Mastercard, Visa Suspend Operations in Russia After Invasion

NEW YORK — 

Mastercard and Visa are suspending their operations in Russia, the companies said Saturday, in the latest blow to the country’s financial system after its invasion of Ukraine.

Mastercard said cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by its network and any Mastercard issued outside the country will not work at Russian stores or ATMs.

“We don’t take this decision lightly,” Mastercard said in a statement, adding that it made the move after discussions with customers, partners and governments.

Visa said it’s working with clients and partners in Russia to cease all Visa transactions over the coming days.

“We are compelled to act following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and the unacceptable events that we have witnessed,” Visa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Al Kelly said in a statement.

The twin suspensions were announced within 16 minutes of each other, and they followed a private video call earlier in the day between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and U.S. lawmakers. During that conversation, Zelenskyy “asked us to turn off MasterCard and Visa for Russia,” Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California, tweeted. “I agree,” he added, before Mastercard and Visa made their announcements.

Earlier in the week, Visa and Mastercard had announced more limited moves to block financial institutions from the networks that serve as arteries for the payments system. Russian people have already been hit hard by heavy sanctions and financial penalties imposed by the U.S. government and others.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the value of the Russian currency, the ruble, has plunged by more than a third to a record low. That’s pushing up inflation for Russian households, and all the fear has helped cause long lines at ATMs.

Many other companies around the world have also made moves to increase the financial pressure on Russia and its people because of its attack on Ukraine. Some are selling their stakes in Russian companies, such as energy giant BP, while others like Harley-Davidson halted product shipments to the country.

“This war and the ongoing threat to peace and stability demand we respond in line with our values,” Visa’s Kelly said.

The moves by Mastercard and Visa could make real differences to their bottom lines. Russia accounted for 4% of all of Visa’s net revenue in its last fiscal year, including money made from domestic and cross-border activities. Ukraine accounted for about 1%, Visa said in a filing with U.S. securities regulators this week.

Mastercard said in its own filing that about 4% of its net revenues during 2021 came from business conducted within, into and out of Russia. Another roughly 2% was related to Ukraine.

Oil prices soar as Russia's Ukraine invasion fuels supply concerns | Main | Spanish edition

The price of Brent crude on Wednesday exceeded $110, its highest price since 2014 as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raged on and international sanctions against Moscow began to bite.

Fears of a global oil supply crisis following Russia’s military assault on Ukraine prompted Ryanair director Michael O’Leary to urge western nations to ramp up the production of oil at tame soaring prices.

Brent crude on Wednesday was trading at $111.59 on the London futures market, a 6.3% increase on Tuesday figures.

(…)

Biden promises to 'save democracy,' that Putin will 'pay' for invasion | Main | Spanish edition

United States President Joe Biden promised Tuesday that he will “save democracy” from the challenges faced inside and outside the country, and that his Russian counterpart will “pay” for his invasion of Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine was the focus of part of Biden’s first State of the Union address, in which he announced his decision to close US airspace to Russian flights, as Canada and the European Union have done.

“[Russian president Vladimir] Putin is now isolated from the world more than he has ever been,” the president said before lawmakers from both houses of US Congress.

“[He] has unleashed violence and chaos. But while he may make gains on the battlefield, he will pay a continuing high price over the long run.”

(…)

Ukraine Invasion Sparks Controversial Commentary on Chinese Social Media

NEW DELHI — 

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, Chinese social media, usually a controlled space, is rife with conflicting comments about Ukraine. Censors have deleted thousands of posts — many containing vulgar sexual remarks about Ukrainian women — along with the accounts from which they originated.

A wide variety of comments are emerging hourly on the chatting platform WeChat; the Douyin video app, or Chinese TikTok; and Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.

Some social media users are asking the Chinese government to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the Ukrainian crisis to seize Taiwan. China regards the self-ruled island as a breakaway province, even though it has its own flag, currency, military and democratic institutions. The Chinese government has said it is ready to bring about a reunification with Taiwan, even if force is required.

Chinese social media is also witnessing an outpouring of support for Russia and criticism of the U.S. over its support for Ukraine. A small number of people are asking why Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to interfere in the affairs of another country by urging Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine to revolt against their local governments.

FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China, Feb. 4, 2022. (Sputnik/Aleksey Druzhinin/Kremlin via Reuters)

Significantly, some commenters are asking why the Chinese government did not stand by its ally Russia during a recent United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine. China, India and United Arab Emirates chose to abstain from voting, a neutral stance.

Commenters have also ridiculed Ukraine for supposedly letting the U.S. make decisions for it.

China’s motives questioned

Along with the posts that are vulgar or praise violence, the Chinese censors have been removing expressions of anti-war sentiment, including an open letter circulated by several academicians calling for an end to the war.

“It is not an easy situation for the government. It cannot support the war. But it is also uncomfortable about intense parading of anti-war sentiment because this has implications on the political situation in Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong,” said a Chinese university professor who asked not to be named.

FILE – A man reads the Chinese state-run newspaper with coverage of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, on a street in Beijing, Feb. 24, 2022.

