Diamond Member Pelican Press 0 Posted March 19 Diamond Member Share Posted March 19 Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine Polish President calls for NATO to urgently ramp up spending Polish President Andrzej Duda said Monday that NATO must urgently increase its defense spending to ensure it does not become the next target of a Russian *******. Speaking to CNBC, Duda cited unspecified ******* research which suggests that Russian President Vladimir ****** is doubling down on his shift toward a war economy with a view to attacking NATO in 2026 or 2027. “The alarm bells are ringing,” he told Steve Sedgwick, according to a translation. Duda said it was therefore more critical than ever to ramp up the alliance’s military spending to 3%, describing his increased target as “common sense.” — Karen Gilchrist Out of money, Pentagon chief looks to convince allies of commitment to Ukraine U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday will try and convince ********* allies that President Joe Biden’s administration is still committed to supporting Ukraine, even as Washington has essentially run out of money to continue arming Kyiv and few signs that Congress will move to replenish funds. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin takes part in a welcome ceremony for Latvia’s Defense Minister Andris Spruds at the Pentagon in Washington, DC on March 14, 2024. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images *********** House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to call a vote on a bill that would provide $60 billion more for Ukraine and the White House has been scrambling to find ways to send assistance to Kyiv, which has been battling Russian forces for more than two years. Austin will be leading the monthly meeting known as the Ukraine defense contact group (UDCG), held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, of about 50 allies that have been militarily supporting Ukraine. The Pentagon said Austin, who is making his first overseas trip since a prostate ******* treatment, will reiterate that Washington is committed to Ukraine. But officials say the lack of funding available is already having an impact on the ground in Ukraine and Ukrainian forces are having to manage scarce resources. Last week the Biden administration said it would send $300 million in military assistance to Ukraine, but added that it was an extraordinary move after unexpected savings from military contracts the Pentagon had made. Officials have not ruled out that they could find additional savings, but they say that amount would not be enough to make up for the lack of Congressional action. Experts say that Austin will face a skeptical audience in Europe. — Reuters ****** attends rally in Moscow after election win People attend a rally and a concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea at Red Square in Moscow on March 18, 2024. Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty Images Russian President Vladimir ****** briefly attended an open-air rally in Moscow on Monday evening at which he told the crowd that the annexation of Crimea and other regions in Ukraine had been difficult but worthwhile. The rally and concert in Red Square marked the 10th anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The annexation was a precursor to a simmering conflict between pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine’s armed forces in eastern Ukraine since 2014, and Russia’s wholesale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, Russia has also illegally annexed four other partially occupied regions in Ukraine, attempting to “Russify” the regions and holding voting there ahead of the three-day Russian presidential election last weekend that ****** won. Ukraine condemned the ballots held on its territory, describing them as ********. ****** told a large, flag-waving crowd that the “return” of those other regions to Russia had turned out to be “much more grave and tragic” than Crimea’s, but said that it had been accomplished, Reuters noted. ****** also told the crowd that rail links had been restored from Rostov in southern Russia to the Russian-occupied cities in eastern and southern Ukraine, and would soon also connect directly with Sevastopol in Crimea. “Just this morning, I was informed that the railway from Rostov to Donetsk to Mariupol and Berdyansk has been restored. We will continue this work. Soon trains will pass directly to Sevastopol. And this will be another alternative road to the Crimean bridge,” he said, in comments translated by Reuters. — Holly Ellyatt Why Germany is reluctant to send ‘Taurus’ missiles to Ukraine ******* Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds a speech during the GermanDream Awards 2023 in Berlin, Germany, November 30, 2023. Lisi Niesner | Reuters Debate around military aid to Ukraine is deepening the cracks in Germany’s administration — but despite “extremely unusual” public rifts, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to prevail. The question at the heart of a months-long dispute is whether Germany will send Ukraine long-range Taurus missiles, which can independently locate and ******** a target after being released by a carrier. Scholz has firmly rejected Kyiv’s request for these missiles — but he looks increasingly isolated in this position. One key concern is that Ukraine may need on-the-ground help from ******* soldiers