Spokesman said that Washington would likely keep supporting Ukraine, and the financial burden increasingly be placed on its “European subordinates”…reports Asian Lite News
Moscow will wait for concrete actions, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, while commenting on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal of possible talks with Russia.
Russian representatives should be present at a second peace conference on Ukraine, which is scheduled to be held in November, said Zelensky on Monday.
“What exactly is behind these words? What specific plans are we discussing? What actions are being proposed in this regard?” Peskov asked, noting that it was too early to judge and necessary to wait for specific actions, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the Spokesman said that Washington would likely keep supporting Ukraine, and the financial burden increasingly be placed on its “European subordinates”.
Western aid to Kiev would “not contribute to the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, but on the contrary, will prolong it,” said Peskov, adding that it would not affect the outcome of Russia’s special military operation in any way.
Leaders and top officials from more than 90 states gathered at a Swiss mountainside resort on June 15 for the two-day summit dedicated to resolving the largest European conflict since World War II…reports Asian Lite News
The Kremlin on Tuesday gave a cautious reaction to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s apparent invitation to a future peace summit, saying that Russia first needs to understand what Kyiv means before attending talks.
Zelensky said on Monday that Russia “should be” represented at a second summit on the Ukraine conflict, following high-level talks last month in Switzerland that Moscow did not attend and heavily criticized.
“The first peace summit was not a peace summit at all. So perhaps it is necessary to first understand what he means,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Zvezda television channel, responding to Zelensky’s comments.
Zelensky’s apparent welcoming of Russia to talks marks a change of tone from the conference in Switzerland, ahead of which the Ukrainian leader categorically ruled out inviting Moscow.
The surprise comments from Kyiv come as Ukraine’s forces lose ground on the front line and as the United States gears up for presidential elections that could fundamentally change the dynamic of the conflict.
Leaders and top officials from more than 90 states gathered at a Swiss mountainside resort on June 15 for the two-day summit dedicated to resolving the largest European conflict since World War II.
China and Russia were markedly absent.
The Kremlin sharply criticized the gathering, saying that any discussions on ending the conflict that did not include Russia were “absurd.”
Washington said Monday that it backed Ukraine’s decision to invite Russia to a second summit, but expressed doubt about whether Moscow was ready for talks.
“When they want to invite Russia to that summit, of course, that is something we support,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists.
“We’ve always supported diplomacy when Ukraine is ready, but it has never been clear that the Kremlin is ready for actual diplomacy,” he said.
Ahead of last month’s summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was open for talks and would announce a ceasefire if Kyiv effectively surrendered territory that Moscow claims as its own.
Zelensky slammed Putin’s demands as a territorial “ultimatum” reminiscent of those issued by Adolf Hitler, and Ukraine’s Western backers including the United States reacted with scorn.
However there is growing apprehension in Kyiv about how a potential Donald Trump victory in November’s US elections might affect continued American aid to Ukraine.
The Republican Party candidate has suggested he would end the conflict very quickly if he won back the presidency, a promise Kyiv fears would mean being forced to negotiate with Moscow from a weakened position.
Zelensky said on Monday he was “not worried” about the prospect of a Trump victory and that he was still counting on support from the United States, Ukraine’s biggest financial and military backer.
Ukrainian President and Indian Prime Minister have also discussed the upcoming Global Peace Summit….reports Asian Lite News
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has extended a warm invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Ukraine at “a convenient time”.
The invitation came during a phone conversation between the two leaders, where Zelenskyy congratulated PM Modi on his recent election victory and wished for the swift formation of the government.
“I spoke with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to congratulate him on his election victory. I wished him a speedy formation of the government and continued productive work for the benefit of the Indian people. We discussed the upcoming Global Peace Summit,” said Zelenskyy in a post on X.
Expressing his desire for continued productive collaboration for the benefit of the Indian people, President Zelenskyy highlighted the importance of India’s participation at the upcoming Global Peace Summit.
Emphasising the significance of India’s engagement at the highest level, Zelenskyy sought Modi’s commitment to contribute to discussions aimed at promoting peace and stability on the global stage.
“We rely on India’s participation at the highest level. I also invited Prime Minister Modi to visit Ukraine at a convenient time,” Zelenskyy’s post added.
Earlier, thanking Zelenskyy after he congratulated him on the third consecutive electoral victory in the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday said India will continue to support peace, security, and prosperity for everyone in the region.
