Putin says he has no interest in attacking Poland or Latvia

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Written by northsouth

Category: Europe

Published: 09 February 2024

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By David Ljunggren, Ronald Popeski and David Brunnstrom

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview that aired on Thursday that Russia will fight for its interests "to the end" but has no interest in expanding its war in Ukraine to other countries such as Poland and Latvia.

In his first interview with an American journalist since before Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, Putin said Western leaders had come to realize it was impossible to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia and were wondering what to do next.

"We are ready for this dialogue," he said.
Putin also said he believed it was possible to reach an agreement to free U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal, who has been detained in Russia for nearly a year and is awaiting trial on spying charges.

Putin made the comments in a more than two-hour interview with conservative talk-show host Tucker Carlson that was conducted in Moscow on Tuesday and aired on tuckercarlson.com.

Asked if he could imagine a scenario in which he would send Russian troops to Poland, a NATO member, Putin replied:
"Only in one case, if Poland attacks Russia. Why? Because we have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else. Why would we do that? We simply don't have any interest."

Putin spoke in Russian and his remarks were dubbed into English. He began with lengthy remarks about Russia's relations with Ukraine, Poland and other countries.

Putin devoted a substantial part of the interview to complaining that Ukraine had been on the verge of agreeing a deal to end hostilities at talks in Istanbul in April 2022, but backed away, he said, once Russian troops withdrew from near Kyiv.

"Well now let them think how to reverse the situation," he said. "We're not against it. It would be funny if it were not so sad that. This endless mobilization in Ukraine, the hysteria, the domestic problems, sooner or later it will result in an agreement."

The Russian leader said the U.S. had pressing domestic issues to worry about. "Wouldn't it be better to negotiate with Russia? Make an agreement. Already understanding the situation that is developing today, realizing that Russia will fight for its interests to the end," Putin said.

Washington, which has sent Ukraine more than $110 billion in aid since Russia invaded in February 2022, has made clear it has no interest in talking on Putin's terms
Putin was last formally interviewed by a U.S. media outlet in October 2021, when CNBC's Hadley Gamble spoke to him.

The Carlson interview came as U.S. lawmakers debate whether to provide more money for Ukraine's war effort. It also aired the same day as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy replaced the popular army chief with his ground forces commander.

A procedural vote in the U.S. Senate helped advance a bill that includes $61 billion in new funds for Ukraine, but it faces uncertainty in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives where dozens of members, particularly those closely allied with former President Donald Trump, have voted against Ukraine aid.

PROGRESS IN JOURNALIST'S CASE

Putin said Russian and American special services were discussing the Gershkovich case and had made some progress.

Putin suggested that in return, Moscow wanted Germany to free Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted of the 2019 murder of a Chechen dissident in Berlin, although he did not mention Krasikov by name.

"There have been many successful examples of these talks crowned with success," Putin said. "Probably this is going to be crowned with success as well but we have to come to an agreement."

Russia and the United States have agreed high-profile prisoner swaps in the past - most recently in December 2022 when Moscow traded Brittney Griner, a U.S. basketball star convicted of a drugs offence in Russia - for Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout.

The Kremlin said Putin agreed to the Carlson interview because the approach of the former Fox News host differed from the "one-sided" reporting of the Ukraine conflict by many Western news outlets.

Carlson is considered to have close connections to Trump, who is expected to be the Republican Party candidate in the November U.S. presidential election.

Complaining about the billions of dollars in aid sent to Kyiv so far, Trump has called for de-escalation of the war in Ukraine, in which the Biden administration has strongly backed the Zelenskiy government.
For his part, Carlson has said much Western media coverage of the war is biased in Kyiv's favour.

Le Figaro journalist's 'racist' remark aimed at Rachida Dati sparks outrage

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Written by northsouth

Category: Europe

Published: 08 February 2024

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PARIS - France's left-wing parties came in support of the Morocco-French minister of culture, Rachida Dati, a right-wing politician after a renowned journalist referred to the North African minister using a racist slur.

"There are also people who identify with her (Rachida Dati) because she's the beurette girl who climbed the ranks, who succeeded," said Yves Thréard, an editorialist at the daily newspaper Le Figaro, in an interview with France 5 on Monday, 5 February.

The interview in question went viral on social media three days later, sparking a wide controversy on normalised racism, misogyny and Orientalist culture in the country.

Beur, Beurette: 'racism, misogyny and orientalism'

Created using Verlan (a form of French slang where syllables of words are inverted), from the word Arab ("A-ra-beu" to "beur-ra-a", becoming "beur" by contraction) "Beur" was used in various contexts in the 80s.

Politicians of the time (during François Mitterrand's presidency) made it their battle cry to soften integration, euphemise ethnic identity and calm heated racial injustice controversies with slogans like "Beurs, we understand you!"

The Beur then became the "integrated" Arab, a figure assimilated into the Republic, promoting a multicultural France composed of "Black, White, Beur".

"The Beur remains the eternal Arab who is always striving to become French through a never-ending process," explained Nacira Guénif Souilamas in her article "Beurs, Beurettes, pseudo-French", published in the Ravages journal in 2011.

Later on, the term became too politically charged as it became heavily used by some "white" French elite as a derogatory term.

"Beurette," originally, is the feminine form of "beur," referring to young women of North African /Arab origin.

However, since the "March of the Beurs" in 1983, the word "beurette" has appeared more on X-rated websites than in history books.

In 2021, researchers Salima Tenfiche and Christelle Taraud shed light on "the Orientalist fantasy and racist stereotypes" that led to coining the term "beurette" as we know it today.

France's politicians' reactions

Political deferences between Dati, a right-wing leaning figure, and left-wing politicians did not stop the latter from defending the political figure.

Karima Delli, French Member of the European Parliament and Greens–European Free Alliance, has called out the Figaro's journalist for his "misogynistic, racist, and degrading word."

She also criticised "the silence on the set" as no one interfered to correct him during the interview.

"It's scandalous! No one is reacting," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

From the leftist party La France Insoumise (LFI), Antoine Léaument and Carlos Martens Bilongo have also condemned "these racist and sexist remarks", voicing support for the minister of culture Rachida Dati.

French media Le Figaro and its journalist Yves Thréard have yet to address the controversy.

King Charles III diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer

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Written by northsouth

Category: Europe

Published: 05 February 2024

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LONDON - King Charles III has been diagnosed with a form of cancer and is suspending his public engagements to undergo treatment, casting a shadow over a busy reign that began barely 18 months ago.

The announcement, made by Buckingham Palace on Monday evening, came a week after the 75-year-old sovereign was discharged from a London hospital, following a procedure to treat an enlarged prostate.

The palace did not disclose what form of cancer Charles has, but a palace official said it was not prostate cancer. Doctors detected the cancer during that procedure, and the king began treatment on Monday.

“During the king’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted,” the palace said in a four-paragraph statement. “Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.”

Palace officials said the king would continue to carry out other duties, including his weekly meeting with the prime minister, as well as the daily pile of paperwork he works through as Britain’s head of state.

The palace said Charles “remains wholly positive about his treatment” and looked forward to returning to public engagements. He returned to London from his country residence, Sandringham, to begin treatment as an outpatient, palace officials said.

AB/ANA/05 February 2024 — - -