The World Blog by humble servant.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has declared that by being “unwilling to condemn Russia’s aggression,” China has issued a challenge to the Cold War-era alliance. Beijing has remained neutral on the conflict in Ukraine, but has accused NATO of fomenting the crisis by expanding into Eastern Europe. “We have seen that China is unwilling to condemn Russia’s aggression, and Beijing has joined Moscow in questioning the right of nations to choose their own path,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Thursday, following a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, along with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and officials from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. “This is a serious challenge to us all,” Stoltenberg added. “It makes it even more important that we stand together.” China has repeatedly called for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine, but has not joined Western powers in sanctioning Moscow, and has continued to trade with its Eurasian neighbor. NATO ...

The European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday demanding “an immediate full embargo on Russian imports of oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas.” The bloc’s legislature also demanded Russia be completely cut off from the SWIFT banking network and booted from international organizations. The resolution, which is not legally binding and only advisory in nature, passed by 513 votes to 22 and 19 abstentions. The total embargo on Russian energy that it demands goes well beyond the EU’s existing plan to reduce its reliance on Russian gas by two thirds before the end of the year, and to phase out Russian fossil fuels before 2030. Such a move could have significant consequences across Europe. Russia supplies around 40% of the EU’s imported gas and 27% of its oil. Some countries are even more heavily reliant on Russian energy, with more than half of Germany’s gas and a third of its oil coming from Russia. While German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed reticence at Russian President Vla...

Irish MEP Clare Daly has accused the EU of “shooting ourselves in the foot” by imposing sanctions on Russia, and warned that an embargo on Russian energy imports would lead to “disastrous inflation, rocketing energy costs, and a historic decline in living standards,” all while Russia goes undeterred. Addressing the EU Parliament on Wednesday, a day before it voted to support “an immediate full embargo on Russian imports of oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas,” Daly condemned the sanctions imposed by the bloc thus far as ineffective against the Kremlin and potentially “catastrophic” for Europeans. “How is not selling Kerrygold butter to Russia going to save any Ukrainian lives? How is buying filthy fracked US gas going to stop the war?” she exclaimed, referring to the American Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) offered to European buyers by Washington, albeit at a higher cost than Russia’s product. “They won’t, of course, because nowhere have sanctions ever succeeded in ending a military assau...

The ambassador told a German media outlet that he sees all Russians as enemies - https://go.shr.lc/3x72QdP 12:41 PM · Apr 7, 2022·Twitter Web App View Tweet analytics johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 36m Replying to @e7johnny See they are who they are real people haters and now they have the support of those who don't care what they are.They just spew hatred the christ lovers espouse and support. johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 36m You notice the bigot jew comic come to the media and demand what the handlers tell him and the whole world of them are like idol worshiping robot and parrots. johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 32m Melnyk also accused the Germans and their president of insensitivity, arguing that they simply “cannot understand” the nature of the predicament since they are not “on the receiving end” of the conflict. johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 32m The diplomat, who said he has never had any Russian friends and has “no illusions” about the future, added that “Ukraine has been, i...

A number of Greek politicians have expressed outrage after a member of the far-right Azov Battalion gave a speech during a teleconference between the Greek Parliament and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday. During his address, Zelensky thanked Greece for the sanctions it imposed on Russia and pleaded for more support from Athens, asking it to use its influence in the EU to help save “our shared heritage” in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. However, after the first part of his address, in an apparent effort to showcase the ties between the two nations, Zelensky included two testimonies from supposed Ukrainian-Greek fighters, one of which announced he is a member of the notorious Azov Battalion. “Including a message from an Azov Battalion member was wrong and inappropriate,” government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said on Twitter following the session. SYRIZA – Greece’s main opposition party – vehemently protested the appearance of the neo-Nazi fighter, with sever...