In a post on X, PM Modi stated, “Thank you President @ZelenskyyUa. India will continue to support peace, security and prosperity for everyone in the region.”
PM Modi is set for a third consecutive term as Prime Minister of India with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) emerging victorious in the parliamentary elections.
The counting of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was held on Tuesday. According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP won 240 seats, much lower than its 2019 tally of 303. The Congress, on the other hand, registered strong growth, winning 99 seats against 52 in 2019.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured a third term.
Zelenskyy also said that everyone in the world recognizes India’s role in global affairs and is “looking forward to seeing India attend the Peace Summit in Switzerland.
“India and Ukraine share common values and a rich history. May our partnership continue to thrive, bringing progress and mutual understanding for our nations. Everyone in the world recognizes the significance and weight of India’s role in global affairs. It is critical that we all work together to ensure a just peace for all nations. In this regard, we also look forward to seeing India attend the Peace Summit,” he added.
Notably, in April, Switzerland Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis announced that Switzerland would host a high-level international conference in June with more than 100 countries invited to help chart a path towards peace in Ukraine after more than two years of war.
In May, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India had received an invitation from the Swiss side, but the decision regarding participation is still pending.
“We have received an invitation from the Swiss side. we are yet to decide on participation,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. (ANI)
The Eurasia Group has avoided calling either Xi or the PRC in any way ‘dangerous’ but regards a fighter for democracy as ‘dangerous’, writes Prof. Madhav Das Nalapat
Recently, a member of an influential strategic group wrote about a trio of the leaders that in his view were the three “most dangerous” friends of the US and its allies across the Atlantic. The three named were Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Taiwan’s William Lai. This is what the Eurasia Group writer was quoted by KMT Presidential candidate Hou You-yih as saying.
If Hou is correct in such an attribution, the Eurasia Group has moved entirely away from its consistent cheerleading of the senseless, hopeless war that Zelenskyy is conducting against Russia. The war is being fought in a bid to recover territories lost to Moscow since 2014. That the policy suggestions of such behaind the times groups are taken so seriously by policymakers in the US and its Atlantic allies is why what Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov calls the “Collective West” is losing its influence across the world.
Living in a world of the past, ignoring the reality of the present, dinosaurs within the policymaking community who still believe the world is in the era of Cold War 1.0 continue to dominate policy within NATO. According to such minds, the three “rogue” states that need to be neutralised are North Korea, Iran and Russia. Conspicuously absent from the Eurasia list is China, which is presumably why Taiwan’s William Lai, who is no admirer of the CCP, has been included in the Eurasia list of “dangerous friends” of the US and its allies.
In the 1930s, the intellectual ancestors of the Eurasia Group were joyful at Poland opposing the pleas of the Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union from 1930 to 1939, Maxim Litvinov, for France, Britain and the USSR to join hands against Nazi Germany. Not that Pilsudski, Sikorski and others in Poland who regarded Hitler’s Germany as being preferable by far to Stalinist Russia were alone in such a view.
Most of the leaders of France and Britain during the 1930s agreed with them, while the few who did not, such as Winston Churchill, were shunned as “unsound warmongers”. Poland paid a very heavy price in lives and land for its policies after the invasion of the country by Germany in 1939. In times to come, Zelenskyy and the other Ukrainian leaders of the present will be judged the way the Polish leadership during the 1930s was, as individuals who sleepwalked their country to disaster.
But it would be unfair to blame Zelenskyy in the manner that an analyst in the Eurasia Group is reported to have done. Having come to power on a mandate from the voters to search for a peaceful resolution of the tensions with Russia, after being elected, Zelenskyy was bombarded with advice (including by visiting members of the Eurasia Group) to win back through war the lands lost to pro-Russian elements in Ukraine in 2014.
When there was the proposal by Moscow of an armistice just a month after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in 2022, that overture was blocked by the US, the UK and the EU. The three promised Zelenskyy “all that was needed, for as long as it takes” to defeat the Russian bear. Trying to push a bear into a corner is never a good idea, unless you have the capability of completely overpowering it.
Given that Russia has the most lethal nuclear force in the world, any question of overpowering the country in battle does not arise. This would be the case even if NATO were to enter into the Ukraine conflict in the way the Chinese and the Ukrainian regime want, the first privately and the other openly.
