Latest news with #proxywar
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump NATO Envoy Warns China Over ‘Subsidizing' Russia's War
The US ambassador to NATO said China needed to be 'called out for their subsidizing' of Russia's war in Ukraine as the Trump administration ratchets up its threat to impose tariffs if Moscow does not agree to a peace deal. 'China thinks they're fighting a proxy war through Russia, and we're seeing in some statements by the Chinese government that they want to keep the United States and our allies occupied with this war, so that we can't focus on our other strategic challenges,' NATO ambassador Matthew Whitaker said Tuesday on Fox Business.
Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Russia must be ready to strike West over Ukraine, former leader says
Russia should prepare to carry out military strikes on western countries over their support for Ukraine, Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian leader, has said. 'What is happening today is a proxy war, but in essence it is a full-fledged war,' Medvedev, who is now a senior Russian national security official, told the Tass news agency. 'We need to act accordingly. Respond in full. And if necessary, launch preventative strikes.' Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said that while Medvedev had been expressing his own opinions, such views were 'entirely justified', in light of what he described as the 'confrontational and militaristic' mood in Europe. Once seen as a relative liberal, Medvedev has transformed into one of Russia's biggest hawks since President Putin ordered tanks into Ukraine in 2022. He also portrayed western backing for Ukraine as part of what he said was a centuries-old campaign against Moscow. 'It's another attempt to destroy the 'historical anomaly' hated by the West — Russia, our country,' he said. He echoed the Kremlin's insistence that Russia was not planning to invade a Nato or European country, saying that such claims by some western officials were 'complete nonsense'. However, Moscow also mocked suspicions that it was preparing to launch a full-scale war against Ukraine up until it began bombing Kyiv, triggering the biggest conflict in Europe since 1945. Mark Rutte, the Nato chief, warned on a visit to London last month that people in Britain should 'learn to speak Russian' unless the government increased defence spending. He said Russia was producing more ammunition in three months than the whole of Nato turned out in a year, and could threaten member states within three to five years. He said the threat from Putin's regime would remain acute, even if the war in Ukraine ended. • Russia planning attack on Nato 'to test article 5', warns Germany Medvedev served a single term as Putin's handpicked successor from 2008 to 2012 before stepping aside. His presidency was widely seen as a tactic to allow Putin, who shifted to the post of prime minister for four years, to return to the Kremlin without violating legal restrictions on 'consecutive' presidential terms. Medvedev then served as prime minister until 2020, when he was named the deputy chairman of Russia's national security council. His comments came as Russia and Ukraine exchanged the bodies of more dead soldiers under a deal that was agreed on during talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul last month. Russia said on Thursday that it had returned the bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers and received 19 of its own fallen troops in return. The two countries also exchanged bodies in June, when Ukraine received the remains of about 6,000 of its soldiers. Moscow took possession of about 80 bodies in return. President Zelensky said last month that the difference in the numbers of war dead received by each country was because Russian soldiers had died in areas of Ukraine occupied by Moscow. 'They were advancing, and their dead remained in the territory where they were,' he said. During last month's exchange, Ihor Klymenko, the Ukrainian interior minister, accused Russia of 'deliberately complicating' the identification process. 'Bodies are returned in an extremely mutilated state, parts of [the same] bodies are in different bags,' he said. Kyiv has also previously accused Russia of handing over the bodies of dead Russian soldiers disguised as Ukrainians. A number of repatriations of dead soldiers have taken place since the start of the war, although no meaningful progress has been made towards a peace deal. Alexus Grynkewich, Nato's top military commander, said on Thursday that preparations were under way to quickly transfer additional Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine. President Trump said on Tuesday that some Patriot missiles were already on their way from Germany to Kyiv. 'We are working very closely with the Germans on the Patriot transfer', Grynkewich said. 'The guidance that I have been given has been to move out as quickly as possible.' A meeting of countries with Patriot air defence systems, which are vital to protect Ukraine against Russian ballistic missiles, could be held next week at Nato's military headquarters near the Belgian town of Mons, Reuters said, citing a source. • What impact will Trump's weapons pledge have on Ukraine's war? At least two people were killed and dozens injured when Russian forces launched a 500kg bomb on a shopping centre and a market in Dobropillia, a frontline town in eastern Ukraine, officials said. Zelensky described the attack as 'horrific, senseless terror'. A woman also died in Belgorod, a Russian border city, in a Ukrainian drone attack, the regional governor said, adding that three civilians had been killed in another strike this week. About 25 people have also been injured, some seriously, by Ukrainian drone attacks on the southwestern Russian city of Voronezh in recent days, according to officials.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Putin ally suggests launching 'preventative strikes' against the West for practically waging 'full-scale war' on Russia - as Trump sours on Kremlin
