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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013532

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on March 17 in Bratislava, Slovakia said enforcing a no-fly zone in Ukraine would mean ‘that you’re in a conflict with Russia’ and the U.S. position remained not to do that.

“And that’s one of the things that we have said, that our president has said that we weren’t going to do, get in a fight with Russia,” Austin, who was speaking alongside Slovakia’s Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad, said.

On Thursday, Slovakia’s defence minister said his country was willing to provide Ukraine with S-300 air defences if NATO allies find a substitute, but his visiting U.S. counterpart told reporters he had nothing to announce on that.

Ukraine has appealed to Western nations for air defences to help repel a Russian military onslaught, now in its fourth week.

“We have been in discussion with U.S., Ukraine and also other allies on the possibility to deploy, send or give the S-300 to Ukrainians and we are willing to do so,” Nad told a news conference.

“But willing to do so immediately when we have a proper replacement.”

Austin declined to say whether the United States might be willing to fill the gap.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced an additional $800 million in security assistance, including weapons to take down Russian planes and tanks.

But the kinds of air defences deployed in Slovakia are highly sought after by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Published : March 18, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013530

Chinese state-owned broadcaster on March 18 announced that China’s President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden will be exchanging views on issues of mutual concern in an upcoming call.

Biden and Xi will speak by phone, scheduled for 9 a.m. Eastern time (1300 GMT), and Washington has already threatened lower-level Chinese government officials privately and publicly that greater support for Russia risks isolation for Beijing.

Washington sees China growing even closer to Russia after Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month announced a “no-limits” strategic partnership last month.

China has refused to condemn Russia’s action in Ukraine or call it an invasion. Beijing said it recognizes Ukraine’s sovereignty but that Russia has legitimate security concerns that should be addressed.

The call, first announced by the White House on Thursday, comes at a pivotal moment in U.S.-China relations and in Ukraine, where heavily outnumbered local forces have prevented Moscow from capturing any of the country’s biggest cities so far.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki characterized the call as “an opportunity for President Biden to assess where President Xi stands.”

“The fact that China has not denounced what Russia is doing, absence of denunciation by China of what Russia is doing in and of itself speaks volumes,” Psaki said.

The Biden administration has issued public and private warnings that Beijing would face dire consequences if it provides material support to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war.

Published : March 18, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013489

Ukraine looks forward to ending the war with Russia in short terms through peace talks, a former spokesperson for the Ukrainian president said on Tuesday.

Iuliia Mendel, the former spokesperson for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed for the problem-fixing peace talks during an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).

“We have different scenarios that are being developed right now. The worst scenario is if Russia uses nuclear or chemical weaponry, that can actually attack not only Ukraine but also many countries that are nearby Ukraine. We hope for the best. We see that the Ukrainian army is very strong. Nobody from the west expected that our army would be defending for such a long time, having so many victories. We hope that we will find the way that two presidents negotiate, and we can finish it this spring,” she said.

“We hope that all the pressure that Russia has right now, and those defeats that they see on the ground with Ukraine will make Russia sit down at the table of negotiations and that we can finish it in a month or two,” she added.

Iuliia also noted that Ukraine is resolute to defend its sovereignty but is still open to dialogues to address the issue.

“When Ukraine is saying that Ukraine is ready to negotiate, it’s not just a superficial saying. It means that Ukraine has what to put on the table of negotiations. It means we have logic in our actions. It means that we are open to different types of solutions. This is very important to tell the world. We cannot give up our people and we cannot give up our territories. But there are so many questions to find the solution, too. Compromises are always very difficult for politicians. But again, negotiations are the only way to finish this war,” she said.

Published : March 17, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013485

The U.N.’s top court for disputes between states on March 16 ordered Russia to immediately stop military operations in Ukraine, saying it was “profoundly concerned” by Moscow’s use of force.

The judges added that Russia must also ensure that other forces under its control or supported by Moscow should not continue the military operation.

Ukraine filed its case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) shortly after Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24, saying that Russia’s apparent justification, that it was acting to prevent a genocide in eastern Ukraine, is unfounded.

In addition to disputing the grounds for the invasion, Kyiv also sought emergency “provisional” measures against Russia to halt the violence before the case is heard in full.

Although the court’s rulings are binding, it has no direct means of enforcing them and in rare cases, countries have ignored them, in the past.

During hearings earlier this month, Ukraine said there is no threat of genocide in eastern Ukraine, and the U.N.’s 1948 Genocide Convention, which both countries have signed, does not allow an invasion to prevent one.

Russia said it had skipped the hearings at the ICJ, also known as the World Court, “in light of the apparent absurdity of the lawsuit”. It later filed a written document arguing the court should not impose any measures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the invasion as a “special military action” needed “to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide” – referring to those whose first or only language is Russian – in eastern Ukraine.

Published : March 17, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013484

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday (March 16) that Russia was ready to discuss Ukraine’s neutral status in talks aimed at ending hostilities there, but that Moscow would still achieve the goals of its military operation, which he said was “going to plan”.

Putin also said Russia would achieve its goals and would not submit to what he called a Western attempt to achieve global dominance and dismember the country.

