Russia ukraine

As the war in Ukraine continues with no end in sight , concerns are mounting in Washington—in both Democratic and Republican circles—that the Biden administration is holding back from supplying Ukraine with certain weapons that could give the invaded country a clear edge against Russia. The dispute centers around a mobile rocket launcher known in military circles as “HIMARS” (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System). It’s essentially a lightly armored military truck capable of firing multiple rockets. And the controversy on Capitol Hill is whether the United States should be supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles—ones capable of traveling deep into Russia. Most lawmakers are grateful the United States has already supplied Ukraine with these HIMARS. Just this week, the Biden administration announced a new aid package that includes more munitions for the HIMARS. But many lawmakers also said they were concerned the Biden administration was holding back on longer-range munitions, … [Read more...] about Lawmakers Want Better Weapons for Ukraine. Biden Isn’t So Sure.

The U.S. is set to send more high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) missiles to Ukraine to help Kyiv troops repel the Russian invasion, according to what officials said on Monday, including the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) — precision-guided systems with a range of about 70 kilometers. "The munitions themselves, these GMLRS ... are having a very profound effect," Colin Kahl, the U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, said in a statement published by the Pentagon . "This is a 200-pound warhead, it's kind of the equivalent of an airstrike, frankly — a precision-guided airstrike. These are GPS-guided munitions. They've been very effective in hitting things that previously the Ukrainians had difficulty hitting reliably." According to the Pentagon official, the Ukrainians have already used the HIMARS as part of previous assistance packages in combination with GMLRS rockets to hit Russian command and control nodes, sustainment and logistics hubs, and key … [Read more...] about U.S. sending Ukraine HIMARS missiles “equivalent of an airstrike”: Pentagon

BamBam, a member of the South Korean boy band GOT7 , apologized to fans on Friday for posting a series of pictures on social media that included at least one photo from a trip to Russia. The photos of international destinations (including Russia), which BamBam wrote were taken during the "old days," were recently shared on his Instagram account. The comments section for the post soon filled up with angry messages, including many notes from Ukrainian fans who were outraged he would celebrate a country whose leader is attacking their home. The controversy is not typical for GOT7, who quickly became one of K-pop 's most popular acts after the release of their debut EP in 2014. The boy band enjoys a devoted following on social media and recently released a comeback album this spring after taking a brief hiatus. Though the group is based in South Korea, BamBam is from Thailand, and he continues to do work for disadvantaged children in his home country through the United Nations … [Read more...] about K-pop star apologizes for posting Russia photo

The Kremlin on Tuesday dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s call for a Western travel ban on all Russians as irrational, saying that Europe would ultimately have to decide if it wanted to pay the bills for Zelenskiy’s ”whims.” In an interview with The Washington Post, Zelenskiy called on Western leaders to stop allowing Russians to travel to their countries as punishment for President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send troops into Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no chance Russians could be isolated from the rest of the world, and questioned if Europe should continue supporting Zelenskiy. ”The irrationality of his thinking in this case is off the scale,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. ”This can only be seen extremely negatively. Any attempt to isolate Russia or Russians is a process that has no prospects.” Sooner or later Europe will ”start wondering whether Zelenskiy is doing everything right, and whether its citizens … [Read more...] about Kremlin Says Ukraine President Zelenskiy’s Call for Western Ban on All Russians is Irrational

A Russian military expert has said the United States has started to restrict its military assistance to Ukraine and linked what he believed to be a cooling of Washington's support for Kyiv to the actions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky . The comments by Arsenal of the Fatherland editor Alexei Leonkov come a day after the Biden administration announced another $1 billion in new military aid for Ukraine comprised of rockets, ammunition and arms from the U.S. Department of Defense stocks. On Tuesday, Leonkov wrote on his Telegram channel about the U.S.-supplied M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which are a game-changing weapon for Kyiv that have allowed its forces to hit Russian command centers and ammunition depots. But he said that "the United States is beginning to limit the list of future arms supplies to Ukraine." Regarding HIMARS, the U.S. had "planned 20, and delivered 16." "Now they are refusing to supply F-16s, temporarily," Leonkov … [Read more...] about U.S. refused Ukraine F-16s over Zelensky “scandals”: Russian military expert

