Digest: Russia and the USA are writing a crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, Austria has introduced a lockdown for the unvaccinated
Confrontation on the Polish-Belarusian border: versions of Moscow and Washington
The crisis caused by the appearance of thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa at the borders of the EU countries with Belarus has long ceased to be a matter of only these countries.
It is actively commented on in Moscow and Washington – and they give their explanations.
The European countries themselves are to blame for the situation, Vladimir Putin believes to Russia.
“We ourselves have created the conditions for thousands and hundreds of thousands of people to go. And now they are looking for the guilty ones in order to absolve themselves of responsibility for the events taking place, “Putin said in the program” Moscow. Kremlin. Putin “on the TV channel” Russia 1 “.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in turn, called the current crisis the result of the cynical exploitation of migrants by the Belarusian authorities and linked it with Moscow’s actions.
“The actions of the Lukashenka regime threaten, cause a distraction of attention from the actions of Russia on the border with Ukraine,” Blinken said in a conversation with the Polish Foreign Minister.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Sunday demanded concrete steps to protect the bloc’s borders. He said that together with Lithuania and Latvia, the official Warsaw can ask for formal consultations within the bloc.
On the same day, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, announced new sanctions against Minsk. According to him, the EU foreign ministers can make this decision at a meeting on Monday.
Among the representatives of the addressees of these sanctions are airlines, travel agencies and about 30 Belarusian officials, whom the EU associates with the arrival of migrants, Borrell said.
Lockdown for the unvaccinated in Austria
The fourth wave of coronavirus in Europe leads to new restrictions in some countries.
Starting Monday, Austria is introducing a 10-day lockdown for residents who have not completed a full course of vaccinations.
Unvaccinated Austrians were able to leave their homes only for one good reason – for example, to get to work or buy groceries. Previously, they were already banned from visiting restaurants, hairdressing salons and cinemas.
The government warns that police will check vaccination certificates in public places. An exception is made for those who have recently had the virus and children under 12 years of age.
This measure was a response to a sharp increase in infections in the country. Neighboring Germany has already placed Austria at risk, requiring those from it to go through quarantine.
About 65% of Austrians have been vaccinated against Covid-19. This is one of the lowest rates in Europe.
Earlier in the Netherlands, partial restrictions were introduced – the authorities limited the opening hours of restaurants and shops and banned visits to sports events.
Latvia was the first EU country to return the lockdown at the end of October. Starting Monday, it will be replaced by a new system, which has different rules of conduct for vaccinated and unvaccinated residents.
The second meeting of the US and Russian special envoys for Afghanistan in a week
Russian and US special envoys for Afghanistan will hold talks in Moscow. US diplomat Tom West includes visits with Zamir Kabulov on his trip to the region, which also includes visits to India and Pakistan.
This is their second meeting in a week – on November 11, Kabulov and West were in Islamabad for the “expanded troika” on the Afghan meeting (which includes China, Pakistan, Russia and the United States).
West took over in October, the resignation of Zalmai Khalilzad, who was in charge of negotiations between Washington and the Taliban (a terrorist organization banned in Russia), which ended in a Taliban blitzkrieg and the fall of the government in Kabul.
West emphasizes that the United States must work with countries in the region, including Russia and China, to achieve peace and respect for human rights in Afghanistan.
Biden and Xi Jinping’s first video link meeting
On Monday, US President Joe Biden will hold his first virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Prior to that, as head of state, Biden spoke to Xi only by phone.
The Chinese leader has not left his country for almost two years, and the American publicly publicly rebuked him – and Putin – for missing the Glasgow climate summit.
Under Biden, confrontation with China has become a major challenge in US foreign policy. They share views on the fate of Hong Kong and Taiwan, international trade and cybercrime, arms control and human rights.
But the two powers are not only quarreling – they unexpectedly issued a joint statement last week on global warming.
Oksana Antonenko, a correspondent for the BBC Russian Service, visited the resort town of Druskininkai in Lithuania, just 50 kilometers from the epicenter of the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border.
While the Lithuanian authorities prepare to defend their sovereignty, tourists check into spa hotels and queue up at restaurants, not embarrassed by the presence of military forces, police and European border guards from Frontex.
Chief of General Staff urged to prepare for confrontation with Russia
Britain must be prepared to confront Russia, said the head of the kingdom’s general staff, General Sir Nick Carter. writes the Guardian newspaper…
He agrees, however, that he does not expect the Kremlin to unleash a hot war with the West.
The British general called the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border and the border between Russia and Ukraine classic ways of distracting attention, Moscow uses.
In November, Carter will step down as chief of staff. He will be replaced by Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Commander of the Royal Navy.
Ukraine fears escalation from Russia
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar stated on the threat of escalation from Russia in an interview with the Financial Times.
“The information of our [военной разведки] coincides with the information of the partner countries about the high probability of destabilization of the situation in Ukraine in winter “, – Malyar.
She added that the information is not only on information about Russian troops on the border of Ukraine, but also on other additional information.
Putin previously described reports of an alleged Russian invasion as alarmist.
The saga around the diaries of a relative of the royal family
Newspaper Daily Telegraph reports about the longstanding dispute over the diaries of Lord Mountbatten, uncle of Prince Philip, late husband of the British Queen Elizabeth II. He was also the Queen’s second cousin and played the role of mentor to Prince Charles.
Mountbatten was killed by the Irish Republican Army in 1979. But even 40 years later, the government of his diaries is so dangerous that it fights against their publication.
The Telegraph reports that the government has already spent about £ 300,000 on controversy over the lord’s diaries.
The government fears that the queen’s dignity may be jeopardized – and fears are shared by the royal court.
According to the newspaper, officials are also worried that the diaries and letters of Mountbatten and his wife could spoil relations between Britain, India and Pakistan. The Telegraph links these fears to rumors that Mountbatten’s wife is having an affair with India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Mountbatten served as the last Viceroy of India in the British Empire.
In 2019, Britain’s Information Commissioner authorized the publication of the diaries, but the government appealed. On Monday, it will once again present its argument against the diaries.
Andrew Loney, who wrote a biography of the Mountbatten family, is fighting for access to the diaries. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. The Telegraph supports him in this fight.
The Polish authorities have been arguing with the EU authorities for several years about whether they should respect the rights of minorities. But this is not only a dispute between Warsaw and Brussels – LGBT activists within Poland are ready to simply submit to the conservative government.
About their struggle for their rights – in the report of our correspondent Svyatoslav Khomenko.
While Polish border guards are doing everything to prevent migrants from the Middle East and Africa from crossing the border from Belarus, some residents of border towns stuck between the two countries will not freeze in the forest.
Digest undercookedGrigor Atanesyan