to work the Taurus missiles — a red line for Scholz. According to leaked discussions by senior army chiefs reported by ******* media, there are very few copies of the complex data needed to program Taurus missiles. It means that Germany itself would likely lose access to the material if it handed those over to Ukraine, making it a potentially risky move. Read more on the story here: Germany’s refusal to send ‘Taurus’ missiles to Ukraine is highly contentious — but won’t break the government — Sophie Kiderlin Pictures show destruction in Ukraine after recent shelling Pictures show the aftermath of shelling in multiple Ukrainian towns that have been attacked by Russia in recent days. A ***** broke out by Russian airstrike in a residential building at the Vovchansk in Kharkiv, Ukraine on March 18, 2024. State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout | Anadolu | Getty Images A resident Oleh stands in his house damaged by Russian shelling on March 18, 2024 in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine. Svitlana Krentovska/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC” | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images A shell crater is seen near a house of the Kriazh family destroyed by Russian shelling on March 17, 2024 in Makyshyn, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine. Oleksandr Tirok/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC” | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images The wreckage of a car is seen amid rubble and debris at a house of the Kriazh family destroyed by Russian shelling on March 17, 2024 in Makyshyn, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine. Oleksandr Tirok/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC” | Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images ****** mentions Navalny by name for the first time in years Russian President Vladimir ****** meets with the media at his campaign headquarters in Moscow on March 18, 2024. Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty Images Russian President Vladimir ****** was upbeat after winning a fifth term in power in Russia’s presidential election over the weekend. He chose his victory speech to supporters and the Russian press to make his first public remarks on the ****** of his political nemesis, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, mentioning his name for the first time in years. When asked by NBC’s Keir Simmons about the ******, ****** responded by calling his ****** a “sad event” and claiming he had been prepared to involve Navalny in a prisoner swap with the West. Click here to read more on this story: ****** talks about his nemesis Navalny’s ****** for the first time as he basks in election win — Holly Ellyatt EU says Russian voters were deprived of ‘a real choice’ The EU headquarters in Brussels. John Thys | Afp via Getty Images The ********* Union pronounced that Russian presidential elections took place in an “ever-shrinking political space” that violated civil and political rights, after Vladimir ****** secured another six-year term. “Russian authorities have continued to increase the systematic internal repression by cracking down on opposition politicians, civil society organisations, independent media and other critical voices with the use of repressive legislation and politically motivated prison sentences,” This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . The circumstances in which the elections were held “deprived Russian voters of a real choice and heavily limited their access to accurate information,” the bloc added, while also condemning presidential votes carried out by Russia in occupied territories of Ukraine. — Ruxandra Iordache Kremlin praises ******’s ‘unique’ result in presidential elections Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting between Russian President Vladimir ****** and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow, Russia December 7, 2023. Sergei Bobylev | Via Reuters Vladimir ******’s sweeping win in Russia’s presidential vote over the weekend was a “unique” result, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, defending the electoral process from Western accusations. In This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up -translated comments This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up , Peskov said that foreign statements questioning the legitimacy of the election were “absurd,” noting that he expected international congratulations for ******’s victory to continue pouring in for more than one day. The ********* Union has criticized the circumstances under which ****** secured over 87% of the popular vote, stressing a restrictive political environment and a lack of genuine opposition in the electoral race. It also refused to acknowledge the polls held in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. — Ruxandra Iordache Read CNBC’s previous live coverage here: This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up Breaking News: Europe,Breaking news,War,Foreign policy,Russia,Russia-Ukraine Crisis,Politics,Ukraine,Vladimir ******,Government and politics,Joe Biden,Lloyd Austin,business news #Latest #news #Russia #war #Ukraine This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up Link to comment https://hopzone.eu/forums/topic/4785-latest-news-on-russia-and-the-war-in-ukraine/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now