Author: Steven Sahiounie

The leaders of the Quad grouping — Australia, India, Japan, and the US— have vowed to intensify cooperation in dealing with climate change as well as maritime domain awareness, with a particular focus on the Pacific Island nations. Addressing his counterparts at the second in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo on Tuesday, Australia’s new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remarked that his government would “bring more energy and resources to securing the region” as it enters “a new and more complex phase in the Pacific’s strategic environment”.The remark comes amid concerns expressed primarily by Australia and the US over the new…

People that are not in the know do not understand that summit talks must be prepared thoroughly, First Deputy to the Russian envoy to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said Readiness of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to meet only with Russian President Vladimir Putin for continuation of the negotiating process is a pure PR effort, First Deputy to the Russian envoy to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said on the air with Soloviev Live TV Channel. “This is definitely a pure PR effort,” the diplomat said. “People that are not in the know do not understand that summit talks must be prepared…

Russia launched a special operation to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine on 24 February, with President Vladimir Putin stressing that the goal is “to protect people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years”. Moscow and Kiev held a few rounds of talks after the start of the operation without clincing any agreement. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has stated that Kiev had “preferred to forget” about Russia’s settlement plan on Ukraine. “Ukraine itself does not want to negotiate at all. They have long preferred to forget about the Russian draft peace…

A drone attack targeted the US Victory Complex military base in Baghdad early on May 24. Air defense systems intercepted a drone attack targeting the US Victory Complex military base near Baghdad International Airport (BGW) early on May 24. There have been no reports of casualties or significant damage, Crisis24 reports. Releasing a video, Sabereen News, a Telegram news channel associated with Iraqi anti-terror Popular Mobilization Units also reported the attack, saying that missiles hit the US base. According to the report, ambulances were heard from inside the base as the planes flew over the Victory base. The American base…

On May 23, Russian-led forces launched an assault on the town of Liman in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The Russian Army broke through a heavily fortified area of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and entered the town from the north-eastern direction from the stronghold in the settlement of Stavki. The assault began at night when Russian MLRS massively shelled the AFU positions on the outskirts. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that last night, an ammunition depot in the Liman area of the Luhansk People’s Republic was destroyed. Later in the morning, armored vehicles went on the offensive, infantry broke…

Sanctions imposed on Ankara by Sweden cannot be ignored, Ankara warns Ankara cannot “put aside” sanctions imposed on Turkey by Stockholm when discussing Sweden’s bid to join NATO, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday. “Turkey’s vital role in NATO and other international organizations is clear. Yet we are still discussing the lifting of sanctions imposed on us by some of our allies, particularly Sweden,” the Turkish leader said during a trial of his country’s new attack submarine. “We want to see concrete steps rather than open-ended diplomatic statements about our national security,” he added, apparently referring to statements by NATO Secretary General Jens…

On May 23, Russian-led forces claimed control over the village of Troitskoe and the Mironovsky district on the outskirts of the city of Svetlodarsk. The reports were supported by the photo of the Russian servicemen near the police station in Mironovsky. The recent advance of Russian-led forces allowed to establish fire control over the over the Artemovsk-Svetlodarsk highway, threatening the Ukrainian military columns. There were still no confirmation of the DPR control of the village of Vozdvizhenka located on the northern outskirts of Svetlodarsk. Some clashes likely continue in the area. The city of Svetlodarsk remains under the control of…

Iranian Quds Force Colonel Hassan Sayad Khodayari who was assassinated on May 22 had planned kidnappings and other attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide, according to reports in the Israeli media. The Quds Force is one of five branches of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specializing in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. The force is mainly active against Israeli and the US. Khodayari was shot and killed in the heart of the Iranian capital, Tehran, by two assailants who were moving on a motorcycle. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Khodayari was behind an attempt by Iranian operatives to lure…

In the coming years, Washington promised to sell Taipei M2A2 Abrams tanks, F-16V fighter jets, HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, drones, cruise missiles, sea mines and other equipment The total value of US weapons shipments to Taiwan has exceeded $70 billion, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a news conference on Monday. “US arms sales to Taiwan are incessantly growing in both volume and quality,” he said. “Their total value has already exceeded $70 billion.” “That violates the US commitment to gradually reduce arms supplies to Taiwan,” the spokesman continued. Taiwan has been governed by its local administration…

The former US president is, again, facing criticism over a controversial post he endorsed. Former President Donald Trump caused a stir when he uploaded a post on his social media site, Truth, that appeared to depict or prophecize a civil war in the United States. The “Truth” shared by the former president on Sunday was first posted by an anonymous account known as Maga King Thanos. The post had a screenshot from a March 19th Tweet by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, where he says “the world’s most powerful country is falling so fast”, adding that “Something so big and powerful can’t…