South Asia
In a veiled reference to China, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday told the European Union Ministerial Forum on the Indo-Pacific in Paris that it is important to collectively deal with regional challenges because they could extend to Europe, as “distance is no insulation”. The session was attended by his counterparts from France, Japan, Cambodia, and Indonesia. [Indian Express]
In a rare gesture of goodwill between India and Pakistan, who suspended transit trade three years ago, Pakistan on Tuesday allowed a humanitarian shipment of wheat from India to transit through the country’s land borders and reach Afghanistan. This follows months of delays, as Pakistan had been insisting that the wheat be shifted to Pakistani trucks while it is transiting through the country. However, India has rejected this conditionality, maintaining that the aid must be transported using either Afghan or Indian trucks due to concerns that the consignment could be diverted if Pakistani trucks were used. [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Former Kazakh Defence Minister Murat Bektanov, who was detained last week by authorities, has been placed under pretrial detention for inaction during the violent protests that erupted in Mangystau and Almaty last month. [RFE/RL]
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, and other top-ranking officials on Tuesday condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of the independence of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Zourabichvili stated that Moscow’s move “repeats the scenario” that led to the occupation of 20% of Georgia, referring to the Russian invasion of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008. [Agenda.ge]
East and Southeast Asia
On Tuesday, Japan’s Shimane Prefecture celebrated “Dokdo Day” in an event that was attended by senior officials of the Japanese cabinet. Ownership of the Dokdo islands is also contested by South Korea. Seoul “strongly” protested “Japan’s repeated futile provocations over Dokdo” and “sternly” urged “an immediate abolition of the event.” [MOFA.KR]
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday announced his government’s decision to impose sanctions on Russia over its aggression in Ukraine. The measures include prohibiting the issuance of Russian bonds in Japan and freezing the assets of certain individuals. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
On Tuesday, the European Union (EU) agreed to impose sanctions on 351 members of Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of its Federal Assembly, for voting in favour of Russia’s recognition of the eastern Ukrainian territories Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics. In addition, the Union has also decided to initiate action against 27 individuals and organisations responsible for destabilising and waging disinformation campaigns against Ukraine and providing financial support to the separatist regions. The sanctions include asset-freezes and travel bans, and limit Russia’s access to the bloc’s capital and financial markets. [Euronews]
On Tuesday Hungary’s Defence Minister, Tibor Benkő, mobilised troops towards the country’s eastern border with Ukraine to provide humanitarian support for refugee arrivals and to ensure that no armed groups enter the country. Benkő emphasised “Hungary wants peace,” adding that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had instructed him to protect Hungary’s territorial integrity. [HUNGARY today]
The United Kingdom’s Labour Party has called for a ban on Russian state-backed broadcasted RT. The news outlet has been accused of publishing pro-Vladimir Putin “propaganda.” Labour leader Keir Starmer told the parliament that Putin’s “campaign of misinformation should be tackled,” beginning with efforts to prevent RT from “broadcasting its propaganda around the world.” [The Guardian]
Latin America and the Caribbean
In a report released on Tuesday, the European Union’s electoral observation mission said that regional and local elections in Venezuela last November had strengthened its belief that there must be greater “separation of powers” in the country, pointing to the overreach of the judicial branch, particularly the Supreme Court. [Reuters]
After severing diplomatic relations with Taiwan back in December, Nicaragua is now racing full speed ahead in its bilateral ties with China. Minister of Finance and Public Credit Ivan Acosta said he is looking to sign a free trade agreement and noted that he has already signed a housing construction program and a non-reimbursable cooperation project in the bovine sector. Acosta also expressed interest in joining China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative. [Prensa Latina]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Syria on Tuesday expressed its support for Russia’s recognition of the independence of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions and accused the West of fomenting tensions with Moscow. “What the West is doing against Russia is similar to what it did against Syria during the terrorist war,” Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said. [Reuters]
Israel has accused Iran of transferring munitions that can be attached to drones to Venezuela. Speaking to a delegation of American-Jewish officials in Jerusalem on Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz revealed a photo that he says proves that Tehran has been transferring know-how to Caracas for producing advanced drones as well as munitions. “In addition to developing Iranian UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) in Venezuela, our assessments show that Iranian precision-guided missiles are being delivered for these UAVs and other similar models,” Gantz said. [Times of Israel]
North America
On Tuesday, United States (US) President Joe Biden announced initiatives to increase the processing and mining of rare earth and other crucial minerals at a domestic level in an effort to reduce dependence on China. One of the measures includes a $35 million contract to Nevada-based company MP Materials, which owns and operates the only rare earth mine in the US. [The Voice of America
Four people at a United States Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii died on Tuesday after a civilian-contracted helicopter crashed during a range training operation. The Pacific Missile Range is one of the largest military testing facilities in the world, with over 67,000 square kilometres of controlled airspace. [ABC News]
Oceania
On Wednesday, the New Zealand government summoned Russia’s ambassador to the country, Georgii Viktorovich Zuev, to express strong opposition to Russia’s latest move of recognising the eastern Ukrainian territories of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent territories and deploying ‘peacekeeping’ forces to the region. Additionally, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta threatened to impose a series of sanctions if Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and urged Moscow to adhere to international obligations and adopt diplomatic negotiations to resolve the crisis. [Newshub]
On Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a series of sanctions against Russia, targetting five Russian banks and the energy, oil, gas, telecommunications, and mineral reserves industries. Morrison also convened an emergency meeting of the federal security committee to discuss measures as the Ukraine crisis escalates. The sanctions come after Russia on Monday signed a decree to officially recognise the eastern Ukrainian territories of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics and deployed troops to the region. [News.com.au]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The death toll from an explosion at a gold mine in a village near Gaoua in southwestern Burkina Faso has risen to 63, including women and children. An investigation into the cause of the explosion has been launched, though Islamist groups are not suspected at this stage. [Africa Feeds]
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall in Dakar for the Senegal-Turkey Business Forum. He was joined by a large delegation of Turkish businesspeople. Having already visited the Democratic Republic and Senegal on his trip so far, Erdoğan will fly to Guinea Bissau next. The visit forms part of the Turkish government’s wider goal of increasing its presence on the African continent, and follows President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s tour of Angola, Nigeria, and Togo back in October. He also attended the Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit in Istanbul last December and has now visited well over 30 African countries. [Africanews]