Putin went to war to turn into reality his much repeated insistence that Ukraine is an illegitimate state that has no right to exist and is inseparable from the rest of Russia. Similarly, the UN mandate allows it to question the very existence of the State of Israel. Unlike all …
Read More »Supporters of terror groups should not be in NATO, Turkey says
Those who support a terrorist organization that targets a NATO ally should not be a part of the security bloc, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. In a briefing, the ministry underlined that Turkey continues to share the values and responsibilities of NATO and remains at the center of the alliance’s …
Read More »Syrian, Russian Air Forces Conduct First Joint Military Drill Since Start of Ukraine War
Syrian and Russian warplanes on Tuesday carried out a joint military drill amid increasing Israeli airstrikes, Syria’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. It was the first such exercise since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began more than three months ago. In mid-February, before the Russian invasion on February 24, the …
Read More »Turkey Says UN’s Ukraine Grain Export Plan Reasonable
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met Wednesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Ankara in an effort to stave off a global food crisis by restarting Ukrainian grain exports along a sea corridor. The UN’s plan to do so was “reasonable,” Çavuşoğlu said, and the talks were fruitful, but …
Read More »Russia’s Nuclear Power Hegemony
The West Is Dependent on Moscow for More Than Just Gas and Oil The invasion of Ukraine has thrust the world into an energy crisis. Since Russian troops began pouring across the country’s borders, oil prices have risen by more than a quarter. Gas prices have nearly doubled. And the …
Read More »No Peace at Any Price in Ukraine
It’s Too Soon for a Lasting Diplomatic Settlement As Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its fourth month, calls are growing in Western Europe and the United States for a diplomatic push to end the war. In late May, Italy proposed a four-point peace plan for Ukraine that would culminate in …
Read More »Norway Donates Howitzers to Ukraine, Spain to send Leopard Tanks and Missiles
Norway and Spain are among the few countries that have flown below the radar with their support to Ukraine. Without any drama and unnecessary bureaucracy, Norway has donated some M109A3GN 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers and is currently used by the Ukrainian forces. Spain is also doing its part by stating …
Read More »Gulf states blacklist terror financiers linked to Iran, Islamic State, Syrian regime
Lead figures in the Assad regime’s Qatirji oil-smuggling network were among those sanctioned. Members of the Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), which includes the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, blacklisted 13 individuals and three organizations for financing terrorism on Monday. Among …
Read More »Jihadi group in Syria’s Idlib seeks control of NGOs
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham continues to restrict humanitarian organizations operating in its areas of control in northwestern Syria. Through its Salvation Government, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra, has been seeking to fully control the humanitarian aid that is being provided to the displaced in Idlib province …
Read More »Russia expresses ‘understanding’ for Turkey’s security concerns in north Syria
Receiving Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu maintains that the creation of a safe maritime corridor for Ukrainian grain exports should be accompanied by the easing of sanctions against Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated his country’s “understanding” of Turkish security concerns along …
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