Rubio: ‘We have invited Putin to the G20 summit in Miami.’ Poland: Russian helicopter violates airspace
The emergency aid package requested by the Ukrainian president from the US president during a face-to-face meeting at the UN Headquarters comprises military equipment for the winter, including Patriot anti-missile systems and other technologies
On the one hand, provocations; on the other, diplomacy.
In the first instance, the Polish army reports that a Russian helicopter violated Polish airspace for 42 seconds. This is according to *The Guardian*. The Russian armed forces’ Mi-8 helicopter crossed into Polish airspace by 300 metres, remaining there for 42 seconds. “The aircraft’s flight was monitored by the Polish Armed Forces’ radar systems. Fighter jets were scrambled immediately, whilst ground forces and equipment remained on high alert,” Warsaw stated, adding that “the nature of the incident suggests that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defence”.
In the second instance, US Secretary of State Rubio announced that Putin had been invited to the forthcoming G20 summit. “We have invited President Putin to the G20; I think it is an opportunity to engage in dialogue not only with the President but with other leaders; I hope he will accept the invitation.” This is what Marco Rubio said at a press conference following today’s meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, reiterating that the Russian leader’s possible attendance at the summit to be held in Miami in mid-December “would be another opportunity” for a meeting between him and Donald Trump. “This president is willing to talk to everyone; he is a businessman who uses common sense. To solve problems, you have to meet with the people you disagree with,” the Secretary of State added.
Zelensky: Black Sea security agreement if Russia de-escalates
“Ukraine is ready to play its part in ensuring calm, safe navigation and food security in the Black Sea, provided that Russia is also prepared to take concrete steps towards de-escalation”. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his address at the summit of the International Crimea Platform, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, emphasising that Egypt, India and Turkey have already put forward options for safeguarding food security in the Black Sea, “and we are now awaiting Russia’s response”. “We must start somewhere, and Russia must start by respecting others,” the Ukrainian president noted. “Basic respect for the world begins with simple things, such as food security, energy security and people’s right to live without fear. Russia must undergo this change.” Moscow’s lack of respect began in 2014, he pointed out, “when Russia invaded Crimea; therefore, there cannot be a full return to normality without Crimea, without the restoration of security, the protection of people and lives, the release of prisoners held by Russia, and a return to the fundamental principles of international law”.
Zelensky links today’s cost-of-living crisis and the ‘terrible’ rises in energy and food prices to the Russian-occupied peninsula. ‘Our Crimea is at the heart of Putin’s war and of all the crises stemming from the fighting in the Black Sea. If Russia hadn’t stolen Crimea, if Putin hadn’t turned Crimea into a source of war and a massive military base, wheat, fertilisers, diesel and oil would now be moving freely across the Black Sea, just as they did before Putin’s war against us. But he has chosen to break every possible rule.” The crises in the Middle East “are merely an addition to what began a long time ago, with Putin’s belief that he could start a war and get away with it. Today, people in many countries are paying more out of their own pockets just to get by, whilst others are forced to fight for their lives, simply because one man decided he could redraw borders as he pleased.”