The state-controlled Global Times suggested in its Chinese-language edition that anti-Beijing separatists are behind some of the anti-war postings. “Some people surmise that clandestine ‘Taiwan separatists,’ ‘Hong Kong separatists’ and other forces are the ones making waves in public sentiment and public discourse on the Ukraine situation,” wrote Sun Jiashan, a researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts.

Yet the country’s internet censor, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), initially stayed on the sidelines of the debate, allowing some posts questioning Moscow’s policy to remain up. This reflects a wider dilemma for Chinese authorities as their ally, Russia, supports and endorses a separatist movement in eastern Ukraine while carrying out an unprovoked attack on a neighbor.

“China overall is following events but not taking a clear stand, and why should it? For China this war is a lose-lose proposition,” said Francesco Sisci, a senior research associate at Renmin University of China in Beijing.

“If Russia wins, it gets stronger, and China will feel the weight again of the northern neighbor. If it loses, China will be more isolated,” Sisci told VOA. “Plus, it didn’t trust Russia to begin with. Still, China’s official stand is strongly anti-American, and [as seen] from Beijing, this war was set up by the U.S., which pushed Russia around.”

FILE – People walk past an office of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) in Beijing, China, July 8, 2021.

Nevertheless, the CAC and social media platforms have weeded out thousands of postings containing objectionable comments and videos. The agency said it was cracking down on “self-media” — social media accounts held by independent content producers who share irresponsible political ideas. It also said it wants to control the distribution of information across all internet platforms to end “disruption to the order of internet broadcasts.”

Douyin said it had removed 3,500 videos and 12,100 comments related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is investigating objectionable posts, such as those calling for the “capture of beautiful Ukrainian women,” spreading inappropriate values, and harming the platform’s atmosphere.

Backlash in Ukraine

Other postings suggest the Chinese government’s posture has prompted anger toward Chinese students studying in Ukraine. Several of them have cited hostility from local residents and expressed concern for their safety.

The Chinese flag is put on the fence of the Chinese embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 1, 2022.

The Chinese Embassy in Kyiv initially asked its citizens to clearly identify their nationality while traveling in Ukraine. It later changed the order to say that they should stay indoors and not identify their nationality until further instructions are issued.

“The Ukrainians are going through difficulties. … We need to understand them and not provoke them,” the embassy told Chinese citizens in Ukraine.

The official Xinhua News Agency also joined the government in urging social media users to “discuss and present in a reasonable way” and criticized those who “spoke inappropriately.”

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds Says Biden’s Foreign Policy Led to Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Republican Governor Kim Reynolds of the midwestern U.S. state of Iowa laid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine squarely at the feet of President Joe Biden and his approach to foreign policy.

In the official Republican response to the Democratic president’s State of the Union address, Governor Reynolds offered a list of what she described as the administration’s foreign policy failures, including last year’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, which she said not only “cost American lives,” but “betrayed our allies and emboldened our enemies.”

Reynolds suggested Biden allowed the Ukraine invasion to occur by waiving sanctions on Russian pipelines while eliminating domestic oil production. She concluded that Biden and congressional Democrats were too busy “focusing on political correctness rather than military readiness.”

“Weakness on the world stage has a cost,” Reynolds said. “And the president’s approach to foreign policy has consistently been too little, too late.”

Turning her attention to the U.S. economy, the first-term governor said Biden and congressional Democrats have spent the last year “either ignoring issues facing Americans or making them worse,” specifically inflation. Reynolds said the administration was warned that “spending trillions of dollars would lead to soaring inflation, and were told that anti-energy policies would send gas prices to new heights.”

She also boasted of the approach taken by her and other Republican governors in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This included opposing coronavirus restrictions such as vaccine and mask mandates, especially those in public schools.

She said keeping schools open is just the start of a “pro-parent, pro-family revolution” that includes banning the teaching of so-called critical race theory, which conservatives contend could further divide Americans and worsen race relations.

“Americans are tired of a political class trying to remake this country into a place where an elite view tells everyone else what they can and cannot say, what they can and cannot believe,” Reynolds said. “They’re tired of people pretending the way to erase racism is by categorizing everybody by their race.”

The 62-year-old Reynolds began her political career as the elected treasurer of a rural county, serving four terms in that office before her election to the Iowa state Senate in 2008. She was elevated to the post of lieutenant governor two years later as the running mate of Governor Terry Branstad, succeeding him in 2017 when he was confirmed as then-President Donald Trump’s choice as ambassador to China.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds Says Biden's Foreign Policy Led to Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Republican Governor Kim Reynolds of the midwestern U.S. state of Iowa laid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine squarely at the feet of President Joe Biden and his approach to foreign policy.

In the official Republican response to the Democratic president’s State of the Union address, Governor Reynolds offered a list of what she described as the administration’s foreign policy failures, including last year’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, which she said not only “cost American lives,” but “betrayed our allies and emboldened our enemies.”

