The British government on Saturday accused Russia of seeking
to replace Ukraine’s government with a pro-Moscow administration, and said
former Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheniy Murayev is being considered as a potential
candidate.
Murayev is head of the small pro-Russian Party Nashi, which
currently has no seats in Ukraine’s parliament.
Britain’s Foreign Office named several other Ukrainian
politicians it said had links with Russian intelligence services.
It’s unclear what means Britain believes Russia might use to
install a friendly government in Kyiv.
The U.K. government made the claim based on an intelligence
assessment, without providing evidence to back it up. It comes amid a war of
words between Moscow and the West over Russia’s designs on Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the information “shines a
light on the extent of Russian activity designed to subvert Ukraine, and is an
insight into Kremlin thinking.”
Truss urged Russia to “de-escalate, end its campaigns of
aggression and disinformation, and pursue a path of diplomacy,” and reiterated
Britain’s view that “any Russian military incursion into Ukraine would be a
massive strategic mistake with severe costs.”
Britain has sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine as part of
efforts to bolster its defenses against a potential Russian attack.
Amid diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis, U.K. Defense
Secretary Ben Wallace is expected to meet Russian Defense Minister Sergei
Shoigu for talks in Moscow. No timing has been given for the meeting, which
would be the first U.K.-Russia bilateral defense talks since 2013.
The U.S. has mounted an aggressive campaign in recent months
to unify its European allies against a new Russian invasion of Ukraine. The
White House called the U.K. government assessment “deeply concerning” and said
it stands with the duly elected Ukrainian government.
“This kind of plotting is deeply concerning,” said National
Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne. “The Ukrainian people have the
sovereign right to determine their own future, and we stand with our
democratically-elected partners in Ukraine.”
The assessment came as President Joe Biden spent Saturday at
the presidential retreat Camp David outside of Washington huddling with his
senior national security team about the Ukraine situation. A White House
official said the discussions included efforts to de-escalate the situation
with diplomacy and deterrence measures being coordinated closely with allies
and partners, including security assistance to Ukraine.
In another development, the Baltic nations of Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania plan to send U.S.-made anti-tank and anti-aircraft
missiles to Ukraine, a move that the United States fully endorsed Saturday amid
Kyiv’s escalating tensions with Russia.
The defense ministers of the three Baltic states said in a
joint statement that they “stand united in our commitment to Ukraine’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity in face of continued Russian aggression.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a tweet that
Washington saluted the NATO nations and former Soviet republics “for their
longstanding support to Ukraine.”
“I expedited and authorized and we fully endorse transfers
of defensive equipment @NATO Allies Estonia Latvia Lithuania are providing to
Ukraine to strengthen its ability to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked
and irresponsible aggression,” Blinken said in another tweet.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier this week described
the West supplying arms to Ukraine as extremely dangerous and said the
shipments “do nothing to reduce tensions.”
Moscow has massed tens of thousands of troops near the
Russia-Ukraine border, leading to fears of an invasion. The West has rejected
Moscow’s main demands — promises from NATO that Ukraine will never be added as
a member, that no alliance weapons will be deployed near Russian borders, and
that it will pull back its forces from Central and Eastern Europe.
A meeting Friday between Blinken and Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov ended with no breakthrough. Amid the uncertain security
situation, the U.S. State Department has been considering a range of options to
ensure the safety and security of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv and its employees by
moving to reduce its diplomatic presence there.
The defense ministers of the Baltic states said in their
statement that Estonia would provide Javelin anti-tank weapons while Latvia and
Lithuania were sending Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and other related
equipment to bolster Kyiv’s defensive military capabilities. It wasn’t
immediately clear when the weapons and equipment would be sent to Ukraine.
“Today, Ukraine is at the forefront of separating Europe
from the military conflict with Russia. Let´s face it, the war in Ukraine is
ongoing and it is important to support Ukraine in every way we can so that they
can resist the aggressor,” Estonian Defense Minister Kalle Laanet said.
