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January
G7 agrees to review level of price cap on Russian oil in March -US Treasury
Written by Nur Yasmin
Group of Seven officials have agreed to review the level of the price cap on exports of Russian oil in March, later than originally planned in order to give time to assess the market after more caps are placed on oil products from Russia, the U.S. Treasury said on Friday.
The G7 economies, the European Union and Australia agreed on Dec. 5 to ban the use of Western-supplied maritime insurance, finance and brokering for sea-borne Russian oil priced above $60 per barrel as part of Western sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
The coalition plans on Feb. 5 to set two caps on Russian oil products, one on products that trade at a premium to crude, such as diesel or gas oil, and one for products that trade at a discount to crude, such as fuel oil.
"The Deputies agreed that this approach will better calibrate the price cap policy for refined products, given the wide range of market prices at which these products trade," Treasury said after U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo met virtually with coalition officials on Friday.
The coalition had initially planned to review the level of the cap sometime in February, two months after its implementation.
Treasury officials have said the oil price cap has two goals: cutting Russia's revenues by institutionalizing heavy discounts on its oil bought by big consumers like China and India, and ensuring global oil markets are well supplied.
"As long as the price cap continues to meet the Coalition’s dual goals, the Deputies agreed to undertake a review of the level of the crude price cap in March," Treasury said.
The March date allows the coalition to assess developments in global markets after implementation of the refined products caps, and to be briefed on an EU technical review of the crude price cap, it said. (Reuters)
January
Unions press Biden administration to not change EV tax credit rules
Written by Nur Yasmin
Major unions and public interest and environmental groups are urging President Joe Biden to reject efforts by the European Union and other foreign governments to revise U.S. electric vehicle tax incentives.
The $430 billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed in August restricts $7,500 consumer tax credits to North American-made EVs, but the U.S Treasury in December said consumers leasing vehicles assembled outside North America could benefit from the $7,500 commercial green vehicle tax credit.
Foreign governments have been pressing the Biden administration to do more to expand credit eligibility.
"The IRA has the potential to be a gamechanger for the industrial towns hit hardest by decades of offshoring," said a made public on Friday from the United Auto Workers, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, United Steelworkers, the Sierra Club and Public Citizen.
"We strongly urge you to ensure that the IRA is implemented as intended, without delays or technical changes that erode its promises to U.S. workers and climate goals," it said.
The White House did not comment on the letter on Friday but pointed to Biden's statements in September that said the IRA bill would create "good-paying union jobs" and "increase energy security."
EU Ambassador to the United States Stavros Lambrinidis said at the Washington auto show on Thursday that he was concerned by the "discriminatory" provision of the EV tax credit, arguing it means U.S. consumers "will have much less choice in what they can buy" that can receive the $7,500 credit.
"You can move to green without discriminating," Lambrinidis said.
The letter rejected the suggestion from foreign governments that the EV tax incentives violate World Trade Organization and free trade rules. "Out-dated trade rules should not be used to undermine our laws intended to support a growing clean energy economy," the letter said.
The EU in December praised the U.S. Treasury Department decision to allow EVs leased by consumers to qualify for up to $7,500 in commercial clean vehicle tax credits.
South Korea, Europe and some automakers in December had sought approval from Treasury to use the commercial electric vehicle tax credit to boost consumer EV access. (Reuters)
January
Top diplomats, former UN officials seek to fix 'Wild West' of peacemaking
Written by Nur Yasmin
A group of diplomats, former statesmen and U.N. officials began seeking political backing this week for a peacemaking framework to shape new standards for resolving conflicts that they say can avoid past mistakes such as in Mali and Afghanistan.
There are more than 50 active conflicts in the world, from Democratic Republic of Congo to Ukraine, affecting some 2 billion people – a record for the post-World War Two period.
But the framework's proponents, who have just completed a two-year consultation period in dozens of countries, say today's peace brokers are applying the wrong strategy.
"You could say 'Why the hell are people talking about peace when the whole thing falls apart?' But there's not a more important moment to talk about peace," Bert Koenders, former U.N. envoy for Mali who is the Principles for Peace co-chair, said on the sidelines of a meeting with countries in Geneva.
He added that currently peace brokers were applying misguided stabilisation ideas and then quickly pulling out. "You see that in Afghanistan, you see that in Mali. That is wrong."
The Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and other Western troops withdrew amid scenes of chaos. France's withdrawal from Mali last year has prompted a broader exit from a UN peacekeeping force there that has consistently struggled to fulfil its mandate amid tensions with the military government and an ongoing Islamist insurgency.
