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Foreign Affairs › Zelensky Says Ukraine Must Accept Fact That It Won't Join NATO by Oghene1st(op): 6:53pm On Mar 15, 2022

Last week, the Ukrainian president said he had "cooled down" on the idea of Kiev's membership in the Western bloc "a long time ago," saying he didn't want to be the leader of a country "that is begging for something on its knees". As recently as January, NATO indicated that Ukrainian and Georgian membership in the bloc was only a matter of time.

Kiev has heard loud and clear that it will not be joining NATO, and this is a reality which Ukrainians must come to terms with, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

"It's clear that Ukraine is not a member of NATO. We understand this. We are reasonable people. For years we were told about supposedly 'open doors', but have also now heard that we cannot enter. This is the truth and this needs to be admitted,'" Zelensky said, speaking at a meeting of the leaders of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian president added that Ukraine is not calling for Article Five of the NATO Treaty on joint defence to be activated.

NATO opened the door to Ukraine and Georgia's "Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership" in 2008 at the alliance's Bucharest summit. Moscow has spent years expressing concerns about the implications that Ukrainian NATO membership would have for Russian and regional security, calling Ukraine's NATO bid a 'red line' which it would not allow to be crossed after several waves of eastward expansion by the bloc.

The Western alliance began its push east after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact bloc. In 1990 and again in 1991, US and NATO officials repeatedly promised Moscow that the alliance would not expand "one inch east" beyond the borders of a reunified Germany. US President Bill Clinton broke this commitment in 1994, saying NATO's expansion would be a question of when, not if. In the decades since, every single former member of the Warsaw Pact, plus three post-Soviet republics and four republics of the former Yugoslavia were incorporated into the alliance. Repeated inquiries by Moscow about the prospects of Russia itself joining the alliance have been rebuffed by the bloc.

In 2014, Ukraine's neutrality-seeking government was overthrown in a coup by political forces seeking to push the country westward, prompting Crimea to break off from Kiev's jurisdiction and to rejoin Russia, and sparking a civil war in the country's east. In December 2014, Ukraine's post-coup parliament formally abandoned the country's non-bloc status. In February 2019, amendments were made to the country's basic law, baking Ukraine's push toward the EU and NATO in the constitution.

The Western bloc formally rejected a pair of twin draft security agreements proposed by Moscow in January aimed at easing Russia-NATO tensions, saying the alliance's open-door policy was not up for negotiation.

The proposals included a request by the Russian side that NATO refrain from incorporating any more countries of the former Soviet Union. The same month, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told an Italian newspaper that Ukraine's entry into the alliance was a done deal, and simply a matter of timing.

https://sputniknews.com/20220315/zelensky-says-ukraine-must-accept-fact-that-it-wont-join-nato-1093895870.html

Foreign Affairs › Russia Imposes Sanctions On Biden, Blinken, Other US Officials by Oghene1st(op): 6:46pm On Mar 15, 2022

Russia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said US President Joe Biden and a dozen other top officials had been banned from entering the country in a reciprocal response to US sanctions.

The measure, which also applies to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, “is the consequence of the extremely Russophobic policy pursued by the current US administration”, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

In response to Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, the United States banned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as well as adopting sanctions that have largely cut Russia off financially from the rest of the world.

Russia also put on its stop list Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

Also on the list are Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh, US Agency for International Development chief Samantha Power, Deputy Treasury Secretary Adewale Adeyemo, and US Export-Import Bank chief Reta Jo Lewis.

Russia also banned from entry Biden’s son Hunter and former secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The foreign ministry warned Moscow will soon announce additional sanctions against a range of “Russophobic” US officials, military officers, lawmakers, businessmen, and media personalities.

https://punchng.com/ukraine-russia-imposes-sanctions-on-biden-blinken-other-us-officials/

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Foreign Affairs › Russian FM: Sanctions Can't Make Moscow To Change Its Course by Oghene1st(op): 6:36am On Mar 14, 2022

Russian FM: Moscow Will Not Ask Western Sanctions to Be Lifted, Pressure Will Not Change Its Course.

The United States, EU countries and a number of other states including Japan and Canada have imposed extensive new sanctions against Russia and major Russian organizations in response to the Kremlin's special military operation to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine.

