As Def Leppard prepares to launch the massive U.S. summer trek The Stadium Tour with Motley Crue, Poison and Joan Jett, the British rockers have unveiled plans to release their 12th studio album, Diamond Star Halos, on May 27.
The 15-track collection, which is the band’s first new original album since 2015’s self-titled effort, can be pre-ordered now and will be available as a deluxe package, a two-LP set and digitally, among other configurations.
Kicking off the promotion of Diamond Star Halos, Def Leppard has released a rocking track called “Kick” as the album’s lead single, which is available now via digital formats. An official music video for the tune will debut soon.
Diamond Star Halos includes two duets with acclaimed country/bluegrass artist and longtime Def Leppard fan Alison Krauss — “This Guitar” and “Lifeless.” In addition, famed David Bowie pianist Mike Garson lends his talents to two songs — “Goodbye for Good This Time” and “Angels (Can’t Help You Now).”
The album was recorded remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic in three different countries. Frontman Joe Elliott laid down his vocals in Ireland, bassist Rick Savage recorded his parts in the U.K., and guitarists Phil Collen and Viv Campbell and drummer Rick Allen recorded their contributions in the U.S.
The new songs were created using as inspiration the band’s glam-rock heroes Bowie, T. Rex and Mott the Hoople, combined with elements of Def Leppard’s own classic glam-metal sound and some modern sonic flourishes. The album’s title references lyrics from T. Rex’s signature tune “Bang a Gong (Get It On).”
The 36-city Stadium Tour will get underway June 16 in Atlanta, and is mapped out through a September 9 concert in Las Vegas.
Here is the full Diamond Star Halos track list:
“Take What You Want”
“Kick”
“Fire It Up”
“This Guitar” — featuring Alison Krauss
“SOS Emergency”
“Liquid Dust”
“U Rok Mi”
“Goodbye for Good This Time”
“All We Need”
“Open Your Eyes”
“Gimme a Kiss”
“Angels (Can’t Help You Now)”
“Lifeless” — featuring Alison Krauss
“Unbreakable”
“From Here to Eternity”
Forget one cover — Essence magazine just released not one, not two, not three, but four digital covers in honor of the milestone anniversary for their annual Black Women in Hollywood issue.
This year’s honorees — Nia Long, Aunjanue Ellis, Quinta Brunson, and Chanté Adams — each have their own stunning digital cover for the special issue. The women, whose talents have contributed to the creation of a vast and dynamic Black cinematic universe, will also be honored at the 15th annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards taking place in Beverly Hills on March 24.
In the issue, the honorees talk about a variety of meaningful topics like the importance of being heard.
“To truly make an impact and to be true to the art, an artist needs to be heard,” Long said. “Because I come to the table having really studied what I’m doing, not just showing up.”
Brunson also shed some light on the importance of being one’s truest self.
“Going on a true self-worth and introspective journey before you go out into the real world, it’s lifesaving,” the actress shared. “I really want that for more young Black women. It’s a lot of stuff that’s thrown at us. And if we kind of do the work to know the ins and outs of who we are, it can provide a protective shield.”
Ed Sheeran just put out his current album = (Equals) in October, but he said on Wednesday that he’s got something else coming out as a follow-up that’ll be “a bit of a curveball.”
Speaking to the New Zealand show The Project to promote his upcoming Mathematics tour dates in that country, Ed was asked if his next album would be called – (Minus). He had a surprising answer to that.
“That’s not gonna be the next record I put out,” he told the show’s hosts. “I’ve got something else that’s a bit more of a curveball. We’ve got the first thing of it dropping in ten days.”
Ed added, “I don’t think it’s gonna be a massive hit in New Zealand though, I’ve got to be honest. It’s more gonna be a big hit somewhere else. When you hear it you’ll understand. You’ll be like, ‘Yeah.'”
Between his math-inspired albums, Ed has released various other albums, like 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project, so perhaps that’s the kind of thing he’s talking about. But since he’s predicting that the song will be a big hit “somewhere else,” it’s possible that this track will feature Ed working in a musical genre that’s specific to a certain country or part of the world.
