WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
The war in Ukraine continues to unfold with intense clashes and significant geopolitical shifts. Russian forces are focusing on new operations, the international community is responding with new sanctions and diplomatic initiatives, while Ukraine and its allies are looking for ways to secure support and peace.
St. Petersburg Economic Forum Opens, Putin to Answer Questions from Foreign Journalists
The St. Petersburg Economic Forum, once known as the “Russian Davos,” opened today with a small number of Western representatives, while, on the other hand, there is a noticeable presence of delegations from the countries of the Global South – all in the shadow of the war in Ukraine and international sanctions.
This is the 28th forum so far, taking place at a time when Donald Trump has initiated a process of rapprochement between Washington and Moscow since the beginning of the year, although this has not yet resulted in the lifting of severe US sanctions imposed in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Only a modest delegation of second-tier American businessmen is present at the forum. Putin’s envoy for international economic affairs, Kirill Dmitriev, said Moscow is “currently in talks” with American companies about “a number of projects,” including those related to the Arctic and rare earth minerals.
A symbol of Russia’s increasingly close relations with countries the Kremlin calls “friendly,” Bahrain is this year’s guest of honor at the forum. Representatives from the Taliban, China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic are also present.
The Russian president will also hold talks with foreign journalists during the forum. A panel discussion with editors from the world’s largest news agencies, including the Associated Press, has been announced. On that occasion, Vladimir Putin will outline Russia’s position on tensions between Israel and Iran, as well as the war in Ukraine, which is entering its fourth year.
Zelensky plans to attend NATO summit next week
Volodymyr Zelensky plans to attend the NATO summit to be held on June 24-25 in The Hague, a source in the Ukrainian presidency confirmed today. The visit is aimed, among other things, at another attempt to reach a ceasefire, which Russia has so far rejected.
“The president plans to go,” the official told AFP, adding that a final decision would be made “the day before the summit.”
According to the same source, the Ukrainian leader’s presence in the Netherlands will be another opportunity to “promote the idea of a ceasefire” with Russia. However, negotiations between Kiev and Moscow have stalled, despite two attempts at dialogue in Istanbul.
Russia continues to make maximalist demands, including that Ukraine hand over territories that Moscow has declared annexed and give up its NATO membership – conditions that Zelensky calls unacceptable “ultimatums.”
Four months after Chernobyl attack, Moscow warns that Israeli strikes on Iran could trigger nuclear disaster
Russian diplomacy continues to double standards. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum that the world is “a millimeter away from disaster” due to Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
She ignored the fact that during the night of February 13-14, a Russian “Shahed” drone hit the protective dome of the damaged Chernobyl nuclear power plant. At the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack a “terrorist threat to the entire world.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed at the time that Russia “is not attacking nuclear facilities” in Ukraine. However, Russia has repeatedly shelled areas around other nuclear power plants in the country, including the infrastructure around the occupied Zaporozhye plant, which it has been using as a military base since the beginning of the war.
Death toll in Russian attack on Kiev rises to 28
The head of the Kiev military administration, Timur Tkachenko, said on Telegram that rescuers were continuing to pull bodies from the rubble of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile on the night between Monday and Tuesday.
"As of 2 p.m., the death toll from the attack on a building in the Solomiansky district was 23. A total of 28 deaths have been confirmed in Kiev," Tkachenko wrote.
Ukraine rejects Russian demands for the destruction of Western weapons
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has rejected Moscow's latest demands, according to which the destruction or dismantling of Western weapons supplied to Ukraine should be a prerequisite for a ceasefire.
As they say in Kiev, this demand only shows how much Russia does not respect American efforts to achieve peace.
"Russian officials are making new absurd demands every day. This is completely unacceptable. Moscow is showing complete contempt for the United States' efforts to stop the war," ministry spokesman Georgy Tykhi wrote online.