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accused the West of practically waging a full-scale war against Russia and declared Moscow should respond in full - potentially with pre-emptive strikes on Western nations. 'What is happening today is a proxy war, but in essence it is a full-scale war, sanctions packages, loud statements about the militarisation of Europe,' Medvedev said in his latest tirade, carried by the TASS news agency. 'It's another attempt to destroy the 'historical anomaly' hated by the West - Russia, our country. 'We need to act accordingly, to respond in full. And if necessary, launch pre-emptive strikes.' He went on to add that many in the West had 'treachery in their blood' and a 'sick, very outdated view of their own superiority'. Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, cast himself as a liberal moderniser when he was president from 2008-2012, but has since emerged as an anti-Western Kremlin hawk. He now routinely spouts virulent anti-Western rhetoric and has accused the US, UK and Western European nations of trying to undermine Moscow for centuries. His fiery comments come days after US President Donald Trump announced he was 'very unhappy' with his opposite number in the Kremlin and would slap '100 per cent tariffs' on Russia - plus secondary sanctions on its trading partners - if a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine is not reached in 50 days. Meanwhile, the US and allies in Europe are now hashing out a deal to transfer yet more sophisticated weapons systems, including air defence systems, to Kyiv. The US-led NATO military alliance casts Russia as a major threat and politicians across Western Europe have said that Russia, which in 2022 sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, could one day attack a member of NATO. Medvedev has roundly rejected those claims as 'complete rubbish', noting that President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly rejected such assertions too. 'Let me remind you that our president has stated unequivocally: Russia is not going to fight NATO or attack Europe. 'The statements of Western politicians on this topic are complete nonsense. I would add that this nonsense is being deliberately thrown into the information space in order to destabilise an already difficult situation. 'This is another flank of the West's open war against us,' he said. Diplomats say Medvedev's remarks give an indication of thinking among some of the more hawkish members of Russia's political elite. Medvedev may be emboldened by news that the Trump administration is running out of patience with Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office this week, the US President's anger at Moscow's escalating attacks on Ukraine boiled over. 'We are very, very unhappy with [Russia], and we're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 per cent,' he said in the Oval Office. He also threatened to levy secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian exports to discourage them from keeping funds flowing into the Kremlin's war chest. Until now, the US and its European allies have declined to impose measures that would restrict Russia from exporting its oil and gas elsewhere. Such a move would constitute a dramatic ramping up of Western efforts to back Ukraine as it would likely see Washington and the EU target countries such as China, India and NATO member Turkey, all of whom import huge quantities of Russian energy. 'I'm disappointed in President Putin. I thought we would've had a deal two months ago,' he went on, in reference to a US-proposed ceasefire deal that Kyiv accepted but was rejected by Moscow. In response, leading Russian propagandist Igor Korotchenko said Moscow must use the 50-day period before sanctions are imposed to win the war by destroying Ukraine. Korotchenko, a former colonel-turned-military analyst and editor-in-chief of National Defence magazine, told state-TV: 'Weakening the potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' rear support system will force Ukraine to accept Russia's terms 'It is necessary to intensify Russian strikes… to the maximum extent possible. Scaling up this approach, we can achieve success.' Trump earlier this week also struck a deal with NATO counterparts in Europe to send sophisticated weaponry, including sorely needed Patriot air defence missiles, to Ukraine - but insisted that the US would not foot the bill. 'We've made a deal today where we are going to be sending [Ukraine] weapons and [Europe] is going to be paying for them,' he stated. 'We - the United States - will not be having any payment made. We're not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they're going to be paying for it.' The workings of the deal struck between the White House and European nations to provide and finance the delivery of advanced weapons systems to Ukraine were not immediately clear. Many European countries appeared to get on board with the announcement, though Trump's move to take credit for the additional weapons headed to Ukraine created some mild friction in Europe. 'If we pay for these weapons, it's our support,' said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, speaking after the Brussels meeting, adding that she welcomed Trump's decision. 'So it's European support, and we are doing as much as we can to help Ukraine ... If you promise to give the weapons, but say that somebody else is going to pay for it, it's not really given by you, is it?' Washington also retains some $3.85 billion worth of Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) left over from the Biden administration at its disposal to provide weapons to Ukraine. The PDA allows the president to draw from US weapons stocks to help allies in an emergency. Trump has not sent any weapons to Ukraine that were not previously approved under the Biden administration.
