Tag Archives: caribbean

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Higher Prices On Way Thanks to Russian Invasion

By Makeida Antonio

A&B Observer- The Caribbean will undoubtedly be affected by an increase in prices for food and petroleum products if the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues.

Almost immediately following the news of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, the world began experiencing higher gas prices.

The price of oil has surged past $100 for the first time since 2014 when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military attack on his European neighbour, Ukraine, which led to widespread condemnation of the blatant disregard for international law.

Due to these developments, A&B Prime Minister Gaston Browne has notified residents about the potential increase of local gas prices in the event that the war in Eastern Europe shows no signs of de-escalation.

“Now, I believe that within the last few days petroleum prices are about $100 per barrel and potentially it could get up to maybe $120 within the next week or two, especially if this conflict continues. So, here is the implication of potentially where we have been subsidising the pricing and would have kept the pricing of petroleum products stable for the last few years, we could have a situation where we are forced to increase the price at the pump,” Browne explained on local radio over the weekend.

Further explaining the economic fallout which could arise out of the emerging conflict, the Prime Minister noted that the government may no longer be able to shield consumers from high prices at gas station pumps across the country.

“If petroleum prices continue to increase, then there may be a time when we cannot continue to hold the price of $12.50 or whatever it is for gas and then in that case, they may have to be a pass through at some point. Again, the whole idea is to reduce the price at the pump but if it gets to the stage in which the government consumption tax is totally wiped out and then it’s going into negative ground then we may have to pass on the increase in price to consumers,” he said.

Additionally, the price of utilities, such as electricity could also rise as a result of the price of oil skyrocketing because of the closed borders and sanctions because of the war.

“Petrol and food, those contribute to co-inflation and the thing about it is that these increases in those prices affect the poor disproportionately and that is why Antigua and Barbuda has had this price equalisation mechanism in place to control the price at the pump.”

With regards to international relations, Browne believes that larger countries tend to throw democracy out of the window due to sheer power and size of both land mass and economy.

“We have to be careful not to get involved in their rhetoric but at the same time stand on those principles that will defend our interests. These powerful countries, whenever it is convenient for them, they speak about defending democracy but whenever they believe their so-called national interest is at stake, then might becomes right and that is precisely what is happening right now in Russia,” he said.

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Some Latin American Nations Call for Russian Withdrawal from Ukraine

By ,
and

BOGOTA/BUENOS AIRES/SANTIAGO, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Colombia, Argentina and Chile have called for swift withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, as other Latin American countries rejected the use of force but stopped short of calling for a Russian exit.

Russia invaded Ukraine by land, sea and air in the early morning, in the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attack is an effort to ‘denazify’ Ukraine. read more

“We categorically reject war and we join all the voices of the international community who today clamor for the speedy withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory,” Colombia’s centre-right President Ivan Duque said in a video statement.

“This premeditated and unjustified aggression is a threat to world peace,” he said. Vice-President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez branded the invasion “absurd colonialist nostalgia” on Twitter.

Argentina’s foreign ministry in a statement called on Russia to cease military actions in Ukraine, while Chile said it would support sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council.

“Our country calls for Russia to withdraw its troops and especially for it to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” Chile’s Foreign Minister Carolina Valdivia said.

Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguin also condemned Russia, saying it had violated international law, and called for an end to fighting.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who recently met with Putin in Moscow, did not mention the Ukraine crisis in a Thursday address to supporters. Bolsonaro came under strong U.S. criticism for saying during his visit that he was “in solidarity with Russia,” without elaborating. read more

Demonstrators stick a portrait of Vladimir Putin during an anti-war protest in front of the Russian embassy, after Russia launched a massive military operation against Ukraine, in Santiago Chile, February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado
Demonstrators stick a portrait of Vladimir Putin during an anti-war protest in front of the Russian embassy, after Russia launched a massive military operation against Ukraine, in Santiago Chile, February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado

But his Vice President Hamilton Mourao said economic sanctions may not be enough and the West may need to use force against Russia.

