Preparing for the Putin - Kim Jong-un meeting?; “Nord Stream 2” threatens Ukraine?

1. North Korean Foreign Minister arrives in Russia to prepare for Putin - Kim Jong-un meeting?

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho. Photo: AP

According toNHK, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho arrived in Beijing, China after arriving from Pyongyang, North Korea this morning, April 3. Ri's schedule has not been disclosed, but diplomatic sources said the North Korean foreign minister is expected to travel to Baku, Azerbaijan to attend a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement this weekend.

Sources said Foreign Minister Ri will travel to Russia after his visit to Azerbaijan. In Russia, Mr. Ri is expected to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The information was released after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un concluded a four-day visit to China from March 25-28 and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Some experts believe that after his visit to China, Kim Jong-un may consider visiting Russia and holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

2. What do experts say about "Nord Stream 2" threatening Ukraine?

Nord Stream 2 gas project

Expert Valentin Zemlyansky believes that even if the gas transit to Ukraine is retained, the Nord Stream 2 project will still make Ukraine's gas distribution and transportation system redundant, and Kiev is not yet prepared for that.

Ukraine is not prepared for the consequences of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, energy expert Valentin Zemlyansky said in an interview with NewsOne.

"The transit of gas through the Ukrainian gas transport system will remain. The problem is that the amount of gas that will be retained is not certain to be the same as it is now. In this form, the Ukrainian gas transport system will still exist, but it is no longer needed... And now we need to think about what to do with the gas transport and distribution system," Mr. Zemlyansky said.

According to him, the reduction of transit gas volumes may lead to the fact that out of four gas pipelines only one will be operational. As a result, a large number of consumers will be left without green fuel. Mr. Zemlyanskiy believes that Naftogaz is not ready to cope with this situation.

3. Bloody terrorist attack in Nigeria, dozens dead

Nigerian security forces.

Eighteen people were killed and 84 injured in a Boko Haram attack in Nigeria, RIA news agency reported, citing the Nigerian Emergency Situations Agency.

The attack took place in the early morning of April 2 near the city of Maiduguri, Nigeria, located in the northeast of the country. In a report by the Nigerian Emergency Situations Agency (SEMA), many people were killed and injured, while the rest tried to escape clashes between the militants and the Nigerian army.

So far, we have confirmed 18 deaths in Bale Shuwa and Bale Kura villages, the agency said.

The radical Islamist group Boko Haram operates in Nigeria with the aim of opposing Western models of education and building Shariah communities across the country.

4. Turkish President calls Israeli Prime Minister a "terrorist"

Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Erdogan have been criticizing each other with harsh words.

According to RT news agency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have made a series of statements criticizing each other after the Israeli army used force in the Gaza Strip.

Tensions between Mr Netanyahu and Mr Erdogan escalated when the Turkish president called the Israeli prime minister a “terrorist” in a televised speech. “We are not ashamed to invade other countries, Mr Netanyahu. You are an invader and you are occupying lands that are not yours. At the same time, you are a terrorist.”

In response, Mr. Netanyahu also wrote on his personal Twitter page: "Mr. Erdogan is not used to being argued with and from now on he will have to get used to it. He has occupied northern Cyprus and the Kurdish region, become a butcher killing civilians in Afrin, he has no right to teach us moral values." Afrin in northern Syria is where Türkiye has carried out a military operation called Olive Branch, which has now entered its third month.

5. Russia criticizes the US and UK for abandoning all rules, provoking a new "Cold War"

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

According to RT news agency, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently criticized the statements of the UK and the US on the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and commented that the current situation is worse than the Cold War.

“There have been many who have said that the current situation is worse than during the Cold War, because at that time the parties still adhered to important rules even when tensions escalated,” Mr. Lavrov said.

The Russian foreign minister also criticized Britain, the United States and other Western countries for “throwing away all rules” and spreading “lies and untruths”.

The poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in early March has led to the worst diplomatic tension between London and Moscow in recent years. Britain accused Russia of using a nerve agent to poison the former Russian spy, but Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusation.

6. Russian President Putin visits Türkiye to discuss S-400 and Syria

Leaders of Russia, Iran and Türkiye show solidarity on the Syria issue. Photo: Reuters

At the beginning of his two-day visit (April 3-4), the Russian President delivered a speech to workers at the inauguration ceremony of Türkiye's first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu.

Following that, Mr. Putin had a bilateral meeting with the host country's President Erdogan to discuss the deal of Russia selling S-400 surface-to-air missiles to Türkiye. Accordingly, Russia will try its best to be able to hand over this system to Türkiye as soon as possible.

Accordingly, the first systems will be delivered to Türkiye by Russia in 2020 despite the dissatisfaction expressed by some of Türkiye's NATO allies, including the US.

In addition, the leaders of Russia and Türkiye will also discuss the situation in Syria both bilaterally and with their Iranian counterparts. Russia, Türkiye and Iran are the guarantors of the ceasefire in Syria and the efforts of this trio have helped reduce tensions and led to the defeat of IS there.

7.Tens of thousands of civilians have returned home in Eastern Ghouta.

The joy of Syrian children after the Harasta area, Eastern Ghouta was liberated on March 28. Source: THX/TTXVN

A total of 40,000 civilians have returned home to the Eastern Ghouta region, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, and more will return after the Syrian army declared it had completely liberated Eastern Ghouta, state news agency SANA reported on April 3.

Also according to SANA news agency, 12,000 children from Eastern Ghouta have returned to school in government shelters. Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had evacuated 1,100 rebels and their families from Eastern Ghouta to northern Syria in the past 24 hours.

Since April 2, rebel forces have begun leaving the town of Douma, the last stronghold in Eastern Ghouta, after Russia announced it had reached an agreement allowing rebel groups there to evacuate.