Russia will not ask the US and EU member nations to lift the sanctions, as pressure from the West and around the world will not change Moscow's course, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said on Monday.

According to the deputy FM, both Washington and the EU "have tried very hard" to impose as many sanctions against Russia as possible as a means of reversing the Kremlin's course, "to force us to change the decisions that have been made." "Nothing will come of it," stressed Vershinin.

"Sanctions are not our decision. They are being imposed by those who, like the US, and - let’s be direct - its satellites, want to exert pressure on Russia, put our economy and ordinary Russians in a very difficult situation, doing this as a punishment for Russia’s sovereign political decisions," Vershinin said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper.

The diplomat has noted that Russia "will not ask for these sanctions to be lifted," as the injunctions against the nation are illegitimate and, additionally, are ineffective as a means of exerting pressure.

"We will not ask for these sanctions to be lifted. We will simply further develop our own economy and our ability to develop independently, relying on the friends and like-minded people that we have," Vershinin said.

Among the sanctions imposed on Russia are financial restrictions, airspace closures and many other crippling measures, while a number of Russian politicians and companies, as well as media and financial institutions, have experienced bans and closures.

The sanctions, among other things, include disconnecting a number of Russian banks from the SWIFT global financial transfer network, including two of Russia's largest, Sberbank and VTB.

In addition, a significant number of multinational corporations including Microsoft, Apple, Sony, Visa, Mastercard, and many others, have suspended activities in the country or have left the market, ostensibly until the special military operation ends.

Earlier, the spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, said that the Western sanctions are very serious, adding that the Kremlin had prepared for them in advance. Peskov stated that the widespread restrictions against the country would require analysis and the coordination of all branches of the government as a means of developing a response that meets Russian interests.

Moscow initiated its special military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donbass requested assistance in fighting increased attacks by the Ukrainian military. Moscow has repeatedly stated that it will not occupy Ukraine following the termination of the special military operation. Statements from the Kremlin maintain that the goal of the special military operation is to demilitarize and "denazify" the country by only targeting military facilities and Ukrainian troops.

https://sputniknews.com/20220313/russian-fm-moscow-will-not-ask-western-sanctions-to-be-lifted-pressure-will-not-change-its-course-1093839326.html

Lalasticlala Mynd44

Foreign Affairs › Chinese Embassy Responds To Claims Moscow Asked For Military Assistance by Oghene1st(op): 6:24am On Mar 14, 2022

Chinese embassy in the US says it is unaware of any request of military assistance from Russia amid conflict in Ukraine

The Chinese Embassy in the US has said it had no information about alleged Russia’s request to China for military assistance, noting that Beijing's focus was on bringing the tension down in Ukraine.

Citing unnamed US officials, the Financial Times reported on Sunday that Moscow asked China “for equipment and other kinds of unspecified military assistance” to support its offensive in Ukraine. The report added that the White House was concerned “Beijing may undermine western efforts to help Ukrainian forces defend their country” if it chooses to grant the alleged request.

The allegations were also picked up by the New York Times, CNN, and other Western publications. CNN reported, for instance, that Russia had requested “drones” from China, while the NYT said that its sources declined to discuss the “kind of military weapons or aid” Moscow was allegedly seeking, citing the need to keep the process of intelligence-gathering secret.

Upon being asked about the reports, Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told Reuters later on Sunday that he “had never heard of that [request]” and said China’s priority was “to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even getting out of control.”

Beijing has adopted a neutral stance in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine – calling for an end to the war, but refusing to join the West in condemning Moscow.

Shortly after Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing opposed “the use of sanctions to solve problems, and even more so opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/551831-chinese-embassy-moscow-assistance-reports/

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Foreign Affairs › Rr by Oghene1st(op): 9:12pm On Mar 12, 2022

Foreign Affairs › Re: Ukrainians Prepare For Battle As Russian Military Surrounds Kyiv by Oghene1st(op): 6:34pm On Mar 12, 2022*

Kyiv, Ukraine – Ukraine civilian fighters and residents in the capital are preparing for a major attack as Russian forces surround the city with troops and artillery just kilometres away.

There are civilian fighters who are ready to attack Russian troops but when they are killed by Russian troops, they are not considered as fighters but civilians only.

