The World Blog by humble servant.

It will take more than a ceasefire in Ukraine for London to lift its sanctions against Russia, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told his cabinet on Tuesday, insisting that Moscow must fully alter its policy towards its neighbor. Pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin “must be increased both through further economic measures and providing military aid to ensure Russia changes course completely,” Johnson told his ministers, according to his spokesman. Foreign Minister Liz Truss had told the Sunday Telegraph earlier this week that sanctions “should only come off with a full ceasefire and withdrawal, but also commitments that there will be no further aggression.” Johnson’s comments came as Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Turkey to discuss the “practical phase” of talks, according to Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Alexander Fomin. He told reporters that the parties are preparing an agreement on the “neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine” and providing Kiev...

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will visit India on Thursday as Western countries have been urging neutral states to change their stance on Russia over its attack on Ukraine and warning of repercussions for helping Moscow to bypass economic restrictions. Truss and her Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will discuss “bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Monday. India has called for peace in Ukraine, but refused to sanction Russia over its military campaign against its neighboring country. Russia and India have enjoyed close ties since Soviet times. New Delhi abstained during the UN General Assembly vote to condemn Moscow in early March. Truss explained India’s stance at the time by reference to “some level of dependence on Russia,” suggesting that the UK should foster “a closer economic and defense relationship” with the Asian country. Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, meanwhile, ...

A US national security official will travel to India to discuss New Delhi’s response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the White House said, noting that the two sides would also review their economic ties as Washington pressures allies to take tougher action against Moscow. Deputy national security adviser for international economics Daleep Singh is set to visit the Indian capital this week, where he will meet with officials to “advance a range of issues in the US-India economic relationship and strategic partnership,” National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne announced on Tuesday. “Singh will consult closely with counterparts on the consequences of Russia’s unjustified war against Ukraine and mitigating its impact on the global economy,” Horne continued, adding that the adviser would also speak about the “development of an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.” Formerly of Goldman Sachs and a veteran of two previous administrations, Singh has played a leading role in crafting US...

The West will not agree to a Russia request to pay gas bills in rubles, French President Emmanuel Macron has told President Vladimir Putin, according to news agency Reuters. Macron told Putin it was impossible for Western clients to pay for gas in Russian currency, the news agency reported on Tuesday, citing an Elysee official. “France is against paying in rubles,” the official said, as quoted by the media. In its own readout of the call between the two leaders, the Kremlin confirmed that Moscow’s proposal on ruble payments had been discussed, but it did not provide details on the positions of both sides. EU rejects Moscow’s ruble-for-gas demandREAD MORE: EU rejects Moscow’s ruble-for-gas demand Putin had previously ordered Russia’s central bank and Gazprom energy giant to ready proposals to have gas payments from “unfriendly” countries made in rubles. That plan was rejected by the EU and the G7 earlier on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that R...

French President Emmanuel Macron took to the streets of Dijon on Monday ahead of next month’s elections, and was hammered over the rising cost of fuel and electricity. He defended his government’s efforts to keep prices down, but insisted that he has “no magical answer” to the problem, and that the public will “without a doubt” have to deal with some hardship. Since Russian troops entered Ukraine over a month ago, Macron has portrayed himself as one of Europe’s foremost geopolitical players: Speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin personally, doing photoshoots in a military sweatshirt after negotiations, and last week announcing a yet-to-happen operation to evacuate the Ukrainian city of Mariupol “in the coming days.” However, with the first round of presidential elections coming up on April 10, Macron headed to the city of Dijon on Monday to meet voters – some of whom were more concerned with domestic issues than a conflict 2,000km away. “Put yourself in the shoes of an ordina...

The Russian currency strengthened to more than a one-month high during trading on Tuesday, surging over 10% amid signs of progress in peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators. The looming ruble-for-gas payments deadline has also been lifting the currency. The ruble was trading below 83 against the US dollar in its strongest reading in a month. It also gained against the European common currency to trade at around 93 rubles per euro. The Russian currency has risen dramatically over the past three weeks, reflecting the efficiency of the monetary policy adopted by the central bank in response to sanctions. READ MORE: Russia sets ruble gas payment deadline Another major boost was last week’s government decision to demand that “unfriendly” states pay for natural gas only in rubles rather than in dollars or euros from now on. Those countries – including the US, the UK, and the EU – have until March 31 to switch payment for Russian gas to rubles. The currency plunged to a re...

The world’s energy markets need Russian oil and no producer can replace it, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Energy Suhail al-Mazrouei said on Monday. Russia produces some 10 million barrels of oil a day, which makes it a critical member of the OPEC+ energy alliance, al-Mazrouei explained during an energy forum in Dubai. “Leaving the politics aside, that volume is needed today,” he insisted, adding that “unless someone is willing to come and deliver that amount, we don’t see that someone can substitute Russia.” Russia is the world’s second biggest crude exporter after Saudi Arabia. Following Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, some nations, led by the US, have pledged to stop buying Russian oil and gas. The United States, Europe, and others have been calling on Gulf Arab oil producers to ramp up production and help bring down crude prices, which at one point shot above $120 a barrel. The International Energy Agency announced earlier this month that it had decided to rel...

The US federal government has run out of money to cover the cost of Covid-19 testing and treatment for uninsured people. Along with this, vaccine administration for the uninsured will also end in a few weeks. Since the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over and has been particularly bad in the United States already, the results of this will be disastrous. On March 15, the White House released a fact sheet warning about the implications of this funding deficit. Among the key issues were the fact that it would be harder to identify emerging variants, scaling back of planned purchases of preventative treatments, and damage to global vaccination and treatment efforts. As one of the few developed countries in the world that does not have universal health care, this essentially means that coverage for Covid-19, during an ongoing pandemic that has killed nearly 1 million Americans already, will be rationed based on wealth. CDC says it overcounted Covid-19 deaths Read more CDC says it ove...

The Russian currency has risen dramatically over the past three weeks, reflecting the efficiency of the monetary policy adopted by the central bank in response to sanctions. Another major boost was last week’s government decision to demand that “unfriendly” states pay for natural gas only in rubles rather than in dollars or euros from now on. Earlier this month, the US and its allies imposed four rounds of unprecedented sanctions against Moscow, including the freezing of the country’s central bank reserves held abroad. The resultant inability by the Bank of Russia to support the domestic currency sent the ruble plummeting to record lows. Since Wednesday’s announcement by President Vladimir Putin of Russia’s new energy export policies, the ruble has gained over 10%, from 100 to 90 per US dollar. Overall, the Russian currency has gained over 50% since plunging to a record low of 151 on March 7. The ruble has been effectively boosted by the measures taken by the country’s monetary reg...

Russia will introduce new visa restrictions for citizens of “unfriendly states” as part of its response to the international sanctions imposed on Moscow amid its ongoing military assault on Ukraine. Addressing members of the ruling United Russia party, on Monday, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that a presidential decree “on retaliatory visa measures in connection with the ‘unfriendly’ actions of a number of foreign states” was being drafted. “This act will introduce a number of restrictions on entry into the territory of Russia,” Lavrov said. Meanwhile, the procedure for entry and stay in Russia for people without citizenship and those who ended up on the territory of Ukraine has been simplified. This was done “in order to prevent a threat to the life and health” of these people so that they could safely return to their home countries, the minister explained. Last week, the Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki urged to stop issuing visas for Russian citizens as part of ...