LONDON (Archyde.com) – OPEC Plus sources said today, Wednesday, that the oil producers’ bloc agreed to abide by plans to increase production by 400,000 barrels in April, despite a sharp jump in prices amid sanctions once morest Russia over its military attack on Ukraine. Oil topped $110 this week, its highest level in nearly eight years, as Western sanctions tightened the noose further on Moscow, disrupting supplies from Russia, the world’s second-largest oil exporter. The measures taken by the West have also caused problems with exports from Kazakhstan, which is also a member of “OPEC Plus”, which is made up of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Russia and allied oil-producing countries. And “OPEC Plus” has increased production by 400,000 barrels every month since last August, in the context of reversing the production cuts they had decided due to the decrease in demand for oil due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Four sources in “OPEC Plus” said that the ministers in the bloc agreed to abide by the existing production plans during an online meeting that lasted less than a quarter of an hour. This also came following a recommendation not to change the existing plans at the meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee. “The participants rejected the geopolitical tension as an influencing factor in the meeting,” a source said earlier, in reference to the preparatory talks that took place earlier, and affirmed their commitment to the basic factors. Russia described its actions in Ukraine as a “special operation” and said it had no intention of occupying it. The United States has repeatedly called for an increase in the bloc’s production. Yet very few countries have the additional capacity to increase production. The remaining effective cuts to OPEC Plus production due to the pandemic are 2.6 million barrels per day, and the bloc is expected to recover it by the end of next September. With demand recovering strongly due to the decline in the impact of the pandemic, oil prices jumped to sharp levels.
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Russia and Ukraine
The UAE calls for a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian crisis
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
New York (Union)
Yesterday, the UAE stressed the need to focus on the worsening humanitarian situation for civilians as a result of the Ukrainian crisis, including by working to ensure protection for them, and to prevent the humanitarian situation from reaching a situation that is difficult to treat and contain, calling for the need for restraint and a ceasefire. And work to resolve the conflict by peaceful means.
And she warned, in a statement made by the country’s delegation to the Security Council, that the continuation of the fighting would lead to more innocent victims and worse humanitarian conditions, exacerbated by the winter season.
“The humanitarian situation in Ukraine has deteriorated significantly in recent days, with the continuation of fighting causing damage to infrastructure and causing casualties and deaths among civilians,” she said in the statement.
She added: “According to United Nations reports, hundreds of thousands of residents suffer from a severe lack of basic services, as well, many homes have been damaged and destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of residents have become displaced or refugees in neighboring countries, and in this sense, all civilians must be able to Those trying to get to a safe place can do so unhindered and without discrimination.”
And the UAE continued in its statement: “Due to the Ukrainian crisis, we stress the need to focus on the deteriorating humanitarian situation for civilians, including by working to ensure the provision of protection for them, and to prevent the catastrophic humanitarian situation from reaching a situation that is difficult to address and contain.”
For its part, the UAE is looking into the Ukrainian humanitarian needs resulting from the crisis, out of its constant keenness to alleviate the suffering of civilians under the weight of the conflict, according to the statement.
“We condemn the violence in Ukraine, and we reiterate the need for restraint, a ceasefire, and work to resolve the conflict by peaceful means,” she said, pointing out that the continuation of the fighting will lead to more innocent victims and poor humanitarian conditions, which are exacerbated by the season. Winter and severe cold waves, while civilians are looking for shelters and safe areas in light of the current crisis.
The state urged all parties to implement their obligations under international law, including by allowing humanitarian aid to reach those in need, and not to target civilians.
In the statement, she reiterated the need to adhere to the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, especially in terms of respecting the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and territorial integrity of states, saying: “These principles on which the United Nations was founded apply to all Member States, regardless of their capabilities, capabilities and geographical size. ».
She concluded by saying: “We reiterate the importance of working to reach an immediate ceasefire, and seeking peaceful solutions to serve regional and international security and stability.”
Gargash: Diplomacy and negotiation are the priority of the UAE in the Ukrainian crisis
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
His Excellency Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, the diplomatic advisor to His Highness the President of the State, affirmed that in the Ukrainian crisis, our priorities are to encourage all parties to adopt diplomacy and negotiate to find a political settlement that ends this crisis.
His Excellency wrote in a tweet on his official account on Twitter today: “The world is facing a difficult test and severe polarization imposed by the Ukrainian crisis, which threatens the foundations of the international community and increases the factors of instability. From our experience in a region full of crises, we believe that political solutions and creating balances enhance security and stability.” It is the best way to confront crises and limit their effects.”
His Excellency added: “The UAE’s position is firm towards the basic principles of the United Nations, international law, state sovereignty, and its rejection of military solutions. We believe that alignment and positioning will only lead to more violence, and in the Ukrainian crisis, our priorities are to encourage all parties to adopt diplomacy and negotiate to find a political settlement that ends this crisis.”