Ed recently released a Latin-flavored collab with Camila Cabello, “Bam Bam,” and an Afrobeats collaboration with Fireboy DML, “Peru,” so who knows? Maybe he’s recording a collaboration with an artist from India or Ukraine or Japan. We’ll just have to wait and see.
(NEW YORK) — The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter percent on Wednesday, marking the first interest rate hike since 2018.
The move is intended to help curb rising inflation, and it’s anticipated that the fed will do this another six times this year.
“Meaning that, by the end of the year, interest rates could be around 2%, if they stay the course,” says ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis.
So what does this interest rate hike mean for you?
“The most immediate impact on you is the cost of borrowing,” says Jarvis. “The ability to borrow money gets more expensive — everything from new mortgages, to car loans, to credit card debt. If you look at the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage this morning, it’s already reflecting all of this, at four-and-a-half percent.”
(WASHINGTON) — Congress is addressing campus security at historically Black colleges and universities in the wake of dozens of high-profile bomb threats.
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties will hold a hearing Thursday featuring HBCU students alongside FBI and Department of Education officials.
The hearing aims to explore how the government can help to improve institution security and prevent domestic terrorism.
“In one threatening call targeting Spelman College, an HBCU for women in Atlanta, a caller claimed they had singled out that school for one reason: ‘there are too many Black students in it,'” said Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Sen. Carolyn B. Maloney in her opening statement.
The campuses of at least 36 HBCUs, as well as other universities, have been targeted and at least 18 of these colleges and universities were targeted on Feb. 1 — the first day of Black History Month.
More than one-third of the nation’s 101 historically Black academic institutions have been threatened.
The FBI announced that the threats were being investigated as “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes” and stated that the investigation was of the “highest priority.”
No bombs have been found on any of the campuses. Several persons of interest have been identified, according to the FBI, but no one has been arrested.
“These reprehensible threats against Black institutions echo the tactics employed by the Ku Klux Klan and others decades ago as they tried to instill terror in the Black community and prevent Black Americans from gaining civil rights,” Maloney added.
These threats came as hate crimes against Black Americans are on the rise, increasing by nearly 50% between 2019 and 2020, according to the FBI.
“It is imperative that law enforcement agencies prioritize holding perpetrators accountable and working to keep campuses safe—while also pursuing a broader strategy to address the rising tide of violent white supremacy in this country,” Maloney said.
Vice President Kamala Harris announced Wednesday that targeted HBCUs will be eligible for new grant funding for additional campus security tools.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have also met with HBCU leaders on tools they can use to strengthen campus safety.
“HBCUs matter, and every HBCU student matters,” Maloney said. “That is why we must do everything possible to support them, especially when they are threatened or attacked.”
(NEW YORK) — Oil prices are dropping and are now back to levels not seen since before Russia invaded Ukraine. So why aren’t gas prices going down, too?
The trend is called “rocketing and feathering,” according to oil industry analysts. Gas prices rocket up and then they come down slowly like a feather in the wind.
Tom Kloza, the global head of energy analysis at OPIS, says the speed of price drops often is determined by the frequency of deliveries.
“You have companies that sell gasoline that vary from somebody that gets one delivery every week to companies that get seven deliveries every day if they’re a big box,” Kloza tells ABC News Radio. “So there are some people that immediately get the price decreases, but there’s others that have to wait a week.”
He adds that markets are also still rattled by recent price swings caused by a Covid lockdown in China and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“People are afraid. They’re afraid to trade. And if you’re a retailer, you’re probably afraid to drop your price because you might have to raise it by 25 or 30 cents this weekend,” Kloza says.
Marc Piasecki/GC Images — Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for National Board of Review
Instagram has placed Kanye West on a 24-hour suspension for violating the platform’s harassment policy.
The Yeezy founder, 44, has been restricted from posting, commenting and sending DMs, among other actions, for 24 hours, a spokesperson for parent company Meta confirmed to ABC News. They have also deleted posts that contain content that violates their policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment.