Estonia also is seeking Germany’s approval to send
Soviet-made howitzers, which once belonged to East Germany, to Ukraine. Estonia
acquired the howitzers from non-NATO member Finland, which in turn had bought
them from Germany’s military surplus supply in the 1990s.
The German government said Friday that it was considering
Estonia’s request to pass the howitzers on to Ukraine but gave no timeline for
a decision. Berlin said it planned to coordinate the issue with Finland, which
has received a similar approval request from Estonia.
Berlin routinely demands a say when German-sold weapons are
transferred to third countries. But some recent media reports suggested German
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Cabinet could block Estonia’s transfer of weapons to
Kyiv, highlighting divisions in the West’s response to the Ukraine crisis.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba alleged Saturday
that Germany was not showing adequate support for Ukraine.
Kuleba said in a Twitter post that the weapons transfer
issue and remarks by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressing
skepticism about cutting off Russia from the SWIFT global payments system “do
not correspond to the level of our relations and the current security
situation.”
Also Saturday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the
German ambassador to object to recently circulated video in which the head of
the German navy said that Ukraine would not regain the Crimean Peninsula, which
Russia annexed in 2014, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin deserved
“respect.”
The comments by vice admiral Kay-Achim Schoenbach sparked
consternation and a swift rebuke back in Berlin. By late Saturday, the German
navy chief had tendered his resignation, saying he wanted to prevent further
damage resulting from his “ill-considered statements” in India.
The U.S. State Department is currently warning U.S. citizens
not to visit Ukraine due to the coronavirus pandemic but is also advising them
to reconsider travel there due to potential Russian aggression.
Speculation that an announcement about the U.S. diplomatic
presence in Ukraine may be imminent has increased since the embassy in Kyiv
announced it would hold a virtual town hall meeting about the security
situation with U.S. citizens in Ukraine on Tuesday.
Discussions on the matter have been underway for some time,
but Blinken went over the contingency plans with the embassy’s security team
when he visited Kyiv on Wednesday, officials said.
The officials stressed that no decisions had yet been made
and that an outright evacuation is not being considered. One possible scenario
would be to order the families of American personnel to leave the country while
allowing non-essential staffers to depart voluntarily at government expense,
they said.
Comment
American and British forces carried out a fresh wave of strikes Saturday against 18 Huthi targets in Yemen, following weeks of unrelenting attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed rebels.
The strikes "specifically targeted 18 Huthi targets across eight locations in Yemen" including weapons storage facilities, attack drones, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter, a joint statement said.
It was co-signed by Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand, who gave unspecified "support" to the new round of strikes, the second this month and fourth since the rebels began their attacks on ships in the region.
"The Huthis' now more than 45 attacks on commercial and naval vessels since mid-November constitute a threat to the global economy, as well as regional security and stability, and demand an international response," the statement said.
Huthi-run Al-Masirah television reported "a series of raids on the capital Sanaa," while AFP correspondents in the rebel-controlled city in western Yemen said they heard several loud bangs.
"The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways," Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said in a separate statement after the strikes.
"We will continue to make clear to the Huthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks, which harm Middle Eastern economies, cause environmental damage, and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries."
Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree was defiant, vowing in a social media statement that the rebels would "confront the American-British escalation with more qualitative military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arab Seas."
The UK Ministry of Defence said four Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s targeted "several very long-range drones, used by the Houthis for both reconnaissance and attack missions," on Saturday, at a site north-east of Sanaa.
Saturday's operation comes after several merchant vessels were struck this week in the region, including the fertilizer-filled Rubymar, whose crew had to abandon ship after it was hit Sunday and began taking on water.
Apart from the joint operations with Britain, the United States has also carried out unilateral strikes against Huthi positions and weaponry in Yemen, and downed dozens of missiles and drones in the Red Sea.
- Anti-ship missile downed -
Earlier on Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that an American Navy ship had shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile "launched into the Gulf of Aden from Iranian-backed Huthi controlled areas of Yemen."
The missile "was likely targeting MV Torm Thor, a US-Flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker," CENTCOM said on X, formerly Twitter.
