Putin said the buffer zone around Kharkiv is needed because the Belgorod region was being massively bombarded with drones and missiles from Kharkiv….reports Asian Lite News
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that at the moment he has no plans to capture the city of Kharkiv, but that Russian forces were establishing a buffer zone in the area because of attacks from Kharkiv on the Russian region of Belgorod.
He made his comments in response to a question from Russian state media reporters at the end of his visit to China in the city of Harbin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the heavily attacked Kharkiv region on Thursday and said the situation had stabilised. The area has come under heavy Russian attack recently.
Putin said the buffer zone around Kharkiv is needed because the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, was being massively bombarded with drones and missiles from Kharkiv.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who is currently deputy head of the National Security Council, described Zelensky’s trip to Kharkiv as a farewell visit.
Russian leaders repeatedly refer to Kharkiv as a Russian city, leading many experts to assume that the Kremlin wants to annex the region. Putin’s denial, at least for the time being, is the first time he has stated that there are no current plans to do so.
Russia appears far from being deterred by the sanctions. Its economy grew by 3 per cent in 2023, more than the US economy, reports Yashwant Raj
The US has hit Russia with 500 new sanctions on Friday over the death of jailed Opposition leader Aleksey Navalny and the ongoing war against Ukraine, with the goal of further constricting its energy earnings that fuel and sustain the war effort.
The US has also announced 100 sanctions against entities that are providing “backdoor support” to the Russian war machine, including those in China, the UAE and Liechtenstein.
“These sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalny’s imprisonment as well as Russia’s financial sector, defence industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents,” US President Joe Biden said, announcing new curbs.
“They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home.”
The 47-year-old Navalny died in a Russian prison on February 16. The US has sanctioned more than 2,000 entities in Russia since President Vladimir Putin sent his troops into Ukraine to deter him by squeezing his energy earnings and sources of material for the war industry.
(Kremlin Photo)
But Russia appears far from being deterred. Its economy grew by 3 per cent in 2023, more than the US economy. And it continues to wage the war, which is now going in their advantage specially with Ukraine’s depleting arsenal desperately in need of replenishment. A legislation providing additional security funding for Ukraine is caught in a political fight between Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, home of the US congress.
Pressing Republicans, who control the House of Representatives to clear the bill, Biden said: “History is watching. The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will not be forgotten. Now is the time for us to stand strong with Ukraine and stand united with our allies and partners. Now is the time to prove that the US stands up for freedom and bows down to no one.”
These additional sanctions come amidst further deterioration in relations between the world’s largest nuclear powers and sharp language exchanged by the two sides.
Biden called Putin a “crazy SOB’ at a fundraiser for his re-election campaign earlier this week. And Putin reacted by sarcastically calling Biden his preferred president of the US.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has arrived in Jeddah to participate in a summit of national security advisers and other officials being hosted Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Doval was welcomed at the Jeddah Airport by Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Suhel Khan and Consul General Mohammed Shahid Alam.
“Shri Ajit Doval, NSA arrived in Jeddah to take part in National Security Advisors’ meeting on Ukraine. He was welcomed at Jeddah Airport by Ambassador Dr Suhel Khan and Consul General Mohd Shahid Alam,” the Indian Embassy in Riyadh said on Twitter.
Shri Ajit Doval, NSA arrived in Jeddah to take part in National Security Advisors' meeting on Ukraine. He was welcomed at Jeddah Airport by Ambassador Dr Suhel Khan and Consul General Mohd Shahid Alam.@MEAIndia@IndianDiplomacypic.twitter.com/wmLQ10f17l
— India in Saudi Arabia (@IndianEmbRiyadh) August 5, 2023
The meeting is being organised in the coastal city of Jeddah to discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plan for peace amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday confirmed India’s participation in the summit.
“India will participate in this event and our participation is in consonance with our long-standing position that dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
“Yes, India has been invited to a meeting being hosted by Saudi Arabia on Ukraine in Jeddah,” Bagchi said while replying to a question at a press briefing of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov as saying: “Russia will keep an eye on this meeting” but would need “to fully understand what goals are being set.”