See what those who prognosticate don't get is the ruble strength is unlocking from the us dollar back by real stuff. They told the tools to say it manipulated.Even though the market has spoken the free market Check this out the real phony. 12:15 PM · Apr 7, 2022·Twitter Web App View Tweet analytics johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 40m Replying to @e7johnny Since the U.S. dollar is a fiat currency, meaning that it is not backed by any tangible commodity (gold or silver), it can be created out of thin air. When more money is created, the law of supply and demand kicks in, making existing money less valuable. johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 29m And the the light has been shown and for it to be manipulated they sure are using it at a discount sending the dollar over time to the trash heap base on what its become. johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 27m over value and maybe it will default on it OWN as all fiat currency do and HAVE THRU HISTORY. WHEN WE create them and the confidence in the cre...

Ukraine’s envoy to Berlin, Andrij Melnyk, sparked criticism after calling all Russians “enemies” in an interview on Wednesday with a German newspaper, and doubling down on his words the same day. His comments triggered accusations that the statement is “nothing short of fascism.” “I will say it very clearly: Russia is an enemy state for us. And all Russians are enemies for Ukraine at the moment,” Melnyk told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) in an interview published on Tuesday. He went on to say that it’s not his “concern” to “distinguish” between “good” Russians and bad ones. The ambassador was responding to a question on why he snubbed a charity concert organized by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier that featured both Russian and Ukrainian musicians in late March. Melnyk called the event a “provocation,” adding that he cannot imagine Russians and Ukrainians “celebrating together” and “enjoying culture” as long as war is raging in his homeland. EU Parliament approves total Rus...

When the American media cited US “intelligence” to warn that Russia was preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine, and when President Joe Biden repeated these warnings, they were participating in a disinformation campaign, the NBC report reveals. 10:06 AM · Apr 7, 2022·Twitter Web App View Tweet analytics johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 17m Replying to @e7johnny Now another way to look. JUST THINK IF they would have Launch a nuclear attack against America knowing the lies.And believe they were getting ready to be attack. See they had no WAY TO KNOW. WE HAVE CRAZIES all thru government and the media who are TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 16m They have no sense of responsibility to ETHICS or consequence of Irresponsible actions johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 15m This is the total arrogance that can't be apply in this case johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 2m Young people i know they done taught you all to be the worse trash possible.Cheat on your husband legal lice...

US intelligence officials have leaked information about the Ukraine conflict that wasn’t “rock solid” and outright made up some claims, all to win an “info war” against the Kremlin, according to an NBC News report on Wednesday. The officials admitted to, and boasted about, releasing this misinformation. When the American media cited US “intelligence” to warn that Russia was preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine, and when President Joe Biden repeated these warnings, they were participating in a disinformation campaign, the NBC report reveals. According to the intelligence officials who came up with the warning, the intention was to discourage Russia from actually using these weapons, even though they themselves rated the intelligence used “low confidence.” NBC quotes the officials involved in releasing such “low confidence” intelligence, who described their mission to misinform as part of an effort to “undermine Moscow’s propaganda and prevent Russia from defining how the war...

As NATO foreign ministers meet in Brussels this week to decide on how to further aid Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, alliance members have been disputing over what strategy to adopt towards Moscow, the New York Times reported on Wednesday citing Western officials. NATO members like Poland and the Baltic states have advocated for a total break in relations with Moscow urging to “bring Russia to its knees,” according to the article. Meanwhile, nations like Germany, France, and Turkey have reportedly argued that Russia cannot be coerced into peace. Thus, they want to continue dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the NYT reports. One thing that all NATO states agree on, according to the outlet, is that the Ukrainian conflict has entered an uncertain stage and is unlikely to be resolved in the near future. NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has argued that Russian troops are regrouping to launch a new massive offense. “In the coming weeks, we expect a further Russi...

The Chinese Army has vowed to take “effective measures” to prevent foreign meddling and attempts to establish the independence of Taiwan, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei said on Thursday in response to the US supplying weapons systems to Taipei. “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, the Taiwan issue concerns China’s fundamental interests and does not tolerate outside interference,” Kefei insisted, adding that China’s army will take “effective measures to resolutely suppress any form of external interference and attempts by separatist forces to achieve independence for Taiwan, and will unwaveringly protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The statement comes after China lodged solemn representations with the US after its announcement on Tuesday of the approval of an estimated $95 million military package to Taiwan – the third of its kind since US President Joe Biden took office – which includes “training, planning, fielding, deployment, ...

