Kiev, Ukraine | Xinhua | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country may put the issue of neutral status on a nationwide referendum, the Ukrinform news agency reported Tuesday. If Russia’s desire for Ukraine’s neutral status is one of the provisions of the agreements on ending the conflict, “we are …
Read More »Putin urges West to stop arming Ukraine in conversation with Macron
Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Western countries to stop supplying Ukraine with weapons during a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday. Putin told Macron about Russia’s efforts in the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, the Kremlin said in a statement. The Russian president …
Read More »Russia not to artificially complete military actions in Ukraine by V-Day: FM
Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | The Russian military will not artificially adjust its actions during the special operation in Ukraine to any date, including Victory Day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sunday. “We will solemnly celebrate May 9, as we always do,” Lavrov said in an interview with Italy’s Mediaset …
Read More »Ukraine seeks to seize Russia’s assets for post-conflict recovery: PM
Kiev, Ukraine | Xinhua | Kiev is willing to seize Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s post-conflict recovery, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Thursday. “The funds of the Russian government and oligarchs will be one of the main sources for filling the Fund for the Reconstruction of our country,” Shmyhal …
Read More »Long-term peace and prosperity
We need new international systems embedded in nature and redesigned to improve the human condition COMMENT | MARGARET KUHLOW | Russia’s war in Ukraine is a humanitarian catastrophe that violates the United Nations Charter and international humanitarian law, and has exacerbated socioeconomic and environmental crises around the world. It …
Read More »NATO chief offers quick admission for Finland, Sweden despite Russia’s objection
Brussels, Belgium | Xinhua | The applications by Finland and Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will be processed quickly should the Scandinavian countries choose to do so, the military alliance’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday. “If they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will …
Read More »Erdogan urges Putin for leaders’ summit to solve Ukrainian crisis
Ankara, Turkey | Xinhua | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday once again urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to hold a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During a phone talk, Erdogan told Putin that the “continuation of the positive momentum achieved in the Istanbul talks” to reach peace …
Read More »Erdogan, Zelensky discuss Ukraine crisis over phone
Kiev, Ukraine | Xinhua | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Sunday discussed the latest developments of the Ukraine crisis over the phone. According to a statement by the Turkish presidential office, Erdogan said that the evacuation of the wounded and civilians from Ukraine’s …
Read More »Sanctions not solution to end Ukraine crisis, says Hungarian expert
Budapest, Hungary | Xinhua | The European Union (EU) has already announced five rounds of sanctions against Russia, including an import ban on Russian coal. But according to Hungarian political scientist Csaba Moldicz, the sanctions will most likely not reach the desired effect of ending the current conflict in Ukraine. …
Read More »Food price shocks
Governments can learn from the food price crises of 2008-2013, when African states put in place insulating policies COMMENT | MARK REDWOOD AND STEVE WIGGINS | In the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, commodity markets have been rocked, as both economies have effectively been removed from global trade. Ukrainian exports …
Read More »