Calling the country with such a lethal nuclear arsenal a rogue state needing to be neutralised, as the Eurasia Group has done, is to seek to corner a bear without the ability to defeat its counterattack. Thanks to such muddied thinking, much of the world is suffering the consequences of NATO having urged Ukraine to fight a war that is unwinnable for the country.
war in Ukraine.(photo:Instagram)
Zelenskyy’s previous career as a comic has evidently not prepared him to understand the consequences of his having followed the advice of many including the Eurasia Group in rejecting an armistice except on terms tantamount to the impossibility of a Russian surrender. Rather than Zelenskyy being a “dangerous friend”, the fact is that it is dangerous to go by the views of the Eurasia Group, as is now clear to all except confirmed Cold War 1.0 zealots who have not noticed that from 1997 onwards, the world has entered into the era of Cold War 2.0. And what of North Korea?
After seeing what happened to Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi after they handed over their WMD stockpiles, it would not be rational for Kim Jong Un to trust in the word of western leaders (in the way Gaddafi, under the influence of his son Saif, did). This was the promise that after Kim dismantled his WMD and thereby made himself helpless in a future war, he would be transformed from foe to friend. Should North and South Korea ever unify in the way East and West Germany did, it will almost certainly be as a nuclear state.
As for Iran, there is no doubt that the obsession of the clerical regime, which is to eliminate Israel from the map, has been the single biggest factor behind the suffering endured by the Iranian people. Which is why most of the people of Iran loathe the clerics who ruin their lives. And what of the other “dangerous friends”, Netanyahu and Lai? The fact is that the 7 October terror attack by Hamas left no choice for Israel but to eliminate the military wing of Hamas.
Contrary to many “experts”, should the Hamas military wing survive the present IDF operation, it would speed up radicalisation across the region, while the demise of the offensive capability of Hamas would dampen such fervour. If George W. Bush is not considered “dangerous” by the Eurasia Group for his reaction to 9/11, neither should Netanyahu. And unlike Bush, who cheerfully expanded his war to Iraq, thus far Netanyahu has held back fringe elements in his government urging an attack on Iran.
As for William Lai, he is “dangerous” not to the US or to Taiwan but only to the CCP, which is engaged in an effort at taking control of Taiwan by stealth. The Eurasia Group has avoided calling either Xi or the PRC in any way “dangerous” but regards Lai, a fighter for democracy, as “dangerous”. With policy advisers such as these, small wonder that the Atlantic Alliance is shrinking in credibility across the world.
Russia still occupies nearly one-fifth of Ukraine, and in recent weeks has launched fresh offensives in the east, around Avdviika and Vuhledar in Donetsk and near Kupyansk in Kharkiv…reports Asian Lite News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has questioned Donald Trump’s claim that he could end Russia’s war against Kiev within 24 hours if he is re-elected in 2024.
During an interview with NBC News, Zelensky also invited Trump to Ukraine to physically witness the scale of devastation that Russia’s invasion has caused since it was launched in February 2022.
“If he can come here, I will need 24 minutes – yes, 24 minutes… to explain (to) President Trump that he can’t manage this war. He can’t bring peace because of Putin,” CNN quoted the Ukrainian leader as saying in the interview.
While speaking to CNN in May, the former President has claimed that the war would not have happened if had been been President when Russia’s full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022, and that he could settle the conflict in a day if he was reelected.
“If I’m president, I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours. I’ll meet with Putin. I’ll meet with Zelensky. They both have weaknesses and they both have strengths. And within 24 hours that war will be settled,” he told CNN.
In the NBC News interview, Zelensky also praised US President Joe Biden for visiting Ukraine earlier this year, and said: “I think he understood some details which you can understand only being here. So I invite President Trump.”
Since Ukraine launched its counteroffensive earlier this year, it has managed to retake just a sliver of land, rebuffed by nearly 1,000 km of heavily fortified Russian defences.
Russia still occupies nearly one-fifth of Ukraine, and in recent weeks has launched fresh offensives in the east, around Avdviika and Vuhledar in Donetsk and near Kupyansk in Kharkiv.
Zelensky called the situation “difficult”, but did not think the war had reached a “stalemate”.
“We hold the initiative in our hands. You can imagine what a full-scale war or what two years of a full-scale war is like. Everybody gets tired. Even the iron gets tired. But, nevertheless, I am proud of our warriors and of our people, that they are strong… Our people have a strong desire to win.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits recaptured city of Izyum.(photo:Instagram)
The Security Service further said that the alleged conspirator “tried to establish the time and list of locations of the approximate route of the Head of State in the territory of the region”…reports Asian Lite News
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) on Monday announced that it has detained a female information for Russia “who was preparing an airstrike in the Mykolaiv region during the visit of President Volodymyr Zelensky”.