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Foreign Affairs › Ukrainians Prepare For Battle As Russian Military Surrounds Kyiv by Oghene1st(op): 6:34pm On Mar 12, 2022

Artillery pounds the Ukraine capital’s northwestern outskirts with columns of smoke rising from Kyiv’s southwest as residents prepare for all-out attack.

Kyiv, Ukraine – Ukraine civilian fighters and residents in the capital are preparing for a major attack as Russian forces surround the city with troops and artillery just kilometres away.

Air-raid sirens rang out across the capital region on Saturday as rocket barrages sent residents running for shelter. Fighting erupted in multiple areas around Kyiv.

For Yurii Malinskiyi, the war has become painfully personal after his youngest brother was killed by Russian rocket fire four days ago. A former air force officer, he left his job as a truck driver in the Netherlands to join Ukraine’s civil defence and fight against the Russian invaders.

“I recognised my brother only from his clothes; there was no other way of recognising him,” Malinskiyi told Al Jazeera, standing on a street in front of a large barricade of tyres.

“Here are guys who never went to war, who never fired a shot, who never even heard the sound of a rifle, but we are all ready. Trust me, my morale has never been this high and I have never been this ready,” he said.

Satellite images taken on Thursday by a United States-based company indicated the 64km-long (40 miles) Russian army convoy – stationed outside Kyiv for nearly two weeks – has dispersed around the capital, possibly preparing for a full-out attack.

The column of vehicles, tanks and artillery was now less than 25km (11 miles) away and slowly moving towards Kyiv.

Battle for the future
Kyiv has turned into a fortress and many volunteers have joined the fight. Men who just two weeks ago sat in offices or worked in construction are now preparing to defend their capital.

With Kyiv the main target of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation“, civilians who remain in the city are bracing themselves.

Alyona Kimlach helps the elderly and sick who cannot leave their apartments or are simply too afraid to go out, to get food. She brought groceries for 95-year-old Alla Savichna, who has seen more than enough war in her life.

“What is the point for me to leave [Kyiv] at my age, especially if you see how I walk? I had two surgeries; I broke my hip,” Savichna told Al Jazeera. “I have not been to the street in 10 years … I want to die in my bed.”

Kimlach said she cannot decide if she should leave Kyiv with her eight-month-old daughter and go on a long and unpredictable journey, but added the constant shelling and sirens were making her extremely nervous.

She said she can only hope the Ukrainian defences will hold.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/12/ukrainians-prepare-to-battle-for-the-future-of-kyiv

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Foreign Affairs › Re: Zelensky Says Millions Of People Could Die If World Does Not 'close The Sky' by Oghene1st: 6:10pm On Mar 10, 2022

Zonefree:
Na comedian... Make we no too blame him

He think say the sky na pot of soup wey dem dey cover.

168 Likes 13 Shares

Foreign Affairs › Re: Zelensky Says Millions Of People Could Die If World Does Not 'close The Sky' by Oghene1st: 6:05pm On Mar 10, 2022

Zonefree:
Close which sky?

I thought Ukraine is wining the war. Heard they've killed over 200,000 Russian soldiers and destroyed over 300 tanks.

Them go cover the sky. Close the sky, close the sky as if say na Nigeria dey fight them. You wan close sky against Russia? Okay o.

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Foreign Affairs › Re: Oligarch Renounces Russian Citizenship, Saying 'everything Putin Touches Dies' by Oghene1st: 7:00pm On Mar 09, 2022

This man is not a prominent Oligarch but just a Russian billionaire. Prominent oligarchs of the Putin era include Roman Abramovich, Alexander Abramov, Oleg Deripaska, Mikhail Prokhorov, Alisher Usmanov, German Khan, Viktor Vekselberg, Leonid Mikhelson, Vagit Alekperov, Mikhail Fridman, Dmitry Rybolovlev, Vladimir Potanin, Pyotr Aven, and Vitaly Malkin.

Foreign Affairs › US Ban On Russian Energy Excludes Key Item To Avoid Rolling Blackouts by Oghene1st(op): 3:51pm On Mar 09, 2022

President Biden signed an executive order banning the import of Russian energy supplies on Tuesday, claiming the move would deal a “powerful blow” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia accounts for just a sliver of American oil consumption, but together with its Central Asian allies provides the US with nearly half of a key energy resource.

