As Russia Bombs Ukraine, Lavrov Calls Reported Israeli Airstrike in Syria ‘Vicious and Dangerous’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov joined his Assad regime counterpart on Thursday in condemning “the vicious and dangerous practice of Israel’s airstrikes” on Syrian territory, after the regime accused Israel of carrying out a missile attack near Damascus.  Read

UN Says Long-Awaited Report on Xinjiang Muslims Must Be Shown to Beijing Before Release

Uyghurs and others have been calling on the U.N.’s human rights chief to release a report on the situation in Xinjiang before she visits China next month, but her office said Thursday the report must go to the Chinese government for its input.  Read

World Tourism Organization Is the First ‘Specialized’ UN Agency to Suspend Russia for Invading Ukraine

Russia on Wednesday withdrew from the World Tourism Organization shortly before the U.N. agency was to vote on suspending it over the invasion of Ukraine.  Read

After US-Russia Prisoner Swap, Moscow May Push Harder For Release of Convicted Arms Trafficker

For more than a decade, the Russian government has been demanding that the United States return two of its citizens, serving long prison terms for serious offenses after being arrested in circumstances which the Kremlin says amounted to kidnapping.  Read

Russia Plans to Stage a Referendum to Justify Its Occupation of the Southern Ukraine City of Kherson

In a move critics say is straight out of the Kremlin’s playbook, officials in a strategically-situated Ukrainian city now under Russian occupation are reportedly planning to stage a “referendum” on declaring a pro-Moscow “people’s republic.”  Read

Defense Secretary Austin: ‘Nobody Wants to See a Nuclear War Happen … All Sides Lose’

Russian rhetoric about the Ukraine war spiraling into a nuclear conflict is “very dangerous and unhelpful,” Defense Secretary Gen. Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday, adding that the U.S. will not engage in it and will do everything in its power to make sure the situation “doesn’t spin out of control.”  Read

Kim Jong Un Hints at Nuclear First Strike If State’s ‘Fundamental Interests’ Are Violated

 North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is designed primarily to deter aggression, but if necessary, it “will have to decisively accomplish its unexpected second mission,” Kim Jong Un said in a speech in Pyongyang on Monday night.  Read

China Rejects Criticism of Its Security Pact With Solomon Islands, Calls Naval Base Claim ‘Fabricated’

Claims that Beijing plans to build a military base in Solomon Islands are “fabricated,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday, accusing the United States and Australia of trying to “revive the Monroe Doctrine in the South Pacific.”  Read

Lavrov: Danger of Nuclear Conflict Is ‘Serious, Real,’ and ‘Cannot Be Underestimated’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that while his country holds to the principle of the “inadmissibility of nuclear war,” the danger of such a conflict occurring is “serious, real” and “cannot be underestimated.”  Read

Deputy Secretary of State: Russia's Nuclear Arsenal Did Not Deter U.S. From Sending Troops to Ukraine

A senior Biden administration official at the weekend rejected an assertion that the United States has refrained from sending troops into Ukraine because of Russia’s status as a nuclear-armed power.  Read

Blinken, Austin Pay Unannounced Visit to Kyiv

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Gen. Lloyd Austin paid an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Sunday, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior government officials, the State Department has confirmed.  Read

‘Legitimate Targets’: Russia Delivers New Warning on Western Arms Transfers to Ukraine

Russia has warned the West again that it considers weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces to be “legitimate targets,” the latest threat coming on the day President Biden announced an additional $800 million in increasingly tailored security assistance to Ukraine.  Read

OIC, Arab League: Only Muslims May Pray on Jerusalem Hilltop, Judaism’s Holiest Site

Only Muslims are allowed to pray on the Jerusalem hilltop known by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League declared Thursday, accusing Jews of violating the sanctity of a location that is Judaism’s holiest site.  Read

US Ambassador Says UN Human Rights Chief Must Release Xinjiang Report; China Slams ‘Malicious Pressure’

China’s mission to the U.N. bristled Wednesday when U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield drew attention to the fact that the U.N.’s human rights office has yet to release a report on the situation in China’s Xinjiang region, months after it was purportedly being “finalized.”  Read

