REALPOLiTiCS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has answered questions from international media at a #Kyiv metro station. Our reporter Zhou Jiaxin asked him about the #UN chief’s upcoming visit to Kyiv, as well as weapon deliveries to the country from the #US and its allies. Zelensky’s answer in key points: -On Guterres’s visit: “One cannot balance #Ukraine and #Russia. We expect 100 percent support from the UN Secretary General, 100 percent.” -On Guterres’s visit: “If the Secretary General has time, he should definitely first visit our cities where people were tortured and where our people were killed. He needs to understand what is taking place here.“ -On weapon supplies: “Since the start of the war, Russia also supplied weapons to us. You remember how they were running away leaving their tanks behind. We are ‘grateful’ to them for those weapon supplies.” #RussiaUkraineCrisis Full transcript: CGTN reporter Zhou Jiaxin: “Mr. President, you have reiterated readiness for peace talks with Russia.

  #RussiaUkraineCrisis in the last 24h: -The conflict enters its third month, as fighting continues in eastern #Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry says it has destroyed a logistics terminal at a military airfield near Ukraine's #Odesa, where foreign weapons were stored. While #Kyiv has accused #Moscow of killing 8 people, including an infant, in the strikes. The attack occurred despite the #UN chief's call for a 4-day truce ahead of the Orthodox Easter Holiday. -The situation in the port city of #Mariupol remains bleak, as the latest of many attempts to evacuate civilians failed Saturday. -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with #US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday aiming to secure more heavy weapons. -The head of #Russia's space agency says the nation's recently upgraded nuclear capable intercontinental missile will be operational by the end of the year.

  #RussiaUkraineCrisis in the last 24h: - Russia plans to take full control of #Donbas and #southern #Ukraine during the #second phase of its "special military operation," the deputy commander of Russia's central military district said. In a response, Ukraine has accused Moscow of “#imperialism," saying Russia has acknowledged that their goal is "not #victory over the #mythical #Nazis, but simply the #occupation of eastern and southern Ukraine." - The Russian Defense Ministry said that the situation in #Mariupol has #normalized. #Residents can move freely through the streets without "having to hide from Ukrainian #Nazi shelling," it said. The Ukrainian side hasn't commented yet.  - One soldier died, and 27 other crew members went missing due to the #sinking of the Russian #missile #cruiser #Moskva last week, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday. - #UN Secretary-General Antonio #Guterres will meet Russian President Vladimir #Putin in Moscow

North Korea Shows The Most Powerful Weapon in the World Just prior to the inauguration of elected-president Joe Biden, North Korea held a parade attended by its leader Kim Jung-un that reportedly Show cased a new submarine-launched ballistic missile it called the world's "Most powerful weapon". Photos released by state media showed SLBM was labelled Pukguksong-5, potentially marking an upgrade over the Pukguksong-4 that was unveiled at a larger military parade in October. though it is possible that the Pukguksong-4 will exceed the 1900-2000km estimated effective range of its predecessor while offering enhanced offensive capabilities, it is unlikely to pose the same massive leap in capabilities as the one between the pukguksong-3 and older Pukguksong-l.  the display comes just days after Kim said North Korea was pursuing sophisticated new armaments for the country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs , including a nuclear powered submarine, tactical n

 Iran's strategic importance for China World Economy: Following the introduction of a 25-year agreement between Iran and China, the publication of the Center for International and Strategic Studies examined the dimensions and consequences of this possible agreement. The analysis underscores Iran's strategic importance to China, saying that following the agreement, Tehran and Beijing could become strategic allies of each other. The agreement goes on to say that the agreement could be a prelude to China's challenge to the United States in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. The growing competition between the United States and China for trade and presence in the South China Sea is so widespread and multifaceted that it is sometimes easy to ignore China's changing behavior in other regions. In the last few weeks, a step has been taken that can really have a vital impact on such competition. On July 6, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that his country

 The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment is a win for China, and a blow to transatlantic relations. On December 16, 2019, answering a question at an event in Brussels, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that it was unlikely that China could sign an investment agreement with the European Union, because China was a “developing economy.” Fast forward to December 30, 2020. China’s President Xi Jinping held a long-awaited video conference with European Union leaders including Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. After the video call, the European Union announced in a press statement, “The EU and China concluded in principle the negotiations for a Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI).” What happened? Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) into the EU has increased exponentially over the last few years, primarily directed to the strategic areas of infrastructure and high technology. According to European Commission data, cumulative f