As talks toward a peaceful settlement to the war in Ukraine have all but collapsed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow received a workable proposal from Ukrainian negotiators soon after the conflict began, but claimed Kiev abruptly broke off all dialogue and has been ‘silent’ ever since.
Ankara and Moscow have put forward potential solutions to reopen Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, with Russia offering safe passage to grain ships while Turkey said it could help guide vessels around Ukrainian naval mines deployed to stall the Russian advance.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has called to equip Ukrainian forces with enough weapons and gear to defeat the Russian military, arguing that Kiev must deal the blows as “direct confrontation” between NATO and Moscow is still off the table.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised that his forces will retake the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, despite warnings from other officials that Kiev will soon lose the Donbass region to Moscow without substantial military aid from the West.
US energy security envoy Amos Hochstein has acknowledged that Russia might be making more revenue from fossil fuels than before its February invasion of Ukraine. Washington has responded with waves of sanctions aiming to crush the Russian economy. Hochstein made the comments during a hearing for the Senate Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation. In response to a question about whether Moscow was making more money now off its fossil fuel sales, Hochstein said, “I can’t deny that.” In May, the International Energy Agency said that Russia's oil revenue was up 50% this...
President Joe Biden held a call with Juan Guaido and discussed possible sanctions relief for Venezuela. The White House recognizes Guaido as the country’s interim president, though he holds no power in Caracas. Biden phoned the opposition leader from Air Force One while en route to the Summit of the Americas conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday, with a White House summary of the call stating that the president underscored “the United States’ recognition of and support for the 2015 democratically-elected National Assembly and Guaido as the Interim President of Venezuela.” Guaido first...
The Treasury Department has issued a new decree prohibiting money managers from trading in Russian debt or stocks in US secondary markets. The latest round of sanctions comes as Washington attempts to further isolate Moscow in retaliation for its attack on Ukraine.
Venezuela The US will allow two European companies to ship Venezuelan oil to Europe. [Link] Russia NATO head Jens Stoltenburg says the alliance needs to prepare for a long war in Ukraine. [Link] He added that Ukraine shouldn’t stop trying to push Russia from Crimea. [Link] Finland’s head of intelligence says he is surprised by the lack of Russian reprisals after Helsinki submitted an application to join NATO. [Link] The US claims Russia isn’t serious about allowing the grain to be shipped through the Black Sea. [Link] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he had to cancel his trip...
Ukrainian lawmakers have voted to remove human rights commissioner Lyudmila Denisova, accusing the official of doing too little to protect citizens amid an ongoing Russian invasion, and of tarnishing Kiev’s reputation abroad with unverified atrocity stories.
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on Monday said that Ukraine should cede to Russia the territory Moscow and the Donbass separatists controlled before invading to end the war and called for negotiations.
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