Closest military ally

Since retiring from the Russian army in 2000, Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok has been an éminence grise of military affairs, regularly popping up on state television to give his analysis. He has been at it too long to be too afraid of the Kremlin. In February, he ridiculed as “fantasy” the idea that Ukraine could be easily conquered. On a primetime Rossiya-1 TV show earlier this week, he went further . “We are now in total geopolitical isolation,” he said. “We don’t want to admit it. But practically, the whole world is against us.” The host, Olga Skabeyeva, confronted him immediately. What about India and China, she asked: aren’t they worthy allies? “I’m looking at the bigger picture,” he replied. So is Joe Biden . This morning, he lands in Seoul as part of a five-day trip to salute the Asian flank of the new anti-Putin alliance. His visit makes a point that has not been lost on Colonel Khodarenok: this war is not (as Moscow TV so often says) Russia vs Nato, or Russia vs “the … [Read more...] about Vladimir Putin’s plot to dismantle the West has backfired spectacularly

The United States is considering sending Ukraine advanced anti-ship missiles to sink Russian war vessels in the Black Sea and end the Kremlin’s naval food blockade . US officials said sea-skimming Harpoon and Naval Strike Missiles [NSMs] could be dispatched, either directly, or by European allies equipped with them. A handful of nations were said to be open to sending Harpoons, which have a range of up to almost 300km, but there was hesitation over being the first to do so amid concerns over escalation. Vladimir Putin has been blocking Ukrainian ports to stop grain and other produce leaving the so-called “breadbasket of Europe”, triggering a global food crisis . The UN urged Russia to end the blockade and warned rising global food prices could lead to “mass hunger and famine”. Officials in the key Ukrainian port of Odesa told The Telegraph Putin was trying to starve the world’s poorest people. 'Craven and reckless' Ala Stoyanova, the deputy governor of the city, said: … [Read more...] about US missiles could end Putin’s food blockade

Turkey on Wednesday vetoed a Nato decision on whether to accept Finland and Sweden into the military alliance in the first official vote on membership. At a “classified” meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels, the Turkish representative stopped a vote on their applications , which had been officially submitted earlier in the day, according to sources with knowledge of the discussion. The meeting was called in the hope of agreeing an accelerated accession process in order to head off Russian threats of aggression aimed at the Nordic nations. But the delay has thrown into doubt whether Nato will be able to approve the first stage of Finland and Sweden’s applications before a meeting of its leaders in Madrid on June 28. A source told The Telegraph that Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, has taken wider talks “offline” and will instead focus on smaller meetings in order to overcome Ankara’s opposition. The Turkish veto came hours after Mr Stoltenberg … [Read more...] about Turkey blocks Sweden and Finland’s bids to join Nato

There have long been concerns that Turkey is moving away from the democratic values that underpin the Nato alliance. Accusations of authoritarianism have plagued President Erdoğan since he assumed office. This week, Turkey broke Nato unity by holding up applications by Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. At a meeting of ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, representatives of the Turkish President stopped a vote on the applications, dashing the hopes of officials that the two Nordic nations could undergo an accelerated accession process. This has inevitably raised questions about how sustainable Turkey’s Nato membership really is. On the one hand, Ankara has done much to support Kyiv since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion. It closed the Bosphorus and the Dardanelle straits to warships, preventing Russia from replacing lost ships. Turkish drones sold to the Ukrainians have also proved highly effective. More generally, Ankara is an important strategic ally, with a … [Read more...] about President Erdogan knows how to secure a high price from the West

Boris Johnson on Wednesday opened the door to increased immigration from India to the UK in exchange for a trade deal, as he prepared to meet Narendra Modi , the country's prime minister. Speaking from his plane, the Prime Minister said he hoped to strike a trade deal "by the end of the year" and that he had "always been in favour of having people come to this country". He suggested more relaxed rules for Indian immigrants could be offered by the Government in exchange for a speedy deal that allows the two countries to trade without tariffs. "We have a massive shortage in the UK, not least in experts in IT and programmers," Mr Johnson said. "We're short to the tune of hundreds of thousands in our economy. "We need to have a professional approach but it has to be controlled." His comments come after ministers announced they would loosen visa restrictions for Indian students earlier this year. Easier immigration is a key demand of Mr Modi in trade negotiations, and could … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson opens door to increased immigration from India in exchange for trade deal

Russia claims it has destroyed a major consignment of Western weapons sent to Ukraine ’s army. The defence ministry in Moscow said it targeted a store in the west of the country by launching cruise missiles from the Black Sea. A statement claimed to have hit a ‘large batch of weapons and military equipment delivered from the USA and European countries’. Russia also says its bombs struck oil depots nears Odesa and shot down two fighter jets, as well as 14 drones. It’s unclear how much truth is in the Russian claims but invading forces are intensifying their efforts to seize the east of Ukraine after capturing Mariupol . The last fighters were told by their commanders to lay down their arms after a months-long defence ended with a brutal siege of the Azovstal steel plant. Kremlin forces continue to attempt a major offensive to take the entirety of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Its troops are digging in north of Kharkiv, according to the Institute for the … [Read more...] about Russia ‘destroys cache of Western arms’ amid fierce fighting for east Ukraine