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Issued on: 16/04/2021 - 19:59

What could possibly go wrong?Russia insisting that the 83-thousand troops its land and sea maneouvres at the Ukranian border are routine.Ukraine responding with military drills of its own with diplomatic lobbying in overdrive. Latest stop for president Volodimir Zelesnkiy Paris where lunch at the presidential palace came with a phone call to German leader Angela Merkel. Tensions were dialled up further on Wednesday with the expected arrival of two US warships.

The Russians then decided to stage live fire naval exercises. Only in the end, those two warships never came.

Further easttwenty years after 9-11, ten years after the killing of Osama Ben Laden, it was the week Joe Biden fixed a final withdrawal date from Afghanistan. The USpresident dispatching his secretary of state to Kabul to brief president Ashraf Ghani and try to reassure his hostswith mixed results. What a US-led Nato withdrawal means for Afghanistan's neighbors is also an open question. After announcing that troop withdrawalthe US president going to Arlington National cemetary, where 14-thousand US military veterans are buried, a reminder that his late son, Beau Biden earned a bronze star in Afghanistan.

A footnote in all of it may be Hong Kong where sentenced were handed down for nine prominent pro-democracy activists. Their crime, taking part in mass protests back in 2019. On the same day of the Hong Kong sentencing,the French president and the German chancellor in a three-way conference call with Chinese president Xi Jinping. The topic on the agenda:climate change. How much leverage do European leaders have if they feel like talking human rights?

Produced by Charles Wente, Juliette Laurain andLopoldine Iribarren.

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The world this week - Ukraine tensions, US Afghanistan withdrawal, Hong Kong, Notre Dame Cathedral - FRANCE 24

By Tom Kertscher, PolitiFact.com| Austin American-Statesman

George Papadopoulos:Joe Biden is withholding $150 million in aid from Ukraine to pressure Ukraine to drop all criminal investigations into him and his son, Hunter.

PolitiFact's ruling:False

Here's why:A Donald Trump ally who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in the investigation of whether Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election has accused President Joe Biden of withholding aid from Ukraine as a way of helping himself and his son Hunter Biden.

The claim was made by George Papadopoulos, an adviser in Trumps 2016 campaign whoserved12 days in prison forlyingabout hisattemptsto allegedly connect other campaign staff with officials representing Russia. He waspardonedby Trump near the end of Trumps term as president.

In an April 12tweet, widelysharedon Facebook, Papadopoulos stated:

"Biden is now withholding $150 million in aid from Ukraine as tensions with Russia grow. I mentioned this a couple weeks ago. He wants to pressure Ukraine to drop all criminal investigations into him and his son, Hunter. Wheres the media on this extortion attempt?"

The Facebook post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed.

There is no evidence Ukraine is conducting criminal investigations of the president or his son.

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Congress approved and President Trump signed a bill appropriating$275 millionfor what is known as the Ukraine

Security Assistance Initiative. The secretary of defense can use the money to provide assistance, such as training and intelligence support, as well as weapons to Ukraine.

In March, the Defense Departmentannouncedit was releasing $125 million of the aid in training, equipment and advisory efforts as part of the U.S. commitment to provide "defensive lethal weapons to enable Ukraine to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression."

The remaining $150 million will be provided when the Defense Department "certifies that Ukraine has made sufficient progress on key defense reforms this year, as required by the National Defense Authorization Act," the announcement said.

"The Department encourages Ukraine to continue to enact reforms that strengthen civilian control of the military, promote increased transparency and accountability in defense industry and procurement, and modernize its defense sector in other key areas in line with NATO principles and standards."

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Previous legislation also required that some assistance be withheld to Ukraine pending completion of certain reforms, said Steven Pifer, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution and a retired foreign service officer.

Lincoln Mitchell, a research scholar in war and peace studies at Columbia University said that "in general, it is not all that unusual to withhold money for specific reasons that are required by U.S. law or policy. That is what Biden is doing."

Last July, werated Falsea claim that Joe Biden was formally listed as a criminal suspect in a Ukraine case involving his son.

A judge in Ukraine ordered that a criminal case file be opened regarding Bidens efforts as vice president to get Ukraines top prosecutor removed from office. But the bar is low in Ukraine for opening a criminal case file; in this case, it was requested by a member of parliament. And the opening of the file does not mean that a criminal investigation was launched with probable cause, or that Biden is a suspect.

In November, Ukrainian authoritiessaidthey closed a criminal probe of Joe Biden over allegations that he improperly forced the ouster of the countrys prosecutor general in 2016.