Mourao’s comments went well beyond a statement by the foreign ministry calling for a halt to Russian hostilities and saying it would act as a member of the Security Council to find a peaceful solution.

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez has also recently visited Moscow, prompting some analysts to suggest Russia has courted Latin America amid the Ukraine tensions.

Some Latin American countries were less pointed in their criticism.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called for dialogue, while Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard later took a tougher stance, condemning the invasion and demanding Russia end its military operations in Ukraine.

Peru’s foreign ministry expressed concern and appealed for an end to hostilities, and Paraguay’s foreign minister urged dialogue and a ceasefire.

Russia’s strongest allies in the region – Cuba and Venezuela – had yet to directly address the invasion early on Thursday morning.

Venezuela’s foreign minister Felix Plasencia on Wednesday backed Putin’s fight against what he said was North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) desire for war.

Cuba on Wednesday criticized the United States for imposing “the progressive expansion of NATO towards the borders of the Russian Federation” and called for a diplomatic solution. read more

Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb in Bogota, Adam Jourdan in Buenos Aires and Fabian Cambero in Santiago, additional reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia and Gabriel Stargardter in Rio de Janeiro, Dave Sherwood in Havana, Ana Isabel Martinez and Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City, Vivian Sequera in Caracas, Marco Aquino in Lima, Alexandra Valencia in Quito and Daniela Desantis in Asuncion; Editing by Diane Craft and Kenneth Maxwell

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Despite Bolsonaro Reluctance, Brazil Votes Against Russia at UN

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BRASILIA, Feb 25 (Reuters) – Brazil voted on Friday for a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would have deplored the Russian invasion of Ukraine, despite some reluctance by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to condemn Russia.

The South American country was among the 11 council members that voted in favor of the resolution, while China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstained from the vote on the U.S.-drafted text. read more =

The draft was vetoed by Russia and is now expected to be taken up by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly.

Reuters reported earlier on Friday that Brazil would vote in favor of the resolution despite doubts of its far-right president.

Bolsonaro, who recently met with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, on Thursday scolded his Vice President Hamilton Mourao for condemning the Russian invasion, saying it was not Mourao’s job to speak about the crisis in eastern Europe.

Brazil’s foreign ministry on Thursday expressed concern about Russia’s military operations and urged a diplomatic solution, but stopped short of condemning the invasion.

Just days before the invasion, standing alongside Putin at the Kremlin, Bolsonaro said he was “in solidarity with Russia,” without elaborating. He later told reporters Putin had peaceful intentions.

The U.S. State Department deplored Bolsonaro’s comments and said they undermined diplomatic efforts to avert a disaster as well as Brazil’s own calls for a peaceful resolution.

Ukraine’s diplomatic representative in Brasilia, Anatoliy Tkach, called again on Friday for a strong Brazilian condemnation of Russia’s “aggression” against his country.

Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Writing by Gabriel Araujo, Anthony Boadle and Peter Frontini; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien

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Peace Talks Reported Between Russia, Ukraine- US Not Surprised by Putin’s Nuke Threat

By Ian Swanson

Multiple media organizations are reporting that Ukraine and Russia will hold peace talks on the border of Ukraine and Belarus.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed to Sky News that the two sides would hold the talks on the border of Ukraine and Belarus, where some of the Russian troops invading his country had been held.

Zelensky had refused to agree to an earlier request for talks in Belarus, arguing it was not neutral territory.

Sunday was the fourth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been slowed by fierce resistance from Ukrainian troops and private citizens.

Several cities, including the capital of Kyiv, have been bombarded by Russia, and there has been fighting in the streets.

Sky News, referring to a statement from Zelensky’s office, said the two delegations will meet “without preconditions” near the Pripyat River.Earlier in the day, Zelensky had spoken with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Alexander Lukashenko has taken responsibility for ensuring that all planes, helicopters and missiles stationed on Belarusian territory remain on the ground during the Ukrainian delegation’s travel, talks and return,” the statement said, according to Sky News.

