FOCUS on NATO: Receiving Aid
A new plan will allow Ukraine to receive military aid from countries including the United States and Germany, which may begin a new chapter in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
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Russia
Russia Rejects EU Gas Price Caps as Europe Prepares for Winter
Russia is strategically using oil as a means of countering the Western cap, by refusing to sell oil to the countries that proposed the price cap. Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, recently tweeted “From this year, Europe will live without Russian oil,” says CBS News.
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NATO Says Russia Not Responsible for Explosion in Poland
Following Russia’s most aggressive attack against Ukraine in over a month, a missile landed in Polish territory on November 15, leaving two people dead, writes CNN. This has led to debate over the origin of the missile, which landed outside of a rural Polish village approximately four miles from the Ukrainian border.
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FOCUS on Global Summits: Russia’s G20 Absence
Lavrov’s attendance comes after Putin repeatedly told Indonesian President Joko Widodo over the course of several months that he would attend the critical summit. According to Reuters, many political pundits have speculated that Putin did not want to appear on the world stage as the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its ninth month.
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Iran Acknowledges Drones in Ukraine, but Denies Direct Involvement
After much speculation, Iran has officially confirmed they have sold drones to Russia– with a caveat. CNN reports that Iran has acknowledged that the Shahed drones widely used by the Russian Army in Ukraine are in fact Iranian drones.
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Russia Claims to Recover Drones Dropped in Black Sea; Allegedly Loses Another Ship
The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine continues deteriorate as Russia receives damage to another important ship in recent days. Forbes reports that the Ukrainian government released videos showing a drone attack on the Russian navy frigate Admiral Makarov, the current flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
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Russia Launches Attacks Across Ukraine After Crimea Bridge Explosion
Russia struck Kyiv and other cities throughout Ukraine on Monday, October 9 in retaliation for the Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Kerch Strait bridge in Crimea a week earlier. In the largest attack since the day of the initial invasion last February, Russia’s strikes targeted Ukrainian military and energy infrastructure as well as Kyiv, reports The Washington Post.
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OPEC Oil Production Cut Sets Relations with U.S. at Risk
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), announced on October 5 that they will cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day beginning in November, reports the Associated Press.
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U.S. Swaps Two Venezuelan Convicts for Seven Americans
Another reason for the Venezuela swap urgency is because the recent international sanctioning on Russia heavily influences global energy prices. Venezuela is one of Russia’s most important allies in Latin America and this agreement may impact how that relationship unfolds.
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Putin Announces Annexation of Eastern Ukrainian Regions
The Russian Federation officially announced the annexation of four eastern Ukrainian regions in a ceremony on September 30. According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporozhye (known as Zaporizhzhya in Ukrainian) were now a permanent and indisputable part of Russia according to Article I of the UN Charter.
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