To begin, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio; click on their names below for others. Then, via Global Research, a link to a piece by the founder and president of the International Movement for a Just World. — MCM
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Minister: Ukraine needs assurances to resume grain exports, by Oleksandr Stashevskyi, Hanna Arhirova and Maria Grazia Murru | The Associated Press KYIV — The Ukrainian foreign minister says grain exports from his country’s ports won’t resume without security guarantees for ship owners, cargo owners and Ukraine as an independent nation. Military officials from Russia and Ukraine held their governments’ first face-to-face talks in months today. They met in Istanbul to discuss a United Nations plan for getting blocked Ukrainian grain to world markets through the Black Sea. Speaking . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine targets grain exports breakthrough at four-way talks, by Yesim Dikmen and Ali Kucukgocmen | Reuters * Kyiv upbeat as Istanbul talks resume * 20m tonnes of grain blocked in Odesa * Russia says it has worries on arms smuggling * Says it also needs some sanctions relief | ISTANBUL — Ukraine said today that an agreement to resume grain exports blocked by Russia appeared close as four-way talks began in Turkey, raising hopes of an end to a standoff that has exposed millions to the risk of starvation. Kyiv believed a deal was just “two steps away”, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was quoted as saying, though other participants seemed less optimistic. Several Ukrainian cities meanwhile . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed Somalia towards famine. Reported by Leila Fadel | National Public Radio Russia and Ukraine previously provided nearly all of Somalia’s wheat. Now, the country is on the brink of famine. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Ukrainian rail service adds a special train to get people out of Donbas. Reported by Eleanor Beardsley | NPR Russia is pounding eastern Ukraine as it tries to consolidate its control of the entire Donbas region. To help get people the out, the Ukrainian rail service has added a special train from the Donbas. Click HERE to listen and read.
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How Russia’s current war in Ukraine echoes its Crimean War of the 1850s. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR KYIV — Here’s a widely held view of Russia’s war: Russia had a more powerful army and expected a quick victory. It didn’t think Western powers would intervene. Yet a poorly planned military campaign led to a fight much tougher than expected. To be clear, we’re not talking about Russia’s current war in Ukraine. We’re talking about Russia’s war in Crimea in the 1850s. Even if you’re not familiar with the Crimean War . . . Click HERE to listen and read.
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What’s ahead as Biden arrives in Israel for his first trip as President. Reported by Asma Khalid | NPR President Biden lands in Israel today, a country he first visited as a young senator about 50 years ago. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Ukraine and NATO’s Hardline Position on Expansion: End the War, Lift the Sanctions, Initiate Peace Negotiations, by Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | Global Research Thousands have been killed so far on both sides. Among Ukrainians both soldiers and civilians are victims. Russian casualties have been mainly soldiers. . . . [also] massive infrastructure destruction in Ukraine. The outflow of refugees from Ukraine to Poland and other European countries has been heart breaking. The other consequence of the war has been the imposition of severe economic sanctions upon Russia by the United States of America and other Western . . . READ MORE . . .
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TO BE CONTINUED