An Iranian satellite launched by Russia blasted off from Kazakhstan Tuesday and reached orbit amid controversy that Moscow might use it to boost its surveillance of military targets in Ukraine. As Russia’s international isolation grows following Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin is seeking to pivot Russia towards the Middle East, Asia and Africa and find new clients for the country’s embattled space programme. Russian space chief Yury Borisov hailed “an important milestone in Russian-Iranian bilateral cooperation, opening the way to the implementation of new and even larger projects”, speaking at the Moscow-controlled Baikonur cosmodrome in the Kazakh steppe. Iran’s Telecommunications Minister Issa Zarepour, who also attended the launch, called the launch of the Khayyam satellite “historic” and “a turning point for the start of a new interaction in the field of space between our two countries”. Iran, which has maintained ties with Moscow and refrained … [Read more...] about Russia Launches Iranian Satellite Amid Ukraine War Concerns

A Russian television panelist has made the latest nuclear threat on Kremlin-controlled media by saying missiles should be fired at the U.S. and the U.K. The comment came as the fate of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was being discussed on Monday's edition of Vremya Pokazhet (Time Will Tell) on Russia's First Channel. The International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) is growing increasingly alarmed by military action at the facility located around 140 miles northeast of the Russian-occupied port city of Mariupol . It has warned that bombing the plant creates a " real risk of a nuclear disaster, " as Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the facility. "If, God forbid, the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is damaged and a disaster happens, two missiles will instantly land in your decision-making centers," said panelist Yuri Kot, "one in Washington and the other in London." The video was tweeted by BBC Monitoring's Francis Scarr, who wrote, "for those … [Read more...] about Russian TV airs nuclear missile warning for U.S., Britain

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Not everyone you dislike is a war criminal. This should go without saying, but apparently Roger Waters — co-founder of the legendary rock band Pink Floyd but most known to younger audiences as the man who wanted Madonna to boycott Eurovision when it was held in Israel and who thinks he is more important than Drake and the Weeknd — needs to have it repeated. Waters recently included a picture of Joe Biden in a list of war criminals featured in his “This Is Not A Drill” live show. In an interview with CNN’s Michael Smerconish, the presenter pushed back on the inclusion while the rock star stuck to his guns, accusing Biden of “fueling the fire in the Ukraine” and insisting that it was a “huge crime.” The US, Waters insisted, should encourage Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky “to negotiate, obviating the need for this horrific, … [Read more...] about Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters has some seriously worrying views on Ukraine, Russia and China

The Fed has raised its benchmark interest rate again by a whopping 0.75%. The Reserve Bank of India has also been forced to raise interest rates further but also take other steps. These decisions in the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting are based on what the members of the MPC see as the likely course of the economy in the months ahead. But, the trajectory of the world economy, and its likely impact on the Indian economy, is imponderable. So, Indian policymakers would face two crucial problems. First, the main uncertainty is due to Russia’s war on Ukraine and the resultant economic sanctions on Russia, as well as the zero-COVID-19 policy in China that repeatedly implements lockdowns leading to global supply bottlenecks. Second, policy has to base itself on data. If it is deficient, it introduces additional uncertainty, making projections for the future difficult and causing policies to fail. This will compound the problem that results from the global uncertainty. … [Read more...] about Macrovariable projections in uncertain times

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – The leaders of Estonia and Finland want fellow European countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, saying they should not be able to take vacations in Europe while the government of Russia carries out a war in Ukraine. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote Tuesday on Twitter that “visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right” and that it is “time to end tourism from Russia now.” A day earlier, her counterpart in Finland, Sanna Marin, told Finnish broadcaster YLE that “it is not right that while Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel in Europe, be tourists.” Finland: Millennial PM Criticised for Nightclubbing After Covid Exposure, Leaving Official Phone at Home https://t.co/q6gTJvaEAv — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 8, 2021 Estonia and Finland both border Russia and are members of the European Union, which banned air travel from … [Read more...] about Pressure on EU to Stop Issuing Holiday Visas to Russian Citizens