He said the West had effectively declared Russia in default as part of its sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine, and that the conflict had merely been a pretext for the West to impose sanctions.

“The West doesn’t even bother to hide the fact that its aim is to damage the entire Russian economy, every Russian,” he said.

He said on Wednesday that the Russian economy is facing difficulties caused by the international sanctions against it but will adapt and recover.

In his most explicit acknowledgement of the pain inflicted by Western sanctions, Putin said inflation and unemployment would rise, and structural changes to the economy would be needed. But he promised support to families with children.

There was no sign of any softening in his bitter invective against the West and Ukraine.

Putin has consistently described the democratically elected leaders of Ukraine as neo-Nazis bent on committing genocide against Russian-speakers in the east of the country – a line that the West denounces as baseless war propaganda.

Published : March 17, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013482

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged American lawmakers to do more to protect his country from Russia’s invasion in an address to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday (March 16) in which he pleaded with President Joe Biden to be the world’s “leader of peace.”

“Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people,” Zelenskiy said in his virtual address before showing a video containing graphic images of death and destruction in Ukraine that ended with “close the sky over Ukraine.”

Zelenskiy continued his push for the imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and asked for more planes and defence systems to respond to a Russian invasion launched last month that has caused large-scale destruction in his country and has unleashed a wave of refugees. He also called for more economic sanctions against Russia.

Ukraine is facing terror that Europe had not experienced since World War Two and the nation’s destiny is being decided, Zelenskiy told the U.S. lawmakers through an interpreter.

“Is this a lot to ask for – to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine to save people? Is this too much?” Zelenskiy asked in his remarks made from Kyiv, his country’s capital that is under attack every day but, he said, “doesn’t give up.”

Zelenskiy closed his address with a direct plea in English to Biden: “I wish you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.”

Along with NATO, Biden and many U.S. lawmakers have resisted a no-fly zone amid concerns that it would escalate the conflict with nuclear-armed Russia. The White House so far also has not supported a proposal to help transfer Russian-made MiG warplanes into Ukraine, though that idea has some support in Congress.

Zelenskiy invoked American history, asking the lawmakers to remember the 1941 Japanese bombing of Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor, the 2001 al Qaeda attacks on the United States and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I have a dream” speech in Washington.

“I have a dream. These words are known to each of you today. I can say: I have a need. I need to protect our sky,” Zelenskiy said.

Zelenskiy received a standing ovation before and after his remarks, with House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi introducing him with Ukrainian words meaning “glory to Ukraine.” At the conclusion of his remarks, Zelenskiy waved over the video feed and put his hand on his chest in thanks for the reception.

Zelenskiy’s address to lawmakers in Washington came a day after he made a plea to Canada’s parliament for more Western sanctions on Russia and the imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine. He made similar appeals to the British and European parliaments this month.

Zelenskiy has sought in recent weeks to shore up support for his country in various speeches to foreign audiences, also including the European Parliament and the British Parliament.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation.”

Published : March 17, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013449

A Russian woman who denounced the Russian offensive in Ukraine during a live news bulletin on state television was fined 30,000 roubles ($280) on Tuesday (March 15), a court said after the Kremlin denounced her act of protest as “hooliganism.”

Marina Ovsyannikova, a Channel One employee, was found guilty of flouting protest laws, the court said. It was not immediately clear if she could also face other, more serious charges. Her lawyer was not immediately reachable for comment.

Ovsyannikova staged an extraordinary show of dissent on Monday night when she held up a sign behind a studio presenter reading the news on Channel One and shouted slogans condemning Russia’s Feb. 24 offensive in Ukraine.

State TV, which beams the Kremlin’s narrative into homes across Russia’s 11 time zones, portrays the invasion as a “special military operation,” brushing over the humanitarian crisis, damage to cities and the mounting death toll.

Ovsyannikova exhorted Russians not to be taken in by state propaganda, a message that drew praise from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy but was swiftly rebuffed in Moscow.

“As far as this woman is concerned, this is hooliganism,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. “The channel and those who are supposed to will get to the bottom of this,” he told reporters, describing Channel One as a pillar of objective and timely news.

After the hearing, Ovsyannikova told reporters she was exhausted, had been questioned for more than 14 hours, had not been allowed to speak to her relatives and was not provided with legal assistance. She said she needed to rest before commenting further.

Her protest had stirred fears among her sympathisers that she could be prosecuted under new legislation that carries a jail term of up to 15 years.

The law adopted eight days after the invasion of Ukraine makes public actions aimed at discrediting Russia’s army illegal and bans the spread of fake news or the “public dissemination of deliberately false information” about the use of Russia’s armed forces.

Officials in Moscow describe Russia’s offensive in Ukraine as a special military operation to disarm the country and prevent “genocide” against Russian-speakers, a justification dismissed by Ukraine and the West as a false pretext for an invasion of a democratic country.

Published : March 16, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013447

The Czech and Slovenian Prime Ministers wished “glory to Ukraine” (‘slava Ukraini) at a press conference with their Polish counterpart after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Tuesday (March 15).

