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October
Protesters rally across Iran in third week of unrest over Amini's death
Written by Nur Yasmin
Protesters rallied across Iran and strikes were reported throughout the country's Kurdish region on Saturday as demonstrations against the death of a woman in police custody entered their third week.
The protests, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iranian Kurdistan, have spiralled into the biggest show of opposition to Iran's clerical authorities since 2019, with dozens killed in unrest across the country.
People demonstrated in London and Paris and elsewhere on Saturday in solidarity with Iranian protesters, some holding pictures of Amini, who died three days after being arrested by the Islamic Republic's morality police for "unsuitable attire".
In Iran, social media posts showed rallies in large cities including Tehran, Isfahan, Rasht and Shiraz.
In Tehran's traditional business district of Bazaar, anti-government protesters chanted "We will be killed one by one if we don't unite", while elsewhere they blocked a main road with a fence torn from the central reservation, videos shared by the widely followed Tavsir1500 Twitter account showed.
Students also demonstrated at numerous universities. At Tehran University, dozens were detained, Tavsir1500 said. The semi-official Fars news agency said some protesters were arrested in a square near the university.
Tavsir1500 also posted what it said was a video taken at the gates of Isfahan University during which shots could be heard. A separate video showed tear gas being fired at the university, dispersing a group of people.
Reuters could not verify the social media reports.
The protests began at Amini's funeral on Sept. 17 and spread to Iran's 31 provinces, with all layers of society, including ethnic and religious minorities, taking part and many demanding Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's downfall.
Amnesty International has said a government crackdown on demonstrations has so far led to the death of at least 52 people, with hundreds injured. Rights groups say dozens of activists, students and artists have been detained.
In London, about 2,500 people staged a noisy protest in Trafalgar Square. Few women among the mostly Iranian crowd agreed to be interviewed on camera, fearful of identification and reprisals by the authorities.
In central Paris, a crowd of several dozen people gathered to show support for Iranian protesters, holding Iranian flags and pictures of victims who have died in the protests.
Iran's battered currency approached historic lows reached in June as desperate Iranians bought dollars to protect their savings amid little hope Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers would be revived and concerns over the economic consequences of the unrest.
The rial fell to 331,200 per U.S. dollar, compared to 321,200 on Friday, according to the foreign exchange site Bonbast.com. The currency had plummeted to an all-time low of 332,000 per dollar on June 12.
ATTACK IN ZAHEDAN
Iranian authorities say many members of the security forces have been killed, accusing the United States of exploiting the unrest to try to destabilise Iran.
The Revolutionary Guards said four members of its forces and the volunteer Basij militia were killed on Friday in attacks in Zahedan, capital of the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province.
State television had said on Friday that 19 people, including members of the security forces, had been killed in Zahedan after unidentified individuals opened fire on a police station, prompting security forces to return fire.
Guards Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami vowed revenge, calling the dead "martyrs of Black Friday".
A lawmaker from Zahedan said security had been restored to the city on Saturday, a semi-official news agency reported.
Authorities blamed a separatist group from the Baluchi minority for starting the shootout in Zahedan. State media said two prominent militants linked to that group had been killed.
IRNA posted a video showing destroyed cars, an overturned and burning trailer or bus and fires in burnt-out buildings and shops, describing it as footage of "what the terrorists did to people's shops last night in Zahedan".
Reuters could not verify the footage.
Protests have been particularly intense in Iran's Kurdistan region, where authorities have previously put down unrest by the Kurdish minority numbering up to 10 million.
Fearing an ethnic uprising, and in a show of power, Iran fired missiles and flew drones to attack targets in neighbouring northern Iraq's Kurdish region this week after accusing Iranian Kurdish dissidents of being involved in the unrest.
Shops and businesses were on strike in 20 northwestern cities and towns on Saturday in protest against attacks on Iraq-based armed Kurdish opposition parties by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported.
It also said security forces had fired at protesters in Dehgolan and Saqez, Amini's hometown. (Reuters)
October
North Korea fires fourth missile in a week as South flexes military muscle
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Saturday, hours before South Korea staged a large military show, displaying stealth fighters and its own missiles.
