Middle East Experience

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has strengthened the position of a number of Arab countries; after all, the West is likely to need urgent access to their oil and gas. Nevertheless, the rentier states remain uneasy at the prospect. By Christoph Ehrhardt..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Russia's invasion of Ukraine: What impact on the Arab world?

Anyone wishing to know how far Putin will go in Ukraine should look to Syria, writes Kristin Helberg. There, the Kremlin has been successfully asserting its own interests for years – with military ruthlessness, diplomatic pressure, brazen propaganda and tactical agility..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Russia's interventions in Syria and Ukraine: What drives Putin is evident in Syria

Anyone wishing to know how far Putin will go in Ukraine should look to Syria, writes Kristin Helberg. There, the Kremlin has been successfully asserting its own interests for years – with military ruthlessness, diplomatic pressure, brazen propaganda and tactical agility..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Russia's interventions in Ukraine and Syria: What drives Putin is evident from Syria

Egypt imports most of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine, and is looking for alternative suppliers. And Tunisia was struggling to pay for grain imports even before the conflict..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: In North Africa, Ukraine War Strains Economies Weakened by Pandemic

If supplies are disrupted, “the Ukraine crisis could trigger renewed protests and instability” in several Middle East and North Africa countries..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Arab countries fear fallout from Ukraine crisis on wheat supplies

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said Ukraine’s force had halted the Kremlin’s push to capture Kyiv and oust him and urged Russians to pressure leader Vladimir Putin to stop the invasion.Speaking in a new video address, Zelenskyy accused Moscow of seeking to overthrow him and establish a puppet state in Ukraine.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“We’ve derailed their plan,” the 44-year-old leader said, stressing that the Ukrainian army was in control of the capital Kyiv and main cities around it.Zelenskyy said Russians have deployed “missiles, fighters, drones, artillery, armored vehicles, saboteurs, and airborne forces” against Ukraine and have hit “residential areas.”Zelenskyy said Ukrainians had been fighting against Russians troops in a number of cities including the southern city of Odessa, the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the capital Kyiv. The western city of Lviv and other cities in western and central Ukraine have been targeted with air strikes, he said.Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, has “already” earned the right to join the European Union and urged the EU leaders to make that decision.“This will be key evidence of our country’s support,” he said.Zelenskyy also urged Germany and Hungary to back severing Russia from the SWIFT banking system to punish Moscow for invading his country.“There is already almost full support from the EU countries to disconnect Russia from SWIFT. I hope that Germany and Hungary will have the courage to support this decision,” Zelenskyy said.The Ukrainian president -- a former comedian who came to power in 2019 -- also thanked Russians who spoke out against the war and asked them to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin.“Simply stop those who are lying to you, lying to us, lying to the entire world,” he said.“Thousands of victims. Hundreds of those taken prisoner,” he added.“The sooner you tell your government that the war must immediately stop, the more of your people will survive.”Read more:Around 100,000 Ukrainians crossed border into Poland since Russian invasion: OfficialUK says bulk of Russian forces advancing towards center of KyivInternet in Ukraine disrupted as Russian troops advance: NetBlocksOn Thursday, Putin unleashed a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has killed 198 civilians, including three children, according to Kyiv and sparked fears of a greater conflict in Europe.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Zelenskyy says Ukraine has ‘derailed’ Russia’s plan to capture Kyiv

The US will continue to engage with Russia over efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: US reports ‘significant progress’ on Iran nuclear deal

The United States is providing Ukraine with $350 million in additional military equipment to fight off Russia’s “brutal and unprovoked assault,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Saturday.“This package will include further lethal defensive assistance to help Ukraine address the armored, airborne, and other threats it is now facing,” Blinken said in a statement.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Blinken said that last fall as Russia started amassing troops on the border with its pro-Western neighbor, President Joe Biden authorized $60 million in immediate military assistance to Ukraine, then another $200 million in December as President Vladimir Putin’s threat became more acute.Now the US is authorizing a third package “as Ukraine fights with courage and pride against Russia’s brutal and unprovoked assault,” Blinken said.This means total US security assistance committed to Ukraine over the past year now exceeds a billion dollars, the secretary said.Blinken did not detail what kind of weaponry was involved.“It is another clear signal that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign, courageous, and proud nation,” he said.The new assistance follows a series of US and other western sanctions against Russian banks and oligarchs in an effort to punish Putin and his inner circle for the invasion of Ukraine and cripple the Russian economy.Read more:US sends remaining diplomats in Ukraine to Poland ‘for security reasons’: BlinkenUS confirms extra $200 million in Ukraine security aid following Blinken's visitUAE foreign minister, US secretary of state discuss Russian invasion: State dept
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US will provide 0 million in new military aid to Ukraine: Blinken

