Page 11 - Russia

Europe steps up rollback of Russia energy ties with ban on diesel import

Europe is taking another big step toward cutting its energy ties with Russia, banning imports of diesel fuel and other products made from crude oil in Russian refineries. The European Union ban takes effect February 5 following its embargo on coal and most oil from Russia. The 27-nation bloc is trying to sever its last uses of Russian energy and stop feeding the Kremlin's war chest as the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine nears. The newest ban has risks: Diesel prices have already jumped since the war started on February 24, and they could rise again for the fuel that is key to the global economy. We're leaving money on the road to provide our services, said Hans-Dieter Sedelmeier of the family-run German bus and travel company Rast Reisen. Most things people buy or eat are transported at some point by trucks, which mostly run on diesel. It also powers farm equipment, city buses and industrial equipment. The higher cost of diesel is built into the price of almost everything, .

Need alternatives to Russian military equipment for India: Biden admin

Ahead of her India visit for foreign office consultations Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, has told lawmakers that the US needs to help India find alternatives to Russian military equipment and that is part of the "job we have to do." Nuland is travelling to India as part of a four-nation trip including Nepal, Sri Lanka and Qatar from January 28 to February 3. I think they (India) find themselves after 60 years of entanglement having to find alternatives, and that's part of the job we have to do, is help them with alternatives, Nuland told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a Congressional hearing on Russia. She was responding to a question from Senator Jeff Merkley when she told lawmakers that she is travelling to India. I'm glad to hear that you're going to India. I would think that after the performance of Russian weapons on the battlefield has been demonstrated, they might be somewhat less interested, Merkley said. India ha

India, China ahead of US and EU members in many respects: Russian FM Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke at length on the development of new centres of economic power, and financial and political influence

European Union mulls $100 a barrel price cap for Russia diesel exports

The EU and G-7 want to impose the limits on Russian exports to third countries

Russia's path to 2024 Olympics takes shape, Ukraine objects amid war

Russia's path to sending a team to the Paris Olympics next year became clearer on Thursday amid fierce objections from Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee indicated on Wednesday it favors officially neutral teams from Russia and its ally Belarus at the 2024 Olympics despite a plea from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to exclude them entirely. A day later, Russia and Belarus were invited to compete at the Asian Games, a key Olympic qualifier. Russia typically competes as part of Europe but has a tense relationship with many of the countries set to host qualifying events there. Russia and Belarus have been barred from almost all international competitions in Olympic sports following the invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy has said he told French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is hosting the Olympics, that Russia should have no place there. Ukraine is seeking to rally support against the IOC-brokered plan. IOC has been disregarding Russian war crimes, claiming t

Russia launches wave of missile, drone attacks: Ukrainian officials

Ukrainian officials said Thursday that Russia launched a wave of missile and self-exploding drone attacks on the country. Air raid sirens wailed nationwide. There were no immediate reports of the targets, but Kyiv's mayor said a Russian missile strike killed one person, the first death from an attack in the capital since New Year's Eve. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two other people were injured in the strike.. The head of the Kyiv city administration said 15 cruise missiles were shot down. Serhii Popko said the missiles were fired in the direction of Kyiv but did not clarify if the capital itself was a target. Odesa regional governor Maksym Marchenko reported that several facilities of energy infrastructure were damaged not just in the Odesa region, but other regions of Ukraine. That caused significant problems with electricity supply. Earlier Vinnytsia regional governor reported about strikes in his region. The attacks came after Germany and the United States announced Wednesday th

Russia aims to deploy over 1,000 satellites in orbit by 2030: Roscosmos

Russia should increase the number of satellites in orbit from about 200 now to at least 1,000 by 2030, said Yury Borisov, Director General of Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos

US confronts China for tacitly aiding Russia in Ukraine war: Report

US officials said they agree the Russia-China relationship is extremely close now and China is doing more than it did before in support of Russia

Russia strongly supports reform of UN Security Council, says Lavrov

Russia strongly supports the issue of reform at the UN Security Council to accommodate African, Asian and Latin American nations, the country's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday. Lavrov was addressing a media briefing after meeting with his South African counterpart, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, who hosted the Russian Minister for bilateral talks covering a range of issues. We strongly support the additional seats for developing countries because it is the under-representation of Africa, Asia and Latin America which is the key problem of the (UN Security) Council today, Lavrov said, expressing support for pleas made on several occasions by President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also said Russia cherished the cooperation of South Africa at the G20. The latest Summit in Indonesia was, I believe, quite telling about the desire of most members of the G20 to concentrate on the original mand