Pyongyang's fourth launch in a week comes amid a flurry of military muscle-flexing by countries in the region, including joint anti-submarine exercises on Friday by the navies of South Korea, the United States and Japan.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited the region this week, meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul on Thursday.
The rival Koreas are in a regional arms race that has seen a major increase of weapons and military spending.
Marking South Korea's 74th Armed Forces Day, Yoon condemned what he called recent military provocations by the North and vowed to strengthen joint military drills with the United States.
"The government will further strengthen the Korea-U.S. joint exercises, will respond strongly to North Korean provocations and threats by showing them the 'Alliance in Action'," Yoon said in a televised speech.
He and military officials observed a major show of advanced weaponry, including multiple rocket launchers, ballistic missiles, main battle tanks, drones and F-35 fighter aircraft, among other systems.
The U.S. military demonstrated fighter jets and attack aircraft. Images of the event showed Yoon saluting from the back of a convertible car while driving by rows of tanks and other weapons.
He has said his country's conventional weapons are key to deterring the North, and Seoul has also been seeking more major arms sales around the world.
Japan's Defense Ministry said in a report in July the North had been launching short-range missiles that fly low and irregular trajectories, characteristics observed since May 2019 that are likely designed for higher war-fighting effectiveness.
The United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on the North for its ballistic missile and nuclear tests. Pyongyang rejects such moves as infringement of its sovereign right to self-defence and space exploration.
The North has completed preparations for a nuclear test, a window which could open between China's Communist Party Congress this month and U.S. mid-term elections in November, South Korean lawmakers said on Wednesday.
MISSILE RACE
Saturday's two short-range missiles were launched from Sunan, north of the capital Pyongyang, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It estimated the range at 350 km (220 miles) at 30 km (20 miles) altitude and speed of Mach 6.
Japan's coast guard reported at least two suspected ballistic missile tests by Pyongyang. The missiles flew 400 km and 350 km, reaching an altitude of 50 km, said Toshiro Ino, state minister of defence.
Tokyo has lodged a protest against the North through diplomatic channels, Ino said, adding the missiles possibly flew an "irregular trajectory" designed to evade missile defence.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said it is aware of the ballistic missile launches and has assessed they do not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory or to its allies.
North Korea fired missiles before and after Harris' visit to South Korea, extending a record pace in weapons testing this year as it increases the threat of a credible nuclear power that can strike the United States and its allies.
Pyongyang also conducted the first intercontinental ballistic missile test since 2017.
Analysts see the increased pace of testing as an effort to build operational weapons, as well as to take advantage of a world distracted by the Ukraine conflict and other crises to “normalise” its tests.
“Despite North Korea’s internal weaknesses and international isolation, it is rapidly modernising weapons and taking advantage of a world divided by U.S.-China rivalry and Russia’s annexation of more Ukrainian territory,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international politics at Ewha University in Seoul.
“The Kim regime is also playing hardball with the Yoon administration while South Korean politics are hobbled by infighting,” he said. (Reuters)
September
Uyghur leader urges Japan to join call for U.N. debate on alleged abuses in China
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan needs to do more than make an "empty promise" to stop human rights abuses in China, the leader of the largest ethnic Uyghur group in exile said in Tokyo on Friday.
Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, said he had come to Japan to meet members of parliament and urge the government to press for a debate at the U.N. Human Rights Council on China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslims.
Japan's motions and statements on the issue are an "empty promise, not enough to stop the ongoing genocide", Isa told reporters.
"Japanese parliament has some obligation to more actively engage in the Uyghur genocide," he said.
China denies any abuses of the Uyghur, a mostly Muslim ethnic minority based in the far western Xinjiang region, and has sent a government delegation to Geneva to counter what it says are erroneous findings by the U.N. rights office.
Isa said he and his German-based group are fanning out around the world to build support for a motion from the United States, Britain and other countries to debate the issue at the U.N. Human Rights Council.
The motion, which needs a majority vote to pass in the deeply divided Geneva council, would be the first time that alleged abuses by China feature on the U.N. rights body's agenda in its 16-year history.
