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world news Diabierna 14 Januari 2022

Russia won’t rule out military deployment to Cuba, Venezuela

(AP) — Russia raised the
stakes Thursday in its dis-
pute with the West over
Ukraine and NATO’s ex-
pansion when a top dip-
lomat refused to rule out
a military deployment to
Cuba and Venezuela if
tensions with the United
States escalate.

Deputy Foreign Minister
Sergei Ryabkov said he could
“neither confirm nor ex-
clude” the possibility of Rus-
sia sending military assets to
Latin America if the U.S. and
its allies don’t curtail their
military activities on Russia’s Russian troop buildup near egations agreed to leave the Ryabkov last month com- gued that NATO could use
doorstep. Ukraine that the West fears door open to further talks on pared the current tensions Ukrainian territory to deploy
might be a prelude to an in- arms control and other issues over Ukraine with the 1962 missiles capable of reaching
“It all depends on the action vasion. intended to reduce the po- Cuban Missile Crisis — Moscow in just five minutes.
by our U.S. counterparts,” tential for hostilities. when the Soviet Union de- He warned that Russia could
the minister said in an inter- Russia, which annexed ployed missiles to Cuba and gain a similar capability by
view with Russian television Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula A senior Biden administra- the U.S. imposed a naval deploying warships armed
network RTVI, citing Rus- in 2014, has denied having tion official suggested Thurs- blockade of the island. with the latest Zircon hyper-
sian President Vladimir Pu- plans to attack the neighbor- day that Ryabkov’s statement sonic cruise missile in neutral
tin’s warning that Moscow ing country. The Kremlin about Cuba and Venezuela That crisis ended after U.S. waters.
could take unspecified “mil- reacted to the suggestion by had not changed Washing- President John F. Ken-
itary-technical measures” if accusing NATO of threaten- ton’s calculations. nedy and Soviet leader Ni- Soon after his first election in
the U.S. and its allies fail to ing its territory and demand- kita Khrushchev agreed that 2000, Putin ordered the clo-
heed its demands. ing that the military alliance “We are not going to respond Moscow would withdraw sure of a Soviet-built military
never embrace Ukraine or to bluster. If Russia actually its missiles in exchange for surveillance facility in Cuba
Ryabkov led a Russian del- any other ex-Soviet nations started moving in that direc- Washington’s pledge not to as he sought to improve ties
egation in talks with the as new members. tion, we would deal with it invade Cuba and the removal with Washington. Moscow
U.S. on Monday. The ne- decisively,” said the official, of U.S. missiles from Turkey. has intensified contacts with
gotiations in Geneva and a Washington and its allies speaking on condition of an- Cuba in recent years as ten-
related NATO-Russia meet- firmly rejected the demand onymity to discuss the ongo- Putin, in seeking to curtail sions with the U.S. and its al-
ing in Brussels took place this week as a nonstarter, but ing negotiations. the West’s military activity lies mounted.
in response to a significant the NATO and Russian del- in Eastern Europe, has ar-

WFP director for Afghanistan warns of ‘tsunami of hunger’

(AP) — Afghanistan is above political discussions prehensive response. And for ing through 19 governments. comes directly to the agen-
facing a “tsunami of hun- and avoid disaster by making WFP, we need 2.6 billion to “They have never before, cies,” McGroarty said. “We
ger” because of a shortage sure that billions in aid keep do the minimum we need to despite the decades of con- work with our partners, we
of funds that’s needed to reaching the Taliban-run be doing in 2022.” flict, had to stand in a line work directly with the com-
keep the supply of food country. with their hands out for for munities.”
intact as country teeters Afghanistan’s aid-dependent humanitarian support,” she
on the edge of economic According to the UN hu- economy was already stum- said. “This is the first time McGroarty said the WFP
run with more than half of manitarian organization, 22.8 bling when the Taliban seized ever for them, and they told managed to distribute food
the population struggling million people face acute power in mid-August amid a me the hunger is worse than in key locations across the
to eat this winter, a senior food shortages, including 8.7 disorderly departure of U.S. the conflict that they have northeast and central high-
official with the United million close to starvation. and NATO troops. The in- lived through over five de- lands of the country in pre-
Nations World Food Pro- ternational community froze cades.” vision of the winter months.
gram said on Thursday. “We don’t have enough Afghanistan’s assets abroad But she said the winter snows
money going into 2022,” said and halted funding, unwill- McGroarty urged the inter- have already started to block
In an interview with The As- McGroarty during a stop in ing to work with a Taliban national community to keep some of country’s major
sociated Press, WFP leader Brussels. “What we call all government given its reputa- sending money to Afghani- roads, making the need for
in Afghanistan Mary-Ellen the humanitarian sector in tion for brutality during its stan, insisting that funding aid even more urgent.
McGroarty urged the in- Afghanistan needs 4.4 four previous rule 20 years ago. can get into the country inde-
ternational community to billion dollars for the next pendently from the Taliban. “Can you imagine not being
put humanitarian necessity 12 months to mount a com- Combined with the CO- able to feed your young chil-
VID-19 crisis and a drought, The new Kabul rulers initial- dren? And you can also imag-
the shortage of money has had ly promised tolerance and in- ine not being able to keep
catastrophic consequences clusiveness regarding women those young children also
amid a dramatic surge of in- and ethnic minorities. But warm?,” McGroarty said.
flation, with the price of food so far, their actions includ- “It’s unimaginable suffering
going up by over 50 percent ing renewed restrictions for and the support is required
in the last couple of months. women and the appointment today to avert some of that
of an all-male government unimaginable suffering.”
McGroarty said she recently have left the international
met with old farmers dur- community and many do- McGroarty said Afghans now
ing a trip to the northeastern nors unimpressed. face the choice of either starv-
province of Badakhshan, who ing or leaving their country.
told her they have never been “We’ve been working for
confronted to such an ordeal years in Afghanistan, in con- “It’s one step away from a ca-
despite the experience of liv- tested areas, and the money tastrophe,” she said.