Month: September 2024

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India can play a role in resolving Ukraine conflict, says Meloni

Dubai, Dec 1 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni at the annual Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28) Leadership Pavilion, in Dubai on Friday. (ANI Photo)

Zelensky appreciated Italy’s decision to host the next Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2025….reports Asian Lite News

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday and discussed reconstruction of Ukraine’s energy system. She later said that India can play a role in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Zelensky said in a post on X after his meeting with Meloni that he deeply appreciated Italy’s decision to host the next Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2025.

He also thanked Italy for its support and joint efforts for restoring “just peace”.

“On the sidelines of the Ambrosetti Forum, I had a meeting with the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni. One of the key topics we discussed was Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, particularly focusing on the restoration of our energy system. We deeply appreciate Italy’s decision to host the next Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2025,” he said.

“We also spoke about the implementation of the Peace Formula, where Italy plays an active role in each of its points. I thank Giorgia and the Italian people for their support and joint efforts in restoring a just peace,” he added.

A release from Ukraine President’s office said that he informed Meloni about “the situation on the battlefield”.

He thanked for all the allocated military and technical assistance packages and “emphasized the importance of transferring the relevant weapons to Ukraine as soon as possible”.

“We are very grateful to you and your team, to all the Italian people, for the support you have provided us,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky spoke about Ukraine’s next steps on its path to European integration and praised Italy’s support.

After her meeting with Zelensky, Meloni said India and China can play a role in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“China and India have a role to play in resolving this conflict. The only thing that cannot happen is to believe the conflict can be solved by abandoning Ukraine,” Meloni said according to Italian Government TV, cited by Reuters.

Meloni had a bilateral meeting today with Zelensky on the sidelines of the annual conference of The European House – Ambrosetti (TEHA) Forum at Cernobbio on Lake Como.

She reiterated Italy’s support to Kyiv as it battles against the Russian forces of invasion, ANSA reported. The Italian news agency cited Meloni telling reporters later that the 40-minute meeting went off well. “If the rules of international law are discarded, crises and chaos will multiply,” Meloni told the forum as per the report in ANSA.

“I have said this to my Chinese counterparts too,” the Italian PM said, according to the report. “The only thing that cannot be done is to abandon Ukraine to its fate, Meloni said, adding, “This is the choice that Italy had made, and which will not change”. Meloni’s office, in a statement, also “reiterated that support for Ukraine is a top priority on the Italian G7 Presidency’s agenda and reaffirmed the ongoing commitment to Ukraine’s legitimate defence and to a just and lasting peace”.

The statement published by the Italian news outlet said they also addressed the issue of reconstruction ahead of the next Ukraine Recovery Conference which will be held in Italy in 2025.The news outlet quoted a statement from Meloni’s office which said that the two leaders discussed the latest on ground developments and Ukraine’s most urgent needs ahead of winter and “in the face of continuing Russian attacks against the civilian population and critical infrastructure”

Meloni’s remarks follow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement on Thursday that India, China and Brazil could mediate in potential peace talks over Ukraine. Addressing the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), the Russian leader stated that leaders of India, Brazil, and China are making a sincere effort to contribute to resolving the situation in Ukraine.  (ANI)

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Modi not to address UNGA session

Modi is scheduled to travel to New York later this month and address a mega community event on September 22…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not address the annual debate at the United Nations General Assembly session here later this month, according to a revised provisional list of speakers issued by the UN.

Modi is scheduled to travel to New York later this month and address a mega community event on September 22 at the 16,000-seater Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island. He will also address the UN’s landmark ‘Summit of the Future’ that is being convened at the world body’s headquarters on September 22 and 23.

A provisional list of speakers for the General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) issued by the UN in July had said that Modi would address the high-level debate on September 26. However, according to a revised provisional list of speakers issued by the UN on Friday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is now expected to address the General Debate on September 28.

A note signed by Under Secretary General for General Assembly and Conference Management Movses Abelian accompanying the list said that the revised list of speakers “has been prepared by taking into account the changes in the level of representation (upgrades and downgrades) and reflects exchanges among Member States”.

This year, the General Debate of the 79th UNGA session will take place from September 24 to 30.

Brazil, traditionally the first speaker at the debate, will open the high-level session on September 24, followed by the US, with President Joe Biden delivering his current term’s final address to global leaders from the iconic UN podium before his country heads to presidential elections in November.

Modi took the oath of office for a historic third term as India’s prime minister in June and had last addressed the annual UNGA session in September 2021. He had visited the UN headquarters on June 21 last year, leading the historic Yoga Day commemoration at the North Lawn at the world body’s headquarters before heading to Washington DC for a State Visit hosted by Biden.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will present his report before the start of the General Debate, followed by an address by the president of the 79th session of the General Assembly.

