BREAKING - Russia vetoes draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would have deplored Ukraine invasion, China abstains
UAE, India abstain in U.N. Security Council vote on Russian invasion of Ukraine, 11 members vote yes
Follow
Hümeyra Pamuk
@humeyra_pamuk
foreign policy reporter covering the US State Department. Before: London, Cairo, Dubai & Turkey. alum. Personal account. Views mine.
Hümeyra Pamuk’s posts
BREAKING - Turkish foreign minister says the situation in Ukraine constitutes a war, Ankara will therefore implement the articles of the Montreux Convention — meaning passage of Russian warships that are not part of the Black Sea fleet to be denied through Turkish straits
Quote
#SONDAKIKA #Montrö
Dışişleri Bakanı Çavuşoğlu:
Burada bir savaş mı var yoksa çatışma mı? Kararımızı verdik. 19. madde çok açık. Bu bir savaş.
BARCELONA, March 16 (Reuters) - Spanish authorities detained a mega-yacht called "Crescent" docked in the port of Tarragona in Catalonia, a $600 mln vessel one police source said was thought to belong to Igor Sechin, the sanctioned chief executive of Russian oil giant Rosneft
Remarkable how my colleague keeps his cool, insists to use his right to ask a question and gracefully handles this incredibly intense moment where Trump launches yet another an attack on media while ordering him to ask something else.
Quote
Asked multiple times by @jeffmason1 (and again by @jonkarl) what he wanted the Ukrainian president to do regarding the Bidens, Pres. Trump doesn't answer, eventually denigrating the media and angrily instructing Mason to ask a different question. abcn.ws/2K0BLjq
SENIOR U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS WE ARE COMMITTED TO USING SANCTIONS WITH MAXIMAL EFFECT ON RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS AND FAMILIES, WILL GO AFTER THEIR YACHTS, LUXURY APARTMENTS
BREAKING - Russian airline Aeroflot says it has cancelled ALL flights to European destinations
ABD Başkanı Joe Biden'ın bugün gerçekleşen doktor muayenesinin sonuçları açıklandı. Halkın vergileriyle maaşı ödenen devlet başkanının sağlığı ile ilgili altı sayfalık detaylı muayene notları ve raporu şu linkte kamunun bilgisine sunuldu whitehouse.gov/wp-content/upl
Bitmek bilmeyen bir vizyon fırtınası
Quote
Salda Gölünü ziyaret eden Bakan Kurum, buraya "kıraathane, mescit, soyunma, giyinme alanları ve kafe gibi üniteler" yapacaklarını söyledi.
It is official: The sale of F-16s to is directly linked to whether or not Turkey ratifies the NATO bids of Sweden & Finland. Group of bipartisan senators — 29 of them — write to President Biden saying they can’t greenlight the sale until Ankara approves the Nordic accession.
EU'S VON DER LEYEN SAYS WE WILL PARALYSE THE ASSETS OF RUSSIA’S CENTRAL BANK, THIS WILL FREEZE ITS TRANSACTIONS AND IT WILL MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE CENTRAL BANK TO LIQUIDATE ITS ASSETS
NEW: Biden administration believes the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey would be in line with U.S. national security interests and would also serve NATO’s long-term unity, State Dept said in letter to Congress seen by Reuters — story on the terminal
Q: “But would U.S. forces defend the island?"
Biden: “Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack.”
Q: “So unlike Ukraine, to be clear, sir. U.S. forces, U.S. men and women would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion?"
Biden: “Yes.”
ONE POWER GENERATING UNIT AT ZAPORIZHZHIA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN UKRAINE HAS BEEN HIT DURING ATTACK BY RUSSIAN TROOPS - RIA NEWS AGENCY CITES UKRAINIAN ENERGY MINISTRY
PARIS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Discussions among European Union members about excluding Russia from the SWIFT international payment system are close to reaching a successful conclusion, a French presidential official said on Saturday.
THIS - “Pompeo, Mattis and other members of the national security team prepared a list of talking points for Trump to tell Erdogan to back off, the officials said. But Trump ignored the script. Instead, the president sided with Erdogan.”