In the statement, the SBU said the alleged informant “on the eve of the recent trip of the President of Ukraine to Mykolaiv region, was gathering intelligence about the planned visit” late last month, reports CNN.
The Security Service further said that the alleged conspirator “tried to establish the time and list of locations of the approximate route of the Head of State in the territory of the region”.
However, SBU agents had obtained information about the “subversive activities of the suspect” and adopted additional security measures.
In monitoring the communications of the woman, the SBU had established that she also had the task of identifying the location of electronic warfare systems and warehouses with ammunition of the armed forces.
According to the investigation, the perpetrator was a resident of Ochakov, southern Ukraine, and a former saleswoman in a military store on the territory of one of the military units of the region.
She allegedly traveled around the territory of the district and filmed the locations of Ukrainian objects.
Japanese student dresses like Zelensky for graduation ceremony.(photo:Instagram)
The Ukrainian President said that regardless of who wins the next US Presidential election, maintaining bipartisan support is “the most important thing for Ukraine.”…reports Asian Lite News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he’s afraid to lose bipartisan support from the United States, following what he called “dangerous messages coming from some Republicans”, CNN reported.
Zelenskyy in a news conference with Spanish media in Kyiv on Saturday, said: “Mike Pence has visited us, and he supports Ukraine. First of all, as an American, and then as a Republican.” “We have bipartisan support. However, there are different messages in their circles regarding support for Ukraine. There are messages coming from some Republicans, sometimes dangerous messages, that there may be less support,” he said.
The Ukrainian President said that regardless of who wins the next US Presidential election, maintaining bipartisan support is “the most important thing for Ukraine.”
During the same news conference, Zelenskyy was asked if he fears for his own life, to which he replied that he thinks “it is more dangerous for Putin” due to the Russian president’s growing number of international adversaries.
Meanwhile, Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Kyiv on Saturday, after a 12-day break, a senior Ukrainian military official said, Al Jazeera reported.
“Another enemy attack on Kyiv,” Al Jazeera quoted Serhiy Popko, a colonel general who heads Kyiv’s military administration, saying in a post on the Telegram channel early on Sunday.
“At this moment, there is no information about possible casualties or damage,” he said.
The attack came a day after Ukrainian officials reported more civilian casualties from Russian shelling in the country’s east and south. (ANI)
The two leaders also discussed Ukraine’s ongoing counter-offensive, and Biden reaffirmed US support…reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden on Sunday spoke with President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and discussed the recent events in Russia, the White House said.
The two leaders also discussed Ukraine’s ongoing counter-offensive, and President Biden reaffirmed unflinching US support, which includes ongoing security, financial, and humanitarian assistance. “President Biden spoke today with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine to discuss support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression. They discussed Ukraine’s ongoing counter-offensive, and President Biden reaffirmed unwavering US support, including through continued security, economic, and humanitarian aid. The leaders also discussed recent events in Russia,” the White House readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said.
Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that everyone who chooses the path of evil “destroys” himself, as he took a sharp dig at Moscow hours after the Wagner group launched a rebellion against Russian military facilities.
Taking to Twitter, Zelenskyy said, “Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. Who sends columns of troops to destroy the lives of another country and cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying when life resists. Who terrorizes with missiles, and when they are shot down, humiliates himself to receive Shahed drones. Who despises people and throws hundreds of thousands into the war, in order to eventually barricade himself in the Moscow region from those whom he himself armed”.
Accusing Russia of using “propaganda” to “mask its weakness”, the Ukrainian President said that this attack by Wagner group exposes Russia’s “full-scale weakness”.
“For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. And all this is one person, who again and again scares by the year 1917, although he is able to result in nothing else but this,” he said.
However, on Sunday the Wagner mercenary chief decided to halt its March to Moscow after the Belarusian president stated he was in talks with Yevgeny Prigozhin about an agreement to “de-escalate tensions.
Taking to Twitter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus wrote, “At 9 p.m. tonight, the Presidents spoke again by phone. The President of Belarus Lukashenko informed the President of Russia about the results of negotiations w/ the leader of the Wagner Group. President Putin thanked his counterpart for the work done.”
On Saturday morning earlier, Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a Telegram post, announced that his men had crossed the border from Ukraine into southern Russia and were ready to go “all the way” against the Russian military, TASS News Agency reported.