Guterres is convening the ambitious Summit of the Future at the UN headquarters ahead of the high-level week, with action days slated for September 20 and 21 and the summit scheduled on September 22 and 23.

World leaders will convene at the United Nations to adopt the Pact for the Future, which will include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes.

“The summit is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future,” the UN said.

Over 24,000 members of the Indian diaspora have signed up for the community event in Long Island to attend Modi’s address.

The Indian-American Community of USA (IACU) said in a statement that registrations for the ‘Modi&US Progress Together’ event have come through 590 community organisations, all of whom have signed up as ‘Welcome Partners’, from across the United States.

While Indian-Americans from at least 42 states are expected to attend, the response has been particularly strong from the tri-state area, it said.

Sources told that preparations are in full swing for the community event, coming 10 years after Modi addressed a massive community gathering at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York in September 2014, months after being sworn in as the prime minister for the first time.

In 2019, Modi had addressed the mega community event, ‘Howdy Modi’, at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, where he was joined by former president Donald Trump.

This year, Modi’s visit to the US comes weeks before the country’s presidential polls in November. The contest is between Republican candidate Trump and Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris is the first woman of Black and Indian heritage to become the US vice president and the presidential nominee of a major political party.

EAM to visit S Arabia, Germany and Switzerland

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, will travel to Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from September 8 to 9, 2024, to attend the First India – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

During the visit, he is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers from GCC member countries, the Ministry of External Affairs in a press release said.

India and the GCC enjoy a deep and multifaceted relationship, in areas including political, trade and investment, energy cooperation, cultural and people-to-people ties.

Notably, the GCC region has emerged as a major trading partner for India and is home to a large Indian expatriate community, numbering around 8.9 million. The Foreign Ministers meeting will be an opportunity to review and deepen institutional cooperation between India and the GCC across various sectors.

On the second leg of the visit, Jaishankar will travel to Berlin, Germany for a two – day visit from September 10 to 11, 2024. This will be his third bilateral visit to Berlin. Both India and Germany share a robust Strategic Partnership and Germany is one of India’s prominent trading partners and among the largest Foreign Direct Investors, the release added.

During the visit, EAM will meet the German Federal Foreign Minister as well as the leadership and other Ministers from the German government. The objective of the visit will be to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations between India and Germany.

The External Affairs Minister will thereafter travel to Geneva, Switzerland for an official visit from September 12 to 13, 2024. Notably, Geneva is home to a large number of UN bodies and international organisations. During the visit, Jaishankar will meet with heads and representatives of international organisations with whom India is actively engaged, the MEA release said.

During the visit, EAM will also meet the Swiss Foreign Minister to review the close partnership between the two countries and explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further. (ANI)

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Bangladesh has no plan to change national anthem: Religious advisor

Hossain assured that people who are found guilty of committing such “heinous acts” will be punished by the interim regime led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus…reports Asian Lite News

Abul Fayez Muhammad Khalid Hossain, the Advisor for Religious Affairs in the interim government, said on Saturday that there are no plans to change the national anthem of Bangladesh.

“The interim government will not do anything to create controversy, we want to build a beautiful Bangladesh with everyone’s support,” Hossain was quoted as saying by the local media after visiting the Islamic Foundation in Rajshahi on the northern banks of the river Padma.

With attacks on minorities – especially those targetting the Hindu community in Bangladesh – still continuing, Hossain assured that people who are found guilty of committing such “heinous acts” will be punished by the interim regime led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.

“Those who attack places of worship are enemies of humanity. They are criminals, and they will be prosecuted under existing laws,” the advisor said.

He also announced that during the forthcoming Durga Puja celebrations, local citizens, along with madrasa students, will be involved in guarding the temples to prevent any kind of attack or sabotage.

“Madrasa students were never involved in terrorism, and that was propaganda and conspiracy by the previous government,” country’s leading daily The Daily Star quoted Hossain as saying on Saturday.

“The adviser further said, after the change of government, just as there have been attacks on the homes of some Hindu community people, there have also been attacks on the homes of Muslims. There is no scope to view this differently. This government is a government for everyone, committed to ensuring everyone’s security,” the religious advisor said according to the newspaper.

Last month, in an exclusive interview with IANS, Hossain had called India as Bangladesh’s “best neighbour” – which had helped the country “immensely” in gaining independence – and insisted that “work has begun” to take strict action against criminals involved in several incidents of violence and vandalism against the minority communities, especially Hindus, since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on August 5.

