Tag: Putin

Putin thanks North Korea for ‘unwavering support’ for Ukraine war


Vladimir Putin lauded North Korea’s “unwavering support” for the “special military operation” in Ukraine as Russia joined China in Pyongyang to celebrate the hermit kingdom’s 70th anniversary of the Korean War truce.

Mr Putin sent defence minister Sergei Shoigu who was seen alongside North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and held one-on-one talks with him, reported the Korean nation’s state media.

Mr Putin sent his congratulatory message wherein he lauded “the DPRK’s unwavering support for [Russia’s] special military operation” in Ukraine.

The Russian president lamented “Western policies” for “undermining the supremacy of international law, the indivisibility of security and the establishment of a truly multipolar and just world,” the state media reported.

Mr Putin accused the West of disregarding “respect for the sovereignty and national interests of states”.

Kim Jong-un was joined by his two staunch ally nations Russia and China as he brandished his newest nuclear-capable missiles and spy drones at the grand military parade in Pyongyang, where the three anti-US rivals gathered for North Korea’s “Victory Day” celebrations.

The North Korean leader flexed his military muscle by displaying the latest Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles which are capable of wide-range strike anywhere in the United States, reported Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The missiles have been banned by the United Nations Security Council resolutions with support from China and Russia.

Brand new attack and spy drones were also displayed in a flyover in the event.

Mr Kim was also joined by Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong. The trio were seen talking, laughing, posing for photographs, and saluting as the North Korean troops marched.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and China’s Vice Chairman of the standing committee of the country’s National People’s Congress Li Hongzhong, right, attend a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War, on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang

(AP)

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-n (C in black suit) watching as the new model of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the solid-fuel Hwasong-18, goes past in a military parade

(KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Image)

New model of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the solid-fuel Hwasong-18, being paraded at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang to mark a key anniversary of the Korean War

(KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Image)

Mr Shoigu said North Korea’s “solidarity with Russia on key international issues” highlights the two nation’s common interest to “confront” the common rival West, while delivering the remarks at the conference to mark the armistice anniversary.

Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu attends a reception for the Russian military delegation hosted by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as part of the 70th anniversary celebration of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang

(via REUTERS)

The three nations displayed the first sign of revival of their Cold War-era coalition and a show of solidarity, just weeks after powerful summits and gatherings of US and Nato nations in the first half of this year, including the Group of Seven Summit in May, where Ukraine’s war-time president Volodymyr Zelensky was also invited, and Nato summit in Lithuania this month.

Mr Putin claimed several of his Soviet pilots “carried out tens of thousands of combat flights” for contributing to “annihilating the enemy”, reported KCNA.

Reminiscing the Cold War-era ties, Mr Putin in his relayed message said: “The historic experience of combative friendship has noble values, and is serving as a reliable foundation to further develop the connection between Russia and North Korea in the field of politics, economy and safety.”

Mr Shoigu praised the North Korean military as the strongest in the world, as he discussed strategic security and defence cooperation with the North Korean leader.

This was Russia’s first such visit to North Korea involving Moscow’s top defence official since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union, while China’s delegation is the first such to arrive after the Covid-19 pandemic.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang

(via REUTERS)

Beijing and Moscow have previously maintained their distance from North Korea’s nuclear activities but marked a distinct support this year as Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine grinds on with consistent and powerful military aid from the Western allies of Kyiv, much to the anguish of the Kremlin.

Soldiers participate in a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang

(via REUTERS)

The North Korean leader also hosted a reception and lunch with Mr Shoigu as he promised solidarity with Russia and its military.

Watching the high-level gathering from the ring-side view, the US expressed concern about the coming together of the three nations, which have increasingly been critical of the West, and particularly the growing US influence, in the recent times where tensions are rife.

The US Department of State spokesperson Vedant Patel said the US was “incredibly concerned” about their ties. The US has previously accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia for fuelling the 17-month long war in Ukraine.

Both Russia and North Korea have rejected charges of carrying out any arms transactions.



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Putin ‘carefully’ examining African initiatives for Russian-Ukrainian peace deals


Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke Friday at a summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, bringing together Russia and its African allies.

Putin, speaking during a plenary session at the Russia Africa Summit, acknowledged proposed peace plans put forward by African national governments seeking an end to the invasion of Ukraine.

