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March
Russia will stop 'in a moment' if Ukraine meets terms - Kremlin
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia has told Ukraine it is ready to halt military operations "in a moment" if Kyiv meets a list of conditions, the Kremlin spokesman said on Monday.
Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was demanding that Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states.
It was the most explicit Russian statement so far of the terms it wants to impose on Ukraine to halt what it calls its "special military operation", now in its 12th day.
Peskov told Reuters in a telephone interview that Ukraine was aware of the conditions. "And they were told that all this can be stopped in a moment."
There was no immediate reaction from the Ukrainian side.
Russia has attacked Ukraine from the north, east and south, pounding cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv and the port of Mariupol. The invasion launched on Feb. 24, has caused the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two, provoked outrage across the world, and led to heavy sanctions on Moscow.
But the Kremlin spokesman insisted Russia was not seeking to make any further territorial claims on Ukraine and said it was "not true" that it was demanding Kyiv be handed over.
"We really are finishing the demilitarisation of Ukraine. We will finish it. But the main thing is that Ukraine ceases its military action. They should stop their military action and then no one will shoot," he said.
On the issue of neutrality, Peskov said: "They should make amendments to the constitution according to which Ukraine would reject any aims to enter any bloc."
He added: "We have also spoken about how they should recognise that Crimea is Russian territory and that they need to recognise that Donetsk and Lugansk are independent states. And that’s it. It will stop in a moment."
NEW TALKS
The outlining of Russia's demands came as delegations from Russia and Ukraine prepared to meet on Monday for a third round of talks aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
It began soon after Putin recognised two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since 2014, as independent - an action denounced as illegal by the West.
"This is not us seizing Lugansk and Donetsk from Ukraine. Donetsk and Lugansk don’t want to be part of Ukraine. But it doesn’t mean they should be destroyed as a result," Peskov said.
"For the rest. Ukraine is an independent state that will live as it wants, but under conditions of neutrality."
He said all the demands have been formulated and handed over during the first two rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, which took place last week.
"We hope that all this will go OK and they will react in a suitable way," Peskov said.
Russia had been forced into taking decisive actions to force the demilitarisation of Ukraine, he said, rather than just recognising the independence of the breakaway regions.
This was in order to protect the 3 million Russian-speaking population in these republics, who he said were being threatened by 100,000 Ukrainian troops.
"We couldn’t just recognise them. What were we going to do with the 100,000 army that was standing at the border of Donetsk and Lugansk that could attack at any moment. They were being brought U.S. and British weapons all the time," he said.
In the run-up to the Russian invasion, Ukraine repeatedly and emphatically denied Moscow's assertions that it was about to mount an offensive to take back the separatist regions by force.
Peskov said the situation in Ukraine had posed a much greater threat to Russia’s security than it had in 2014, when Russia had also amassed 150,000 troops at its border with Ukraine, prompting fears of a Russian invasion, but had limited its action to the annexation of Crimea.
"Since then the situation has worsened for us. In 2014, they began supplying weapons to Ukraine and preparing the army for NATO, bringing it in line with NATO standards," he said.
"In the end what tipped the balance was the lives of these 3 million people in Donbass. We understood they would be attacked."
Peskov said Russia had also had to act in the face of the threat it perceived from NATO, saying it was "only a matter of time" before the alliance placed missiles in Ukraine as it had in Poland and Romania.
"We just understood we could not put up with this any more. We had to act," he said. (Reuters)
March
Russia must listen to World Court orders despite its boycott -Ukraine envoy
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia will have to listen to the orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), even though it boycotted the hearing of Ukraine's case demanding an emergency order to stop the hostilities, Ukraine's envoy to the court said on Monday.
"They need to listen and they must listen to the court, under international law", Ukrainian envoy Anton Korynevych told reporters after the conclusion of the hearing in The Hague. (Reuters)
March
Over 900 Ukrainian communities without power, heat or water supply - Ukrainian official
Written by Nur Yasmin
Attacks by Russian forces have left over 900 communities in Ukraine without any supplies of electricity, water and heating, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Monday.