US forces on Friday also shot down three attack drones near commercial ships in the Red Sea and destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles on land, CENTCOM said.
The Huthis say they are targeting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.
Following previous US and UK strikes, the Huthis declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.
The Huthis will "persist in upholding their religious, moral and humanitarian duties towards the Palestinian people, and their military operations will not stop unless the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted," military spokesman Saree said.
Anger over Israel's devastating campaign in Gaza -- which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 -- has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Comment
Israel launched air strikes Thursday on southern Gaza's Rafah after threatening to send troops into the city, where around 1.4 million Palestinians have sought shelter from around the territory.
Global powers trying to navigate a way to end the Israel-Hamas war have so far come up short, but a US envoy was expected in Israel on Thursday to try to secure a truce deal.
International concern has spiralled over the high civilian death toll and dire humanitarian crisis in the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack against Israel.
More than four months of relentless fighting and air strikes have flattened much of the Hamas-run coastal territory, pushing its population of around 2.4 million to the brink of famine, according to the UN.
International concern has in recent weeks centred on Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, where more than 1.4 million people forced to flee their homes elsewhere in the territory are now living in crowded shelters and makeshift tents.
The last city untouched by Israeli ground troops, Rafah also serves as the main entry point via neighbouring Egypt for desperately needed relief supplies.
Israel has warned it will expand its ground operations into Rafah if Hamas does not free the remaining hostages held in Gaza by next month's start of the Muslim holy month Ramadan.
- 'My daughter' -
The war started when Hamas launched its attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Hamas militants also took about 250 hostages -- 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead, according to Israel.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 29,313 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest count by the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.
War cabinet member Benny Gantz said Israel's operation in Rafah would begin "after the evacuation of the population", although his government has not offered any details on where civilians would be evacuated to.
In the early hours of Thursday, AFP reporters heard multiple air strikes on Rafah, particularly in the Al-Shaboura neighbourhood.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said early Thursday that 99 people had been killed around Gaza during the night, most of them women, children and elderly people.
Abdel Rahman Mohamed Jumaa said he lost his family in recent strikes on Rafah.
"I found my wife lying in the street," he told AFP. "Then I saw a man carrying a girl and I ran towards him and.... picked her up, realising she was really my daughter."
He was holding a small shrouded corpse in his arms.
- 'Possibility of progress' -
Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, was expected to arrive in Israel Thursday -- his second stop in the region after Egypt as part of US efforts to advance a hostage deal and broker a truce.
Hamas's chief Ismail Haniyeh was in Cairo for talks as well, according to the group.
Israel's Gantz said there were efforts to "promote a new plan for the return of the hostages".
"We are seeing the first signs that indicate the possibility of progress in this direction."
Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesman, said Washington was hoping for an "agreement that secures a temporary ceasefire where we can get the hostages out and get humanitarian assistance", but declined to give details on ongoing negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the army will keep fighting until it has destroyed Hamas and freed the remaining hostages.
Israel's parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed a proposal by Netanyahu to oppose any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote came days after the Washington Post reported that US President Joe Biden's administration and a small group of Arab nations were working out a comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
It included a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the report said.
Separately, a report by an Israeli group that fights sexual violence said Hamas's October 7 attack also involved systematic sexual assaults on civilians, based on witness testimonies, public and classified information, and interviews.
The report came the same week UN rights experts called for an independent probe into alleged Israeli abuses against Palestinian women and girls -- which Israel rejected as "despicable and unfounded claims".
Israeli officials have repeatedly alleged the militants committed violent sexual assaults during the attack -- something Hamas has denied.
- 'Waiting for death' -
Combat and chaos have stalled sporadic aid deliveries for civilians in Gaza, while in Khan Yunis -- a city just north of Rafah -- medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said an Israeli tank had fired on a house sheltering their employees and families.
Two relatives of MSF staff were killed and six others injured, it said, condemning the strike in the "strongest possible terms".
When contacted by AFP about the incident, the Israeli army said its forces had "fired at a building that was identified as a building where terror activity is occurring", adding that it "regrets" harm to civilians.