“We respect your initiatives, and we are examining them carefully,” Putin told the African leaders on Friday.

AFRICAN LEADERS ARRIVE IN RUSSIA TO DISCUSS PEACE PLAN WITH PUTIN AFTER UKRAINE VISIT

Putin remarked that he was considering the peace plans as distinct from initiatives from “so-called advanced democracies” that had a vested interest in the outcome of the conflict.

“Previous mediation initiatives were monopolized by so-called advanced democracies. Now Africa too is ready to help resolve problems that appear to be outside of its area of priorities,” Putin said.

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“This is an acute issue, and we aren’t evading its consideration,” he added.

US LAWMAKERS URGE BIDEN TO PUNISH SOUTH AFRICA FOR SUPPORTING RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE

Putin went on to reassure the African leaders that Russian supplies of grain and other agricultural resources to the continent would not be affected by the Kremlin’s efforts to disrupt Ukrainian grain trade.

Last year, the United Nations brokered a deal between the warring nations to secure vital grain trade, with Ukraine and Russia making up around 25% of the world’s wheat, hence Ukraine’s nickname as the “breadbasket of Europe.”

Earlier this month, Moscow announced that it had terminated the deal and then attacked Ukrainian ports just one day later as part of “mass revenge strikes” that Russia claimed would balance out attacks from Kyiv against bridges connecting to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has held since its initial incursion in 2014.

“Russia will always be a responsible international supplier of agricultural products and will continue to support the countries and region in need by offering free grain and other supplies,” Putin told the African leaders.

Striking a diplomatic tone, Putin characterized African nations and Russia as allies in a global struggle to break Western control over economic and social spheres.

“The era of hegemony of one or several countries is receding into the past, albeit not without resistance on the part of those who got used to their own uniqueness and monopoly in global affairs,” the Russian president said.

He continued, “Russia and Africa are united by an innate desire to defend true sovereignty and the right to their own distinctive path of development in the political, economic, social, cultural and other spheres.”

Fox News Digital’s Peter Aiken contributed to this report.



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Putin ignores Erdogan’s proposals for grain deal talks – report


Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is ignoring requests from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to hold talks regarding the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI), The Wall Street Journal reported on July 28, citing diplomats and analysts.

According to the sources, Erdogan has repeatedly stated in recent weeks that he wants to discuss with Putin the renewal of the agreement, which allowed the export of Ukrainian grain from ports on the Black Sea. However, the presidents of Turkey and Russia have not yet spoken by phone. Diplomats say that Turkish authorities are trying to resolve this issue through other channels of communication with the Kremlin.

Read also: Erdogan agrees to unblock Sweden’s accession to NATO – Stoltenberg

The report says that Russia refused to extend the grain agreement after Erdogan “angered” the Russian government.

Earlier in July, Erdogan decided to return the defenders of Mariupol’s Azovstal to Ukraine and finally agreed to approve Sweden’s entry into NATO.

Read also: US not planning to escort Ukrainian grain cargo ships, says White House

Russia officially terminated its participation in the BSGI on July 17, which had previously allowed Ukrainian grain export through the Black Sea to countries at risk of food insecurity. Officially, Russia alleged that its unilateral withdrawal from the agreement was due to Ukrainian attacks on the Kerch Bridge, which connects occupied Crimea to Russian mainland.

Read also: African leaders lean on Putin to return to the Black Sea grain deal – report

Moscow has withdrawn guarantees of safety of navigation in the Black Sea as well.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed extending the grain deal with the UN and Turkey only, without Russia, though Turkey has yet to commit to armed escorts of Ukrainian grain cargo.

We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine



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African leaders lean on Putin to return to the Black Sea grain deal – report


African leaders call on Russia to immediately renew the grain deal

African leaders call on Russia to immediately renew the grain deal

The African Union has urged Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to immediately revive the UN-mediated Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI), which allowed Ukraine to export its grain, Politico reported on July 28.

Read also: Grain deal collapse is a global problem – US State Department

“The problem of grains and fertilizers concerns everyone,” the report quotes Comoros President Azali Assoumani, who currently heads the African Union. Assoumani is currently in St. Petersburg, where Putin is hosting a Russia-Africa summit.

“We will talk about this in St. Petersburg, we will discuss it with Putin to see how we can restart this agreement.”

