The News And Times

Exclusive: Putin's suggestion of Ukraine ceasefire rejected by United States, sources say posted on Feb 13 2024 17:58:39 UTC   via   reuters.com Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia February 13, 2024. Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS /File Photo  Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab MOSCOW/LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin's suggestion of a ceasefire in Ukraine to freeze the war was rejected by the United States after contacts between intermediaries, three Russian sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. The failure of Putin's approach ushers in a third year of the  deadliest conflict in Europe  since World War Two and illustrates just how far apart the world's two largest nuclear powers remain. A U.S. source denied there had been any official contact and said Washington would not engage in ta

What is Russia's role in the Israel-Gaza crisis? posted at 07:18:14 UTC   via   brookings.edu KEVIN HUGGARD: What was Russia’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before Oct. 7? What was its approach to Hamas? FIONA HILL: The Russian approach has changed over time. During the Soviet period and the Cold War, there was a great deal of hostility toward Israel, which was tied to deeply rooted domestic antisemitism as well as the Kremlin’s suspicion of Soviet Jews having divided loyalties after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The USSR actively blocked Soviet Jews from leaving the country to settle in Israel, or anywhere else for that matter. There was quite a lot of attention paid inside the Soviet Union to building up relationships with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Arab countries opposed to the state of Israel. The USSR offered educational opportunities to Palestinian and other Arab students. I was a student in Moscow in 1987 and 1988, and, as