“India is our neighbouring country and we want to maintain peace and tranquillity in our country with the goodwill of India,” Hossain told IANS as the interim government received massive flak from all corners for failing to provide security to the minorities, majorly Hindus, in the country.

“We got our country back after great efforts and people from all religions sacrificed and shed their blood in the movement during Bangladesh’s liberation. We cannot let it go to waste. It is a secular country and we have to nurture this spirit and ensure communal harmony in Bangladesh. We are taking full measures and there is no communal violence now although there could be some isolated incidents,” he stated.

However, despite the assurances given by the Yunus government, attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh are being reported from across the country daily as radical Islamist groups continue to spread their ideology.

ALSO READ: August floods inflict $280m damage on Bangladesh agriculture

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August floods inflict $280m damage on Bangladesh agriculture

More than 200,000 hectares of cropland have been damaged out of a total of 372,733 hectares of land affected by floods in the country…reports Asian Lite News

Floods in August have inflicted 33.46 billion taka (US$280 million) in damage to agriculture in Bangladesh’s eastern area.

According to the latest data from the agriculture ministry, more than 200,000 hectares of cropland have been damaged out of a total of 372,733 hectares of land affected by floods in the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

The deluge, as a result of upstream mountain runoff and heavy rainfall, began on August 20 and quickly spread to many districts, including Feni, Cumilla, Chattogram and Noakhali in southeastern Bangladesh.

Mohammad Zakir Hossain, the agriculture ministry’s senior information officer, said over 1.4 million farmers have been affected by the floods. The ministry has planned a recovery program to support the affected farmers.

According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, the death toll has risen to 71 across 11 districts, with 29 fatalities reported in Feni alone. Over 5 million people have been affected by the recent floods in the South Asian country.

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UNSC condemns terrorist attack in Kabul

The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable…reports Asian Lite News

The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attack that occurred in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on 2 September, which was claimed by ISIL (Da’esh)-K and resulted in multiple people killed and many wounded.

In a statement, the members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.

They reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to peace and security in Afghanistan, as well as in the world.

They underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.

They urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard.

The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.

They reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing in Kabul.

In a Telegram post, ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) said one of its members detonated an explosive vest in the Afghan capital the previous day (Monday), targeting the Taliban government’s prosecution service.

The bomber waited until government employees finished their shifts and then detonated the explosive in the middle of a crowd, the post said, according to Al Jazeera.

ISIL claimed that the attack resulted in the deaths of more than 45 people and was revenge for “Muslims held in Taliban prisons.”

Notably, the most notorious attack linked to ISIL since the Taliban takeover was in 2022 when at least 53 people, including 46 girls and young women, were slain in the suicide bombing at an education centre in a Shia neighbourhood of Kabul. For which, the Taliban officials blamed ISIL for the attack.

A United Nations Security Council report released in January stated that there had been a decrease in ISIL attacks in Afghanistan because of “counter-terrorism efforts by the Taliban”. But the report also said that ISIL still had “substantial” recruitment in the country and that the armed group had “the ability to project a threat into the region and beyond”.

While violence has decreased in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, ISIL’s affiliate in the Khorasan region – Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) – still remains active.

The ISIL’s chapter spanning Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia had also claimed responsibility for the March attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow, where over 140 people were killed, marking the deadliest attack in Russia in two decades, Al Jazeera had reported. (ANI)

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Over 30,000 Afghan refugees return home in one week

The Afghan caretaker government has been repeatedly calling upon Afghan refugees to end living abroad…reports Asian Lite News

 More than 30,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland from Pakistan, Iran and Turkey over the past week, said an official from the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.

“Among them, around 2,500 are from Pakistan, about 190 from Turkey, and the remaining from Iran,” Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesperson for the ministry, said on Friday.

According to the ministry, moreover, a total of 1.78 million Afghan refugees have returned from abroad over the past year, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting local media outlet TOLOnews.

The Afghan caretaker government has been repeatedly calling upon Afghan refugees to end living abroad as refugees and return home to contribute to the rebuilding of their war-torn homeland.

Last month, the ministry announced that a total of 1,779,603 Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland from Pakistan, Iran, and other countries over the past 12 months.

“It is worth mentioning that currently, we have 7 million refugees in foreign countries and 3 million displacements inside Afghanistan,” said the Deputy of the ministry, Mawlavi Abdul Rahman Rashid, at a government programme.

According to Ahadi, to address the issues faced by Afghan migrants and returnees, the ministry has signed 93 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with its partner organisations, seven agencies, and 14 educational institutions during the period.