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US ambassador not surprised by Putin’s threat of nuclear deterrence

By Joseph Choi

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said on Sunday that she is not surprised by Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s apparent threats of nuclear deterrence in response to the international condemnation for invading Ukraine.

Thomas-Greenfield was asked during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” about Putin’s order earlier Sunday to put Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces on high alert.

“It means that President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable, and we have to continue to condemn his actions in the strongest possible way,” said Thomas-Greenfield.

“Our voices have been unified with the Europeans and with the world that he needs to cease his aggressive actions toward Ukraine,” Thomas-Greenfield added. “And we will continue here at the United Nations and around the world to use every possible lever we have at our disposal to expose his actions.”

Host Margaret Brennan also asked the ambassador whether she believes the rhetoric from Putin is “loose talk” or if there is a readiness that was cause for concern.

“I’m just hearing this from you, Margaret, but I’m not surprised at this information because Putin has tried every means possible to actually put fear in the world in terms of his action, and it just means that we have to ramp up our efforts here at the United Nations and elsewhere to hold him accountable,” said Thomas-Greenfield.

In his announcement, Putin cited supposed threats from NATO for his decision to put Russia’s nuclear deterrents on high alert.

“Senior officials of the leading NATO countries also allow aggressive statements against our country, therefore I order the minister of Defense and the chief of the general staff [of the Russian armed forces] to transfer the deterrence forces of the Russian army to a special mode of combat duty,” Putin said, according to The Guardian.

“Western countries aren’t only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic sphere, but top officials from leading NATO members made aggressive statements regarding our country,” he added

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Five Million Kids Lose Parents to Virus, Variant Proof Vaccine?, World Covid Stats

Study: 5M kids have lost parent, caregiver

A study newly published in The Lancet medical journal shows that from March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, about 5.2 million children globally lost a parent or guardian to COVID-19.

The study does not include deaths related to the omicron variant of COVID-19, which would likely increase the number of children who have lost a parent to the virus.

Of the parents who died of COVID-19, about 77 percent of them were fathers, or male guardians, compared to about 23 percent of mothers, or female caregivers, lost, the study reports.

The estimates were reached by gathering data available on COVID-19 mortality from 21 countries — including the United States, Brazil, England, Russia, Mexico, France, Italy, Kenya, and more — which represent 76 percent of coronavirus deaths, in order for the researchers to “model global minimum estimates of children affected by COVID-19-associated orphanhood and caregiver death.”

Grandparents were included as caregivers in the study as the researchers acknowledged the pivotal role that grandparents play in children’s lives, especially in lower-income settings. Children who live in households that home extended family members, including grandparents, is about 40 percent worldwide and almost 50 percent in the Asia-Pacific, the study notes.

 

This week the UK government announced additional vaccine booster jabs for the over-75s and suggested a further shot is likely to be needed in the autumn. But imagine if the next Covid vaccine jab you have were the last you would ever need.

That’s a dream being actively pursued now by researchers, who feel it could be possible to make a “universal” vaccine against the Sars-CoV-2 virus that would work well not only against all existing variants but any that the virus could plausibly mutate into in the future.

Some are thinking even bigger. In January, Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, and two other experts called for more research into “universal coronavirus vaccines” that would work not only against Sars-CoV-2 but against the many other coronaviruses in animal populations that have the potential to spill over into humans and cause future pandemics. “We need a research approach that can characterise the global ‘coronaviral universe’ in multiple species,” Fauci and colleagues wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine, “and apply this information in developing broadly protective ‘universal’ vaccines against all [coronaviruses].”

Is that just a fantasy? Not necessarily. After all, many considered it fanciful, when the pandemic began, that we’d have a vaccine against Covid-19 in less than a year. But experience has proved that “we as a research community can pull together and do remarkable things,” says Larry Corey, a virologist and vaccine expert at the University of Washington in Seattle.

The current vaccines were developed against the original “ancestral” variant of Sars-CoV-2. They still work remarkably well against the new variants in preventing severe disease – Corey says that even against Delta there seems to be about a 90-fold difference in the death rate between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. But the Omicron variant has caused alarm by its ability to transmit faster than the others and to infect vaccinated people. Although very few such individuals develop serious symptoms from Omicron, it can actively suppress the immune defences that vaccination (as well as natural infection) activate.