The Wall Street Journal, on July 29 first reported on the summit citing “diplomats involved in the discussion”, and said the talks would take place on August 5 and 6, in the city of Jeddah, with some 30 countries attending.
WSJ also said that Ukrainian and Western officials are hopeful that the efforts could conclude in a peace summit later this year where global leaders would sign up to shared principles for resolving the war.
For the Jeddah summit, the 30 invitees include Chile, Egypt, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zambia, according to WSJ.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said on Sunday that officials from several countries would take part in the Saudi Arabian summit but did not say when or in which city the meeting will be held, reported Al Jazeera.
Yermak wrote on Telegram, that discussions will take place on the Ukrainian Peace Formula, which “contains 10 fundamental points, the implementation of which will not only ensure peace for Ukraine, but also create mechanisms to counter future conflicts in the world”.
“We are deeply convinced that the Ukrainian peace plan should be taken as a basis because the war is taking place on our land,” Al Jazeera quoted Yermak as saying.
Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India has always maintained that the conflict must be resolved by dialogue and diplomacy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said, “India is ready to do whatever it can for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in an escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War which began in 2014. The invasion has killed tens of thousands on both sides. Russian forces have been accused of mass civilian casualties and of torturing captured Ukrainian soldiers. (ANI)
China and Brazil have refrained from imposing sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, setting them apart from Western powers….reports Asian Lite News
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Saturday that the United States should stop “encouraging war” in Ukraine “and start talking about peace”.
“The United States needs to stop encouraging war and start talking about peace, the European Union needs to start talking about peace,” Lula told reporters in Beijing at the end of a visit where he met with President Xi Jinping.
In that way, the international community will be able to “convince” Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky that “peace is in the interest of the whole world,” he said before leaving for the United Arab Emirates.
Lula’s visit to China, Brazil’s top trading partner, focused on strengthening ties and spreading the message that “Brazil is back” as a key player on the global stage.
He is carrying out a delicate balancing act as he also seeks closer ties with Washington. His visit, which included an economic agenda in Shanghai and a more political one in Beijing, comes after a meeting with US President Joe Biden in February.
Unlike Western powers, neither China nor Brazil have imposed sanctions against Russia after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and both seek to position themselves as mediators to achieve peace.
Before the trip, Lula had proposed creating a group of countries to mediate in the war, and said he would discuss this in Beijing. Asked about the progress of this initiative after his conversation with Xi, Lula did not give details.
“It is important to have patience” to talk with Putin and Zelensky, he said. “But above all, it is necessary to convince the countries that are supplying weapons, encouraging the war, to stop”.
Sources told India Narrative that New Delhi will not deviate from its commitment to support the initiatives of the Global South to strengthen food security…reports Mahua Venkatesh
Even as India imposed a ban on exports of non basmati rice, it will continue to supply grains to countries that seek New Delhi’s assistance in the wake of the geopolitical shifts and the uncertainty engulfing the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Sources told India Narrative that New Delhi will not deviate from its commitment to support the initiatives of the Global South to strengthen food security. While the decision to impose the ban was taken due to uneven rains in the country, which has pushed up domestic food prices, they said that it could be reviewed in a few months if the situation improves.
Farmers’ organisations said that the rain pattern for the next 15 days will be crucial to get clarity over the production situation. While several states have received more than normal rains many others such as West Bengal and Assam have received less than normal. Many parts in Punjab and Haryana, two of the key rice producing states have been flooded. This has caused worries for policymakers.
“But the monsoon situation seems to be stabilising now, so the decision (on the ban) could well be reviewed. But given the current situation and price rise, the government had no other option. The priority has to be food supply for our own people and that it will not be compromised,” an official said.
India is the world’s largest exporter of rice accounting for almost 40 per cent of the global supplies.
Though sowing of paddy has been delayed in a few states due to the uneven rain pattern, farmers’ organisations said that there was no need to press the panic button yet. “If the rain pattern normalises in the next few days, crops will not be impacted,” the official said.
About 60 per cent of the rice sowing in India takes place during the Kharif season. The remaining production of rice takes place during the Rabi cycle in the winter months.
