US President Joe Biden said that the Ukraine crisis is a global issue that highlights the importance of maintaining international order, territorial integrity and sovereignty. U.S. diplomats have returned to Ukraine and a new ambassador to Ukraine has been appointed, but it remains unclear when U.S. troops will return to Ukraine. Retired US special forces soldiers joined the International Volunteer Army in Ukraine, talked to foreign media about going deep into the battlefield, and witnessed the brutal murder of women and children by the Russian army.
In the face of continued Russian aggression, Ukraine’s diplomatic negotiation attitude has turned tough. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is waging a full-scale war, and Putin is the only Russian he is willing to talk to, but the content of the talks is limited to a “truce”. Satellite photos have revealed that the Russian army stole and looted food from Ukraine and transferred it to Crimea. After energy, the European Union condemned Russia for using grain as a weapon and taking advantage of the opportunity, but it affected the global food supply. The United Kingdom warned that the global food shortage may bring a greater death tide than war. Lithuania has proposed a multinational naval alliance to escort the Black Sea to help Ukrainian grain exports. The four EU countries have proposed that confiscated Russian assets be used to rebuild Ukraine.
The U.S. “Newsweek” (Newsweek) reported that Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Service (GUR), claimed that in the days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Putin, 69, was in Armenia, Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, Georgia and parts of southern Russia in the Caucasus suffered “unsuccessful” assassination attempts.
“Putin was assassinated… According to them, he was attacked by representatives of the Caucasus not long ago, this is secret intelligence, an absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it did happen,” Budanov said. …about 2 months ago.”
“I repeat, (the assassination) was unsuccessful, it was not made public, but it did happen.” Budanov’s interview will be broadcast in its entirety tomorrow.
The Russian-Ukrainian war that broke out on February 24 has claimed the lives of thousands of Ukrainians and left millions homeless. Some reports said Putin had grown paranoid as the fighting dragged on, fearing attempts were made to oust him.
Putin has previously claimed that he has avoided assassinations on several occasions, including shortly before the 2012 presidential election when several men allegedly attempted to be assassinated on the orders of Islamic Chechen rebels were caught by Russian intelligence and later in Ode, Ukraine. Odesa was arrested.
Putin was also said to have been assassinated on the day of the 2008 presidential election, with a Tajik man armed with a sniper rifle arrested hours before Putin was due to deliver a speech in Moscow’s Red Square.
Speculation has been rife recently about Putin’s health, with rumors that he has cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Former MI6 chief Richard Dearlove predicted that Putin may no longer be Russia’s leader in 2023 due to health factors.
Russian foreign minister says the West is deeply ‘Russian phobia’ and will withdraw its bid to host the 2030 World Expo
“Reuters” reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on the 23rd that Moscow will consider Western proposals to rebuild relations and confirm whether it is necessary, but Russia will focus on developing relations with China.
Lavrov told a question-and-answer session at an event in Moscow on the 23rd that since Russia carried out a “special military operation” against Ukraine, Western countries have been deeply “Russophobic”. He said Russia was working to replace imports from Western countries and would rely only on “reliable” countries in the future, rather than being constrained by the West.
Lavrov said that if the West intends to propose something in terms of restoring relations with Russia, Moscow will seriously consider whether Russia needs them and make a decision, “Now that the West has taken the position of a dictator, our economic ties with China will be grow faster.”
Lavrov said that in addition to the direct revenue from the state budget, it also provides opportunities for Russia’s development in the Far East and Eastern Siberia. China’s information and communication technologies are not inferior to those of the West. Cooperation between Russia and China in this area will achieve a win-win situation.
In addition, “CNN” reported that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 24th that it had withdrawn its bid to host the 2030 World Expo (Expo 2030), and notified the Bureau of International Exhibitions (BIE) on the 23rd. After Russia withdrew, the remaining applicants were Odesa, Ukraine, Busan, South Korea, Rome, Italy and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that there is a strong anti-Russian atmosphere in the Western world, and Russia’s application will certainly not be evaluated “fairly and impartially”, “The World Expo has become another victim of the ‘large-scale anti-Russian campaign’ by Western countries to expel Russia from all areas of cooperation. By.”