He added that currently peace brokers were applying misguided stabilisation ideas and then quickly pulling out. "You see that in Afghanistan, you see that in Mali. That is wrong."
The Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and other Western troops withdrew amid scenes of chaos. France's withdrawal from Mali last year has prompted a broader exit from a UN peacekeeping force there that has consistently struggled to fulfil its mandate amid tensions with the military government and an ongoing Islamist insurgency.
Yves Daccord, the former no. 2 of the International Committee of the Red Cross and also a Principles for Peace co-chair, told Reuters it was critical that peace processes shift from being led by international outsiders to being "rooted locally".
So far, the new covenant has five state sponsors - Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands - and its backers are in talks with others as well as private donors. It has more than 100 NGO supporters.
U.S. deputy permanent representative Ben Moeling made broadly supportive remarks at a Geneva meeting, saying innovation in warfare tactics and technology must be accompanied by "the same levels of creativity, resources and commitment" in peacemaking.
While still at an early stage, backers say the principles, which include "enhancing legitimacy" and "accountable security", could be elaborated into a set of rules and standards such as those that exist for humanitarian norms.
"Right now the peacemaking space is like the Wild West," said Hiba Qasas, the executive director of the Principles for Peace Initiative, who is Palestinian and a former U.N. official.
Current shortcomings are widely acknowledged and U.N. chief Antonio Guterres is working on a so-called "New Agenda For Peace" this year. The covenant's backers are in discussions to implement it in an east African country soon, they said. (Reuters)
January
Deputy U.N. chief pushes women's rights during visit to Taliban heartland
Written by Nur Yasmin
U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed expressed alarm to Taliban officials in Kandahar over violations of women's rights in Afghanistan, the United Nations said on Friday after she made a rare visit to the Taliban's southern heartland.
Mohammed finished a four-day visit to Afghanistan on Friday, also meeting Taliban officials in the capital Kabul after the administration banned most female aid workers and stopped women and girls from attending high school and university.
"My message was very clear: while we recognize the important exemptions made, these restrictions present Afghan women and girls with a future that confines them in their own homes, violating their rights and depriving the communities of their services," Mohammed said in a statement.
In Kandahar - home to the Taliban's supreme spiritual leader who has the final say on major decisions - Mohammed met with Deputy Governor Maulvi Hayatullah Mubarak.
He told her that the Taliban administration wanted a strong relationship with the world, the removal of sanctions on its leaders and to be able to send an ambassador to the U.N., said the Kandahar information office.
The U.N. General Assembly last month postponed for the second time a decision on whether the Taliban administration can send an ambassador to New York. Dozens of Taliban leaders are also subject to U.N. sanctions.
He told her that the Taliban administration wanted a strong relationship with the world, the removal of sanctions on its leaders and to be able to send an ambassador to the U.N., said the Kandahar information office.
The U.N. General Assembly last month postponed for the second time a decision on whether the Taliban administration can send an ambassador to New York. Dozens of Taliban leaders are also subject to U.N. sanctions. (Reuters)
January
Over 50 Injured in Peru as Protests Cause 'Nationwide Chaos'
Written by Nur Yasmin
Dozens of Peruvians were injured after tensions flared again on Friday night as police clashed with protesters in anti-government demonstrations that are spreading across the country.
In the capital Lima, police officers used tear gas to repel demonstrators throwing glass bottles and stones, as fires burned in the streets, local TV footage showed.
In the country's southern Puno region, some 1,500 protesters attacked a police station in the town of Ilave, Interior Minister Vicente Romero said in a statement to news media.
A police station in Zepita, Puno, was also on fire, Romero said.
Health authorities in Ilave reported eight patients hospitalized with injuries, including broken arms and legs, eye contusions and punctured abdomens.
By late afternoon, 58 people had been injured nationwide in demonstrations, according to a report from Peru's ombudsman.
The unrest followed a day of turmoil in Thursday, when one of Lima's most historic buildings burned to the ground, as President Dina Boluarte vowed to get tougher on "vandals."
The destruction of the building, a near-century-old mansion in central Lima, was described by officials as the loss of a "monumental asset." Authorities are investigating the causes.
Romero on Friday claimed the blaze was "duly planned and arranged."
Thousands of protesters descended on Lima this week calling for change and angered by the protests' mounting death toll, which officially stood at 45 on Friday.
