“One year later, Kyiv Stands” - Biden

As one year anniversary approaches for Russia-Ukraine war on feb 24th, President Biden made a surprise visit Kyiv, Ukraine in a defiant display of Western solidarity with a country still fighting.

The visit came at a crucial moment: Biden is trying to keep allies unified in their support for Ukraine as the war is expected to intensify with spring offensives. Zelenskyy is pressing allies to speed up delivery of promised weapon systems and calling on the West to provide fighter jets — something that Biden has declined to do.

Read more about this story here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/20/us/politics/biden-ukraine-visit.html

China selling weapons to Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS News that Chinese companies were already providing "non-lethal support" to Russia, and new information suggested Beijing could provide "lethal support". But this escalation would mean serious consequences, he warned. But the Chinese side has denied reports of any such request made by the Russian side.

Relations between the US and China are already poor due to the balloon incident, resulting in an exchange of angry words. Even though both parties don't see eye to eye equally, both sides appeared embarrassed by the incident and seemed ready to move on. But if China provides ammunition to Russia, the US-china relation will deteriorate much more severely. Mr Blinken also said the US was worried about China helping Russia evade Western sanctions designed to cripple Russia's economy. China's trade with Russia has been growing, and it is one of the biggest markets for Russian oil, gas, and coal.

China has been sending non-lethal support to the Russian side for a long time. And its advanced drones are something that Russia would be very interested in.

Read more about this story here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64695042

Philippines & Australia stand up to China in South China Sea

Australia and the Philippines are exploring the possibility of joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea, where recent “aggressive activities” by the Chinese Coast Guard towards a Philippine vessel saw Beijing’s envoy in Manila summoned by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

China has had a history of being a bully in South China Sea, to learn the full history, I recommend watching this video: https://youtu.be/zrki4E04KO4

Read more about this story here: https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-ferdinand-marcos-jr-lloyd-austin-australia-d6663ef75d6328b21e566185e1b0e382

Quick Bites

1. Israel troops raid West Bank to crackdown on militants

2. Drought has dried up iconic Venice Canals in Italy

3. China accuses US of “fanning flames in Ukraine, all while supporting Russia overcome sanctions.

4. Third Earthquake hits Turkey’s Antakya

5. India doesn’t want further Russia sanctions

My simple request

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