Vinod Kaul, Senior Executive Director, All India Rice Exporters’ Association, pointed out that exports this year will be impacted. “The ban is due to the uneven rains in the country, which has impacted sowing but we are hopeful that the situation will improve. Even last year, sowing started late and there was panic. But in the end overall production of the grain did not suffer,” Kaul said.
India’s agro-production and exports have global implications on food security. India ships rice to about 14o countries.
Another footnote said that China also objected to the reference of Ukraine crisis in the above-mentioned paragraphs…reports Asian Lite News
The G20 development ministers’ meeting held in Varanasi on Monday failed to reach a consensus on the Russia-Ukraine war as differences arose between member nations over inclusion of its reference in the final outcome document and Chair’s summary, with China and Russia objecting to it.
The outcome document, which contains 14 paragraphs, said in a footnote that “Russia disassociated itself from the status of this document as a common outcome because of references in para 10 and 11”.
Another footnote said that China also objected to the reference of Ukraine crisis in the above-mentioned paragraphs.
“The war in Ukraine has further adversely impacted the global economy. There was a discussion on the issue. We reiterated our national positions as expressed in other fora, including the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly… Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy – constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks,” paragraph 10 said.
“There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions. Recognising that the G20 is not the forum to resolve security issues, we acknowledge that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy,” the paragraph 10 said further.
“It is essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability. This includes defending all the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and adhering to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and infrastructure in armed conflicts. The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,” paragraph 11 said.
G20 development ministers meet: No consensus on text relating to Russia-Ukraine war pic.twitter.com/BmkDJbqrSU
“The peaceful resolution of conflicts, efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue, are vital. Today’s era must not be of war,” the paragraph concluded.
Meanwhile, the G20 development ministers’ meeting, which was chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, delved into various developmental challenges facing the globe and adopted an India-initiated seven-year action plan to accelerate progress on the sustainable development goals through an inclusive roadmap.
Brazil’s President noted that EU and the US were too quick to back Kiev instead of trying for a de-escalation…reports Asian Lite News
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that neither Ukraine nor Russia can achieve every goal they’ve set in their conflict, but need a mediator to facilitate peace talks, while faulting the EU and the US were too quick to back Kiev instead of trying for a de-escalation, media reports said.
“It is not necessary to have a war,” Lula said at a media breakfast at his official residence, Palacio do Planalto on Thursday, RT reported.
“We think that the developed world, especially the EU and the US, had the option not to enter the war the way they did, so fast, without spending time trying to negotiate,” he contended. “Negotiating peace is very complicated.”
The Brazilian leader, who is set to travel next week to China, a nation with a similar position on Ukraine to his own, says he hopes his contacts with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will help bring about a conversation “that we should have had a year ago”.
Pic credits @vonderleyen
India and Indonesia may have a role, too, he added.
Explaining his view on how the hostilities could end, he suggested that the status of Crimea should be excluded from the discussion, but stressed that Russia “cannot keep the land in Ukraine”.
He also said that Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky “can’t want everything either”. Kiev has declared a military victory over Russia and a return of all lands, including Crimea, as preconditions for entering peace talks.
Pakistanis queue for fuel at a fuel station in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, on July 26, 2017. A countrywide strike by oil tanker owners in Pakistan against the government's safety measures, which has affected fuel supply across the country, was called off on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Saadia Seher/IANS)
Cash-strapped Pakistan could go dry on the fuel front soon. Such an unenviable situation, analysts point out, is caused by its bad foreign policy choices made amidst domestic political turmoil and economic crisis. Pakistan is a net loser in fuel oil imports at a time the Ukraine conflict has worsened the situation for most economies globally … writes Dr Sakariya Kareem
Pakistan is in a fix over its dwindling oil stocks wherein the fuel it imports is smuggled to Afghanistan even as its “informal trade” on oil with Iran, another neighbour, is thriving. A net oil importer, it has been able to stave off the fuel crisis because demand by the industry has fallen in the last year. The industry has suffered a slowdown for a lack of funds to pay for accessories it imports. Production and exports of textiles, one of its major mainstays, have fallen.