US imports of Russian uranium won’t be affected by President Biden’s ban on Russian energy, a source familiar with the situation has told Reuters. The text of the executive order signed by President Biden Tuesday does not include uranium in its list of banned Russian energy products.

Nuclear power plants account for about 8.9 percent of US energy needs, including 20 percent of the country’s electricity, but America has no active uranium production or processing facilities, leaving it entirely dependent on imports.

"46 percent of the uranium used by the US’s 56 operational nuclear power plants is imported from Russia and its Kazakh and Uzbek allies, with 22 percent coming from Canada, 11 percent from Australia, and five percent from Namibia. The US purchased about 10.2 million kg of uranium from Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2020, according to data extrapolated from US Energy Information Administration figures.

US media reported last week that the National Energy Institute, a trade group of US nuclear power generation companies including Duke Energy Corp and Exelon Corp, had engaged in heavy lobbying of the White House to keep Russian uranium deliveries off any sanctions plans amid fears that their inclusion could cause a dramatic surge in US electricity prices.

“The [US nuclear] industry is just addicted to cheap Russian uranium,” a source familiar with the lobbying effort told Reuters last week.

Texas and Wyoming are known to have large reserves of uranium, and several US firms have expressed an interest in the resumption of domestic mining and processing if long-term contracts with the industry could be secured. The Trump administration proposed the creation of a $150 million strategic uranium reserve in 2020, but the effort has yet to gain traction despite support for the idea from the Biden team.

No More Sweetheart Deals

The United States has been heavily dependent on imports of uranium from Russia and the former Soviet Union since the early 1990s. In 1993, Vice President Al Gore and Russian Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin penned a 20-year, $11.9 billion deal on the delivery of over 550 metric tonnes of highly enriched uranium from tens of thousands of scrapped Russian nuclear warheads to the United States for use in American nuclear power plants.

The agreement was shrouded in secrecy at the time that it was signed, and subsequent investigations by Russian lawmakers and media revealed that the real value of this uranium was at least $50 billion, and possibly as much as $400 billion. This uranium provided for about 10 percent of all electricity generated in the United States over a 15 year period, pumping out more than 7 billion megawatt hours of energy, equivalent to about 15 billion barrels of oil, or 3.5 billion tonnes of coal. The Gore-Chernomyrdin agreement has subsequently been criticized as an act of national betrayal by the Yeltsin administration, with Russia said to have lost 90 percent of its weapons-grade uranium as a result of the deal.

After the agreement ran out, the US and Russia’s Rosatom signed new commercial contracts on the delivery of Russian uranium to the United States, but now at fair, internationally-set market prices.

https://sputniknews.com/20220309/us-ban-on-russian-energy-excludes-key-item-to-avoid-rolling-blackouts-across-american-cities-report-1093721032.html

Lalasticlala Mynd44

Christianity Etc › Re: Anglican Priest Resigns, Accuses Bishop Of Witch-hunt, Land Grabbing by Oghene1st: 10:25pm On Mar 07, 2022

Totilopussylick:
whatever but this isn't something to debate on.

Yes. That is why I said the church should investigate the allegation.

Christianity Etc › Re: Anglican Priest Resigns, Accuses Bishop Of Witch-hunt, Land Grabbing by Oghene1st: 10:19pm On Mar 07, 2022*

Totilopussylick:
Whatever.

But he should keep his eyes wide open.

They may send unknown gunmen to his new based

Anglican church don't do that. Whoever wants to leave can leave. Leaving will not put an end to the existence of the Communion. In Delta State, the current head of God's Grace Ministry broke away from Anglican Church to form his own church which now has a very large congregation. Yet, the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion is still solid. Still remains the biggest Church in Delta State. The Anglican Communion is the biggest church in Nigeria. With its dominance in South West and South South and good presence in East, it can never be shaken.

A church that has produced three Presidents of Nigeria in the persons of Yakubu Gowon, Shonekan and Goodluck Jonathan is too big for a single individual to pull down.

However, the church should simply investigate the allegation. Infact, the present primate is an Igbo man so he should do the needful.

Foreign Affairs › Re: China Backs Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine by Oghene1st: 9:41pm On Mar 07, 2022

Why not add the question mark to the headline. Looking at the URL, there is a question mark at the end of the title. I fact it is part and last of the title.

