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geopolitical upheavals due to the crisis of globalization, built according to Western patterns. It will create reliable military-political guarantees for the protection of both the Russian Federation and other countries of the macro-region from external threats, create a space free from conflicts and favorable for development, and eliminate the destabilizing influence of extra-regional players on Eurasian processes. In the future, this will mean curtailing the military presence of external powers in Eurasia," the diplomat said.
The termination of the Ukrainian conflict is impossible at the moment, even by means of using China’s latest initiative, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said. "I don't see a scenario of ending the war in Ukraine for now. I have studied the Chinese initiative. It is good. It is really good. I welcome this six-point proposal. I believe that over 100 countries have already supported it, which is crucial, because it envisages an immediate ceasefire. Only when a ceasefire has been achieved and when no more people lose their lives the negotiations should begin, but I do not see a chance for this to happen," Vucic said. On May 23, following a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Brazilian Presidential Special Representative for International Affairs Celso Amorim, the two sides issued a joint statement saying that the sole way of resolving the conflict in Ukraine was through a dialogue and negotiations. China and Brazil called for convening an international conference "at an appropriate time" with all parties enjoying equal representation .
● Sanctions
PACE adopts 3 resolutions on Ukraine, including on Russia's cultural genocide. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted three resolutions related to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine on June 26, said Maria Mezentseva, the head of the Ukrainian delegation.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants on June 25 for Russia’s former Defence Minister and now chairman of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu, as well as the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian army Valery Gerasimov for war crimes related to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Shoigu and Gerasimov are charged with "directing attacks at civilian objects" and "causing excessive incidental harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects," according to the ICC. Specifically, the charges pertain to Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure between October 2022 and March 2023 that destroyed half of Ukraine’s generating capacity. The court found that there are "reasonable grounds to believe that the alleged strikes were directed against civilian objects."
US backs ICC investigation into Shoigu, Gerasimov, State Department says. When asked about the US reaction to the arrest warrants, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "We support a range of
41 RUSSIA Country Report July 2024 www.intellinews.com