Lavrov in Khartoum to meet with Sudanese military leaders
CAIRO — (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to meet Thursday in Khartoum with Sudan's military rulers on Russia and other matters, the country’s state-run SUNA news agency said. Lavrov’s visit to Sudan comes as senior diplomats from the U.S. and other European nations conclude two days of talks with Sudanese military leaders and pro-democracy groups to push for a final agreement to restore the country’s transition to democracy. An October 2021 military coup derailed Sudan’s short-lived, democratic transition. Late last year, the generals reached an initial deal with major pro-democracy groups to establish a civilian government. Lavrov’s visit is part of a multi-leg Africa trip that has taken him to Mali and Mauritania.
wftv.comGermany apologizes for leopard jibe that upset some Africans
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — (AP) — Germany apologized on Thursday for using a leopard emoji in a jibe at Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Twitter that ended up offending some Africans. The German foreign ministry poked fun at Russia's top diplomat during his tour of Africa when it tweeted that he wasn't there looking for leopards, but using the trip to try and justify Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The tweet, and the leopard emoji the foreign ministry used on its official account, played off Germany's decision to send some of its advanced Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine to help its military fight off Russian forces. But an African Union official took offense at what she said was the continent being portrayed as only about wild animals. South Africa was one of several to abstain from a U.N. vote last year condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
wftv.comGermany apologizes for leopard jibe that upset some Africans
Germany apologized on Thursday for using a leopard emoji in a jibe at Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Twitter that ended up offending some Africans. The German foreign ministry poked fun at Russia's top diplomat during his tour of Africa when it tweeted that he wasn't there looking for leopards, but using the trip to try and justify Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The tweet, and the leopard emoji the foreign ministry used on its official account, played off Germany's decision to send some of its advanced Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine to help its military fight off Russian forces.
news.yahoo.comRussia, South Africa and a 'redesigned global order': The Kremlin's hearts and minds machine is steaming ahead
Russia and South Africa vowed this week to strengthen bilateral ties and will embark on a joint military exercise next month, coinciding with the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.
cnbc.comLavrov blames West for no Ukraine talks, defends navy drills
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks on a visit to South Africa were similar to those made last year by President Vladimir Putin. Russia has repeatedly rejected Ukrainian and Western demands that it withdraw completely from Ukraine as a condition for any negotiations. Lavrov met with Pandor in the South African capital and is expected to visit other African countries on his trip. “This is why as South Africa we consistently articulate that we will always stand ready to support the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the continent and throughout the globe." This time, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will start an official visit to South Africa on Wednesday following stops in Senegal and Zambia.
wftv.comLavrov says West prevented negotiations to end Ukraine war
The U.S. and other Western nations have said that Russia is not serious about negotiations to end the war, set to mark its one-year anniversary next month. Russia has repeatedly rejected Ukrainian and Western demands that it withdraw completely from Ukraine as a condition for any negotiations. Lavrov met with Pandor in the South African capital and is expected to visit other African countries on his trip. That relationship is largely what led South Africa to abstain from a United Nations vote last year condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine. This time, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Senegal and Zambia ahead of an official visit to South Africa starting Wednesday.
wftv.comLavrov blames West for no Ukraine talks, defends navy drills
Russia was willing to negotiate with Ukraine in the early months of the war, but the United States and other Western nations advised Kyiv against holding talks, Moscow's top diplomat said Monday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks on a visit to South Africa were similar to those made last year by President Vladimir Putin. The U.S. and other Western nations have said that Russia isn't serious about hammering out a deal to end the nearly year-long war, which began on Feb. 24.
news.yahoo.comRussia's top diplomat: West's 'hybrid war' won't stop Moscow
MOSCOW — (AP) — Russia will achieve its objectives in Ukraine despite a “hybrid war” waged by the West against Moscow, the top Russian diplomat said Wednesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the goals of Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine are “determined by Russia’s core legitimate interests” and will be fulfilled. Speaking at a marathon annual news conference, Lavrov dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s demands for a complete Russian withdrawal from Ukraine. “The amount of Western support clearly shows that the West has invested a lot in its war against Russia,” he added. And it has made decisions for Ukraine and without Ukraine.”Lavrov asserted that Russia’s action in Ukraine was “our response to a hybrid war unleashed against us” by the West.