Such an unenviable situation, analysts point out, is caused by its bad foreign policy choices made amidst domestic political turmoil and economic crisis. Pakistan is a net loser in fuel oil imports at a time the Ukraine conflict has worsened the situation for most economies globally. Its then Prime Minister Imran Khan’s presence in Moscow (despite American warnings) last year on the day Ukraine was attacked, did not help. Pakistan could not play the victim card as Khan did not stay in office, the Americans were unhappy and the Russians were looking for cash. They still do, and Pakistan is cash-strapped.
Pakistani rupee. (Photo: Wikipedia)
Worse, Pakistan has been unable to secure waivers like Saudi Arabia, India and Turkiye from the United States-led coalition fighting a proxy war with Russia. These countries managed to take a stand on their foreign policy objective which was in contravention of the US legislation like Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Pakistan has a sizable population and it is a net importer of energy. For reasons that remain unclear, it has not focused on bilateral ties with Iran, a major oil producer, and has relied on other Gulf nations. Analysts speculate whether it has to do with its focus on the Sunni Gulf nations, downplaying a Shia Iran. The Pakistan-Iran bilateral relationship has remained subdued even though both share a physical border. It indicates that either the long-term foreign policy goals of Pakistan with Iran have not yet matched or the priorities with Iran remain secondary. Amends were sought to be made through a recent visit by foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to Iran when the two sides discussed the operationalisation of barter trade and border sustenance marketplaces.
However, there is also a looming irritant on this front. An unhappy Iran has sued Pakistan for failing to create infrastructure on the latter’s territory for the Iran-Pakistan (IP) Pipeline. The project has remained a pipedream and is only adding to its problems at the worst possible time.
The Express Tribune (March 7, 2023) quoting officials reported that another litigation threat worth USD 18 billion looms over Pakistan on this score. The inter-governmental framework inked in 2009 has witnessed periodical agreements. In August 2019, a third agreement was signed between Iran and Pakistan in Turkey which mandated the pipeline project to be completed by 2024 and Pakistan to buy 750MMCFD (million cubic feet per day) of Iranian gas produced from the Farzad gas field.
People buy items at a shop in southern Pakistani port city of Karachi on April 7, 2022. (Str/Xinhua/IANS)
According to Pakistan Today-Profit, a national daily in Pakistan, the agreement also mentioned the possibility of filing the case and claims to be filed by Iran in a French international litigation court if Pakistan failed to fulfil its commitment.
On March 3, a National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs also reminded the government to expedite the pipeline project.
Transnational gas projects can succeed if the gas can flow from Pakistan to further South Asian economies. Its adversarial relations with India, a major gas consumer and the transit nature of Pakistan’s geography make it a default partner in any energy drain project in the post-colonial states of Asia. Actually, Pakistan has options but it is constrained in financing and sustaining the projects at a pace expected by partners.
Overall, Pakistan’s current fuel situation remains iffy and is unlikely to improve soon. In its editorial (March 9, 2023), Dawn newspaper stated that “warnings of a major fuel supply disruption have been communicated by oil marketing companies and refineries to the government and the central bank.
“The oil industry has been operating in dire circumstances for the last six months, with the government deluding itself that everything is under control. Such situations in countries like Pakistan don’t take long to change for the worse,” the newspaper observed.
The International Association for Human Values scales-up trauma relief workshops with additional dates for those affected by the Ukraine war. More than 5000 Ukrainians have already benefited from these free workshops.
With one year of killing, destruction and displacement going on in Ukraine, the war has not only created a humanitarian crisis with people witnessing the worst possible, losing their homes, loved ones and fleeing for their lives. Moreover, the war has left a heavy mental burden of post-traumatic stress disorders, emotional pain, anxiety, sleeping disorders and other mental conditions on Ukrainians.
To help Ukrainians heal the emotional wounds of the war and strengthen their resilience, the UN-accredited NGO International Association for Human Values (IAHV) offers additional dates for their proven trauma-relief and empowerment workshops.
“Our free workshops are a combination of time-tested simple techniques and are just 4,5 hours over 3 days. Once learnt, the techniques can be practiced daily to build up resilience,” says Dr. Katrien Hertog, Director Trauma-Relief and Peace building Programs, IAHV. People from Ukraine can register for weekly online workshops or for in-person workshops on our webpage https://pmsh.iahv-peace.org
Dr. Katrien Hertog
The workshops are conducted by specially trained IAHV trainers as part of the ‘Peace of Mind and Strength of Heart’ project in cooperation with the Art of Living Foundation and Fundacja Understanding, and with the support of the European Union.
