Muristek
Seoul, April 11
President of war-hit Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged South Korea on Monday to provide his country with arms to help it fight Russia's military.
Zelenskyy made the request in a video address to South Korean lawmakers that came hours after Seoul's Defence Ministry confirmed it had rejected a Ukrainian request for anti-aircraft weapons during a call between the countries' defence ministers last week. The ministry cited the South Korean Government's principle of limiting its military help to Ukraine to non-lethal supplies.
'Regular military supplies' sent to serbia: china
China said on Monday its military planes delivered "regular military supplies" to Serbia, in its first comments on an unusual operation in which six Chinese Air Force Y-20 transport planes landed in Belgrade early Saturday. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters the operation was part of the two countries' annual cooperation plan, does not target any third parties and "has nothing to do with the current situation". The planes' arrival prompted heavy speculation they were carrying HQ-22 surface-to-air missiles under the terms of a previous deal signed between the sides Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic all but confirmed the delivery of the medium-range systems that was agreed upon in 2019, saying on Saturday that he would present "the newest pride" of the Serbian military on Tuesday or Wednesday The veiled operation this weekend came amid Western concerns that an arms buildup in the Balkans at the same time as war is raging in Ukraine could threaten the region. AP"The Republic of Korea has tanks, ships and various equipment that can block Russian missiles and we would be grateful if the Republic of Korea could help us fight back against Russia," Zelenskyy said, using South Korea's formal name.
"If Ukraine is able to receive such weapons, it will not only help us save the lives of our ordinary citizens but also provide Ukraine an opportunity to survive as a nation, and also help prevent other countries from being attacked by Russia," said Zelenskyy, whose comments were dubbed over by a translator during the televised speech. Joining US-led international sanctions against Moscow, South Korea has already banned the export of strategic materials to Russia and ended transactions with key Russian banks and sovereign wealth funds. — AP
War to shrink Ukraine economy by 45%: World Bank
London: The World Bank has said Ukraine's economy will shrink by 45.1 per cent this year because of Russia's invasion, which has shut down half of the country's businesses, choked off imports and exports, and damaged a vast amount of critical infrastructure. Unprecedented financial and export sanctions imposed by Western allies, meanwhile, are plunging Russia into a deep recession, lopping off more than a tenth of its economic growth, a World Bank report has said. AP
'Won't pause military ops for peace talks'
Moscow: Russia will not pause its military operation in Ukraine for subsequent rounds of peace talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday. Russian officials say peace talks with Ukraine are not progressing as rapidly as they would like, and have accused the West of trying to derail negotiations. In an interview, Lavrov said he saw no reason not to continue talks with Ukraine but insisted Moscow would not halt its military operation when the sides convene again. Reutere