KYIV: Russia extended military drills near Ukraine’s northern borders Sunday amid increased fears that two days of sustained shelling along the contact line between soldiers and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine could spark an invasion. Ukraine’s president appealed for a cease-fire.
The exercises were originally set to end Sunday and brought a sizable contingent of Russian forces to Belarus. The presence of the Russian troops raised concern that they could be used to sweep down on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, a city of about 3 million people less than a three-hour drive away.
Western leaders warned that Russia was poised to attack its neighbor, which is surrounded on three sides by about 150,000 Russian soldiers, warplanes and equipment. Russia held nuclear drills Saturday as well as the conventional exercises in Belarus, and has ongoing naval drills off the coast in the Black Sea.
The United States and many European countries have alleged for months that Russia is trying to create pretexts to invade. They have threatened massive, immediate sanctions if it does.
“We’re talking about the potential for war in Europe,” US Vice President Kamala Harris said Sunday at a security conference in Munich, Germany. “It’s been over 70 years, and through those 70 years ... there has been peace and security.”
A top European Union official, Charles Michel, said: “The big question remains: does the Kremlin want dialogue?”
“We cannot forever offer an olive branch while Russia conducts missile tests and continues to amass troops,” said Michel, the president of the European Council.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Saturday on Russian President Vladimir Putin to choose a place where the two leaders could meet to try to resolve the crisis and on Sunday appealed for a cease-fire on Twitter. Russia has denied plans to invade, but the Kremlin had not responded to his offer by Sunday, and it was Belarus — not Russia — that announced the extension of the drills.
NATO has estimated there are 30,000 Russian troops in Belarus.
In Kyiv, life continued seemingly as usual on Sunday, with brunches and church services in full swing. Katerina Spanchak, who fled the separatist-occupied Lugansk region years ago, said she prayed for peace.
“We are people, we all love life, and we are all united by our love of life. We should appreciate it every day. That’s why I think everything will be fine,” Spanchak said outside services at St. Michael’s monastery.
But in Lugansk, the area of eastern Ukraine where her parents still live, and neighboring Donetsk, separatist leaders ordered a full military mobilization and sent more civilians to Russia, which has issued about 700,000 passports to residents of the rebel-held territories. Claims that Russian citizens are being endangered might be used as justification for military action.
Officials in the separatist territories claimed Ukrainian forces launched several artillery attacks over the past day and that two civilians were killed during an unsuccessful assault on a village near the Russian border. Ukraine’s military said two soldiers died in firing from the separatist side on Saturday.
Ukraine’s leader criticized the US and other Western nations for holding back on new sanctions for Russia. Zelenskyy, in comments before the conference, also questioned the West’s refusal to allow Ukraine to join NATO immediately. Putin has demanded that NATO reject Ukraine as a member.
In new signs of fears of imminent war, Germany and Austria told their citizens to leave Ukraine, and NATO’s liaison office in Kyiv pulled staff to Brussels and to the western Ukraine city of Lviv.
US President Joe Biden said late Friday that based on the latest American intelligence, he was now “convinced” that Putin has decided to invade Ukraine in coming days and assault the capital.
A US military official said an estimated 40 percent to 50 percent of the ground forces surrounding Ukraine had moved into attack positions closer to the border. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal US assessments, said the change had been underway for about a week and did not necessarily mean Putin was committed to an invasion.
Lines of communication between Moscow and the West remain open: French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Putin on Sunday for nearly two hours before a 30-minute call with the Ukrainian president. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov agreed to meet next week.
Blinken said Sunday the US was still working every lever possible to try to dissuade Putin from invading Ukraine but said recent events, including the extension of the troops in Belarus and the increase in shelling along the contact line, showed Putin well underway in laying the pretexts and groundwork for invasion, in line with findings of US intelligence and previous Russian territorial grabs. “He is following the script almost to the letter,” Blinken told CNN.
“Up to the last minute, there is still an option for him to pull back,” Blinken told NBC’s Meet the Press. He said his offer to meet Lavrov in Europe in the coming days was conditioned on Russia not rolling into Ukraine beforehand.
Macron’s office said both the Ukrainian and Russian leaders had agreed to work toward a diplomatic solution “in coming days and coming weeks.”
Immediate worries focused on eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have been fighting the pro-Russia rebels since 2014 in a conflict that has killed some 14,000 people.
Ukraine and the separatist leaders traded accusations of escalation. Russia on Saturday said at least two shells fired from a government-held part of eastern Ukraine landed across the border, but Ukraine’s foreign minister dismissed that claim as “a fake statement.”
