RT News - February 22nd 2023 Late

Russia/China relations, FM Wang Li's visit to Moscow: China's top diplomat and Vladimir Putin meet in Moscow to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation. Wang Li said the relationship has stood the test of time and that there have been some crises, they should be considered as opportunities; no third party must dictate to us (China and Russia) what to do. Donald Courter reports on the highly significant and timely meeting.
FM Lavrov said of the talks "Russia and China stand for a global system backed by multiple states" (Multipolar World). John Gong analyses.
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Russia, Defender of the Fatherland Day: Tomorrow (23rd February) is a holiday observed in Russia, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. It is celebrated on 23 February, except in Kazakhstan, where it is celebrated on 7 May. The holiday marks the date in 1918 during the Russian Civil War when the first mass draft into the Red Army occurred in Petrograd and Moscow (on 17 February).
Pres. Putin left FM Wang Li to congratulate citizens on the celebration of tomorrow and he said "everyone is a defender of their homeland" He thanked every military service person and others for their help in the ongoing special operation in Ukraine. The event was held in Luzhniki Stadium with more than 200,000 people there!
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Donbass, Donetsk. RT visits a temporary refugee camp in the Donetsk Republic and speaks to those who have been evacuated from the frontlines in Artyomovsk. Roman Kosarev talks to some of the people transiting through the refugee camp (QS there is almost nothing left in Artyomovsk; imagine having the town or city where you've lived all your life just "disappear")
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Palestine/Israel : At least 10 people have died in clashes following IDF raids on properties in Nablus, West Bank. Protester had been burning tyres in response to the continued demolition of homes in Palestine. The raid, which reduced a building to rubble and left a series of shops riddled with bullets, was one of the bloodiest battles in nearly a year of fighting in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Two men, ages 72 and 61, were among the dead, and 102 people were wounded, Palestinian officials said.
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Iran: Iran's central bank has launched a new currency exchange centre to boost the country's currency rate. It's hope Iran's "dependency" on the US Dollar will become a thing of the past. The currency will be used to exchange foreign currency for products produced nationally (QS - I think I've got that right, I need to look it up properly) This comes as many countries try to shift their way from the US Dollar which brings a great deal of problems to all who don't comply with the U.S. rules based order. Tohid Asadi reports/discusses.

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India, New Delhi Elections: Shelly Oberoi won the position of Mayor of New Delhi.

U.S.A, Ohio train derailment and aftermath: Ex Pres Donald Trump is to visit East Palestine in Ohio after what is thought to be one of the worst polluting disasters in history, leaving some wildlife and farm animals dead and a contaminated water supply. The effects of the smoke are yet to be determined on humans. It's arguably the worst disaster of several occurring recently across U.S.A. RT looks at the situation in USA which many residents consider a slap in the face as their President seems to be putting others in foreign countries ahead of them.
Mark Sleboda and Robert Patillo report.
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Africa, South Africa, joint Navy Drills: A welcoming ceremony by South Africa for their Russian and Chinese counterparts was held in Richards Bay, as the joint drills/exercises are set to commence. The exercises are to get the trio used to working together.
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Australia, "foreign interference": The interference laws were aimed at China, says Malcom Turnbull, but they haven't worked. U.S. directed policy has ruined relations between Australia and China Tim Anderson discusses.
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Somalia - bomb attack: Ten people have been killed in Mogadishu after a suicide bomber from Al-Shabab blew himself up at the residence of a senior army official. Al-Shabab is an offshoot of Al-Qaeda (QS see post from Feb 20 early - which nobody seems to have taken much interest in, the section from Murad Gazdiev)
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RT speaks to the lawyer of Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, Khalid Zabarka who is being held and facing charges of terrorism for openly praising the death of a female Israeli.

Africa, Nigeria: Africa's biggest economy, Nigeria, is set to elect a new President, amid multiple crises engulfing the oil-rich nation. In RT's special coverage, we explore what's ahead for the country and the continent. (QS I hope everyone gets to vote and safely - what a fabulous country ... and yes I am a huge Africa fan if you hadn't already guessed. This is a cracking report from RT)
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Below, via RT website ----- A) --- Putin outlines importance of Russia-China ties for international order
B) --- China outlines diplomatic goals with Russia
C) --- Lawmakers approve Putin’s nuclear treaty decision
D) --- Former Russian president sends warning to US
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1) --- Moscow takes aim at West over Nord Stream sabotage
1a) --- Evidence of US guilt for Nord Stream ‘more than a smoking gun’ – Russia
1b) --- US responds to Nord Stream sabotage allegations
1c) --- Top US official hails Nord Stream 2 blast
2) --- Russia’s closest ally makes claim about Western spies
2a) --- Russia’s key ally moves to extend death penalty
3) --- NATO general contradicts claim about ‘Wagner’
4) --- FBI and CIA sued over assassination of civil rights icon
5) --- Top Russian official gives opinion on ‘correction’ of political system
6) --- Pentagon issues poppy seeds warning
7) --- International journalism association rules on Russian colleagues
8) --- Neighbor of Ukraine wants Russian peacekeepers out
9) --- Ukraine bans former president’s party
10) --- Biden’s Kiev trip ‘a slap in the face’ to America – US Congressman
10a) --- Zelensky ‘commanding’ US military – congresswoman
11) --- Ukraine wants grain export deal extended – official
12) --- EU members in angry clash over Ukraine
13) --- Africa ‘underfunded’ while Kiev attracts donors – Red Cross
14) --- Ukraine ‘peace petition’ backed by nearly half a million Germans
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22 Feb, 2023 13:57

A) --- Putin outlines importance of Russia-China ties for international order

Ties between the two powers are “crucial” for bringing stability to the world, the Russian president said

Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed progress in relations between Moscow and Beijing, arguing that they serve as a lynchpin for international politics.

Speaking at a meeting with Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi in Moscow on Wednesday, Putin stated that relations “are developing as we have planned,” adding that the two nations “are reaching new milestones.”

The Russian leader also said that international relations have become “more acute,” since the collapse of the bipolar world order several decades ago.

“Against this backdrop, cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and Russia in the global arena, as we have stressed on numerous occasions, is crucial for stabilizing the international situation,” the president stated.