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Hunter Biden held a paid directorship with a Ukrainian natural gas company called Burisma Holdings, beginning in 2014. It drew attention because Burisma was owned by Mykola Zlochevsky, a minister under Russia-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych.

Pifer and Mitchell said they have seen no evidence that Ukraine is conducting a criminal investigation of the Bidens.

We tried to reach out to Papadopoulous through his book publisher and his LinkedIn account, but did not get a reply.

The claim has echoes of some of the same issues raised in Trumps first impeachment in November 2019. The HouseimpeachedTrump, and the Senate later acquitted him, on charges that he abused his power and obstructed Congress. A whistleblowers complaint had sounded alarms about Trumps efforts to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce investigations into Joe Biden before the 2020 election. The articles of impeachment charged that Trump held up security assistance and a White House meeting to put pressure on Ukraine, then obstructed Congress to cover it up.

Trump ally George Papadopoulos claimed Joe Biden is "withholding $150 million in aid from Ukraine" to "pressure Ukraine to drop all criminal investigations into him and his son, Hunter."

There is no evidence of any such investigations. The Biden administration released $125 million in military aid to Ukraine but, following federal law, is withholding $150 million until Ukraine enacts military reforms.

We rate the claim False.

Facebook post, April 12, 2021

Email, Steven Pifer, foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution and a retired foreign service officer, April 14, 2021

Email, Lincoln Mitchell, research scholar in war and peace studies at Columbia University, April 14, 2021

Associated Press,"Biden administration announces $125M military aid package for Ukraine,"March 2, 2021

Defense Department,news release, March 1, 2021

House Appropriations Committee,news release, July 7, 2020

Congress.gov,"H.R.133 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021,"became law Dec. 27, 2020

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Fact-check: Is Biden 'pressuring Ukraine' to drop investigations by withholding aid? - Austin American-Statesman

As the global economy continues its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, speculation among economists and Wall Street analysts is building that this decade could be a repeat of the prosperity and growth of the Roaring 1920s.

But beyond the recoveries in places like the US and Australia driven by trillions of dollars in government support, things are far more reminiscent the economic upheaval and geopolitical disorder of the 1930s.

As the pandemic continues to rage throughout much of the world and people count its cost on their lives, the times they are a-changin, to quote legendary songwriter Bob Dylan.

After decades of perceived stability following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the pandemic has created conditions akin to the early days of the Great Depression throughout much of the world.

A world in crisis

In the developing world, 134 million people have fallen out of the middle class since the pandemic began, reversing years of progress in lifting these millions out of poverty.

Entire countries have been thrown into economic or social upheaval. Turkey has seen the value of its currency collapse, the military has seized power in Myanmar and political instability continues to mount across the globe.

RELATED: 37 million locked down as cases skyrocket

The worlds superpowers have also been increasingly pushing their boundaries amid the atmosphere of uncertainty, with this arguably being exacerbated by the presence of a new administration in Washington.

From the active combat zones of the contested Donbass region of Eastern Ukraine to the escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait, the sabre rattling and war drums seemingly grow louder with each passing day.

In recent days Russian tanks, surface-to-air missile batteries and heavy artillery have continued to head toward the border with Ukraine and the Russian-occupied territory of Crimea.

According to US intelligence reports there are more Russian forces massed on the border than at any time since Russia previously entered Ukraine in 2014.

RELATED: US hits Russia with sweeping sanctions

The Russian Navy is also moving landing craft and gunboats to the Black Sea, with the Russian Ministry of Defence stating they would take part in upcoming exercises.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE, has also said there has been a spike in GPS jamming in the region, fuelling concerns that a major escalation in the conflict could be imminent.

The Belarusian military has also moved its own forces to the border with Ukraine and will be conducting large exercises around 30km from the border.

US-Russia tensions

The build-up comes amid statements the administration of President Joe Biden promising Kiev the unwavering support of the US.

In a recent press conference, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took quite a hard line with his rhetoric toward Moscow. If Russia acts recklessly, or aggressively, there will be costs, there will be consequences, he said.

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What exactly Mr Bidens unwavering support and Mr Blinkens consequences would actually mean in reality is very much up in the air and open to all sorts of interpretations.

Up until recently American support for Kiev has been focused on a limited number of airlifted arms shipments.

However, late last week Turkish authorities confirmed that two US Navy warships had been given permission to transit into the Black Sea to monitor Russian activity.

Given the ambiguity of the Biden administrations statements on Ukraine, a group of veteran intelligence officers wrote to the President to urge him not to become involved in a war against Moscow over Ukraine.

China-Taiwan conflict

Meanwhile in the Pacific, tensions also continue to rise.