Foreign Affairs › Re: West Feeling Impact Of Russia Sanctions Too As Oil And Gas Prices Soar by Oghene1st: 9:24pm On Mar 07, 2022

Na them sabi. If only Russia can just stop gas supply to EU for just one week, make their people die small. Then resume supply to them. This is just to teach them a brief lesson.

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Christianity Etc › Re: Anglican Priest Resigns, Accuses Bishop Of Witch-hunt, Land Grabbing by Oghene1st: 8:59pm On Mar 07, 2022*

The beauty about Anglican church is that we don't see the Revs. as superiors because the church politics is even above them, and it act as checks against them. We see them as mere mortals appointed to head the church under the watch of the members.

We go to church to learn the teachings of Christ and follow the beliefs of the communion, and not what a mere mortal who is a head says.

The communion is older than any current Reverend, Bishop or Primate. They will come and go, and the communion will still very much remain unchanged.

This is the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion. The church should investigate the situation.

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Foreign Affairs › "Are We Your Slaves?" Imran Khan Slams West's Demands To Condemn Russia by Oghene1st(op): 5:51am On Mar 07, 2022

On March 1, the heads of 22 foreign missions to Islamabad, including those of EU member nations, issued a joint letter requesting Pakistan to back a UN General Assembly resolution denouncing Russia's special operation in Ukraine.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan slammed Western envoys visiting his country's capital Islamabad who called on Pakistan to denounce Russia's special military operation in Ukraine last week, asking if they thought Pakistan was their "slave," Reuters reported upon his response on Sunday.

"What do you think of us? Are we your slaves ... that whatever you say, we will do?" Khan remarked while speaking at a political event.

As the UNGA was voting to adopt a resolution condemning the Russian special operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, Pakistan abstained from voting, and so did its political rival in the region, India.

"I want to ask the European Union ambassadors: Did you write such a letter to India?" Khan said, per the translation.

Khan also reportedly said that Europe has failed to condemn India over Kashmir, a mountainous region where Pakistan and India have fought two wars.

The prime minister added that Pakistan had suffered as a result of its assistance to the NATO alliance in Afghanistan, and that instead of thanks, it had received condemnation.

Khan and his administration were criticized after going ahead with a visit to Moscow in late February shortly before the special operation in Ukraine was declared, and meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin just hours after the operation's launch.

On Sunday, however, Khan reportedly said that Pakistan is "friends with Russia, and we are also friends with America; we are friends with China and with Europe; we are not in any camp." He went on to say that Pakistan would remain "neutral" and collaborate with those working to end the Ukraine conflict.

On Friday, a spokesman for Pakistan's foreign ministry reportedly stated at the press briefing that it was "not usual diplomatic practice" for envoys to make public requests like their letter, "and we have made that clear."

"We took note of that and in a subsequent meeting with a group of ambassadors, we expressed our concern about it, because as I said that is not the way diplomacy should be practiced, and I think they have realised it,” he added.

Some European envoys who shared the joint statement on Twitter reportedly erased the tweets some time after.

https://sputniknews.com/20220306/are-we-your-slaves-imran-khan-slams-wests-demands-to-condemn-russia-over-spec-op-in-ukraine-1093642574.html

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Foreign Affairs › Re: Do Not Test Britain Ben Wallace Tells Putin by Oghene1st: 7:45pm On Mar 06, 2022

sapientia:
Yes, that plays a part but it's not like without USA any nation can simply overun them

Check the events of I and II world wars

UK can hold their own even their Navy is globally recognized.

Most strong European countries that joined NATO did that to be as strong as USA cos invading any is like invading USA.

I never said that any nation can overrun UK but was specific in mentioning Russia and North Korea. I never said any nation

Foreign Affairs › Re: Do Not Test Britain Ben Wallace Tells Putin by Oghene1st: 1:09pm On Mar 06, 2022

sapientia:
How do people always conclude that UK is a push over

USA do not go into the kind of bilateral arrangements they have with UK with a weak country

UK and USA have no single secret when it comes to nuclear weapon, I hope you know it's a signed agreement

USA dont have same with any country cos they have nothing to offer them

Maybe you forget UK was once the master of US. And by the way, many whites are European Americans of UK decent. It was just an agreement made possible by historical relationship.

