Month: March 2022

U.S. President Joe Biden announced $800 million in new security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion, in addition to the $200 million he allocated last week. This followed an address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the U.S. Congress earlier Wednesday. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. …

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While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was pleading for more military aid in a speech to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, a Ukrainian high school student in Washington was watching intently for signs of hope for her country. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti watched the speech with the 16-year-old Ukrainian teenager and her host mother. Camera: Saqib Ul Islam …

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Turkish authorities have rejected the citizenship applications of some Uyghur refugees, telling them they were suspected risks to Turkey’s “national security” or “social order,” some of the Uyghurs told VOA. “Phone communication” was the reason Turkey rejected one Uyghur family for citizenship last year. While the family doesn’t know what that means, rights organizations say the term could mean that the person applying for citizenship has communicated with someone connected to an extremist organization in another country, such as Syria. “My whole family’s application was rejected, including my wife and children,” the Uyghur refugee told VOA. He requested anonymity out …

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The United Nations’ highest court called on Russia to immediately halt its invasion of Ukraine, in a preliminary decision that is binding but may be difficult to enforce.  The preliminary decision read by Joan Donoghue, President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), was unambiguous. “The Russian Federation shall immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on February 24, 2022, in the territory of Ukraine.” She also addressed the widening humanitarian fallout of the war.  “The Court is acutely aware of the extent of the human tragedy that is taking place in Ukraine and is deeply concerned about the …

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Nigeria has evacuated at least 1,800 of its citizens from Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, but says that 80 Nigerian students remain trapped in the southern city of Kherson. Russian forces have captured the city, and the students this week called on the Nigerian government to come to their aid. It was another cold night in underground bomb shelters for Nigerian students in Kherson. The students have been trapped for about two weeks since Russian forces seized the city on March 3. The students say gas and internet services have been cut off and that they’re running out of food. Akinyemi …

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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, Wednesday. Cavusoglu pledged that Turkey would continue its diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in Ukraine. Cavusoglu is also visiting Kyiv. While Ankara has close ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly condemned Russia’s assault on Ukraine, closing access to the Black Sea to most of Russia’s warships. Such moves received strong plaudits from Brussels and Washington. Sinan Ulgen with the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies, a research organization in Istanbul, said the Ukrainian conflict offers an opportunity …

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India is exploring the possibility of buying oil from Russia amid sanctions imposed by Western countries in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. India’s petroleum and natural gas minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, said in parliament Tuesday that the government was having discussions with Russia on crude oil purchases. “I myself have had a conversation with the appropriate levels of the Russian federation. There are discussions currently underway,” he told lawmakers. Puri said that the government was looking at issues such as availability and payment for the crude. A report in the Times of India newspaper said that India is …

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