wftv.comLavrov: Ukraine must demilitarize or Russia will do it
KYIV, Ukraine — (AP) — Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday warned anew Ukraine that it must demilitarize, threatening further military action and falsely accusing Kyiv and the West of fueling the war that started with Moscow's invasion. Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine must remove any military threat to Russia — otherwise “the Russian army (will) solve the issue." Russia launched the war on Feb. 24, alleging a threat to its security and a plot to bring NATO to its doorstep. Lavrov reiterated on Tuesday that the West was feeding the war in Ukraine to weaken Russia, and said that it depends on Kyiv and Washington how long the conflict will last. “Ukraine will demilitarize the RF (Russian Federation) to the end, oust the invaders from all occupied territories.
wftv.comLavrov: Ukraine must demilitarize or Russia will do it
KYIV, Ukraine — (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday warned that Ukraine must meet Moscow’s demand for “demilitarization” and “denazification,” as well as the removal of the military threat to Russia, otherwise “the Russian army (will) solve the issue.”Sergey Lavrov also accused the West of fueling the war in Ukraine to weaken Russia, and said that it depends on Kyiv and Washington how long the conflict, which started on Feb. 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine, will last. But he also said that Russia must face a war crimes tribunal before before his country directly talks with Moscow. Heavy battles are also underway around the city of Kreminna in the Luhansk region, Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said. In the partially occupied southern Kherson region, Russian forces shelled Ukrainian-held areas 40 times on Monday, wounding one person, Ukrainian authorities said. Lavrov warned further Western support for Ukraine could lead to direct confrontation.
wftv.comLavrov: Ukraine must demilitarize or Russia will do it
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that Ukraine must meet Moscow’s demand for “demilitarization” and “denazification,” as well as the removal of the military threat to Russia, otherwise “the Russian army (will) solve the issue.”
washingtonpost.comLavrov: Ukraine must demilitarize or Russia will do it
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday warned that Ukraine must meet Moscow’s demand for “demilitarization” and “denazification,” as well as the removal of the military threat to Russia, otherwise “the Russian army (will) solve the issue.” Sergey Lavrov also accused the West of fueling the war in Ukraine to weaken Russia, and said that it depends on Kyiv and Washington how long the conflict, which started on Feb. 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine, will last.
news.yahoo.comRussia-Ukraine war: Putin 'becoming more informed' about challenges, U.S. intel chief says
Russia’s war in Ukraine has now entered its 10th month, and as the weather drops below freezing, the invasion enters a new phase. According to the head of U.S. intelligence, the war is running at a “reduced tempo.” Meanwhile, a Kremlin official defended Russia’s repeated strikes against Ukraine’s crucial energy facilities, which the civilian population needs to stay warm this winter. Here are the latest developments…
news.yahoo.comEuropean security org faces existential crisis at meeting
LODZ, Poland — (AP) — A security organization born in the Cold War to maintain peace in Europe ended a high-level meeting Friday without a final resolution, underlining the existential crisis it is facing amid Russia's war against Ukraine. The war launched by one member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe against another has created hurdles for the 57-nation group. Three Ukrainian employees remain “unlawfully detained” by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine since April, OSCE Secretary-General Helga Schmid said Friday. Lavrov spent 40 minutes of a news conference in Moscow on Thursday complaining about his exclusion as the meeting opened in Lodz, Poland. Bujar Osmani, the country's foreign minister, said that despite all the obstacles he would not declare this week's meeting a failure.
wftv.comRussian FM: US, NATO directly involved in Ukraine conflict
MOSCOW — (AP) — Russia’s foreign minister on Thursday accused the West of becoming directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine by supplying it with weapons and training its soldiers. “You shouldn't say that the U.S. and NATO aren’t taking part in this war, you are directly participating in it,” Lavrov said in a video call with reporters. Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of targeting key civilian infrastructure in order to reduce morale and force Ukraine into peace talks on Moscow's conditions. Lavrov insisted that Moscow remains open for talks on ending the conflict. It also has continued to push for guarantees that Ukraine wouldn't join NATO, along with vaguely formulated “demilitarization” and “denazification” goals.
wftv.comSecurity meeting overshadowed by Russia's war, ban on Lavrov
Notably absent was Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who wanted to join the meeting but was banned by Poland, the current chair of the OSCE, from entering the country. Poland is a member of the 27-member European Union, which has put Lavrov on a sanctions list. The OSCE’s effectiveness has been harmed by the war in Ukraine. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the OSCE acted as a mediator in Ukraine, negotiating the peace deals for eastern Ukraine following a Russian-backed separatist war that began there in 2014. Officials at the conference lamented the loss of the security order in Europe which had prevailed since the end of World War II.
