Page 147 - Russia

Chinese FM hints closer ties with Russia; says US attempts won't succeed

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Tuesday signalled closer ties with Russia, including dropping the US dollar and Euro in bilateral trade while asserting that America's attempts to "contain" China's rejuvenation will not succeed. Addressing his first annual press conference here on the sidelines of China's Parliament session, he said China will defend its core interests and oppose hegemony, bloc politics and unilateral sanctions. Qin said China and Russia are setting a good example for international relations and it was incorrect to see their close bilateral ties through a Cold War perspective. He defined China's relationship with Moscow as no alliance, no confrontation and not targeted at any third party. Asked about dropping the use of the US dollar and the Euro in China-Russia trade, Qin said China will use whatever currency is efficient, safe and credible. Currency should not be used as a trump card for unilateral sanctions, he said. Russian media reports said the Chinese

US must stop suppressing China or risk 'conflict': Chinese FM Qin Gang

"The United States' perception and views of China are seriously distorted," Qin said

RIC nations unlikely to meet till China border situation normalises

Last week Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said a meeting would be held later this year

Russian forces steps up effort to take elusive prize of Ukraine city

The fate of Bakhmut appeared to be hanging in the balance on Monday, as Russian forces continued to encroach on the devastated eastern Ukrainian city but its defenders still denied the Kremlin the prize it has sought for six months at the cost of thousands of lives. Intense Russian shelling targeted the Donetsk region city and nearby villages as Moscow deployed more resources there in an apparent bid to finish off Bakhmut's resistance, according to local officials. Civilians are fleeing the region to escape Russian shelling continuing round the clock as additional Russian troops and weapons are being deployed there, Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said. Russian forces that invaded Ukraine just over a year ago have been bearing down on Bakhmut for months, putting Kyiv's troops on the defensive but unable to deliver a knockout blow. More broadly, Russia continues to experience difficulty generating battlefield momentum. Moscow's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022 soon stalled and

Germany's Olaf Scholz warns of 'consequences' if China sends arms to Russia

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says there would be "consequences" if China sent weapons to Russia for Moscow's war in Ukraine, but he is fairly optimistic that Beijing will refrain from doing so. Scholz's comments came in an interview with CNN that aired on Sunday, two days after he met US President Joe Biden in Washington. US officials have warned recently that China could step off the sidelines and begin providing arms and ammunition to Moscow. Ahead of his trip, Scholz had urged Beijing to refrain from sending weapons and instead use its influence to press Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. Asked by CNN if he could imagine sanctioning China if it did aid Russia, Scholz replied: "I think it would have consequences, but we are now in a stage where we are making clear that this should not happen, and I am relatively optimistic that we will be successful with our request in this case, but we will have to look at (it) and we have to be very, very cautious." He did not elabora

Russian shelling hits Ukrainian town, kills 1; Bakhmut battle rages

Russian shelling destroyed homes and killed one person in northern Ukraine's Kharkiv province, the region's governor said Sunday, while fighting raged in the fiercely contested eastern city of Bakhmut. The town of Kupiansk is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Russian border; the region has come under frequent attacks even though Russian ground forces withdrew from the area nearly six months ago. Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said at least five homes were razed in the latest attack that left a 65-year-old man dead. Two civilians were killed over the past day in Bakhmut, Donetsk province Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said. Russian forces have spent months trying to capture the city as part of their offensive in eastern Ukraine, and the area has seen some of the bloodiest ground fighting of the war. In recent days, Ukrainian units destroyed two key bridges just outside Bakhmut, including one linking it to the nearby town of Chasiv Yar along the last remaining Ukrainian resupply route, according

Each country to make own decision: US official on India buying Russian oil

The United States has said that each country is going to make its own decision when asked about India's ties with Russia and purchase of oil from Russia

Russians pound access routes to Ukraine's besieged Bakhmut: Report

Prigozhin's men have spearheaded the assault in eastern Ukraine for months

It's a shame only Ukraine is of interest to G20: Russia's Sergey Lavrov

Lavrov said US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had publicly stated that Russia must be defeated on the battlefield

Russia never engage in playing any country against another: Sergey Lavrov

"The idea promoted by our American friends of ASEAN plus Quad is openly aimed at ruining East Asia Summits. In other words it means East Asia Summits minus China and Russia," Lavrov said