World Bank says has stopped all programs in Russia and Belarus with immediate effect
Scoop by me and : A few days after seizing power, Myanmar’s generals attempted to withdraw $1 billion held at New York Fed. US blocked it & rolled out an EO freezing the funds reuters.com/article/us-mya
Senator Bob Menendez launches 90 -second long tirade criticising Turkey on everything from human rights, ties w/Greece, delay of NATO expansion & asks “What do you call such a country?” Blinken responds: “A challenging ally.” Menendez says Ankara doesn’t deserve to get the F-16s.
An incredibly moving speech from Turkish actor Merve Dizdar who just made history by winning the Best Actress award in #Cannes2023.
She dedicates her prize “to all the rebellious souls in Turkey waiting to live the good days that they deserve.”
BREAKING -- President Zelenskiy told UK Prime Minister Johnson in phone call he believed next 24 hours was a crucial period for Ukraine, per Downing Street spokesperson
Video from Turkey’s Antakya, a beautiful, historic southern border city, streets reduced to rubble, buildings devastated, people out in the cold. There are really no words.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses after an interview with Reuters in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 1, 2022. Captured by our own
Small parade literally just now singing, dancing and cheering, walking along the Connecticut Avenue, at the heart of Washington DC, towards the White House after networks called Biden as the next president of the United States #Election2020
PARIS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - France will send defensive weapons and fuel to Ukraine, the French presidential office said on Saturday, adding that the country would also take action against Russian media and influencers spreading misinformation about the Ukraine war.
Regardless of who wins tomorrow the Turkish people deserve a standing ovation for their passionate and resilient quest for democracy — against all odds. Turnout levels below are no accident. Hats off also to the countless ballot box observers &NGOs working to shape their destiny.
WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday told allies in NATO and several Asian countries that China had signalled its willingness to provide military and economic aid to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, a U.S. official said.
Loud and clear call from the White House to China:
"This is not a time to stand on the sidelines. This is a time to be vocal and condemn the actions of President Putin and Russia invading a sovereign country," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in an interview w/ MSNBC
Shocked and saddened to hear the passing of Yannis Behrakis, a legend of a photojournalist & one of Reuters’ finest. I was privileged to have worked alongside him in 2014, covering the crisis in Syrian town of Kobani. He has hundreds of iconic shots like this. RIP. 💔
From - latest images show large deployment of Russian ground troops moving in direction of Kyiv, approximately 40 miles away. Maxar says Russian convoy extends more than 3.2 miles and contains fuel, tanks
BUDAPEST, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Hungary will ratify Sweden's and Finland's accession to NATO before Turkey, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff told a briefing on Wednesday.
Hungary and Turkey are the only members of the alliance who have not yet cleared the accession.
SCOOP: The Biden administration has formally determined that violence committed against the Rohingya minority by #Myanmar's military amounts to genocide and crimes against humanity, U.S. officials tell me &
NEW" Biden to reporters: "I spoke to Erdogan. I congratulated Erdogan. He still wants to work out something on the F16s. I told him we wanted to deal with Sweden, so let's get that done. And so we'll be back in touch with one another. But basically it was a congratulatory call."
Üç
Quote
İngiltere başbakanı Boris Johnson, 3 korumayla New York Türkevi’nin önünden geçerken
WOW. Trudeau's LONG silence here is quite mind-blowing. A statesman, on live TV, at a press conference. And then, he goes onto say: "We all watch in horror and consternation what's going on in the United States...It is a time to listen and it is a time to learn..."
Quote
NEW: President Biden on Friday will call for an end of normal trade relations with Russia and clear way for increased tariffs on Russian imports, per source familiar with situation, reports
SCOOP: Biden administration is imposing sanctions on prominent Turkish businessman Sitki Ayan and his network of companies, accusing him of acting as a facilitator for oil sales and money laundering on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Story on screens
I just doorstepped Turkey’s Erdogan at the United Nations and asked him what impression he’s been getting from the U.S. senators he met with on the sale of F-16 jets to Turkey. “They’re speaking positively,” he said.
BREAKING -- UK PM Johnson says UK to impose asset freeze against ALL major Russian banks, immediate asset freeze against VTB. Says Russia banks won't be able to access sterling and clearing payments through the UK
Norway's PM says the country' sovereign wealth fund will divest its Russia holdings & Norway plans to send non-lethal military equipment to Ukraine.