Reynolds suggested Biden allowed the Ukraine invasion to occur by waiving sanctions on Russian pipelines while eliminating domestic oil production. She concluded that Biden and congressional Democrats were too busy “focusing on political correctness rather than military readiness.”

“Weakness on the world stage has a cost,” Reynolds said. “And the president’s approach to foreign policy has consistently been too little, too late.”

Turning her attention to the U.S. economy, the first-term governor said Biden and congressional Democrats have spent the last year “either ignoring issues facing Americans or making them worse,” specifically inflation. Reynolds said the administration was warned that “spending trillions of dollars would lead to soaring inflation, and were told that anti-energy policies would send gas prices to new heights.”

She also boasted of the approach taken by her and other Republican governors in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This included opposing coronavirus restrictions such as vaccine and mask mandates, especially those in public schools.

She said keeping schools open is just the start of a “pro-parent, pro-family revolution” that includes banning the teaching of so-called critical race theory, which conservatives contend could further divide Americans and worsen race relations.

“Americans are tired of a political class trying to remake this country into a place where an elite view tells everyone else what they can and cannot say, what they can and cannot believe,” Reynolds said. “They’re tired of people pretending the way to erase racism is by categorizing everybody by their race.”

The 62-year-old Reynolds began her political career as the elected treasurer of a rural county, serving four terms in that office before her election to the Iowa state Senate in 2008. She was elevated to the post of lieutenant governor two years later as the running mate of Governor Terry Branstad, succeeding him in 2017 when he was confirmed as then-President Donald Trump’s choice as ambassador to China.

Ukrainians call for an end to the Russian invasion

Interviewed credits:

Valeriya Itchenko – Ukrainian in Colombia

Rostyslav – Ukrainian in Colombia

Elena Rockas – Ukrainian in Colombia

Olena Iyentsova – Ukrainian in Colombia

RPTV NEWS AGENCY team:

Journalist: Nicholas Amaya

Camera and Edition: Nicholas Fajardo

BOGOTA COLOMBIA). Monday, February 28, 2022 (RPTV NEWS AGENCY). A hundred Ukrainians residing in Colombia protested at the Russian Embassy in Bogotá, demanding that Putin stop the attacks against their people. The demonstration was joined by Russian citizens who disagree with the Kremlin’s decision.

“We are going to stop this war ourselves, because the enemy has come to our land, is destroying our houses and killing our people,” said Valeriya Itchenko, a Ukrainian who has lived in Colombia for 15 years.

She, like dozens of her compatriots, came out to protest against Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.

“We ask that the whole world listen to us and we ask that the Russian authorities listen to us. What they do is illegal, they must condemn what Putin does,” said Rostyslav, a Ukrainian living in Colombia.

And it is not for less, they and the whole world condemn the Russian advance in Ukrainian territory that has caused the displacement of more than 400,000 Ukrainians.

“They are bombing us and we have tanks in the streets, so who can sleep with that situation like this,” says Elena Rockas, a Ukrainian in Colombia.

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Spain demands from Russia the immediate end of the military invasion of Ukraine

Courtesy: Free Tribune

Thursday, February 24, 2022 (RPTV NEWS AGENCY). The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has participated tonight in Brussels in the extraordinary European Council to address the military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, during which he has held a videoconference with the Ukrainian President, Volodímir Zelenski.

The Heads of State and Government have agreed on a new package of sanctions against the Russian Federation for the attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a neighboring country and, as Pedro Sánchez highlighted, “an attack on the security of the entire European continent”. This is a second package of restrictive measures after the one adopted last Tuesday, February 22.

The President of the Government has underlined: “The situation is very serious. We are facing a flagrant violation of international law that we cannot accept. And the EU must respond along the lines that we have been maintaining in recent weeks: Unity, which is the basis of our strength; and firmness in our position, open to dialogue and diplomatic channels, but very willing to adopt harsh restrictive measures, if Russia opted for force, as it has been».

The Spanish Embassy in Kiev has been in contact for weeks with Spanish residents in Ukraine to provide them with available information on possible evacuation routes. Of the more than 400 Spaniards registered at the Embassy, ​​more than a hundred are already in Spain. In this sense, President Sánchez has guaranteed that the necessary help will be provided to the Spaniards who still remain in Ukraine, just over 200.

Pedro Sánchez has recalled that Spain is a country of solidarity and has highlighted the need for the European Union to prepare for the humanitarian consequences arising from this aggression. “We reiterate our support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people and government at this difficult time. Spain and the European partners are by your side”, stated the Chief Executive.

EU sanctions on Russia

The extraordinary European Council, during the videoconference held with the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski Moncloa/European Union and Fernando CalvoPedro Sánchez, highlighted that, in this extraordinary European Council, additional restrictive measures have been reached “that we want them to have, as we have come pointing out, a forceful and massive effects against the Russian economy». And all of this, as the president highlighted, has been done “in close coordination with our transatlantic partners, our NATO allies and other international actors.”

