Day: June 26, 2023

More than 17,000 Ukrainian recruits have been trained by the UK and other allies over the last year as part of a special training program, said a statement issued by the British Defense Ministry on the eve of the first anniversary of London-Kyiv collaboration in enhancing the capacity of Ukraine’s armed forces amid the war against Russia.

The UK Armed Forces and its allies have trained over 17,000 Ukrainian recruits, with a pledge to train 30,000 by 2024, the statement said.

Basic Ukrainian recruits participating in the five-week training program receive comprehensive instruction in the skills required to defend their country upon their return.

The intensive training includes developing critical skills in weapon handling, battlefield first aid, fieldcraft, and patrol tactics.

The British Army also provides combat medical training to Ukrainian armed forces.

Currently, 49 personnel from the Armed Forces of Ukraine are undergoing specialized training in life-saving medical techniques and strategies specifically designed for battlefield trauma care.

‘This world-class medical training is another fantastic example of how the UK Armed Forces and our international partners are successfully working together to support Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion,’ said Andrew Morrison, minister for Defense People, Veterans, and Service Families.

‘Our support to Ukraine will continue for as long as it takes, from providing battle-winning training to donating the equipment and ammunition Ukraine urgently needs,’ he added.

According to the UK government, the country has provided £4.5 billion (approximately $5.72 billion) worth of military aid to Ukraine.

This assistance includes the provision of over 10,000 anti-tank missiles, 100,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, vital air defense capability, including more than a hundred anti-aircraft guns, and self-propelled artillery.

Source: Anadolu Agency

UK Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt will investigate concerns of companies taking advantage of rampant inflation by raising prices, local press reported on Monday.

British daily The Guardian, citing a Treasury source, said that Chancellor of the Exchequer Hunt plans to meet with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as well as the regulatory bodies overseeing the energy, water, and communications sectors.

These meetings are being held to look into potential profiteering within their respective industries and measures to address this issue.

The decision resulted from the Bank of England suggesting that certain retailers might be inflating prices or neglecting to pass on cost reductions to consumers to boost their profit margins amid persistent inflation.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned retailers about the importance of pricing their products in a manner that is both “responsible and fair.”

Sunak expressed concern for households facing escalating costs and said weekly shopping bills had recently shot up by an excessive amount.

The Bank of England on Thursday raised UK interest rates by 50 basis points to a 15-year high of 5% to counter stubborn inflation, which remains unchanged at 8.7%, well above the main target of 2%.

The bank said the impact of “domestic price and wage developments… were likely to take longer to unwind than they did to emerge.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

Israel and Albania on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on military and defense cooperation.

The MoU was signed at the Israeli Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and his Albanian counterpart Niko Peleshi, and it is the first of its kind between the two ministries.

Both ministers also held a meeting prior to signing the MoU, during which they “discussed bilateral defense cooperation and security issues of common interest,” according to the Israel National News website.

The Albanian minister also voiced commitment to further strengthen diplomatic and security ties with Israel.

Israel and Albania established diplomatic relations in August 1991, with both countries opening embassies in respective capitals.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Pakistan summoned the US deputy chief of mission on Monday to register a formal protest against last week’s US-India joint statement, which urged Islamabad “to act against cross-border terrorism.”

“Pakistan’s concerns and disappointment at the unwarranted, one-sided and misleading references to it in the joint statement were conveyed to the US side,” said a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

The US diplomat was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey a demarche, emphasizing that Washington should refrain from making statements “that may be construed as an encouragement of India’s baseless and politically motivated narrative against Pakistan.”

It was also emphasized that counter-terrorism cooperation between Pakistan and the US has been progressing well and that an enabling environment centered on trust and understanding was critical to further solidifying Islamabad-Washington ties, the statement said.

The joint statement, issued on Thursday after a meeting between US President Joe Biden and visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, called on Pakistan to “take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used to launch terrorist attacks.”

Islamabad, in response, rejected the statement calling it “unwarranted, one-sided and misleading.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave assurances late Monday to members of the Wagner Group that his promise to let them be free would be kept.

“Today you have the opportunity to continue serving Russia by entering into a contract with the Defense Ministry or other law enforcement agencies, or to return to your family and loved ones. Whoever wants can (also) go to Belarus,” said Putin in a televised address to nation.

‘The promise I made will be fulfilled. I repeat, the choice is yours, but I am sure it will be the choice of Russian soldiers who have realized their tragic mistake,’ he added.

Putin said that the “overwhelming majority” of the fighters and commanders of the Wagner Group are also “Russian patriots, devoted to their people and state,” adding that they proved it with their courage on the battlefield.