The “first shot” of the Russian diplomat “publicly” announced his resignation: shame for the country
It has been 90 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the anti-war noise in Russia is getting louder and louder. Not only did people take to the streets to protest, but now there are diplomats who “publicly” announced their resignation, bluntly saying that they were ashamed of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and opened a diplomat from within Russia. “First Shot”.
According to foreign media reports, Boris Bondarev, a senior Russian diplomat at the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG), issued an open letter in English on May 23, saying that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was “bloody, stupid and absolutely unnecessary. In my 20-year diplomatic career, I have seen many changes in our foreign policy, but have never felt ashamed of my country as I did on February 24 of this year.”
Bondarev, 41, has served as a consultant at the Russian delegation in Geneva since 2019. He also criticized Putin in an open letter and launched a “war of aggression” against Ukraine, which is not only a great crime for the Ukrainian people, but also undermines Russia’s The economy, and the nation’s hope, toward a prosperous free society.
Bondarev put it bluntly, “Those who planned this war wanted only one thing – to be in power forever, to live in a pompous palace … to enjoy unlimited power with complete impunity.”
Foreign media pointed out that Bondarev may be the first Russian diplomat to officially announce his resignation due to the Russian-Ukrainian war. At present, the Russian Foreign Ministry has not commented on this; it is reported that several Russian diplomats have resigned after the war began. , but the associated name has never been revealed.
Biden: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a global issue, highlighting the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity
“Reuters” reported that U.S. President Joe Biden said in his opening speech at the “Quartet Talks” of the U.S.-Japan-India-Australia leaders’ summit held in Tokyo on the 24th that the Ukraine crisis is not only a European issue, but a global issue. Highlight the importance of maintaining international order, territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Biden stressed that Washington will stand with its allies in promoting the establishment of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, “wherever international law and human rights are violated, wherever in the world, we must defend it.”
US troops returning to Ukraine?US chief of staff: There is a long way to go
Before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops and militiamen who were assisting Ukrainian military training in Ukraine to avoid direct conflict with Russia, Reuters reported. With the reopening of the embassy in Kyiv, there has also been discussion about whether to send U.S. troops to Ukraine to protect diplomats as Ukraine is still in a state of war.
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley said in a Defense Department press conference that any move to bring U.S. troops back to Ukraine would require a decision by President Biden, “We are still a long way from something like this happening. Going to go, a plan of action is currently being developed, but the plan has not been submitted to the Secretary of Defense.” The report pointed out that Milley did not specify what the plan was, or whether he was referring to the US military’s preliminary plan to ensure the US diplomatic presence in Ukraine.
“CNN” reported that U.S. embassies around the world are basically stationed in marines for protection work, but because of the unstable security situation in Ukraine, several U.S. officials revealed that the Biden administration is discussing whether to send Special forces perform the job of protecting the embassy.
The report stated that although the United States does not believe that Russia would dare to openly attack the US embassy, ”weapons are not long-sighted”. If a missile accidentally hits the embassy, the situation will escalate sharply, which is why it has the idea of sending special forces.
However, Biden has previously insisted that the U.S. military will not fight in Ukraine. If the U.S. military or even special units such as special forces enter Ukraine at this time, it may arouse concerns that the United States wants to escalate the war.
In addition, Milley said that the U.S. military originally had about 78,000 troops in the European Command, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force. . On the morning of May 23, there were approximately 102,000 U.S. troops in the U.S. European Command area of operations.
Retired U.S. Special Forces Soldiers Join Ukrainian Volunteers to Witness the Massacre of Women and Children by the Russian Army
In order to resist the Russian invasion, Ukraine recruited international volunteers, hoping that people with lofty ideals with military experience from various countries can fight side by side with Ukraine. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Kevin (a pseudonym), a retired U.S. anti-terrorist special forces member who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, mentioned that the fighting in Ukraine was the most intense he had ever experienced in his life.