"Barbarians of the XXI century. Russia damaged/destroyed 202 schools, 34 hospitals, 1500+ residential buildings," he said on Twitter.
The energy ministry said 646,000 people across Ukraine had no electricity, and that 130,000 were without gas. (Reuters)
March
Ukraine's Zelenskyy presses for more support in phone call with Biden
Written by nuke
In this image taken from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he spoke by phone with his US counterpart Joe Biden on Sunday to discuss financial support and sanctions against Russia as his country faces an intensifying onslaught.
"As part of the constant dialogue, I had another conversation with @POTUS," Zelenskyy tweeted. "The agenda included the issues of security, financial support for Ukraine and the continuation of sanctions against Russia."
Biden welcomed the decisions by Visa and Mastercard to suspend their operations in Russia, the White House said on Saturday.
"President Biden noted his administration is surging security, humanitarian, and economic assistance to Ukraine and is working closely with Congress to secure additional funding," a White House readout of the call added.
Hours earlier, the Ukrainian leader had addressed US lawmakers by video call, pleading for further assistance to his besieged country and a blacklisting of Russian oil imports.
The American legislators promised an additional US$10 billion aid package, but the White House has so far ruled out an oil ban, fearing it would ratchet up prices and hurt US consumers already stung by record inflation.
Weapons, ammunition and funds have poured into Ukraine from Western allies, which have also imposed sweeping sanctions as they seek to bolster Kyiv against Moscow's invasion, which began Feb 24.
Washington last week authorised US$350 million of military equipment -- the largest such package in US history.
While visiting Ukrainian refugees on the Polish border over the weekend, US Secretary of State Antony said that Washington was seeking US$2.75 billion to help address the humanitarian crisis unfurling as nearly 1.4 million civilians flee//CNA
March
US lawmakers pledge to release US$10 billion in aid to Ukraine's Zelensky
Written by nuke
A view shows buildings, which city officials and locals said were damaged by recent shelling, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv, Ukraine Mar 4, 2022. (Photo: REUTERS/Oleksandr Lapshyn) -
US lawmakers pledged in a video call Saturday (Mar 5) with Ukraine's president to provide a further US$10 billion in assistance as the besieged country faces a Russian onslaught.
In the call with American legislators of both parties, President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated a plea for Russian-made planes.
The US Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, cited by a source briefed on the call, said Democrats and Republicans were "working very hard" toward passing the relief package.
"We will get that assistance of over US$10 billion in economic, humanitarian and security assistance to the Ukrainian people quickly," he said.
The bipartisan effort was underlined by Republican Senator Steve Daines, who told Fox News after the call that lawmakers were "unified in our support for Ukraine."
"We need to pass this US$10 billion relief package," he said, adding that half would go toward humanitarian aid and half would be in military assistance.
"They need more force on the ground," he said, as Russian units pressed their offensive in Ukraine for a tenth day.
Zelensky, wearing a military-green T-shirt and seated beside a Ukrainian flag, also urged Congress to bolster already broad sanctions on Russia, including on its oil and gas sector - a move some US lawmakers have also called for as the war in Ukraine intensifies.
But the White House has ruled this out so far, fearing it might cause rising oil prices to go up even more and hurt US consumers stung by record inflation.
Zelensky also "made a desperate plea for Eastern European countries to provide Russian-made planes" that Ukrainians are trained to fly, Schumer said in a statement after the call, adding he would work to "help the administration to facilitate their transfer."
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham underscored that NATO countries had such warplanes.
"They are waiting to be delivered and apparently the United States is part of the problem not the solution," Graham said in a video posted on Twitter.
"With planes and drones, President Zelensky indicated that Ukraine would be a more effective fighting force. So let's get them the planes and drones they need."