Foreign Affairs › Re: Do Not Test Britain Ben Wallace Tells Putin by Oghene1st: 11:53am On Mar 06, 2022

ObamaMessi:
Na him them never wipe little ukraine in 2weeks?

Russia didn't say they are at war with Ukraine. It is western media that are pushing that narrative. Russia is not interested in taking over Ukraine. They are after demilitarizing Ukraine as they said. This is done by simply targetting Ukraine's nuclear plants, military and armouries. This they are doing by avoiding civilian deaths. That is why despite the outcry by western media, civilian deaths are relatively low.

Notwithstanding the above, when I say say war as stated in my earlier comment, I mean using nuclear weapons or military to face civilians and military personnel. I am not talking about what is happening in Ukraine but a real battle where nuclear weapons, soldiers are at a mission to kill anyone and not just targetting military bases, armouries, etc.

United Kingdom won't take Russia 1 day to clear. Don't forget that Ukraine is a brother to Russia, so you don't expect them to unleash their full wrath on them. It is like fighting your brother, it can't be the same fighting an enemy.

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Foreign Affairs › Re: Do Not Test Britain Ben Wallace Tells Putin by Oghene1st: 11:12am On Mar 06, 2022

Powers dey talk, even UK too dey talk. People wey nor fit stand on their own but on coalition with others now called the West. Lazy brats.

Russia v West and US

If it is Russia v UK, and not West and US. Russia go wipe UK in two minutes. Even North Korea go wipe them. People wey technology don leave since and they import almost all technology they use, either from China, US or Germany.

UK too wan talk. Na the Security Council membership dey shack them. Position wey Germany or India or Japan for occupy nai dem give midget.

4 Likes

Politics › Re: Do You Have Any Family Traditions? If So, What are They?? by Oghene1st: 8:56pm On Mar 05, 2022

We nor dey laugh while dancing in my family. We can laugh while clapping but as E enter dance, it is a big taboo in my family for you to laugh or smile.

Foreign Affairs › Mexico Refuses To Sanction Russia, Welcomes Russian Commercial Planes by Oghene1st(op): 10:28pm On Mar 01, 2022

President Lopez Obrador says his country won’t take part in trying to punish Moscow over its attack on Ukraine

Mexico won’t be taking part in the international pile-on to sanction Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has said he seeks to keep his country on peaceful terms with all nations.

“We are not going to take any sort of economic retaliation because we want to maintain good relations with all the governments of the world,” Lopez Obrador told reporters on Tuesday. He added that remaining neutral will put Mexico in a position to “talk with the parties in conflict.”

The Mexican leader’s position on the Ukraine crisis marks a novel diplomatic strategy as other nations around the world – including former Warsaw Pact nations such as Bulgaria and Romania – join the US in trying to punish Russia. Choosing neutrality could strain Mexico’s close relationship with Washington, but Lopez Obrador has been critical of US foreign policy.

Even as it tries to avoid alienating its dominant trading partner, the US, Mexico also aims to maintain economic ties with Russia and Moscow’s Latin American allies. Russia’s Lukoil this year bought into an offshore oil project in Mexico, and Lopez Obrador said on Monday that his country will keep its airspace open for Aeroflot’s flights to Mexico City.

Mexican Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco was widely criticized this week for posting a Twitter message offering “warm greetings” to Aeroflot and noting that “tourism is synonymous with peace, friendship and understanding between peoples.” He added that Russian tourist visits to Mexico more than doubled last year to over 75,000.

Lopez Obrador criticized censorship of Russian media outlets, including RT, by governments and social media companies. “I don’t agree with the fact that media from Russia or any country is censored,” he said.

https://www.rt.com/news/550997-mexico-declines-to-sanction-russia/

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Foreign Affairs › What Is The Fate of Educational Tourists In Ukraine? by Oghene1st(op): 9:29pm On Mar 01, 2022

What is the future movement of foreign studentship in Ukraine?

Students here are those from Asia, Africa, South America and Europe.

What will be the aftermath of the Russai-Ukraine conflict on Ukraine economy as per educational tourism?

