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8 mins ago
Ukraine war highlights divisions in Central Asia and sparks unrest in former Soviet territories
By Nectar Gan, Rhea Mogul
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and other participants attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand on Sept. 16.
(Photo: Sergei Bobylyov/Pool/AFP/Sputnik/Getty Images)
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit could have provided an opportunity for Beijing and Moscow to champion a "multipolar world order", but Russia's invasion of Ukraine may have sowed divisions within the grouping and alienated some countries.
Having watched Russian tanks enter Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, Central Asian leaders from former Soviet territories are concerned that Russia will invade their territory as well.
Kazakhstan, in particular, has refused to toe the Moscow line.
It has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and its president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has publicly refused to recognize Russia-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, angering some Kremlin officials.
China's refusal to condemn Russia has also caused unrest among Central Asian countries, according to experts.
That could hamper China's efforts to build closer ties with its Central Asian neighbors, an effort in which China has invested heavily for two decades.
Putin acknowledges that China has doubts and concerns about the war in Ukraine
During Xi Jinping's state visit to Kazakhstan on Wednesday - his first trip abroad in almost 1,000 days - the Chinese leader tried to allay these concerns.
China will always support Kazakhstan in maintaining national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity," Xi told Tokayev, according to Chinese state media.
Also complicating the picture is India, which occupies a unique role in the SCO.
Delhi, which like Beijing has not condemned the Russian invasion, has strong ties with Moscow dating back to the Cold War.
By some estimates, India sources more than 50% of its military equipment from Russia.
In recent months, India has significantly increased its purchases of Russian oil, coal and fertilizers, despite Western pressure to cut economic ties with the Kremlin following its aggression in Ukraine.
But Delhi has also seen relations with Beijing plummet due to conflicts on its border, and has grown closer to Washington and its allies in the Indo-Pacific.
India is a member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue along with the United States, Japan and Australia, a grouping that has drawn closer over threats from China.
Modi, who arrived in Samarkand in the early hours of Friday, is expected to hold one-on-one meetings with his Russian, Uzbek and Iranian counterparts, an Indian Foreign Ministry source told CNN.
But according to his provisional agenda, Modi does not have any meeting with Xi scheduled.
The two leaders have not met since the start of the China-India border conflict more than two years ago.
Last week, Delhi and Beijing began withdrawing from the Gogra-Hotsprings border area in the western Himalayas.
In addition to its territorial disputes, Delhi is also wary of Beijing's growing economic influence over its smaller neighbors.
"Since Modi came to power, we have seen (India-China) relations deteriorate steadily," said Manoj Kewalramani, China studies fellow at the Takshashila Institution of India.
But Kewalramani said the SCO could provide a "space (for India) to engage with China and Russia."
"In particular, being at the table while China and Russia are together, because the closer that relationship gets, the more difficult it will be for India," he said.
12 mins ago
China, Russia present united front at Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit
By Nectar Gan, Rhea Mogul
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, gestures as he speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Friday, September 16.
(Photo: Sergei Bobylev/Pool/Sputnik/AP)
When Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin sit down with other Asian leaders at a summit in Central Asia on Friday, they will try to present a united front to counter the United States and its allies.
Since this Thursday, the leaders of the grouping, which includes India, Pakistan, Iran and four Central Asian countries, have met in the city of Samarkand, in Uzbekistan, which has witnessed a barrage of high-level talks, including the first face-to-face meeting between Xi and Putin since the invasion.
Putin's appearance alongside Xi at the high-level summit came just days after Russian forces suffered a series of major defeats on the Ukrainian battlefield.
The invasion of Moscow has left it isolated diplomatically, and its economy is badly weakened by a series of Western sanctions.
ANALYSIS |
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping want to create a new world order.
Russia's setback in Ukraine could ruin their plans
In recent months, China has offered Russia tacit support and stepped up economic aid to its neighbor, boosting bilateral trade to a record.
But as the conflict drags on into winter, analysts are wondering how far Xi is willing to go to continue backing Putin, and at what cost.
"The economic situation in Russia is deteriorating, and that gives China an advantage in the relationship," said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"The ties between Moscow and Beijing have been asymmetrical before, when Russia was a more needed partner, but now it's an asymmetry on steroids where China has the commanding position, and will definitely have no qualms about using it in the future." .