How widespread the outrage to Russia's invasion of Ukraine is unprecedented.
BREAKING - German government says allies cutting Russia out of SWIFT
BREAKING: CIA Director Bill Burns is in Ankara today to meet with his Russian counterpart, a White House spox confirms. "He is not discussing settlement of the war in Ukraine. He is conveying a message on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia."
Quote
Ankara hosts an important 3-way meeting 
: Rossiya Special Flight Squadron Tupolev Tu204-300 RA64057 flew from Moscow Vnukovo to Ankara Esenboğa with the head of Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation SVR СВРРФ Sergey Naryshkin on board.
: Rossiya Special Flight Squadron Tupolev Tu204-300 RA64057 flew from Moscow Vnukovo to Ankara Esenboğa with the head of Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation SVR СВРРФ Sergey Naryshkin on board.
WARSAW, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A Russian-produced rocket fell on the Polish village of Przewodow, near the Ukrainian border, at 3:40 p.m. local time, the Polish foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The ministry said it had summoned the Russian ambassador over the incident
Declaring war while a U.N. Security Council emergency session on Ukraine underway, with diplomats desperately talking about diplomacy, restraint, calm -- Putin has really made a mockery of this body tonight and everything it stands for.
“The decision by the two Nordic countries to abandon the neutrality they maintained throughout the Cold War would be one of the biggest shifts in European security in decades.” reuters.com/world/europe/n
İstek üzerine Türkçe: ABD Dışişleri Bakanlığı brifinginde CB Erdoğan'ın açıklamalarına atıf yaparak F-16 teklifinin ABD'den gelip gelmediğini bakanlık sözcüsüne sordum, doğrulamadı ancak 'ABD Türkiye'ye FİNANSAL bir öneride bulunmadı' diye cevapladı
Replying to
Bugün değil bu, dünkü basın toplantısında oldu. Açıklama değil, soruya cevaptı. Biliyorum çünkü ben sordum :)
Maksim Levin, a photographer and videographer who was working for a Ukrainian news website and was a long-time contributor to Reuters, was killed while covering Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He leaves behind his wife and four children.
I asked if US can confirm #Turkish President Erdogan’s comments saying Washington made a proposal to Ankara for the sale of the F-16s, he declined to confirm that but added: “The United States has not made any financing offers on Turkey’s F-16 request”
SCOOP: The United States and #Qatar will sign an arrangement on Friday morning for Qatar to represent the diplomatic interests of the United States in #Afghanistan, aka act as the "protecting power" for the United States, a senior U.S. official tells me. Story on screens
Beijing reacting to Pelosi landing in Taipei, from screens momentarily:
CHINA FOREIGN MINISTRY: PELOSI'S VISIT TO TAIWAN SERIOUSLY VIOLATED CHINA'S SOVEREIGNTY, TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
CHINA FOREIGN MINISTRY: THOSE WHO PLAY WITH FIRE WILL PERISH BY IT
Striking tweet from Turkey's opposition candidate Kilicdaroglu directy accusing Russia of effectively meddling in the Turkish election, saying that Russians are behind the deep fake and defamatory content that's been circulating for the past few days. Wow
Quote
Sevgili Rus Dostlarımız,
Dün bu ülkede ortaya saçılan montajlar, kumpaslar, Deep Fake içerikler, kasetlerin arkasında siz varsınız. Eğer 15 Mayıs sonrası dostluğumuzun devamını istiyorsanız, elinizi Türk’ün devletinden çekin. Biz hala işbirlikten ve dostluktan yanayız.
BREAKING -- Turkey has not made a decision to close the Straits to Russian ships, Turkish official tells
Quote
#Breaking: Turkey's Minister of Health to give an official statement concerning #coronavirus at 12:30 AM Turkey time--just minutes away. Earlier today he warned there was a strong probability the virus was in Turkey, but no cases detected. Midnight statement puts many on edge.
BREAKING: Turkey’s breakaway opposition candidate Muharrem Ince says withdraws candidacy. Big last minute twist.
Tens of thousands in #Turkey protest against plans by a Canadian mining firm to extract gold in the northwestern part of beautiful Ida Mountains - a project that has already caused substantial deforestation & risks further damage to the environment. #Kazdağınadokunma twitter.com/yarinnettr/sta
This Tweet is unavailable.