Last week, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said EU countries were willing to send fighter jets to Ukraine.
But no planes have yet been delivered, with the countries concerned - Poland, Bulgaria and Slovakia - expressing hesitancy over the move//CNA
March
Sydney faces more rain as death toll from Australian floods rises
Written by nuke
Major floods are still underway in some areas west of Sydney along the Hawkesbury River (Photo: AFP/Nikki Short) -
Sydney, Australia's most populous city, braced for more rain on Sunday (Mar 6) after being drenched by heavy downpours over the past week, as the death toll from flooding across the eastern part of the country reached 17.
A wild weather system that dumped more than a year's worth of rainfall over a week in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW) brought widespread destruction, leaving thousands of people in the states displaced and sweeping away property, livestock and roads.
Seventeen people have been killed since the deluge began, including a Queensland woman, whose body was found on Saturday, according to police.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) of NSW said a new weather system could bring another round of heavy rains, raising the risks of flooding.
"The focus of the heaviest rainfall, and rivers at greatest risk, are those extending from greater Sydney to the Hunter and Manning Rivers, where moderate to major flooding is possible,” the BoM's flood watch said in a statement.
In Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, and surrounding areas the clean-up continued over the weekend after days of torrential rains that flooded several thousand properties//CNA
March
A bus carrying passengers crosses the Causeway linking Singapore and Malaysia on Nov 29, 2021. (Photo: AFP/Vincent Thian) -
Malaysia's Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has confirmed on Saturday (Mar 5) that the country's borders will be reopened soon.
This will allow more Malaysians to spend time with their family members during Hari Raya Aidilfitri in May, he added.
The Malaysian government is in the process of implementing a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) by land with Brunei and Thailand, to allow for travel to and from Malaysia with these two countries, said Mr Ismail Sabri.
This will add to the existing VTL arrangement with Singapore. Another with Indonesia is still under planning.
“To rejuvenate economic activities and tourism, especially in Johor, the federal government implemented the air and land VTL with Singapore on Jan 21 this year to facilitate the reunion of families separated by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Mr Ismail Sabri.
“I was told that 200,000 Malaysians commute between Singapore and Johor.
"They no longer have to undergo compulsory quarantine at home after taking two health screening tests, once when leaving Singapore and again on arrival in Malaysia.”
Meanwhile, Malaysia's Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin reportedly said on Saturday that Mr Ismail Sabri is expected to announce the date of the reopening of borders next week.
Mr Khairy said the Cabinet reached an agreement on the reopening at its meeting on Friday//CNA
March
Sweden and Finland to further strengthen security cooperation
Written by nuke
Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin and her Swedish counterpart Magdalena Andersson speak to the media outside the Prime Minister's official residence, Kesaranta in Helsinki, Finland March 5, 2022. Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva/via REUTERS -
Sweden and Finland will further strengthen their security cooperation in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the prime ministers of both countries said on Saturday, but they were non-committal on joining NATO.
"Russia's war against a sovereign European nation puts the European security order at risk. In this changing security environment, Finland and Sweden will further strengthen our cooperation," Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters in Helsinki at a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
Sweden and Finland have strong historic ties and a close military cooperation, including joint drills and information sharing.
The invasion, called a "special military operation" by Russia, has also forced a quick change in attitude towards NATO in both countries, which are currently outside the NATO-alliance.
Polls in recent days showed a majority for joining NATO in both countries for the first time ever. Marin said it was "understandable" that more people in both Sweden and Finland now want to join NATO. [L2N2V712H]
"We are now having this discussion in Finland," Marin said. "We will have these discussions within parliament, with the president, within the government and between the parties."
In Sweden, the governing Social Democrats have long resisted calls from the centre-right opposition to join NATO. Andersson said it was natural that the discussion should come up again, but avoided questions on Sweden joining the military alliance.
