April, 2022

• 1 April

  Finnish president says NATO referendum no longer necessary

  

  Sufficient evidence now shows that most Finns want to join the NATO alliance, President Sauli Niinistö told Swedish-speaking broadcaster YLE on Wednesday after he had called for a broad survey for membership just one week ago. Support for NATO membership has now risen to 61%, a poll commissioned by newspaper …

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• 1 April

  French military intel chief dismissed over failed Ukraine war prediction

  

  General Eric Vidaud, France’s military intelligence chief, has been dismissed due to his department poorly analysing the run-up to Russia’s invasion and failing to predict the war correctly, AFP has reported. There were “insufficient briefings” and “a lack of mastery of the subjects”, a military source said, as reported by …

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• 1 April

  Russia Bombs Continue to Fall After Pledge to Pull Back From the Chernihiv

  

  The Russian forces have reportedly bombed Chernihiv, a besieged city in northern Ukraine, a day after the Russian negotiators pledged that they would be easing and reducing attacks on that specific region. According to Chernihiv Mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko, the Russians bombed their city again, and the attacks had only increased …

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• 1 April

  Ukraine war boosts Erdogan’s ‘new Atlanticism,’ but for how long?

  

  Turkey’s westward focus may complicate, or complement, Ankara’s previous priority of Eurasia. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has swung the pendulum for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from the “Eurasianism” that ultimately lies in his heart back to Turkey’s traditional “Atlanticism.” He and members of his Cabinet are going out of their …

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March, 2022

• 31 March

  Iran FM: US needs to be ‘realistic’ in nuclear talks

  

  Iran’s foreign minister continues to lobby for the United States to come to an agreement for the revival of the nuclear talks. In a meeting in Qatar with his counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian talked about the nuclear talks, regional issues and bilateral relations. …

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• 31 March

  Kremlin demands rubles for gas, leaves currency loophole

  

  Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree Thursday demanding payment for natural gas in rubles but appeared to temper the order by allowing dollar and euro payments through a designated bank, the latest twist over energy supplies that Europe relies on to heat homes and generate electricity. The measure got …

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• 31 March

  West Africa and Turkey forge new security relations

  

  Turkey is not a new actor in Africa but is an increasingly important one. Its presence in West Africa has aroused widespread attention and even concern. Talks about win-win policy and equal partnerships seem positive, especially as existing collaborations on peace and security, such as with France, haven’t produced the …

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• 31 March

  US Sanctions Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program as Nuclear Talks Continue

  

  The United States Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on an Iran-based procurement agent, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, and his network of companies that procured ballistic missile propellant-related materials for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Research and Self Sufficiency Jihad Organization, the IRGC unit responsible for the research and development of ballistic …

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• 31 March

  US calls for ‘strong African response’ to Russian aggression

  

  Nearly half of all African countries abstained or did not vote at all in both UN General Assembly votes seeking Russian ceasefire. The United States is hoping for “a strong African response” to Russian aggression and plans to help mitigate the economic effects of the Ukraine conflict on the continent, …

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• 31 March

  Blinken urges Algeria re-think on Russia, Western Sahara

  

  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a three-nation tour of the Middle East and North Africa Wednesday with appeals for Algeria to limit ties with Russia and look to improve relations with neighboring Morocco. “The countries of North Africa and the Middle East have experienced themselves the consequences …

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