A woman receives a Covid jab in Bangkok, Thailand, last month
A woman receives a Covid jab in Bangkok, Thailand, last month. The country is battling a spike in Omicron cases. Photograph: Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

Variants acquire changes to the chemical structure of the viral proteins, through random mutations when the virus replicates, that give them some competitive advantage – improved transmissibility, say. Many of these changes happen on the so-called spike protein, which sticks out of the virus shell and latches on to proteins in the membranes of human cells, creating a point of attachment and attack. Omicron has an alarming number of such mutations, showing how much capacity Sars-CoV-2 has to spring surprises.

One answer is to adapt the vaccines to the variants. The mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna contain RNA molecules that act as templates for our cells to make harmless fragments of the spike protein. This is the vaccine’s antigen, provoking the immune system to find antibody molecules that will recognise the viral protein and mobilise immune cells against it. Then if the actual virus gets into our bodies, our immune system is primed to identify and destroy it. Other vaccines, such as AstraZeneca’s, use other methods to elicit the same immune priming. If the spike protein of a variant has a slightly different structure, in principle we can change the RNA molecule to one that encodes part of this new protein.

If, as widely expected, Sars-CoV-2 eventually becomes endemic in the population, constantly circulating at a low level like flu and cold viruses but with the potential to produce an epidemic outbreak, the vaccines could be tailored to whatever variants are currently in circulation. This is more or less what happens with flu: each season’s flu vaccine is based on a best guess of what that season’s strains are likely to be.

That’s all very well – except that Omicron has shown how rapidly a significantly new variant of the coronavirus can appear and spread globally. Pfizer and Moderna are now working on a vaccine tailored to Omicron. But even if this can be made and tested within a few months, that may be too late. So a universal vaccine that can protect against all variants could be preferable. “We need a vaccine that has potential to protect broadly and proactively against multiple coronavirus species and strains,” says Kayvon Modjarrad, who leads a team seeking to develop one at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland.

At the moment we have no pan-variant vaccine for any endemic virus. Researchers have long dreamed of a universal vaccine that would make flu epidemics less lethal, and there are now promising signs that it could be possible. The design principle for a universal Covid vaccine would follow similar lines.

One option might be to prime the immune system to recognise not just one bit of a viral protein, but lots of bits – not all of which are likely to change (or change significantly) at once in any new variant. We’d give the immune system many different ways to spot, and then suppress, the invader, in the hope that one will work. This might involve, for example, making an mRNA vaccine that contains many different RNA molecules, each encoding as a different protein fragment. Or a single particle in the vaccine could hold several different fragments.

Alternatively, you can look for parts of the virus that seem to be “conserved” across variants: proteins (or bits of them) that don’t mutate much at all, presumably because such changes would be too detrimental to the virus. But how can you know what those will be, even for variants that haven’t emerged yet? One way is to see if highly conserved protein regions exist already among a whole family of related coronaviruses. “If you can find things that are in common between Sars-CoV-2, Sars [the related respiratory virus that caused alarm in 2003], and a bunch of other animal coronaviruses, then the likelihood is that the next variant of Sars-CoV-2 will have them too,” says Skip Virgin, chief scientific officer of San Francisco-based Vir Biotechnologies, which is working with GlaxoSmithKline on vaccine development – a collaboration that has already produced the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab for alleviating Covid symptoms.

At the moment, researchers are mostly striving for the relatively modest target of hitting just a subset of the coronavirus universe: typically, to stimulate an immune response against a part of the spike protein, called the receptor binding domain (RBD), shared by Sars, Sars-CoV-2 and closely related bat coronaviruses. The RBD is the part of the spike protein that latches on to the host cells. Although some of the variants have small mutations in their RBD, its chemical structure doesn’t change much: create a strong immune response to the RBD and it should work against any virus in this family.