Allowing Russia in Ukraine will be message to aggressors: Blinken at Quad

On Quad grouping, Blinken said he believes it is a force for good, positive, and affirmative action

India, now a great power, has to choose side in Ukraine war: Senator Warner

Describing India as a "great power" and a country that prides itself in moral values, powerful American Senator Mark Warner, a long-time advocate of a strong India-US relationship, on Thursday said New Delhi has to choose a side in the Ukrainian war at some point. Commending India for standing up to the Chinese aggression and its challenge, Senator Warner, the Chairman of the powerful Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told PTI in an interview that the steps being taken by India vis-a-vis the Ukraine conflict so far are not enough and New Delhi can do more. "I commend Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi for making that comment in front of (Russian President) Mr. (Vladimir) Putin in Uzbekistan. But one statement in a war that's now over a year old, I think there's more that can be done," Warner said, referring to the PM' this is "not an era of war" assertion. India has maintained that it stands on the side of peace on the Ukrainian and has expressed willingness to contribute to any

No joint communique on Ukraine conflict due to rift between West, Russia

With the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi unable to come out with a joint communique due to the sharp rift between the West and Russia over the Ukraine conflict, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this is not a reflection on India's efforts as host but of the divisions" seen among countries in the international fora. India as President of the G20 hosted the Foreign Ministers Meeting on Thursday in New Delhi, attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang among counterparts from other G20 nations. The meeting was unable to come out with a joint communique due to a sharp rift between the West and Russia over the Ukraine conflict despite efforts by host India to bridge the differences. Blinken told a news conference in the Indian capital that Russia and China were the two countries that did not support a joint communique at the meeting. Well, we are not a party to the

Blinken meets Russian FM Lavrov, urges engagement with Ukraine: Reports

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov briefly during which he is learnt to have "pressurised" the Russian minister on Ukraine, according to reports

Crisis in multilateralism affecting developing nations most: PM at G20 meet

Modi also pointed out how global supply chains have broken down during times of stress and turmoil

Lavrov hails India's highly responsible stance on matters of global agenda

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday hailed India's "highly responsible" and "worthy of a great power" stance on key matters of global agenda. The remarks come amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict and India's diplomatic tightrope walk on the issue. Addressing a press conference here, Lavrov said, "Our relationship with India can be described as privileged strategic partnership. This reflects the special character of the relationship starting with India's independence up until today." "We appreciate the highly responsible and worthy of a great power stance India is taking on key matters of global agenda," Lavrov said. He also asserted called for a reform of the UN Security Council.

Russia can maintain oil output at pre-conflict levels, says JP Morgan

JP Morgan forecast Russia would be able to maintain its oil output at pre-Ukraine conflict levels due to steady demand from China and India

G20: Russia, China reject attempts at others meddling into domestic affairs

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on Thursday unanimously rejected attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, Sputnik News reported.According to the Russian News Agency, the Russian Foreign Minister met his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (G20FMM) in New Delhi on Thursday.According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the top diplomats also reaffirmed the importance of continuing the practice of regular contacts in order to further deepen interaction between the two countries.Both the leaders discussed the situation around Ukraine, including Beijing's position on a political settlement, Sputnik reported.During the meeting, Lavrov and Gang reaffirmed their shared commitment to these agreements and the overall policy line traced by our leaders during the visit to the Russian Federation by Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Director of the Office of the CPC ...

Ukrainian saboteurs launches cross-border attack: Russian official

Russian officials said Thursday that Ukrainian saboteurs crossed into western Russia and attacked local villages, as the war extended into its second year. Amid conflicting initial reports, Russia's Federal Security Service said fighting with the sabotage unit was taking place in the Bryansk region. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials, and the exact circumstances of the incident were unclear. If confirmed, it would be another indication following drone attacks earlier this week that Kyiv could be taking the fight into Russian territory, exposing Russian defensive weaknesses, embarrassing the Kremlin and sowing unease among Russian civilians. The Federal Security Service was quoted by the Russian state Tass news agency as saying that activities to eliminate armed Ukrainian nationalists who violated the state border were underway. Tass, citing Russian law enforcement, reported earlier that the saboteurs were holding up to six people hostage. The local governor sa

Moscow opens the 70-km Big Circle Line, longest subway in the world

Moscow has opened the 70-km Big Circle Line (BCL), the longest subway line in the world.