Lalasticlala Mynd44

Foreign Affairs › Military Intervention: Bulgarian Defense Minister Fired For Comments by Oghene1st(op): 8:24am On Mar 01, 2022

Sofia’s military chief has been sacked for calling Russia’s conflict in Ukraine a ‘military intervention’ rather than a ‘war’

Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov has fired defense chief Stefan Yanev over his word choices in describing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, calling the situation a “military intervention” or an “operation” rather than a “war.”

“My defense minister cannot use the word operation instead of the word war,” Petkov told reporters on Monday. “You cannot call it an operation when thousands of soldiers from the one and the other side are already killed.”

The prime minister added that “the Bulgarian interest is not in bending our heads down.” Rather, “When we see something we do not agree with, something so obvious, we cannot keep quiet.”

All four parties in Bulgaria’s ruling coalition agreed to call for Yanev’s resignation, Petkov noted. A new defense minister – reportedly Todor Tagarev, who held the position in 2013 – will be appointed in an extraordinary session of Parliament that will be held on Tuesday.

The firing came in reaction to a Facebook post by Yanev. Commenting on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the defense minister warned against using the word “war.” He said there was no need for Bulgaria to side with Russia, the US, or European allies in the conflict, adding, “Our suffering motherland does not deserve to be sacrificed in the game of the great powers.”

Petkov chided him for the post, saying, “No minister can attempt to do foreign policymaking on his own, especially on Facebook.” Yanev argued that he was being targeted for removal so the government could install a defense minister who will be more willing to serve foreign interests, in some cases at the expense of Bulgaria’s security.

Bulgaria was for long a close ally of Russia and was a Soviet satellite as a member of the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. However, the country joined NATO in 2004 and became part of the European Union in 2007. Petkov has said that standing in solidarity with Western allies is the best way to ensure Bulgaria’s security.

Moscow last week closed its airspace to flights from Bulgaria, after the Balkan country blocked Russian air carriers from its territory in response to the attack on Ukraine.

https://www.rt.com/news/550891-bulgaria-fires-defense-chief/

Politics › Re: Presidential Ticket: Atiku Taking PDP Delegates For Granted — Wike by Oghene1st: 8:54pm On Feb 27, 2022*

Chill, South South owns PDP currently. Make all of us start to make mouth. Make we see where Atiku go go. The last time, na Igbo PDP delegates backstab Wike and South South by voting Atiku as against our choice of Tambuwal after Atiku gave them dollars and paid their hotel lodging fees in PH.

South East will likely vote Atiku again.

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Foreign Affairs › Re: Russian Soldiers Surrendering by Oghene1st: 5:18pm On Feb 27, 2022

FERNANDEZISBACK:
Aptly put..
His puppet are trooping into this thread trying to bring up their normal nonsense..
Putin is an evil monster who only wants to invade Ukraine for his selfish interest... someone that should be executed..he shouldn't be recognized as human..

To be truthful with you, I have never seen a female who loves politics like you. Your type is rare. But the problem is, you do it in a daft way.

How can someone in her right senses masturbate over a piece of info without a source? You amazed me. How did you know that it is Putin that is solely fighting the war? Did you go to Russia to confirm this?

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Foreign Affairs › China Lifts All Restrictions On Wheat Imports From Russia by Oghene1st(op): 2:45pm On Feb 27, 2022

The move could ease the impact of western sanctions against Moscow

China is now fully open to Russian wheat deliveries, as all import restrictions have been lifted, the South China Morning Post has reported, citing the country’s General Administration of Customs.

The announcement was made public on Thursday, hours after Russia began its military operation in Ukraine, the paper says, adding that the deal could provide a lifeline to the Russian economy as it faces tough economic sanctions from the EU and the US, and at the same time addresses China’s need to enhance food security.

China previously restricted imports from Russia due to phytosanitary concerns, as a measure to control the spread of plant diseases. Earlier this month, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing, China agreed to allow imports from Russia.

The crisis in Ukraine sent global wheat prices to record highs this week. Russia, the world’s top wheat exporter, and Ukraine, dubbed ‘the breadbasket of Europe’, both account for nearly a third of the global wheat export market.

China refused to condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine, instead calling for the sides to “exercise restraint” and accusing the United States of “fueling fire” in the region.

https://www.rt.com/business/550630-china-lifts-restrictions-russian-wheat/

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Foreign Affairs › Re: Ukraine Agrees To Hold Talks With Russia In Belarus – Moscow by Oghene1st(op): 2:42pm On Feb 27, 2022

dangermouse:
Some uninformed Nairaland key warriors will tell you that its Ukraine that is looking for a way to dialogue with Putin while it's the other way round.
Putin knows he can't win this war which he started even if he succeeds in the invasion then what's next? Regime change?