Sars-CoV-2 particles captured by a transmission electron micrograph.
Sars-CoV-2 particles captured by a transmission electron micrograph. Photograph: Alamy
Modjarrad’s team began Phase I clinical trials (looking just at the safety) of their pan-variant vaccine in April 2021. It uses a tiny nanoparticle called ferritin – a natural protein that stores iron atoms in the body – studded with many copies of the Sars-CoV-2 RBD.

It has been long known that many copies of an antigen in a single vaccine particle elicit a stronger immune response than a single copy does. The institute is cagey about releasing details of its progress until its clinical trial data has been published. In December, however, the team published results showing that their ferritin vaccine confers good protection in macaques not only against the ancestral form of Sars-CoV-2 but also against the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants, and the original Sars virus.

Barton Haynes of the Duke University School of Medicine in North Carolina is taking a similar approach with RBD-studded ferritin-based nanoparticles. Last May he and his coworkers reported a candidate vaccine that protected macaques against Sars-CoV-2, Sars, and some Sars-like bat coronaviruses. Very recently they showed that it generates a good immune response against the Delta and Omicron variants too.

Haynes says they hope to start human clinical trials at the end of 2022. If they work out, he thinks that it might take a year or two before the vaccine is ready to use, depending on whether it’s deemed different enough from those we have already to warrant another large-scale Phase III clinical trial before being approved.

These efforts might yield a vaccine resistant to all SARS-CoV-2 variants – but in principle such approaches might have an even wider scope, offering the universal coronavirus vaccines that Fauci and colleagues have called for. Haynes says that would probably entail finding the crucial RBDs for other families and adding those on to the particles too. That’s the beauty of the nanoparticle approach: it can readily incorporate a variety of protein fragments into a so-called multivalent vaccine.

Finding the right protein fragments could mean combing through the thousands of coronaviruses known to infect wild animals such as bats, civet cats and raccoon dogs, as well as the four coronaviruses already endemic in human populations and which cause mild cold-like respiratory symptoms. It would be a huge task. But now we know the awful dangers such coronaviruses (which include those that caused outbreaks of Sars in 2003 and Mers in 2012) pose, the investment would be cheap compared with the economic and social harm it might prevent. Haynes hopes it might ultimately be possible for a single jab to protect against all coronaviruses for five to 10 years.

Of course, no one can be sure what the fiendishly ingenious Covid-19 virus has in store for the future. “The first axiom of infectious disease is, never underestimate your pathogen,” says Corey. “The rapidity with which we’ve got four major variants in two and a half years is unprecedented and surprising. One wouldn’t bet against this virus.”

But even viruses have limits. For example, despite Omicron’s extensive set of mutations, Vir’s sotrovimab still works against it. “Viruses can change some things but have a really hard time changing others,” says Virgin. “There are some things a virus just can’t get away with changing.” If you can find them, you’re in business. “I am optimistic that we can generate a vaccine that will give truly broad protection,” he says.

Even the current vaccines still do well at preventing deaths, and we’re building up an arsenal of antivirals and other treatments too. What might be more important now, Corey says, is a vaccine that does better against all variants at blocking transmission. Even when death rates are reduced, “we are seeing the fabric of our lives, our travel, the things that make modern culture, be interfered with enormously,” he says. So we need second-generation vaccines that can prevent widespread infection – a goal that Corey says is widely regarded as tougher, and which would be hard to assess until they are rolled out.

It’s tempting to think that we need to solve this pandemic before preparing for the next one, says Virgin, but “there’s absolutely no reason that your pandemic response can’t prepare you for the next”. And after all, he adds, it’s easier to persuade governments to spend on solving an existing problem than on one that hasn’t happened yet.

“We really want to get to the point where we’re preventing the next pandemic, not responding to it,” says Neil King of the University of Washington in Seattle, who is also developing a universal nanoparticle-based coronavirus vaccine. “The only way to do that is through broadly protective vaccines.” How marvellous it would be if, in developing a variant-proof Covid vaccine, we end up with one that can avoid the next pandemic too.

