According to ABC TV, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that the country will join the decision of the US authorities to declare a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in China.
& quot; Australia has joined the US -announced diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in China … The boycott of the Games is in the national interest of our country, & # 39; & # 39; said the head of the Australian cabinet.
He clarified that a boycott does not mean that Australian athletes will not go to the games. They will take part in competitions. Not only politicians will go to the Olympics.
Diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Olympics by Americans has found followers
Former President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili he refused to take medication and treatment. This was announced by his girlfriend, a representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Elizabeth Jasko.
According to her, her mother came to the former governor of Ukraine's Odessa region a few hours ago, but she was not admitted because access to him was restricted. Saakashvili was also banned from watching television, he was even taken away.
“In protest, Mikhail refused drugs and treatment,” she said on Facebook.
Yasko said that such measures had been taken against Saakashvili to continue psychological pressure.
As stated by the press service During the Kremlin, during talks with US leader Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that the Ukrainian authorities have recently made efforts to abolish the Minsk agreements altogether.
“ President of Russia & nbsp; He illustrated the destructive line of Kiev with concrete examples aimed at completely eliminating the Minsk agreements and the agreements reached in the Norman format, the report said.
The Press Service The Kremlin has given details of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden. Specifically, during a video conference, the Russian leader told Biden that Moscow had a serious interest in obtaining reliable guarantees, & nbsp; without NATO enlargement to the east.
Overall, the Kremlin assessed the conduct as sincere and matter-of-fact. Moscow noted that Biden had warned of allegedly “ threatening & # 39; & # 39; character of the movement of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. In addition, Biden outlined the sanctions that the United States and its allies will be prepared to apply in the event of an escalation at the Russia-Ukraine border.
In response, Putin gave concrete examples of devastating Kiev. line aimed at the complete abolition of the Minsk agreements. Putin also expressed serious concern over Kiev's provocative actions against the Donbas. At the same time, the Russian leader asked Biden not to transfer responsibility to Russia, because NATO is making dangerous attempts to conquer Ukraine.
In addition, Putin proposed lifting all the accumulated restrictions on the functioning of diplomatic missions in order to normalize other aspects of relations.
The Parties agree to instruct their representatives to enter into factual consultations on sensitive issues.
US lawmakers remove budget defense from agreed proposal sanctions on the national debt of the Russian Federation.
According to the published text of the bill, there is no clause prohibiting US citizens from incurring government debt obligations in the Russian Federation.
Earlier, lawmakers removed the sanctions clause against Nord Stream 2.
In Belarusian law The Internet portal has published a list of countries in which the Republic plans to impose a food embargo. The list includes the countries of the European Union, Canada and the United States of America, as well as Albania, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro and the Swiss Confederation.
Goods that are prohibited from being imported into Belarus include live pigs, certain types of meat and meat products, as well as salt, milk, fruit, confectionery, etc.
the main provisions of the decree will take effect during the first half of 2022.
The Biden administration is considering options possible evacuation of US citizens from Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion/
According to CNN, with reference to more resources, emergency planning is led by the Pentagon.
On the eve of US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland at a briefing of senators, during which she spoke about a package of harsh sanctions developed in response to a potential Russian attack on Ukraine. At the same time, she noted that the United States' ability to suppress the invasion is “rather limited.” Planning only concerns situations where security deteriorates.
However, sources state that the very fact of such planning speaks to how seriously the administration takes a possible intrusion.
The Pentagon is currently planning a number of different evacuation scenarios, from a small evacuation of underage US government personnel to a larger evacuation involving a wider circle of American citizens.
The Department of State will be responsible for making the final decision on whether an evacuation operation is necessary.
It is not clear how many American civilians are currently in Ukraine.
“Indians need our technology, we need a reliable partner”
The Ministers of Defense of Russia and India & mdash; Sergei Shoigu and Rajnath Singh met in New Delhi on December 6. According to the Indian minister, “a number of agreements, treaties and protocols on small arms and military cooperation have been signed on Twitter”. He also noted that “India appreciates Russia's strong support.”