Thats still going back to square one, cis its not about Ukrainian leaders but about the resolve of Ukrainians who have turned their back against Russia.

Putin wants to minimise casualties. From what I have observed, it is the West that want to escalate the whole issue through propaganda. Take for example, look at the casualties so far, very minimal. It goes a long way to tell you that what is going on in Ukraine is not what is being reported on the media.

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Foreign Affairs › China Says The West Should Address Russia's "Legitimate Security Demands" by Oghene1st(op): 2:34pm On Feb 27, 2022

Beijing believes the West should address Moscow’s “legitimate security demands”

China said on Saturday that Western sanctions slapped on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine will not solve the crisis. Many countries have imposed sweeping restrictions on Moscow, hitting its banks, trade, and largest airline, among other things. Foreign Minister Wang Yi made his comments during a phone call with his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang said “China doesn’t support the use of sanctions to solve problems, and even more so opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law.”

“It’s been long proven that sanctions not only fail to solve [existing] problems, but create news ones, resulting ‘lose-lose’ effects on the economy and interfering in the process of political settlement,” he added.

The minister said China opposes both the use of force and sanctions regarding Ukraine. He argued that Russia’s “legitimate security demands” on NATO’s eastward expansion “should be properly addressed.” Moscow said it seeks legally binding assurances that NATO will never accept Ukraine as a member state and will pull its troops from Eastern Europe – demands that the US-led bloc rejects.

The US, Britain, EU member states, and several other countries imposed new sweeping sanctions on Moscow after it launched a military operation against Kiev on Thursday. Russia argued that the move was necessary to defend the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which broke off from Ukraine after the 2014 coup in Kiev. Ukraine said the attack by Russia was entirely unprovoked.

Russia vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution condemning its operation in Ukraine on Friday, while China abstained from voting.

According to Berlin, during her phone call with Wang, Baerbock “stressed that China bears a special responsibility” for the events in Ukraine as a permanent member of the UN’s top decision-making body.

https://www.rt.com/news/550748-china-sanctions-dont-work/

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Foreign Affairs › Ukraine Agrees To Hold Talks With Russia In Belarus – Moscow by Oghene1st(op): 2:22pm On Feb 27, 2022

Earlier, Kiev refused to conduct negotiations on Belarusian territory amid the conflict

Russia said on Sunday that, after some back-and-forth, Ukraine agreed to dispatch a team to Belarus for talks to end the Russian military campaign in the country.

Kiev “confirmed” the planned talks in Gomel Region, which is close to the borders of both Russia and Ukraine, Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told reporters.

BREAKING NEWS: Putin orders Russian nuclear deterrent forces to be on highest alert
The move comes in response to ‘hostile’ rhetoric by top NATO officials, Russia’s president has explained
https://www.rt.com/russia/550767-putin-nuclear-deterrent-forces-order/

Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin and former culture minister, added that the parties are now deciding on the logistics and the exact location of the summit, with “maximum security” for the Ukrainians.

“We guarantee that the travel route will be 100% safe. We will be waiting for the Ukrainian delegation,” Russian chief negotiator said.

The Russian team arrived in Gomel on Sunday, where it said talks were planned with the Ukrainians. Kiev later said it wanted to negotiate on “neutral ground,” arguing that Russian troops were using Belarusian territory to stage attacks on Ukraine. Minsk, however, denied that its forces were participating in the Russian operation.

The Russians initially said their team would stay in Belarus until 3pm local time. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko over the phone, asking to move the deadline, according to Lukashenko’s spokeswoman, Natalia Eismont. She said the Belarusian leader then spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who agreed to move the planned negotiations to a later time.

Zelensky confirmed the call with Lukashenko on social media, but has not commented on the talks.

Moscow attacked its neighbor this week, arguing that it was defending the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which broke off from the eastern part of Ukraine shortly after the 2014 coup in Kiev. Ukraine said the move was an act of unprovoked aggression.

https://www.rt.com/russia/550765-ukraine-agrees-talks-russia/

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