World Briefing: September 13, 2024
Keir Starmer will meet Joe Biden today after Vladimir Putin warned the West will be 'at war' with Moscow if they widen Ukraine's use of Storm Shadow missiles. The British PM is due to meet the US President at the White House amid mounting expectations that the long-range weapons will be authorised to strike targets in Russia. Although a final decision is not expected to be announced after the discussions this evening it could be confirmed as early as next week. Putin upped the ante last night, telling state media that Russia would 'take appropriate decisions based on the threats we will face.' But speaking to reporters en route to Washington DC, Sir Keir insisted the Russian leader started the war in Ukraine and could end the fighting 'straight away'. 'There are really important developments likely in the next few weeks and months, both in Ukraine and the Middle East, and therefore a number of tactical decisions ought to be taken,' Sir Keir said. He added: 'Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict straight away. ‘Ukraine has the right to self-defence, and obviously we've been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraine's right to self-defence, providing training capabilities. 'But we don't seek any conflict with Russia, that's not our intention in the slightest. But they started this conflict, and Ukraine's got a right to self-defence.'
Russia’s FSB security service said on Friday it had revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow whose actions it said showed signs of spying and sabotage work. Britain’s embassy in Moscow did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. “The English did not take our hints about the need to stop this practice (of carrying out intelligence activities inside Russia), so we decided to expel these six to begin with,” an FSB employee told the Rossiya-24 state TV channel. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was cited by the state TASS news agency as saying the activities of the British embassy in Moscow had gone well beyond diplomatic convention and accusing it of carrying out deliberate activity designed to harm the Russian people. - Reuters
Former President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would not participate in another presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” Trump posted on Truth Social, referencing his first face-off with President Joe Biden in June and his second with Harris on Tuesday. Harris’ campaign had called for another debate after the vice president and Trump faced off at ABC’s presidential debate in Philadelphia. Harris reiterated that call during a rally in Charlotte on Thursday, saying, “I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate because this election and what is at stake could not be more important.” - CNN
Three staff members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were killed and two wounded on Thursday after shelling hit the site of a planned frontline aid distribution in the Donetsk region. The distribution of humanitarian assistance had not begun, and no residents were affected by the explosion. “I condemn attacks on Red Cross personnel in the strongest terms. It’s unconscionable that shelling would hit an aid distribution site. Our hearts are broken today as we mourn the loss of our colleagues and care for the injured. This tragedy unleashes a wave of grief all too familiar to those who have lost loved ones in armed conflict,” said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric. The ICRC team was preparing to distribute wood and coal briquettes in Viroliubivka village, north of Donetsk city, to vulnerable households to help them prepare for the upcoming winter when the vehicles they were using were hit. ICRC teams are regularly present in the Donetsk region, and our vehicles are clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem. The deaths of three ICRC colleagues come amid a sharp rise in the number of humanitarians killed around the world over the last two years.
A top official from the Chinese Communist Party’s central propaganda department has made a discreet trip to Australia that reveals both Beijing’s improved diplomatic ties with Canberra but also the extreme sensitivity surrounding the “stabilised” relationship. The visit by Mo Gaoyi, the deputy director of the Communist Party’s publicity department, included stops in Canberra and Sydney, where the official met with Chinese journalists and academics. - The Australian
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced it will pause all upcoming screenings of the film Russians at War. The first-person documentary by Russian Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova spurred protest from Ukrainian officials and community groups who say the film amounts to propaganda. The feature was set to have its North American premiere on Friday with additional screenings scheduled for Saturday and Sunday will be paused. The move is a reversal for the festival, which said earlier this week the film was "in no way" Russian propaganda and that screenings would go ahead as planned. Large crowds gathered outside a Tuesday screening for media and industry members to take part in a protest organized by Ukrainian community groups and attended by officials, including Ukrainian Consul General Oleh Nikolenko. - CBC
