Latest news with #anti-Russia
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
'Russia Is Immune': Putin Aides Mock EU's New Sanctions; ‘Ukraine's Rout Will...,' Vows Medvedev
Russia openly mocks the EU's 18th sanctions package, which target its energy and financial sectors. Former President Dmitry Medvedev asserts Ukraine's "rout" will continue, unhindered by restrictions. Russia's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev claims sanctions hurt the EU more. The Kremlin insists it has adapted to "anti-Russia" measures. This follows Trump's threat of 100% secondary tariffs and NATO chief Mark Rutte's warning to India, China, and Brazil over trade with Russia. Read More
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
What explains Donald Trump's Russia u-turn?
In an interview given to the BBC this week, United States President Donald Trump said he was 'disappointed in' Russia's leader Vladimir Putin, even though he was 'not [yet] done with him'. Asked if he still trusted President Putin, Trump said he trusted 'almost nobody'. Hours earlier, Trump had announced he planned to send weapons to Ukraine and threatened severe tariffs on Russia if there was no ceasefire deal in 50 days. During the interview, Trump endorsed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the anti-Russia Western alliance that he has previously described as obsolete. Almost on cue, NATO chief Mark Rutte warned India, China, and Brazil that they could be 'hit very hard' with economic penalties if they continued to do business with Russia 'and buy their oil and gas'. Rutte 'encouraged' the leaders of these countries to 'tell [Putin] that he has to get serious about peace talks [to end the war in Ukraine], because otherwise this will slam back on Brazil, on India and on China in a massive way'. A change of heart Trump's statements demonstrate a remarkable turnaround from his position this May, when he described Putin as a 'nice gentleman', and defended the Russian President on some occasions. At a disastrous White House meeting, he berated Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a 'dictator' who was 'gambling with World War III'. Trump also choked US military supplies to Ukraine, and stopped US intelligence-sharing with the Ukrainian government. In startling contrast, the US President has made increasingly angry comments about the Russian President this past week. His publicly expressed frustration with Putin marks a significant departure from the way he has so far viewed the war in Ukraine. Trump's seeming change of heart could also be a lifeline for NATO. America's European partners have been concerned about Trump's commitment to Article 5 of the treaty — the principle of collective defence, which means that an attack against one ally is considered an attack against all. Putin has got 50 days to negotiate, and NATO has got a lifeline in the process. Europe, apprehensive of the future of the transatlantic alliance, seems to have regained some unexpected goodwill with Trump. The President has also sanctioned US-made artillery shells and mobile rocket artillery systems for Ukraine, and there has been some talk of shipping Patriot missiles to Kyiv. Zelenskyy has said he has discussed 'weapons supplies and strengthening air defence' with Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg. Trump has also reportedly approved key Ukrainian requests for military aid 'based on a detailed list that Zelenskyy handed him last month when they met [during the NATO summit] in The Hague'. Impatience, uncertainty The turn in Trump's attitude has been seen as resulting from Putin's increasing demands — not only does Russia want to keep the Ukrainian territories that it currently occupies and a ban on Ukraine's membership of NATO, but also the removal of Zelenskyy. Trump, who is impatient to show the world that he has stopped the war in Ukraine and aspires for the Nobel Peace Prize, possibly feels slighted that he hasn't got anything from Putin yet. What Trump certainly does not want is to be seen to be 'weak' — and to be mocked for allowing himself to be played by the Russian President. That said, it is simply too early to say that Trump has definitively changed his view of Putin. America's leader is famously unpredictable — his disappointment with his Russian counterpart could well be momentary and temporary, and he is entirely capable of reverting to praising Putin and berating Zelenskyy. Dealing with Trump What is the message for India in all of this? From the perspective of New Delhi, as it negotiates with Trump and his team — be it on trade or on Pakistan — the instructive learning is to stay the course. There are two things that matter. FIRST, as NATO and Europe have shown, it is important to build one's own capacities. As Trump appeared ready to abandon their relationship, Europe increased its military spending, rallied around Zelenskyy, and doubled down on its support to Ukraine. It is important for India to ensure that its national political and economic interests remain paramount. On the US demand for concessions on tariff and non-tariff barriers in the negotiations for a trade deal, New Delhi must stay focused on what is good for its own interests. If some tariff walls and barriers need a relook, India must consider that not for America's or any other country's benefit, but as part of its own reforms. SECOND, the US President needs to be engaged diplomatically and officially, but also through unofficial and informal channels. This is something that Pakistan has been seeking to do by engaging with Trump's inner circle of family and advisors. Some European leaders too have done the same by playing golf with the President, or by praising and feting him. New Delhi will have an opportunity to engage with the President if he travels to India for the Quad leaders' summit later this year. While that will be the official track, the Indian establishment is well-placed to engage with him through its networks in the Indian diaspora. The Trump White House has its own informal layers of engagement through family and trusted advisors, and South Block may have to make use of those channels of communication to get through to the President. In this context, New Delhi can perhaps learn a thing or two from Zelenskyy. Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
Politico
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Moscow adds Yale to ‘undesirable organizations' list