He said the Wagner members were kept in the dark in an effort to use them ‘against their brothers in arms, with whom they fought together for the sake of the country and its future.’

The Russian leader underlined that from the very beginning of the Wagner Group weekend munity, on his direct instructions, steps were taken “to avoid any large bloodshed.”

“Some time was needed for that, including to give those who made a mistake a chance to think again, to understand that their actions are strongly rejected by society, and to what tragic, destructive consequences for Russia, for our state, the adventure in which they were dragged would lead.”

Putin also thanked those fighters and commanders of the Wagner Group who “made the only right decision – they did not go to fratricidal bloodshed,’ by stopping before crossing the line.

An armed rebellion would have been suppressed in any case, he said, adding that the Wagner organizers ‘could not fail to understand this. They understood everything, including that they resorted to criminal acts, to split and weaken the country, which is now confronting a colossal external threat, unprecedented pressure from outside.’

Putin highlighted that Russia’s enemies – “both the neo-Nazis in Kyiv, and their Western patrons, and all sorts of national traitors” – seek a fratricide in the country.

“They wanted Russian soldiers to kill each other, to kill military personnel and civilians, so that in the end Russia would lose, and our society would split up, choke in bloody civil strife. They rubbed their hands together, dreaming of taking revenge for their failures at the front and during the so-called counteroffensive, but they miscalculated,” he said.

Civic solidarity

Putin thanked Russians for their “endurance, solidarity, and patriotism” in the face of the Wagner Group’s mutiny.

The highest consolidation of society, executive and legislative power at all levels was shown, he said, adding that a firm, unambiguous position in support of the constitutional order was taken by public organizations, religious denominations, and the leading political parties.

“This civic solidarity has shown that any blackmail, any attempt to create internal turmoil is doomed to failure,” he said.

The organizers of the rebellion betrayed the country and the Russian people and those who were drawn into the rebellion.

“They lied to them, pushed them to death, pushed under fire, to shoot at their own (people).”

Putin also thanks Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for his “efforts and contribution to peaceful resolution of the situation.”

Bloodshed averted

On Saturday, the paramilitary Wagner Group accused the Russian Defense Ministry of attacking its fighters.

The announcement was followed by group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin declaring “A March of Justice” and crossing the Ukrainian border into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, where his forces captured a critical military installation.

Prigozhin said his fighters would proceed to Moscow, prompting the Kremlin to tighten security across various regions of the country.

He later said his fighters decided to turn back to avoid bloodshed when they were 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Moscow, while Lukashenko said he held talks with the Wagner head with Putin’s consent, and Prigozhin accepted a de-escalation deal.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The White House on Monday condemned the online harassment of a reporter who asked India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his government’s human rights record when he visited the White House last week.

“We’re aware of the reports of that harassment. It’s unacceptable, and we absolutely condemn any harassment of journalists anywhere, under any circumstances,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said about the online harassment of Sabrina Siddiqui, a Muslim correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.

‘That’s just completely unacceptable, and it’s antithetical to the principles of democracy that … were on display last week during the state visit,’ Kirby added.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the Biden administration is ‘committed to the freedom of the press, which is why we held a (joint) press conference last Thursday” with US President Joe Biden and Modi, during the Indian premier’s official two-day state visit.

During the press conference, Siddiqui asked the Hindu leader what steps he was taking ‘to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities’ in India and “to uphold free speech.’

‘Our Constitution and our government and we have proved democracy can deliver. When I say deliver, regardless of caste, creed, religion, gender – there is absolutely no space for any discrimination (in my government),’ Modi said in response.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Republic of Cyprus has zero tolerance for terrorist activities, a government source told CNA, as Israel welcomed on Sunday the thwarting of the Iranian terrorist attack in Cyprus against Israeli targets.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said that “Israel commends the thwarting of the Iranian terrorist attack in Cyprus against Israeli targets”, adding that the State of Israel is using a wide range of methods everywhere in order to defend Jews and Israelis and will continue to act in order to uproot Iranian terrorism wherever it rears its head, including in Iran, the main fomenter of terrorism in the world”.

The PM’s statement came after a relevant report in Sunday’s edition of “Phileleftheros” daily.

The government source told CNA that the Republic of Cyprus has zero tolerance for terrorist activities. At the same time, it will continue to actively seek open channels of communication with everyone, the source added.

Invited to comment the front-page article in Sunday’s “Phileleftheros”, which referred to the recent prevention of a terrorist act on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, targeting the assassination of citizens of Jewish origin, the source declined to comment on national security issues.

What is clear, the source said, is that “on the one hand, the Republic of Cyprus will continue to show zero tolerance towards any terrorist activity, and on the other hand, it will continue to seek open channels of communication with everyone”.

Source: Cyprus News Agency