Putin went on to highlight the cooperation between Moscow and Beijing in various international organizations, including at the United Nations and in blocs such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. “We’ve got a lot of work to do together,” Putin noted.

The Russian leader said that Moscow anticipated a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping once Beijing had completed items on its domestic agenda. “We assume that we will realize our plans regarding face-to-face meetings, which will give an additional boost to our relations,” Putin added.

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal cited sources as saying that the Chinese leader could travel to Russia in April or early May, and that he may use the opportunity to push for multiparty peace talks in a bid to end the Ukraine conflict.

Unlike Western countries, China has refused to condemn Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and has not joined sanctions against Moscow. Beijing has repeatedly accused the US of inciting the conflict, also arguing that Washington has attempted to abuse its hegemonic status.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571916-putin-china-russia-ties-global/
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22 Feb, 2023 11:21

B) --- China outlines diplomatic goals with Russia

Beijing is seeking “a new horizon” in relations with Moscow, State Councilor Wang Yi said

Moscow and Beijing are seeking to strengthen ties and remain committed to building a “multipolar” world, Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi said on Wednesday. The comments came as China’s top diplomat met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.

“Despite the volatility of the state of international affairs, China and Russia… are firmly and resolutely working towards a multipolar world,” Wang said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.

Wang, who heads the Chinese Communist Party’s Foreign Affairs Committee, added that Beijing would continue to conduct an independent foreign policy based on “the spirit of mutual benefit.”

He stated that China is seeking to “open new horizons in terms of further cooperation not just with Russia, but other countries as well.”

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said Moscow and Beijing are “ready to stand in defense of each other’s interests on the basis of respect for international law and the central role of the UN.”

During his trip, Wang met with Nikolay Patrushev, the head of Russia’s Security Council. The diplomat went on to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

China has refused to impose sanctions on Moscow and has accused the US of stirring up the conflict in Ukraine. In a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin branded Washington “the top disruptor” of international order.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang similarly urged “certain countries to immediately stop fueling the fire” in Ukraine.
https://www.rt.com/news/571904-china-diplomatic-goal-russia/
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22 Feb, 2023 10:08

C) --- Lawmakers approve Putin’s nuclear treaty decision

Russia’s parliament has passed legislation suspending Moscow’s participation in the New START agreement

Both houses of the Federal Assembly – the Russian parliament – approved a bill on Wednesday submitted by President Vladimir Putin, by which Moscow will temporarily suspend its participation in the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (New START) – the last existing nuclear accord between Russia and the US.

In an explanatory note attached to the bill, the lawmakers state that the agreement, which was meant to cut in half the number of nuclear weapons deployed around the world, was supposed to allow both parties to carry out inspections in order to ensure compliance. The US, however, “deliberately fails to fulfill its obligations under the treaty in this area of activity,” the note states.

Because of this, and in accordance with federal law, the Russian president has made a proposal to suspend the agreement, the note reads, adding that the decision to resume Russia’s participation in the treaty will also be made by the president.

The document was first adopted by the State Duma – the lower chamber of Russia’s parliament. Several hours later it was also approved by the Federal Council, the upper chamber. The bill will enter into force once signed by the president and published.

The approval comes after Putin announced in his address to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday that Moscow would suspend its participation in the New START Treaty, but would not withdraw completely. The president said the document was a legacy of the times when Moscow and Washington did not perceive each other as adversaries.

However, times have changed, Putin said, and the US is now issuing ultimatums to Russia and trying to maintain its hegemony, while NATO openly expresses the desire to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. At the same time, members of the bloc are also making “absurd” demands to inspect Russia’s strategic facilities, while similar requests from Moscow are systematically denied.

“Russia cannot ignore this. We cannot allow ourselves to ignore this,” Vladimir Putin said
https://www.rt.com/russia/571900-parliament-approves-start-suspension/
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22 Feb, 2023 09:27

D) --- Former Russian president sends warning to US

Dmitry Medvedev argued that his country is fighting for its existence and has the right to use nuclear weapons to defend itself

The US is attempting to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia in the conflict in Ukraine, meaning Moscow has the right to defend itself by any means necessary, including nuclear weapons, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has stated. He warned that US elites should not consider themselves untouchable.

Medvedev, who serves as deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, was commenting on Wednesday after speeches made the previous day by the leaders of Russia and the US.

Addressing the Federal Assembly, as well as other Russian officials and public figures, President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that Moscow was suspending its participation in the New START Treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms reduction agreement between the US and Russia.

Medvedev claimed that he had long anticipated the move and argued that it should serve as a message to the US establishment, which thought it could “pursue Russia’s defeat… but strategic security is another issue.” The former leader called this line of reasoning “a bad mistake by the Americans” and warned that “since the US wants to defeat Russia, we have the right to defend ourselves with any weapons, including nuclear.”

Medvedev also dismissed Joe Biden’s speech in Warsaw on Tuesday as “preaching in an American messianic style.” In the speech, the US leader stated that his country had no intention of attacking Russia and urged Moscow to end the Ukraine conflict by withdrawing troops from the territory claimed by Kiev.

Medvedev questioned why Russians would trust the leader of a “hostile” nation that “unleashed wars in the 20th and 21st centuries more than anyone,” and who is intent on inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia. The former president also argued that Washington could end the confrontation in Ukraine.

“If Russia stops the special military operation before it achieves victory, there will be no Russia, because it would simply be torn apart. If the US stops sending weapons to the Kiev regime, the war will end,” Medvedev insisted.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571892-medvedev-nuclear-weapons-ukraine/
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22 Feb, 2023 15:07

1) --- Moscow takes aim at West over Nord Stream sabotage

The US and its allies hope the issue will “fade away into the sand,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed

The West is opposed to a transparent investigation into the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. Earlier this week, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, argued that evidence of Washington’s involvement amounted to “more than a smoking gun.”

Peskov claimed that “the need for a thorough and transparent investigation” contrasted with the aims of Western countries that would rather let the mystery go unsolved.

“We see a brick wall of unwillingness from the collective West [for a transparent investigation]. Quite the opposite, we see their desire to avoid the question and gradually let it fade away into the sand,” he added.

Peskov insisted the incident should be classified as “a terrorist attack towards energy infrastructure, critically important for the European continent.” According to the Kremlin spokesman, those suspicions were backed by “some surprisingly rather detailed investigations towards who was behind the sabotage.”