Quite interesting: Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli says appeal requests are being filed for the ballot boxes in which Kilicdaroglu is ahead and that is why the data from those ballots are not being shared/accounted for. Says this makes the overall picture misleading.
Quote
Kılıçdaroğlu nun önde olduğu sandıklara itiraz dilekçesi verilince tekrar sayılıncaya kadar veriler girilemiyor. Bu yüzden şu anda yanıltıcı bir durum var.
BREAKING - UKRAINE AND RUSSIA ARE DISCUSSING PLACE AND TIME FOR TALKS - ZELENSKIY'S SPOKESMAN
SPOKESMAN FOR UKRAINE'S ZELENSKIY SAYS KYIV IS READY TO TALK ABOUT CEASEFIRE AND PEACE
More evidence on the reporting that there’s a systematic effort to hold up the ballot boxes in which KK is ahead. Below is Ankara’s Cankaya district, which traditionally votes CHP. This is apparently the 11th recount — meaning the data here not added to the big picture.
Quote
Here’s U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake running on the roof of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul in an Instagram post, seemingly inspired by the 2012 James Bond movie “Skyfall” that was shot in that very spot. Let the captions go wild
Biden: We're blocking four more banks on Tuesday. That means EVERY asset they have in America would be frozen. This includes VTB, the second largest bank of Russia.
Senior leaders at Israel’s Mossad advocated for staff and Israeli citizens to protest against Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul bid. How do we know? Thanks to apparent U.S. spying on its closest Middle East ally, that’s now spilled online via leaked documents.
The worst disaster in almost a century has impacted 13.5 million people in an area covering roughly 450 km. Resources are stretched thin. Latest death toll exceeds 5,400 people.
Below footage is from Hatay, among the hardest-hit provinces.
BREAKING: The United States carried out a 1:1 prisoner swap with Russia, securing the release of basketball star Brittney Griner in exchange for convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout. Griner is now in U.S. custody, per U.S. officials
MOSCOW, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces downed an enemy aircraft over Kyiv in the early hours of Friday, which then crashed into a residential building and set it on fire, said Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister.
NEWS: Pompeo canceled his trip to Europe, which was only announced last night, after EU & Luxembourg officials declined to meet him following the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, leaving him with a v thin itinerary that raised eyebrows. Story w/ reuters.com/article/us-usa
Replying to
"I would love to be this father; I think every child would love to have a father like this," Behrakis said of the refugee man in the photo he captured. Here's a tribute to a passionate journalist, who put the mission to tell the story above everything:
“Why is there no accountability for Saudi Arabia and Israel?” — Journalist challenges Blinken at a press freedom event in LA, asking about the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Blinken says facts around her death not yet established
What is also quite mind-blowing are the results in #Istanbul’s traditionally conservative districts such as Uskudar, Eyup and even pious Fatih, which used to be AKP strongholds now voted for opposition’s Imamoglu.
NEW: #Turkey has made a request to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets as well as 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes, as the NATO ally looks to modernize its Air Force after the purchase of F-35 jets fell through, sources told me &
This is HUGE
Quote
We are stepping up our support for Ukraine.
For the first time, the EU will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and equipment to a country under attack.
We are also strengthening our sanctions against the Kremlin.
twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1
ABD Dışişleri Bakanı Blinken ile Brüksel’deyim. Biden’ın da bugün akşam saatlerinde gelmesi bekleniyor. Blinken yarın Biden ile beraber NATO zirvesine katılacak ve CB Erdoğan ile görüşmesinde de bulunacak. Gelişmeleri vakit oldukça Türkçe de tweet etmeye çalışacağım.
Quote
Greetings from Belgium. Secretary Blinken has just landed in Brussels. He will be accompanying President Biden who will be attending his first NATO summit as POTUS on Monday. Heavy agenda & lots of tough issues including Biden’s much-anticipated meeting with #Turkey’s Erdogan.
