Russia doesn't want conflict with Ukraine but the West must provide 'unconditional security guarantees', Putin says - Sky News

Russia doesn't want conflict with Ukraine but Western powers must provide Moscow with "unconditional security guarantees", President Vladimir Putin has said.

Speaking at his annual news conference, Mr Putin said the US has missiles at "Russia's doorstep" and the "ball is in the West's court" in relation to security in the region.

The conference comes as Western powers fear Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine as early as the beginning of next year, which President Putin has again denied.

The Russian leader has welcomed talks with the US that are set to start in Geneva next month, but warned the discussions about Moscow's demands need to produce quick results.

"We want to ensure our security," Mr Putin said. "We put it straight: there must be no further expansion of NATO eastward."

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Asked by Sky's Moscow correspondent Diana Magnay whether he can guarantee Russia won't invade Ukraine or any other sovereign country, or whether this depends on the negotiations, Mr Putin said: "Our actions will depend not on the negotiation process but on the unconditional security of Russia. Today and towards the historical perspective.

"In this sense we have made it clear that any further NATO movement to the East is unacceptable, there is nothing unclear about this.

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"We are not deploying our missiles over at the border of the US. On the other hand, the US is deploying its missiles close to our home, on the doorstep of our house."

Image: Vladimir Putin has been speaking about the West's behaviour on the Russian border

Putin says NATO 'fooled' Russia and keeps expanding

The Russian president continued: "What would the Americans think if we decided to come to the border between Canada and the United States, or Mexico, and simply deploy our own missiles over there?"

Mr Putin later said that NATO had "fooled" Russia by saying it would not expand eastwards across Europe in an agreement made in 1990.

He said since then the alliance had carried out "five waves of expansion" that went against that guarantee.

Waving his finger, Mr Putin said: "And you keep demanding some guarantees from us. You must give us the guarantees. It is up to you, and you must do this immediately, right now, instead of talking about this for decades.

"Using this small talk, soft talk, about the need for guarantees of the security for everyone. We are not threatening anybody."

Russia-Ukraine border: What is happening and will tensions lead to war?

Image: The Russian president was questioned by Sky's Diana Magnay

Last week, Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliance's military deployments in central and Eastern Europe.

A key principle of the NATO alliance is that membership is open to any qualifying country. The US and its allies have said they will not give Russia the kind of guarantee on Ukraine that Mr Putin wants.

Moscow presented its demand amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop build-up near Ukraine that has stoked fears of a possible invasion. US President Joe Biden warned Mr Putin in a conference call earlier this month that Russia will face "severe consequences" if it attacks Ukraine.

Russian leader says West has supported terrorists

Asked by Diana Magnay what he thinks the West doesn't understand about Russia, Mr Putin replied: "Sometimes it seems to me that we live in two different worlds.

"You say you will not expand and then you keep expanding. You say we will have equal guarantees for everyone on a number of international agreements, and then we see there is no equality or no equal security."

Mr Putin went on to say that in the 1990s, the Soviet Union did everything it could to build good relations with the United States and the West.

He added that CIA advisers were able to visit Russian military nuclear sites.

Mr Putin continued: "What else did you need? Why did you have to support the terrorists in the North Caucasus and use the terrorist organisations to reach your goals and break down the Russian federation?

"This is exactly what you were doing, and as a former director of the FSB I know that."

Analysis by Dominic Waghorn, diplomatic editor

It is unusual for Vladimir Putin to appear so animated. You might say he lost his cool. The question certainly got under his skin. But it also allowed him passionately to present his side of the argument over Ukraine.

He was asked to guarantee unconditionally if he would not invade Ukraine or any other country. He pointedly failed to do so.

"Our actions will not depend on negotiations they will depend on the unconditional compliance with the Russian security demands.

"We have made it clear that any further movement to the east is unacceptable."

Vladimir Putin wants a guarantee Ukraine will not be granted membership of NATO.