Nord Stream comprised a set of two 1,200km natural gas pipelines stretching along the bottom of the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany. On September 26, 2022, the pipelines were rocked by a series of underwater explosions. The incident occurred in international waters and shut off the supply of natural gas to Germany.

The blasts occurred during widespread discussions about limiting gas shipments from Russia to Europe as a response to the conflict in Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh claimed the sabotage was a “covert sea operation” planned and executed by the US with assistance from Norway. The reporter cited an anonymous source “with direct knowledge of the operational planning.”

The US denied those claims, with White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson calling them “utterly false and complete fiction.”

Denmark, Germany, and Sweden are currently investigating the incident. Peskov called Russia’s exclusion from their ongoing probe detrimental to “establishing the truth and determining responsibility.” On Tuesday, the Russian and Chinese ambassadors to the UN demanded a transparent international investigation into the matter.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571919-peskov-nordstream-west-brickwall/
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21 Feb, 2023 22:16

1a) --- Evidence of US guilt for Nord Stream ‘more than a smoking gun’ – Russia

Blocking a UN probe would make the West look even more suspicious, Moscow’s ambassador told the Security Council

The destruction of Nord Stream pipelines was an act of international terrorism and needs to be addressed to avoid “chaos” on the high seas, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Russia has accused Germany, Sweden and Denmark of a cover-up to shield the US, and said it would only trust a UN investigation.

The two pipelines carrying Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea were damaged by a series of blasts in September 2022. While Moscow has stopped short of openly accusing the US of carrying out the bombing, journalist Seymour Hersh did just that in an article published earlier this month.

Nebenzia referred to Hersh’s article and statements by multiple US officials threatening the pipeline – from president Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to “godmother of the anti-constitutional coup in Ukraine,” Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland. He also brought up the infamous tweet by former Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski and an alleged text by Liz Truss, the UK prime minister at the time – all suggesting the US and its allies had the motive, as well as means and opportunity, to destroy Nord Stream.

“We’re not going to do ‘highly likely’ here,” said Nebenzia, referring to the British accusations against Russia in the Security Council chamber in 2018. The publicly available evidence is “more than a smoking gun” that Hollywood is so fond of, but all Moscow wants is an independent international investigation into the claims in Hersh’s article, the Russian diplomat added.

The attack on Nord Stream involved explosives and qualifies as international terrorism under a convention signed in 1997, Nebenzia noted. Unless its perpetrators are found and brought to justice, the attack may well usher in an epoch when transnational undersea infrastructure becomes a legitimate target, which would cause “chaos and terrible damage to all of humanity,” he added.

According to Nebenzia, Russia does not trust the investigations currently conducted by Sweden, Denmark and Germany, as they all refused to share their findings or outright ignored Moscow’s inquiries. “It is quite clear,” he said, that they are “covering up for their American big brother.” If Western countries block Russia’s request for a UN investigation, that will “only shore up our suspicion,” he added.

Before Nebenzia addressed the Security Council, former US diplomat Rosemary DiCarlo – currently the under-secretary-general for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs – argued the world body was “not in position to verify or confirm” anything, urging everyone to “show restraint and avoid accusations that could escalate the already heightened tensions in the region.”

The Security Council also heard from professor Jeffrey Sachs and retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern, who both testified to Hersh’s bona fides. While the US government rejected Hersh’s narrative as false, it “did not offer any information contradicting Hersh’s account, and did not offer any alternative explanation,” said Sachs. He also called Nuland’s comments about Nord Stream “not at all appropriate in the face of international terrorism.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/571875-nebenzia-unsc-nordstream-investigation/
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19 Feb, 2023 19:15

1b) --- US responds to Nord Stream sabotage allegations

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby denied any involvement in the explosions following Seymour Hersh’s report

The United States was not involved in the sabotage that severely damaged the Nord Stream pipelines last year, John Kirby of Washington’s National Security Council told Fox News on Sunday.

“It’s a completely false story,” he said, referring to a February report by Pulitzer Award-winning journalist Seymour Hersh, which alleged that the White House was behind the September 26 attack on the infrastructure that transported natural gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.

“There is no truth to it, Shannon,” he told Fox News host Shannon Bream. “Not a shred of it. It is not true. The United States – no proxies of the United States – had anything to do with it. Nothing.”

In a February 8 report, Hersh cited an anonymous source with knowledge of the situation who told him that the US had acted in conjunction with Norway to sabotage the pipelines. The move, Hersh alleged, was designed to compel Germany to provide Ukraine with military and financial support throughout its conflict with Russia.
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https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1627313904471756803
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Hersh also wrote that explosive devices had been placed under the Russian gas pipelines by US Navy Seals, with the support of Norwegian operatives, in June 2022 under the guise of military drills.

He added that the decision to do so was made by President Joe Biden after nine months of discussions with US national security officials. In early February 2022, Biden vowed to “bring an end” to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia was to initiate a conflict with Ukraine.

Kirby’s denial of Hersh’s allegations comes days after Beijing raised questions as to Washington’s possible role in the pipeline explosions.

“Why has the US changed its high tone of demanding an inquiry into the Nord Stream explosion but become silent after US journalist Seymour Hersh’s revelation?” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin asked on Friday.

On Thursday, the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, voted to appeal to the UN Security Council to open an investigation into the sabotage. Moscow has also requested a meeting of the Security Council on February 22 to discuss the pipeline attacks.
https://www.rt.com/news/571744-us-responds-nord-stream-allegations/
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27 Jan, 2023 14:03

1c) --- Top US official hails Nord Stream 2 blast

The Biden administration is very happy to know the pipeline is “a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea,” Victoria Nuland said

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland has expressed joy over the destruction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. She also argued that, even if the US had sanctioned the infrastructure weeks before the Ukraine conflict broke out, this would not have prevented hostilities.

During a Senate hearing on Thursday, Nuland was asked by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) whether his legislation aimed at sanctioning the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was voted down in January 2022, could have stopped the conflict before it began.

“Like you, I am, and I think the administration is, very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now, as you like to say, a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea,” Nuland said. She noted that she had been involved in negotiations with Russia prior to the conflict in a bid to “prevent this war.”

