Latest news with #SergeiLavrov
News18
a day ago
- Business
- News18
Russia Claims Quad Nations Trying To Force India Into Military Alliance: ‘Trying To Involve…'
Last Updated: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov highlighted that Quad member countries were actively pushing for naval and military exercises outside the official Quad framework. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has claimed that India's joined the QUAD alliance, comprising the United States, Japan, and Australia, ostensibly for trade; however, the member nations were reportedly already coordinating naval and other military exercises. 'We spoke to our Indian friends back then and they told us that their interest in joining the Quad is exclusively of trade of economic nature and cooperation in other peaceful areas," he said at a security conference in Eurasia in the city of Perm, as quoted by media reports. He highlighted that Quad member countries were actively pushing for naval and military exercises outside the official Quad framework. Lavrov further warned that these actions were part of a broader strategy to militarise the alliance, adding, 'they try to involve all the four countries into these exercises. And I'm sure that our Indian friends, they can see this provocation clearly." He also called for reviving the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral format. He said the 'time has come" to restart RIC meetings, adding that, in his view, India and China have reached an understanding on easing border tensions. 'I would like to confirm our genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of the troika — Russia, India, China — which was established many years ago on the initiative of (ex-Russian prime minister) Yevgeny Primakov, and which has organised meetings more than 20 times at the ministerial level since then, not only at the level of foreign policy chiefs, but also the heads of other economic, trade and financial agencies of the three countries," Lavrov was quoted as saying by TASS. The RIC platform, originally launched in the late 1990s, has remained dormant since the deadly Galwan clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in June 2020. While Russia had hinted at trilateral engagement during the BRICS Summit in Kazan in 2024, Lavrov's latest pitch marks the most explicit call to formally revive the RIC mechanism since Galwan. Lavrov's renewed pitch signals much more than just a procedural revival — it reflects Moscow's shifting diplomatic calculus amid changing global alignments. Earlier, Lavrov had alleged that the West is attempting to create a rift between India and China to foster antagonism between the neighbouring countries. While speaking at a meeting of a diplomatic club, he had asserted that Western strategies in the Asia-Pacific region are designed to fuel tensions between the two Asian nations. 'Take note of the current developments in the Asia-Pacific region, which the West has started calling the Indo-Pacific region to give its policy a clear anti-China orientation — expecting thereby to additionally clash our great friends and neighbours India and China," Lavrov had said. First Published:
Leaders
2 days ago
- Politics
- Leaders
Russian FM Criticizes Israel's ‘Collective Punishment' of Gaza Civilians
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday described Israeli attacks on Gaza as 'collective punishment of the civilian population,' according to AFP. Lavrov's statement represents one of Moscow's strongest criticisms of Israel that has been committing a genocide in Gaza. The minister also stated that 'measures taken by Israel' in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas 'constitute collective punishment of the civilian population.' Therefore, he described what was happening in Gaza 'incomprehensible and indescribable.' Since the beginning of Hamas-Israel War in Gaza in 2023, the Israeli strikes have killed at least 53,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 118,000, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Hamas has recently agreed to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's proposal for a Gaza ceasefire, while an Israeli official has rejected the deal and claimed that it was not Washington's, according to Reuters. 'The proposal includes the release of 10 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in two groups in return for a 70-day ceasefire and a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,' the source said. The deal also involved the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners by Israel, notably hundreds serving lengthy prison terms. However, an Israeli official dismissed the deal, expressing that no Israeli government could approve such an agreement. He further rejected the confirmation that the deal aligned with Witkoff's proposal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently said that Israel would only agree to a temporary ceasefire in exchange of the release of hostages. Netanyahu also vowed that eradicating Hamas would mark the immediate end of the war. Related Topics: Hamas Says Gaza Ceasefire Framework Reached with Witkoff Germany Threatens Israel with Arms Exports Halt Over Gaza Crisis Hamas Agrees to US Proposal for Gaza, Israel Rejects Short link : Post Views: 10
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Russia slams Israeli attacks on Gaza as 'collective punishment' of civilians
MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday slammed Israeli attacks on Gaza as "collective punishment of the civilian population", in some of Moscow's strongest criticism of Israel as it steps up its offensive. The Israeli military has recently stepped up its offensive in the territory in what it says is a renewed push to destroy Hamas, whose Oct 7, 2023 attack triggered the war. "What is happening in Gaza is incomprehensible and indescribable," Lavrov said at a regional forum. "The measures taken by Israel" in response to the attack by Hamas "constitute collective punishment of the civilian population," he added. Featured Videos Russia and Israel have traditionally enjoyed warm relations -- almost a fifth of Israel's population is Russian-speaking and Moscow has for years strove to maintain cordial ties with all major powers in the Middle East. The two countries also closely coordinate military actions in Syria, and Israel has so far abstained from sharp criticism of Russia's offensive on Ukraine and has not joined Western-led sanctions on Moscow. But amid its offensive in Ukraine, Russia has been establishing closer diplomatic and business ties with Arab countries. "We, together with our Arab friends and the overwhelming majority of other countries, insist that the bloodshed must stop immediately," Lavrov said. - AFP
NBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- NBC News
Trump gives Putin two weeks. What's next?
