivia Kumwenda, Tim Cocks, Nick Macfie Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Indian, International, Africa's Finance, Federal Reserve, United Arab, South African Foreign, Ukraine, Continental Free Trade Area, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Johannesburg, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, BRICS, United States, South, Bangladesh, Uruguay, Algeria, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, Caribbean, France, Russian

☆ Russia's possession of nuclear arms is response to threats, Lavrov says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 19 (Reuters) - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that possession of nuclear weapons protects Russia from security threats and Moscow keeps reminding the West of risks to prevent a conflict of nuclear powers. "The possession of nuclear arms is today the only possible response to some of significant external threats to security of our country," Lavrov said in an interview for state-owned magazine The International Affairs, published early on Saturday on the foreign ministry website. Last month, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow would have to use a nuclear weapon if Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian troops was a success. Lavrov said that the United States and NATO allies risk ending up in "a situation of direct armed confrontation of nuclear powers". U.S. President Joe Biden has called a threat of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons "real" while NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said this week that the military alliance has not detected any changes to Russia's nuclear forces.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Dmitry Medvedev, Joe Biden, Jens Stoltenberg, Maria Tsvetkova, Diane Craft, Grant McCool Organizations: International Affairs, NATO, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, United States, New York

☆ Opinion | The Wagner Group Is Always Ready for a Coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Colin P. Clarke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But the nation’s successive elected governments were at least willing to cooperate with Washington, allowing the U.S. military to conduct regional counterterrorism activities. Washington has stopped short of calling the crisis a coup — a move that would require the United States to halt security and economic assistance. Wagner will be ready. Their operations have frequently resulted in the deaths of civilians, with credible accusations of sexual violence, torture and extrajudicial killings. Within days of Wagner’s aborted advance on Moscow, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that Wagner’s African footprint would remain.

Persons: Jama’at Nusrat al, Barkhane, jihadists, Wagner, —, Al Qaeda, Bazoum, Prigozhin’s, Wagner’s, Sergei Lavrov, Prigozhin, Putin Organizations: U.S, United, Nigerien, Islamic, West, Central African, Kremlin Locations: Sahel, Africa, Islamic State, Greater Sahara, Haram, Islam, Niger, Washington, United States, America, Mali, Libya, Central African Republic, Sudan, Moscow, St . Petersburg

☆ China's attendance at Saudi peace talks is 'bad news' for Putin — but Xi Jinping is still 'well served' by his friendship with Russia, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese diplomats attended Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia, signaling a possible rift with Russia. While China's attendance is notable, the country is still benefiting from its relationship with Russia. Chinese leader Xi Jinping wants to be seen as an international stakeholder, an expert said. Participants in the talks, however, saw China's presence as a major win for Ukraine, the Financial Times reported. "So Xi wants to be seen as a responsible stakeholder — even as he rattles his saber towards Taiwan," Miles said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Russia's, —, Putin, Simon Miles, Vladimir Putin, China's, Wang Yi, Sergei Lavrov, Miles, Xi, Ukraine's, Sergey Radchenko Organizations: Service, Privacy, China, Ukraine, Financial Times, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, Russian, CNN, Kremlin, Johns Hopkins University, The New York Times Locations: Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Wall, Silicon, China, Moscow, Saudi, Soviet, Siberia, Taiwan, South China, Beijing

☆ China assures Russia it remains ‘impartial’ on Ukraine war after attending Saudi peace talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Lavrov “appreciates and welcomes the constructive role played by China” toward a political resolution of the “Ukraine crisis,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in their readout of Monday’s call. China has continued to bolster its economic, diplomatic, and security ties with Russia, despite Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which Beijing has never condemned. It did not send a delegation to previous international talks in Denmark in June, despite attempting to position itself as a potential peace broker on the conflict in recent months. That proposal, which Beijing put forward earlier this year, calls for peace talks to end the conflict. Ukraine and Russia remain publicly committed to prerequisites for direct negotiations that the other side finds unacceptable.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Wang Yi, Wang, Sergei Lavrov, ”, ” Wang, Lavrov “, Dmytro Kuleba, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Xi, Putin, China’s, Affairs Li Hui, “, …, Lavrov, Russia “, ” “, Qin Gang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Russian, China’s Foreign Ministry, Saudi, Ukraine’s, ”, Affairs, Reuters, CNN, Tass, Communist Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United States, Britain, Germany, India, Jeddah, ” Ukraine, American, Denmark, Europe, Washington

