Kazakhstan vows to fast-track AZAL crash investigation amid rising diplomatic tensions
Kazakhstan has vowed to speed up its investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) crash near Aktau, as mounti...
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, has accused Western countries of demanding a 30-day ceasefire to give Ukraine’s military a chance to regroup. Zakharova's remarks highlight the growing tension surrounding the ongoing war and the international calls for temporary peace in orde
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, has stated that Western countries have proposed a 30-day ceasefire to give Ukraine's military a chance to "catch its breath."
Zakharova noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have only met once, during the Normandy Format meeting in Paris in December 2019. During that meeting, Zelensky refused to sign a previously agreed document and demanded the removal of a clause that would ensure the withdrawal of armed forces along the contact line. Zakharova emphasized that this request led to no results, as Zelensky later failed to fulfill his commitments.
The Russian official also highlighted that Ukraine's war preparations were supported by Germany and France. Zakharova pointed out that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President François Hollande admitted that the Minsk agreements were only accepted to buy time, not to implement them.
Zakharova further added, "Now, the same countries are calling for a 30-day ceasefire to allow Ukraine's army to restore its military potential and continue the war against Russia."
These statements shed light on the shifting positions of the West in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with calls for ceasefire taking center stage.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
Türkiye raised its security level for Turkish-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to Level 3 on Sunday (2 March). The development follows Iranian restrictions on shipping after U.S. and Israeli strikes and confirmation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death.
Strikes across the Middle East are intensifying, fuelling travel disruption, driving up global energy prices and forcing diplomatic missions to shut their doors as tensions continue to rise.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
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