Author: Steven Sahiounie

Ukraine said on Thursday it had received U.S. supplies of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), a powerful long-range weapon system that Kyiv hopes can help turn the tide on Russia’s invasion. Moscow’s forces are advancing in Ukraine’s east in a bid to capture the industrial heartland known as the Donbas where Ukraine fears some of its troops could be encircled in a Russian pincer. “Thank you to my U.S. colleague and friend Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for these powerful tools! Summer will be hot for Russian occupiers. And the last one for some of them,” Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii…

Being a fairly reliable and proven supplier of energy resources to Europe over decades, Russia treats its reputation in this regard with due care, Dmitry Peskov underscored Russia strictly follows all its commitments of energy supplies to Europe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday. “The Russian Federation strictly performs all its commitments. Being a fairly reliable and proven supplier of energy resources to Europe over decades, Russia treats its reputation in this regard with due care,” the Kremlin spokesman said. “Certain process cycles exist for infrastructure maintenance and operation; it is better to receive information on such cycles…

As part of NATO’s expansion into the Pacific Rim region in confrontation with China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea have been invited to its summit — this year in Madrid — for the first time. NATO and the G7 group of nations are reportedly set to designate China as an adversary at their summits next week. US President Joe Biden will fly to Germany on Saturday for the G7 leaders’ summit at the exclusive Schloss Elmau luxury resort in the Bavarian Alps. Following that meeting he will head to Madrid for a NATO summit on June 29 and…

Syria’s Damascus International Airport resumed operations on June 23, nearly two weeks after it was placed out of service as a result of a powerful Israeli aerial attack. The attack, which took place on June 10, inflicted heavy damage on the airport’s northern and southern runways as well as on the arrival hall. One of the airport’s workers was also wounded as a result of the attack. While the airport was being repaired all international flights to Damascus were redirected to Aleppo International Airport in northern Syria. “The [Damascus] airport will work at full capacity to serve the passengers and airliners…

Chancellor Scholz has promised to make the Bundeswehr the “biggest conventional army” among European NATO member states The German military will contribute considerably to the strengthening of NATO’s east flank, the country’s Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has announced. He also promised major investment that would turn the Bundeswehr into the largest military force among European members of the US-led military bloc. Speaking before the German parliament on Wednesday, Scholz assured fellow lawmakers that Berlin would “defend every square meter” of NATO territory, if necessary. The chancellor added that the alliance’s members in Eastern Europe could count on Germany. The country would…

NATO must stop spreading disinformation and making provocative statements about China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing on Thursday. Earlier, Secretary General of the military-political bloc Jens Stoltenberg said that the new strategic concept of NATO will mention China, the rise of which poses a challenge to the interests, values ​​and security of NATO, RIA Novosti reported. “We insist that NATO must stop drawing ideological lines, provoking confrontation, spreading disinformation and provocative remarks against China, and stop trying to start a new cold war,” the diplomat said. According to Wang Wenbin, NATO is “a tool through…

Russian Foreign Minister says Moscow supports Iran’s position towards the talks in Vienna to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US is putting obstacles in the process of the JCPOA revival, said Sergei Lavrov in response to a question from Iran Press on Thursday in his joint presser with Iran’s Foreign Minister, stressing his country’s support for Iran’s position towards the sanctions removal talks in Vienna “without any deductions or additions.” Sergei Lavrov, who is on a two-day visit to Tehran at the invitation of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, met with Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi last night and held…

Ukraine pledged not to attack Russia, the German defense minister told lawmakers, after confirming the delivery of howitzers A batch of seven German 155-millimeter self-propelled PzH 2000 howitzers have arrived in Ukraine, the German defense minister confirmed to lawmakers on Wednesday. She said Kiev pledged not to attack targets in Russia with the German arms. Ukrainian Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov “visited Brussels last week and took part in several meetings there,” Christine Lambrecht said during a report to the Bundestag. “It was important for him to make clear assurances that the weapons will only be used for defense and will not be used…

The White House is developing a so-called “Roadmap for Normalization” of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel in advance of US President Joe Biden’s trip to the region in July, Axios reported on Wednesday. The Biden administration pitched last week the Roadmap for Normalization as a theme of the upcoming trip without providing more details, the report said, citing sources familiar with the matter. An agreement is not expected to be complete before Biden’s trip to the Middle East, but officials are drafting ideas to discuss with Israeli and Saudi leaders, the report said. The normalization process will likely require a long-term, step-by-step…

The responsibility for civilian deaths lies entirely with the Kiev regime, the Russian embassy in Washington noted The US must acknowledge that Ukrainian radicals are incessantly shelling residential areas of Donetsk and that the Kiev regime is responsible for deaths of civilians, the Russian embassy in Washington said in a statement on Wednesday. The embassy cited US Attorney General Merrick Garland who urged punishment for those who perpetrated “atrocities” in Ukraine. “We stand in full solidarity with the opinion of the official,” the statement said. “Russian forces are doing everything possible so that Nazis can’t hide from just retribution. Everybody…