The 27 have agreed on a new package of sanctions on Russia that complements those approved on Tuesday. The list of individual sanctions is extended and the sectoral ones are expanded, with restrictive measures that will further reduce the financing capacity of Russian public and private institutions, limiting movements, transactions and deposits and establishing a strict control of exports, in particular of dual-use and technological material.

“This aggression is a frontal attack on European principles and values ​​that opens a multidimensional crisis. Today, we European leaders have reaffirmed our common commitment to confront this clear violation of the international order on the basis of our unity and firmness”, concluded the President of the Government.

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Audiences turn to RFE/RL for truthful reporting about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – USAGM

Audiences turn to RFE/RL for truthful reporting about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

February 25, 2022

Washington, D.C. — As the world awoke to unprovoked war in Europe, audiences turned to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) for breaking news and analysis of the escalation. With journalists across the region and RFE/RL’s Ukrainian, Belarus, Russian, and Current Time networks providing on-the-ground coverage, RFE/RL is uniquely positioned to provide the facts to audiences across the region that are being bombarded by Kremlin disinformation.

• RFE/RL’s networks recorded 13 million page views on their websites on February 24, representing a 159 percent increase over the previous day and a 248 percent increase over the same day one week before (February 17).
• RFE/RL Ukrainian Service websites, which include content for audiences in Crimea and Donbas, alone recorded 4.7 million page views yesterday, a 313 percent increase over the previous day and 557 percent rise over the same day one week before.
• Current Time’s live coverage of the early hours of the invasion was viewed more than 10 million times across social platforms, including YouTube and Facebook, reflecting a 25-fold increase over the same day the previous week for Current Time’s morning show.

Jamie Fly, President of RFE/RL, spoke of the importance of providing uncensored news and information and condemned Russia’s aggression: “With Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, our mission to share the facts with audiences that are denied that truth by their governments or that need independent information during a crisis is more important than ever.”

“Vladimir Putin initiated an unprecedented act of war against Ukrainian democracy today, but he has been assaulting the rights of the Russian people and undermining democracies for decades. We will continue to report the truth about him and the Kremlin’s lies and fabrications to our audiences in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and throughout the region during this critical moment.”

RFE/RL is staying close to the story, offering comprehensive, around-the-clock reporting from our journalists on all aspects affecting our audiences during this conflict. This includes coverage of events Russian authorities would rather ignore, such as the outbreak of anti-war protests across Russia, damage to civilian apartment buildings in Kharkiv as a result of Russian bombardment, and massive traffic jams caused by civilians trying to flee the attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. RFE/RL continues to counter Russian propaganda through our services’ live videos, in-depth reports and analysis, podcasts, photo galleries, maps, infographics and real-time blogging.

To stay up to date on the latest developments, follow RFE/RL’s Live Briefing: Ukraine Under Attack – updated throughout the day. Several RFE/RL services, including the Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian and Current Time networks, are also live blogging the invasion, and RFE/RL has also created a list of its most relevant Twitter feeds.

In response to intensified attempts by Russia’s media monitoring agency Roskomnadzor to keep Russian audiences from accessing factual reporting on the invasion, RFE/RL’s Russian Service, Tatar-Bashkir Service, Crimea.Realities, and Current Time units are educating their audiences on a variety of means to bypass online censorship and safely access information. Such efforts to ensure access to RFE/RL content are especially relevant given Roskomnadzor’s recent attempts to force RFE/RL to take down content tied to corruption investigations by jailed opposition leader Aleksei Navalny’s team.

About RFE/RL

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is a private, independent international news organization whose programs — radio, Internet, television, and mobile — reach influential audiences in 23 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through USAGM.

Protesters in Australia Condemn Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

SYDNEY — 

Hundreds of Australians of Ukrainian descent joined those with Russian heritage to demonstrate against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in downtown Sydney on Friday.

It was an act of solidarity many thousands of kilometers away from the conflict in Ukraine.

Protesters held signs urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the killing.

The Australian government has joined the international condemnation of the Russian attack.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison also condemned China for undermining Western sanctions against Russia.

In early February, China’s president, Xi Jinping, and Putin agreed to boost trade ties.

Australia insists the agreement was aimed at undermining the United States’ network of global alliances and any sanctions that it would impose on Russia.

Morrison urged China to act responsibly.

“You don’t go and throw a lifeline to Russia in the middle of a period when they are invading another country,” he said. “That is simply unacceptable from the reports that we have seen, and I would urge all nations to say this is not a time to be easing trade restrictions with Russia. We should all be doing the exact opposite.”

A Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson suggested Thursday the attack should not be called an “invasion” because Russia was only targeting Ukrainian military bases.

Morrison had previously described Russian invaders as “thugs” and “bullies.”

Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton has said that China’s President Xi might be one of the few global leaders who could persuade his Russian counterpart to halt the invasion.

The Australian government will send medical supplies, financial support and military equipment, but not weapons, to Ukraine to help its fight against Russia.

The Russian embassy in the Australian capital, Canberra, has said sanctions imposed by Australia were “xenophobic.”