The spokesperson adds that repeated violations will result in further action. Representatives for Kanye had no comment to ABC News on the matter.
The 24-hour ban comes after Ye made several controversial posts aimed at his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, and her boyfriend, Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson. The rapper has been very vocal on social media about his custody negotiations regarding the four children he shares with Kim, claiming he’s been prevented from seeing his them. He’s also posted about Pete and even dissed him in the “Eazy” song and video.
A recent post about Davidson again referred to the SNL star, saying, “Im really concerned that SKETE will get my kids mom hooked on drugs He’s in rehab every 2 months.”
Ye also posted about Daily Show host Trevor Noah and comic D.L. Hughley, who have both publicly commented on the ongoing drama between Ye, Kim and Pete.
What [Kim is] going through is terrifying to watch, and it shines a spotlight on what so many women go through when they choose to leave,” Noah said, comparing West’s behavior to that of his abusive father, who nearly shot his mother to death. “As a society, we have to ask ourselves questions. Do we wish to stand by and watch a car crash when we thought we saw it coming?”
In response, West posted a now-deleted photo of Noah from Google that described him as a “South African comedian,” along with racist lyrics to the song “Kumbaya.”
West commented, “All in together now… K**n baya my lord k**n baya…”
Euphoria and White Lotus star Sydney Sweeney will join Dakota Johnson in Sony’s Marvel movie Madame Web, according to Deadline. Johnson will play the titular character — a.k.a Cassandra Webb — a mutant with psychic and other abilities, whose incredibly powerful mind inhabits the body of a paralyzed, elderly woman confined to a hospital bed. Her physical form is kept alive thanks to a life support system that features a network of tubes resembling a spider’s web. Sweeney’s character has not been revealed…
Starz has dropped a new trailer for Gaslit, the anthology series from Mr. Robot writer and director Robbie Pickering, based on the award-winning Slate podcast Slow Burn. Julia Roberts and Sean Penn star as Martha and John Mitchell in the series, which focuses on “the untold stories and forgotten characters of Watergate, from [Richard] Nixon’s opportunistic subordinates to the deranged zealots aiding and abetting their crimes to the tragic whistleblowers who would eventually bring the whole rotten enterprise crashing down.” Gaslit premieres April 24 on Starz… (Trailer contains uncensored profanity.)
Variety reports that Dune stars Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa are in final talks to present all eight Oscar categories cut from being shown in real-time during the telecast on ABC on March 27. The categories include original score, makeup and hairstyling, documentary short, film editing, production design, animated short, live action short and sound. Highlights of the untelevised hour will be edited into the telecast. Momoa and Brolin will also make appearances during the live show…
HBO has released the teaser trailer for the third season of Barry, the acclaimed dark comedy created, executive-produced and starring Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader. Hader plays the titular character, a depressed hitman from the Midwest who’s sent to Los Angeles to kill an aspiring actor, but decides instead to ditch his life of crime to become an actor himself. Henry Winkler co-stars, along with Stephen Root. Barry returns Sunday, April 24…
Instagram has placed Kanye West on a 24-hour suspension for violating the platform’s harassment policy.
The Yeezy founder, 44, has been restricted from posting, commenting and sending DMs, among other actions, for 24 hours, a spokesperson for parent company Meta confirmed to ABC News. They have also deleted posts that contain content that violates their policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment.
The spokesperson adds that repeated violations will result in further action. Representatives for Kanye had no comment to ABC News on the matter.
The 24-hour ban comes after Ye made several controversial posts aimed at his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, and her boyfriend, Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson. The rapper has been very vocal on social media about his custody negotiations regarding the four children he shares with Kim, claiming he’s been prevented from seeing his them. He also posted about Pete and even dissed him in the “Eazy” song and video.
Ye also posted about Trevor Noah and D.L. Hughley, who have both publicly commented on the ongoing drama between Ye, Kim and Pete.
(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”
Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance. Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Russia also bombed western cities for the first time this week, targeting Lviv and a military base near the Poland border.
Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Mar 16, 8:51 pm
Zelenskyy discusses ongoing negotiations, proposal for new alliance of countries
In his latest national address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said negotiations with Russia are “ongoing.”