The U.N. rights office said in a report last month that "serious human rights violations have been committed" in Xinjiang that may amount to crimes against humanity. China rejected the findings.
Numerous global companies have sworn off using Xinjiang materials or labour, given the concern about rights abuses there.
Sweden's H&M (HMb.ST) has declined to use Xinjiang cotton in its clothing, while Kagome Co (2811.T), Japan's biggest maker of ketchup and vegetable juice, said last year it would halt importing tomato paste from the region.
Fast Retailing Co (9983.T), the Japanese operator of some 3,500 Uniqlo clothing stores globally, has not disavowed using Xinjiang cotton, however. The company has said it works closely with suppliers and partners to ensure there are no rights violations in its supply chain. (Reuters)
September
Indian capital gears up to tackle air pollution ahead of winter
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Indian capital of New Delhi will enforce a 15-step action plan to curb pollution ahead of the arrival of winter, when a haze of toxic smog envelops the world's most polluted city.
High pollution is an annual sore point for Delhi, when several people are put to risk due to a high concentration of tiny airborne particles, especially in October and November.
Authorities urge people to stay indoors as burning of crop waste ahead of a new sowing season and lower temperatures trap pollutants in the air for longer, often forcing the closure of schools, with curbs placed on use of private vehicles.
"We are announcing a 15-point winter action plan," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told a news conference at which he laid out the measures to reduce pollution, though the annual campaign has had little impact for years.
Measures to help limit dust in the air will include installation of anti-smog guns and water sprinklers, he added.
The government will also ensure that people do not burn waste materials, a major cause of pollution.
Tough measures to check vehicular pollution include curbs on the usage of diesel-fuelled vehicles older than 10 years and petrol-run vehicles older than 15.
Pollution levels also peak during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which falls on Oct. 24 this year. The government renewed a ban on firecrackers this month.
The Delhi city government will draft thousands of volunteers to ensure the anti-pollution measures are followed, Kejriwal added. He urged neighbouring states to ensure a constant supply of electricity and so limit use of diesel-run power generators. (Reuters)
September
Amid China concerns, Biden vows to address Pacific island needs
Written by Nur Yasmin
U.S. President Joe Biden, his administration pledging to help stave off China's "economic coercion," promised Pacific island leaders on Thursday to work harder with allies and partners to address their needs.
After a two-day Washington summit, the United States and leaders and representatives from 14 Pacific island states issued a joint declaration resolving to strengthen their partnership and saying that they shared a vision for a region where "democracy will be able to flourish."
Those endorsing the document included the prime minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, whose government had earlier indicated it would not sign the declaration, heightening concerns about his ties to China.
The summit was the first time the United States has hosted so many leaders of a region it has considered a maritime backyard since World War Two but into which China made steady advances.
Biden pledged "to more effectively coordinate with our allies and partners around the world to better meet the needs of the people across the Pacific."
He vowed to make a priority of strengthening the U.S. partnership with the island countries and help them address the "existential threat" posed by the climate crisis, their highest priority.
RAND Corporation Indo-Pacific analyst Derek Grossman said Washington had let ties with the region languish for decades, but the summit showed this had changed.
"We are still all working from, generally speaking, the same sheet of music, which is we don't want the Chinese establishing a military foothold in the region, and we don't want them corrupting the institutions of the region," he said.
Biden made no mention of China in brief public remarks but said: "The security of America, quite frankly, and the world depends on your security and the security of the Pacific islands."
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, responding to a question on Biden's remarks, said on Friday that China had an "open attitude" towards countries wanting to strengthen cooperation with Pacific Island countries.
However, Mao emphasized that these countries should not be used as pawns in competition between great powers.
"We hope the U.S. side can sincerely and whole-heartedly provide support to the Pacific island countries in responding to climate change and realizing vigorous development, rather than using cooperation as cover to engage in geopolitical chess games," Mao said during a regular media briefing in Beijing.
SUPERPOWER BATTLE FOR INFLUENCE
Earlier, Washington released its first strategy for ties with Pacific island nations, citing urgent climate challenges and heightened geopolitical tensions.
"Increasingly, those impacts include pressure and economic coercion by the People's Republic of China, which risks undermining the peace, prosperity and security of the region, and by extension, of the United States," it said.