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WORLD COVID STATS

Coronavirus Cases:

436,122,374

Deaths:

5,969,082

Recovered:

366,695,655
Highlighted in green
= all cases have recovered from the infection
Highlighted in grey
= all cases have had an outcome (there are no active cases)

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Latest News

February 28 (GMT)

Updates

  • 106,920 new cases and 733 new deaths in Russia [source]

 

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POLICE INVESTIGATING DEATH OF MAN AT CRAB HILL

Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 26, 2022 (RSCNPF): The Police are investigating the death of 36-year-old Deshaun Leader who was fatally wounded during an incident at Crab Hill, Sandy Point. Leader was originally from St. Paul’s, but resided in Sandy Point.

Police received a report sometime after 8 p.m. on Friday, February 25, 2022, that a man in the area appeared to be dead. They responded and upon arrival they met Leader’s motionless body lying on the ground with what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds about the body. Investigations so far have revealed that Leader had just parked and exited his motor vehicle when he was accosted by an armed assailant who shot at him. He tried to make his escape by running away, but the armed assailant set chase and continued firing at him. He later fell and succumbed to his injuries.

Personnel from the Forensic Department processed the scene and collected items of evidential value.

Persons with information regarding this matter are urged to contact the Violent Crime Unit by dialing 467-1887, 467-1888, 662-3468, their nearest Police Station or the Crime Hotline at 707 where information can be given anonymously. Investigations into the matter are ongoing

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Jamaican Man Arrested in Florida for Running Lottery Scam Operation

Sheri-Kae McLeod

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CNW- Another Jamaican has been arrested in Florida for running a lottery scam operation that defrauded elderly victims from New York, Arizona and Texas out of over US$500,000.

Linton Roberts, 50, was arrested in Lauderhill on Monday. He faces 21 charges, including money laundering, grand theft, larceny, exploitation of the elderly and fraud. His bond has been set at US$1.1 million, but he remains at the Joseph V Conte Facility in Pompano Beach.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, the scams that took place from April 2018 through as recently as last week, were largely carried out the same way. Elderly victims in New York, Massachusetts, California and elsewhere received calls from someone using different names and told them they were lottery winners.

In order to claim their winnings, the victims were told they needed to mail cashier’s checks to a Lauderhill address, later determined to be Roberts’. Roberts scammed victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of four years.

Upon realizing they were scammed, his victims — which ranged between 75 to 83 years old — contacted the Lauderhill Police Department.

According to an affidavit, Roberts also received over $12,930 after fraudulently applying for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, despite never owning a business.

Roberts is just one of several Jamaicans to be arrested for lottery scamming and fraud in Florida since the start of the year.

Earlier this week, a South Florida grand jury indicted a Jamaican veteran police officer for importing cocaine into the United States with the intent to distribute it. The 42-year-old Shelian Cherine Allen was caught with several packages of cocaine in various parts of her body at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. If convicted, she faces up to 40 years in prison on each count.

A week before her arrest, another Jamaican, Richard Morgan was arrested by the Bay County Police in Florida for allegedly scamming a 92-year-old woman out of US$54,000 (approximately J$8.5 million).

 

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WORLD VIEW: Russia Advances in Ukraine, CDC Lowers Mask Rules, Hong Kong Covid Surge, Taiwan Feels Heat from Ukraine, More

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February 25, 202

Today’s Headlines

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia pressed its invasion of Ukraine to the outskirts of the capital Friday after unleashing airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending in…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines…Read More

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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The Russian attack on Ukraine has put a spotlight on another place that could…Read More

For more of today’s news, go to APNews.com >>

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TOKYO (AP) — Twenty million dollars in U.N. humanitarian funds for Ukraine. A raft of new, stronger…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and European officials are holding one key financial sanction against Russia…Read More

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HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong on Friday reported another sharp jump in new COVID-19 cases to more than…Read More

Cross Section

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WARSAW, Poland (AP) — It has been a long time since the threat of using nuclear weapons has been…Read More

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LONDON (AP) — Russia was stripped of hosting the Champions League final by UEFA on Friday with St….Read More

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sally Kellerman, the Oscar and Emmy nominated actor who played Margaret “Hot…Read More

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The world will pay a high price for Russian aggression

By Sir Ronald Sanders  

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States of America and the Organisation of American States.   He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto)  

The invasion by the Russian Federation  of the sovereign state of Ukraine has been roundly condemned by most countries of the world.

However, Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, announced his support of it.  Had President Maduro stopped short at his statement that: “We repudiate and reject all plans to surround Russia militarily and strategically.  Russia has to be respected as all the peoples of the world have to be respected”, that would have been, at least, understood to be ideological and strategic support in his Government’s interest.  But, by swiftly and unequivocally supporting the Russian invasion  of Ukraine, which is a clear violation of the basic tenets of the UN Charter and international law, President Maduro raises questions.

It is to be hoped that the Venezuelan government does not regard the Russian aggression against Ukraine – in violation of Article 2, paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter – as encouragement for similar action against its neighbours.

In this connection, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries were right to issue a statement in the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion  of Ukraine that the “hostilities against Ukraine go counter to the principles of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the prohibition on the threat or use of force, and the peaceful resolution of disputes, which are the bedrock of this Community”.   All countries should understand that CARICOM countries are small states that depend on the rule of international law, including the illegality of aggression and the prohibition of the threat or use of force in disputes.

At the time of writing, both the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS) are working on issuing strong resolutions, condemning not only the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also the earlier recognition, on February 21,  by the Russian government of two provinces of Ukraine – Donetsk and Luhansk – regions of Ukraine as a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

When this crisis began to loom, there was, in some Caribbean circles, the view that countries of the region should stay-out of “the white boys war”.   However, as I have argued in previous commentaries, any march by the Russian government into Ukraine and any attempt to annex parts of it by recognition of break-away regions within it, would have grave repercussions for the world, including the Caribbean.

First, it would embolden governments with contentions with their neighbours, territorial and otherwise, to act in a similar fashion.  The consequence would be to create hostilities and instability in almost every region of the world.   Second, Ukraine is the bread-basket of Europe.  Disruption of its food production and supply would cause not only food shortages but also an increase in the cost of food globally as Europe seeks other sources of supply.   Third, oil and gas prices would increase as action is taken against Russia by stopping its sales of oil to Europe.  Europe, too, would have to buy oil in the same markets as Caribbean countries, forcing up prices at a time when the region is barely beginning to recover from the adverse effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic.  No sector would be spared and especially affected would be tourism, the supply of energy and water, and food production.

The US has tried and failed to convince large oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, to pump more oil to cater for Europe’s needs.   But long before the hostilities in Ukraine, Russia had already tied up a deal with member states of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) not to increase oil production in order to keep prices at a high level.

What was happening in Ukraine was, therefore, always a peril to the world community.  The person who knew this best was UN Secretary-General, António Guterres.   He told the UN special general assembly meeting on 23 February that “Our world is facing a moment of peril”, and even as the Russian government had already indicated its intention to launch a military offensive against Ukraine, he said: “If the conflict in Ukraine expands, the world could see a scale and severity of need unseen for many years”.

These circumstances now face the world.   It is unlikely that the Russian Federation President, Vladimir Putin, will heed the urgings to stop the hostilities and withdraw troops from Ukraine immediately.   It is also unlikely that even though it is a violation of international law and the UN Charter, that he will drop his recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk which are part of the Ukraine.   He will regard these as bargaining chips with the member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the European Union (EU).

This situation will therefore continue for some time while bargaining takes place both behind the scenes and in public.  NATO and EU countries are not without leverage of their own.   Apart from what British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, called a “barrage” of sanctions, coming from the US, the EU and the UK, there are other ways in which Russia could be isolated.  The sanctions on Russian oil companies and banks are already in place, putting pressure on Russia’s economy about which its own people will eventually complain.

In the meantime, the global community will pay a high price for Russia’s violation of the principles of international law that have, largely, underpinned peace and protected small states.

That’s why, CARICOM was right to speak out as it did.  CARICOM leaders were safeguarding the interest of Caribbean people.

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