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were heavily damaged by underwater explosions in September, in what were widely thought to be sabotage attacks. Moscow has consistently denied involvement and denounced the incident as a “terrorist attack.”

Nuland insisted that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “bound and determined to go into Ukraine” and that cutting Nord Stream 2 off in January would not have been “decisive” for him.

Nord Stream 2 was to be a route for the delivery of natural gas from Russia directly to Germany. Berlin suspended certification of the pipeline following Moscow’s recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics in February. While the conflict raged in Ukraine last March, Nuland claimed that the project was “dead” and unlikely to be revived.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev in turn claimed that Moscow had obtained “certain materials, which point to a Western trace in organizing and executing” the blasts that destroyed the pipelines.

While nobody has claimed responsibility for the Nord Stream explosions, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the incident as a “tremendous opportunity,” which would enable EU countries to become less dependent on Russian energy.

Moscow officials have repeatedly said the US was the primary beneficiary of the blasts, with Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov arguing last month that, by weaning itself off Russian energy, the EU would conveniently become “addicted” to American energy instead.
https://www.rt.com/news/570572-nuland-celebrates-nord-stream-blast/
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22 Feb, 2023 15:19

2) --- Russia’s closest ally makes claim about Western spies

The head of the Belarusian KGB said the focus was on recruiting officials with access to secret information

Western intelligence services have significantly ramped up their activities against Belarus, Ivan Tertel, the head of the State Security Committee (KGB), said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the session of the Council of the Republic, the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament, Tertel said that Western spy agencies prioritize the “recruitment of persons who have the opportunity to obtain classified information … employees of law enforcement agencies and employees of the state apparatus.”

In this vein, “aggressive activities of foreign intelligence services” to infiltrate Belarusian power structures require “complex measures” to neutralize the threat to national security, the KGB head said.

His comments came after the lower house of the Belarusian parliament approved new legislation allowing the death penalty for public officials and members of the military should they be found guilty of high treason. To enter into force, it should be approved by the upper house of the parliament and signed by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Tertel said that while the Belarusian law in its current form envisages enhanced responsibility for officials convicted of treason, it does not cover all categories of people that could be targeted by the foreign intelligence. The changes in the legislation are meant to address this issue, he added.

This step “will become a serious deterrent for potential traitors,” he said, describing the punishment as “a preventive measure aimed at precluding serious crimes against the state”.

On Tuesday, Valery Revenko, Assistant to the Belarusian Minister of Defense, said that Minsk was facing external “threats which are primarily connected with large-scale militarization of the European continent and gradual build-up of foreign military presence on our borders.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/571921-belarus-foreign-intelligence-recruitment/
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21 Feb, 2023 17:41

2a) --- Russia’s key ally moves to extend death penalty

Belarusian MPs have approved the punishment for officials found guilty of treason

Belarusian officials who commit high treason may soon face the death penalty, according to new legislation approved by the nation’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday.

In a statement, the press service of the Belarusian House of Representatives said the bill would allow “the possibility of applying an exceptional measure of punishment in the form of the death penalty” to public officials and those with the status of military personnel if they commit treason against the state.

The legislation seeks “to exert a deterrent effect on destructive elements, as well as demonstrating a resolute [intention] to combat” this type of crime. It will not enter into force until it is approved by the Council of the Republic, the parliament’s upper chamber, and signed by President Alexander Lukashenko.

The bill aims to increase the time of detention for those suspected of espionage, treason, and a number of other anti-state crimes from 72 hours to up to ten days. The press service explained that the current amount of time is often not enough to carry out the required investigative measures.

Belarus remains the only country in Europe that still has the death penalty. The punishment, which is carried out by shooting, is reserved for those who commit particularly grave crimes. No crime, however, requires execution, which has become increasingly rare in the past decade.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571850-belarus-death-penalty-treason/
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22 Feb, 2023 16:50

3) --- NATO general contradicts claim about ‘Wagner’

The KFOR commander said there was “no evidence” to back allegations that the private military company was helping Belgrade

The peacekeeping mission in Kosovo on Wednesday contradicted the claims coming from Pristina that Russians – including the private military company Wagner Group and the ‘Night Wolves’ biker society – were secretly infiltrating the breakaway province as part of a “hybrid war” on behalf of Serbia.

“Let me assure the entire population of Kosovo that we are aware of everything that is happening on the ground,” General Angelo Michele Ristuccia, the commander of NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission, told reporters.

The Italian officer also said KFOR had “no evidence at this time” of the alleged Russian infiltration. “We have no information about that,” he added.

Kosovo’s acting president Vjosa Osmani told the UK outlet The Telegraph last week that Wagner was working with Belgrade to “prepare situations for a possible annexation.” She claimed that Russia and Serbia were “using the same playbook” as in Crimea, smuggling weapons and uniforms to “instrumentalize” the local Serb population, create “all kinds of false flag operations” and then send in the troops. (paywall https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/02/11/wagner-mercenaries-helping-serbia-prepare-potential-attack-nation)

“There is clear evidence that Serb paramilitary groups have been planning and organizing this [with Wagner]. How many were at the border or inside [Kosovo], that’s an issue that is still being investigated,” Osmani said.

“The Russian interest is to use the western Balkans, through Serbia as a Trojan horse, to attack values-based systems such as NATO and the EU,” the ethnic Albanian politician insisted.

NATO took control of Kosovo in 1999, after months of bombing Serbia on behalf of ethnic Albanian insurgents. In 2008, the province’s provisional government declared independence, which has not been recognized by Belgrade.

Osmani and prime minister Albin Kurti have sought to link the ongoing conflict in Ukraine with the situation in Kosovo, using the specter of Wagner to seek more US and NATO support for their cause. The Russian private military company has been involved in the heavy fighting in Donbass.

Some of the Western-funded media in Serbia have also accused Wagner of operating in Serbia, going so far as to claim the company’s members helped organize the February 15 protest, at which nationalists accused President Aleksandar Vucic of plotting to recognize Kosovo.