The summit declaration said Washington would work with the island countries through the Pacific Island Forum, where it is a dialogue partner, saying the group had an important role to unite the region. China earlier this year failed to split 10 of 18 forum members into a separate security and trade deal.
China says its ties with Pacific island countries are based on mutual cooperation, that the region is not the backyard of any country and that Washington's attempts to stir up opposition to Beijing there will fail.
Some of the nations have complained about being caught in the middle of the superpowers' battle for influence.
The White House said the United States would invest more than $810 million in expanded programs to aid the islands, on top of over $1.5 billion provided in the past decade. It includes a previously announced 10-year $600 million aid request to Congress to build climate resilience and maritime security for the island states.
Patricia O'Brien, a Pacific islands expert at Washington's Georgetown University, called the commitment "modest."
"It sounds a lot, but when it's divided up across so many government areas, nations and territories it doesn't look so substantial."
Washington plans to begin talks soon with Papua New Guinea on a defense cooperation agreement, the White House said.
It has also agreed to provide $2.8 million to step up FBI training with Pacific islands, including in 2022 with the Solomon Islands, which alarmed the United States and its allies earlier this year by signing a security deal with China.
That deal included provisions for Chinese police to help maintain social order and fueled concerns about Chinese militarization of the region.
LINGERING CONCERNS
Thursday's joint statement addressed U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands in the 1940s and '50s.
"We, too, acknowledge the nuclear legacy of the Cold War. The United States remains committed to addressing the Republic of the Marshall Islands' ongoing environmental, public health concerns, and other welfare concerns," it said.
The State Department had objected to an explicit reference to the Marshall Islands nuclear issue when negotiating the declaration earlier in the week, sources told Reuters. The issue has been a sticking point in U.S. talks to renew economic assistance to the country, which houses crucial U.S. military facilities.
The statement acknowledged the importance of international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on freedom of navigation and overflight.
The Solomon Islands last month put a moratorium on foreign navies making port calls, raising concerns in this area among the United States and its allies.
The declaration committed to forging new ties to improve maritime security and combat illegal fishing.
The U.S. strategy document pledged that the United States would help ensure Pacific governments and people "have the autonomy and security to advance their own interests."
As part of the plan, Washington would increase its regional diplomatic and defense presence, collaborate with partners on submarine cable upgrades and promote "secure and trusted" telecommunications partnerships.
Washington this year vowed to open embassies in Kiribati, Tonga and the Solomons. (Reuters)
September
UK urges North Korea to take steps towards "irreversible denuclearisation"
Written by Nur Yasmin
Britain urged North Korea to return to dialogue with the United States on Friday, expressing concerns over the Asian country's latest launch of ballistic missile tests.
"We urge North Korea to refrain from provocations and take concrete steps towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation," a statement from the British Foreign Office said.
"The UK is committed to peace on the Korean Peninsula, upholding the rules-based international system and securing an end to North Korea’s unlawful activities." (Reuters)
September
U.S. extends debt relief to Pakistan after floods
Written by Nur Yasmin
Washington on Friday rolled over an agreement to suspend service payments on $132 million of Pakistan's debt, the U.S. embassy in Islamabad said, after devastating floods exacerbated the South Asian nation's economic crisis.
Pakistan's economy faces a balance of payments crisis, a widening current account deficit, a slide in its currency to historic lows, and inflation crossing 27%.
Severe floods engulfed large swathes of the country in late August, killing more than 1,500 people and causing damage estimated at $30 billion. The devastation fanned fears Pakistan would not meet its debt obligations.
The U.S. ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome signed the agreement to extend the loan relief under the G20 debt service suspension initiative, the embassy said in a statement, adding: "Our priority is to redirect critical resources in Pakistan."
The rollover is related to the Paris club agreement in April 2020 to support 73 lower income countries during COVID, under which the United States provided relief on $128 million in debt to Pakistan.
The agreement to suspend payments on that debt, plus an additional $4 million, has now been rolled over again.
Islamabad also sought a roll-over of $2 billion in Chinese deposits to its reserves, said a statement from Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar's office after his meeting with Chinese envoy Nong Rong.