"The security situation has been altered in a dramatic way," Andersson said. "I have met the party leaders from the other Swedish parties several times in the last week and we are discussing a number of issues," she said.
The two countries already have a close cooperation with NATO and are invited to all consultations on the Ukraine crisis. Secretary General Stoltenberg said in January they could join the alliance "very quickly" if they decided to apply for membership.
Finland's President Sauli Niinisto said on Friday the United States and Nordic countries would "initiate a clear process to step up defense and security cooperation" after a meeting with US President Biden that included a call to Magdalena Andersson//CNA
March
IMF says war in Ukraine will have 'severe impact' on global economy
Written by nuke
People walk with their luggage amid train tracks, as refugees flee Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the train station in Lviv, Ukraine Mar 5, 2022. (Photo: REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach) -
The International Monetary Fund on Saturday (Mar 5) said it expected to bring Ukraine's request for US$1.4 billion in emergency financing to its board for approval as early as next week and was in talks about funding options with authorities in neighboring Moldova.
In a statement, the global lender said the war in Ukraine was already driving energy and grain prices higher, and had sent a wave of more than 1 million refugees to neighboring countries, while triggering unprecedented sanctions on Russia.
"While the situation remains highly fluid and the outlook is subject to extraordinary uncertainty, the economic consequences are already very serious," the IMF said in a statement after a board meeting chaired by Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
"The ongoing war and associated sanctions will also have a severe impact on the global economy," it warned, noting that the crisis was creating an adverse shock to inflation and economic activity at a time when price pressures were already high.
It said price shocks would be felt worldwide, and authorities should provide fiscal support for poor households for whom food and fuel made up a higher proportion of expenses, adding that the economic damage would increase if the war escalated.
Sweeping sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States, European countries and others would also have "a substantial impact on the global economy and financial markets, with significant spillovers to other countries."
In addition to the human toll, Ukraine was experiencing substantial economic damage, with sea ports and airports closed and damaged, and many roads and bridges damaged or destroyed.
"While it is very difficult to assess financing needs precisely at this stage, it is already clear that Ukraine will face significant recovery and reconstruction costs," it said.
The board was expected to consider Ukraine's request for US$1.4 billion in emergency financing as early as next week. Ukraine also has US$2.2 billion available through June under an existing stand-by arrangement, the IMF said last week.
Moldova and other countries with close economic ties to Ukraine and Russia were at "particular risk" of scarcity and supply disruptions, the IMF said.
It said IMF staff were actively discussing funding options with Moldova, which has requested an augmentation and rephasing of its existing US$558 million IMF loan program to help meet the costs of the current crisis//CNA
March
Russian President Vladimir Putin's talks with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett appeared to be his first with a foreign leader devoted to the conflict in Ukraine (Photo: SPUTNIK/AFP/File/Mikhail Klimentyev, JACK GUEZ) -
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held Kremlin talks with Vladimir Putin Saturday (Mar 5), the Russian president's second meeting with a foreign leader since his forces invaded Ukraine last week.
Bennett has so far not joined other foreign leaders in condemning the Russian offensive, stressing Israel's strong ties with both Moscow and Kyiv. Ukraine has previously asked Bennett to mediate.
A statement from Bennett's office said the premier "took off early this morning for Moscow, after speaking with President Putin last Wednesday."
Bennett is a religious Jew who does not conduct official business on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath, except under extraordinary circumstances.
An Israeli official said the Kremlin talks lasted three hours.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that Putin and Bennett were "discussing the situation in Ukraine."
The meeting appeared to be the first with a foreign leader devoted to the Ukraine conflict.
Putin received Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Kremlin on the day the invasion began, in a visit that was long schduled but widely considered ill-timed.
On Monday, Khan defended the trip - the first by a Pakistani leader to Russia in more than two decades.
"My foreign policy is independent and visits to China and Russia will prove beneficial for Pakistan in the future," he said in a televised address//CNA