‘Wakeup Call’: Russia Tests New ICBM, Claiming It Can Overcome All Missile Defense Systems

In early March, the Pentagon postponed a long-planned ICBM test to ensure the launch of the 1970s-era projectile was not misinterpreted by Russia and “to demonstrate that we are a responsible nuclear power.”  Read

Under Fire Over Perceived Low-Key Response to the War, UN Chief Calls For Orthodox Easter ‘Pause’

 U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres called Tuesday for Russia and Ukraine to agree to a “humanitarian pause” in fighting over the upcoming Orthodox Easter weekend, as the U.N. faces criticism that he has not been sufficiently engaged in efforts to secure an end to the war.  Read

Lavrov Hints Russia Will Retain Parts of Ukraine After Referendums -- ‘The Manifestation of Democracy’

 Russia’s military aim in eastern Ukraine is to “liberate” the self-proclaimed “people’s republics,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday. But he also suggested that other regions seized by Russian forces may decide that they too do not wish to return to Ukrainian control.  Read

‘Concerning Precedent’: US Delegation Heading to Solomon Islands to Discourage a Security Pact With China

 For a small island nation of 700,000 people, Solomon Islands is receiving an unaccustomed level of attention from the United States and Australia this month, as the Western allies seek to head off plans for a security pact with Beijing.  Read

Putin Honors Brigade Accused of Bucha Atrocities: ‘Duty, Valor, Dedication and Professionalism’

President Vladimir Putin on Monday honored the brigade that Ukrainian authorities have blamed for the deliberate killings of hundreds of civilians in the town of Bucha.  Read

UK Plan to Send Illegal Migrants to Rwanda Draws Flak

A British government minister pushed back Monday after the head of the Church of England joined a chorus of criticism over a proposal to stem the flow of illegal migrants risking their lives to reach Britain’s shores by sending some to Rwanda.  Read

Chinese State Media: US Trying to Pit Region Against Beijing, As It’s Done in Europe Against Russia

After Beijing sent bombers and warships to the Taiwan Strait in response to the visit of a high ranking U.S. congressional delegation, a Chinese Communist Party media outlet on Sunday accused the U.S. of trying to goad China into “rushed military action” against the island, in order to force vacillating regional countries to support its anti-China campaign.  Read

US Backs Move to Make UN Security Council Members Answerable For Casting Vetoes

The Biden administration is backing a groundbreaking U.N. initiative that seeks to hold the permanent members of the Security Council – including the United States itself – to account each time they veto a resolution.  Read

Russia Warns Sweden, Finland on Joining NATO: Nobody Wants ‘Nukes a Stone’s Throw From Their House’

As Finland and Sweden consider applying to join NATO in the coming months, Moscow is warning that abandoning their longstanding neutrality will attract a Russian response, including the deployment of nuclear weapons in their neighborhood.  Read

Flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Sinks, After Reported Ukrainian Missile Strike

 The flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was reported overnight to be on fire and “seriously damaged,” although the cause was not immediately confirmed.  Read

Russia Blocked, But Other Rights-Abusing Regimes Ushered Onto Key UN Committee Overseeing NGOs

 Democracies rallied in New York on Wednesday to prevent Russia from obtaining a seat on the governing bodies of U.N. agencies focusing on the rights of women and children.  Read

Russia Running for Leadership Posts in U.N. Agencies for Children, Women

At a time when its military invasion of Ukraine is exacting enormous costs for women and children in that country, Russia is running for election on Wednesday for seats on the governing bodies of U.N. agencies focusing on the rights of women and children.  Read

Biden on Whether Russia is Committing ‘Genocide’ in Ukraine: ‘It Sure Seems That Way to Me’

President Biden on Tuesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of committing “genocide” in Ukraine, but said he would leave it to lawyers to determine whether Russian actions in the invasion meet the legal determination.  Read

US Officials Avoid Directly Criticizing India’s Stance on Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine

India’s evident unwillingness publicly to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drawn attention around the world, but after Monday’s virtual and in-person exchanges with Indian leaders, Biden administration officials steered clear of any direct criticism.  Read

World Council of Churches Cautious on Calls to Oust Russian Church Led by ‘Putin’s Patriarch’

 The head of the Russian Orthodox Church is under fire for his support for President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but the World Council of Churches is responding cautiously to calls to expel it.  Read

US-India Talks on Monday Follow India’s Multiple Refusals to Vote Against Russia at U.N.