It said Dar sought the ambassador's support in facilitating the roll-over of SAFE China deposits of $US2 billion due in March 2023.
Beijing has already refinanced the syndicate facility of $US 2.24 billion to Pakistan earlier this year.
Pakistan's outgoing finance minister Miftah Ismail said last week that Islamabad was seeking debt relief from bilateral creditors in the wake of flooding, but emphasised the government was not seeking any relief from commercial banks or Eurobond creditors.
The country's bonds had slumped to just half their face value, after the Financial Times said a United Nations development agency was urging the cash-strapped country to restructure its debt.
Ismail said the $1 billion bond would be paid on time and in full due later this year. (Reuters)
September
South Korea, U.S., Japan stage anti-submarine drills amid North Korea tension
Written by Nur Yasmin
The navies of South Korea, the United States and Japan staged trilateral anti-submarine exercises for the first time in five years on Friday, amid tension over North Korea's series of missile tests.
The drills were held in international waters off the Korean peninsula's east coast, just a day after North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Seoul and the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas.
Thursday's test was the third such launch in five days by the North, which has fired an unprecedented number of missiles this year.
"The exercises are designed to improve their capability to respond to increasing North Korean submarine threats, including its submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) at a time when it consistently poses nuclear and missile threats with a series of ballistic missile tests," the South Korean navy said in a statement.
The U.S. navy said the drills will enhance inter-operability and tactical and technical coordination between the three countries.
The U.S. and Japanese navies also said the exercises are expected to promote "a free and open Indo-Pacific," amid tension over China's actions in the Taiwan Strait.
The anti-submarine drills have not been conducted since 2017 because the former progressive South Korean government sought to improve inter-Korean relations and facilitate denuclearsation talks between Pyongyang and Washington, which have stalled since 2019.
South Korea's new President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May, has vowed to boost trilateral security cooperation with the United States and Japan to better counter the North's evolving weapons threats.
The exercises brought together the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, the 9,800-ton guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville, the 6,900-ton Aegis-equipped destroyer USS Barry, South Korea's 4,400-ton destroyer Munmu the Great and Japan's 5,100-ton tanker Asahi, among other warships, the three navies said.
The drills came days after a U.S.-based think tank said North Korea may be preparing to launch a new submarine believed to be capable of firing ballistic missiles, citing commercial satellite imagery.
South Korea's military has also detected signs that the isolated country might be gearing up for an SLBM test, Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday. A military spokesman declined to confirm the report but said it is closely monitoring the North's submarine bases and activities.
South Korea and its allies are also concerned that the North is about to conduct a nuclear test – which would be the seventh since 2006 and its first since 2017.
South Korean lawmakers briefed by the country's spy agency said on Wednesday the North has completed preparations for a nuclear test and a possible window for carrying it out could come between Oct. 16 and Nov. 7. (Reuters)
September
U.S. imposes sanctions on Russia over annexation of swath of Ukraine
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States on Friday imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia over its declared annexation of a swath of Ukraine, targeting hundreds of people and companies, including those in Russia's military-industrial complex and lawmakers.
Washington acted after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday proclaimed the biggest annexation in Europe since World War Two, declaring Russian rule over 15% of Ukraine.
"We will rally the international community to both denounce these moves and to hold Russia accountable. We will continue to provide Ukraine with the equipment it needs to defend itself, undeterred by Russia’s brazen effort to redraw the borders of its neighbor," U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement.
Russia's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Guidance from the U.S. Treasury and the Commerce Department warned that anyone outside Russia, including companies, that provide political, economic or material support to Moscow faced a heightened risk of sanctions.
The Treasury sanctions generally freeze any U.S. assets of those designated and bar Americans from dealing with them.
Commerce added 57 entities in Russia and Crimea to its U.S. export blacklist.
Treasury said it imposed sanctions on 14 people in Russia's military-industrial complex, two leaders of the country's central bank, family members of top officials and 278 members of Russia's legislature "for enabling Russia's sham referenda and attempt to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory."
Among those designated was Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak; 109 State Duma members; the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia and 169 of its members; and the governor of the Central Bank of Russia, Elvira Nabiullina.