Russia has added dozens of foreign nonprofits, media organizations and charities — including human rights NGO Amnesty International and American liberal arts school Bard College — to the state blacklist since 2015. The Russian government also singled out the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, which houses the university's International Leadership Center, accusing the school of training 'opposition leaders of foreign countries.' The statement said Russian graduates of the program have gone on to join the Anti-Corruption Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny — who died in a Russian prison last year — alleging they 'used the knowledge and technologies they acquired at the school to escalate protest activity in the Russian Federation.' The Jackson School recognized Navalny in 2010 with a scholarship to a fellows program. Moscow has banned dozens of American academics accused of partaking in anti-Russia activities — including Yale professors Larry Samuelson and Jeffrey Sonnenfeld — from entering the country since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Several scholars at the university, including Sonnenfeld, have promoted the idea of directing Russia's frozen assets to Ukraine. Sonnenfeld, who was added to Russia's no-entry list in June 2022 along with several academics, U.S. senators and members of the Biden family, said he considers the Kremlin's attacks to be a 'badge of honor.' 'I think it is a proud patriotic moment where we're waving the flag to show that the national interests and the interests of institutions like this are inextricably intertwined,' Sonnenfeld said Tuesday in an interview. Yale did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov writes: The West and its echo chamber
On June 25, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an agreement to establish what they are calling a 'Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine'. The aim is supposedly to 'hold accountable' Russia's political and military leadership for allegedly 'using force in violation of the UN Charter'. This move is just the latest in a series of anti-Russia legal stunts cooked up by Kyiv and its Western backers. Originally, Ukraine tried to push this so-called 'tribunal' through the United Nations. But the effort was largely ignored — unsurprisingly, given its pseudo-legal foundation. In fact, this is not the first time such overblown initiatives have fallen flat. Back in January 2024, the International Court of Justice threw out Ukraine's accusations that Russia had violated international conventions on terrorism financing and racial discrimination. Yet, Kyiv and Strasbourg still cling to the fantasy that this new 'tribunal' can somehow legitimise their anti-Russia narrative. To anyone outside the echo chamber of European politics, this whole idea seems delusional — but it is clearly designed to stoke fear among Europeans about the non-existent 'Russian threat', which NATO eagerly plays up to justify its own existence. Let's not forget: According to the UN Charter, only the Security Council has the authority to determine whether an act of aggression has occurred and to impose sanctions. Neither the Council of Europe nor Zelenskyy has that mandate. Since they cannot get their way through international law, they are trying to replace it with a notorious 'rules-based order' — a convenient excuse for applying double standards. For years, the West has brushed aside reality — ignoring Russia's legitimate security concerns, its right to self-defence, and its actions grounded in international law. These factors were key in escalating the Ukrainian crisis in the first place. Now, this tribunal push feels like nothing more than a desperate attempt by Europe to shield Kyiv from an investigation into its own numerous war crimes and to mask the strategic missteps in their reckless bid to 'defeat' Russia at any cost. Russia's stance on all this has been loud and clear: These schemes have no legal weight. They have no legitimacy and are not about justice or peace. To the contrary, they make a peaceful resolution even harder to achieve. Now that the agreement has been signed, Kyiv and Strasbourg are shopping this tribunal idea around to countries outside the region — particularly in the Global South. The strategy is to create a precedent that turns this legal fiction into a new tool of neo-colonial pressure against anyone who refuses to toe the line of the West. The endgame is as clear as it is cynical. What is especially troubling is the timing. These moves come just as fragile negotiations are resuming — a clear attempt to sabotage any chance at dialogue. And they go hand-in-hand with Kyiv's daily drone attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure, deep inside our territory. Europe turns a blind eye, sticking to its one-sided narrative and pretending not to see the bigger picture. It is more proof that the creators of this tribunal are not interested in peace — they are playing politics, plain and simple. Russia's position has not changed: We remain committed to a diplomatic solution, one that addresses the root causes of the conflict and reflects the facts on the ground. Russia's leadership has said it time and again — the longer this conflict drags on, the worse the eventual terms will be for Ukraine. Europe is now doing everything to make that happen. The writer is Russian Ambassador to India
United News of India
27-06-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Pro-Kremlin Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk says Zelensky regime will collapse without NATO backing
Kyiv, June 27 (UNI) Ukrainian opposition politician and chairman of the Other Ukraine movement Viktor Medvedchuk chiding President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that his power will not dissipate without NATO support, the very powers for whose interests he is fighting. "Ukraine was made an anti-Russia with Western money, and now it is not fighting for its own interests, which Zelenskyy is incredibly proud of. The uncompromising stance of the drug lord in negotiations is based on the fact that he promotes not the interests of Ukraine, but the interests of NATO, and receives the support of the alliance. 'It is this support that keeps Zelenskyy in power, otherwise he will not be able to hang on," Medvedchuk said in an opinion article published by the news website, reports TASS. "The 2022 Istanbul agreements were disrupted because the collective West promised Kiev unconditional support, offering assistance on a 'whatever it takes' basis," Medvedchuk wrote. He further asserted that NATO countries have become active participants in the conflict, not merely providing support in words but engaging directly in military actions and acting as instigators. Medvedchuk further accused Zelensky of becoming NATO's champion at the cost of ruining the country, leaving hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian dead, hundreds of thousands more crippled, and millions being forced to leave their homeland and becoming refugees, reports Sputnik. On March 19, the European Commission presented its new defence strategy ReArm Europe, which directs over €800 billion ($937 billion) to strengthen the defence of the EU countries and keep supplying Ukraine with arms and munitions. The move has further been exacerbated by the US' growing frustration with the war, which has repeatedly threatened to back out of the conflict. The pro-Kremlin politician further said that the whole war was a means for NATO to justify its continued existence, as it was formed to contain the erstwhile Soviet Union, which dissolved in 1991. As such, he alleged that the bloc needed a new adversary to keep itself going. Its leadership he claimed, perceives European security as dependent on weakening Russia and dismantling it as a state. Russia has constantly chastised the Western arms supplies to Ukraine, stating that they only hinder the war's resolution, and would involve NATO countries in the crisis, which could potentially trigger a third world war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will be a legitimate target for the Russian military. UNI ANV GNK