“When tension is escalated to the maximum, as it is now, for example, on the line of contact, then any spark, any unplanned incident or any minor planned provocation can lead to irreparable consequences,” Putin’ spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview that aired Sunday on Russian state television.
On the front lines, Ukrainian soldiers said they were under orders not to return fire. Zahar Leshushun, peering into the distance with a periscope, had followed the news all day from a trench where he is posted near the town of Zolote.
“Right now, we don’t respond to their fire because ...” the soldier said before being interrupted by the sound of an incoming shell. “Oh! They are shooting at us now. They are aiming at the command post.”
Sporadic violence has broken out for years along the line separating Ukrainian forces from the Russia-backed separatists, but the spike in recent days is orders of magnitude higher than anything recently recorded by international monitors: nearly 1,500 explosions in 24 hours.
Denis Pushilin, the head of the pro-Russia separatist government in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, cited an “immediate threat of aggression” from Ukrainian forces in his announcement of a call to arms. Ukrainian officials vehemently denied having plans to take rebel-controlled areas by force.
A similar statement followed from his counterpart in the Luhansk region. On Friday, the rebels began evacuating civilians to Russia with an announcement that appeared to be part of their and Moscow’s efforts to paint Ukraine as the aggressor.
Metadata from two videos posted by the separatists announcing the evacuation of civilians to Russia show that the files were created two days ago, the AP confirmed. US authorities have alleged that the Kremlin’s effort to come up with an invasion pretext could include staged, prerecorded videos.
Russia extends troop drills; Ukraine appeals for cease-fire
https://arab.news/n7h6m
Russia extends troop drills; Ukraine appeals for cease-fire
- Western leaders warned that Russia was poised to attack Ukraine
- The US and many European countries have threatened massive, immediate sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine
Republican veepstakes: who will complete the Trump ticket?
- All eyes are on White House hopeful Donald Trump as he considers potential running mates
- A shrewd vice presidential pick could help the Republican tycoon broaden his support base
WASHINGTON: It could be a loyal lieutenant, an ex-rival or perhaps a political newcomer, but one thing is certain: all eyes are on White House hopeful Donald Trump as he considers potential running mates.
A shrewd vice presidential pick could help the Republican tycoon broaden his support base, and a handful of names have emerged as most likely to appear at Trump’s side as he limbers for a second showdown with Joe Biden in November.
Here are the most commonly-cited runners and riders.
It is no secret that Trump likes what Scott’s profile says about the staunchly conservative, deeply religious African American US senator from South Carolina — and what it would say about the Republican ticket.
The former president is constantly praising the 50-year-old, his one-time rival for the Republican nomination, for his loyalty.
“You’re a much better candidate for me than you were for yourself,” Trump told Scott at a recent rally.
With Scott as his right-hand man, Trump would hope to make inroads with Black voters, who largely preferred Biden in 2020.
But detractors criticize the senator for lacking the presence required to assert himself, particularly during debates.
Stefanik, 39, was a considered a moderate when she entered Congress, but her lurch to the right during a meteoric rise to the Republican leadership can be explained in two words: Donald Trump.
The New York congresswoman has embraced all of the billionaire’s causes, winning his approval and appreciation in return.
A Trump campaign with Stefanik on the ticket could win back some of the women that have turned away from Trump since his 2016 victory.
But the fervent Trump loyalist could also turn off more moderate voters.
Vance hasn’t always been a fan of Trump, something the former president enjoys bringing up from time to time.
But count the 39-year-old former military officer out at your peril.
Known for a best-selling memoir on the travails of poor, white America, Vance entered politics relatively recently.
The first-term senator from Ohio has already made plenty of allies in Republican circles, not least because of his ability to raise large sums of money for his party.
In a country where election victories can cost billions of dollars, big fundraisers are rarely short of friends.
Trump and Marco Rubio have history.
The Florida senator was pitted against the real estate tycoon in the 2016 Republican primary, during which Rubio openly mocked his more popular rival over his complexion, and for having small hands.
But the former adversaries seem to have buried the hatchet.
Trump will weigh the potential for an electoral boost among Hispanic voters with the selection of the 52-year-old son of Cuban immigrants, who takes a keen interest in foreign policy.
A section of the hard right, however, has never forgiven Rubio for pushing immigration reforms more than 10 years ago that they saw as too liberal.
Trump’s last rival in the Republican primaries would be a surprising pick indeed. But a Vice President Nikki Haley isn’t out of the question.
The 52-year-old has yet to endorse the man who, during the final months of the primary campaign, referred to her as “birdbrain.”