wftv.comRussian Foreign Minister openly admits that his country "went to war against Ukraine"
Sergey Lavrov, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, has called the war in Ukraine a "war" for the first time instead of using the propaganda term "special operation". Source: Lavrov, at a press conference on 1 December, the video of which was posted on Telegram by Russian propagandist Olga Skabeeva Quote: "With Ukraine.
news.yahoo.comG-20 leaders end meeting condemning war but note divisions
U.S. President Joe Biden was joined by leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend. The G-20 was founded in 1999 originally as a forum to address economic challenges. Several G-20 members, including host Indonesia, are wary of becoming entangled in disputes between bigger powers. Still, the declaration was a strong rebuke of the war that has killed thousands, heightened global security tensions and disrupted the world economy.
wftv.comG-20 to hold tough on Russia, urge end to Ukraine war
The U.S.-led push for a strong statement against Russia came as the summit was touched by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And if Russia says that it supposedly wants to end this war, let it prove it with actions." Modi, whose country will assume the G-20 presidency after Indonesia, reiterated his call for “the path of ceasefire and diplomacy” in the war in Ukraine and spoke about efforts by world leaders at World War II to pursue a “path of peace.”“Now it’s our turn. Chinese officials have largely refrained from public criticism of Russia’s war, although Beijing has avoided direct support of the Russians, such as supplying arms. Russian President Vladimir Putin stayed away, sending Lavrov as his representative.
wftv.comCambodian PM tests positive for COVID after hosting summit
NUSA DUA, Indonesia — (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday he has tested positive for COVID-19 at the Group of 20 meetings in Bali, just days after hosting many world leaders, including President Joe Biden, for a summit in Phnom Penh. In a posting on his Facebook page, the Cambodian leader said that he had tested positive Monday night and that the test had been confirmed by an Indonesian physician. He said he was returning to Cambodia and was canceling his meetings at the G-20 as well as the following APEC economic forum in Bangkok. Cambodia was the host of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation summit that ended on Sunday, and Hun Sen met with many leaders who attended one-on-one. In addition to Biden, guests included Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and many others.
wftv.comIndonesia officials: Russia FM left hospital after 'checkup'
NUSA DUA, Indonesia — (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited and later left a Bali hospital ahead of the Group of 20 summit being held on the island, Indonesian authorities said Monday. I Wayan Koster said Lavrov, 72, was taken to Sanglah Hospital, the island's biggest, “for a health checkup.”“He left the hospital after a brief checkup and his health is in good condition,” the governor said. All of those officials declined to be identified as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine is expected to be among the issues discussed at the two-day G-20 meeting, which brings together officials from countries representing more than 80% of the world's economic output. Biden and Xi were meeting separately ahead of the summit in their first in-person talks since the U.S. president took office.
wftv.comIndonesia official: Russia FM left hospital after 'checkup'
NUSA DUA, Indonesia — (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited and later left a Bali hospital ahead of the Group of 20 summit being held on the island, Indonesian authorities said Monday. Russia's top diplomat arrived on the resort island the previous evening to take part in the meeting of the world's leading economies, which begins Tuesday. I Wayan Koster said Lavrov was taken to Sanglah Hospital, the island's biggest, “for a health checkup.”“He left the hospital after a brief checkup and his health is in good condition,” the governor said. Four Indonesian government and medical officials earlier told The Associated Press that Lavrov was treated at the hospital in the provincial capital, Denpasar. Biden and Xi were meeting separately ahead of the summit in their first in-person talks since the U.S. president took office.
wftv.comIndonesian officials: Russian FM Lavrov taken to hospital
NUSA DUA, Indonesia — (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been taken to the hospital after suffering a health problem following his arrival for the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesian authorities said Monday. Three Indonesian government and medical officials told The Associated Press that the Russian diplomat was being treated on the resort island. Two of the people said Lavrov was being treated for a heart condition. Officials at the Russian Embassy could not immediately be reached for comment. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comIndonesian officials: Russian FM Lavrov taken to hospital
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been taken to the hospital after suffering a health problem following his arrival for the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesian authorities said Monday. Three Indonesian government and medical officials told The Associated Press that the Russian diplomat was being treated on the resort island. Two of the people said Lavrov was being treated for a heart condition.
