... people in need (8.1 million out of 14.6 million).
3. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an internationally recognized terrorist organization, is still in control of Idlib. It has usurped authority, manipulating humanitarian aid that flows into the province. Russia blames the co-sponsors of res. 2585 for accepting the status quo in northwestern Syria.
4. The U.S. and the EU have imposed unilateral sanctions on Syria, which significantly hinders humanitarian aid deliveries, early recovery and post-conflict reconstruction.
5. The U.S. illegal military presence in northeastern Syria and the U.S. General License 22 (issued on May 12, 2022) exempting ...
..., in the current confrontational conditions “stable deterrence,” a scenario that seemed to be the least harmful, is receding into the past.
At least three events have triggered the new logic of confrontation: the Skripal case, Washington’s new sanctions and the chemical incident in Syria. The Skripal case stands out because the collective West went for a sharp escalation without having authentic and transparent facts indicating Russia’s involvement in the incident. Not a single fact meeting these requirements has been presented to the public at large so far. The theory of Russia’s involvement is based on verbal lace, references to its “bad reputation” and some “secret ...
Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), thinks that greater cooperation between Russia and Western powers is possible in Syria and that the Russian people, like its counterparts, is wondering why a large joint anti-terrorist coalition doesn’t exist. Western economic sanctions have been counter-productive since they failed to change Russia’s position in Ukraine and to erode President Putin’s popularity at home. It’s also up to Kyiv to comply fully with the Minsk agreements, explained Kortunov. Finally,...
The West’s response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine has been to sanction and attempt to isolate Russia. The NATO-Russia Council, despite being a ... ... been de facto expelled from the G8. Despite this, Russia continues to show its influence on critical international issues, with Syria being just the most recent example. After over two years of talking about the threat Russia poses and how the West can mitigate ...
... astronauts into space in 2016
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So what is the West trying to achieve by slapping symbolic and, at first sight, irrelevant sanctions on Russia, especially now that the US and the EU no longer harbour any illusions about Crimea having become part of Russia for good?
Sanctions and Syrian chemical weapons
The following episode in the West’s pressure campaign against Russia provides a useful insight into the rationale behind the sanctions. Take cooperation on dismantling and recycling Syria’s chemical weapons. Bear in mind that the US suspended plans for a military strike ...