Today he cited a promise by then US Secretary of State James Baker to Mikhail Gorbachav in 1990 about NATO expansion.

"You are well aware that we said not an inch to the east. That was a NATO guarantee. We have seen five waves of NATO expansion."

NATO has made it clear any country has a sovereign right to join. The gulf between that position and Vladimir Putin’s is where lies the possibility of escalation and conflict.

Putin says Russia doesn't want conflict with Ukraine

The conference comes a day after Mr Putin threatened a "military-technical response" if Western countries continue with what he calls "unfriendly" actions over Ukraine.

Concerns are growing that Russia is planning to invade its neighbour Ukraine with thousands of troops gathering near the border.

Russia has denied it is preparing a military advance.

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2021-12-23 14:03:45Z
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Pillar of Shame: Hong Kong's Tiananmen Square statue removed - BBC News

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A famous statue at the University of Hong Kong marking the Tiananmen Square massacre was removed late on Wednesday.

The statue showed piled-up corpses to commemorate the hundreds - possibly thousands - of pro-democracy protesters killed by Chinese authorities in 1989.

It was one of the few remaining public memorials in Hong Kong commemorating the incident.

Its removal comes as Beijing has increasingly been cracking down on political dissent in Hong Kong.

The city used to be one of few places in China that allowed public commemoration of the Tiananmen Square protests - a highly sensitive topic in the country.

In 1989, Beijing's Tiananmen Square became the focus for demonstrations calling for greater political freedoms. Thousands of people camped for weeks in the square, but on 3 June the military moved in and troops opened fire.

• What were the Tiananmen Square protests about?

The Chinese government says 200 civilians and several dozen security personnel died. Other estimates have ranged from hundreds to as many as 10,000.

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The university had initially ordered the removal of the statue - called the Pillar of Shame - in October.

"The decision on the aged statue was based on external legal advice and risk assessment for the best interest of the university," it said in a statement on Thursday.

"The university is also very concerned about the potential safety issues resulting from the fragile statue."

The Chinese authorities have previously cited safety or public health concerns as reasons for preventing events such as vigils taking place on anniversaries of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

The first sign the statue was being taken down came late on Wednesday, when university officials fenced off the area with plastic sheeting.

Construction workers worked overnight behind plastic barriers to dismantle the 8m (26ft) copper statue. Security guards blocked reporters from approaching and tried to stop them from filming.

Like an affront to the city's identity

By Grace Tsoi, BBC World Service, Hong Kong

For decades, Hong Kong prided itself on being the "conscience of China" - the only place in Chinese territory that had not forgotten the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

Beijing had allowed the annual candlelight vigil commemorating the bloody incident, which also become part of Hong Kong's collective memory.

But under the national security law, the vigil organiser - the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China - was forced to disband, and many protest leaders were jailed. It is clear that Beijing will no longer tolerate any public display of defiance.

The monument had been standing on campus for more than two decades. Now, even it had to be dismantled and removed - in the dead of night.

There was the sound of cracking and drilling as the statue came down, but no one could see what was happening. To many, the abrupt removal felt like another affront to the city's identity.

The removed statue depicts a column of dozens of torn and twisted bodies with anguished faces, "to remind us of a shameful event which must never recur", according to its sculptor, Jens Galschiot.

The university said it would put the statue, which has been on display at the university's campus for 24 years, into storage.

Galschiot called the removal "really brutal" and that he would consider suing the authorities and demand compensation.

"This is a sculpture about dead people and [to] remember the dead people in Beijing in '89. So when you destroy that in this way then it's like going to a graveyard and destroying all the gravestones," he told the BBC's Newshour programme.

A student at the University of Hong Kong, 22-year-old Billy Kwok, told Reuters news agency the statue's removal was "really sad".

"It's really ironic... I don't think people would expect this [to] happen in the university," he said, adding that the building was supposed to be a place that supported "so-called freedom of expression or freedom of speech".

Why is its removal significant?