Wagner’s founder Yevgeny Prigozhin dismissed the claims as fantasy, however. “Not a single employee of Wagner PMC has ever been in Serbia,” he said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the company’s job is “to kill, not hold rallies.”
https://www.rt.com/news/571922-kosovo-serbia-wagner-kfor/
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22 Feb, 2023 15:43

4) --- FBI and CIA sued over assassination of civil rights icon

Malcolm X’s relatives filed a lawsuit against federal and state govt. agencies for allegedly covering up his murder 58 years ago

The family of late civil rights icon Malcolm X has filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the state of New York, the CIA, and the FBI for allegedly covering up the activist’s assassination in the 1960s. The decision was announced by his relatives and their lawyers at a press conference on Tuesday.

Malcolm X was shot dead on February 21, 1965 while preparing to deliver a speech to the Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan.

“For years our family has fought for the truth to come to light concerning his murder, and we’d like our father to receive the justice that he deserves,” Ilyasah Shabazz, his daughter, said, accusing various federal and New York government agencies of concealing evidence that they “conspired to and executed their plan to assassinate Malcolm X.”

“The truth about the circumstances leading to the death of our father is important – not only to his family, but to many followers, many admirers… And it is our hope that litigation of this case will finally provide some unanswered questions.”

Malcolm X’s murder was initially pinned on three members of the Nation of Islam – Muhammad Abdul Aziz, Khalil Islam, and Thomas Hagan – who were all charged, tried, and convicted for the killing. However, after spending over 20 years in prison, in November 2021, Aziz and Islam were exonerated and awarded $36 million for wrongful convictions. That was after the Manhattan district attorney’s offices discovered that prosecutors and the FBI had withheld key evidence that would have acquitted the two men.

Attorneys for Malcolm X’s family have argued that if the government compensated Aziz and Islam, then it should also pay the activist’s daughters who “suffered the most from the assassination.”

Reuters reports that the New York Police Department has said it would not comment on pending litigation, while the FBI and CIA have yet to issue a response.

The murder of Malcolm X has long been the topic of heated debate, with some suspecting that federal authorities had conspired to assassinate the prominent civil rights activist. His killing was one of four major assassinations in the 1960s in the US, coming just two years after the murder of President John F. Kennedy and three years before the killings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
https://www.rt.com/news/571926-malcolm-x-family-lawsuit/
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22 Feb, 2023 15:07

5) --- Top Russian official gives opinion on ‘correction’ of political system

There is no need for rapid change, Valentina Matvienko has said

The Russian political system does not require any significant changes at the moment, the chair of the upper chamber of the national parliament said on Wednesday.

“There is no need for a rapid swing, a correction of the present political architecture,” Valentina Matvienko told lawmakers during a Federation Council session, according to RIA Novosti.

She cited President Vladimir Putin’s pledge that all upcoming elections will be held as planned as a sign of political stability in Russia.

On Tuesday, Putin delivered a keynote speech to the Federal Assembly – as both chambers of the Russian parliament are collectively called – as well as senior government officials and public figures. The president said that “the external challenges and threats” will not endanger “the rights and freedoms” of the citizens guaranteed by the Constitution.

“I would like to emphasize in this context that elections to local and regional government bodies next September and the presidential elections in 2024 will take place in strict accordance with the law and observance of all democratic, constitutional provisions,” Putin stated.

Some parts of Russia, including the capital, are set to hold municipal and regional elections in September to select legislators and provincial heads. Russia’s next presidential election will be held in September 2024.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571915-matvienko-russian-political-system/
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22 Feb, 2023 15:56

6) --- Pentagon issues poppy seeds warning

An official memo notes that the plant can trigger a positive drug test due to containing higher levels of the opiate codeine

US military service members should avoid “all consumption” of poppy seeds in all their forms due to the possibility they will yield positive drug testing results, the Pentagon warned in a memo to the secretaries of the military departments published on Tuesday.

While acknowledging that “concerns with poppy seeds and drug testing are not new,” Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Gilbert Cisneros revealed that “recent data” had shown the seeds had “higher codeine contamination than previously reported.” Poppy seeds come from the opium poppy, the same plant species used to manufacture narcotic painkillers such as morphine and codeine, and are often contaminated with small amounts of opium extract when harvested.

“Consumption of poppy seed products could cause a codeine positive urinalysis result and undermine the Department’s ability to identify illicit drug use,” Cisneros wrote in the memo.

“Out of an abundance of caution, I find protecting Service members and the integrity of the drug testing program requires a warning to avoid poppy seeds,” he continued, promising to “revise this policy accordingly” as more data became available. Department secretaries were instructed to impose a ban on “food products and baked goods containing poppy seeds” on their underlings indefinitely.

The US military has faced a recruitment crisis in recent years as the pool of those qualified to serve continues to shrink. Recent statistics show that obesity and other medical conditions, psychological problems, and criminal records – including a history of drug use – have rendered more than 70% of young American adults ages 18 to 24 ineligible for military service without a waiver, according to a report from the veterans’ advocacy organization Mission: Readiness Group.

***** At the same time, military leaders testified last year that only one in 11 eligible Americans actually ever wants to serve. *****

Some Army recruiters are now reportedly considering opening their doors to cannabis users, given that more than 93% of 19-25 year olds have some kind of access to a legal form of the drug and 30% of young adults under 30 have acknowledged smoking it – an admission which in itself requires a waiver.

While opioid use among young adults is less common, that age group is the biggest abuser of prescription opioid painkillers, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, which stated in a recent publication that 12% of 18-25 year olds had misused prescription drugs in the past year.
https://www.rt.com/news/571929-military-warns-poppy-seeds-drugs/
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22 Feb, 2023 11:13

6) --- Washington to deliver new longer-range weapon to Kiev – Bloomberg

Ukraine will receive gliding bombs from the US, with a range of 80km, the outlet claims

The US will supply Ukraine with precision upgrade kits for air-launched bombs, which give them a range of 80km (50 miles) and GPS guidance capability, Bloomberg reports.

According to two anonymous sources familiar with the matter, Kiev will receive Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-ER) kits, the news agency said on Tuesday. They are the “precision aerial munitions” that the Pentagon mentioned as part of the $1.85 billion weapons package announced on December 21, according to the outlet.

JDAM is an upgrade for regular free-fall bombs, which turns them into gliding GPS-enhanced precision weapons. The ER version was originally developed by Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), along with Boeing Australia for the Royal Air Force. The wing kit is meant for 500lb (227kg) munitions.

