Ukraine, 3-25-23

First, links to reports from National Public Radio, Reuters, AFP, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, a link to commentary from the Berkshire Eagle’s foreign affairs writer. — MCM

   

The IMF’s $15.6 billion loan to Ukraine will be its first to a country at war. Reported by Scott Simon | NPR  The IMF’s new loan to Ukraine will be its first to a country at war. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with Scheherazade Rehman, professor at George Washington University, about the agreement’s significance. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

   

Russia presses along Ukraine front after reports of Bakhmut slowdown, by Mike Collett-White | Reuters  * Fighting along Donbas front as Russia presses offensive * Kyiv says civilians killed in strike on shelter * Red Cross says civilians in Bakhmut at limits of survival * Biden and Trudeau reaffirm ‘steadfast’ support for Ukraine | NEAR KREMINNA, Ukraine — Russian forces attacked northern and southern stretches of the front in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region on Friday, even as Kyiv said Moscow’s assault was flagging near the city of Bakhmut. Click HERE for a summary of developments related to the war.

   

Ukraine says ‘managing to stabilize’ battle for Bakhmut. From AFP. The frontline situation is “the toughest in the Bakhmut direction,” the head of Ukraine’s armed forces Valery Zaluzhny said late Friday. “Due to the tremendous efforts of the Defense Forces, we . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Biden says China ‘hasn’t yet’ delivered arms to Russia. From AFP. U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday said he believed China has not sent arms to Russia after President Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine. “I’ve been . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Results of Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia matter, not Western reaction – Kremlin. From Tass. MOSCOW — It is the results of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia that matter, not the Western coverage that was predictably hostile, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday. “Undoubtedly, the most important . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Russia becomes China’s little brother, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  For hundreds of years, Moscow surrounded itself with satellite countries run by obsequious rulers. From the Soviet days, think of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and East Germany. Now, . . . READ MORE . . .

   

MAY BE CONTINUED