US-India relations not a Bollywood movie, need more than just photo-ops

A new survey shows that Indians view the US as the biggest military threat to their country after China - and, even more shocking, put it ahead of Pakistan

State actors and information warfare

We should recognise that many can play the game of manipulation targeting the Indian information space

Goa bound flight from Moscow diverted to Uzbekistan after bomb threat

A Goa-bound chartered flight from Russian capital Moscow with 240 passengers on board was diverted to Uzbekistan in the wee hours of Saturday following a bomb threat, police said

Russia claims takeover of Ukrainian village Klishchiivka near Bakhmut

Russia claimed Friday to have captured a village in its intense, monthslong push toward the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut, as military analysts cautioned that tanks that may be sent by Kyiv's Western allies wouldn't be a magic wand in the almost 11-month war. Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a regular media briefing that the village of Klishchiivka, nine kilometers (five miles) south of Bakhmut, had been liberated. The claim couldn't be independently verified, and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment on the claim. Taking Klishchiivka would be only a minor breakthrough, but the Kremlin is hungry for good news from the battlefield after months of setbacks. Bakhmut, on the other hand, would be a bigger prize. It could allow Russia to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines in the east and threaten other Ukrainian-held cities in the surrounding region. The war has been largely static during the winter months, according to military analysts, except for some h

Canara Bank to sell its stake in Russian joint venture to SBI for Rs 114 cr

Canara Bank on Friday said it plans to sell its stake in Russian joint venture Commercial Indo Bank LLC (CIBL) to the other venture partner State Bank of India (SBI) for about Rs 114 crore. CIBL, incorporated in 2003, is a joint venture in Russia between SBI (60 per cent) and Canara Bank (40 per cent). Canara Bank has entered into a share sale agreement in relation to sale of equity shares held by it in Moscow-based CIBL with SBI, the bank said in a regulatory filing. The Bengaluru-based state-owned bank entered into the agreement for sale on November 11, 2022, it said. Based on share sale agreement and with the consent of Central Bank of Russia, entire shares held by Canara Bank have been transferred to SBI on November 30, 2022, it said. "However, consideration in USD as agreed by the parties is not yet received. Expected to complete the transaction on or before March 31, 2023," it said. Canara Bank is expected to receive USD 14.67 million or about Rs 114 crore from SBI for its

Pak to pay for Russian oil in currencies of 'friendly countries': Official

Pakistan will pay for energy purchases from Russia, when they start in late March, in currencies of friendly countries, a top energy official said on Friday. The development came at the conclusion of the 8th session of the Pakistan-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) on trade, economic, scientific, and technical cooperation led by Ayaz Sadiq, Pakistan Minister for Economic Affairs, and Nikolay Shulginov, Russian Energy Minister, from respective sides between January 18 and 20 here. Shulginov, in a joint statement read out before the media, said Islamabad would pay for energy purchases in currencies of friendly countries, adding that the two countries agreed in late March as the timeline for crude oil export to cash-strapped Pakistan. The friendly countries were not named but likely include China which has close ties with both Pakistan and Russia. The two sides worked under the guidance of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and President Vladimir Putin and took the opportunity to

President Zelenskyy urges West to speed up flow of weapons to Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has bared his frustration about not obtaining enough tanks from some Western countries to help Ukraine's defend against Russian forces.

Small farmers must get fertilisers, market at lower cost: R K Singh

Asked why India is continuing to import cheap Russian gas despite international opprobrium, Singh said India imports less gas from Russia in a month than Europe does in a day

Russia has earned a place among terrorists: Ukranian President Zelenskyy

He said Ukraine needs military as well as financial support to win this war and recover from the crisis

Companies sell their businesses in Russia, complying to sanctions amid war

The moves, part of a broader corporate exodus from the country, are likely to stir concerns that Russian firms and institutions are snapping up prized assets for a bargain

Russia's oil output up 2% in 2022 despite sanctions, says Prez Putin

"The volume of production amounted to 535 million tons," he said