China Responds Cautiously to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

New Delhi — 

China, Russia’s most powerful ally, was notably restrained in its initial reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, offering little direct support for Moscow as much of the world seeks to isolate Moscow economically and diplomatically.

“I would like to say that China is closely following the situation in Ukraine,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing on Thursday. “We call on all parties to exercise restraint and prevent the situation from getting out of control.

FILE – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying gestures during the daily Press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, Feb. 24, 2022.

“We still hope that the parties concerned will not shut the door to peace and engage instead in dialogue and consultation and prevent the situation from further escalating,” she said.

A foreign diplomat based in Beijing said the statement was consistent with China’s recent remarks on the Ukraine crisis but expressed surprise that Hua did not promise Moscow more help against what Western leaders say will be crushing economic sanctions.

“This is more or less what China has been saying last few days,” said the diplomat, who asked not to be identified. “The least one would have expected from Beijing is an assurance that it will go ahead with the recent agreement on purchase of Russia gas.”

Nevertheless, there were signs that China will help to soften the blow of the expected sanctions, some of which have already been announced. The Chinese Customs department released a new order signed on Wednesday for the purchase of Russian wheat.

FILE – Farmers bring in the harvest with their combine harvester on a wheat field in the southern Russian Stavropol region, July 9, 2014.

The two countries had announced a trade deal for the sale of wheat and barley to China on February 8. They appeared to make a point of announcing the transaction even as Russian troops and tanks were rolling into Ukraine.

During the press briefing, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson differed with Western journalists over whether the Russian military action should be called an invasion.

“Regarding the definition of an invasion, I think we should go back to how to view the current situation in Ukraine. The Ukrainian issue has other very complicated historical background that have continued to today. It may not be what everyone wants to see,” she said.

Other Chinese experts have echoed the argument made by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow is simply responding to Western aggression and the mistreatment of Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine.

“I believe Russia’s military operation is a reaction of Moscow toward Western countries’ exerting pressure on Russia for a long time, showing that Moscow can’t tolerate anymore,” said Yang Jin, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He spoke to the state-run Global Times on Thursday.

Chinese dilemma

There are signs Beijing is caught in a dilemma. It does not want to support or justify the Russian attack on Ukraine because it might harm its political and trade relationship with the Western world.

Beijing is particularly worried about Western experts suggesting the Ukraine invasion could be a test case for China, which has long refused to rule out a military takeover of Taiwan. It does not want the spotlight to focus on China at this stage, informed sources said.

On the other hand, it wants to be seen as a country that stands by its friends and allies, which explains its decision on the wheat purchase. Beijing is expected to offer more trade opportunities to ease economic pressure on Russia but avoid any major political or military measures, the diplomat said.

Putin is believed to have consulted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping about the possible fallout of an invasion on Ukraine during a visit to Beijing on February 4. They also discussed possible ways to overcome new challenges that an attack on Ukraine would throw up, sources said.

The same day, Russian state-owned petroleum company Gazprom announced it has signed a 30-year agreement for the sale of natural gas to be supplied to China through a Far Eastern route.

The two countries were prepared for a possible European decision to halt the activation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, built to carry Russian gas under the Baltic Sea, directly to Germany.

The United States is particularly worried about a strong partnership between China and Russia.

“We think that Russia and the PRC [want a world order] that is and would be profoundly illiberal, an order that stands in contrast to the system that countries around the world … have built in the last seven decades,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Wednesday. “It is an order that is in many ways destructive, rather than additive.”

US Lawmakers Condemn Putin’s Unprovoked Invasion of Ukraine

Washington — 

U.S. lawmakers condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine early Thursday, calling on the Biden administration to act swiftly to address the first full-scale war in Europe in more than 70 years.

“History will prove Vladimir Putin’s decision to sacrifice the lives of countless Ukrainians and Russians was made out of fear — fear of allowing a neighboring independent, sovereign nation to pursue democracy and freedom,” said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez in a statement early Thursday.

“This unprovoked attack has brought into sharp focus the need to expel the current Kremlin leadership from the international community. Today must mark a historical shift in how the world views and deals with the despot in Moscow,” he continued.

Flame and smoke rise from the debris of a private house in the aftermath of Russian shelling outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022.

In a speech late Wednesday, Putin rationalized the unprovoked attack on the independent eastern European nation claiming, without evidence. that a genocide was occurring in Ukraine and calling for the “de-Nazification” of the country, which is led by an elected Jewish president.

The top-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, said the Russian bombardment of cities in Ukraine was “a premeditated and flagrant act of war. Despite committed efforts to find a diplomatic solution, Putin has violated the border of a sovereign country.”

Earlier this year, both Menendez and Risch introduced legislation sanctioning Russia for a possible invasion of Ukraine.

FILE – This satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies shows troops gathered at a training ground in Pogonovo, Russia, on Jan. 26, 2022.

As Putin massed troops at the Ukraine border in recent weeks, U.S. lawmakers struggled to reach an agreement on sanctions legislation. Republicans favored triggering sanctions earlier to deter Putin while Democrats favored the Biden administration approach of working in concert with European allies to negotiate a diplomatic solution.