President Biden on Monday will hold a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a time when New Delhi’s reluctance to criticize Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been reflected in a succession of votes at the U.N.  Read

General Now Leading Putin’s War in Ukraine Has Brutal Reputation As ‘Butcher of Syria’

Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed in charge of the invasion of Ukraine an army general notorious for ruthless actions in support of the Assad regime in Syria, prompting concerns that the conflict could become even more brutal.  Read

U.S. Has ‘Received Very Little Cooperation From Beijing and Moscow’ on N. Korea Aggression

Amid concerns that North Korea may carry out a further missile launch or even a nuclear test next week, a State Department official said Russia and China have blocked six U.S. attempts this year to have the U.N. Security Council respond to Pyongyang’s provocations.  Read

Yellen Says US Won’t Attend Some G20 Meetings If Russia Does, Prompting WH Clarification

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said this week the United States will not attend “a number of G20 meetings” if Russia participates, but it remains unclear whether they will include the group’s leaders’ summit, to be hosted by Indonesia in the fall.  Read

In Historic 93-24 Vote, UN Suspends Russia From Human Rights Council

The U.N. General Assembly in a historic vote on Thursday voted 93 to 24 to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council, in response to its invasion of Ukraine.  Read

Landmark UN Resolution to Oust Russia From Human Rights Council: How Will They Vote?

A landmark vote Thursday in the U.N. General Assembly on whether to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council will put other countries with poor human rights records on the spot. Some of those countries are themselves HRC members.  Read

‘Dangerous Precedent’: UN Chief Wary About Suspending Russia From Human Rights Council

 Ahead of a U.N. General Assembly vote on Thursday to remove Russia from the Human Rights Council, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ stance that the issue could set a “dangerous precedent” is puzzling observers.  Read

Zelensky to UN Security Council: Reform, So You Can Assure Security – or ‘Dissolve’ Yourself

 Addressing the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky put his finger on an uncomfortable truth – that the body charged with global peace and security is not fulfilling its function because the aggressor is a veto-wielding permanent member.  Read

Gen. Milley Advises Rotating US Forces Through Permanent Bases in Eastern Europe

Ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said on Tuesday the goal of increased troop presence along the alliance’s eastern flank may best be achieved through the establishment of permanent bases, but with U.S. forces rotating through them.  Read

Russian Diplomats Respond to Unaccustomed Criticism and Spurning at the UN

 Facing a rare campaign of disapproval in multilateral forums, Russian diplomats are hitting back, angered by a climate of criticism penetrating the typically collegial atmosphere of the United Nations system. Read

US Leading Push to Oust Russia From UN Human Rights Council: ‘They Have Turned It Into a Farce’

The Biden administration announced on Monday that it will push for Russia’s suspension from the U.N. Human Rights Council, in what will the first time in 11 years, and the second time ever, that a member has been ousted from the Geneva-based body.  Read

UNESCO Deplores Destruction in Ukraine, But Its Heritage Committee Still Plans to Meet in Russia

As Russian forces continue to bombard Ukraine, the prospect of Russia hosting this year’s annual session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee this summer is drawing growing opposition from government officials in Ukraine and supporters in Europe.  Read

Blinken Calls Images of Slain Civilians in Ukraine ‘a Punch to the Gut.’ Russia Calls Them Staged

Russia has called for an extraordinary U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday to respond to allegations, which it denies, that its troops massacred Ukrainian civilians in a town near Kyiv recently vacated by the invading forces after a month-long occupation.  Read

White House Supports European Allies’ Rejection of Putin’s Rubles-For-Gas Demand

 The United States supports its European allies in rejecting President Vladimir Putin’s demands that “unfriendly” countries begin immediately to pay for Russian natural gas supplies in rubles, the White House said on Thursday.  Read

Pentagon: ‘Obviously We Want The Ukrainians to Win’

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said on Thursday that the United States “obviously” wants the Ukrainians to defeat the Russian forces who have invaded their country – an issue that administration officials have appeared to be hesitant to discuss. Read