"[The statue] was one of the few remaining prominent, public memorials [of the] crackdown... and a reminder of Hong Kong's freer past," Dr Ian Chong, Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore, told the BBC.

"[Its removal] takes away yet another public focal point for commemorating of the massacre... [and] appears to signal that the Hong Kong and Beijing governments will no longer tolerate public displays of remembrance of the events surrounding 4 June."

The statue's removal comes on the heels of a poorly attended Hong Kong parliamentary election that saw pro-Beijing candidates sweep into power, the timing of which Dr Chong termed "symbolic".

Beijing also introduced a strict national security law last year that criminalises secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Activists say the law is being used to suppress civil society, jail democracy campaigners and curb basic freedoms.

What were the Tiananmen Square protests?

International condemnation ensued after troops and tanks opened fire on protesters.

The incident is considered highly politically sensitive in the mainland and authorities ban even oblique references to the events of 4 June.

In 2020, Hong Kong authorities banned the annual vigil commemorating Tiananmen for the first time in 30 years, citing Covid restrictions - though activists have accused local officials of bowing to pressure from Beijing to muzzle pro-democracy expression.

In October, nine pro-democracy Hong Kong activists were sentenced to between six and 10 months in prison for taking part in the vigil.

Earlier this month, media tycoon Jimmy Lai also received 13 months in prison for participating in the same vigil.

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2021-12-23 09:38:47Z
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China locks down 13m to contain Covid outbreak ahead of Olympics - Financial Times

China has locked down 13m people in the central city of Xi’an, as the country battles to contain increasingly frequent coronavirus outbreaks that threaten its economic recovery in the run-up to the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Xi’an city government ordered all residents to stay at home and designate one person per household to collect essential supplies once every other day. Non-essential travel outside the city has been banned, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported.

The lockdown is one of the most severe imposed in China since authorities restricted movement in Wuhan in early 2020 at the start of the global pandemic. It comes just months before the Beijing Winter Olympics, a politically sensitive event at which the government has banned visitors from overseas.

Leo Poon, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, said that Chinese authorities wanted to ensure there was “zero risk” of the virus spreading across the country in the lead up to the Winter Games.

“They want to make sure the whole of China has minimal Covid activities,” he said. “With the presence of Omicron and Delta . . . this is going to be a challenge.”

China reported a total of 73 new local cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, 63 of which were found in Xi’an. The country has so far administered almost 2.7bn doses of Covid-19 vaccines, according to government figures.

China recently contained an outbreak in the eastern province of Zhejiang, and this month introduced restrictions in the port city of Tianjin, which borders Beijing, after it discovered the country’s first case of the Omicron variant.

The Delta variant remains far more common than the new Omicron strain in China.

Local authorities in Xi’an had “actively responded” to the epidemic situation and assured residents that markets for food and essential goods were “operating smoothly”, the city government said on Weibo following reports of panic buying on social media.

China is one of the last countries in the world still pursuing a zero-Covid policy. It has been successful at keeping cases to a minimum since its first outbreak was detected in Wuhan, with the imposition of swift lockdowns limiting total cases to just over 100,000 since the start of the pandemic, according to official figures.

But the emergence of more infectious variants in recent months has meant China has had to lock down more frequently and with greater severity, which has dragged on its economic recovery.

On Thursday, officials responsible for the Winter Olympic Games said that the number of athletes from around the world due to compete in the Games would lead to a “high probability” that Covid cases would occur.

That followed news on Wednesday that players from the National Hockey League in the US would not attend the Games to represent their countries owing to Covid-19 disruptions to the league.

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2021-12-23 06:23:04Z
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Spain to require masks outdoors amid Covid surge - BBC News

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Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced plans for mandatory face-coverings outside in response to a dramatic rise in Covid-19 infections.

The rule was dropped only six months ago, but Spain saw a record 49,823 cases on Tuesday.

The Omicron variant is spreading across Europe fast and the World Health Organization says the region is once again at the epicentre of the pandemic.

