The sides are reportedly developing cooperation strategy to replace the US dollar and the euro in settlements
Russia and African nations are moving towards settlements in national currencies, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed on Wednesday, adding that the parties are preparing documents on rearranging the mechanism of cooperation under Western sanctions.
Lavrov’s announcement was made during a press conference on the results of the activities of Russian diplomacy in 2022. The official earlier stated that Russian and African partners are working on reducing, though gradually, trade in the US dollar and the euro in mutual trade payments.
“As you know, we are planning a second summit with Africa this year, at the end of July in St. Petersburg, and we are preparing a whole series of events for it, documents are being prepared to reconfigure the mechanisms of interaction in the face of sanctions and threats, … new tools for trade and investment cooperation, supply chain systems, payments,” the Russian FM explained, adding “There is a transition to settlements in national currencies, this process is not fast, but it is underway and is gaining momentum.”
READ MORE: Russia’s biggest automaker mulls exports to Africa – deputy PM
Moscow has been steadily pursuing a policy of de-dollarization in foreign trade. In recent years, Russia and some of its trade partners, including India and China, have been ramping up the use of domestic currencies in mutual settlements in an effort to move away from the US dollar and euro.
https://www.rt.com/business/570074-russia-africa-trade-local-currencies/
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday the upcoming start of ground strikes against drug cartel targets in Latin America.
He made the remarks during Christmas greetings to the military.
Trump said the United States was "now going after the land" in its fight against drug cartel targets, noting that drug trafficking by sea was down 96 percent.
The U.S. president also extended special congratulations to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, currently deployed in the Caribbean.
BEIJING (Sputnik) - China has begun operating the world's first intelligent ultra-large oil tanker powered by methanol, the China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.
The tanker, designed to transport crude oil, was successfully put into operation in the city of Dalian in China's northeastern coastal province of Liaoning, the report said. State-owned company Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd independently designed and built the vessel, it added.
The tanker is approximately 333 meters (1,092 feet) long and can carry around 2.1 million barrels of crude oil, the CCTV reported. Designed to produce low emissions and having intelligent control capabilities, the tanker will serve the route to the Middle East, among others, according to the report.
The vessel is powered by a dual-fuel methanol engine, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 92% compared to conventional fuel, the CCTV reported. It is equipped with an intelligent ship platform, an intelligent liquid cargo ...
A car bomb has killed a senior General Staff member, officials have confirmed
Source: The Investigative Committee
A Russian general has been killed in a car bomb blast in Moscow, the Investigative Committee has reported.
Officials identified the victim as Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training at the General Staff. According to the statement, an explosive device had been planted beneath the vehicle he was traveling in, and detonated on Monday morning in the southern part of the Russian capital.
The blast also damaged several other vehicles and seriously injured Sarvarov’s driver, media reports stated.
Russian officials said one line of investigation is an assassination carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services, noting that Kiev has previously used explosive devices in targeted killings of officials and public figures.
Last December, a bomb hidden in an e-scooter killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense ...
