The move is needed to become ‘de facto’ member of US-led bloc, Alexey Reznikov has said
Ukraine needs to amend its constitution to allow the placement of NATO bases on its territory, Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov argued on Monday.
The Article 17 ban on placing foreign military bases on Ukrainian soil is “outdated,” Reznikov claimed in an op-ed published by the outlet Liga.
“It is clear that, if necessary, a legal formula can be found so as not to call the base a base, but a kind of ‘center for interaction and exchange of experience.’ But why?” Reznikov wrote. “We need to remove this restriction, which has lost its relevance, in order to destroy the ground for speculation.”
Moreover, the same article needs to be “supplemented” with a declaration that Ukraine “independently chooses mechanisms to ensure its security, including by joining international treaties or organizations,” which would “more clearly reveal and normalize the idea of a European and Euro-Atlantic course” as stated in the preamble, according to Reznikov.
Article 17 also explicitly prohibits the use of the Ukrainian military “to restrict the rights and freedoms of citizens” and prohibits the “creation and operation of any armed units not envisaged by law.” Reznikov did not address those provisions, which Kiev has violated since 2014........more below
https://www.rt.com/news/579870-ukraine-foreign-bases-constitution/
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 ...