Less than 24 hours after Turkey lifts its veto for the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland, Biden administration openly throws its support behind the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara
U.S. EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE BAR ON RUSSIAN FLIGHTS IN U.S. AIRSPACE AS SOON AS WEDNESDAY - SOURCES
UK PM JOHNSON SAYS ON SWIFT: MORE COUNTRIES WANT TO CUT RUSSIA OFF FROM SWIFT
Personal news: I’ve been appointed as part of the team in Washington DC covering Trump administration’s agriculture and energy policies and the fallout from trade wars. In my spare time, I will also help out with covering U.S.-Turkey ties from here.
LONDON/WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - A cyberattack on a NATO member state could trigger Article 5, its collective defence clause, a NATO official said on Monday, amid concerns that chaos in cyberspace around Russia's invasion of Ukraine could spill over into other territories.
Turkey’s opposition candidate Kilicdaroglu wears bullet proof body armour for an election rally on Friday and his security detail carried an assault rifle — first during his campaign — after his team received “serious intelligence” (that he may be targeted).
Quote
İstihbarat ciddi sanırım.
Kemal bey mitinge içine çelik yelek giyerek çıkmış.
Arkada da uzun namlulu otomatik bir silahla resmi polis duruyor.
Diğer korumada ise açılır çelik kalkan var.
Some news: Thrilled to report that I’m officially joining foreign policy team in DC to cover the U.S. State Department. Huge thanks to the wonderful energy team for a scoop-filled year & camaraderie
Rejecting Russian defmin Shoigu’s claims that Ukraine could use a dirty bomb, U.S., UK & France put out a joint statement, warning over what Moscow may do next. “The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation.” state.gov/joint-statemen
NEW: State Department says U.S. is deeply concerned about the potential of increased military activity in northern Syria. "We recognise Turkey's legitimate security concerns on Turkey's southern border but any new offensive would undermine regional stability."
"For us it was a historic moment and yet Cavusoglu said he was irritated at Linde's 'feminist policy', bringing so much drama" -- Behind the scenes from a tense NATO meeting in Berlin after Erdogan said he can't support Sweden & Finland's membership bid.
Millions of #Istanbulites mobilise - delaying holiday plans, coming back early from weddings & cutting trips short - to make sure they vote in the mayoral re-run. Travel Agencies Platform says almost 100 percent of bookings that date requested cancellation
International Criminal Court prosecutor confirms opening of investigation in Ukraine, says work to collect evidence in Ukraine has commenced, per ICC statement
Looks like a sea of people in presidential candidate Muharrem Ince’s Izmir rally. The former physics teacher really injected fresh life into #Turkey’s opposition and emerged as a challenging rival for Erdogan at Sunday’s historic election.
NEW: Egypt has missed out on an additional $75 million in military aid after U.S. senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, put a hold on the funding, rejecting State Dept’s assessment that Cairo made progress on political prisoners and due process.
Turkey is facing yet another tragedy with floods across the quake-hit region killing 10 people. The culprit is the same: NOT the nature, but years of corrupt engineering practices, insufficient rules &their lax enforcement and no accountability. Outrageous
Some of #Turkey’s biggest banks are reluctant to finance President Tayyip Erdogan’s planned Istanbul canal due to environmental concerns and the investment risks hanging over the massive construction project, four senior bankers told reuters.com/world/middle-e
Özellikle ABD gibi mesafelerin uzak olduğu bir ülkede oy verme davranışını doğrudan etkileyebilecek, tuhaf bir karar. Birinci turda oy vermek için şehirden şehire saatlerce yol yapan insanlar var. İki güne nasıl sığdırılacak bu yolculuk? Mantıklı bir açıklama gören var mı?
Quote
YSK yine YSK’lığını yapmış gibi: Daha önce 20-24 Mayıs olarak açıkladığı yurtdışı ikinci tur seçimlerini Kılıçdaroğlu’na yüksek oy çıkan ülkelerde (İng, ABD gibi) 20-21 Mayıs’a sıkıştırmış. Bu doğru mu @TurkEmbLondon @TurkConsLondon ?
Turkey's intelligence chief Hakan Fidan has held multiple meetings with his Syrian counterpart Ali Mamlouk in Damascus over the last few weeks, with one meeting having taken place as recently as this week, several sources tell
Late night scoop: The United States has prepared sanctions on two conglomerates controlled by #Myanmar’s military - MEC and MEHL — over the Feb. 1 coup and the deadly crackdown. Could roll out as soon as Thursday, sources tell me
reuters.com/article/us-mya
