Foreign Affairs

Ukraine conflict: What is Nato and how is it changing? – BBC News

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18023383

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Sweden and Finland have applied to join the Western security alliance Nato, because of the war in Ukraine.

Russia’s
invasion has also prompted Nato to announce plans to increase the
number of troops that can be deployed at short notice…

Iran and Argentina apply to join BRICS | Aletho News

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https://alethonews.com/2022/06/27/iran-and-argentina-apply-to-join-brics/

Samizdat | June 27, 2022

The Islamic Republic of Iran has officially submitted its application to join the group of five emerging economies made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the foreign ministry in Tehran announced on Monday. The move comes after the Iranian president addressed the BRICS summit last week.

While BRICS is not a treaty bloc, it has a “very creative mechanism with broad aspects,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday, according to the Tasnim news agency. He added that Tehran has already had “a series of consultations” with BRICS about the application.

Iran’s membership would “add value” for everyone involved, said Khatibzadeh, noting that BRICS members account for up to 30% of the world’s GDP and 40% of the global population.

On Friday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi addressed the BRICS virtual summit hosted by China, and expressed Tehran’s readiness to share its capabilities and potentials with the group.

Argentina has also applied to join BRICS. President Alberto Fernandez on Friday urged the creation of cooperation mechanisms that could represent the alternative to ostensibly private institutions run by – and in the interest of – the West.

During the session on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the five-member group was working on setting up a new global reserve currency “based on a basket of currencies of our countries.”

G-7 Heightening Russia Sanctions for Ukraine War

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https://www.voanews.com/a/russia-edges-toward-debt-payment-default/6634480.html

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The United States and the other members of the Group of Seven leading
industrialized economies imposed new sanctions Monday against Russia
for its four-month invasion of Ukraine. These include measures to cut Moscow off from materials and services needed by its industrial and
technology sectors.

The White House said the U.S. will commit $7.5 billion as part of a G-7 effort to help Ukraine cover its short-term budget needs, and that
the governments are making “an unprecedented, long-term security
commitment to providing Ukraine with financial, humanitarian, military
and diplomatic support as long as it takes.”

In a joint communique, the G-7 said, “We remain appalled by and continue to condemn the brutal, unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine by Russia and aided by Belarus. We
condemn and will not recognize Russia’s continued attempts to redraw
borders by force.”

The announcement came as G-7 leaders met in the Bavarian Alps in Germany, where they spoke by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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LIVE: Zelenskyy urges help to end war by winter|DW

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https://m.dw.com/en/ukraines-zelenskyy-says-war-needs-to-end-by-winter-live-updates/a-62271288

Ukraine’s president has called on G7 leaders to ramp up sanctions against Moscow to end the war before winter, diplomats say. Meanwhile,
Lysychansk residents are being told to evacuate. Follow DW for the latest…

Nato plans huge upgrade in rapid reaction force – BBC News

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61954516

… Nato has announced plans to massively increase the number of its forces at high readiness to over 300,000 troops.

The bloc’s rapid reaction force currently has 40,000 troops at its disposal, with many of those based along the alliance’s eastern flank…