☆ Factbox: Key facts about the BRICS 2023 summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are some key facts about the summit. It will be the first in-person BRICS summit since the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps the most important and controversial issue the leaders are expected to discuss is BRICS expansion by adding new members, including the admission criteria and guiding principles. But divisions among BRICS members over criteria for admitting new members may preclude any major announcements at the summit, as the bloc operates by consensus. Twenty three countries have formally applied to become new BRICS members, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt and Ethiopia.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Naledi Pandor, Wendell Roelf, Olivia Kumwenda, Alistair Bell Organizations: WHO, Indian, International, Russian, South African Foreign, United Nations, African Union Commission, New Development Bank, Business, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Johannesburg, Africa, Ukraine, Moscow, Latin America, Asia, Caribbean, South, United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia

☆ China tells Russia it will uphold 'impartial' position on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoBEIJING, Aug 7 (Reuters) - China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone conversation on Monday that China would uphold an independent and impartial position on Ukraine as it strives to find a political settlement to the issue. The statement came after the ministry said earlier on Monday that international talks in Saudi Arabia at the weekend on finding a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis had helped "to consolidate international consensus". More than 40 countries, including China, India, the United States and European countries, but not Russia, took part in the Jeddah talks that ended on Sunday. Beijing has refused to condemn Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine it launched in February 2022. It has offered its own peace plan, which received a lukewarm response in both Russia and Ukraine, while the United States and NATO were sceptical.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov, Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi, Wang Yi, Lavrov, Li Hui, Farah Master, Andrew Cawthorne, Alex Richardson Organizations: Russia's, Central Foreign Affairs Commission, ASEAN Foreign, Russian Foreign Ministry, REUTERS, China's, Eurasian Affairs, NATO, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, BEIJING, China, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, India, United States, Russia, Jeddah, Beijing, Moscow

"What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonisers. It was unclear who was in charge of Niger after soldiers on Wednesday evening declared a military coup and held President Mohamed Bazoum in the presidential palace. Prigozhin, in his voice message, boasted of Wagner's alleged efficiency in helping African nations stabilise and develop in what sounded like a sales pitch. "...Thousands of Wagner fighters are capable of bringing order and of destroying terrorists and of not allowing them to harm the local populations of these states," he said. Reporting by Andrew Osborn Additional reporting by Milan Pavicic Editing by Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, colonisers, Mohamed Bazoum, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, it's, Andrew Osborn, Milan, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Reuters, Wednesday, Central African Republic, Kremlin, Analysts, PMC, U.S, CSIS, Thomson Locations: Niger, St Petersburg, MOSCOW, Russian, Western, Africa, France, Central African, Belarus, Russia, Moscow

CNN —A summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and African leaders began in St. Petersburg on Thursday, with a far lower turnout than previous years. Just 17 heads of African states are attending this year, the Kremlin has confirmed, less than half of the 43 heads of state that attended the 2019 conference. And some African politicians – further than simply not attending the summit – have expressed grave concerns about Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine. Putin makes free grain pledgeThe African states being represented at the St. Petersburg summit will be keen to sway Russia into rejoining the grain deal, and Putin has courted African leaders for years in a deliberate effort to broaden Moscow’s global influence. Russia’s Wagner mercenaries have also been deployed in some African states.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, William Ruto, –, “, ”, Raila Odinga, ” Odinga, Putin, Russia’s Wagner, ” Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Cyril Ramaphosa’s, Maria Lvova Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Kenyan, Putin, Russian, ”, Criminal Court, ICC Locations: St . Petersburg, United States, Moscow, Africa, Russia, Ukraine, St, Petersburg, Russian, Johannesburg, South Africa, Rome, Hague

JOHANNESBURG, July 20 (Reuters) - A BRICS currency will not be on the agenda of the bloc's summit in South Africa next month, but Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will continue to switch away from the U.S. dollar, South Africa's senior BRICS diplomat said on Thursday. "There's never been talk of a BRICS currency, it's not on the agenda," Anil Sooklal, South Africa's Ambassador at Large: Asia and BRICS, told a media briefing. "What we have said and we continue to deepen is trading in local currencies and settlement in local currencies." This has pushed countries to find alternatives to the dollar, especially among non-U.S. allies. "BRICS started a process that has been expedited as a result of the conflict, as a result of unilateral sanctions," Sooklal said.

