In a meeting with UN General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi on Monday, Indian PM Narendra Modi reiterated the importance of reforming the UN Security Council (UNSC) to reflect the new international order. In response, Korosi agreed on the UNSC’s redundancy and celebrated India’s role as a non-permanent member.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov “agreed to further enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in the areas of trade, energy, education, culture, security, and counter-terrorism,” during a meeting in Moscow on Monday. Bhutto Zardari also informed Lavrov about Islamabad’s efforts to stabilise Afghanistan and the “gross human rights violations” in India’s Jammu and Kashmir.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister (FM) Andrey Rudenko confirmed on Monday that FM Sergey Lavrov would be participating in the meeting of G20 FMs in New Delhi on 1-2 March.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that despite progress in combatting the spread of COVID-19, the pandemic remains a “global health emergency.” He advocated vaccinating 100% of the most at-risk groups, increasing access to testing, expanding laboratory networks, and fighting misinformation to address vulnerabilities in health systems.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during a visit to Japan on Tuesday that NATO was “very grateful” for Japan’s support in the Ukraine war, through “planes and the cargo capabilities.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-sup in Seoul today to deepen cooperation in tackling shared security challenges in the region. Austin will reaffirm the US’ “ironclad” extended deterrence commitment to South Korea at a “time of heightened tension and provocation” regarding North Korea.
On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry highlighted that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia would be the focal point in bilateral relations between Moscow and Beijing this year. It further pointed out that China was Russia’s “largest trade partner” last year, with aims to reach the $200 billion mark this year instead of 2024.
During a meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that the US will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. Reaffirming US support for Israel, he vowed that Washington would “confront and counter” Tehran’s destabilising activities in the Middle East. Blinken also called on expanding Israeli-Arab peace efforts and said the US will work with Israel to “improve the daily lives of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.”
In a BBC documentary, former British PM Boris Johnson claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin “sort of threatened” him with a missile before the Ukraine war. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rubbished the claim as a “lie,” saying there was “no missile threat.”