Al Arabiya
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Myths in ruin: Disarming Hezbollah in the wake of Iran's defeat
The regional order has changed – not gradually, but in a single, shattering blow. The war between Israel and Iran has concluded after a series of devastating Israeli and US strikes on Tehran's nuclear and ballistic infrastructure. These operations, which unfolded with the full approval and logistical support of US President Donald Trump, also included a coordinated strike that killed several top IRGC military and nuclear officials. It was a campaign designed not just to disrupt Iran's capabilities, but to shatter the illusion of untouchability surrounding its leadership and proxy network. This was not just a military success – it was a strategic rupture. Nowhere was this shift more palpable than in Lebanon. Hezbollah – the crown jewel in Iran's axis of influence – remained silent. Its much-hyped 'resistance' stood still as its patron was battered. This was not restraint. This was deterioration – operational, political, and symbolic. For years, Hezbollah thrived on mythology: the 'defender of Lebanon,' the 'deterrent to Israel,' the 'voice of the marginalized Shia.' Today, that mythology lies in ruins. The movement failed to act not because it chose peace, but because it could not afford escalation. The group's inability to retaliate during the most direct assault on Iran's sovereignty in recent memory speaks volumes about its declining capacity and fear of internal and regional backlash. This moment is as rare as it is volatile. Lebanon stands before a narrow window in which it can begin dismantling militia dominance, rebuild state legitimacy, and restore sovereignty. The path forward is clear: disarm Hezbollah, restore state institutions, and reclaim Lebanese sovereignty. Half-measures and appeasement have failed. If Lebanon is to survive, the era of armed militias must end. Hezbollah's weapons, veto power, and parallel institutions are not an internal Lebanese problem – they are a regional cancer. And yet, despite the passage of nearly two decades since UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for the disarmament of all non-state actors in Lebanon, Hezbollah continues to argue that its arms are untouchable. That must end. Claims by political allies of Hezbollah that the resolution applies only south of the Litani River are legally baseless and strategically dangerous. There can be no sovereign state with zones of impunity. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), while respected, remain hindered by political interference and Hezbollah infiltration. That, too, must be addressed. Washington's Lebanon policy must pivot – from containment to consequence. The United States must appoint a new ambassador to Beirut with a direct mandate: Enforce 1701, support institutional reform, and back the full disarmament of Hezbollah. Washington must also replace its current special envoy with a senior figure capable of confronting both Hezbollah's regional enablers and its Western protectors –chief among them France, whose ongoing indulgence of Hezbollah undermines any hope of progress. Sanctions must expand – not only against Hezbollah operatives but also their financiers, political allies, and business networks across banking, construction, and telecommunications. Compliance mechanisms must be enforced on institutions that enable or tolerate Hezbollah's armed presence. But pressure alone is not enough. A viable strategy requires strengthening Lebanon's civic immune system. Washington must double down on support for civil society, independent universities, and non-sectarian organizations – particularly in historically neglected regions like the Shia south and Beqaa Valley. Empowering Shia voices that reject militia dominance is essential to dismantling Hezbollah's false claim to community representation. President Joseph Aoun's inaugural promises must now be tested. If he truly stands for sovereignty and reform, let him prove it – by endorsing a disarmament timetable, implementing electoral reforms, and refusing all covert deals with Hezbollah or its allies. The narrative that disarming Hezbollah would spark civil war is fiction – a fear tactic propagated by those who benefit from armed chaos. In truth, what threatens Lebanon is not disarmament, but the continued normalization of militias. Many Lebanese – including Shia – are exhausted by the economic collapse, diplomatic isolation, and perpetual conflict that Hezbollah's weapons have brought. Media is a critical tool. Lebanese and regional platforms must be mobilized to shift public opinion. They must highlight Hezbollah's costs to the nation, amplify Shiia civil society voices demanding reform, and frame disarmament not as a threat, but as a patriotic imperative. Media must call out political obstruction, expose the price of militia dominance, and foster a narrative centered on sovereignty and lawfulness. This is not about punishing Lebanon – it's about rescuing it. The time for half-measures is over. The United States must reinforce its friends, isolate its adversaries, and support the emergence of a Lebanon defined not by militias, but by institutions. Lebanon cannot reclaim its future while armed factions claim its present. No more weapons outside the state. No more excuses. The war between Iran and Israel may be over, but Lebanon's fight – for sovereignty, law, and survival – has only just begun.