In its piece about the ingoing summit, Reuters wrote that African leaders generally pushed Putin to cease the war against Ukraine. Although they refrained from criticizing Russia directly, their speeches on the second day of the summit were more assertive and unified than previous addresses by African nations.

The leaders emphasized to the Kremlin the deep-seated concern among Africans regarding the repercussions of the war, notably the rise in food prices.

Read also: Russia justifies merciless missile attacks by claiming Ukraine hiding military equipment in grain facilities

“This war must end; and it can only end on the basis of justice and reason,” African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said.

“The disruptions of energy and grain supplies must end immediately. The grain deal must be extended for the benefit of all the peoples of the world, Africans in particular.”

Read also: Two-thirds of African leaders refuse to attend Putin’s summit

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi asserted at the summit that reaching an agreement regarding the restoration of the grain deal was crucial.

Read also: US not planning to escort Ukrainian grain cargo ships, says White House

In response, Putin reiterated his claim that the surge in global food prices was a consequence of Western policy errors. He persistently maintained that Russia had exited the Black Sea agreement as the grain was allegedly being diverted to wealthier nations rather than the poorest ones.

We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine



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Guinea diplomat Lama Jaques Sevoba shows off Putin shirt at Russia-Africa summit


Mr Sevoba, who works at Guinea’s embassy in Moscow, has had the shirt for three years

Mr Sevoba, who works at Guinea’s embassy in Moscow, has had the shirt for three years – Twitter

A Guinean diplomat professed his “love” for Vladimir Putin as he attended a St Petersburg summit wearing a shirt decorated with images of the Russian leader’s unsmiling face.

The man, who was named by Russian media as Lama Jacques Sevoba, completed the outfit with what appeared to be a field service cap with a Communist hammer and sickle badge.

Mr Sevoba, who works at Guinea’s embassy in Moscow, said he had not bought the shirt for this week’s Russia-Africa summit, where Putin has attempted to shore up support among African leaders.

He told the Telegram channel DD Geopolitics: “I’ve had it for three years already because I love him very much, so I wear it any time, in any place.

“And today it’s to show my people that Russia and Africa will be even bigger friends than before.”

The Moscow Times seemed unconvinced by Mr Sevoba’s diplomatic overtures, referring to the shirt as a “not-so-subtle wardrobe choice”.

It comes as Putin attempts to garner support among African nations for his war in Ukraine at the St Petersburg summit.

Embarking on a charm offensive, he quoted Nelson Mandela and namechecked Egypt’s former president Gamal Abdel Nasser and Patrice Lumumba, Congo’s assassinated independence leader.

Amid concerns over a global food crisis after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea export deal, he pledged free grain to six African nations. Guinea was not among them.

In total, just 17 heads of state have attended the summit, fewer than half the 43 who participated in a similar conference in Sochi in 2019.

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Putin ‘carefully’ examining African initiatives for Russian-Ukrainian peace deals


Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke Friday at a summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, bringing together Russia and its African allies.

Putin, speaking during a plenary session at the Russia Africa Summit, acknowledged proposed peace plans put forward by African national governments seeking an end to the invasion of Ukraine.

“We respect your initiatives, and we are examining them carefully,” Putin told the African leaders on Friday.

AFRICAN LEADERS ARRIVE IN RUSSIA TO DISCUSS PEACE PLAN WITH PUTIN AFTER UKRAINE VISIT

Putin remarked that he was considering the peace plans as distinct from initiatives from “so-called advanced democracies” that had a vested interest in the outcome of the conflict.

“Previous mediation initiatives were monopolized by so-called advanced democracies. Now Africa too is ready to help resolve problems that appear to be outside of its area of priorities,” Putin said.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

“This is an acute issue, and we aren’t evading its consideration,” he added.

US LAWMAKERS URGE BIDEN TO PUNISH SOUTH AFRICA FOR SUPPORTING RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE

Putin went on to reassure the African leaders that Russian supplies of grain and other agricultural resources to the continent would not be affected by the Kremlin’s efforts to disrupt Ukrainian grain trade.

Last year, the United Nations brokered a deal between the warring nations to secure vital grain trade, with Ukraine and Russia making up around 25% of the world’s wheat, hence Ukraine’s nickname as the “breadbasket of Europe.”