But the former South Carolina governor is popular with the moderates and independents that Biden is keen to wrest from the Republicans — and that Trump would do well to court.
North Dakota governor Doug Burgum and Florida senator Rick Scott have also been mentioned as possibilities, although — as fellow rich, white men — they would offer little contrast from Trump.
Vivek Ramaswamy — the upstart newcomer who shook up the first Republican primary debate — is also on the fringes of the conversation, alongside Congressman Byron Donalds, another Floridian, and firebrand former TV presenter Kari Lake.
Long seen as a credible contender, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has seen her political stock plummet since she recounted having shot dead a pet dog she was unable to bring to heel.
AFP reached out to the Trump team for a hint on the kind of candidate that might turn the candidate’s head. A campaign aide demurred.
“Anyone claiming to know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying, unless the person is named Donald J. Trump,” he said.
Chinese companies hit with US trade restrictions over spy balloon incident
- Sanctions show the Biden administration is continuing to punish Beijing over the spy balloon, which drifted over the US in February 2023
- The trade restriction list has been used aggressively by the US to stem the flow of technology to China amid concerns Beijing could use it to bolster its military capabilities
WASHINGTON: The Biden administration added 37 Chinese entities to a trade restriction list on Thursday, including some for allegedly supporting the spy balloon that flew over the United States last year, heightening tensions between Beijing and Washington.
The Commerce Department also said it was adding some units of China Electronics Technology Group to the list for allegedly trying to obtain American technology to support China’s quantum technology capabilities, “which has serious ramifications for US national security” due to their military applications.
Media have said state-owned China Electronics Technology Group is a top military equipment supplier.
China Electronics Technology Group could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Chinese embassy in Washington called the move “blatant economic coercion and bullying in the field of technology,” and said China would resolutely safeguard the lawful rights of Chinese firms and institutions.
The announcement shows the Biden administration is continuing to punish Beijing over the spy balloon, which drifted over the United States in February 2023, fueling political outrage in Washington and prompting Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to China.
That month, the Commerce Department added five companies and one research institute to the entity list for supporting “China’s military modernization efforts, specifically the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aerospace programs including airships and balloons.”
China’s foreign ministry had said it was a weather balloon that had blown off course and accused the United States of overreacting.
The trade restriction list, known as the entity list, has been used aggressively by the United States to stem the flow of technology to China amid concerns Beijing could use it to bolster its military capabilities.
Being added to the list makes it harder for US suppliers to ship to the targeted entities.
The Biden administration on Thursday also added a handful of Chinese entities to the list for trying to obtain American items for making drones to be used by the Chinese military and others for shipping controlled items to Russia.
Thwarted by US, Palestinians look to UN General Assembly
- Observers say a resolution at the UNGA calling for full UN membership of Palestinians is likely to win broad majority support
- To succeed, the initiative needs a Security Council green light and then a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly
UNITED NATIONS: After a US veto foiled the Palestinians’ drive for full UN membership, the General Assembly is expected on Friday to grant them some additional rights in the global body — a symbolic win that has already irked Israel.
With the war in Gaza raging, the Palestinians in April relaunched a request dating back to 2011 to become full members of the United Nations, where their current status is a “non-member observer state.”
To succeed, the initiative needed a Security Council green light and then a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly.
But the United States — one of five veto-holding members on the Security Council and Israel’s closest ally — blocked it on April 18.
Now the Palestinians are turning to the General Assembly, where diplomats and observers say a resolution calling for their full UN membership is likely to win broad majority support.
The draft resolution, introduced by the United Arab Emirates, says “the State of Palestine is qualified for membership in the United Nations in accordance with article 4 of the Charter and should therefore be admitted.”
It calls on the Security Council to “reconsider the matter favorably.”
That is unlikely to occur, as the United States opposes any recognition of statehood outside of a bilateral accord between the Palestinians and Israel, whose current right-wing government is adamantly opposed to a two-state solution.
“You could have a sort of diplomatic doom loop, with the Assembly repeatedly calling for the Council to grant Palestine membership and the US vetoing it,” said Richard Gowan, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.
The draft resolution nonetheless gives the Palestinians certain “additional rights and privileges” starting in the next session of the General Assembly, in September.
The text explicitly rules out letting them be chosen to sit on the Security Council or to vote in the General Assembly.
But it would let the Palestinians submit proposals and amendments directly, without having to go through another country, as is the case now.
It would also give them the right to be seated among member states in alphabetical order.
“When you build a building, you build it one brick at a time. If some think it’s symbolic, for us it’s important as we are moving forward toward our natural and legal right to be a full member of the UN,” Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters Thursday.