Since the first week of the war, IAHV has conducted 200+ trauma relief workshops for more than 5,000 people from Ukraine located in more than 20 countries.
In addition to refugees, also staff and volunteers who have been supporting Ukrainians during this one year can participate in professional care workshops to prevent burn-out, manage stress and increase their resilience. There are also special programs developed for kids and teenagers.
“IAHV programs, based on breathing techniques, are very accessible for everyone. They produce significant results which have been researched in 100+ scientific studies, including rapid and significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, depression and anxiety, and improved quality of life. The workshops empower people to improve their own wellbeing without becoming dependent on medicine or therapy” – adds Dr. Katrien Hertog.
The trauma relief workshop participants note an improvement in sleep, calmness in the mind, increased energy, reduced physical pains, increased hope and more inner strength. This helps them to overcome the effects of war but also challenges of displacement, adapt in a new environment, deal with the constant flow of news and worries, deal with uncertainty, learn new languages and focus on the future.
IAHV has successfully implemented large-scale trauma relief and psychosocial support programs in peacekeeping missions with partners including the United Nations, the European Union and the Red Cross, and its approach has been researched and implemented in Harvard, Yale and Stanford universities, among others. IAHV workshops have long been held in refugee camps in Europe and the Middle East, prisons around the world, for vulnerable communities in South Africa, for health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, for Afghans after the Taliban takeover, in Lebanon after the explosion in Beirut, in Iraq since 2003, after terrorist attacks, natural disasters (floods in Indonesia, earthquakes in Turkey, fires in Australia and Portugal).
The surge in global energy prices since the invasion has pushed inflation across advanced economies to its highest levels in decades…reports Asian Lite News
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves through the global economy and now, a year on from the start of the attack, the world is fundamentally changed, the media reported.
Trends that were already in motion have accelerated, as the need to move away from fossil fuels to greener, renewable energy supplies became more urgent, The Guardian reported.
Food prices have soared, increasing hunger in the developing world, and forcing governments, businesses and people to adapt to lasting shifts, The Guardian reported.
The surge in global energy prices since the invasion has pushed inflation across advanced economies to its highest levels in decades, squeezing household incomes and weighing on economic growth.
War in Ukraine.(photo;Instagram)
The inflation surge led central banks to increase interest rates, which drove up borrowing costs for households and businesses. Mortgage costs in the UK and several other nations have risen sharply, stoking fears of a property crash.
Economists expect inflation to cool rapidly over the coming months, as the initial surge in energy prices drops out of the calculation for the annual increase in rising living costs. However, gas and electricity prices remain much higher than before the invasion, The Guardian reported.
Russia and Ukraine are, respectively, the world’s largest and fifth-largest exporters of wheat, accounting for almost a third of global exports. They are also significant producers of fertilisers and other essential commodities. As war disrupts these supplies, food prices have rocketed to unprecedented levels, The Guardian reported.
Economy.
While this has posed challenges globally, developing nations that are net food importers are particularly exposed. Countries in north Africa and the Middle East are among the biggest buyers of Russian and Ukrainian wheat.
But these poorer countries are facing a double whammy. Moves by the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in response to soaring inflation has pushed up the value of the dollar, making it more expensive for developing countries to import goods and borrow money on global markets denominated in the US currency.
International trade was already fragmenting before the Russian invasion, but the trend has been accelerated in the past year amid rising geopolitical tensions and concern over supply chain security. After the disruption caused by Covid, and with an eye on the conflict and shifting global relations, companies have pushed to reshore or “friendshore” production, bringing it closer to home, The Guardian reported.
Ian Stewart, chief economist in the UK at accountancy firm Deloitte, said: “The lure of cheap raw materials from Russia is spurring sanctions avoidance on a previously unseen scale. Russian oil shunned by the EU has found ready customers in China, India and Turkey,” The Guardian reported.