Recent days have seen record numbers of Chinese Air Force aircraft violating Taiwans air defence identification zone and a Chinese Navy carrier battle group sailed through Okinawas Miyako strait, prompting Tokyo to scramble fighter jets to intercept and monitor.

Recent pictures from the US Navy destroyer USS Mustin showed the warship shadowing the battle group of the Chinese Navy carrier Liaoning a move analysts say was designed to send a clear message to Beijing.

The USS Mustin was joined in its efforts to keep an eye of the Chinese carrier by the Japanese destroyer JS Suzutsuki, which was ordered by Tokyo to gather information and monitor the movements of the Chinese vessels.

What all of this could mean for Australia

In our little corner of the South Pacific with our government stimulus-driven economy, its easy to think that the global economy is well down the road to recovery and that the world is returning to normal.

Australia is once again the outlier, the Lucky Country.

However, if the downside scenarios were realised, Australias record lucky run would likely come to an end. In the event of a conflict between the US and China, our nations economy would be decimated, as our number one export destination became the enemy of our closest ally.

Australias armed forces would also almost certainly be called upon to join our allies in combat and our military installations would become a key part of allied logistics within the region.

What next?

The virus continues to decimate economies and stifle recoveries, even in some nations such as Chile where almost 40 per cent of the population has been vaccinated.

At the same time, discontent with governments continues to build in much of the world, as nations without the same scope as Australia for huge stimulus struggle to support their hard hit economies.

For the first time since the early days of the Great Depression, almost every nation in the world faces a challenging road ahead to some degree or another.

While things turning out for the best can never be ruled out, historically periods of widespread economic upheaval and high levels of discontent with governments can prove to be challenging to say the least.

As the superpowers flex their military muscle and rattle their sabres, its clear the post-Cold War world of unchallenged American supremacy has come to a close.

What the rest of the decade has in store for us, no one can truly know, but one thing is certain the times they are a-changin.

Tarric Brooker is a freelance journalist and social commentator | @AvidCommentator

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Australia isnt immune to the impact of world COVID crisis and rising global tensions - NEWS.com.au

Ukraine is the largest country that is entirely within Europe. The country sits on the southwestern part of the Russian Plain and has a largely low terrain. The average elevation of the land is only 574 ft (175 m).

As observed on the physical map of Ukraine above, about 5% of the country is mountainous. The northern reaches of the Carpathian Mountains stretch across western Ukraine. The country's highest point is located there; Hoverla Mountain, at 2061 m (6762 ft) tall. It has been marked on the map above by a yellow upright triangle.

As can be seen on the map above, the southern lowland of Ukraine continues into the Crimean Peninsula, a peninsula jutting into the sea from southern Ukraine via the Perekop Isthmus. It is a disputed territory.

The Crimean Mountains front the southern edges of the Crimean Peninsula, and some lower, heavily-eroded mountains extend intoRussiajust north of the Sea of Azov.

Much of central Ukraine is covered by plateaus and fertile plains (steppes), somewhat hilly areas of grasslands and shrublands.

The Black Sea Coastal Lowlands cover the southern edges of the country.

Ukraine is bordered by the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

Major rivers include the Desna, Dnieper, Dniester, Donets and the Southern Bug. Numerous waterfalls are found in both the Carpathian and Crimean Mountains.

The Dnieper River, one of the major rivers of Europe (fourth by length) flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea. The river's total length is 2,285 km (1,420 mi).

Ukraine is divided into 24 provinces (oblast), 1 autonomous republic (avtonomna respublika) and 2 municipalities (mista). In alphabetical order, these provinces are: Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Dnipropetrovsk (Dnipro), Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyy, Kirovohrad (Kropyvnytskyy), Kyiv, Luhansk, Lviv, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsya, Volyn (LutsK), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya and Zhytomyr. Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym (Simferopol) is an autonomous republic. Kyiv (Kiev) and Sevastopol are two municipalities of special status. The 24 oblasts and Crimea are further subdivided into 136 raions (district) and city municipalities.

With an area of 603,628 sq. km (which also includes the area covered by the Crimean Peninsula), Ukraine is the 2nd largest country by area in Europe and the 46th largest country in the world. With a population over 42 million people, Ukraine is the 7th/8th most populous county in Europe and the 32nd most populous country in the world. Located in the north-central part of the country, along the Dnieper River is Kiev (Kyiv) the capital and the most populous city of Ukraine. Kiev is the chief cultural and industrial center of Eastern Europe.