Protests have rocked Peru since President Pedro Castillo was ousted in December after he attempted to dissolve the legislature to prevent an impeachment vote.
The unrest has until this week been concentrated in Peru's south.
In the Cusco region, Glencore's (GLEN.L) major Antapaccay copper mine suspended operations on Friday after protesters attacked the premises - one of the largest in the country - for the third time this month.
Airports in Arequipa, Cusco and the southern city of Juliaca were also attacked by demonstrators, delivering a fresh blow to Peru's tourism industry.
"It's nationwide chaos, you can't live like this. We are in a terrible uncertainty - the economy, vandalism," said Lima resident Leonardo Rojas.
The government has extended a state of emergency to six regions, curtailing some civil rights.
But Boluarte has dismissed calls for her to resign and hold snap elections, instead calling for dialogue and promising to punish those involved in the unrest.
"All the rigor of the law will fall on those people who have acted with vandalism," Boluarte said on Thursday.
Some locals pointed the finger at Boluarte, accusing her of not taking action to quell the protests, which began on Dec. 7 in response to the ouster and arrest of Castillo.
Human rights groups have accused the police and army of using deadly firearms. The police say protesters have used weapons and homemade explosives. (Reuters)
January
Top diplomats, former UN officials seek to fix 'Wild West' of peacemaking
Written by Nur Yasmin
A group of diplomats, former statesmen and U.N. officials began seeking political backing this week for a peacemaking framework to shape new standards for resolving conflicts that they say can avoid past mistakes such as in Mali and Afghanistan.
There are more than 50 active conflicts in the world, from Democratic Republic of Congo to Ukraine, affecting some 2 billion people – a record for the post-World War Two period.
But the framework's proponents, who have just completed a two-year consultation period in dozens of countries, say today's peace brokers are applying the wrong strategy.
"You could say 'Why the hell are people talking about peace when the whole thing falls apart?' But there's not a more important moment to talk about peace," Bert Koenders, former U.N. envoy for Mali who is the Principles for Peace co-chair, said on the sidelines of a meeting with countries in Geneva.
He added that currently peace brokers were applying misguided stabilisation ideas and then quickly pulling out. "You see that in Afghanistan, you see that in Mali. That is wrong."
The Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and other Western troops withdrew amid scenes of chaos. France's withdrawal from Mali last year has prompted a broader exit from a UN peacekeeping force there that has consistently struggled to fulfil its mandate amid tensions with the military government and an ongoing Islamist insurgency.
Yves Daccord, the former no. 2 of the International Committee of the Red Cross and also a Principles for Peace co-chair, told Reuters it was critical that peace processes shift from being led by international outsiders to being "rooted locally".
So far, the new covenant has five state sponsors - Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands - and its backers are in talks with others as well as private donors. It has more than 100 NGO supporters.
U.S. deputy permanent representative Ben Moeling made broadly supportive remarks at a Geneva meeting, saying innovation in warfare tactics and technology must be accompanied by "the same levels of creativity, resources and commitment" in peacemaking.
While still at an early stage, backers say the principles, which include "enhancing legitimacy" and "accountable security", could be elaborated into a set of rules and standards such as those that exist for humanitarian norms.
"Right now the peacemaking space is like the Wild West," said Hiba Qasas, the executive director of the Principles for Peace Initiative, who is Palestinian and a former U.N. official.
Current shortcomings are widely acknowledged and U.N. chief Antonio Guterres is working on a so-called "New Agenda For Peace" this year. The covenant's backers are in discussions to implement it in an east African country soon, they said. (Reuters)
January
Taiwan president thanks military in new year's message
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen thanked the armed forces for defending the island in her Lunar New Year message on Friday, saying the government had safeguarded peace in the face of China's military drills and pressure.
China, which claims the democratically ruled island as its own territory, has increased military activity around Taiwan during the past three years, including staging war games nearby in August after then U.S.-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.
In a short, recorded video message before Lunar New Year's Day on Sunday, the most important holiday in the Chinese-speaking world, Tsai said this year like last would be "full of challenges".
"In the face of the Chinese Communists' military ships and aircraft frequently harassing Taiwan, or even carrying out exercises around the Taiwan Strait, the government firmly safeguards peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and region," she said.
"The military holds fast to their posts, fully protecting national security, defending our common homeland. I want to thank the labours of our brothers and sisters in the military," Tsai continued. "In the new year, the government will continue to go all out for the economy and recovery, protect sovereignty and safeguard peace."
