The World Blog by humble servant.

Getting military supplies to Ukraine may become harder – US Washington says supplying the Ukrainian war effort could get difficult Getting military supplies to Ukraine may become harder – US US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has revealed it may become more difficult in the coming days to ship weapons to Ukraine for help in its conflict with Russia. Speaking to reporters in Madrid on Monday, Sherman praised the “international community” for being “tremendously responsive” and resourceful in finding ways to deliver weapons, ammunition, and finances to Ukraine. However, such shipments “may become harder [to make] in the coming days and we will have to find other ways to manage this,” she warned. “It is critical that what we send in is what [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky asks for, because he knows what his military needs most,” Sherman explained.   While Sherman declined to elaborate upon what issues might threaten the continued ease of shipments, the Biden admi...

Removing Russian oil from the market would make energy prices skyrocket to over $300 per barrel of oil, Russia’s deputy prime minister, Aleksandr Novak, said on Monday, adding that Russia is not dependent on the West and can “reroute” its supplies elsewhere. The European officials are “once again seeking to put all the blame for their own recent energy policy shortfalls on Russia,” Novak told journalists, adding that “Russia has nothing to do with the current price hike on market volatility.” Russia has been a “reliable partner” for Europe for many decades, Novak said, adding that Moscow has been supplying the European nations with roughly 40% of their gas needs. The deputy prime minister made his comments after gas prices in Europe hit record highs of almost $3,900 per 1,000 cubic meters while the price of Brent crude oil surpassed $130 per barrel for the first time in a decade.  US plotting unilateral ban on Russian oil imports – media The deputy prime minister also slammed Germa...

  While China has made it clear that there is no direct correlation between Ukraine and Taiwan, noting that Taiwan is an integral part of China, its silence on Russia’s use of force should give pause to those who may doubt Beijing’s willingness to resort to similar action when it comes to defending its own territorial claims. As the US and NATO struggle to deal with the unfolding crisis in Ukraine, China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, has issued a warning to the Biden administration not to repeat the mistakes made in Europe by attempting to create a Pacific version of NATO to contain and constrain China. Wang’s comments were made at his annual media conference as China convened the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislative body, in Beijing on Monday. Calling such plans “perverse actions” that “run counter to the common aspiration of the region for peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcomes,” Wang declared that if they were implemented by the US, “they are do...

Russia’s ruling party suggests nationalization of foreign businesses United Russia wants to nationalize the production of enterprises leaving the Russian market over Ukraine Russia’s ruling party suggests nationalization of foreign businesses Vladimir Fedorenko Russia’s ruling party has come up with the idea of nationalizing the production of companies announcing their departure from the Russian market during the military offensive in Ukraine. Since the launch of the military operation, dozens of international enterprises have revealed their intention to cease operations in Russia, and the list is constantly growing. The secretary of United Russia’s general council, Andrey Turchak, called these actions “stabs in the back,” and warned of “tough retaliatory measures.” “United Russia proposes to nationalize the production of those companies which announce their departure and the closure of production in Russia during a special operation in Ukraine. This is an extreme measure, but we will ...

Russia makes new claims on US-financed biolabs in Ukraine The US has “covered” Ukraine with a network of biolaboratories linked to the Pentagon, the Russian Defense Ministry says Russia makes new claims on US-financed biolabs in Ukraine FILE PHOTO: Commander of the Russian radiological, chemical and biological defense force, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, speaks in Moscow, Russia, on February 23, 2022. ©  Sputnik / Aleksey Kudenko The Ukrainian authorities have been urgently destroying pathogens studied at its laboratories linked to the US Department of Defense, the Russian military claimed on Monday, adding that such activities hint at the military purposes of these studies. As many as 30 biological laboratories have been established in Ukraine that are actively cooperating with the US military, the commander of the Russian radiological, chemical and biological defense force, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, said at a news briefing on Monday. The list of these laboratories’ pa...

Germany warns against sanctioning ‘essential’ Russian oil and gas Chancellor Olaf Scholz says refusing to ban Russian energy imports is a “conscious decision” Germany warns against sanctioning ‘essential’ Russian oil and gas Despite levying punishing economic sanctions on Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday that Europe needs to keep importing Russian oil and gas, which he said are “essential” for the continent’s energy security. “At the moment, Europe’s supply of energy for heat generation, mobility, power supply and industry cannot be secured in any other way,” than by importing from Russia, read an official statement from Scholz’ office. “It is therefore of essential importance for the provision of public services and the daily lives of our citizens.” Germany relies on Russia for around 55% of its total gas supply, while the EU imports more than half of all its energy products. Of these imports, Russia supplies 41% of gas, 46% of coal, and 27% of oil.  The EU, th...