Ukraine vows to defend itself and the Russian army besieges Kiev
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
Kiev (agencies)
Russian missiles fell on Kiev yesterday, and families took refuge in shelters, and the authorities asked residents to prepare Molotov cocktails to defend the Ukrainian capital, while Ukrainian forces fought fierce fighting once morest the Russian army forces in the capital, on the second day of the attack launched by Moscow.
Moscow announced the seizure of the strategic Hostomil Airport northwest of Kiev, confirming the siege of the Ukrainian capital from the west, and the airport will play a decisive role as a starting point for the attack on Kiev, around which the battles have been taking place since the early hours of the war. The Russian claim might not be immediately confirmed, while Ukrainian authorities reported heavy fighting in the airport area. The day following the Russian President launched a massive attack once morest Ukraine that killed dozens and displaced more than 100,000 people, the Ukrainian authorities seem determined to fight, while the vanguard of the Russian units entered the northern neighborhoods of Kiev, causing the first casualties. A Archyde.com witness confirmed that artillery shells were heard in Kiev, while an AFP reporter saw the body of a civilian on a sidewalk in the residential district of Oblon. Residents reported seeing two bodies that appear to be Russian soldiers, but this information might not be confirmed.
Ukrainian forces announced that they are fighting Russian armored units in two towns located 40 and 80 km north of Kiev. Russian forces were also approaching the capital from the eastern and northeastern sides, according to the Ukrainian army. After many residents fled, the center of the capital, Kiev, which in normal times has three million people and is currently under a curfew, seemed to be a ghost town.
Armed men were stationed, and armored vehicles were deployed at the most prominent crossroads near government buildings. The few passers-by were stopping to chat regarding the latest developments, while sirens and explosions were heard in the city.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called on civilians in Kiev to “report the movements of the Russians,” and called on them to “make Molotov cocktails.” Russia does not announce the casualties among its forces.
“The city has entered the stage of self-defense, gunshots and explosions reverberate in some neighborhoods, and the vandals have already entered Kiev,” said Vitali Klitschko, the former world heavyweight boxing champion and mayor of Kiev. “The enemy wants to bring our country’s capital to its knees and destroy us.” Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian plane had been shot down and crashed into a building in Kiev during the night, setting it on fire and injuring eight people.
President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter regarding fierce battles that killed at the entrance to the cities of Chernihiv and Melitopol in the east, as well as in the area of Hostomil airport.
For his part, Adviser to the Ukrainian President, Mikhailo Podolyak, said yesterday that his country still controls the lands attacked by Russian forces. He added, “Russia wants to create chaos and form an interim administration,” noting that the most critical situation is in the cities of Kharkiv, Sovi and Yug.
For its part, the Interfax news agency, quoting the Russian Defense Ministry, reported that Russian forces had isolated the cities of Sumy and Konotop in northeastern Ukraine. It said the forces had captured 211 Ukrainian military targets.
The windows of a 10-storey apartment building near Kiev’s main airport were blown out, where a pre-dawn shell left a two-meter-deep crater. “How can I survive this?” said Oksana Goulenko, as she tried to remove the wreckage of broken glass from her room.
Despite this, the Ukrainian armed forces announced that they had inflicted heavy losses on the Russian side. The Defense Ministry said 2,800 Russian soldiers were “missing”. It was not clear whether the Russian soldiers were killed, injured or captured. The ministry also estimated the destruction of regarding 80 tanks, more than 500 other military vehicles, 10 fighters and seven helicopters.
It is impossible to confirm the death toll between soldiers and civilians, and the two sides provided conflicting information. Russia says: it has not incurred any major losses.
Ukraine said earlier that more than 1,000 Russian attackers had died. In its latest statement, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense stated: “We are strong! Victory will be ours!”
Yesterday, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister condemned the launch of Russian missiles targeting Kiev at dawn yesterday, which wounded at least 3 people. “Terrific launch of Russian missiles on Kiev,” Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. “The last time our capital witnessed something like this was in 1941 when it was attacked by Nazi Germany,” he added. Two powerful explosions were heard at dawn yesterday in the center of Kiev.
The ground forces of the Ukrainian army indicated on their Facebook account that there were “rocket launches” targeting Kiev, stressing that they destroyed two of these missiles while they were in flight. She posted a short video showing a burning apartment building. Hundreds of people were crowded in a shelter under a building in Kiev following a televised warning of air strikes.
Two children draped in their winter coats, ages 5 and 7, fell asleep. Their young mother, Victoria, 35, said: “Is it reasonable to wage war once morest peaceful people?”
Ola, 40, said: “The children are terrified, crying and asking, Mom, are we all going to die?” Witnesses said the explosions might also be heard in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, near the Russian border, while sirens sounded in Lviv in the west. Authorities reported heavy fighting in the eastern city of Sumy.