China's air force has regularly crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line, which had served as an unofficial barrier between the two, since the August drills, and has carried out other exercises near Taiwan.
Tsai did not directly offer New Year greetings to China, simply extending best wishes to "friends" around the world celebrating the festival, which is also observed in countries such as Vietnam and South Korea.
In her New Year's address on Jan. 1, Tsai offered to provide China with "necessary assistance" to help it deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases, but said Chinese military activities near the island were not beneficial to peace and stability. (Reuters)
January
U.S. to send hundreds of armored vehicles, rockets to Ukraine
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States said on Thursday it would send hundreds of armored vehicles plus rockets and artillery shells to Ukraine as part of a $2.5 billion military assistance package.
The package includes 59 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers, 53 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles and 350 high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles, the U.S. Defense Department said in a statement.
The 59 Bradleys included in the latest U.S. package come after a previous 50 announced earlier in January. The armored Bradley has a powerful gun and has been used by the U.S. Army to carry troops around battlefields since the mid-1980s.
The latest assistance also includes additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), eight Avenger air-defense systems, tens of thousands of artillery rounds and about 2,000 anti-armor rockets, the Defense Department said.
In total, the United States has committed more than $27.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February last year.
Western allies have pledged billions of dollars in weapons for Ukraine. Fearing winter will give Russian forces time to regroup and unleash a major attack, Ukraine is pushing for more assistance to combat Moscow's invasion.
In his trip to Washington in December, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the U.S. Congress that assistance to Ukraine is an investment in democracy, and not charity, while pressing for continued American support. (Reuters)
January
Ukraine expects decisions on tanks at Western defence leaders' meeting
Written by Nur Yasmin
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy said his government was expecting "strong decisions" from defence leaders of NATO and other countries meeting on Friday to discuss boosting Ukraine's ability to confront Russian forces with modern battle tanks.
The meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany is the latest in a series since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly 11 months ago, and where future weapons supplies will be discussed, particularly of Germany's Leopard 2 tanks used by armies across Europe.
Berlin has veto power over any decision to export the tanks and Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government has appeared reluctant to authorise that for fear of provoking Russia.
Some allies say Germany's concern is misplaced with Russia already fully committed to war and its repeated assertions that Western weapons transfers would prolong the conflict and increase suffering in Ukraine.
Ukraine and Russia have both relied primarily on Soviet-era T-72 tanks, which have been destroyed in their hundreds during the war that Russian President Vladimir Putin started on Feb. 24, calling it a "special military operation" to protect Russia and Russian speakers.
Ukraine and its allies accuse Russia of an unprovoked war to grab territory and to erase the independence of a ex-Soviet republic and neighbour. Western countries have provided a steady supply of weapons to Ukraine.
"We are, in fact, now waiting for a decision from one European capital, which will activate the prepared chains of cooperation regarding tanks," Zelenskiy said in a video address on Thursday night.
The Lithuanian defence minister said earlier that several countries would announce sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine at Friday's meeting.
"Some of the countries will definitely send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, that is for sure", Arvydas Anusauskas told Reuters, about the Ramstein pledges, speaking after a preparatory meeting of 11 nations in Estonia.
Zelenskiy is due to address the gathering: "We are expecting strong decisions," he said.
U.S. MILITARY ASSISTANCE
The United States on Thursday announced new military assistance for Ukraine valued at up to $2.5 billion, including hundreds of armoured vehicles and support for Ukraine's air defence.
The aid includes 59 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers, the U.S. Defense Department said. In total, the United States has committed more than $27.4 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the invasion began.
Government sources in Germany have said it would move on the Leopard tanks issue if the United States agreed to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Abrams tanks were not included in Thursday's U.S. announcement.
Germany's new defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said earlier, however, that he did not know of any requirement that Ukraine receive U.S. and German tanks simultaneously.
"I'm not aware of any such stipulation," Pistorius told German ARD television when asked if that meant Abrams and Leopards had to be delivered at the same time, a position that leaves open the possibility of an agreement on Friday.
CIA DIRECTOR VISIT
Ukraine's allies in the West have wanted to avoid NATO appearing to confront Russia directly and demurred on sending the Kyiv government their most potent weaponry.
Ukraine needed the tanks to defend itself, recapture occupied land, and did not plan to attack Russia, Zelenskiy told ARD television on Thursday.