In Spain, the variant is believed to account for almost half of infections.

Mr Sánchez told regional leaders the mask measure would be put to ministers and signed into law before Christmas. He also announced an acceleration of the vaccine booster programme with greater involvement from the military.

Spain had a very successful vaccine rollout and during the autumn months it avoided the kind of strict measures imposed by other countries. But the Omicron variant has spread in a matter of days, and the incidence rate has jumped to 695 cases per 100,000 people which is higher than a year ago.

EPA

Parents will be able to celebrate Christmas with their children. Spain has resisted, it has not given up and it is moving forward

Pedro Sánchez
Spanish Prime Minister

Last Christmas some Spanish regions sealed off their borders which limited travel. But, in parliament on Wednesday, the prime minister sought to reassure the public, saying: "Don't worry, families will be able to celebrate."

The WHO's Europe regional director, Hans Kluge, said the Omicron variant was already dominant in the UK, Denmark and Portugal and would likely become the continent's main variant "in a couple of weeks". Another 106,122 cases have been recorded in 24 hours in the UK.

Sweden has reported a 30% jump in Covid cases in the past week, and it has joined a growing number of EU countries requiring a negative test for travellers arriving there. The measure will take effect from 28 December. Finland announced a similar requirement on Tuesday night.

The head of Germany's Covid crisis team, Maj Gen Carsten Breuer said the new government's target of 30 million vaccinations by the end of December was close to being met, with 28 million doses already delivered. "Only giving the booster, only increasing vaccine protection gives us any chance of at least keeping the Omicron wave at bay," he told German media.

France began vaccinating children between the ages of five and 11 on Wednesday, but said boosters would not be offered to 12 to 15-year-olds for now.

Germany is among a number of European countries to introduce restrictions either side of the Christmas break. From 28 December private gatherings will be limited to 10 people and nightclubs will shut.

Austria is to start closing restaurants at 22:00 from Monday 27 December and it has recommended that people celebrate the new year on a small scale. The evening curfew is being used as a signal that it is "no time to celebrate", according to Chief Medical Officer Katharina Reich.

While Portugal has ordered bars and nightclubs to shut from Sunday, in Finland bars and restaurants will have to close at 18:00 from 28 December and have limited seating.

• Covid map: Where are cases the highest?
• How can I tell I have Omicron?
• Do vaccines work against Omicron?

The Netherlands has already brought in tighter restrictions, announcing a strict lockdown on Monday.

Omicron was first identified in southern Africa last month but has now spread around the globe. Data suggests it may be more infectious, but there is no evidence yet that it causes more serious illness.

The variant has been detected in at least 38 of the 53 countries in the WHO's European region - which includes Russia and Turkey - and is dominant in several, the organisation says.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned governments on Wednesday that no country could "boost its way out of the pandemic". Booster programmes would merely prolong the crisis, he said, because they were diverting supply to countries with high vaccine coverage and thus "giving the virus more opportunity to spread and mutate".

He added that WHO projections showed there would be enough doses to vaccinate "the entire global adult population and to give boosters to high-risk populations by the first quarter of 2022".

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2021-12-22 18:37:05Z
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Draghi says Europe lacks means to deter Russia over Ukraine - Financial Times

Italian prime minister Mario Draghi has admitted that Europe has few tools to deter Russia from a military confrontation with Ukraine, as tension mounts over Moscow’s intentions towards Kyiv.

Speaking at an end-of-year press conference in Rome, Draghi drew attention to the EU’s lack of its own military force and also pointed to weaknesses in any sanctions that might be directed at the Kremlin.

“Do we have missiles, ships, cannons, armies? At the moment we don’t and at the moment Nato has different strategic priorities.”

Draghi said economic sanctions would be the only possible means of “deterrence” but Europe was not in a position to give up Russian gas supplies. “It would not be the right moment,” he said.