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
About why India is interested in developing military-technical cooperation with Russia and why it is an important partner for Russia like India, MK. said Russian military analyst, director of the Moscow Center for Strategy and Technology Analysis, a member of the public council of the Russian Ministry of Defense Ruslan Pukhov.
& mdash; The Indians themselves have colossal ambitions, the expert believes. & ndash; & nbsp; They are absolutely sure that India & ndash; the second most important country in the world after the USA. They even have self-determination, which translates as follows: “ the largest democracy in the world and the second most important country after the United States. & # 39; & # 39; India pursues a relatively aggressive foreign policy, which must be supported by strong forces. Given that their armed forces are large and their own defense-industrial complex, to put it mildly, average, they need a range of technologies that, until recently, only our country could provide. & Nbsp; In particular, nuclear-powered submarines, sophisticated missile technology that has given India a large number of supersonic heavy missiles “ BrahMos & # 39; & # 39; (“ Brahmaputra-Moscow & # 39; & # 39;). We help India build their own air defense systems, now they buy anti-aircraft missile systems from us & nbsp; S-400.
& mdash; We need it because & nbsp; India & ndash; growing countries, large, actively participating in various kinds of international organizations, forums, conferences. It is certainly better for us to have India as a friend than as an enemy. And then & nbsp; Indians pay decent money. Although it is true that dealing with them is always very difficult. India & ndash; our old Soviet-era arms market. Unlike China, which was opened only in 1989. We have long-standing historical ties with India and, of course, we pretend to keep this market behind. True, a number of other players are now pushing us hard. Especially French military companies. Americans and Israelis have become very active. So we are facing tough competition in this market, practically a struggle, which is why, from this point of view, the forthcoming visit of the Russian President to India, as well as the meetings of the military ministers, is very important & nbsp; for us.
Photo: pixabay.com Russian diplomats should ensure the same staff rotation and create more parity for work. It was announced at the US embassy.
The press secretary of the diplomatic mission Jason Rebholz commented on the situation with the work of the Russian and American embassies and a possible new reduction in the number of diplomats. Rebholz noted that more than a year ago, the United States informed the Russian Federation that Russian diplomats would not be able to work in the states for more than three years.
“The American approach creates more parity in the work of our diplomatic missions by ensuring that staff rotate on the same frequency. This will help facilitate the gradual resumption of our diplomatic missions, which is essential for establishing more stable and predictable relations with Russia, “he said.
He emphasized that what was happening was not the expulsion of diplomats. Russia can replace employees who need to leave because they have been working for more than three years.
Washington Post readers are actively commenting on material released hours before talks between Russian and US presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden to discuss the situation around Ukraine. . Some Americans accuse Moscow of trying to revive the USSR and threaten, among other things, military consequences. Others point out that the US and NATO have not kept their promises not to move towards Russia's borders.
The publication notes that during the negotiations, Putin may present an ultimatum to Biden: “ Provide guarantees that NATO will never include Ukraine in & nbsp; and otherwise Russia could launch an offensive against it in the near future. . & # 39; & # 39; At the same time, information has already leaked to the media that Washington is preparing unprecedented sanctions against Moscow in the event of aggression against Ukraine, including the disconnection of Russia from the world. financial system.
In the comments, the Americans write that Putin intends to submit to Biden the demands that cannot be met. Russia will therefore launch a scenario in which Ukraine first attacks the separatist forces and then Russian troops enter the case, claiming the right to self-defense.
A user nicknamed Americanalltheway believes that Putin has no right to decide who accepts NATO membership. He also called on us not to allow the revival of the USSR, which the Russian president is said to be & nbsp; Did we not promise Russia 20 years ago that NATO would not expand eastward? Didn't we break that promise? They promised and “broke”, says another participant in the discussion.
Philebuster believes that Biden should answer Putin as follows: “Look, Vlad, you stole Crimea. At least one Russian will enter Ukraine and & nbsp; Russia will become the second Chernobyl. I have it? “If the United States were like Russia, it would not want to live surrounded by hostile countries,” another interviewer said, adding that tensions would ease if Russia received effective guarantees in this regard.