Ukraine is an Eastern European country. It is situated both in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres of the earth. Ukraine is bordered by 7 European Nations: by Belarus in the north; by Hungary, Slovakia and Poland in the west; by Moldova and Romania in the southwest; and by Russia in the east and northeast. It is bounded by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov in the south. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea borders Ukraine to the south.

Ukraine Bordering Countries: Russia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, Belarus, Poland.

Regional Maps: Map of Europe

The above blank outline map is of Ukraine, a country in eastern Europe. The map can be downloaded, printed and used for education work or for coloring.

The above map represents Ukraine, a country in Eastern Europe.

This page was last updated on February 24, 2021

The rest is here:
Ukraine Maps & Facts - World Atlas

While the world is focused on OPEC news and Easter preparations, the Ukrainian crisis is heating up and there is a real threat of a military confrontation involving Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Currently, the Ukrainian military is fighting Moscow-backed separatists in the Donbas region. At the same time, heavy clashes with Russian-backed forces in and around Shymy have been reported. International pressure has been building on Russia to force a direct ceasefire, but no moves have been made. In recent weeks, analysts warned of a possible full-scale military confrontation as they considered the military moves in the region as provocations by Moscow. At the same time, most confrontations were localized, with no real regional impact yet.

The military stalemate, however, could well be coming to an end. A growing amount of reports have emerged showing not only largescale Russian military movements towards the Ukrainian border but also Moscows only regional supporter Belarus has deployed new troops to the Ukrainian border. As Julian Ropcke, a German Bild reporter, said on Wednesday, large amounts of Belarus military hardware, including BTR-80 armored vehicles and military trucks are moved to the border region. Kiev has already reacted to the growing threat perception by calling up reinforcements. Ruslan Khomchak, Ukraines Commander-in-Chief, stated to the press that Russia is building up armed forces near Ukraines borders in a threat to the countrys security.

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Russian TV channel Russia Today indicated that Moscow is going to support troops of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR) to come home. The coming days could be a major watershed for the regions military-geopolitical situation. The West has always assumed that Moscow was more than happy with the current situation, controlling not only the Donbas area but also preventing Ukraine from joining NATO. To expect Putin to be content with this stalemate, however, without having any option for a diplomatic resolution, seems overly optimistic from those powers. Russias ultimate dream is to unify Russia and Ukraine., a dream it is willing to achieve either with hard diplomacy or military means. Moscow appears to have become increasingly unhappy about its lack of progress in achieving that dream, partly due to it being handicapped by the Minsk Accords. The Biden Administration, which is less flexible to Moscows strategies than the previous administration, is also a possible reason for Russias new military adventures. Bidens State Department speech on February 4th included a clear message to Russia that the days of rolling over in the face of Russias actions are over. It is certainly possible that the speech pushed Russia to ramp up its military actions. Meanwhile, in Belarus and Ukraine, the West is perceived to be waging a hybrid war against Moscow. From Putins point of view, the only option now is to actively counter-attack. Military analysts are still arguing about what Moscows options are in the coming days. A majority expect a so-called localized escalation, dramatic and devastating, leading to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers. Such a move could be used to justify future military moves by Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken filed a complaint on Wednesday in which he reiterated Washingtons support for Ukraines territorial integrity in the face of Russias ongoing aggression. If Putin believes the West is weak, however, a military move, which would give Russia access to Crimean water supplies, would be a very attractive one. Ukrainian observers believe the Kremlin may even consider a decisive military push through south-eastern Ukraine to create a land corridor linking Crimea with Donbas and end the peninsulas chronic water shortage Ukraine has blocked 85 percent of water supplies to the Crimea since 2014.

Story continues

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A possible full-scale military operation will not only impact regional security but also put the European oil and gas sector under pressure, while maritime logistics could also be hampered. With Europes gas storage currently very low and dependency on Russian supplies still very high, a crisis here could have a major impact. Gas prices will soon be under pressure if the situation escalates. With storage sites at 37% capacity compared to 60% capacity at the same time last year or 74% at the start of this year, inventories are becoming critical. Analysts currently expect levels to fall as low as 16% of total capacity. To count on LNG supplies would be foolish if Asian demand continues to grow. The stranglehold that Russia has over European gas markets may soon become a major geopolitical market factor once again. If a Ukraine crisis erupts, potentially blocking or closing gas and oil pipelines in the region, a new energy crisis would follow closely behind.

It appears that Putins strategists have outmaneuvered Western powers. The weak response from both Brussels and Washington to Russian power moves in recent years appears to have emboldened Putin. Sanctions have been largely ineffective, while military options seem to be out of the question. Russian gas politics could now be a major pivotal factor in stopping any EU-NATO support if a renewed Ukraine conflict were to break out.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

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