Kiev has imposed sanctions on 10 top clerics in the Russian Orthodox church. The move came after President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he was seeking to ban any religion with ties to the Russian Federation from operating in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he is seeking to ban all religions with ties to Russia. He claims the move is needed to “guarantee spiritual independence to Ukraine.”
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics has urged NATO to permit Ukraine to launch strikes inside Russian territory, saying the alliance should not fear Moscow’s response. The White House has resisted sending Kiev long-range missiles with the ability to hit targets in Russia.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the US-led military bloc will increase its presence in the region between the Baltic and Black Seas, announcing the move ahead of a two-day summit where the alliance is expected to renew a pledge to defend Ukraine indefinitely.
The US Department of Justice is investigating the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, according to the Israeli defense minister. Senator Ted Cruz blasted the investigation for marking Tel Aviv as President Joe Biden’s “political enemy.”
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Washington would be happy to see New Delhi continue to buy oil from Moscow at a price above a G7-imposed price ceiling set to take effect next month. The announcement came after India declared it would buy oil from Russia and ignore the price cap.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said upcoming talks in Egypt on nuclear weapons are unlikely to lead to any significant breakthrough. The Kremlin views the current arms control environment as a long-term problem that will take time to resolve.
Kiev is planning a buildup of its weapons industry to produce more sophisticated arms, with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov saying government takeovers of several companies will help Kiev to create an “army of drones” and other NATO-caliber weapons.
The US State Department greenlit a nearly $500 million sale of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to Lithuania. Washington has transferred dozens of the systems to Kiev, which has used them to carry out attacks inside territory claimed by Moscow.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar says his country has no plans to stop importing Russian energy. The statement was made as Western countries plan to roll out price caps on Moscow’s oil exports next month.
The war in Ukraine has spurred European countries to seek hundreds of billions in new weapons. American arms manufacturers are the “biggest beneficiaries” of the increased demand for arms, according to a Yahoo News report.
The White House has authorized employing strategic assets in South Korea more frequently. The announcement comes as Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington conduct unprecedented aerial war games.
