President Joe Biden has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to suspend the last remaining U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control treaty, the New START treaty, which was signed in 2010. Putin announced the suspension of the treaty during his state of the nation address, raising tensions between the two countries. Biden, currently in Warsaw, Poland, called the decision a "big mistake" and Putin said Russia should be prepared to resume nuclear weapons tests if the U.S. did so first.
Posts tagged as “Moscow”
President Joe Biden made a surprise 23-hour visit to Ukraine, the first time in modern history a U.S. leader has visited a warzone outside the aegis of the U.S. military. During the trip, Biden recommitted to backing Ukraine in its second year of conflict and directly blamed his counterpart in the Kremlin for the war. He met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, visited a military base, and held a press conference in Kyiv, demonstrating the U.S.'s commitment to Ukraine and Biden's view of America's role in the world.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently visited Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin expressed enthusiasm for a potential visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the two discussed deepening their strategic partnership. The visit comes at a time of increased diplomatic activity in Europe, and is part of the growing relationship between Russia and China, which has included joint projects such as the construction of a high-speed railway.
Vladimir Putin has announced the suspension of the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control pact between the United States and Russia. This has caused alarm among world leaders, who fear that the move could lead to a new arms race. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. President Joe Biden have both expressed regret and urged Russia to reconsider its decision. The future of the treaty remains uncertain.
Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, has arrived in Moscow for a high-profile visit that includes a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The visit comes as tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to rise, with the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations warning China against providing lethal aid to Russia in its war against Ukraine. Wang's visit is the final stop in an eight-day international tour and it is unclear what topics will be discussed, but it is likely to include the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and U.S.-China relations.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping's top foreign policy adviser Wang Yi is set to arrive in Moscow this week, coinciding with US President Joe Biden's visit to Ukraine. This trip comes at a time of strained relations between the US and China, and the timing of the two trips underscores the sharpening of geopolitical fault lines between the world's two superpowers. Wang Yi's visit is seen as an attempt by China to balance its diplomatic relations with both the US and Russia.
Vice President Kamala Harris declared at the Munich Security Conference that the US government has determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. She warned that those responsible for these crimes will be held accountable, and that the US will not stand by and allow them to go unpunished. Harris also stressed the need to uphold international rules and norms, and to prevent other nations from following Russia's example.
A new report released by the Conflict Observatory has revealed the extent of Russia's efforts to relocate, re-educate, and sometimes militarily train or forcibly adopt out Ukrainian children. The report documents around 6,000 Ukrainian children being taken from their homes and states that these actions constitute war crimes and could provide evidence of genocide. It calls for an immediate investigation into the camps and for the children to be returned to their families, and for the international community to take action to ensure the children are protected and the perpetrators held accountable.