Pope Francis makes statements on Russia-Ukraine war, Moscow allegedly replaces Navy chief - Weekend brief
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Pope Francis made an unexpected statement on the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia allegedly changed the leadership of the military-naval fleet.
Find more about what happened over the weekend on RBC-Ukraine.
Russia's war against Ukraine
News for March 9th:
- Russia attempts to block maritime corridor established by Ukraine - UN envoy
- Next Ramstein meeting to take place in Germany: Date revealed
News for March 10th:
- Russia carried out 346 chemical attacks since beginning of year
- Massive fire erupts near St. Petersburg airport in Russia
Pope Francis's statements on the war
According to an interview set to be released on March 20th, the pontiff stated that "the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates."
Francis' statement was condemned by Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, who said that one cannot capitulate against evil.
Meanwhile, the Vatican has already clarified the pontiff's words, stating that Pope Francis did not mean Kyiv's capitulation, but rather dialogue through negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski also sharply reacted to the Pope's statement.
Russia allegedly changed Navy Commander-in-Chief
Russia has allegedly dismissed the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Nikolai Yevmenov. He held the post since May 2019.
After the resignation of Evmenov, the duties of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy were assigned to the Commander of the Northern Fleet, Aleksandr Moiseev.
Indonesian pilots fell asleep during flight
Both Indonesian pilots fell asleep during the flight and were unresponsive to calls for almost 30 minutes.
The incident led to a series of navigation errors, but the 153 passengers on the Airbus A320 and four flight attendants were unharmed during the two-hour and 35-minute flight.
Boris Johnson secretly visited Venezuela and discussed situation in Ukraine
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson secretly visited Caracas and discussed Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
During his time there, Johnson discussed the situation in Ukraine with Maduro against the backdrop of concerns from Western diplomatic and intelligence circles that the oil-rich socialist republic could supply weapons or other military assistance to Russia.
US and Japan discuss defense cooperation to aid Ukraine
The United States and Japan are discussing defense cooperation to assist Ukraine. This includes supplying ammunition and repairing equipment.
Allies are seeking agreements ahead of the meeting between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington. The meeting is scheduled for April 10th.
Missile exchange between UK and Germany
The United Kingdom is ready to assist Germany in overcoming differences and providing Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles, according to British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron.
As Cameron explained, a possible circular exchange is being considered. For example, Germany will transfer Taurus missiles to Britain, while London, in turn, will provide Ukraine with additional Storm Shadow missiles.
The German opposition in the Bundestag did not support Britain's proposal.