Now that a full-scale Russian invasion has begun, there are several options at the disposal of lawmakers, including $750 million in aid for Ukraine in the 2022 omnibus spending bill and as much as $1 billion in humanitarian aid.

The U.S. Congress is on recess this week and not set to return to Washington until Monday. But lawmakers will receive an unclassified phone briefing from administration officials later on Thursday.

Congressional Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for not acting forcefully enough to deter Putin from the invasion and warned about the consequences of the United States appearing weak on the international stage.

FILE – Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, center, speaks on the close of the war in Afghanistan, at the Capitol in Washington, Aug. 31, 2021.

However House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul, House Armed Services Committee Lead Republican Mike Rogers and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Lead Republican Mike Turner issued a statement putting the blame for the violence in Ukraine squarely on the Russian president.

“Every drop of Ukrainian and Russian blood spilled in this conflict is on Putin’s hands, and his alone,” they wrote. “In response, we are committed to enacting the strongest possible sanctions and export controls to cripple Russia’s ability to make war, punish its barbarity and relegate the Putin regime to the status of an international pariah. We cannot respond like we did in 2008 or 2014.”

Lawmakers called on Biden to impose the toughest possible sanctions on Putin ahead of an expected speech to the nation at midday U.S. time. Republican Senator Rob Portman, the co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus, said in a statement, “We can and we must cripple Russia’s military by starving it of financing. Next, we must impose export and import controls, especially of vital electronic goods like semiconductors. Doing so could restrict the tools Russia needs to manufacture and resupply its military.”

FILE – Ukrainian service members unpack Javelin anti-tank missiles, delivered by plane as part of the US military support package for Ukraine, at the Boryspil International Airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 10, 2022.

Portman also called for increased military support to Ukraine and other U.S. allies in the region, including supplying anti-tank, anti-ship and anti-aircraft weaponry.

While some wings of both the Republican and Democratic parties have expressed concern about the U.S. being drawn into a ground conflict in Ukraine, Biden has repeatedly stated the U.S. will not commit its own troops to the conflict.

Biden Sanctions Russia After ‘Beginning of Invasion’ of Ukraine

President Joe Biden cut off Russia from Western financing and placed sanctions on large Russian banks in response to what he called the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has more.
Skype video courtesy, Michael Kimmage soundbite

Why a Russian Invasion of Ukraine Would Hurt China, Too

washington — 

China’s deepening ties with Russia will come with heavy geopolitical and economic consequences should the Ukraine crisis escalate, analysts say.

While the two powers have recently intensified their so-called comprehensive strategic partnership, Beijing has not offered its full support for Moscow’s military encirclement of its neighbor.

And there have been signs Beijing is worried that a Russia-Ukraine confrontation might not be in China’s national interest while its relationship with the West is deteriorating and its economy is slowing down.

The country called again Friday for a political resolution of the crisis. “Efforts should be made on the basis of the Minsk-2 agreement to properly treat the reasonable security concerns of all sides including Russia through dialogue and negotiation,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

Debate on response

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Beijing is weighing how much it will support Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine. According to people with knowledge of the matter, the report said, China’s top leaders have debated how to respond to the crisis without hurting China’s own interests.

“I can’t see how China could support Russia in any sort of meaningful way and not do rather significant damage to the U.S.-China relationship,” said Michael Hunzeker, an assistant professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government. He spoke to VOA in a telephone interview.

FILE – White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Aug. 17, 2021.

The U.S. has recently strongly criticized China’s support for Russia.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan accused China of giving a “wink and a nod” to a Russian invasion of Ukraine and said, “I believe that China will ultimately come to suffer consequences as a result of that in the eyes of the rest of the world, most notably in the eyes of our European partners and allies.”

Dustin Walker, a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told VOA he believed that Europe would see China’s support for Putin’s brinksmanship on Ukraine as further evidence that China is a systemic rival, leading the region to “rethink its relationship with China.”

Testing ties

A possible Russian-Ukrainian confrontation would also test the relationship between Beijing and Moscow. If China, fearing repercussions for its own economy, were to comply with Western sanctions against Russia, Walker noted, it would be seen by Moscow as an unreliable partner.

Walker pointed out that in the joint statement issued after Xi and Putin met at the Beijing Olympics, China explicitly opposed NATO enlargement for the first time, but didn’t mention Ukraine.

That “has to raise the question whether Putin asked for something that he didn’t get from China,” Walker said.

Experts also note that China did not recognize the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, as it places fighting against separatism at the heart of its national security.

In Beijing’s diplomatic parlance, China and Russia maintain a “comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.” Russia remains the first and only major country to establish this type of partnership with China, said Craig Singleton, a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

With China’s economy rapidly cooling, Xi will be focused, at least for the foreseeable future, on maintaining economic stability, which is something that Putin may or may not be inclined to respect as he pursues his interests in Ukraine, Singleton said in an email exchange with VOA. “China and Russia will find it incredibly difficult to synchronize their strategies,” he wrote.

