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Syria: US, Russia continue nursing interests amidst bloodshed

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Syria: US, Russia continue nursing interests amidst bloodshed

Amidst conflicting reports about developments in Eastern Ghouta, US and Russia were critical of each other’s policies and perceptions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that his patience with militant attacks is not indefinite as terrorist groups stationed in the Damascus suburbs continue to shell the capital indiscriminately while the US representative at UN has accused Russia and Syrian of violating ceasefire.

Rusian President Vladimir Putin, while responding to a question posed by TASS news agency about situation in Eastern Ghouta, during joint press conference with Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebestian Kurz in Moscow on Wednesday said, “As is known – in any case, we in Russia know this well enough – some shells crash even on the territory of the Russian embassy and trade mission. Are we going to tolerate this indefinitely? Of course, not.”

Read Also:- UN Security Council passes resolution for ceasefire in Syria

Putin pointed out that in the region there were quite a few extremist forces and members of terrorist organisations that had been included in the corresponding UN lists and the latest resolution by the UNSC that the struggle against these organisations must go on. He was quoted saying, “Bombardments from there continue unabated. On some days missile and mortar strikes reach 50-60.”

Russian President recalled that in his latest conversations with Germany’s Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron it was agreed to open a humanitarian corridor to let children, injured and all those in need of assistance leave the conflict zone.

Read Also:- Russia-US conflicting perception on Syria cause more death

Meanwhile, US representative at UN Kelley Currie, while speaking at UNSC meeting on Wednesday, condemned the Syrian government’s continued aerial bombardment on Eastern Ghouta, that has been under opposition control since 2013.

She asserted, “Despite the unanimous call for a ceasefire, the regime’s attacks continued unabated. Hundreds of Syrians have been killed or injured since we passed the resolution on Saturday.”

She further said, “Such an attack demonstrates Syria’s complete and utter contempt for this council and the United Nations.”

Read Also:- Russia warns US to consider Moscow-Ankara-Tehran efforts on Syria

Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to UN Vassily Nebenzia, has told UNSC that Russia is doing everything it can to ensure the effectiveness of the daily five-hour humanitarian pauses.

However, he blamed rebel forces for targeting the corridors designated for humanitarian operations with mortar shelling. “We trust that the opposition leaders have a serious-minded approach and that their words will be met with deeds,” he added.

Nebenzia further clarified, “We understand that terrorists remain a legitimate target for military operations and that there will be no ceremonial approach for them.”  He further said that efforts must be made to “effectively neutralise” the presence of the al-Qaeda offshoot in Eastern Ghouta, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, earlier known as Nusra Front.

On Monday, Russia had said that it will implement five-hour “humanitarian pauses” to allow for the evacuation of civilians and the entrance of aid convoys.

Aljazeera reports that despite the UNSC resolution, shelling and air strikes did not stop and have resulted in the deaths of at least four people. Residents of the enclave said government warplanes launched several attacks in early hours of Wednesday. A resident who wanted to remain unidentified, was quoted saying, “There have been no evacuations whatsoever- not medical, not humanitarian, nothing.”

Osama bin Javaid, Aljazeera correspondent stationed at Syria-Turkish border said “The second day of this so-called truce or pause went away without any major developments on the ground. No aid convoys went inside because the United Nations and other aid workers have been saying that this is too short of a window without any guarantees of whether they would be able to make it back.”

US representative at UN Currie described Russia’s five-hour “humanitarian pause” as “cynical, callous and in flagrant defiance of the demands of (UNSC resolution) 2401”.

Read Also:- UN: North Korea provides material for Syrian chemical weapons

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin.

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

The Kremlin today denied a US media report that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US president-elect Donald Trump had spoken on the phone last week about the Ukraine conflict.

Earlier on Sunday, The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Pution on call, urging him not to inflame the conflict. Speaking on the matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media that the report was completely false information, and denied any phone call took place.

It was reported that US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine. It said that Donald Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris. The report also mentioned that both the leaders expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.

Notably, Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin. However, the US President elect has not said how he intends to strike a peace deal or what terms he is proposing.