The EU is already feeling the pinch from a surge in energy prices, partly caused by unusually low supplies of Russian gas ahead of the winter.

Moscow has about 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine, sparking western fears that Russia is planning a possible invasion. Russian president Vladimir Putin has spoken of “serious concern” at Nato’s own deployments and warned of “appropriate” military action if the western military alliance continues to expand toward Russia’s borders

This month Russia published security demands, including a call for Nato to rule out membership for Ukraine and seek Moscow’s permission for deployments in former Soviet countries that are now members.

The US has said some of the demands are unacceptable but plans bilateral talks in January with Moscow.

Draghi said Europe needed to maintain engagement with Putin, who has already talked this week to President Emmanuel Macron of France and to Olaf Scholz, the new German chancellor.

In Wednesday’s press conference, Draghi also hinted his stint as Italy’s prime minister may be coming to an end, saying his administration had hit the targets it committed to with the EU.

“Our work can go on regardless of who is at the helm,” Draghi told the news conference in Rome. “As long as there is a wide convergence between parties as there is now.”

The former European Central Bank president is widely seen as a leading candidate to take over as Italy’s president from Sergio Mattarella, whose seven-year term is due to end early in 2022. Draghi’s statements on Tuesday were the strongest signal he has given so far about his willingness to assume the presidency if lawmakers choose him.

The succession is being closely watched outside Italy because of Draghi’s role at the head of a national unity government that has stabilised the economy and shored up investor confidence.

If he were to move to the presidency, some observers fear a period of renewed political turmoil at a time when Italy is trying to recover from the Covid pandemic, with hundreds of billions of euros of EU grants and loans at stake.

The Italian constitution does not envisage a second term for a sitting president, although this has happened before at the height of the European debt crisis. Mattarella, whose popularity has increased significantly over the course of the past four years, has publicly ruled out the possibility that he will stay on for another term.

“This government has created the conditions for the work to continue, regardless of who is [at the helm],” Draghi told the press conference. “My personal destiny does not matter. I have no particular ambitions, I am a grandfather at the service of public institutions,” he added.

Draghi’s election to the presidency would potentially trigger early elections unless there is agreement on a caretaker government to continue until the expected end of the parliamentary term in 2023. This option appears to be preferred by Draghi.

“It is essential for the [parliamentary term] to continue in order to fight the pandemic, boost growth and implement the EU recovery fund,” said Draghi.

The EU funds depend on Italy hitting reform commitments, which Draghi said were being met this year.

Italy’s president is chosen through a secret parliamentary ballot for which parties usually negotiate nominations, while candidates do not declare themselves.

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2021-12-22 17:35:50Z
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Xi'an: Chinese city under lockdown as Covid cases rise - BBC News

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More than 13 million people in the Chinese city of Xi'an have been ordered to stay at home as authorities attempt to tackle a Covid outbreak there.

The northern city has recorded 143 infections since 9 December.

Under the new restrictions announced on Wednesday, only one person per household is allowed to leave home every two days to buy essential goods.

China has a strict zero-Covid strategy, using mass testing and lockdown to stop outbreaks.

The country is on high alert for Covid as it gears up to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February.

Residents of Xi'an, known for its Terracotta Warriors, are not allowed to leave the city unless they have extenuating circumstances and approval from officials to so do. The restrictions came into effect at midnight on Thursday local time.

It is not yet known how long the restrictions will last.

• How Delta threatens China's zero Covid plan
• Testing times in the Olympic mountains

Millions of tests have been conducted in Shaanxi province, where Xi'an is located.

Long-distance bus stations have already closed and checkpoints have been installed on motorways into the city. A large number of flights from Xi'an's airport have been cancelled.

Non-essential businesses have closed and local government employees have been told to work from home.

Last weekend authorities had already closed indoor facilities such as bars, gyms and cinemas as a precaution, according to state-run Global Times.

Officials say the outbreak is the Delta variant of Covid and have not mentioned Omicron.