news.yahoo.comRussia's Putin won't attend upcoming G-20 summit in Bali
U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders are to attend the two-day summit in Bali that starts Nov. 15. The summit was to have been the first time Biden and Putin would have been together at a gathering since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit began Thursday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, followed by the G-20 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok, Thailand. Biden will attend ASEAN and the G-20 while Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to APEC. Putin's decision not to attend the G-20 comes as Russia's forces in Ukraine have suffered significant setbacks.
wftv.comRussian President Vladimir Putin will not attend G-20 summit
JAKARTA, Indonesia — (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia next week, , an Indonesian government official said Thursday, avoiding a possible confrontation with the United States and its allies over his war in Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders are to attend the two-day summit in Bali that starts Nov. 15. “The Indonesian government respects the decision of the Russian government, which President Putin himself previously explained to President Joko Widodo in a very friendly telephone conversation,” said Pandjaitan, who is also the Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment. Biden will attend ASEAN and the G-20 while Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to APEC. Putin's decision not to attend the G-20 comes as Russia's forces in Ukraine have suffered significant setbacks.
wftv.comMilitary expert on Ukraine’s chances of stopping Russian nuclear attacks
Ukraine could — albeit not in all cases — destroy Russia's tactical nuclear weapons before they hit their targets, military expert, director of the New Geopolitics Research Network Mykhailo Samus told Radio NV on Sept. 26.
news.yahoo.comUN meeting produces sense that a 'new epoch' is arriving
UNITED NATIONS — (AP) — The war in Ukraine and its global fallout transfixed the meeting of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly this year. He warned of starvation, destabilization of nations, riots, and mass migration if help doesn't arrive quickly. “Yet be it the largest and the most acute, the war in Ukraine is one of nearly 30 armed conflicts worldwide,” Kőrösi said. The six-day meeting was held under the shadow of Europe’s first major war since World War II, which began with Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of its smaller neighbor. In the midst of the speeches, the U.N. Security Council held an open meeting on Thursday called by France, the current council president, on ensuring accountability for Russian actions.
wftv.comEU, US question Serbia's EU commitment after Russia deal
The European Union and the U.S. have questioned Serbia’s commitment to join Europe’s 27-nation bloc after Belgrade signed an agreement with Moscow pledging long-term “consultations” on foreign policy matters amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On Ukraine, Russia repeats insistence that it had no choice
The speech came amid voting in Russian-occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine on whether to join Russia. Moscow characterizes the referendums as self-determination, but Kyiv and its Western allies view them as Kremlin-orchestrated shams with a foregone conclusion. The aim was “to remove the threats against our security, which NATO has been consistently creating in Ukraine,” he explained. Regardless, he declared that his forces will ultimately oust Russian troops from all of Ukraine. The next month, members agreed by a smaller margin to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council.
wftv.comOn Ukraine, Russia repeats insistence that it had no choice
Russia made its case to the world Saturday for its war in Ukraine, repeating a series of grievances about its neighbor and the West to tell the U.N. General Assembly meeting of world leaders that Moscow had “no choice” but to take military action. At the heart of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's address was a claim that the United States and its allies — not Russia, as the West maintains — are aggressively undermining the international system that the U.N. represents. The war has largely dominated the discussion, with many countries laying into Russia for its Feb. 24 invasion, nuclear threats, allegations of atrocities and war crimes, and ratcheting up its campaign by mobilizing some of its reserves even as the assembly met.
news.yahoo.comWorld opinion shifts against Russia as Ukraine worries grow
The tide of international opinion appears to have decisively shifted against Russia, as a number of non-aligned countries joined the United States and its allies in condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine and its threats to the principles of the international rules-based order.
US urges world to tell Russia to stop its nuclear threats
UNITED NATIONS — (AP) — The United States urged other nations to tell Russia to stop making nuclear threats and end “the horror” of its war in Ukraine as all three countries' top diplomats spoke — but didn't quite meet — at a high-profile U.N. Security Council meeting Thursday. Held alongside the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders, the session followed a striking development in the war this week: Russia called up a portion of its reserves for the first time since World War II. “Every council member should send a clear message that these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately,” he said. Tell him to stop putting his interests above the interests of the rest of the world, including his own people,” Blinken added. Regardless, no one expects the council to act against Russia, since Moscow has veto power as a permanent member.
wftv.comUS envoy: Africa trip isn't to compete with Russia, China
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is heading to Africa, saying she is going to focus on how the United State can help Uganda, Ghana and Cape Verde deal with the food crisis that has hit the continent particularly hard — not to compete with China and Russia.