The National
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Israel-Iran conflict: How did things get here?
The recent hostilities between Israel and Iran may be seen as an unprecedented escalation in their long-standing conflict, which dates back to the inception of the Islamic Republic in 1979. The regional arch-rivals have long been engaged in a shadow war, which has unfolded through cyber warfare, attacks through proxies, limited direct assaults and most recently, the air war. From proxy war to direct conflict Hostilities have simmered for decades, tied to Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and its perceived campaign to destroy Israel. The two nations have also clashed through proxies over the years, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian group Hamas. Some of the confrontations included limited tit-for-tat rocket exchanges and assassinations and cyber sabotage, such as Stuxnet, a program that was used by Israel to intercept nuclear centrifuges in Iran. By 2024, these proxy hostilities transformed into direct military exchanges. Israel, in offensives it said were linked to its war in Gaza after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks, carried out assassinations and attacked Iranian interests in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. A suspected Israeli air strike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus killed seven IRGC officers, including two senior commanders. Iran responded with a barrage of drones and missiles in a direct attack on Israel in April. Later in October, Iran fired missiles again after Israeli attacks on Iranian territory. June 13: Israel launches strikes 'Operation Rising Lion' Israeli attacks catch Iran off-guard: Israel sent more than 200 aircraft to attack Iran on June 13, including F‑35 stealth fighters, as part of its Operation Rising Lion. More than 330 strikes hit approximately 100 nuclear, military and strategic locations across Iran, including Natanz, Isfahan, Tehran and Parchin. Several senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists were killed along with dozens of civilians as Tehran was caught off-guard . Sabotage by Mossad reportedly disabled Iranian air defences, paving the way for deep strikes. Israel claims its main objective is to take down the Iranian nuclear programme. Iran immediately responds: Launching its retaliatory operation, True Promise III, Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at central Israel, aiming for Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheba. Israel's Iron Dome defences intercepted most, but several strikes caused civilian injuries and inflicted damage. Through the following week, the exchange left at least 24 Israeli civilians dead, scores injured, while Iranian casualties reached the hundreds, amid widespread destruction and civilians fleeing major cities. June 14- 21 : Retaliatory attacks continue Israel continued air raids on Tehran, Isfahan, Natanz, and parts of Iran − several of them nuclear enrichment sites. The air campaign destroyed oil and gas installations, intelligence buildings,more missile bases and airports. Some of these strikes were also carried out in densely populated civilian areas such as Tehran. Satellite images released by Maxar and Planet Labs PBC began to show the level of destruction of harder-to-reach military and nuclear energy sites across the country. Equally, Iran's missile barrages persisted, breaching Iron Dome defences, striking cities such as Tel Aviv, oil complexes in Haifa and hospitals in the south. June 22: US enters with Midnight Hammer On June 22, after hints and warnings of American intervention from President Donald Trump, the conflict reached a new level: US B‑2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles struck Iran's Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear plants as part of Operation Midnight Hammer. Mr Trump described the attacks as 'very successful' - although Iran downplayed their impact. The US intervention marked a significant shift in the scale of the war, but domestically, Mr Trump's decision drew bipartisan criticism for bypassing Congressional authorisation. June 23 : Regional impact as Iran strikes US base in Qatar What followed was a characteristic yet shocking retaliation. Iran fired missiles at the US military base in Qatar. One landed, causing no casualties; all others were intercepted. Meanwhile, Israel continued air raids on Tehran and western Iran. Regional airspace in one of the world's busiest aviation routes was disrupted. Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways and other Gulf carriers suspended or rerouted dozens of flights June 24 : A sudden ceasefire? A sudden ceasefire was announced by Trump overnight. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has agreed to the truce proposal, and later Iranian state TV reported that the ceasefire had begun. Israel then ordered strikes on Tehran after accusing Iran of violating the truce – an allegation rejected by Iran.
