RT News - November 8th 2022 Late

In Donetsk, Ukraine has continued shelling civilian only areas; in the city centre leaving two dead and two injured. Outside of the city centre, three civilians have been killed and seven wounded. US supplied weapons were used to hit these civilian only regions. RT talks to some of the local who witnessed these deliberate crimes.

Russia and India focus on energy stability, as well as a multi-polar approach to global security as Moscow hosts India's Foreign Minister for key talks.

Americans take to the polls for crucial Midterm elections, with the country's economic crisis the main concern for many while critics say the ruling Democrats are more worried about dishing out the big bucks to Ukraine.

As Washington and the EU accuse each other of profiteering from the global energy crisis we investigate how US protectionism is alienating some of its allies in Europe and Asia.

French Pres. Macron is now holding talks with Venezuela's President Maduro, despite previously calling him an "illegitimate leader"
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via RT website (as Algeria files an official application to BRICS)

8 Nov, 2022 15:27

Moscow suggests how many countries want to join BRICS

The economic bloc is working to harmonize criteria and principles for admitting new members, the Russian foreign minister said

More than a dozen countries have expressed an interest in joining the BRICS group, which incorporates some of the world’s major emerging economies, as the bloc gains more global standing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a meeting with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Lavrov indicated that membership of the BRICS bloc is in high demand.

“The interest in this global association is very, very high and continues to grow,” he said. He confirmed that “more than a dozen” countries are eager to join, including Algeria, Argentina, and Iran.

However, Lavrov continued, before accepting any new members, BRICS intends to reach an agreement on criteria and principles for further potential expansion.

“Given that applications are already being submitted officially, we, of course, expect that harmonization of the criteria and principles for the expansion of BRICS won’t take too long,” he said.

BRICS is an international socio-economic and political forum, which incorporates Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It accounts for over 40% of the global population and nearly a quarter of the world’s GDP.

The Russian Foreign Minister’s comments come after Algeria applied to become a member of the group, following applications by Iran and Argentina.

Algeria’s bid came after Russian President Vladimir Putin called for stronger ties with Middle Eastern and North African countries, arguing that they are playing an “increasingly significant role” in the formation of the “multipolar system of international relations.”

The bloc is also expected to consider adding Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt and Afghanistan.
https://www.rt.com/news/566152-russia-brics-expansion-lavrov/
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Via RT website 8 Nov, 2022 14:08

Russia not in talks with US over Ukraine – Deputy FM

The Kremlin, however, is ready for dialogue with Kiev “without any preconditions,” Andrey Rudenko said

Russia is not engaged in negotiations with the US over Ukraine, a senior Russian diplomat said on Tuesday, signaling, however, that Moscow remains completely open to talks with Kiev.

When asked by reporters over possible bilateral talks with Washington on Ukraine, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko replied, “No, we are not.”

However, the diplomat stated that Moscow is ready to hold negotiations with Ukraine “without any preconditions,” except for the key condition – “that Ukraine shows goodwill.”

Rudenko offered a reminder, however, that Ukraine has adopted a law prohibiting talks with Russia. “That’s their choice. We have always said we are ready for such negotiations, which had been interrupted not at our fault,” he added.

In early October, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed a decree forbidding any diplomatic engagement with Vladimir Putin, suggesting there will only be talks when Russia has a different president. Despite that, Moscow has repeatedly stated it's open to the resumption of peace talks with Kiev.

The Washington Post reported last week that the US has been privately asking Ukrainian officials to publicly show their readiness to sit at the negotiating table with Russia, while stopping short of pushing Kiev to actual talks.

The last round of negotiations between Moscow and Kiev took place in March in Istanbul. The Russian side, which initially expressed optimism about the peace process, later accused Ukraine of backtracking on all the progress achieved in Türkiye.

Moreover, last month Putin noted that Moscow and Kiev did reach a preliminary agreement which could have halted hostilities, but as soon as Russia pulled its troops back from Ukraine’s capital, “the leadership in Kiev lost all desire to have talks.”

On Monday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said communication between Washington and Moscow remained open, the BBC reported. The top official reportedly said it was “in the interest” of the US to maintain contact.
https://www.rt.com/news/566142-russia-talks-us-ukraine/
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