He said he and his men would destroy anyone who stood in their way. “But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way,” he said, adding, “We are moving forward and will go until the end.”
However, later, as soon as the armed mutiny came to an end, Russia also announced that the charges against Wagner Chief Prigozhin would be dropped. (ANI)
‘Putin-Wagner dispute expose real crack’
The dispute between Russia’s President and Wagner mercenary exposed the “real crack” in Vladimir Putin’s reign, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday.
To a question on whether he knew Wagner will abort his plan, Blinken in an interview with Jonathan Karl for ABC’s “This Week” said, “I don’t know, and I’m not sure we’ll fully know, or it may be something that unfolds in the coming – in the coming days and weeks. We simply don’t have a clear picture of that. And this really is fundamentally an internal matter for the Russians. We’re seeing it unfold. Again, we saw the rising tensions over several months that led to this. But exactly where this goes, we don’t know”, according to a statement released by State Department.
“But what we do know is that we’ve seen real cracks emerge – again, a direct challenge to Putin’s authority surfacing very publicly: the notion that this war, this aggression by Russia was being pursued under false pretenses; the notion that Ukraine or NATO somehow presented a threat to Russia that it had to deal with militarily. That’s now much more out in the open than it’s been. What that leads to, again, we just don’t know at this point,” he added.
On Saturday morning, Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a Telegram post, announced that his men had crossed the border from Ukraine into southern Russia and were ready to go “all the way” against the Russian military, TASS News Agency reported.
But later on, the governor of the southern Russian region of Voronezh said Wagner units are continuing their withdrawal and forces are departing “steadily and without incident.”
Meanwhile, in the interview, Blinken said wherever Wagner is present, death, destruction, and exploitation follow, as per the statement.
To a query on Putin’s hold on power, Blinken said, “It raises lots of questions that we don’t have answers to. As I said before, I think you see cracks of different kinds that have emerged. These are in a sense different in that it’s internal. When you’re being challenged from within, as Putin has been over the last few days, that also raises profound questions.” (ANI)
Visiting Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine says India through its G20 presidency can spotlight the Ukraine crisis by inviting President Zelenskyy…reports Asian Lite News
Emphasising for a closer cooperation between Kyiv and New Delhi, visiting Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Emine Dzhaparova called India a ‘Vishwaguru’ which is also home to some of the spiritual gurus, and suggested how India can play a bigger role in the ongoing war.
“Ukraine really wants India to come closer to it. We had different pages in history but now Ukraine is gaining independence. We are now capable of being the subject, not the object,” said Dzhaparova. Making her remarks at a think tank in New Delhi, the Ukrainian minister who is the first official to visit India since the start of the Ukraine war in February last year, also that it’s time to restart the relationship and that both countries have a better and deeper relationship.
“India is witnessing visionary changes and it may take some time for it to build new relations with Ukraine and the ties should be based on a “pragmatic and balanced approach”, said the minister.
“Our president has been constantly saying that we have to fight for our rights without stepping on the rights of others. India in many ways has a lot in common with Ukraine. There is huge and untapped potential in our bilateral relations. It is only a start in our dialogue,” she added.
Dzhaparova also during the interaction said that India through its G20 presidency can spotlight the crisis in Ukraine by inviting Ukrainian officials to the G20 events and summit, which will be held in September and that his President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be happy to address.
“Our expectations are quite clear. We believe that discussion about the economy and future economy, the economic situation in the world is not possible without the discussion about the repercussions of the war of Russia against Ukraine”, said the Minister.
“Because it has an impact on the economic growth and to the economies of G20. So, our message to India is to consider the participation of Ukraine officials at the events of G20, be it side events or the Summit, the one on the parliament level, or the September summit that will take place in New Delhi. I believe that my President will also be happy to speak up on behalf of the Ukrainian people”, she added.
“Today India plays a very important role in the world. The presidency of G20 brings additional responsibility. India may take this leadership by involving Ukraine in its agenda and helping Ukraine to bring its story. People-to-people contact is the best way to communicate,” said Dzhaparova.
Stressing the fact that Ukraine’s relationship with Pakistan ‘is not directed against India’s interests’, she pointed out that her country’s military ties with Islamabad began in the 90s.
“The relationship with Pakistan was never directed against the relationship with India. I know that there are some sensitive messages about military contracts, but let me reiterate that we had contracts since the 90s..two decades ago”, said the Minister.