Among the targets related to Russia's defense procurement was a Chinese supplier the Treasury accused of supporting Radioavtomatika, a U.S.-designated Russian defense procurement firm.
Washington said Sinno Electronics Co Ltd, previously placed on the Commerce Department's entity list, maintained a relationship with the Russian firm even after the invasion of Ukraine.
Sinno did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Taco LLC in Armenia; Russia's Novastream Limited; a Belarusian state-owned supplier, and Russian technology and defense firms were among other companies designated over Russia's defense procurement.
FAMILY MEMBERS
Treasury also designated family members of Russia’s National Security Council, such as Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s wife and two adult children, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s wife and adult children and National Guard head Viktor Zolotov’s wife and adult children.
In addition, the immediate family members of the deputy chairman of Russia’s Federation Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko, and Saint Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov were hit with sanctions.
The U.S. State Department in a separate statement said it imposed visa restrictions on more than 900 people, including members of the Russian and Belarusian military and "Russia’s proxies for violating Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence," barring them from traveling to the United States.
The United States singled out a Russian national, Ochur-Suge Mongush, for his involvement in what U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called “a gross violation of human rights perpetrated against a Ukrainian prisoner of war,” and said Mongush and his immediate family members cannot enter the United States.
Canada also announced on Friday measures against dozens of oligarchs, financial elites and their family members, plus 35 Russian-backed senior officials in the regions where the referendums took place.
Washington's targets are largely proportionate to Russia's annexation, said Brian O'Toole, a former Treasury official now with the Atlantic Council think tank.
The action against Sinno Electronics serves as a warning to other Chinese companies and those that might do business with Russia, he said.
"I'm impressed at how robust this is given that this was a relatively short turnaround," O'Toole said.
Russia declared the annexations on Friday after holding what it called referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine. Western governments and Kyiv said the votes breached international law and were coercive and non-representative.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday about their "shared concern" over the Russian annexation and the need to protect critical infrastructure after the apparent sabotage of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the United States said. (Reuters)
September
Ukraine applies for NATO membership, rules out Putin talks
Written by Nur Yasmin
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced a surprise bid for fast-track membership of the NATO military alliance on Friday and ruled out talks with President Vladimir Putin, striking back at Moscow after it said it had annexed four Ukrainian regions.
Zelenskiy signed the NATO application papers in an online video clearly intended as a forceful rebuttal to the Kremlin after Putin held a ceremony in Moscow to proclaim the four partially occupied regions as annexed Russian land.
"We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO," Zelenskiy said in the video on the Telegram app.
The video showed Zelenskiy in combat fatigues announcing the membership bid and signing a document flanked by his prime minister and the speaker of parliament.
The announcement was likely to touch a nerve in Moscow which casts the NATO bloc at home as a hostile military alliance bent on encroaching on Moscow's sphere of influence.
Before Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine in February, Moscow was demanding legally binding guarantees that Ukraine would never be admitted to the U.S.-led transatlantic defence alliance.
Kyiv and the West say Moscow used this as a pretext, among others, to launch a pre-planned military campaign against Ukraine. By applying for fast-track membership of NATO, Zelenskiy appears intent on showing Putin is failing in one of his main war goals - preventing Ukraine joining NATO.
NO TALKS WITH PUTIN
In his video speech, Zelenskiy accused Russia of rewriting history and redrawing borders "using murder, blackmail, mistreatment and lies," something he said Kyiv would not allow.
He said however that Kyiv remained committed to the idea of co-existence with Russia "on equal, honest, dignified and fair conditions".
"Clearly, with this Russian president (that) is impossible. He does not know what dignity and honesty are. Therefore, we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with another president of Russia," Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy said that while Ukraine waits for consensus among NATO member states, it could be protected under draft security guarantees proposed by Kyiv and known as the Kyiv Security Compact, which Moscow has rejected as an idea.
"We understand that this requires the consensus of all the alliance's members… and therefore, while this is happening, we propose the realization of our proposals regarding security guarantees for Ukraine and all of Europe according to the Kyiv Security Compact," he said. (Reuters)