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Czech counterpart Petr Fiala and Slovenia’s Janez Jansa headed to Kyiv by train in a show of solidarity with Ukraine even as Russian airstrikes and shelling hit the capital and invading forces tightened their grip.

They were the first foreign leaders to visit the capital since Russia’s invasion last month.

Zelenskiy, noting that many ambassadors had left Kyiv, thanked the visiting leaders for their support.

Speaking at a news conference, the Polish Deputy Prime Minister and leader of Poland’s ruling party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, said an international peacekeeping mission should be sent to Ukraine and be given the means to defend itself.

Kaczynski is seen as the main decision-maker in Poland.

The Czech Republic and Poland, former communist countries that are members of both the EU and NATO, have been among the strongest backers of Ukraine in Europe since the Russian invasion.

Russian airstrikes and shelling hit Kyiv on Tuesday, killing at least five people, authorities said, as invading forces tightened their grip and the mayor announced a 35-hour curfew.

The visit to Kyiv by the EU leaders was a symbol of Ukraine’s success so far in fending off an assault that Western countries believe was aimed at seizing the city weeks ago.

Czech and Polish officials said the mission was coordinated with the EU and agreed upon by its leaders at a summit last week.

However, one official in Brussels said the trip posed serious security risks and could jeopardise negotiations.

Russia calls its actions a “special military operation” to “de-nazify” Ukraine, which Kyiv and its Western allies reject as a pretext for an unjustified and illegal attack.

Published : March 16, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013444

Nine out of 10 Ukrainians could be plunged into poverty if the war drags on over the next year, wiping out two decades of economic gains, the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) said on Wednesday (March 16).

Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator told Reuters on Tuesday (March 15) that his agency was working with the Kyiv government to avoid a worst-case scenario of the economy collapsing and hoped to provide cash transfers to families to buy food and other basics to keep them from fleeing.

“If the conflict is a protracted one, if it were to continue, we are going to see poverty rates escalate very significantly,” Steiner told Reuters.

“Clearly the extreme end of the scenario is an implosion of the economy as a whole. And that could ultimately lead to up to 90 per cent of people either being below the poverty line or being at high risk of (poverty),” he said.

The poverty line is generally defined as the purchasing power of $5.50 per person per day, he added in a video interview from New York. Before Russia launched its invasion on February 24, the poverty rate in Ukraine was estimated at 2 per cent, he said.

“We estimate that up to 18 years of development gains of Ukraine could be simply be wiped out in a matter of 12 to 18 months,” Steiner said.

UNDP is looking at “tried and tested” programmes that it has used in other conflict situations, he said.

“Cash transfers programmes, particularly in a country such as Ukraine where the financial system and architecture is still functional, where ATMs are available, a critical way in which to reach people quickly, is with cash transfers or a temporary basic income,” he said.

“Clearly some of the recent announcements by World Bank and International Monetary Fund in terms of credit lines and funding that is being made available will obviously assist Ukrainian authorities to be able to deploy such a programme,” he said.

The UNDP report said that an emergency cash transfer operation, costing about $250 million per month, would cover partial income losses for 2.6 million people expected to fall into poverty.

A more ambitious temporary basic income programme to provide $5.50 per day per person would cost $430 million a month, based on its initial estimates.

Ukraine’s economy is expected to contract by 10 per cent in 2022 as a result of Russia’s invasion, but the outlook could worsen sharply if the conflict lasts longer, the International Monetary Fund said in a staff report released on Monday (March 14).

The World Bank on Monday (March 14) approved nearly $200 million in additional and reprogrammed financing to bolster Ukraine’s support of vulnerable people. The funding comes on top of $723 million approved last week and is part of a $3 billion package of support that the World Bank is racing to get to Ukraine and its people in the coming weeks.

Published : March 16, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013433

Myanmar will start accepting the Thai baht for border trade transactions, the ministries of information and investment said on Tuesday.

“By reducing dependence on the US dollar, we will mitigate the risk of sudden exchange rate swings due to external geopolitical factors,” the ministries said in a statement, adding the move would help reduce inflation caused by appreciation of the dollar.

The arrangements would also help support economic recovery, the statement said, adding that Myanmar should record “modest” gross domestic product growth in the fiscal year ending October 2022.

Myanmar’s military-controlled government has already said it would accept China’s renminbi as the official currency for trade settlements.

Reuters reported that Myanmar’s economy has slumped since the army overthrew an elected government a year ago and launched a bloody crackdown on opponents, with a struggle to impose order amid widespread civil unrest and armed resistance from pro-democracy militias and ethnic minority rebels.

On March 3, the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) announced it would allow the use of the baht and the Myanmar kyat for direct payment at the border in order to “facilitate bilateral trade, the flow of goods, payment and a settlement system and to promote the use of local currency according to the objectives of Asean financial integration”.

The CBM also said importers and exporters who carry out cross-border trade can open bank accounts at designated banks.

These banks must follow guidelines on the process of direct payment in baht/kyat during bilateral trade transactions.

The CBM had issued a similar notification on December 14 last year on the use of the Chinese yuan and the kyat for direct payment at their borders.

Myanmar is also looking to accept the Indian rupee for trade between the two countries.

Published : March 16, 2022

By : THE NATION