Kevin, who is in his 30s, mentioned that he had a job after retiring from the US military, but after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, he responded to the call of the Ukrainian government and went to Kyiv to join the International Volunteer Army. The Ukrainian government worked hard to weed out the unsuitable in the early stage of recruitment, and reorganized the qualified as volunteers, and paid a salary of 2,000 to 3,000 US dollars per month. The actual number and deployment status of the international volunteer army are still classified.
Kevin pointed out that this is the first time in his life that he has fought against a better-equipped enemy. He and his comrades are using the guerrilla tactics used to deal with the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past, and their roles have been reversed. “We’re a rebel now, we’re a small group, and we have a huge advantage on the Ukrainian battlefield,” he said with a laugh. In the past he didn’t have to worry about airstrikes, or no air support, but now he’s in a pickup truck with Russian troops at war. However, he also praised the Ukrainian army, which is very calm, composed and has a good understanding of the local terrain.
Kevin mentioned that he fought in Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv in March and witnessed the indiscriminate killing of civilians by the Russian army. He believes that the Russians know what they are doing, they are educated and they have social skills. Groups of media and news, but what he did not understand was why the Russian army murdered women and children. Kevin questioned: “We found a lot of people on the street. They were tied together and shot, left on the side of the road, and even run over by chariots. This is very barbaric. Why do it?”
Kevin admitted that in the past 3 months, he felt as if he was 5 years older, and he didn’t know how to explain his experience in Ukraine to friends and family, and he didn’t know if he wanted to say it. However, Kevin said he knew Ukraine “is where I should be” and planned to possibly stay in Ukraine in the future.
Russia is waging a full-scale war Zelensky: Russia-Ukraine talks are limited to “truce” and only one meeting with Putin is accepted
“Reuters” reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video speech on the 23rd at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, that in the early days of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Russian army was in the vicinity of Kyiv. The mass killing of civilians in the occupied areas, the inhumane behavior makes it very difficult for Ukraine and Russia to sit down and negotiate, and he will rule out the possibility of negotiating with other Russian officials.
Zelensky stressed: “I cannot accept meeting with anyone from Russia except the president (Putin), and it is necessary to meet at the negotiating table with only the issue of ‘truce’, and there is no other reason for any other form of meeting.”
Zelensky pointed out that since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Ukrainians have paid a huge price, and the Ukrainian army is continuing to advance, especially near the second largest city, Kharkiv, but “the bloodiest battle” is still in Udong. Donbas region, “we are losing many people”.
It has been three months since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. The Associated Press reported that Zelensky said in a night speech on the 23rd that Russia was launching a “full-scale war” against Ukraine, and the Russian military’s current goal is to Inflict as many casualties on Ukraine as possible, as much infrastructure damage as possible.
Zelensky pointed out that the Russian military has launched 2,275 missiles so far, most of which have hit civilian facilities, and the Russian military has carried out more than 3,000 air strikes. He stressed that since the end of World War II, Europe has not seen such a large-scale war for 77 years.
In response to the current situation of the Udong battlefield, Zelensky said that the current Russian troops are concentrated in Udong cities such as Bakhmut, Popasnaya and Sievierodonetsk. He called on Ukrainian nationals to provide all possible assistance to frontline soldiers, while his task was to try to increase international pressure on Russia.
Satellite photos reveal that Ukrainian granaries controlled by Russian forces were looted and emptied
It has been three months since Russia invaded Ukraine. The Russian army not only committed numerous brutal war crimes, but also took the opportunity to steal Ukrainian food. “CNN” reported that the US space technology company Maxar Technologies recently released satellite photos taken at the port of Sevastopol in Crimea on May 19 and 21. The footage shows a Russian-flagged cargo ship docked next to what appears to be a grain silo, with a large amount of grain pouring down from a conveyor belt.
The report stated that although it is difficult to determine where the grains on the cargo ships came from, Crimea, which was annexed by Russia, has little grain production itself, and the neighboring Ukraine Kherson and Zaporizhzhia ), on the contrary, now seeing such large quantities of grain in Crimean ports, it is very likely that it was stolen from Ukraine.
