Day: July 21, 2022
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Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Talk Oil
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke about the oil market in a telephone conversation on Thursday, the Kremlin said. The call comes less than a week after Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler met visiting U.S. President Joe Biden. Putin and Prince Mohammed discussed “in detail the situation on…
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‘Everything is Fine’: Kremlin Dismisses Rumors of Putin’s Declining Health
The Kremlin said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in good health, dismissing rumors that the leader was unwell as completely unfounded. “Everything is fine with his health,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Scrutiny over the 69-year-old Putin’s health has intensified since he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. “Ukrainian, American…
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Ukraine War Must End To Prevent Nuclear ‘Abyss,’ Lukashenko Tells AFP
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko Thursday said Russia, Ukraine and the West must agree to halt the Ukraine conflict to avoid the “abyss of nuclear war” and insisted Kyiv should accept Moscow’s demands. “We must stop, reach an agreement, end this mess, operation and war in Ukraine,” Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top ally, told AFP…
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Ukraine Says Russia Storing Weapons at Occupied Nuclear Plant
Kyiv on Thursday accused Moscow of storing heavy weapons at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in occupied Ukrainian territory, after Russia said Ukraine’s troops had fired on the facility. Ukraine state energy company Energoatom said on social media that Russia had moved over two dozen pieces of military equipment and ammunition into the engine room of the first reactor.…
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Hungary FM in Russia to Discuss Buying More Gas
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto traveled to Moscow on Thursday to discuss purchasing more Russian gas on behalf of his country, the ruling Fidesz party said. “In order to ensure the security of Hungary’s energy supply, the government has decided to purchase an additional 700 million cubic meters of natural gas in addition to the…
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Kremlin Blames Russia-Europe Gas Supply Problems on Western Sanctions
Problems with Russian gas supplies to Europe are caused by sanctions that create “technical difficulties,” the Kremlin said Thursday as the Nord Stream 1 pipeline reopened after maintenance but with a reduced flow. Europe was on edge during the 10-day Nord Stream 1 repair works, fearing that Moscow would not reopen the taps in retaliation…
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In Ukraine’s Odesa, Calls to ‘De-Russify’ Meet Tangled Debate
ODESA, Ukraine — As well-dressed patrons gathered outside the Opera and Ballet Theater in this Black Sea port city for a recent afternoon performance, there were telltale signs of the ongoing war with Russia. The crowd, a mix of men and women wearing military uniforms as well as suits and dresses, was much smaller than…
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Foreign Banks Hiring Russian Employees as Exit Plans Hit Roadblocks – Reuters
Major Western banks’ Russian divisions have started hiring staff this month after Moscow obstructed their exit from the country, Reuters reported Thursday. Following the Kremlin’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Western banks in Russia moved to remove foreign nationals from senior positions and study ways to exit the market — but they have recently started…
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Russia Hands Down First Fine for Soviet-Nazi Comparisons
Russia has levied its first fine for likening the Soviet Union to Nazi Germany since prohibiting such comparisons earlier this month, the Moscow-based Sova Center for Information and Analysis reported. Under the law signed by President Vladimir Putin on July 1, publicly comparing the goals and actions of the U.S.S.R. and Red Army with those…
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Kremlin Eyes Sept. 15 Referendum for Captured Ukraine Regions – Bloomberg
The Kremlin is seeking to hold referendums for captured Ukrainian territories to join Russia in September, Bloomberg reported Thursday, corroborating previous reporting on the unconfirmed absorption plans. The move would likely ignite further ire from Kyiv’s Western allies, which do not recognize Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and have already hit Moscow with heavy sanctions…
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‘Door Not Shut’ to Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks – Kremlin
Russia and Ukraine still have a chance to resume peace talks, the Kremlin said Thursday, contradicting earlier comments by Moscow’s top diplomat. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said negotiations with Kyiv were still possible one day after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said such talks “make no sense” nearly five months into Russia’s invasion of its pro-Western…
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Russian Search Engines to Label Wikipedia as ‘War Fakes’ Spreader
Russian search engines will be required to inform Wikipedia users that the online encyclopedia spreads “fake news” about the country’s invasion of Ukraine, the state communications regulator Rozkomnadoz said Wednesday. Roskomnadzor demanded in May that Wikipedia delete “unreliable information” about what Moscow refers to as its “special military operation” in Ukraine, entering its fifth month.…
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Russia Resumes Critical Gas Supplies to Europe via Nord Stream
Russia on Thursday resumed critical gas supplies to Europe through Germany, reopening the Nord Stream gas pipeline after 10 days, but uncertainty lingered whether the continent could avert an energy crisis this winter. “It’s working,” a Nord Stream spokesman said, without specifying the amount of gas being delivered. The German government had feared that Moscow would…