“My priorities in the negotiations are absolutely clear: the end of the war, security guarantees, sovereignty, restoration of territorial integrity, real guarantees for our country, real protection for our country,” he said in a speech that aired tonight.
Zelenskyy said he addressed both the U.S. and all the relevant states in regard to creating a new union he called U-24. He said that the new alliance will ensure that aggressors receive a coordinated response from the world.
“We can no longer trust the existing institutions. We cannot expect bureaucrats in international organizations to change so quickly,” he said. “Therefore, we must look for new guarantees. Create new tools. Take those who have courage and do what justice requires.”
Mar 16, 8:17 pm
UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting Thursday
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to address the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
The U.S., Albania, U.K., France, Ireland and Norway requested the meeting, according to the Norway U.N. The countries have asked for briefings by the U.N.’s Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the U.N.’s refugee agency and the World Health Organization.
More thank 3 million refugees have alreay fled Ukraine since the invasion began on Feb. 24, according to the U.N.’s refugee agency.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Mar 16, 6:37 pm
Theater sheltering civilians hit by Russian airstrikes, Ukrainian official says
A Ukrainian official claimed Wednesday that Russian airstrikes destroyed a theater in the besieged city of Mariupol where civilians were taking shelter.
The number of victims from the bombing of the Donetsk Regional Theatre of Drama “is impossible to count,” Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk Region administration, said in a Facebook post.
“Russia is killing civilians!” he said, adding that it is also “impossible to determine” the number of victims in Mariupol since the start of the invasion.
The city has been burying its dead in a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol as it endures heavy shelling.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Mar 16, 5:26 pm
Ukraine says it’s trying to launch counter-attacks on edge of Kyiv
Ukraine’s military said it is trying to launch counter-attacks in northern areas on the edge of Kyiv, seeking to push Russian forces back from the towns at the gates of the capital where they’ve been bogged down for two weeks.
The sounds of intense shelling and fighting could be heard from the north of Kyiv the last three days. Battles have been raging in the towns of Irpin, Bucha and Hostomel, just a few miles from the city limits and from where thousands of civilians have been fleeing.
“The situation remains difficult, especially in the south and east [of Ukraine]. But more and more often our defenders are moving into counterattacks in various parts of the front: from Kyiv and Mykolaiv regions to the Luhansk region,” Ukrainian officials said in a statement Wednesday, referring to regions in southern and eastern Ukraine.
Authorities have imposed a full curfew from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning, locking down the capital and forbidding people from going outside. Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the direction of the northern areas and the popping sound of small arms fire heard occasionally throughout the day Wednesday.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Mar 16, 3:17 pm
Biden calls Putin a ‘war criminal’ for 1st time
“I think he is a war criminal,” President Joe Biden said Wednesday of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The president initially told the reporter “no” when asked if he was ready to label Putin a war criminal, but moments later Biden circled back, asking her to repeat the question.
This marked the first time Biden has called Putin a war criminal since the invasion began. The White House had previously said there was an official review underway before the administration could formally accuse Putin of war crimes.
-ABC News’ Mary Bruce
Mar 16, 2:56 pm
Kidnapped Melitopol mayor freed from Russian captivity
Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol, has been freed after being kidnapped by Russian troops, according to Ukrainian officials.
Fedorov was freed in a “special operation,” Kirill Timoshenko, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said. He didn’t give additional information.
His kidnapping was reported on March 11.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video of him talking to Fedorov on the phone. The president told the mayor he was very glad to speak with him and said, “We don’t leave ours behind.”
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Mar 16, 2:26 pm
UNICEF highlights dangers Ukrainian children face as refugees
More than half of the 3 million people who have fled Ukraine are children, according to UNICEF.
“We realized that it’s about 75,000 a day… that’s about 55 Ukrainian children becoming refugees every minute. Essentially, one every second since this war started,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told ABC News Live.
Many children are suffering from a lack of food and freezing temperatures, he said.
“Many of them haven’t had clean water in two days,” he said.