Donald Trump’s election is seen as carrying the potential to upend the almost three-year Ukraine conflict, as he insists on a quick end to the fighting and casts doubt on Washington’s multi-billion dollar support for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Trump on Wednesday, with the Republican’s billionaire backer Elon Musk also notably joining them on the call. Volodymyr Zelensky described the call as excellent, adding that he and Trump had agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation.

Additionally, the outgoing Democratic administration of President Joe Biden has confirmed that it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House aims to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar’s press conference

The MEA said that these actions yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar's press conference

A few hours after Australia Today aired External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s press conference in Australia, Canada banned the outlet. The External Affairs Minister gave remarks on the India-Canada diplomatic standoff. 

Reacting to this, India on Thursday said it was surprised by Canada’s move to ban the outlet and emphasized that it highlighted Ottawa’s hypocrisy towards freedom of speech. Australia Today, which is an important outlet for the Indian community in the country, had aired the joint press conference of S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra.

In a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that they understand that the social media handles, pages of this particular outlet, which is an important diaspora outlet, have been blocked and are not available for viewers in Canada. He continued that this happened just an hour or a few hours after this particular handle carried the press conference of S Jaishankar with Penny Wong. He called out the incident, mentioning that they are surprised, and the matter looks strange to them.

He further underlined that these are the actions which yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech. He noted that the External Affairs Minister spoke about three things: Canada making allegations and a pattern had developed without any specific evidence, surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, which he termed as unacceptable, and  the political space which has been given in Canada to anti-India elements. 

With this one can draw conclusions, why Australia Today channel was blocked by Canada, the spokesperson said. Australia Today focuses on news and analytical pieces related to the Indian community in Australia and elsewhere across the world.

This incident follows days after devotees were attacked by pro-Khalistani at a Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton, with S Jaishankar calling it deeply concerning. Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack and said that there were cowardly attempts to intimidate Indian diplomats.

The diplomatic standoff between India and Canada began in September last year when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents might have been involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a claim outrightly rejected by New Delhi.

Later in October 2024, ties between both the countries nosedived when Canada termed the Indian High Commissioner a person of interest in its investigation into Nijjar’s murder. Issuing a strongly worded statement, India dismissed the fresh charge and recalled the envoy and some diplomats, while expelling six Canadian officials, including Canada’s acting High Commissioner.

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PM Modi congratulates Donald Trump on winning US President election

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on winning the 2024 US Presidential election and said he is looking forward to renewing their collaboration to further strengthen the India-US partnership.

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

“Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity,” PM Modi posted on his X handle.

With the results being announced for the 2024 US election on November 6, Trump became the 47th President of the United States.

Former US President Trump appeared to be on track for a remarkable political comeback in the White House race. Projections suggested that he was poised to secure the necessary 270 electoral college votes, effectively blocking Democratic candidate Kamala Harris from winning the election.

The relationship between Trump and Modi has been characterised by robust diplomatic ties, strategic collaboration, and a noticeable personal rapport. Their friendship was prominently displayed during major events such as “Howdy, Modi” in Houston in 2019 and “Namaste Trump” in Ahmedabad in 2020, where they addressed large audiences and expressed their mutual respect.

On a strategic level, Trump and Modi found common ground in matters of defense and security, both adopting a strong stance against terrorism, which reinforced their alliance, particularly concerning threats from Pakistan.

As he approaches a notable victory in the US election, Republican Presidential candidate Trump expressed gratitude to his supporters today, calling it a magnificent victory for the American people. He also referenced the assassination attempt on July 13, stating, “God spared my life for a reason.”

The 78-year-old candidate is currently projected to secure 267 electoral college votes, just three shy of the decisive 270, while his opponent, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, holds 224 electoral votes.

Trump described the Republican campaign as the greatest political movement of all time, asserting, “We are going to help our country heal, secure our borders, and we made history for a reason tonight. This is an incredible political victory. I want to thank the American people. I will fight for you and your family with every breath I have.”

He noted that Democrats are now looking at a projected total of 315 electoral votes.

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