RUSSIA has accused Western countries of using sanctions to steal the country’s gold and foreign exchange reserves amid the raging war in Ukraine.
Asked about a proposal by the European Union to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that ‘a large part’ of the country’s assets were being stolen by ‘specific Western countries’.
Last week, the president of the European Council Charles Michel said the bloc should consider transferring frozen Russian reserves to Ukraine.
‘These are absolutely illegal actions, they are contrary to international law. This is an attack on public and private property,’ said Peskov.
‘Making decisions such as those you spoke about (transferring Russia’s frozen assets to help Ukraine) will be another step in violating all the rules and norms of international law.’
The United States and its European allies have imposed unprecedented economic sanctions against Russia over its military operation in Ukraine, which is now in its ninth month.
Nearly half of Moscow’s $640 billion worth of gold and foreign exchange reserves have been frozen due to sanctions.
France’s Macron says there is ‘prospect for peace’ in Ukraine despite Russian warnings that the conflict may further escalate.
Russia launched the military operation in the former Soviet republic following Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the 2014 Minsk agreements and Moscow’s recognition of the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said one of the goals of what he called a ‘special military operation’ was to ‘de-Nazify’ Ukraine.
The US and its European allies have supplied large consignments of heavy weaponry to Kiev, defying Russian warnings.
Moscow has been critical of weapons supplies to Kiev by the US and its Western allies, warning it will only prolong the already simmering conflict.
In a separate development, the UN nuclear agency said on Monday that it would send inspectors in the coming days to two Ukrainian nuclear sites after Russia said Ukraine could deploy a ‘dirty bomb’ that is laced with nuclear material.
‘The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is aware of statements made by the Russian Federation on Sunday about alleged activities at two nuclear locations in Ukraine,’ the IAEA said in a statement, adding that both were already subject to its inspections and one was inspected a month ago.
‘The IAEA is preparing to visit the locations in the coming days. The purpose of the safeguards visits is to detect any possible undeclared nuclear activities and material,’ the statement noted.
The announcement came as a senior Russian official said Ukraine is in the ‘final stage’ of creating a ‘dirty bomb’.
‘According to the information we have, two organisations in Ukraine have specific instructions to create a so-called “dirty bomb”. This work is in its final stage,’ Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the chief of the Russian Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Force, was quoted as saying.
He added that Kiev plans to accuse Russia of ‘using weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine’ and thus launch a powerful anti-Russian campaign in the world.
Russian media had earlier identified the two sites as the Eastern Mineral Enrichment Plant in the central Dnipropetrovsk region and the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kiev.
Ukraine has denied the accusations, with the country’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba saying earlier in the day that the inspection would take place at Kiev’s request.
Kuleba said he had spoken to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and urged him to ‘send experts to peaceful facilities in Ukraine which Russia deceitfully claims to be developing a “dirty bomb”. He agreed.’
- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the country’s armed forces to focus on goals set by the ruling party’s central committee to accomplish by 2027, the year marking the centenary of the country’s People’s Liberation Army.
Addressing military officers on Monday, Xi, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) central committee, reiterated his call for the military to continue to focus on the goals outlined by the party through 2027, the year that would mark the centenary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.
Monday’s meeting was the first of its kind since the CPC wrapped up its 20th National Congress on Saturday.
During the Congress, Xi stressed that completing the Chinese military’s missions by 2027 and turning the country’s military into a world-class force are strategic prerequisites for making China a modernised, socialist nation.
‘Achieving those goals is the central mission for China’s armed forces in the coming five years, and that they must spare no effort to meet these goals by 2027,’ state-run China Daily quoted Xi as saying on Monday.
He stressed that commanders, officers and soldiers should work and train hard to fulfil their tasks to contribute to the accomplishment of the centenary goals.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, the newly-elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s Central Committee, has outlined his reform-oriented plans for the promotion of the vast Asian country, saying China will open its door wider to the rest of the world in the new era.
On Saturday, China’s ruling party concluded its week-long gathering at the National Congress by approving amendments to its charter and endorsing Xi’s ‘core’ leadership.
The meeting attended by around 2,300 delegates wrapped up at the Great Hall of the People, with the Communist Party of China unanimously passing a resolution on changes and securing Xi a historic third term as the country’s leader for another five years.
The amendments also allowed the incumbent Chinese president to appoint new allies, introducing a new Central Committee of around 200 senior party officials, which would set the ground for the ouster of a number of officials as part of Xi’s anti-corruption campaign.
Having been unveiled as the ruling party’s general secretary on Sunday, Xi is expected to sail through to a third term as China’s president, which is due to be announced during the government’s annual legislative sessions in March.
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has reiterated that Tehran is resolute to expand all-out relations with Beijing in light of ‘mutual respect and interests’ between the two countries.
Raeisi made the remarks in a congratulatory message to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday, as he secured a historic third term as leader of China.
‘Accomplishing the objectives of comprehensive strategic partnership between Iran and China provides a model for the all-out expansion of relations based on mutual interests and respects,’ the Iranian president said.
‘Cooperating within the framework of organisations and multilateral entities, not only serves both countries’ interests but also helps preserve international peace and stability,’ he added.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, the newly-elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s Central Committee, has outlined his reform-oriented plans for the promotion of the vast Asian country, saying China will open its door wider to the rest of the world in the new era.
On Sunday, Xi, the 69 -year-old leader who took power in 2012, was named as the general secretary of the Communist Party of China.
China’s Communist Party concluded its week-long gathering at the National Congress in the capital Beijing by approving amendments to its charter and endorsing Xi’s ‘core’ leadership.
The gathering of around 2,300 delegates wrapped up at the Great Hall of the People, with the Communist Party of China unanimously passing a resolution on changes and securing a historic third term as the country’s leader for another five years.
Having been unveiled as the ruling party’s general secretary on Sunday, Xi is expected to sail through to a third term as China’s president, which is due to be announced during the government’s annual legislative sessions in March.