In the same town, the Palestinian Red Crescent said another hospital was also hit by "artillery shelling".
Israel has repeatedly said Hamas militants use civilian infrastructure including hospitals as operational bases -- claims that Hamas has denied.
Comment
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today stressed the need for expanding business between Bangladesh and India using their own currencies.
"We can do our business through exchanges of Bangladeshi Taka and Indian Rupee. It has already started, but we have to expand it further so that we can increase our businesses," she said while Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar paid a call on the Prime Minister.
The meeting was held at Hotel Bayerischer Hof, the conference venue, here on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024, this morning.
Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud briefed newsmen about the outcome of the meeting upon its completion.
The Foreign Minister said the Bangladesh Premier and Jaishankar attached importance to doing business between the two friendly countries through their own currencies to reduce dependency on other currencies like the US dollar.
He said Bangladesh and India have excellent bilateral relations and it has elevated to another height under the leadership of the prime ministers of the two countries.
"The relations between the countries are getting stronger day by day," he said, adding that the two leaders discussed the issues during the meeting.
Quoting Jaishankar, Hasan said, "Our relations will further be closer in the days ahead."
Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and PM's Deputy Press Secretary Md. Noorelahi Mina were present during the briefing.
Bangladesh Prime Minister arrived in Munich on February 15 evening on a three-day official visit to join the Munich Security Conference 2024.
Upon completion of the tour, Sheikh Hasina will leave Munich tomorrow night and is scheduled to reach Dhaka on February 19.
(BSS)
Comment
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon all concerned to find ways to stop Russia-Ukraine war while holding a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy here.
"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always says we are against all kinds of war. Today, she discussed time and again about how the war can be stopped while holding talks with Zelenskyy," said Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at a news briefing after the meeting.
The meeting between the two leaders was held at Hotel Bayerischer Hof here on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024, this morning.
Hasan also said that they also discussed how the attacks on innocent men and women in Gaza can be stopped.
The Premier reminded all that war can't bring wellbeing for any one.
"Others can be benefitted from the war. But the war cannot bring welfare for the countries involved in war and their people have to be affected by the war," said Sheikh Hasina.
In this connection, the Prime Minister recollected her memories about the sufferings of the countrymen and she herself faced during the Great War of Liberation in 1971.
She recalled her inhuman sufferings and the birth of her only son Sajeeb Wazed Joy under the captivity of the Pakistani occupation forces during the War.
"Bangladesh's foreign policy - 'Friendship to all, malice to none’ - prominently came up in the discussion between Prime Minister and Zelenskyy," the foreign minister said.
Replying to a query, Hasan said the friendly relations between Bangladesh and Russia which got foundation during the Liberation war , will not hamper at all.
"Our relationship with Russia is very wonderful. Russia stood beside us during the Liberation War and played a pivotal role in rebuilding Bangladesh after the war," he said.
He said they only discussed how to stop the war.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and PM's Deputy Press Secretary Md. Noorelahi Mina were present during the briefing.
Bangladesh Prime Minister arrived in Munich on February 15 evening on a three-day official visit to join the Munich Security Conference 2024.
Upon completion of the tour, Sheikh Hasina will leave Munich tomorrow night and is scheduled to reach Dhaka on February 19.
(BSS)
Comment
Comment
American and British forces carried out a fresh wave of strikes Saturday against 18 Huthi targets in Yemen, following weeks of unrelenting attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed rebels. The strikes "specifically targeted 18 Huthi targets across eight locations in Yemen" including weapons storage facilities, attack drones, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter, a joint statement said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today stressed the need for expanding business between Bangladesh and India using their own currencies. "We can do our business through exchanges of Bangladeshi Taka and Indian Rupee. It has already started, but we have to expand it further so that we can increase our businesses," she said while Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar paid a call on the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon all concerned to find ways to stop Russia-Ukraine war while holding a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy here. "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always says we are against all kinds of war. Today, she discussed time and again about how the war can be stopped while holding talks with Zelenskyy," said Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at a news briefing after the meeting.