Elder also highlighted the psychological trauma.
“They’ve been under bombardment. Many of them have seen family members or community members killed,” he said.
Elder added that UNICEF is “desperately concerned” about human trafficking, warning that any large number of children coming into a new country are at a higher risk of being abducted.
-ABC News’ Shannon Caturano
Mar 16, 1:17 pm
Biden announces additional military help for Ukraine
President Joe Biden announced more aid to Ukraine Wednesday, saying that the “American people are answering [Ukranian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy’s call for more help, more weapons for Ukraine to defend itself, more tools to fight Russian aggression.”
Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance as part of the $13.6 billion aid package for Ukraine contained in the government spending bill Biden signed into law Tuesday, which includes weapons the Ukrainians have been requesting, such as anti-armor and anti-air systems.
“This could be a long and difficult battle,” Biden said. “But the American people will be steadfast in our support of the people of Ukraine in the face of [Russian President [Vladimir] Putin’s immoral, unethical attacks on civilian populations. We are united in our abhorrence of Putin’s depraved onslaught, and we are going to continue to have their backs as they fight for freedom, their democracy, their very survival.”
Biden did not directly address Zelenskyy’s emotional and direct appeal to lawmakers on Wednesday for the U.S. to back a no-fly zone the administration has repeatedly rejected.
-ABC News’ Libby Cathey
Mar 16, 12:38 pm
UN’s top court orders Russia to halt invasion
By a vote of 13-2, the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice, made a preliminary ruling that Russia “shall immediately suspend military operations.”
The two votes against were from Russia and China.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted on Twitter, writing that “Russia must comply immediately.” But the ruling is mostly symbolic as the ICJ has no direct means to enforce it.
-ABC News’ Cindy Smith
Mar 16, 11:09 am
House and Senate leadership to receive classified briefings
House and Senate leadership, along with ranking members of relevant committees, will receive a classified briefing on the war in Ukraine following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s personal and emotional plea to Congress for more help.
The House briefing will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday and the Senate will follow at 3:30 p.m.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Mariam Khan
Mar 16, 10:49 am
Jake Sullivan warns of consequences if Russia uses chemical or biological weapons
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with his Russian counterpart, Nikolay Patrushev, on Wednesday “to reiterate the United States’ firm and clear opposition to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,” National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement.
She said Sullivan told Patrushev that Russia should stop attacking Ukraine if it’s serious about diplomacy and warned “about the consequences and implications of any possible Russian decision to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.”
Horne said Sullivan “clearly laid out” that the U.S. will continue “imposing costs on Russia” as well as support Ukraine and defend NATO’s eastern flank.
This conversation marked the first high-level engagement between the U.S. and Russia since the Kremlin launched its war against Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez and Conor Finnegan
Mar 16, 10:43 am
Putin justifies invasion, says troops ‘doing everything possible’ to avoid harming civilians
In a speech Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin falsely claimed that Russia’s military tactics have been “completely justified” and that Russian troops are “doing everything possible” to avoid harming Ukrainian civilians.
Putin sought to justify Russia’s invasion, claiming that all “diplomatic possibilities were exhausted” and Russia had “no choice” but to launch its operation. He claimed that the “appearance of Russian troops near Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities” is not connected “with a goal of occupying that country” and that it is about defusing a supposed threat to Russia.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Mar 16, 9:38 am
Zelenskyy asks Congress to back no-fly zone over Ukraine
In a virtual address to members of Congress Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the U.S. to back a no-fly zone over the war-torn country.
If a no-fly zone is not possible, Zelenskyy asked for aircraft “to help Ukraine.”
“Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands” — a “terror” Europe hasn’t seen in 80 years, Zelenskyy said.
In an emotional appeal, Zelenskyy asked members of Congress to put themselves in the shoes of Ukrainians by remembering Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11 attacks.
Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for U.S. involvement, but called on Congress to do more.
“New packages of sanctions are needed constantly … we propose that the United States sanction all politicians in the Russian Federation who remain in their offices and do not cut ties with those who are responsible for the aggression against Ukraine,” he said.