Over 7,88,000 Afghan internally displaced and returned families, with the collaboration of international aid organisations, have received financial, foodstuffs, and non-foodstuffs during the cited period, Ahadi asserted.

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Polio resurfaces in Islamabad after 16-year gap

The affected individual, an eight-year-old boy, marks the first polio case in the city since 2008….reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan has reported its first polio case in Islamabad in 16 years, bringing the total number of cases reported this year to 17, according to health officials. This resurgence comes as the country grapples with ongoing efforts to eradicate the disease, despite continued detection of wild poliovirus (WPV1) in environmental samples.

Aside from the confirmed wild poliovirus (WPV1) cases reported across all four provinces, the virus has also been identified in environmental samples from 64 districts, signalling its presence in those regions.

The new case has been detected in Islamabad’s Union Council Rural 4, near the Sangjani Toll Plaza, as confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio at the National Institute of Health.

The affected individual, an eight-year-old boy, marks the first polio case in the city since 2008.

As reported by the Pakistan’s English-language newspaper Dawn, a senior lab official stated that environmental samples from the federal capital and Rawalpindi district have been testing positive for WPV1 since June, highlighting the “persistent threat of polio to children’s well-being.”

Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister’s focal person for polio eradication, described the case as “incredibly heartbreaking.”

She mentioned that, in response to the virus outbreak, the polio programme has conducted “in-depth consultative sessions with the provinces and districts” to enhance its eradication efforts.

Muhammad Anwarul Haq, the coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication, stated that the government is “ramping up efforts” to ensure every child receives polio vaccines, including those in Islamabad.

The government has scheduled a new large-scale vaccination campaign across 115 districts from September 9 to 13.

Farooq stated that teams will conduct house-to-house visits in 115 districts to administer vaccines to over 33 million children under five.

The campaign will also include all 36 districts of Balochistan, which has seen 12 polio cases since February.

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Gen Munir admits Pak military’s direct role in Kargil conflict

Pakistan had denied its involvement in the 1999 war and claimed that it was an action taken by “freedom fighters” of Kashmir…reports Hamza Ameer

In what is being seen as a first-of-its kind confession by the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir has admitted Pakistani military’s direct role in the 1999 Kargil war against India.

During his Defence Day speech on Friday, Munir mentioned Kargil along with the three wars with India while paying homage to what he termed as “sacrifices rendered through martyrdom” by soldiers of the Pakistan Armed forces.

“Certainly Pakistani nation is a powerful and brave nation, which understands the value of freedom and knows how to sustain it. 1948, 1965, 1971, the Kargil war between Pakistan and India, or the war in Siachen, thousands sacrificed their lives and were martyred for the safety and security of the country,” he told the gathering at the GHQ.

Munir’s statement is being seen as a first-of-its-kind confession by a sitting Army Chief on the direct role of country’s military in the Kargil war, a position Islamabad has refrained from taking for the past 25 years.

So far, Pakistan had denied its involvement in the 1999 war and claimed that it was an action taken by “freedom fighters” of Kashmir.

Former Army Chief General Pervaiz Musharraf always claimed that the Kargil operation was a successful localized action.

During an interview, Musharraf had stated that then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not taken into confidence and many decisions taken by the armed forces along the volatile Line of Control (LoC) with India did not even require approval of the army chief.

However, Musharraf had admitted the role of Pakistan Army’s 10 core FCNA (Force Command Northern Areas) in the entire operation.

“Initially, there was a mujahideen activity in the area. Later on FCNA decided to man the 150 mile vacant area of the Line of Control (LoC). For this, there is no need to get approval or permission from anyone,” said Musharraf.

Mushahid Hussain Syed, who was the Information Secretary under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during 1999, also detailed about his government being informed about the Kargil operation through an official communication by the then DGMO (Director General Military Operations).

“When Kargil happened, the formal intimation and briefing that was given to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was given on 17th May 1999 by the DGMO. Before that, voices from India had started to come and there was a realization that something was happening along the Line of Control,” said Syed in an interview.

Experts maintain that the Kargil operation will remain a success story for some and a big blunder and mistake for many others. They maintain that Musharraf’s claim of FCNA’s involvement, which is part of the 10 Core of Pakistan Army and manages Kashmir and the northern areas of the country, is enough confession to endorse the fact, reiterated by the current army chief.

It also remains a fact that many bodies of Pakistan Army soldiers in Kargil were not brought back, prompting their families to raise questions over the reluctance of the Pakistani government and the army to own them.

