The Russian invasion / Russia's ambitions in Africa

Erdogan and Putin at a meeting in August. AP  

 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Putin and Erdogan in conversation: Thank you for positive attitude Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken by phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Reuters reports.  

 

Earlier this week, Moscow agreed to extend the agreement that ensures safe exports of grain on the Black Sea. According to a statement from the Kremlin, the Turkish president is said to have thanked Putin for his "positive attitude" in the matter.  

 

Furthermore, the two leaders are said to have expressed satisfaction with the countries' economic relations. Erdogan 

 

Ammunition during an exercise for Ukrainian soldiers in the UK. Kin Cheung / AP  

 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Poland increases production of ammunition for Ukraine  

 

The Polish state-owned ammunition manufacturer Dezamet will scale up its production significantly in order to deliver to Ukraine, writes Reuters. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says that production "must be multiplied as quickly as possible".  

 

He also says that he expects private companies to also increase their ammunition production.  

 

Earlier this week, 17 EU countries and Norway agreed to increase their supplies of ammunition to Ukraine while simultaneously building up their domestic stockpiles.  

 

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, founders of the ice cream company. Eric Kayne/AP  

 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Ben in Ben & Jerry's: Stifle US aid to Ukraine  

 

Ben Cohen, one of the founders of the ice cream giant Ben & Jerry's, has donated over a million dollars to the organization Eisenhower Media Network (EMN) whose goal is to cut off US military aid to Ukraine, the Daily Beast reports.  

 

- I think the US should use its power to negotiate an end to the war. Not prolonging the death and destruction by providing more weapons, Cohen told the news magazine.  

 

Cohen is the one who has donated the most money to EMN and the ice cream company, which is now owned by the food giant Unilever, has previously called on US President Joe Biden to stop sending weapons to Ukraine. 

  

Putin. Gavriil Grigorov / AP  

 

The Russian InvasionThe Battles  

Putin: To place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus  

 

Russia will place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. This is what President Putin says according to the state-run Russian Tass, Reuters reports.  

 

According to the statement, Russia has moved ten aircraft capable of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. Putin claims that this does not violate the so-called non-proliferation treaty.  

 

- We do not hand over our nuclear weapons to Belarus, but station them there, as the US does in Europe, he says.  

 

Tactical nuclear weapons are less powerful and have a shorter range than so-called strategic nuclear weapons, which are intended to be fired over longer distances. 

 

Tom Røseth/Illustration picture. Norwegian Defense/AP  

The Russian InvasionThe Battles 

Expert: Tactical nuclear weapons are the reaction to adversity  

That Russia places tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is a "clear escalation" of the situation in Europe, says Tom Røseth, head of the Ukraine program at the Norwegian Defense Academy, to the Norwegian Dagbladet.  

However, he goes on to say that Russia has a high threshold for actually using nuclear weapons and that Belarus will in no way gain control over them. 

- This is another response to lack of progress along the front line, and fear of a Ukrainian counter-offensive, says Røseth.  

Putin claims he made the decision because Britain intends to send armour-piercing shells containing depleted uranium. Something that lieutenant colonel Joakim Paasikivi dismisses. 

- The fact that uranium is used in armor-piercing ammunition is that it is heavy and dense. It is not significantly radioactive, he tells Expressen.  

Lieutenant Colonel Johan Huovinen tells TV4 that the decision is "two steps forward on the escalation ladder".  

 

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan in a meeting with Harris in Washington in December. Patrick Semansky / AP  

Russia's ambitions in Africa  

Harris travels to Africa – response to Russian influence  

US Vice President Kamala Harris has started a week-long trip through Africa on Saturday, where she is expected to visit Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, AP reports.  

The news agency writes that the trip should be seen as a reaction to China and Russia's increasing influence on the continent. 

- For far too long, the United States has treated Africa as some kind of additional project and not as part of its basic plan, says Michelle Gavin, who is an Africa expert at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank.  

Russia's increasing influence on the continent is felt, among other things, in the UN. Out of 54 countries on the continent, 26 abstained or voted blankly when the UN was to vote on condemning the war in Ukrain