Referring to Crimea which was annexed by Russia in 2014, the Minister also said that the Crimea episode has a lesson for India as well which ‘also has a difficult neighbourhood with China and Pakistan’ and added that whenever impunity happens and if it is not stopped, it becomes bigger”.
Her comments could be seen as referring to India’s territorial disputes with China and Pakistan.
Dzhaparova also hoped that Indian officials, including national security adviser Ajit Doval, who visited Moscow in February and held talks with President Vladimir Putin, will also visit Kyiv.
“We expect the visit of Ajit Doval. Russia has more time to make visits. We are facing a war. We have to defend. Sometimes you may want to do something but can’t. My visit is a mark of friendship, for a better relationship with India, but it requires reciprocity. We would be happy to welcome Indian officials to Kyiv,” said the minister.
“Now people of Ukraine closely watch the comments of different leaders as well as PM Modi and the travels of National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. When he went to Moscow three times, of course, it’s not a question if he would come to Kyiv. We would be happy to welcome leaders and officials of India in Kyiv,” added Dzhaparova.
Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova earlier in the day met with Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi and also held a crucial meeting with the officials of India and the EU. (ANI)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.(photo:Twitter)
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, called the meeting successful in a message on messaging platform Telegram…reports Asian Lite News
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday fired commander of joint forces operation Major Gen Eduard Mykhailovich Moskalov, reported CNN.
Moskalov had been appointed to the position last March when Lt Gen Oleksandr Pavliuk was appointed head of the Kyiv regional military administration. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy did not provide an explanation for Moskalov’s dismissal, but it’s the latest in a long line of recent leadership changes made by his administration, reported CNN.
Ukrainian authorities have conducted a series of anti-corruption searches and crackdowns across the country, and a variety of high-profile dismissals have followed.
It is not yet clear if Moskalov’s firing was connected to the recent corruption purge, reported CNN.
In a recent development, on the first visit to Kyiv, Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud signed off on USD 400 million Ukraine aid package.
For the first time since the two countries established diplomatic relations 30 years ago, a Saudi foreign minister has visited Ukraine. President Zelenskyy’s office released a video of him meeting Saudi Arabia’s Prince Farhan Al Saud on Sunday, reported CNN.
Zelenskyy said he expected the meeting would “provide a new impetus to further intensification of our mutually beneficial dialogue.”
“Thank you for supporting peace in Ukraine, our sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” he said, adding, “This is very important for us and our society.”
Saudi Arabia has steered a neutral course in the conflict. Last year, the Kingdom mediated a prisoner exchange, in which two American and five British citizens were released from Russian detention.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, called the meeting successful in a message on messaging platform Telegram.
“Ukraine will receive real help from Saudi Arabia,” the Ukrainian official said. “The Presidential Office signed two documents formalizing a USD 400 million aid package to Ukraine: USD 100 million in humanitarian aid and USD 300 million in oil products,” reported CNN.
Ukraine reported heavy Russian shelling in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions this weekend, while forces are locked in brutal urban combat in the flashpoint city of Bakhmut.
Moreover, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan vowed there would be “real costs” for China if it provides lethal aid to Russia in its war on Ukraine.
“From our perspective, actually, this war presents real complications for Beijing. And Beijing will have to make its own decisions about how it proceeds, whether it provides military assistance. But, if it goes down that road, it will come at real costs to China. And I think China’s leaders are weighing that as they make their decisions,” Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
In diplomatic conversations with China, he added, the US is “not just making direct threats. We’re just laying out both the stakes and the consequences, how things would unfold. And we are doing that clearly and specifically behind closed doors.”
Sullivan’s comments come at a critical juncture in the war in Ukraine. The US has intelligence that the Chinese government is considering providing Russia with drones and ammunition for use in the war, three sources familiar with the intelligence told CNN.
It does not appear that Beijing has made a final decision yet, the sources said, as negotiations between Russia and China about the price and scope of the equipment are ongoing.
Since invading Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly requested drones and ammunition from China, the sources familiar with the intelligence said, and Chinese leadership has been actively debating over the last several months whether or not to send the lethal aid, the sources added.
CIA Director Bill Burns said the US is “confident” Beijing is considering such a move, but intelligence suggests no final decision has been made, reported CNN.
Meanwhile, Burns said the CIA is also seeing signs that Russia is proposing to help Iran on its missile program in exchange for military aid.
