Category: Russia-Ukraine

Putin Agrees to Restore Sea Route for Ukraine’s Food Exports: Indonesian President

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has agreed to open a sea route for Ukraine’s food exports, the Indonesian President said on Friday, in a move to sustain the food supply chain amid Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Indonesian President Joko Widodo met with Putin in Moscow just a day after meeting Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in…


Japan to Coordinate With US in Setting Caps on Russian Oil Prices: Official

Japan has agreed to coordinate with the United States in setting a price cap on Russian oil exports to pressure Moscow to halt its aggression against Ukraine, according to a Japanese official. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G-7) summit on Sunday…


China’s Growing Influence in Central Asia Amid Russia-Ukraine War

China has been stepping up engagement with five Central Asian nations as the Russia-Ukraine war drags on. Meanwhile there are expectations that these countries may reconsider their bilateral ties with Moscow. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi attended the third China+Central Asia (C+C5) foreign ministers meeting in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan on June 8. The C5 are Kazakhstan,…


Chinese Researchers Reportedly View Elon Musk’s Starlink as a Military Threat

Chinese military researchers reportedly view the SpaceX-operated Starlink satellite internet system as a national security threat while suggesting Beijing needs to have the ability to destroy it. An expert suggests that the PLA has no capability to defeat Starlink. A Beijing-affiliated military TV program, “Crazy Warfare Show,” recently published an article analyzing the progress of…


US Announces Sales of 40 Million Crude Oil Barrels From Strategic Petroleum Reserve

The U.S. government has announced the sale of up to 40.1 million barrels of crude oil to be released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) over the coming months. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) notice of sale is part of the Biden administration’s March 31 announcement to release 1 million barrels of crude oil…


Japan to Ban Exports of High-Tech Goods to Russia

Japan said Friday that it will ban exports of cutting-edge goods to Russia as additional sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. According to the Economic and Trade Ministry, the ban on exports of 14 high-tech goods, including oil refining equipment, quantum computers, 3D printers, and electron microscopes, to Russia will take effect starting…


China ‘Weighing Carefully’ Russia–Ukraine War for Its Ambitions on Taiwan: CIA Director

China is “weighing very carefully” the resistance of the Ukrainians and the economic costs Russia is incurring as a result of its invasion of Ukraine while keeping an eye on Taiwan, CIA Director William Burns said Saturday. During an interview with the Financial Times, Burns speculated that the Chinese leadership was struck by the ways…


Wimbledon’s Ban: Mingling Sport and Politics

Commentary The organisers of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, which will be held from June 27 to July 10, announced that Russian and Belarussian tennis players would be banned from participating in the iconic tennis tournament. This means that Russian players, Daniil Medvedev, the number two tennis player in the world and a former U.S. Open…


Japan, Russia Reach Agreement on Fishing Quotas Amid Ukraine-Related Sanctions

Japan and Russia have reached an agreement on Tokyo’s fishing quotas for salmon and trout spawned in Russian rivers, despite Moscow’s anger over the spate of economic sanctions that Tokyo imposed over its invasion of Ukraine. Japan’s Fisheries Agency said Saturday that the two countries agreed on Tokyo’s fishing quota of 2,050 tons of salmon…


China’s Top Oil Gaint Plans to Exit Western Markets in Fear of Sanctions, Returning to Domestic IPOs

China is selling its oil fields in the United States, Canada, and Britain due to fear of Western sanctions, according to a recent Reuters report. Experts say Beijing’s over-reliance on U.S. markets and technologies could be fatal in the case of being sanctioned or losing its overseas assets. China’s top offshore oil and gas producer,…