The upgraded bombs were designed to be launched from US-made fighter jets, such as the F/A-18 A/B Super Hornet, but Washington and its allies have refused so far to provide aircraft such as this to Ukraine.

In late January, Boeing received a $40.5 million order from the US Air Force under an existing JDAM contract, pending completion by June 30, Bloomberg said. The outlet reasoned that the US and Ukraine “have cobbled together a method by which Soviet-era fighter jets flown by Ukraine can program and launch the JDAM-ER.”

Kiev has been lobbying its Western backers to provide longer-range missiles and more advanced weapons for its war effort against Russia. A $2.17 billion security package for Ukraine announced by the Pentagon this month includes Boeing’s Ground-Launched, Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDBs), which have a range of up to 150km (93 miles).

Moscow has warned that pumping weapons into Ukraine will only prolong the conflict, which it perceives as a US proxy war against Russia. If Kiev receives longer-range weapon systems, Moscow “will be forced to push the threat away from our borders,” President Vladimir Putin warned this week.

https://www.rt.com/news/571903-bloomber-ukraine-wing-kits/
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22 Feb, 2023 17:57

7) --- International journalism association rules on Russian colleagues

A Russian journalists union has been suspended for opening branches in newly joined regions

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) announced on Wednesday that it is suspending the Russian union’s membership amid the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.

The IFJ accused the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) of acting “in a manner contrary to the principles… of the Federation.” It said the RUJ opened branches in the four former Ukrainian regions that joined Russia following referendums in September 2022. The RUJ then “refused to reconsider” this decision, it added.

“The Russian Union of Journalists’ actions in establishing four branches in the annexed Ukrainian territories have clearly shattered this solidarity and sown divisions among sister unions,” IFJ President Dominique Pradalie said, commenting on the decision. The IFJ’s statement did not specify how many members of the federation’s Executive Committee endorsed the decision.

The Russian union may now appeal the decision at the next IFJ Global Congress, the organization said, adding that it will still be considered suspended in the meantime.

RUJ head Vladimir Solovyov confirmed he received the information about his union’s suspension from the IFJ in a letter from the international organization’s general secretary, Anthony Bellanger. Solovyov called the move political and unjustified. He also pointed to the fact that the IFJ had no issues with the RUJ opening a branch in Crimea, which also joined Russia following a referendum in 2014.

The Russian union does not plan to act on the development for now, Solovyov said. “We’ll just stop paying huge [membership] fees and will have no joint events, but we had none for a long time anyway,” he told Russia’s Interfax news agency.

Solovyov also challenged the IFJ Executive Committee’s ability to expel a journalism organization from the international association. Only a Global Congress can do that, he said, adding that the next congress will not take place until 2026. “We will be able to present our complaints there,” he added.

The four former Ukrainian territories – Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics – were formally incorporated into Russia in early October 2022 after the referendums, in which the populations of the territories overwhelmingly supported joining Russia. The two Donbass republics declared independence from Kiev in 2014 in the wake of the Western-backed Maidan coup in Kiev. Moscow formally recognized their independence in February 2022, shortly before launching its military operation in Ukraine.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571938-international-federation-journalists-russia-ruling/
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22 Feb, 2023 00:04

8) --- Neighbor of Ukraine wants Russian peacekeepers out

Kiev’s troops were spotted near Transnistria as Moldova again raised “reintegrating” the breakaway region

Troops and weapons “illegally” present in Transnistria need to be evacuated to Russia as part of a “peaceful resolution” of the Ukraine conflict, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean told reporters on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops were spotted approaching the breakaway region and its vast stores of weapons and ammunition.

Recean took office last week, after his predecessor resigned, citing a lack of popular support. He has since brought up Transnistria on at least two occasions since assuming office. He has previously argued for “demilitarization” of the region, so its residents can be “economically and socially reintegrated” into Moldova.

The territory on the left bank of the Dniester River, known as Transnistria, broke away from Moldova in the early 1990s. The mainly Russian-speaking population did not want to remain a minority in the Romanian-speaking former Soviet republic after it gained independence. It is estimated that half of Transnistria’s 500,000 residents now have Russian citizenship.

About 1,100 Russian troops are currently deployed to the breakaway region as peacekeepers, keeping an eye on the ceasefire reached in the summer of 1992, as well as the warehouses of weapons and ammunition left over from the Soviet Union.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has claimed that Moscow is preparing to overthrow the government in Moldova. He told German outlet Die Welt that Russian paratroopers might storm the country’s only airport in the capital, Chisinau, and that Ukraine was willing to “help” if this happens.

Asked about this on Tuesday, Recean told state TV that there are “several scenarios of destabilization” and that the airport attack is one of them, but that Moldova is “ready to face such a challenge.” Later in the day, a convoy of Ukrainian troops and armored vehicles was photographed moving towards the border with Transnistria.

Meanwhile, Moldovan President Maia Sandu was in Poland, where she met with US President Joe Biden. In a speech delivered in Warsaw, Biden praised the “freedom-loving people of Moldova” and pledged support for the country’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier this month that the US and its allies were trying to make Moldova into another anti-Russian bastion along the lines of Ukraine, suggesting Sandu came to power “through some very peculiar methods” and was willing to do anything to be annexed by Romania. The EU granted both Moldova and Ukraine candidate status last year, as a symbolic gesture against Moscow.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571880-moldova-pm-russian-troops/
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21 Feb, 2023 20:32

9) --- Ukraine bans former president’s party

The Party of Regions was outlawed just a day after Joe Biden praised Kiev’s “democracy”

The party of former president Viktor Yanukovich, once Ukraine’s largest, was banned on Tuesday by a Kiev court acting on a government request. Ukraine’s security services had accused the Party of Regions of illegally signing a 2010 treaty with Russia and “crimes” against the 2014 US-backed coup that ousted Yanukovich.

Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) announced the ban to state media, saying it followed a motion by the Ministry of Justice based on accusations leveled by the SBI and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) against the party.

“In particular, the SBI provided materials regarding the illegal actions of the leadership of the Party of Regions during the signing and ratification of the so-called Kharkov Agreements, as well as crimes committed by them during the events of the Revolution of Dignity,” the agency said.