“The symbolism is what matters,” said Gowan. “This resolution is a very clear signal to Israel and the US that it is time to take Palestinian statehood seriously.”
Israel has criticized the initiative, with ambassador Gilad Erdan saying it will “grant the Palestinian Authority the rights of a state de facto” and violates the UN Charter by “bypassing the Security Council.”
The United States also expressed reservations.
“We’re concerned about the precedent it sets,” said deputy US ambassador Robert Wood.
An earlier draft of the resolution was more vague, granting “the State of Palestine the rights and privileges” necessary to take part in the work of the assembly “on equal footing with Members States” but without specifying what rights.
The new version is in line with the UN charter, said Samuel Zbogar, the ambassador of Slovenia, which currently sits on the Security Council.
“It makes clear what additional rights will Palestine get as observer but it doesn’t touch on those elements that belong only the members,” he added.
As Israel presses on with its war in Gaza against Hamas in response to the October 7 attack, the UN vote will allow the Palestinians to see which countries support them.
It may also show that — were it not for the US veto — the Palestinians would have enough votes in the assembly for full UN membership.
In December, 153 countries out of 193 backed a call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war. Ten voted against, including the United States, while 23 abstained.
Chad’s military ruler declared winner of presidential election, while opposition disputes the result
Chad’s military ruler declared winner of presidential election, while opposition disputes the result
- Election body says Mahamat Deby Itno won with over 61 percent of the vote and runner-up Succès Masra got over 18.5 percent
- Deby Itno seized power after his father, who spent three decades in power, was killed fighting rebels in 2021
N’DJAMENA: Chad’s military leader, Mahamat Deby Itno, was declared the winner of this week’s presidential election, according to provisional results released Thursday. The results were contested by his main rival, Prime Minister Succès Masra.
The national agency that manages Chad’s election released results of Monday’s vote weeks earlier than planned. The figures showed Deby Itno won with just over 61 percent of the vote, with the runner-up Masra falling far behind with over 18.5 percent of the vote. Gunfire erupted in the capital following the announcement.
Preliminary results were initially expected on May 21.
Chad held its long delayed presidential election following three years of military rule, a vote that analysts widely expected the incumbent to win. Deby Itno, also known as Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power after his father, who spent three decades in power, was killed fighting rebels in 2021.
The oil-exporting country of nearly 18 million people hasn’t had a free-and-fair transfer of power since it became independent in 1960 after decades of French colonial rule.
Hours ahead of Thursday’s announcement, Masra published a speech on Facebook accusing the authorities of planning to manipulate the outcome.
During the 11 minute speech, Masra appeared in a blue suit at a podium with the national flag in the background and claimed victory, saying the incumbent was planning to reverse the outcome of the vote. He called on Chad’s military, police and other security forces to stop following Deby Itno’s orders.
“These orders will lead you to side with the wrong side of Chad’s history, these orders will lead you to fight your brothers and sisters, these orders will lead you to commit the irreparable and unforgivable,” he said in the speech. “Refuse to obey these unjust orders!”
There was no immediate response from the president’s office.
Masra, president of The Transformers opposition party, fled Chad in October 2022. The country’s military government at the time suspended his party and six others in a clampdown on protests against Deby Itno’s decision to extend his time in power by two more years. More than 60 people were killed in the protests, which the government condemned as “an attempted coup.”
An agreement between the country’s minister of reconciliation and Masra’s political party late last year allowed the exiled politician and other opposition figures to return to Chad. He was later appointed prime minister.
Chad is seen by the US and France as one of the last remaining stable allies in the vast Sahel region following military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in recent years. The ruling juntas in all three nations have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance instead.
Anti-aircraft units intercept drone south of Moscow, no damage or injuries, mayor says
Russian anti-aircraft units intercepted a drone south of Moscow and there were no injuries or damage from falling debris, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said early on Friday.
Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the drone, headed for Moscow, was downed in Podolsk district, just south of the capital. Emergency crews and specialists were on the scene.
The governor of Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, said anti-aircraft units had downed three Ukrainian drones overnight with no damage or injuries.
And in Belgorod region, also on the border, two Ukrainian drones were downed, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on oil processing facilities in different regions of Russia since the start of the year, disrupting 15 percent of Russia’s oil refining capacity, according to an estimate by a NATO official at the beginning of April.
One such strike on Thursday hit a major oil processing plant in Bashkortostan region some 1,500 km (930 miles) away, a Kyiv intelligence source said, the longest-range such attack since the start of the war in February 2022.
Drone attacks targeting Moscow are rarer occurrences.