War undermines stability

China also has important financial ties with Ukraine. It is Kyiv’s largest trading partner, and the two countries have had a strategic partnership since 2011. Ukraine joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure plan, even before Russia did.

FILE – The Lithuanian Embassy is seen in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. Beijing on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, accused Washington of inciting Lithuania to “contain China” in a feud over the status of self-ruled Taiwan after U.S. officials expressed support for the European Union-member country in the face of Chinese economic pressure.

While China is also the EU’s largest trading partner, the relationship is believed to be at its lowest point in decades. When Beijing began trying to sanction EU member state Lithuania over its policies toward Taiwan, the EU rallied to Vilnius’ defense, suing China for coercive trade practices at the World Trade Organization.

China exports almost 10 times as much to the European Union and Britain as it does to Russia, noted Singleton in a recent article published by Foreign Policy. He said Xi, in recent months, has personally stepped in to try to soothe relations with Europe because China needs enhanced ties to help it weather the current economic storm.

Some analysts believe that an extended showdown with Moscow over Ukraine could distract the United States from its vaunted “pivot to Asia,” leaving China more space to expand its influence in the region.

Hunzeker, the George Mason University professor, acknowledged that such a development would be advantageous to China. But, he said, “I don’t think we’re going to play into that sort of mistake.”

Biden Speaks with Ukraine’s Zelenskiy as Threat of Russian Invasion Looms

Washington — 

U.S. President Joe Biden is speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday as the United States says the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine looms as a “distinct possibility” in the coming days.

Biden is conferring by phone with the Ukrainian leader from the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington, where the U.S. leader is spending the weekend as Western officials express increased fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin could attack the one-time Soviet republic in the next few days, possibly by Wednesday.

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security official, told CNN’s “State of the Union” show that the U.S. cannot predict whether Russia might invade this week or after the Beijing Olympics end in a week, but that there is “a distinct possibility there will be a major military action.”

While the U.S. has warned for several months of the threat of a Russian attack, Sullivan said “in the last few days” Moscow has accelerated its military buildup.

Biden, in an hour-long call Saturday with Putin, warned the Russian leader that invading Ukraine would cause “widespread human suffering.” Biden said the United States and its allies remained committed to diplomacy to end the crisis but were “equally prepared for other scenarios.”

Russia said Biden continued to fail to address Moscow’s main security concerns, including ruling out Ukraine’s possible membership in the 30-country NATO military alliance led by the U.S. The Western allies have ruled out Russian veto power over NATO membership as a nonstarter but said they are willing to negotiate other security issues, such positioning of missiles in NATO counties closest to Russia and NATO troop training exercises.

Moscow’s troops have now surrounded much of Ukraine with more than 130,000 troops, to the north of Ukraine in Russian ally Belarus and along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia, while positioning warships to the south in the Black Sea along the Crimean Peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

“I’m not handicapping what will happen,” Sullivan said, but added that the U.S. and its allies would impose a “significant strategic [economic] loss” on Russia if it attacks Ukraine.

Biden has ruled out sending the U.S. military to fight in Ukraine but sent 5,000 U.S. troops to NATO countries in eastern European countries closest to Russia to help bolster their fighting forces.

The U.S. has urged all Americans living in Ukraine to leave immediately, and the Defense Department has pulled out 160 military advisers who had been assisting the Kyiv government.

Travelers wait at the check-in counters ahead of their flights at the Boryspil airport some 30 kilometers outside Kyiv on Feb. 13, 2022.

Sullivan said the U.S. believes a Russian attack could start with a barrage of missiles and aerial bombings followed by a ground invasion.

“Civilians could be killed regardless of their nationality,” he said.

Numerous countries have ordered their diplomatic personnel to leave Kyiv, while some are keeping smaller contingents in consulates in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, near the Polish border.

Several international airlines have stopped flying into Ukraine because of the impending threat of warfare, although Ukraine said it has not closed its airspace.

Dutch airline KLM said Saturday that it has canceled flights to Ukraine until further notice.

Dutch worries about the potential danger in Ukrainian airspace is high in the wake of the 2014 shootdown of a Malaysian airliner over an area of eastern Ukraine held by Russia-backed rebels. All 298 people aboard were killed, including 198 Dutch citizens.

The Ukrainian charter airline SkyUp said Sunday that its flight from Madeira, Portugal, to Kyiv was diverted to the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, after the Irish leasing company that owns the plane said it was banning flights in Ukrainian airspace.

Some material in this report came from the Associated Press.

Russian Invasion of Ukraine ‘Could Happen at Any Time’

Washington — 

The United States now believes a Russian invasion of Ukraine “could happen at any time,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Sunday, in what would be the biggest military operation in Europe since World War II.

“We believe that the Russians have put in place the capabilities to mount a significant military operation into Ukraine, and we have been working hard to prepare a response,” Sullivan told NBC’s “Meet the Press” show.