The 2010 agreement, signed in Kharkov, extended the Russian lease of naval facilities in Crimea through 2042 and gave Ukraine a discount on Russian natural gas supplies. The “Revolution of Dignity” is the name the new Ukrainian government gave the Maidan coup of 2014, which triggered the conflict over Crimea and the Donbass.

The Ukrainian government is “currently determining” the value of the party’s assets, which will be seized under a law enacted in May 2022. It enables President Vladimir Zelensky’s government to ban any party that challenges its official position, in particular when it comes to the conflict with Russia. A court’s decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

The law has been used to ban a dozen parties so far. The largest parliamentary opposition bloc, Opposition Platform – For Life, was outlawed last June.

The Party of Regions was established in 1997 and had grown into Ukraine’s biggest political party by 2006, in response to the 2004 ‘Orange Revolution’ that installed a pro-American government. It practically ceased to operate after the 2014 coup, as Yanukovich and Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov sought asylum in Russia.

The latest ban comes just a day after US President Joe Biden visited Kiev and compared Ukraine’s government to democracy itself. “Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. America – and the world – stands with Ukraine,” Biden declared after a photo-op with Zelensky.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571867-ukraine-party-regions-banned/
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21 Feb, 2023 13:55

10) --- Biden’s Kiev trip ‘a slap in the face’ to America – US Congressman

The president promised Ukraine another half a billion dollars as residents of Ohio deal with a toxic chemical spill

US President Joe Biden’s trip to Ukraine was “a slap in the face to every American,” Republican Rep. Paul Gosar declared on Monday. Already under fire over the hundreds of billions of dollars he’s handed Kiev, Biden is now being savaged by Republicans for his handling of a disastrous chemical accident on US soil.

Biden made an unannounced visit to Kiev on Monday, where he told Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that his administration was readying a $500 million military aid package for his forces. Biden’s administration has handed Zelensky almost $30 billion in military aid since last February, and has set aside more than $110 billion for continued military and economic assistance to Ukraine.

“Joe Biden visiting Ukraine is a slap in the face to every American, especially the people of East Palestine, Ohio,” Gosar tweeted. “Ukraine is not our friend, and Russia is not our enemy.”
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https://twitter.com/RepGosar/status/1627788864256372736
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Gosar has bitterly opposed Biden’s bankrolling of Ukraine, and sponsored a resolution earlier this month that would halt US aid to Kiev. The resolution, signed by 11 members of the anti-interventionist ‘Freedom Caucus’, calls on Russia and Ukraine to reach a peace agreement.

Republicans from the Freedom Caucus and beyond have hammered Biden for his handling of the East Palestine chemical spill. A train carrying vinyl chloride and other hazardous chemicals derailed in this small Ohio town earlier this month, and a controlled burn of these substances blanketed the town in a cloud of black smoke.

Biden has not visited East Palestine, nor has he approved a disaster declaration. Biden’s transportation secretary blamed the derailment on former President Donald Trump, and although Biden has sent Environmental Protection Agency and Health and Human Services officials to the location to declare it safe, residents have complained of alarming physical symptoms as well as dead pets, livestock and fish.

"That was the biggest slap in the face," East Palestine Mayor Trent Conway said of Biden’s trip to Kiev. “That tells you right now he doesn’t care about us. He can send every agency he wants to, but I found out this morning that he was in Ukraine giving millions of dollars away to people over there and not to us…on President's Day in our country, so I'm furious,” he told Fox News.
https://www.rt.com/news/571844-biden-ukraine-gosar-ohio/
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============== RE POST (QS: cos I can)

21 Feb, 2023 08:01

10a) --- Zelensky ‘commanding’ US military – congresswoman

The Ukrainian leader is edging Washington towards a “world war,” Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed after Biden’s trip to Kiev

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is pushing the US military closer to a global conflict, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said on Monday. Her statement followed US President Joe Biden’s unannounced trip to Kiev the same day.

“Biden didn’t go to East Palestine, Ohio on President’s Day,” Greene, a congresswoman from Georgia, wrote on Twitter, referring to a small US town where a train carrying hazardous materials derailed earlier this month. “He went to Ukraine, a NON-NATO nation, whose leader is an actor and is apparently now commanding our United States military to world war.”

The congresswoman argued that Washington’s support for Kiev has been “like a US proxy war with Russia” that is “now becoming more like a US-China war through the Ukraine-Russia war.” Greene insisted that Biden must be impeached “before it’s too late.”

A vocal critic of Biden’s foreign policy, Greene has been among US politicians calling for an audit of the country’s military and economic aid to Ukraine. Congress blocked a motion on the matter in December.

Biden made an unannounced trip to Kiev on Monday, almost a year after Moscow launched its military operation in the neighboring state. He unveiled a new $460 million aid package, which includes ammunition for HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank weapons. According to the Pentagon, Washington provided Kiev with $30.4 billion in security assistance between February 24, 2022 and February 20, 2023.

Russia has maintained that foreign weapons will not change the course of the conflict. The country’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has said that by helping Ukraine, NATO has been waging “a proxy war” against Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this month that the US-led alliance’s military infrastructure was “working 24/7” to sustain Ukraine.
https://www.rt.com/news/571815-greene-zelensky-us-army/
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22 Feb, 2023 15:00

11) --- Ukraine wants grain export deal extended – official

Kiev also plans to add new ports to the agreement

Ukraine plans to push for an extension of the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative for at least one more year, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing Yury Vaskov, the country's deputy minister of infrastructure.

The UN-backed agreement, which was reached last July between Ukraine, Russia, and Türkiye, allowed shipments of wheat and other agricultural products interrupted by the conflict with Russia to resume.

According to Vaskov, Kiev will also seek approval to have new ports come under the scope of the agreement. Currently, the deal covers three Ukrainian ports: Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny. Together, they export about 3 million tons a month, but the addition of the ports of Nikolaev could add an additional 2 million to this capacity, Vaskov said.

“A formal proposal will come from us this week on the need to work on an extension… We will request... to extend it not for 120 days but for at least one year because the Ukrainian and global agricultural market needs to be able to plan these volumes (of exports) in the long term,” the official noted in an interview to Reuters. He added that Kiev would also demand an increase in the number of cargo inspection teams “in order to eliminate the accumulation of vessels waiting for inspection.”