Zelensky said earlier that the Russian army was stealing Ukrainian grain and resold it for profit. Some Ukrainian officials also pointed out to “CNN” that since the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine, the situation of food being robbed has intensified. The barns in the controlled area have been emptied.
Russia uses food as a weapon to influence the world, Britain warns: food shortage is worse than war
According to foreign media reports, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has caused international turmoil. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the 24th that after natural gas, oil and other energy sources, Russia is using “” food supply” as a weapon intended to benefit from the global food shortage crisis.
Von der Leyen stressed that only “global cooperation” is the “antidote” to the Russian threat. “The Russian army continues to confiscate grain, stockpiles and large (agricultural) equipment in the occupied areas of Ukraine, and the Russian fleet continues to block exports from the Black Sea, making it impossible for transport ships full of wheat and sunflower seeds to export,” she said.
In addition, Von der Leyen told global business leaders in Davos that Ukrainian authorities must win the war against Russia. She alleged that Russia “does not treat millions of people as human beings, but as unknown crowds, moving or controlling them, or as a buffer between armies, and trying to trample the entire country with chariots. hope.”
In addition, British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned in an interview on the 24th that the global shortage of grains and food “may cause greater loss of life and property than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
Sharps told the media he was “very concerned” about the issue and had met with Ukraine’s Transport Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov last week to discuss how to add infrastructure to ensure Ukraine’s grain can be exported safely.
Sharpes pointed out that although too many details of the meeting could be disclosed, how to resume Ukrainian grain exports is a very complex issue, including how to deal with the mine-surrounded port of Odessa (Odesa).
“What we must constantly reiterate is that Ukraine was and is the ‘breadbasket of the world‘,” Sharpes stressed.
Helping Ukraine’s grain exports to Lithuania and Titus Multinational Naval Alliance to escort the Black Sea
In response to Russia’s control of the Black Sea, which made Ukrainian grains unable to export, Lithuania proposed a naval alliance of “willing people” to escort cargo ships carrying Ukrainian grains across the Black Sea. This idea is supported in principle by the UK.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who proposed the plan during talks with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in London on the 23rd, said, “The time is very, very short and we are approaching a new round of harvest, there is no viable way to export these grains other than via the Black Sea port of Odessa”, there is no way to store these grains, and there is no other suitable alternative route, “We show the vulnerable countries that we are ready to take The necessary measures to feed the world are of urgent importance”.
Lance Burgess proposed a multinational naval escort operation to protect grain freighters crossing the Black Sea and passing Russian warships; this operation is not under the responsibility of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Navigation areas cannot be compared.” This plan requires demining in part of the Black Sea, and also requires the approval of Turkey, which must pass in and out of the Black Sea.
He said there would be a need for “a willing coalition: countries with significant naval power to secure these shipping routes”, and other countries that could be affected by the loss of grain exports, such as Egypt, could provide the necessary protection.
Truss said that if the implementation can be prepared, such as demining, providing Ukraine with longer-range weapons to defend the port from Russian attacks, etc., the United Kingdom will hope that the British Navy warships will join the escort operation, and the United Kingdom is also discussing this with its allies. “What we need is to deal with this global food security issue, and the UK is working on an emergency solution so that Ukrainian grains can be shipped out.”
A joint letter from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Slovakia to EU finance ministers stated that Russian assets frozen by the EU should be used to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction after the end of the Russian aggression, Reuters reported.
“A large part of the cost of rebuilding Ukraine, including compensation for victims of Russian military aggression, must be borne by Russia,” the letter said. The letter also called on the 27 member states to prepare for a new round of sanctions against Moscow. .
“If Russia does not cease its military aggression against Ukraine, there should be no trade relationship between the EU and Russia at all,” the letter states. “Ensure that our financial assets, products and services are not used for Russia’s war machine.”
At present, the EU and like-minded countries have frozen about 300 billion US dollars of Russian personal and real assets. Ukraine said in early May that post-war reconstruction was estimated to cost about $600 billion. But since the war is still undecided, the amount is likely to increase.
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