“Those officers, who came to meet us, we kept asking them to try and bring the bodies of their loved ones back. I believe that they should have tried harder. But they didn’t,” said Itrat Abbas, brother of late Captain Farhat Haseeb, the army officer martyred in Kargil, confirming that officers and soldiers of Pakistan Army were deployed in Kargil.

Rehana Mehboob, mother of late Captain Ammar Hussain, admitted that she kept getting calls from the Army Unit and friends of her son during the Kargil war, adding that then Army Chief Pervaiz Musharraf did not even own the operation.

The above-mentioned statements by families and then government officials along with the then army chief are enough evidence to maintain that while then PM Sharif was kept in the dark, the army’s chain of command was fully on board about the Kargil operation.

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Harris’ campaign raises $361 mn in Aug

The cash stockpiled across Harris’ affiliated committees tops the $295 million that Trump’s campaign said it had available in its bank accounts….reports Asian Lite News

US Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has so far raised a massive $361 million, which is around thrice more than the $130 million raised by her Republican rival Donald Trump, CNN reported.

This also gives Harris a whopping $404 million in cash reserves for the final, two-month sprint to Election Day, her campaign aides announced on Friday.

The cash stockpiled across Harris’ affiliated committees tops the $295 million that Trump’s campaign said it had available in its bank accounts.

This underscores how much Harris’ historic and late-breaking candidature has energised donors and transformed the 2024 race, according to CNN. Notably, the $361 million is by far the best monthly haul for either party this cycle.

At this rate, Harris is poised to collect over $1 billion in the condensed campaign window between becoming the party’s de facto nominee in late July and Election Day. She has already raised more than USD 615 million since President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid on July 21, her campaign noted Friday.

Last month’s haul also topped the $310 million that Harris and Democrats raised in July and came amid the fanfare of her announcing Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz as her running mate and formally accepting her party’s nomination at last month’s celebrity-studded Chicago convention, which also included appearances from Biden and two of his White House predecessors.

The third strongest grassroots fundraising day of the campaign came on August 6 – the day Harris announced Walz’s selection, campaign officials said.

The August haul does not best the monthly fundraising record of $383 million set by the Biden-Harris political operation in September 2020 at the height of that presidential campaign.

The August totals announced by Trump’s team show his fundraising pace has slowed – with his election effort bringing in slightly less last month than the $138.7 million it had collected in July.

Earlier, CNN had reported an analysis of donations, which showed that among the donations that exceeded $200 million this cycle found that some of Trump’s biggest fundraising days came in May around his felony conviction in New York, exceeding even the amounts the campaign reported collecting in July during his party’s nominating convention.

Harris campaign officials said they are ploughing their money into reaching voters, citing a “weekend of action” in the coming days that will feature 2,000 events and a $370 million digital and TV ad campaign running through the election.

The campaign said it also has established more than 312 offices with the Democratic Party and employs more than 2,000 staffers with the party across battleground states but warned of a close, hard-fought contest in the home stretch. (ANI)

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‘Ukraine conflict eventually to be decided at negotiation table’

Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General CQ Brown reaffirmed the commitment of the US and other nations to aiding Ukraine…reports Asian Lite News

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that the conflict in Ukraine will be ultimately settled at the negotiating table, but it is impossible to say when.

“I think eventually this conflict will be decided at a negotiation table but when that point comes it is hard to predict still,” Austin said after a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on September 6.

“We are going continue to work to put Ukraine in the best possible position” for peace talks, Austin stated.

Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General CQ Brown reaffirmed the commitment of the US and other nations to aiding Ukraine at the 24th meeting of the UDCG, a statement from US Department of Defence read.

The UDCG, is a coalition of some 50 nations that meet regularly to discuss Ukraine’s security needs, first met in April 2022 as a result of Austin’s efforts to assemble the group after Russia had invaded Ukraine two months earlier.

“This coalition has been indivisible in supporting Ukraine to repel Russian aggression,” Brown said at a press conference following the meeting which hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as its special guest.

Austin in his opening remarks at the meeting thanked allies and partners “who have given Ukraine’s forces the tools to defend themselves” including air defence, armour, artillery ammunition and, F-16 fighters.

This coalition has committed more than USD106 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since February 2022, he said.

“Putin seeks a world of empires and autocrats, a world where might makes right, a world where bullies get to invade their peaceful neighbors with impunity. And that would be profoundly dangerous for the United States and for peace loving people everywhere,” the US Defence Secretary said.

Responding to a reporter’s question Austin said, “…I think this war could end very quickly if Mr. Putin decided to pull his forces out of the places that he’s occupied in Ukraine. I mean, this was started by Putin. It could end — Putin could end it very quickly if he just made the simple and right decision to undo what he’s done.” (ANI)

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