NATO chief invites Russia to new talks as Ukraine tensions mount Moscow says it must have answers from the West over its security demands before more discussions can take place. Al Jazeera · Jan 18, 2022
Girl, 10, miraculously survives 18 hours in -11C blizzard by hugging 'fluffy' stray dog Schoolgirl Vika Z, spent 18 hours hugging a "fluffy" dog for warmt in a ferociously cold -11C blizzard after getting lost on the way home from school near her home on Russia's largest island, Sakhalin Daily Mirror · Jan 18, 2022
Factbox-Russian military drills in Belarus create new threats for Ukraine Joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus in the coming weeks will provide Russian President Vladimir Putin with new options if he decides to attack Ukraine and will further stretch that country's defences, military analysts say. Reuters · Jan 18, 2022
If diplomacy fails with Russia, we all lose. Biden must not abandon talks Hawks in DC are calling for more US involvement in Ukraine. But that would increase the risk of direct US-Russia conflict The Guardian - US · Jan 18, 2022
Russia shortens COVID-19 isolation to 7 days as cases surge Russia is shortening the required isolation period for people infected with COVID-19 from 14 to seven days The Independent UK · Jan 18, 2022
In The Spotlight - Big Wall Street Banks As The Main Power In SP500 Stock investors are braced for what could be another volatile week as the Q4 earnings season heats up. Banks’ earnings Benzinga · Jan 18, 2022
US and Russia to hold talks on Ukraine in potential sign ‘diplomacy is not dead’ US secretary of state Tony Blinken to meet with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov amid fears of Russian attack on Ukraine The Guardian - US · Jan 18, 2022
Russia moves more troops westward amid Ukraine tensions Russian officials say Moscow is sending an unspecified number of troops from the country’s far east to Belarus for major joint drills The Independent UK · Jan 18, 2022
Schumer insists Senate will vote on voting rights bill ‘win, lose or draw’ – as it happened Senate majority leader says ‘the eyes of the nation will be watching’ – follow all the latest news The Guardian - US · Jan 18, 2022
Blinken to travel to Ukraine amid fears of Russian invasion US Secretary of State visit comes after talks between Moscow, Washington and NATO failed to make progress last week. Al Jazeera · Jan 18, 2022
Livingston announce signing of Russian goalkeeper to compete with Max Stryjek for starting position The 27-year-old arrives on an 18-month deal from Russian top flight side Rubin Kazan. Daily Record · Jan 18, 2022
Moscow mayor extends curbs, says tough weeks ahead with Omicron The mayor of Moscow said on Tuesday he was extending COVID-19 home-working rules and guidance to protect elderly people until April 1 as the city braces for a sharp rise in infections with the Omicron variant. Reuters · Jan 18, 2022
Germany may consider halting Nord Stream 2 if Russia attacks Ukraine, Scholz says Germany is ready to discuss halting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline should Russia attack Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday, responding to increasing domestic and international pressure amid a Russian military build-up on Ukraine's borders. Reuters · Jan 18, 2022
Germany could halt pipeline if Russia attacks Ukraine, Scholz signals Germany may consider halting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia attacks Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz signalled on Tuesday, as pressure grew on his government to take a more hawkish stance on the Kremlin. Reuters · Jan 18, 2022
France 24 · Jan 18, 2022 Blinken, Lavrov to meet in Geneva on Friday to discuss Ukraine standoff Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday in Geneva in hopes of securing a "diplomatic off-ramp" to the Ukraine crisis, a US official said Tuesday, hours after Moscow rejected fresh talks on Ukraine unless the West responded to its demands.
Asharq Al-Awsat · Jan 18, 2022 Erdogan Says Russian Invasion of Ukraine Not Realistic Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was cited on Tuesday as saying the prospect of a Russian invasion of Ukraine was not realistic and that he needed to discuss the crisis with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The West has voiced fears of a possible invasion of Ukraine by tens of thousands of…
Axios · Jan 18, 2022 Ukraine crisis: Blinken to visit Kyiv, then meet Russian foreign minister The meeting suggests a possible diplomatic solution may still be on the table.
Reuters · Jan 18, 2022 'We want peace': Blinken to meet Russian, Ukrainian officials, U.S. says U.S. President Joe Biden's top diplomat will seek to defuse a crisis with Moscow over Ukraine when he meets the Russian foreign minister in Geneva this week following visits with Ukrainian leaders in Kyiv and European officials in Berlin.
Asharq Al-Awsat · Jan 18, 2022 Threat Perceptions and Self Declared Spheres of Influence Are Setting Stage in Eurasia New Year in Europe started with tension and active diplomacy. While the huge Russian military build-up near the borders of Ukraine led to speculations about the possibility of an invasion, Russia claimed it is threatened. It sought security guarantees and delivered its demands in writing to the USA and NATO.…
Asharq Al-Awsat · Jan 18, 2022 Blinken to Visit Ukraine as US-Russia Tensions Escalate Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Ukraine this week as tensions between the US and Russia escalate over a possible Russian invasion of its neighbor, the State Department said Tuesday. Blinken will be in Kyiv on Tuesday on a hastily arranged trip to show US support following inconclusive diplomatic…
The Independent UK · Jan 18, 2022 Blinken to visit Ukraine as US-Russia tensions escalate Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Ukraine this week as tensions between the U.S. and Russia escalate over a possible Russian invasion of its neighbor
Reuters · Jan 18, 2022 Analysis-Best supporting actor? NATO in secondary role if Russia invades Ukraine NATO would be likely to reinforce its troop presence in the Black Sea and the Baltics while fending off cyberattacks if Russia were to invade Ukraine, diplomats and former officials said.
Reuters · Jan 18, 2022 Germany cannot rule out Nord Stream 2 as means of pressure, says foreign policy expert Germany cannot rule out using the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a means of pressure against the Kremlin in case of further Russian aggression towards Ukraine, a senior official from the party that leads Germany's coalition government told broadcaster ARD on Tuesday.
Reuters · Jan 18, 2022 Putin to brief China's Xi on Russia-NATO talks, Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin will brief his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Moscow's talks with NATO when he travels to Beijing next month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
Tribune News Service · Jan 18, 2022 Commentary: Cyberattacks on Ukraine could spread globally In cyberwarfare, the toughest question to answer definitively is “Who did it?” It’s no surprise then that Microsoft Corp. avoided the attribution on everyone else’s lips in its analysis of last week’s cyberattacks on Ukraine. That would be Russia. But several clues suggest they not only came from the Kremlin…