In public, China has pledged closer ties with Russia.
The official Chinese readout of Thursday's Xi-Putin meeting did not mention Ukraine.
Instead, he quoted Xi as saying that China would "work with Russia to extend strong mutual support on issues that concern each other's core interests" and "play a leading role in injecting stability and positive energy into a world of change and disorder.
For his part, Putin highlighted Moscow's value to Beijing, that is, joining forces to counter the West and create what he calls "a just, democratic and multipolar world order."
13 mins ago
One dead, two injured in overnight shelling of Ukrainian border town
By Teele Rebane, Josh Pennington
Valuiki, a border town in Belgorod Oblast, was shelled overnight by Ukrainian forces, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a Telegram post on Friday.
According to the governor, there is "destruction on the ground", a substation has been damaged and the power supply to the city has been interrupted.
Social media videos show city lights dimming as rockets appear in the distance.
One civilian was killed and two were injured in the attack.
14 mins ago
At least 440 unmarked graves found at burial site in Izium, Ukraine says
By Jonny Hallam, Brad Lendon
Ukrainian authorities found 440 graves at a mass burial site in Izium, an eastern city recently recaptured from Russian forces, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said in a Twitter post on Friday.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian and international journalists would be shown the site to see what had been discovered.
“We want the world to know what is really happening and what the Russian occupation has led to,” Zelensky said.
Ukrainian forces enter Izium city after five months of Russian occupation, Kyiv says
Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications said on Thursday that some of the graves discovered in Izium were "fresh" and that the bodies buried there were "mostly civilians".
Izium came under heavy Russian artillery fire in April, and the city, which lies near the border between the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, became a major point for the invading army during the five-month occupation.
Ukrainian forces regained control of the city on Saturday, dealing a strategic blow to Russia's military assault in the east.
Read the complete news here.
19 mins ago
White House announces $600 million security package for Ukraine during counteroffensive
By Oren Lieberman
A unit commander displays rockets from a HIMARS vehicle in eastern Ukraine on July 1. (Photo: Anastasia Vlasova/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
The White House on Thursday announced a $600 million security package for Ukraine, providing the Ukrainian military with another round of aid during its counteroffensive against Russian forces.
The equipment will come from existing US stockpiles and inventories, and will include additional weapons, ammunition and equipment, according to a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
"Together with our allies and partners, we are delivering the weapons and equipment that Ukrainian forces are using so effectively as they continue their successful counteroffensive against the Russian invasion," Blinken said.
The package includes additional ammunition for the HIMARS system, which Ukraine has used to attack multiple Russian logistics centers, command posts and ammunition depots.
It also includes tens of thousands of 105mm conventional artillery shells, 1,000 155mm precision shells and anti-drone systems.
"We Need More Sophisticated Weapons": CNN Speaks Exclusively With Ukraine's Defense Minister
With the onset of winter, the United States is also providing cold weather gear and more night vision devices.
A week ago, the Pentagon announced another $675 million package, which included additional ammunition for HIMARS, as well as tens of thousands of artillery shells.
A bit of context
: For now, the United States has decided not to send long-range ATACMS ammunition to Ukraine for use with the HIMARS platform, despite repeated Ukrainian requests.
The ATACMS have a range of nearly 200 miles, capable of striking deep into Russian territory.
Pentagon officials have said that the HIMARS launchers along with the GMLRS, a munition with a range of about 40 miles, is what the US should provide to Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the US has provided $15.1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.
21 mins ago
Biden to meet with families of Americans jailed in Russia
By Kaitlan Collins, Kylie Atwood, Jennifer Hansler
Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.
(Photo: Reuters)
President Biden will meet in person this Friday with the families of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan at the White House, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
It is the first time he will meet them in person.
"The president wants to make sure their families know they are still on the front lines and that his team is working on it every day," an official told CNN.
The Associated Press was the first to report on the meeting.
Some background
: The families of Whelan, held by Russia for alleged espionage since 2018, and WNBA star Griner, jailed in Moscow for alleged drug possession since February, have urged the White House to secure their release, including through a prisoner exchange if necessary.
Where are things?
Progress in bringing either American home has been elusive.
A senior Biden administration official told CNN on Thursday that there has been "movement but no progress" in the talks.
The official said that Russia is making demands that the State Department cannot meet.
war in ukraine