In a separate interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Sullivan said, “Any day Russia could take action against Ukraine, or it could be a couple weeks,” with U.S. intelligence officials assessing that Moscow has 70% of its strike force in place for an attack.

Local residents attend an all-Ukrainian training campaign “Don’t panic! Get ready!” close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 6, 2022.

He said a Russian invasion would come “at an enormous human cost to Ukraine but at a strategic cost to Russia,” with the U.S. prepared to impose swift and severe economic sanctions against Russia to hobble its economy.

“Whatever actions Russia takes next, America is ready,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan, however, said the U.S. is willing to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his professed security concerns about actions of the U.S. and its 29 NATO allies.

“That includes the placement of certain range systems of missiles,” Sullivan said. “It includes transparency around military exercises. It includes greater capacity to have a confidence building and to avoid incidents that could lead to escalation or miscalculation.”

“But what we’re not prepared to negotiate are the fundamental principles of security that include an open door to NATO for countries who can meet the requirements,” Sullivan said in rejecting Putin’s demand that NATO rule out the possibility of Ukrainian membership.

The Western allies say no outside nation has veto power over which countries join the Atlantic alliance.

U.S. President Joe Biden last week ordered that 3,000 American troops be sent to two eastern NATO countries, Poland and Romania. Reports say troops from the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division have landed in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine.

Military personnel from the 82nd Airborne Division and 18th Airborne Corps board a C-17 transport plane for deployment to Eastern Europe, amid escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Feb. 3, 2022.

Washington has ruled out dispatching troops to fight alongside Ukrainian forces in the event of a Russian invasion. The U.S. has, however, sent $500 million worth of arms and defensive missiles to the Kyiv government.

If Russia invades Ukraine, then cuts off its natural gas supplies to European countries in retaliation to U.S. sanctions, Sullivan said the U.S. is moving to help redirect natural gas supplies from elsewhere to its European allies.

In any event, Sullivan said if Russia invades Ukraine, its Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany “will not move forward.” The pipeline is completed but not yet operational.

In the NBC interview, Sullivan said Biden “has rallied our allies. He’s reinforced and reassured our partners on the eastern flank. He’s provided material support to the Ukrainians, and he’s offered the Russians a diplomatic path if that’s what they choose instead, but either way, we are ready, our allies are ready and we’re trying to help the Ukrainian people get ready as well.”

US, European Leaders Align Against Russian Invasion Threat

WASHINGTON — 

Russia said Tuesday it is watching “with great concern” following a U.S. move to put 8,500 troops on alert for possible deployment to eastern Europe.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated to reporters Russian accusations that the United States is escalating tensions in the crisis along the Russia-Ukraine border.

U.S. President Joe Biden met virtually Monday afternoon with key European leaders to discuss the ongoing threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“I had a very, very, very good meeting — total unanimity with all the European leaders,” Biden told reporters after hosting a secure video call with allied leaders from Europe, the European Union and NATO.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office released a statement that supported Biden’s summation, saying, “The leaders agreed on the importance of international unity in the face of growing Russian hostility.”

Biden has not decided whether to move U.S. military equipment and personnel closer to Russia. But White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in advance of the meeting with the European officials that the United States has “always said we’d support allies on the eastern flank” abutting Russia.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin placed 8,500 U.S. military personnel on “high alert” of being dispatched to Eastern Europe, where most of them could be activated as part of a NATO response force if Russia invades Ukraine.

FILE – U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pauses while speaking during a media briefing at the Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia, Nov. 17, 2021.

“It’s very clear the Russians have no intention right now of de-escalating,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. “What this is about, though, is reassurance to our NATO allies.”

The White House released a statement after the meeting that said, “The leaders also discussed their joint efforts to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine,

including preparations to impose massive consequences and severe economic costs on Russia for such actions as well as to reinforce security on NATO’s eastern flank.”

WATCH: US preps for possible deployment to Europe

Biden has ruled out sending troops to Ukraine if Russia invades the onetime Soviet republic but vowed to impose quick and severe economic sanctions on Moscow.

Kirby said the U.S. military is “keenly focused” on the Russian military’s 127,000-troop buildup along the Ukraine border and in Belarus. He said the United States was “taking steps to heighten readiness over Ukraine,” including for a NATO response force if the Western military forces are activated.

FILE – Ukrainian soldiers stand on a check-point close to the line of separation from pro-Russian rebels, Mariupol, Donetsk region, Jan. 21, 2022.

U.S. and Russian officials have had four face-to-face meetings in the past two weeks over Western concerns about the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine and Russian fears of NATO operations in Eastern Europe, and Biden has also talked directly with European allies.

Russia insists the troops are on the border for its own protection but is demanding NATO provide guarantees it will stop its eastward expansion, beginning with not allowing Ukraine to join the alliance, a move Moscow perceives as a threat. NATO has repeatedly rejected that request, saying Russia has no veto over NATO membership for other countries.

The United States and Russia are planning to exchange written statements this week about their demands of each other.

VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell contributed to this report. Some information also came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.