Russia-China alliance is America's biggest fear?; Will Ukraine "collapse" because of Nord Stream 2?

1. The Russia-China alliance is forming, is America's greatest fear coming true?

Russia and China are increasingly close because of US pressure.

In recent months, the US has imposed a series of sanctions on Russia and imposed a series of severe tariffs on China, causing the relationship between the US and these two countries to deteriorate. Because of this pressure move, Russia and China, which have disagreements with Washington, have established a strategic relationship to deal with the US.

“I am visiting Russia as China’s new defense minister to demonstrate to the world that the bilateral relations between China and Russia are very good and we are determined to strengthen this strategic relationship,” Senior General Wei Fenghe, China’s defense minister, said at the Moscow International Security Conference.

Mr. Wei also asserted that he was here to show Washington that China supports Russia in confronting the world order led by the United States.

2. The West used the Skripal case to exclude Russia from discussing chemical weapons in Syria.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova

On April 4, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that by accusing Russia of involvement in the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal, the West is trying to exclude Moscow from the list of countries participating in discussions on chemical weapons in Syria.

Speaking at a regular press conference, Ms. Zakharova stressed that the use of chemical weapons is a "red line" for all parties. The West and the US-led coalition are linking the issue of the legitimacy of the Bashar Assad regime to chemical weapons.

Russia has proposed cooperation with the West to investigate allegations that Mr Assad violated international law by using chemical weapons. According to Ms Zakharova, "by fabricating stories about Russia using chemical weapons on British territory, the West is trying to push Russia out of the legal scope of discussing the issues of Syrian chemical weapons".

3. Will Ukraine's economy "collapse" because of Nord Stream 2?

Nord Stream 2 gas project.

Gazprom will still supply gas to some European countries via Ukraine, but this amount will be insignificant compared to the current transit gas level.

Recently speaking on Russia's 1TV.ru channel, Mr. Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gazprom Gas Group, said: after the "Turkish Stream" and "Nord Stream-2" gas pipelines are put into operation, Russia will still transit gas through Ukraine, but it will be reduced to 10-15 billion m3 of gas/year.

“There are still European countries bordering Ukraine, and there is no doubt that gas supplies to parts of Europe will be carried out by transit through Ukrainian territory. Another problem is that the volume of this transit gas, of course, is insignificant,” Miller stressed.

Asked about the possibility of concluding a new transit contract with Ukraine's Naftogaz, the head of Gazprom said that negotiations would take place. At the same time, he stressed that this was not stipulated in the current ruling of the Stockholm Arbitration Court.

4. Russia requests urgent United Nations meeting on former spy case

Russia requests an urgent United Nations meeting on the former spy case. Illustration photo: Reuters

According to TASS news agency, the above proposal was submitted by Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya in a letter to the President of the United Nations Security Council. Ambassador Nebenzya emphasized: "The use of chemical weapons by any subject, anywhere is unacceptable and must be investigated and punished.

The request came after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office abruptly removed a tweet on March 22 that said experts at Britain's Porton Down laboratory had confirmed the substance found in the Skripal case was the nerve agent Novichok, produced in Russia. However, the head of Porton Down admitted on April 4 that it was unable to find the source of the poison.

Meanwhile, the UK has so far refused to provide any evidence to prove Russia's alleged involvement in the Skripal case. The UK has also refused to conduct a joint investigation with Russia into the incident.

5. US diplomats leave Russia under expulsion order

Vehicles leaving the US embassy in Moscow on the morning of April 5. Photo: AP.

US diplomats left the embassy in Moscow on three buses on the deadline for their expulsion by Russia.

Just before US diplomats left Russia on the morning of April 5, reporters observed people walking out of the US embassy in Moscow, carrying luggage and loading it onto a truck,APreport

Last week, the Russian government ordered the expulsion of 60 American diplomats, with the deadline set today, in retaliation for the US expulsion of a similar number of Russian diplomats.

Diplomatic tensions between Russia and the West arose from the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in early March. Mr. Skripal is a former Russian intelligence colonel who was sentenced to prison in Moscow for passing classified documents to the UK. Skripal was later brought to the UK in a spy exchange deal between Russia and the US. Skripal remains in critical condition, but his daughter's health has improved.

6.Is the US about to impose heavier sanctions on Russia?

Mr. Trump is often criticized for being too soft on Russia. Photo: AP

The Trump administration will impose additional sanctions on Russia today (April 6), US officials said.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed officials, said the sanctions were economic. The list of Russians facing sanctions has not yet been finalized but is believed to include at least six.

These people are on a list of influential business and political leaders in Russia that the US Treasury Department published in January. There are also a number of figures with major business ties to the Russian defense and intelligence sectors.The White House has not commented on the information provided by the Washington Post.

7.Two pilots killed in fighter jet crash in South Korea

An F-15K fighter jet takes off from an air base in the port city of Gunsang on April 20, 2017. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

On April 5, the South Korean Air Force announced that two pilots were killed in an F-15K fighter jet crash that same day in North Gyeongsang Province, southern South Korea.

Yonhap news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying the information. Rescuers had earlier found debris from the crashed plane. There were currently no reports of civilian casualties in the incident.

Earlier, media reported that an F-15K fighter jet taking off from an air base in Daegu, southeast of South Korea, crashed in Chilgok County, 300km southeast of Seoul. The plane crashed while on its way back to base.