Persons: There's, it's, Anil Sooklal, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Sergei Lavrov, BRICS, Sooklal, Rachel Savage, Carien du Plessis, Tim Cocks, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S ., South, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South, Asia, Russian, Ukraine, U.S

☆ BRICS summit: Putin will not attend conference in South Africa, as ICC arrest warrant overshadows key talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( David Mckenzie Catherine Nicholls Sana Noor Haq | David Mckenzie | Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said Putin will not attend the conference “by mutual agreement,” adding that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would visit instead. In the months following, South African lawmakers have made contradictory statements over the country’s obligation to arrest Putin should he attend the summit. As a signatory to the Rome statute, the treaty governing the Hague court, South Africa is compelled to arrest individuals indicted by the ICC. Western diplomats have criticized South African lawmakers for their perceived solidarity with Russia since the start of that conflict. “I must highlight, for the sake of transparency, that South Africa has obvious problems with executing a request to arrest and surrender President Putin,” Ramaphosa said, according to the court’s document.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa’s, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Maria Lvova, Ramaphosa, “, ” Ramaphosa, Dmitry Peskov, Ramaphosa’s, ” Peskov, ”, Omar al, Bashir Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian, Criminal Court, ICC, Hague, United Nations General, Cape Town Locations: Johannesburg, Ukraine, Brazil, India, China, Russian, Russia, Rome, South Africa, Cape, Africa, Darfur

☆ South Africa says Putin agreed not to attend BRICS summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, July 19 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies in South Africa in August "by mutual agreement", South Africa's presidency said on Wednesday. Russia will instead be represented by its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Johannesburg summit, alongside the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa, the presidency said in a statement. South Africa faced a dilemma in hosting the summit because, as a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), it would theoretically be required to arrest Putin for alleged war crimes if he were to attend. The ICC in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting children from Ukraine. On Wednesday, the Kremlin said Russia did not tell South Africa that arresting Putin on an ICC arrest warrant would mean "war".

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Dmitry Peskov, Nellie Peyton, Anait, Alexander Winning, William Maclean Organizations: Criminal Court, ICC, South, African National Congress, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, South, Russia, Johannesburg, Brazil, India, China, Ukraine, Moscow, Kremlin

☆ Black Sea grain deal to expire Monday if Russia quits
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's February 2022 invasion and blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports sent global grain prices soaring. The United Nations has argued that the arrangement has benefited those states by helping lower food prices more than 20% globally. Russia has agreed three times in the past year to extend the Black Sea deal, but also briefly suspended its participation at the end of October in response to a drone attack on its fleet in Crimea. To convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea deal, a three-year deal was also struck in July 2022 under which U.N. officials agreed to help Russia get its food and fertilizer exports to foreign markets. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a final effort on Tuesday to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to extend the Black Sea grain deal for several months in exchange for the EU connecting a subsidiary of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT for grain and fertilizer transactions, sources said.

Persons: Russia's, Sergei Lavrov, James, Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, Guterres, Putin, Michelle Nichols, Will Dunham Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United, United Nations, . Security, British, Food, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, European Union, EU, JPMorgan Chase &, reassurances, U.S ., The United Nations, African Export, Import Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, United Nations, Turkey, Ukraine's, Britain, Afghanistan, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Yemen, Asia, Western Europe, Africa, Eastern Europe, Crimea, Moscow, SWIFT, Rosselkhozbank

☆ A landmark agricultural deal that guarantees food security for tens of millions is set to expire on Monday as Russia debates its renewal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Black Sea deal has allowed Ukraine to ship more than 30 million tons of produce from three major ports, helping to bring down global food prices down after they spiked following Russia's invasion. Last week, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin outlining proposals to salvage the deal. REUTERS/Nacho Doce Nacho Doce | ReutersBefore Russian troops poured over Ukraine's borders in late February 2022, Kyiv and Moscow accounted for almost a quarter of global grain exports. Those agricultural shipments came to a halt for nearly six months until representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the U.N. and Turkey agreed to establish a humanitarian sea corridor under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. One of Moscow's top demands though is for the Russian Agricultural Bank, or Rosselkhozbank, to return to the SWIFT banking system.

Persons: Akos Stiller, Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Sean Gallup, Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov, That's, SWIFT Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images WASHINGTON, Kremlin, REUTERS, Reuters, Russian, Food, Sea Initiative, Russian Agricultural Bank, Society, Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication Locations: Bicske, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Ukrainian, UN, Turkey, Odesa, Kyiv, Ukraine's, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Yuzhny, Moscow's

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