ZELENSKI WILL TALK VIA VIDEO CONFERENCE AT NATO SUMMIT MARCH 24
Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address an extraordinary summit of NATO countries on March 24 via video conference, Unian agency reported, citing Ukrainian leader Sergei Nikiforov’s representative.
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the NATO summit on March 24 in a telematic format, announced the spokesman for the head of state Sergey Nikiforov,” the media said on their Telegram channel.
US and NATO secretaries discuss securing the eastern flank ahead of the summit
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed fortifying the alliance’s eastern flank ahead of the March 24 summit, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
The US says it has no troops in Ukraine, nor is it training Ukrainians
The US has no troops on Ukraine’s territory and is not currently conducting military training of Ukrainians amid the conflict with Russia, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
“We currently have no US troops training the Ukrainians. We have no US troops on the territory of Ukraine. We have, of course, US troops defending NATO territory [Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte]to provide security for our allies, to deter Russian aggression,” the official said at a news conference.
PUTIN: WE MADE THE DECISION THAT PAYMENTS FOR GAS SUPPLY TO EUROPE WILL BE MADE IN RUBLES
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on Wednesday that payments for the delivery of Russian natural gas to Europe should only be accepted in rubles.
“It makes no sense to ship our products to the EU and the United States and charge in dollars and euros,” the president said at a meeting with members of the Russian government. “That’s why I decided to start a series of measures as soon as possible […] payment for our delivered natural gas in Russian rubles to socalled nonfriendly countries,” he explained.
Putin stressed that the aim was to refrain from using “all compromised currencies”. He noted that several countries had “illegitimately” decided to freeze Russia’s assets in recent weeks, adding that the West had “exhausted all faith in its currencies.”
He also assured that Russia will continue to supply gas to other states according to the volumes and prices stipulated in previous contracts. “I would like to separately emphasize that Russia will continue to supply natural gas in accordance with the volumes, prices and pricing principles stipulated in the previously concluded contracts,” he said.
In addition, the Russian President noted that foreign consumers should be able to carry out the necessary operations after Russia begins to receive payments for gas from nonfriendly countries in rubles. “I call on the government to give Gazprom the appropriate instruction to change existing contracts. At the same time, all foreign consumers must be able to carry out the necessary transactions, he said.
Putin: “Unfriendly countries” will pay for Russian gas in rubles
The President pointed out that several countries have taken unlawful decisions to freeze Russia’s assets in recent weeks, adding that the West has destroyed all confidence in its currencies. pic.twitter.com/vrYHWVApZp
— RT in Spanish (@ActualidadRT) March 23, 2022
Lavrov warns that sending NATO peacekeeping forces to Ukraine would lead to a direct confrontation
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Wednesday that deploying NATO peacekeeping forces to Ukraine would lead to a direct confrontation between Russian forces and the alliance, RT publishes.
The Russian Foreign Minister commented on Polish President Andrzej Duda’s proposal to propose that NATO send a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine. The plan, which will be presented at an alliance meeting this Thursday, March 24, in Brussels, calls for the deployment of an international peacekeeping contingent of up to 10,000 soldiers from different countries.
“I hope they understand what is at stake, this will be precisely the direct confrontation between the Russian armed forces and NATO, which everyone not only wanted to avoid, but in principle should never take place,” Lavrov said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned March 23 that deploying NATO peacekeeping forces to Ukraine would lead to a direct confrontation between Russian forces and the alliance. pic.twitter.com/IYuh9EDcfZ
— RT in Spanish (@ActualidadRT) March 23, 2022
THE PRESIDENT OF POLAND WOULD PROPOSE TO NATO TO SEND PEACEFUL TROOPS TO UKRAINE
Polish President Andrzej Duda plans to propose to NATO to send a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine, local portal Onet Wiadomosci reported on Tuesday. He indicates that the Polish President will present a plan to this end during a meeting of the Alliance to be held this Thursday, March 24 in Brussels.
It is specified that the project envisages the deployment of an international peacekeeping contingent composed of up to 10,000 soldiers from different countries. According to the reports, the troops should be stationed at a certain distance from the line of fire, and their goal would be to ensure the protection of humanitarian corridors for people and cargo.
According to one of the variants of the plan, a nofly zone will be established over the largest cities of Ukraine.
The portal, which cites anonymous sources, adds that the Polish President is not ready to approve the project before receiving US support on the matter.
US suggests other NATO countries could send troops to Ukraine, says those who wish will receive ‘assistance’
Last week, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said he felt it was “necessary to have a peacekeeping mission” in Ukraine. “From NATO, possibly from a broader international structure, but a mission capable of selfdefense and operating on Ukrainian territory,” the official said.
LÓPEZ OBRADOR RESPONDS TO US AID TO UKRAINE
Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador questioned the speed and amount of resources Washington has authorized to help Ukraine, in contrast to the slow progress of immigration reform to help millions of Mexicans and Central Americans living in live in the United States. , published RT .
“They just approved resources for Ukraine and that’s fine because it’s their policy to protect Ukraine, that’s what they decided. But that was approved by the US Congress in two days, I think. And the support for the Central American brothers has been going on for four years and is unapproved, the President said.
During his morning conference, López Obrador said his government had insisted on the issue of development cooperation in meetings with US officials, claiming that “they have to invest, they have to support in El Salvador, in Honduras, in Guatemala”.
In this sense, López Obrador advocated the application of a “policy of support for people who are forced to emigrate”. More specifically, the President reiterated his suggestion that Washington help fund Sembrando Vida and Jovenes Construyendo el Futuro, the two programs his administration is implementing to provide opportunities for the population and reduce forced migration.
TURKEY WARNS MINE THAT COULD BE PLACED OFF THE COAST OF UKRAINE
The Office of Navigation, Hydrographic and Oceanography of the Turkish Naval Forces (ONHO) said through the Navtex sea warning that mines placed off the coast of Ukraine could be floating in the Black Sea.
“It was reported that the areas around the ports of Odessa, Ochakov, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny were mined. Mines can drift when detached from their mechanisms and can be hazardous to shipping safety, the bureau says.
“It is therefore important that all ships in the vicinity remain vigilant for floating mines,” says ONHO, which also calls on ships in the area to “report any find of floating mines and similar objects immediately”.
On Saturday, a similar warning was issued by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), which claimed that Ukraine had laid 420 sea mines off its coast and that “during storms, the mooring cables connecting the mines to the ground anchors”.
Turkey warns mines placed off Ukraine’s coast could be floating and asks to “stay vigilant” in the Black Sea https://t.co/yIr0HJNrkP
— RT in Spanish (@ActualidadRT) March 23, 2022
CHINA ENSURES THAT RUSSIA CANNOT BE EXCLUDED BY ANY G2 MEMBER
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stated that “Russia is an ‘important participant’ in the Group of Twenty (G20) and no member country has the right to expel it.”
He also said, “The G20 is an important forum for international economic cooperation,” so the West’s alternative to not having Moscow in the association is zero, and “no member has the right to withhold this condition from others,” the Chinese diplomat loudly declared rt
Moscow answer
Russia’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said in response to the events that “the fact that the US is already putting blatant and undiplomatic pressure on all countries towards total opposition to our country is well known,” RT said on its website.
For his part, the diplomat added: “The G20 is a multilateral format, there are different points of view. It is clear that Americans will continue to put pressure on different countries, but as we can see, several countries prefer to maintain their independent and sovereign stance,” he said.