"From Washington to London, from Paris to Warsaw, you hear one thing: Ukraine needs tanks. Tanks are the key to ending the war properly. It is time to stop trembling before Putin and take the final step," Zelenskiy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter.
Poland and Finland have already said they would send Leopard tanks to Ukraine if Germany gives approval for export. On Friday morning, Poland indicated that it might send the tanks even if Germany opposes.
"If there is strong resistance, we will be ready to take even such non-standard action," Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski told private radio RMF FM.
Meanwhile, CIA Director William Burns travelled in secret to Ukraine's capital Kyiv to meet Zelenskiy, a U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday.
The official declined to say when the visit took place. The Washington Post, which first reported the visit, said it was at the end of last week. The Post said Burns briefed Zelenskiy on his expectations on Russia's military plans.
Fighting has been most intense in the industrial region known as the Donbas on Ukraine's eastern border with Russia, Ukrainian military officials said on Thursday night.
The Ukrainian military said Russian forces shelled the town of Bakhmut, Russia's main target in Donetsk province, which combined with Luhansk province forms the Donbas. Soledar, about 20 km (12 miles) from Bakhmut, also came under fire - Russian forces say they control Soledar, while Ukrainian sources say their military is still fighting there.
"Ukrainian forces have practically stabilised the front around Bakhmut," Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said on YouTube.
"As of today, Russia is turning Soledar into a military hub. And they are trying to redirect troops towards the towns of Spirne and Bilohorivka - just inside the Luhansk region."
Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports. (reuters)
January
Putin ally warns NATO of nuclear war if Russia is defeated in Ukraine
Written by Nur Yasmin
An ally of President Vladimir Putin warned NATO on Thursday that a defeat of Russia in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war, while the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said the world would end if the West tried to destroy Russia.
Such apocalyptic rhetoric is intended to deter the U.S.-led NATO military alliance from getting even more involved in the war, on the eve of a meeting of Ukraine's allies to discuss sending Kyiv more weapons.
But the explicit recognition that Russia might lose on the battlefield marked a rare moment of public doubt from a prominent member of Putin's inner circle.
"The defeat of a nuclear power in a conventional war may trigger a nuclear war," former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Putin's powerful security council, said in a post on Telegram.
"Nuclear powers have never lost major conflicts on which their fate depends," said Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012.
Striking a similar tone at what he described as an anxious time for the country, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said in a sermon for Epiphany that trying to destroy Russia would mean the end of the world.
Medvedev said NATO and other defence leaders, due to meet at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday to talk about strategy and support for the West's attempt to defeat Russia in Ukraine, should think about the risks of their policy.
Putin casts Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine as an existential battle with an aggressive and arrogant West, and has said that Russia will use all available means to protect itself and its people.
'ALARMING TIME'
The Kremlin chief has sought in recent months to gird Russians for a much tougher battle while promising eventual victory in a war that the leaders of the West say they will never let him win.
The United States has denied Russian claims that it wants to destroy Russia, while President Joe Biden has cautioned that a conflict between Russia and NATO could trigger World War Three.
But top Putin allies say the tens of billions of dollars' worth of U.S. and European military assistance to Ukraine shows that Russia is now in a confrontation with NATO itself - the Cold War nightmare of both Soviet and Western leaders.
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, said in a sermon: "We pray to the Lord that he bring the madmen to reason and help them understand that any desire to destroy Russia will mean the end of the world."
"Today is an alarming time," state news agency RIA quoted him as saying. "But we believe that the Lord will not leave Russian land."
Putin's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, told reporters in Minsk that Russia would do everything to ensure NATO and European Union leaders "sobered up" as soon as possible.
"I hope that the sobering up will come," Lavrov said. "We will do everything so that our colleagues from NATO and the European Union sober up as soon as possible."
NUCLEAR DOCTRINE
Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has triggered one of the deadliest European conflicts since World War Two and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
The United States and its allies have condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an imperial land grab, while Ukraine has vowed to fight until the last Russian soldier is ejected from its territory.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Medvedev has repeatedly raised the threat of a nuclear war, but his admission now of the possibility of Russia's defeat indicates the level of Moscow's concern over increased Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
Russia and the United States, by far the largest nuclear powers, hold around 90% of the world's nuclear warheads.
Asked if Medvedev's remarks signified that Russia was escalating the crisis to a new level, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "No, it absolutely does not mean that."
He said Medvedev's remarks were in full accordance with Russia's nuclear doctrine which allows for a nuclear strike after "aggression against the Russian Federation with conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is threatened". (Reuters)