The parties to the deal are expected to start talks on an extension later this week, but the exact date has not yet been set. The initial 120-day agreement has already been already extended once, in November, and is to expire on March 18 unless an extension is agreed.

Russia, meanwhile, has repeatedly stated that it is unhappy with how the grain deal is being implemented. Under the agreement, the UN was expected to help Russia resume its own grain shipments via the Black Sea, which, although not directly targeted by Western sanctions, have faced problems due to the restrictions.

Russia’s ambassador to the UN said last month that Moscow has not been able to export any grain as part of the agreement. On the other hand, Russia has criticized the deal because the bulk of the grain sent out of Ukraine has been going not to poorer countries, as had been agreed, but to Western Europe.
https://www.rt.com/business/571917-ukraine-grain-deal-extension/
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22 Feb, 2023 08:46

12) --- EU members in angry clash over Ukraine

Slovakia's foreign minister used foul language to berate the Hungarian prime minister over his stance on the Ukraine conflict

Slovakia’s acting foreign minister, Rastislav Kacer, has taken a swipe at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, resorting to profanity to describe his reluctance to get involved in the Ukraine conflict. The remarks riled up Hungarian officials, with some recommending the minister seek mental health treatment.

On Tuesday, Kacer published a lengthy post on Facebook, criticizing a recent speech by Orban and claiming that he is the only Western politician worried that “supplying weapons and supporting Ukraine only prolongs the war.”

Last week, during his annual state-of-the-nation address, the Hungarian premier claimed that by sending military aid to Ukraine, European countries are “drifting into the war” with Russia.

“Over the weekend, the Carpathian prophet spoke to them [Hungarians] about how this is not our war. It is ‘only a military conflict between two Slavic states,’” the minister said, describing Orban’s remarks as “pathetic” and “disgusting.”

Stressing that Slovakia is “part of the developed world” and the West, Kacer asserted that he doesn’t “want us to ‘do it like Orban’ and certainly not to be on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s side.”

“For Putin’s collaborators and… for all those who want peace at the cost of the destruction of Ukraine, I have only one message,” he said, adding an uncensored profanity in Russian translated as “go f*** yourself.”

Responding to the insult, Zsolt Nemeth, who chairs the Hungarian Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said he is “extremely concerned” about Kacer’s mental health. “I advise you to see a psychiatrist very urgently,” he added.

Meanwhile, Tamas Menczer, Hungarian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, described Kacer as a “provocateur,” who “must be treated accordingly.”

Since the start of the Ukraine conflict almost one year ago, Hungary, which is heavily dependent on Russian energy, has repeatedly spoken against the sanctions the West has imposed on Moscow. It has argued that the restrictions have failed to meaningfully weaken Russia while damaging the EU’s economy. Budapest has also refused to support Kiev with weapons or allow arms transfers across its border with Ukraine.
https://www.rt.com/news/571891-hungary-slovakia-vulgar-rant/
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22 Feb, 2023 09:36

13) --- Africa ‘underfunded’ while Kiev attracts donors – Red Cross

The aid group’s director-general has called it “ironic” that poorer countries are having trouble receiving enough aid during the Ukraine conflict

Humanitarian efforts in the poorer regions of the world remain underfunded, while Ukraine enjoys steady support from donors, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Director-General Robert Mardini said on Wednesday.

“I want to emphasize that there is not enough funding for the vast majority of humanitarian bodies, including those operating in Africa,” Mardini told Russian news agency RIA Novosti on the sidelines of a humanitarian forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“Countries such as Afghanistan and Myanmar are among those that the ICRC doesn’t have sufficient funding for. Latin America is also among such regions.”

[It’s] ironic that humanitarian activities in Ukraine are well-supported by donors, but the downside is that the rest of the world is faced with underfunding.

“It’s the reality of the ICRC,” Mardini said, adding that it was also true for UN agencies and other international humanitarian groups.

The ICRC has been working in Ukraine since 2014 when hostilities broke out between the national government and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The two Donbass republics seceded from Ukraine shortly after the Western-backed coup in Kiev that year. Last year, both voted to join Russia, together with two other former Ukrainian territories.

In his annual speech to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir President claimed that the West was spending more money on military and other aid for Ukraine than on helping underdeveloped countries. “They have provided more than $150 billion to abet and arm Kiev,” Putin said. “For comparison: according to the data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, G7 countries have spent around $60 billion to help the world’s poorest countries between 2020 and 2021.”

In November, the European Commission proposed a “highly concessional” loan package worth up to €18 billion ($19.2 billion) to support the Ukrainian economy throughout 2023.
https://www.rt.com/africa/571898-red-cross-africa-underfunded/
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17 Feb, 2023 15:25

14) --- Ukraine ‘peace petition’ backed by nearly half a million Germans

The document co-authored by prominent left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht suggests weapons deliveries should stop

Almost 500,000 Germans have supported a petition urging Chancellor Olaf Scholz to spearhead efforts for peace negotiations in Ukraine. The appeal is authored by journalist Alice Schwarzer and Sahra Wagenknecht, a prominent member of Germany’s Left Party (Die Linke), and implores officials in Berlin not to provide Kiev with more weapons.

The document, which was published last Friday and has since gathered an increasing number of supporters, claims that the conflict in Ukraine has already cost the lives of more than 200,000 military personnel and 50,000 civilians.

“If the fighting goes on like this, Ukraine will soon be a depopulated, destroyed country,” the authors warn. Wagenknecht and Schwarzer also argue that “a lot of people in Europe fear an expansion of the war.”

The petition asserts that Ukrainians need solidarity from Germany, but questions whether Berlin’s current policies truly reflect the support they require.

“What is now, one year on, the actual goal of this war?” the authors ask, citing German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s recent comment about Europe being at war with Russia.

The petition expresses skepticism over whether Scholz’s government will keep its word and not provide Ukraine with fighter jets. According to Wagenknecht and Schwarzer, the German chancellor has already crossed multiple “red lines” in recent months.

The pair also warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin could unleash a “maximum counterstrike,” should Ukraine retake Crimea – which is among the goals set by senior officials in Kiev.

“Are we then inexorably sliding down a chute leading to a world war and nuclear war?” the petition asks, adding that numerous major conflicts have begun this way, and that another could end up being the last for mankind.

The petition stresses that “to nego

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