Russian Railways (RZD) said on Thursday it was unable to make coupon payments on its dollar-denominated Eurobonds on time due to technical problems with Western banks. The company was hit with UK sanctions last month, so any bond payments are considered frozen assets and blocked on the account of the agent bank. RZD was supposed to redeem the issue of Eurobonds with a nominal volume of about $605 million on April 5 and pay interest on it. However, the issuer of Eurobonds, RZD Capital, was unable to obtain funds from Russian Railways to pay the holders of the debt securities. The received funds were blocked on the accounts of RZD Capital, which makes it impossible to transfer them to bondholders. Russian Railways was hit with British sanctions on March 24. The company said it is taking all available actions to fulfill its obligations to the holders of securities. It had applied to the UK Financial Sanctions Enforcement Authority (OFSI) for a license to service its debt obligations. H...

Russia has said that Washington’s plan to send more weapons to Ukraine will not help with the peace process. Western countries have been increasingly arming Kiev after Moscow attacked the country in late February. “Flooding Ukraine with weapons doesn’t contribute to the success of the Russian-Ukrainian talks. Instead, obviously, it will have a negative effect,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday. Peskov’s statement came a day after the US Senate passed legislation that revives a World War II-era land-lease program allowing Washington to expedite the shipment of arms to Kiev. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked senators for their support and said he was expecting a “swift passage” of the bill in the House of Representatives. The US announced on Wednesday that an additional $100 million will be directed at supplying Ukraine with more Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile systems. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that 100 Switchblade kamikaze ...

The possible suspension of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council threatens to destroy “the basement of current multilateral system,” First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said ahead of Thursday’s vote by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on the matter. Polyanskiy wrote on Telegram that this is a “premeditated tactical move” which, in his opinion, has nothing to do either Russia’s attack on Ukraine nor with alleged human rights violations by Moscow, as these claims “are far from being verified and proven.” However, he warned, the motion, if accepted, “risks devastating consequences for the UN System.” “Russia plays an important ballancing role, its removal from HRC will deprive developing countries of a vocal and powerful defender. That’s why Western countries are keen to do it and strike the ballance [sic] in their favor,” the official explained. In Polyanskiy’s words, the West is trying “to undermine UN institutions behind the smokescreen of punishing Ru...

Kiev’s new written proposals on how to resolve the ongoing armed conflict with Russia deviate from what it submitted to Russia during the previous round of talks in Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. Ukraine apparently wants to stall for time and continue the hostilities, he said, adding that Washington may have a hand in this shift. The new proposal, which Lavrov said was sent by Ukraine on Wednesday, fails to mention that the security guarantees Kiev wants to obtain from leading world powers do not cover Crimea, he said. Russia has considered Crimea part of its territory since 2014, when the former Ukrainian region voted to break away in response to the armed coup Kiev. Ukraine says the region was annexed by Russia and claims it to be under its own sovereignty. Instead of the explicit exclusion of Crimea from the proposed security arrangement, the new document has “vague wording about an effective control,” Lavrov said. Kiev wants to discuss the issu...

Russian coal and oil paid for in yuan is about to start flowing into China, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. According to the media outlet, citing Chinese consultancy Fenwei Energy Information Service, several Chinese firms used local currency to buy Russian coal in March, and the first cargoes will arrive this month. These will be the first commodity shipments paid for in yuan since the United States and Europe hit Moscow with unprecedented sanctions, cutting several Russian banks off from the international financial system. Traders said that Russian crude sellers have also offered Chinese buyers the flexibility to pay in yuan. The first cargoes of the ESPO grade bought with Chinese currency will be delivered to independent refiners in May, people familiar with the purchases told Bloomberg. IMF evaluates yuan's share in global currency transactionsREAD MORE: IMF evaluates yuan's share in global currency transactions According Fenwei, both steel-making and power-plant coal ...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced a summit of countries ready to discuss security guarantees for Kiev. The event would be part of the negotiations to end Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. “Such a meeting will certainly happen because it was confirmed by the representatives of future guarantors,” Zelensky told Turkish Haberturk TV on Tuesday. Zelensky named the US, Britain, Turkey, Poland, Germany, France, and Israel as countries that are “ready to meet and discuss a list of security guarantees” for Ukraine. He added that “communication with the Russian side” will take place after prospective foreign guarantors form a consolidated position on the issue. Poland reveals new anti-Russia proposals Read more Poland reveals new anti-Russia proposals The president previously said his country could officially become a non-aligned state in exchange for security assurances. Russia has insisted that Ukraine drop its aspirations of joining the US-led NATO military bloc,...