Earlier this month, Moscow announced that it had terminated the deal and then attacked Ukrainian ports just one day later as part of “mass revenge strikes” that Russia claimed would balance out attacks from Kyiv against bridges connecting to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has held since its initial incursion in 2014.

“Russia will always be a responsible international supplier of agricultural products and will continue to support the countries and region in need by offering free grain and other supplies,” Putin told the African leaders.

Striking a diplomatic tone, Putin characterized African nations and Russia as allies in a global struggle to break Western control over economic and social spheres.

“The era of hegemony of one or several countries is receding into the past, albeit not without resistance on the part of those who got used to their own uniqueness and monopoly in global affairs,” the Russian president said.

He continued, “Russia and Africa are united by an innate desire to defend true sovereignty and the right to their own distinctive path of development in the political, economic, social, cultural and other spheres.”

Fox News Digital’s Peter Aiken contributed to this report.



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Vladimir Putin quotes Nelson Mandela as he courts African nations


Vladimir Putin speaks during a plenary meeting at the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg

Vladimir Putin speaks during a plenary meeting at the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg – MIKHAIL TERESHCHENKO/AFP

Vladimir Putin quoted Nelson Mandela as he courted African nations in a bid to shore up support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Putin’s remarks came on the second day of a summit in St Petersburg with African leaders and officials.

“Sovereignty is not something you gain once and for all; you have to constantly fight for it,” the Russian president told the roundtable.

Putin then evoked Mandela’s famous quote that the “greatest glory in living is not in falling, but in rising every time we fall”.

“It’s the same thing with sovereignty of a state. We have to fight for it, not give up, not bend under external pressure,” he said.

Vladimir Putin with other leaders attending the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg

Vladimir Putin with other leaders attending the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg – TASS/REUTERS

The Russian leader, who on Thursday pledged free grain supplies to six of the countries attending the summit, has repeatedly sought to exploit anti-colonial sentiment on the continent as Moscow’s relations with the West have plummeted over the invasion of Ukraine.

In his address on Friday, Putin namechecked an array of historic African anti-colonial heroes, from Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian president, to Patrice Lumumba, Congo’s assassinated independence leader.

The charm offensive came after several African leaders pulled out of the St Petersburg summit at the last minute.

In total, just 17 heads of state attended, fewer than half the 43 who participated in a similar conference in Sochi in 2019.

The Kremlin has accused the United States and its Western allies of trying to derail the summit by putting “unprecedented pressure” on African countries not to attend.

Vladimir Putin told African leaders that he respected their peace plan for Ukraine and was studying the proposals

Vladimir Putin told African leaders that he respected their peace plan for Ukraine and was studying the proposals – TASS/REUTERS

Several African leaders last month shuffled between Moscow and Kyiv with a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine.

Moscow rebutted the plan’s key terms, including a Russian withdrawal from occupied territories in Ukraine.

But in an apparent gesture of reconciliation, Putin told African leaders on Friday that he respected the proposals and was studying them.

Putin also advocated for expanding the presence of African nations in the United Nations to reflect their growing contribution to world affairs.

“I think it’s time to rectify the historic wrong against the African continent,” he said, speaking about a proposal to reform the UN Security Council.

Just 17 heads of state attended the Russia-Africa summit, fewer than half the 43 who participated in a similar conference in Sochi in 2019

Just 17 heads of state attended the Russia-Africa summit, fewer than half the 43 who participated in a similar conference in Sochi in 2019 – TASS/REUTERS

On the sidelines of the summit on Thursday, several African dignitaries were seen meeting Yevgeny Prigozhin, the notorious chief of the Wagner mercenary group, whose fighters have withdrawn from Ukraine but remain active in parts of Africa.

Among those to greet Prigozhin was a senior official from the Central African Republic (CAR).

On Friday, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, the country’s president, thanked Putin for helping to save his country’s democracy and avoid a civil war.

Wagner mercenaries were first deployed in the CAR in 2018 and have since been implicated in numerous alleged rights abuses there.

Earlier this month, reports emerged that dozens more of the group’s fighters had arrived in the country ahead of a constitutional referendum on Sunday that could remove a two-term presidential limit and enable Touadéra to remain in office past 2025.

Putin on Friday made no mention either of Russia’s military presence in Africa or of Wagner’s role in affairs on the continent.

The future of the Wagner group remains uncertain after it launched a short-lived rebellion against Russia’s military top brass last month.

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