Will the Ukraine war be resolved with talks or with tanks?

After much reluctance, the US and its Western allies last week agreed to provide Ukraine with some of the world’s most sophisticated battle tanks: American-made Abrams, German-made Leopards and British-made Challengers. But the question remains as to whether these weapons will make a decisive difference to Ukrainian armed forces fighting a

France, Germany renew alliance strained amid war in Ukraine

France and Germany are seeking to overcome differences laid bare by Russia's war in Ukraine and shore up their alliance with a day of ceremonies and talks Sunday on Europe's security, energy and other challenges.  Germany's entire Cabinet is in Paris for joint meetings, and 300 lawmakers from both countries are

Defense leaders meet amid dissent over tanks for Ukraine

Defense leaders are gathering at Ramstein Air Base in Germany Friday to hammer out future military aid to Ukraine, amid ongoing dissent over who will provide the battle tanks that Ukrainian leaders say they desperately need to recapture territory from Russia.  U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley,

UK sending heavy tanks to Ukraine, prompts Russian warning

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday pledged to provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, making it the first Western country to supply the heavy tanks Kyiv has been calling for. The pledge saw a swift reaction from Russia which warned it would only "intensify" the conflict. "Bringing tanks to the

Two blunders that caused the Ukraine War

Robert Service, a leading historian of Russia, says Moscow will win the war but will lose the peace and fail to subjugate Ukraine. How Putin could be deposed.The Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted from two immense strategic blunders, Robert Service says. The first came on Nov. 10, when the U.S.

Security policy is more than defence with weapons

If our societies are to become resilient and sustainable, our priorities must change towards de-escalation, including in diplomacy and economy. Putin’s war against Ukraine has not only damaged the international cooperative security architecture, it has permanently destroyed it. The Helsinki Act of 1975, the Charter of Paris of 1990 and the

Ukraine hails US military aid as cease-fire said to falter

Ukraine's president praised the United States for including tank-killing armored vehicles in its latest multibillion-dollar package of military aid, saying they are "exactly what is needed" for Ukrainian troops locked in combat against Russian forces, even as both sides celebrated Orthodox Christmas on Saturday.  The White House announcement Friday of $3.75

Doing whatever possible to ease people’s sufferings: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said the Awami League government will lend all sorts of cooperation to lessen the sufferings of the people due to the economic recession emerging from the coronavirus pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia war. "The Awami League government will do whatever is needed to ease the

Global food prices in 2022 hit record high amid for war

Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oils were the highest on record last year even after falling for nine months in a row, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said, as Russia's war in Ukraine, drought and other factors drove up inflation and worsened hunger worldwide.  The FAO

The challenges of sanctioning the Internet

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, governments around the world, including the US, UK, and EU announced sweeping sanctions targeting the Russian and Belarussian economies. These sanctions prohibit a specified level of economic activity in an effort to use economic influences to punish targeted countries. Almost overnight, we saw unprecedented restrictions