Moscow has done little to dispel that reputation of slow-balling the president in recent days. Putin is yet to deliver a memorandum for a peace agreement that he promised shortly after the two leaders spoke on the phone over a week ago. The Kremlin insists the document is in its final stages and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday proposed fresh direct talks with Ukraine on June 2 at which he said Moscow would hand over its proposal. Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov accused Russia of delaying the process Wednesday on X, calling on the Kremlin to deliver its memorandum beforehand and pointing out that Kyiv had already done so. Other advocates of tougher measures against Russia say the U.S. and its allies ought to target Russia's 'shadow fleet' of around 500 shipping vessels used to export Russian oil around the world that has largely evaded oil price cap sanctions imposed by the U.S. and European Union. White House officials previously feared such a move could trigger higher energy prices with potentially damaging political and economic consequences, but the E.U. and Britain did just that last week as they announced a new raft of sanctions on Russia. The Biden administration in its final weeks in January also sanctioned 183 Russian vessels. Such vessels have largely slipped under the West's gaze by avoiding any contracts for Western services as well as certain types of insurance. 'Russia's shadow fleet strategy circumvents sanctions by avoiding reliance on Western service providers in the export supply chain, rather than concealing the origins and destinations of their cargoes,' Harvard University Russian oil expert Craig Kennedy said in a recent analysis. Sanctions have already affected Russia's oil export revenues: the market price for Urals oil has slipped to $65 a barrel from a peak of $100 a barrel in 2022, shaving an estimated $142 billion off the Russian economy, according to the Kyiv School of Economics. But that figure has not been as large as previously hoped, said the Harvard Davis Center's Kennedy.
The Sun
2 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Trump gives Putin two-week ceasefire DEADLINE as tyrant masses 50k troops at border – but will new talks stop bloodbath?
A FRUSTRATED Donald Trump has issued Vladimir Putin a two-week deadline for a ceasefire - warning of a different response if Putin is "tapping us along". The US president's ultimatum comes as Russia launches its deadliest strikes yet on Ukraine, with Kyiv fearing Moscow is massing troops for a major new offensive. 3 3 3 Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday: 'I'm very disappointed at what happened a couple of nights now where people were killed in the middle of what you would call a negotiation." He added: 'When I see rockets being shot into cities, that's no good. We're not going to allow it.' When asked if Putin really wants to end the war, Trump replied: "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks. "Within two weeks. We're gonna find out whether or not (Putin is) tapping us along or not. "And if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently." The US president's comments came just minutes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposed a second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. He said the proposed talks on June 2 would be a continuation of negotiations. Kyiv has said it's "not opposed" to meetings. The White House has ramped up its efforts to push for a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine. Trump and Putin recently had a two-hour phone call, after which Putin said he was ready to work with Ukraine on a "memorandum on a possible future peace agreement". Trump 'not happy' with Putin after war's biggest air attack on Ukraine killing 13 as Don considers sanctions on Russia The White House has been accused of appeasing Moscow - most notably when Trump shifted the focus from the 30-day ceasefire mentioned in the call and later opted for a summit with Putin. But the US has rejected these claims, pointing out that all sanctions remain in force against Russia. The Kremlin has not yet sent a memorandum, claiming it's currently drafting its version and that there cannot be a fixed deadline for ceasefire details to be agreed. Meanwhile, over the past few days, the US president has lashed out at his Russian counterpart on social media. He said on Tuesday that Putin has gone "absolutely crazy" and is "playing with fire" after Russia intensified its attacks on Ukraine. Trump added that "lots of bad things" would have happened to Russia if it were not for his involvement. He broke his silence on Sunday after Russia fired 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities in the largest aerial attack of the war now in its fourth year. Russian strikes in Kyiv killed at least 13 people and injured dozens more. Putin has been building up a 50,000-strong force alongside the border of Kharkiv, for an offensive in the eastern region of Sumy, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Tuesday, it was revealed that Putin's forces had snatched another four villages in Ukraine's Sumy region. Sumy governor Oleh Hryhorov wrote in a post: "The enemy is continuing attempts to advance with the aim of setting up a so-called buffer zone". Hryhorov said the villages of Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka and Zhuravka had been overrun and the resident evacuated. In response, Ukraine launched a wave of brutal drone strikes on the Russian capital. Zelensky has accused Moscow of delaying the peace process and claimed Ukrainian intelligence shows Putin has no intention of ending the war. According to top Russian officials, Putin wants a "written" pledge from Western leaders to stop Nato's expansion to countries eastward, it was revealed to Reuters. The eastward expansion refers to Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and other former Soviet republics.