The Kremlin on Saturday accused Ukraine of prolonging the military conflict by refusing to negotiate as Russia pressed on with its invasion of the pro-Western country.“In connection with the expected negotiations, the Russian president yesterday afternoon ordered the suspension of the advance of the main forces of the Russian Federation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a conference call.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“Since the Ukrainian side refused to negotiate, the advance of the Russian forces resumed this afternoon.”On Friday, as Moscow’s forces approached Kyiv, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin was ready to send a delegation for talks to Belarus, where Russia has stationed thousands of troops.It is one of the places from where Ukraine says it is being attacked.A few hours later, Putin called on the Ukrainian army to overthrow the country’s leadership whom he described as “terrorists” and "a gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had repeatedly called for talks with the Russian leader during a weeks-long diplomatic push in which Western countries tried to deter Putin from launching an attack.As Russian troops closed in on Kyiv on Friday, Zelenskyy issued a new statement urging talks.“I would like to address the President of the Russian Federation once again. Fighting is going on all over Ukraine. Let's sit down at the negotiating table to stop the deaths of people,” he said.The Kremlin on Saturday also said that Russia had “seriously prepared” for the international sanctions, which it said it had “predicted.”“Measures are being taken immediately to minimize damage to all sectors of our economy,” Peskov said.Russia has been hit by a barrage of Western sanctions after Putin announced his attack on Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday.Read more:Zelenskyy says Ukraine has ‘derailed’ Russia’s plan to capture KyivRussia vetoes UN Security action on Ukraine as China, India abstainsTurkey urges Russia to end Ukraine attack, offers mediation
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Kremlin: Ukraine prolonging conflict by refusing talks with Russia

Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechnya region and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Saturday that Chechen fighters had been deployed to Ukraine and urged Ukrainians to overthrow their government.In a video posted online, Kadyrov boasted that Chechen units had so far suffered no losses and said Russian forces could easily take large Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, but that their task was to avoid loss of life.“As of today, as of this minute, we do not have one single casualty, or wounded, not a single man has even had a runny nose,” Kadyrov said, denying what he said were false reports of casualties from Ukrainian sources.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The president (Putin) took the right decision and we will carry out his orders under any circumstances,” said Kadyrov.Kadyrov has often described himself as Putin’s “foot soldier” and his words echoed those of the Russian leader who on Friday urged Ukrainians to rise up against their own government, which he said was made up of “neo-Nazis.”Ukrainian officials say that description of them is absurd.Kadyrov has deployed his forces abroad to support Kremlin military operations before - in Syria and Georgia.Kadyrov released his video as Russian forces pounded Ukrainian cities with artillery and cruise missiles on Saturday for a third day running and a defiant President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the capital Kyiv remained in Ukrainian hands.A short video published by the state-backed Russian news channel RT, which it said was from Friday, showed thousands of Chechen fighters gathered in the main square of the region’s capital Grozny in a show of readiness to fight in Ukraine.It was not immediately clear whether those fighters, who numbered some 12,000 according to RT, had already been deployed to Ukraine. RT said on Friday that they were awaiting an order from Putin to go in.Moscow fought two bloody wars with separatists in Chechnya, a mainly Muslim region in southern Russia, after the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union, but has since poured huge sums of money into the region to rebuild it and given Kadyrov a large measure of autonomy to run things.Read more:Ukraine not refusing negotiation with Russia, but not ready for ultimatums: OfficialUkraine’s Zelenskyy thanks Erdogan for Turkey’s unconfirmed Black Sea warship banKremlin: Ukraine prolonging conflict by refusing talks with Russia
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Chechnya forces deployed in Ukraine: Kadyrov