The West would rather Russians didn’t exist but a diplomatic solution must be found to the current state of crisis, former Olympic ice dance medalist Alexander Zhulin has said. Zhulin enjoyed a successful skating career before becoming a renowned trainer, and commented as his students such as world champion duo Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov are banned from international competition due to the conflict in Ukraine. “The world community, whether we like it or not, still exists, and issues must be resolved through some sort of diplomatic means,” said Zhulin, 58, in an interview with Match TV. “Because I wouldn’t want the fate of North Korea for our country. I don’t think it will come to that, but the Western world wants Russians not to exist. I do not want that, so I’ll strive to be Russian and exist.” Russian skating icon refuses to apologize after ‘insulting’ American non-binary star Read more Russian skating icon refuses to apologize after ‘insulting’ American non-binary...

More than £250,000 ($327,000) of diesel was stolen from a Royal Navy warship, The Sun reported on Wednesday, describing the incident as one of the UK’s biggest fuel thefts. The heist was believed to have been underway for weeks at a high security naval base, HMNB Devonport, in the port city of Plymouth in southwestern England. The “siphoned” diesel was reportedly intended for HMS Bulwark, which is one of two amphibious assault ships in the Royal Navy. “They must have needed one hell of a jerrycan. The fuel that was taken was supposed to power the ship as it undergoes a refit,” a source told The Sun. Local website Plymouth Live also reported on the theft through sources who said the diesel was not taken directly from the warship. “The fuel was meant to be in one of those smaller six-wheel tankers, but didn’t arrive,” they said. The scheme was only uncovered after a suspicious guard decided to check one of the trucks leaving the base. “Naturally, the Navy is furious about it – eve...

Russian soldiers have “completely” vacated areas around the Ukrainian capital, Kiev and another city nearby, the Pentagon has said, following a pledge from the Kremlin to “drastically” reduce military activity in the region as negotiators attempt to bring an end to the fighting. The Pentagon has observed a full withdrawal from the formerly besieged areas, a senior military official told reporters on Wednesday during a background briefing. “We would assess that Russian forces near Kiev and Chernigov have completed their withdrawal from the area to re-consolidate and refit in Belarus and in Russia,” they said, adding, “We are not showing Russian forces in or around Kiev or to the north [of] Kiev, and we’re not showing Russian forces in or around Chernigov.” Russia claims ‘first stage’ of Ukraine offensive completeREAD MORE: Russia claims ‘first stage’ of Ukraine offensive complete The statement comes after Russia declared plans to significantly pull back its forces in the two cities ...

French President Emmanuel Macron has lashed out at Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, calling his recent statements “scandalous.” Morawiecki had slammed the French leader’s efforts aimed at maintaining dialogue with Moscow amid the ongoing military attack on Ukraine. “These statements are both baseless and scandalous,” Macron told French TF1 TV on Wednesday, in reference to the Polish prime minister’s comments from earlier this week. Morawiecki slammed several European leaders, including Macron, for supposedly achieving little through dialogue with the Kremlin. “We do not discuss, we do not negotiate with criminals,” the Polish prime minister said as he compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler. “I take full responsibility for having spoken to the president of Russia, in the name of France, to avoid the war and to build a new architecture for peace in Europe several years ago,” Macron said, adding that he was neither “naïve” nor “complicit” like “others,” wit...