State media have been reporting this week that Xi'an is facing a "dual epidemic" as there have been "several reported cases of haemorrhagic fever, a natural epidemic disease with a high fatality rate". However, this is reported as being a "common" seasonal disease in northern China, and predominantly concentrated in rural areas.

China has admitted that Covid-19 remains the "biggest challenge" to the Winter Olympics.

The country, where the virus was first recorded, has confirmed more than 113,000 cases and 4,849 deaths.

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2021-12-22 16:33:14Z
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Covid Omicron: European nations reinstate restrictions - BBC News

Reuters

European leaders are reinstating coronavirus restrictions as the new Omicron variant continues to spread across the continent.

Germany and Portugal are among nations announcing post-Christmas curbs and greater social distancing measures.

Omicron is already the dominant strain in many European countries.

Spain has reported its highest number of daily cases since the start of the pandemic and France has warned daily cases there could soon pass 100,000.

French Health Minister Olivier Véran said the increase in daily infections in the country, currently at about 70,000, would be driven by the Omicron variant, which he said was likely to become the dominant variant by early January.

• Read the latest: Coronavirus live updates

The surge in cases across Europe will push health systems towards the brink of collapse, the World Health Organization's top official in the continent has warned.

Hans Kluge said "another storm" was coming and governments should brace for significant increases in cases.

France began vaccinating children between the ages of five and 11 on Wednesday, but said that boosters were not currently being offered to 12 to 15-year-olds.

Germany announced that from 28 December limits would return that restrict private gatherings to 10 people and nightclubs would close. Football matches from that date will also be played behind closed doors.

"Coronavirus doesn't take a Christmas break," Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday.

"We cannot - and must not - close our eyes to this next wave, which is beginning to loom over us," he added.

Meanwhile, Portugal ordered bars and nightclubs to shut from 26 December, and made working from home obligatory from that date until 9 January. Outdoor gatherings will be limited to 10 people.

Bars and restaurants in Finland will have to close at 22:00 on 24 December, as the Nordic nation sees infections at a record level. For three weeks from 28 December, restaurants will have to close at 18:00 with limited seating. Travellers coming from the EU's border-free Schengen zone will have to show a negative Covid test.

• Covid map: Where are cases the highest?
• How can I tell I have Omicron?
• Do vaccines work against Omicron?

In the UK, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has announced that people infected with Covid in England will be able to end quarantine after seven days instead of 10 if they test negative on days six and seven.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier ruled out any new restrictions for England before Christmas, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all announced curbs on social mixing.

In Sweden, bars, cafes and restaurants will only be able to serve seated guests from Wednesday, and people are being asked to work from home if possible.

Health Minister Lena Hallengren said she expected Omicron cases to rise and warned the "the burden on the health care system is increasing".

The Netherlands has already brought in tighter restrictions, announcing a strict lockdown on Monday, but BBC Europe correspondent Nick Beake says other European leaders want to delay tighter controls until after the festive period if possible.

On Tuesday, Spain reported a record 49,823 new daily infections - the previous record was 44,357, which was reported in January. Prime Minster Pedro Sánchez is meeting regional leaders to discuss implementing new restrictions.

Europe has already seen more than 89 million cases and 1.5 million Covid-related deaths, according to the latest EU figures.

Omicron was first identified in southern Africa last month but has now spread around the globe. Data from around the world suggests Omicron may be more infectious, but there is no evidence yet that it causes more serious illness.

It has been detected in at least 38 of the 53 countries in the WHO's European region - which includes Russia and Turkey - and is dominant in several, the organisation says.

"We can see another storm coming. Within weeks, Omicron will dominate in more countries of the region, pushing already stretched health systems further to the brink," said Dr Kluge, quoted by Reuters.

"The sheer volume of new Covid-19 infections could lead to more hospitalisations and widespread disruption to health systems and other critical services.

"Governments and authorities need to prepare our response systems for a significant surge."

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2021-12-22 03:30:54Z
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