UNITED STATES
Washington says Beijing plans to supply ‘weapons’ to Moscow
The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, indicated on February 19 that China would consider supplying “weapons” to Russia in the context of its conflict in Ukraine. The day before, the American secretary of state had met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the security conference in Munich. “China’s entry into the war in this way would change the nature of the conflict, turning it into an epic struggle involving the world’s three largest superpowers and their partners on opposing sides,” the statement said. New York Times. For its part, Beijing denied the next day wanting to get involved militarily in the conflict.
UNITED KINGDOM
Stoppage for Scottish independence
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation on February 15. After eight years as head of local government, she said she no longer had the energy to continue. “She is resigning, above all, because of the failure of her strategy to obtain a referendum on the independence of Scotland, the ultimate objective of her political fight”, points out the Guardian, which however indicates that “this resignation does not sound the death knell of independence”. Sturgeon also faced an investigation into the funding of his party, the SNP, and criticism of a law aimed at facilitating the legal recognition of gender reassignment.
SPAIN
A controversial “trans law”
After months of debate and several postponements of the vote, the Spanish deputies adopted legislation on gender reassignment on February 16, dubbed “trans law” by the socialist government. It allows all Spaniards over the age of 16 to change gender freely on their identity papers, by simple administrative declaration. Parental consent is required for 14-16 year olds. “This law has provoked an intense social debate and a split within feminist movements”, notes The country, some organizations believe that such a law “makes gender invisible as a ground for discrimination”.
UKRAINE
Biden’s surprise visit to Kyiv
The US president paid an unannounced seven-hour visit to kyiv on February 20, four days before the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Although brief, Mr. Biden’s visit represents one of the most remarkable trips by an American head of state in modern history, to a country at war and to a city that is regularly bombed, without a military presence from the United States. ‘US Army, as was the case in Iraq or Afghanistan”, underlines the Washington Post. The United States will continue to support Ukraine against Russia “as long as necessary”, insisted Joe Biden.
IRAN
President Raisi in Beijing
This is the first visit by an Iranian head of state to China in twenty years. During Ebrahim Raïsi’s stay in Beijing, from February 14 to 16, the two countries signed a twenty-five-year cooperation agreement in 2021 which is struggling to materialize. “We have fallen far behind in these relations,” Raissi said before his trip. A criticism which testifies to “the disappointment of the Islamic Republic with regard to its ally, which has become in many respects one of its rare economic lifelines”, notes CNN. At the end of the visit, around twenty agreements were concluded according to Tehran, in the fields of agriculture, trade and industry.
SOUTH AFRICA
Naval exercises with China and Russia
Critics from Western countries have not changed anything: South Africa carried out military maneuvers with China and Russia off the Indian Ocean from February 17 (scheduled until the 27th). Or right on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The opposition denounced these exercises, proof according to it that Pretoria is not neutral in this conflict. “Russia has more to gain than anyone else from this year’s exercises,” notes the BBC, quoting the director of the South African Institute of International Affairs: “It shows that Russia can still project its power very far and that it still has allies in the world.”
NORTH KOREA
Faced with fire from Pyongyang, the South is considering nuclear weapons
Renewed tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday February 20, after the launch on Saturday February 18 of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The sequence took place a few days before joint exercises between Seoul and Washington. South Korea is increasingly worried about the relentless progress of Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. South Korea’s ruling party leader Chung Jin-suk has warned that the country may have to ‘seriously consider’ developing its own nuclear weapons as a deterrent against its northern neighbour. Financial Times.