“Members of Congress, please take the lead. If you have companies in your districts who finance the Russian military machine… you should put pressure,” he said.
“The destiny of our country is being decided,” he said. “Russia has attacked not just us… it went on a brutal offensive against our values, basic human values.”
Zelenskyy received a standing ovation before and after his remarks.
But White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that a no-fly zone “is escalatory and could prompt a war with Russia.”
“Providing the planes, our military did an assessment that’s based not just on the risk but whether it would have a huge benefit to them,” Psaki said. “They assessed it would not because they have their own squadron of planes and because the type of military assistance that is working to fight this war effectively is the type of assistance we’re already providing.”
Mar 16, 9:10 am
Fox News correspondent injured in Ukraine is safe, out of the country
Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall, who was reporting in Ukraine when he was injured by incoming fire that killed two colleagues, is now safe and out of the country, according to the network.
Hall “is alert and said to be in good spirits,” Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer reported Wednesday.
Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, was newsgathering with Hall on Monday in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, when their vehicle was hit by incoming fire, the network said. Zakrzewski was killed while Hall was injured and hospitalized in unknown condition.
Ukrainian producer and fixer, 24-year-old Oleksandra Kuvshynova, who was working for Fox News during the war, was also killed in the shelling, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Mar 16, 6:44 am
Russia claims Ukraine willing to give up NATO hopes
Russia’s lead negotiator in peace talks with Ukraine said on Wednesday Ukraine had proposed adopting a “neutral status,” along the lines of Austria or Sweden, that is a country that is not part of NATO but has its own military and close ties to the West, including European Union membership.
There has been no official confirmation from Ukraine, though President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said in recent days that Ukraine understands it will not be allowed to join NATO.
“The preservation and development of the neutral status of Ukraine, its demilitarization Ukraine — a whole complex of questions connected with the size of the Ukrainian army,” Russia’s negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, was quoted as saying by Russian media. “Ukraine proposes the Austrian, Swedish option of a neutral demilitarised state, but within that a state possessing its own army and navy. All these questions are being discussed at the level of the leaderships of the ministry of defense of Russia and Ukraine.”
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, claimed on Wednesday that the negotiators in the fourth round of talks were discussing “concrete formulations” that are “close to agreement.”
An agreement that Ukraine wouldn’t seek to join NATO raises questions. Ukraine’s constitution includes a pledge to join the alliance that would likely need to be changed, which would be highly controversial.
If the Sweden-style status is acceptable to Russia that would also mean the Kremlin has significantly lowered its war aims. Ukraine was not close to joining NATO before the conflict and a commitment not to would be little more than affirming the status quo before Russia’s invasion.
“The goal pursued by Russia at these negotiations is exactly the same as the goal set by Russia at the very beginning of the special military operation,” Medinsky said. “We need a peaceful, free and independent Ukraine, a neutral one, not a member of some military blocs or a member of NATO, but a country that would be our friend and neighbor, so that we could jointly develop relations and build our future and that would not serve as a bridgehead for a military and economic attack on our country. So, our goal is unchanged.”
This is why “practically every digit or letter in the agreements” is being thoroughly discussed with the Ukrainian side, Medinsky said.
“We want this agreement to last for generations, so that our children live in peace, the foundation of which is laid by this negotiating process,” he said.
Russia is also pursuing other demands in the talks, including the recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and the Russian-controlled separatist regions as independent. They also want changes in laws giving more guarantees for Russian-speakers in Ukraine.
Mar 16, 6:34 am
Russian forces ‘struggling’ with terrain: UK military
Russia’s military forces are “struggling to overcome” Ukraine’s terrain as they attempt to push further into the country, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.
“Russian forces have remained largely tied to Ukraine’s road network and have demonstrated a reluctance to conduct off-road manoeuvre,” the Ministry said in an update. “The destruction of bridges by Ukrainian forces has also played a key role in stalling Russia’s advance.”
Ukraine’s military has “adeptly exploited” Russia’s difficulty moving through the country, “frustrating the Russian advance and inflicting heavy losses on the invading forces,” the update said.
