The World Blog by humble servant.

Republican Representative Liz Cheney has proposed a “red line” for intervention in Ukraine, arguing that the use of chemical weapons should trigger a response from US forces and the NATO alliance. Speaking with NBC’s Chuck Todd, the Wyoming congresswoman agreed that Washington should lay down a chemical weapons “red line” for Ukraine, despite efforts by the Biden administration to avoid direct involvement in the conflict over concerns it could spark a third world war. “I think that we in the West, the United States and NATO – we need to stop telling the Russians what we won’t do,” she said. “We need to be very clear that we are considering all options, that the use of chemical weapons is certainly something that would alter our calculations.” Washington’s United Nations envoy, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, also declared that the US would “respond aggressively” to any use of chemical weapons during a recent sit-down with CNN, though stopped short of t Pressed on the issue during a separ...

Beijing has promised to respond in kind unless the US revokes the blacklisting of Chinese officials it said were guilty of human rights violations. Speaking at a regular press conference on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused the US of “smearing China, oppressing Chinese officials for no reason, violating international law... and grossly interfering in China’s domestic affairs.” Wang said Beijing will respond with “reciprocal countermeasures” if the US does not immediately revoke its sanctions. The statement came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused the Chinese government of committing “genocide and crimes against humanity” against the Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic minority living predominately in China’s northwestern Xinjiang Region. He added that Washington has blacklisted Chinese officials who it said were guilty of human rights violations. Wang responded in kind, calling the US “the biggest human rights violator in the world,” whose historical treat...

survey conducted by polling firm EKOS shows that Canadians who have received “three or more doses” of a Covid-19 vaccine tended to express significantly more support for aggressive anti-Russian measures with regard to the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine. The poll was conducted between March 9 and 13, and collected responses from a random sample of 1,035 Canadians. Overwhelmingly, more than 80% of the vaccinated respondents supported expanding sanctions, seizing assets of Russian nationals associated with President Vladimir Putin, cutting off shipments of Russian oil, and sending military equipment to Ukraine. Over half of the group agreed with the idea of sending military jets to the Ukrainian Army, and 30% thought Canada should dispatch its own military forces to Ukraine. Furthermore, 82% of vaccinated respondents felt that Canada should impose tougher sanctions on Russia even if it means they would have to suffer higher prices and slower economic growth at home. On the oth...

Greece’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said on Tuesday that the country and the EU as a whole should brace for a grain deficit as the result of the conflict in Ukraine and anti-Russia sanctions. The shortage could mean, “Firstly, a significant increase in prices and, secondly, it could mean that we will see unrest in the wider region and especially in North Africa and the Middle East,” he said at a meeting in Brussels. Russia’s military operation in Ukraine has affected grain supplies from the two countries, which are major global exporters. The crisis has sent wheat prices soaring in recent weeks to the highest point since 2008. Global food prices have also hit historic highs amid supply concern.

One of the biggest vehicle manufacturing plants in Europe, Volkswagen Bratislava, has suspended production due to interruptions to its supply of parts from Ukraine and other issues, Slovakian media reported on Tuesday. Production across all areas was stopped on Monday for two days due to a long-term lack of semiconductor components and a “partial supply outage of some parts from Ukraine”, Slovakian press agency TASR quoted company spokeswoman Lucia Kovarovič Makayová as saying. The company has been affected by the shortage of semiconductor components caused by the coronavirus pandemic, forcing it to discontinue production several times last year, with other Slovak carmakers experiencing similar problems, TASR says. According to German outlet finanzen.net, the current crisis in Ukraine is hindering the delivery of some parts to the Slovak manufacturer. READ MORE: Ukraine parts shortage shuts down European car plants The Volkswagen Bratislava factory and two smaller locations in Slov...

Britain’s Communist Party has called on authorities to “act swiftly” against posters depicting Russians as pigs and calling for their deaths. The communists – who view the war in Ukraine as a clash of capitalist powers – said that the posters recall the Nazi-era persecution of Jews. The posters feature a pig in the colors of the Russian flag, along with the text “Good Russian = Dead Russian.” According to the Russian news outlet Readovka, they appeared in London, and the logo of London’s public transport corporation can be seen in the background of a photo shared by Readovka. “IF YOU SEE ONE, RIP IT DOWN,” the Communist Party of Britain tweeted on Monday. “Authorities should act swiftly against such anti-worker posters,” the communists continued. “We need unity between people. Because the first picture below is just a short goose-step from the second.” The second picture posted by the party showed anti-Jewish propaganda from wartime Poland. It is unclear how many posters were put...

The “unacceptable” remarks of US President Joe Biden about his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin have left bilateral relations between the countries “on the brink of collapse,” the Russian Foreign Ministry has said. The ministry was referring to comments made last week by Biden calling Putin a “war criminal,” a “murderous dictator,” and “a pure thug” in response to Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine. On Monday, the US Ambassador in Moscow, John Sullivan, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and “was handed a note of protest” over Biden’s “unacceptable” statements. Statements such as these from a US president are “unworthy of a statesman of such a high rank” and have brought US-Russia relations to “the brink of collapse,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday. Kremlin responds to Biden calling Putin ‘war criminal’READ MORE: Kremlin responds to Biden calling Putin ‘war criminal’ “Hostile actions taken against Russia” will be met with “a decisive and firm rebuff,” it added....

The unprecedented sanctions against Russia have pushed energy costs higher in Europe and the US, driving record inflation and making it ever more expensive for farmers and truckers to fuel their machinery, afford fertilizer or keep up with other costs. In Europe, which is dependent on Russian oil and natural gas, the sanctions have worsened an energy supply crunch that has driven up costs for households and businesses. Life without Russia is like for the West these days. High energy costs trigger unrest People have been protesting across the EU as the cost of diesel and gasoline has become prohibitively expensive. Thousands of truckers began an indefinite strike in Spain last Monday, leading to traffic jams and picketing across the country. A few truck companies in Spain stopped operating due to high costs resulting in job losses for some. In Italy, a liter of gasoline and diesel now cost more than two euros due to sanctions. France has also been hit with protests against soaring fue...