Hollywood Actress Wishes She Was Vladimir Putin’s Mother In Bizarre Tweet

Posted on 24/02/2022 by Boris Clair

While much of the world is debating how to handle Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, one former star of the rebooted “90210” thinks she could have put a stop to it before it ever happened.

AnnaLynne McCord, who played antihero Naomi Clark from 2008 to 2013, on Thursday posted a video on Twitter with a personal ― and peculiar message to Putin.

It begins with McCord saying, “Dear President Vladimir Putin,” while subtitles in English (not Russian) appear below.

Then, the 34-year-old actor apologizes to the 69-year-old Russian leader for not giving birth to him.

“I’m so sorry that I was not your mother. If I was your mother, you would have been so loved, held in the arms of joyous light. Never would this story’s plight. The world unfurled before our eyes. A pure demise.”

It’s bizarre. See the whole 2-minute, 20-second clip yourself.

Although the clip is starting to go viral, many viewers weren’t impressed with McCord’s notion that complex geopolitical issues could have been solved with a few hugs in the early stages of life.

So far, there is no word if Putin has seen McCord’s video, but one person predicted his reaction to it.

And, yes, many people couldn’t help but be reminded of another celebrity gaffe: Gal Gadot’s “Imagine” video from the beginning of the pandemic.

What Are The New ‘Severe’ Sanctions Boris Johnson Has Slapped On Russia?

Posted on 24/02/2022 by Boris Clair

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine this morning, sending troops, missiles and bombs across the border.

There has been reports of civilian casualties and families have been trying to flee Kyiv amid the chaos.

President Vladimir Putin’s invasion has been condemned by western allies, with Boris Johnson accusing him of being a “blood-stained aggressor who believes in imperial conquest”.

Johnson has now unveiled ten further punitive measures after he was initially criticised for not going far enough with his first set of sanctions.

In a Commons statement, he vowed the UK would implement “the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions that Russia has ever seen”.

Here, HuffPost UK takes you through what has been announced today and assesses what impact they will have.

What Did Boris Johnson Announce Today?

Here are the 10 new sanctions:

1) An asset freeze on all major Russian banks, including VTB, the country’s second largest bank with assets totalling £154 billion.

2) Legislation to stop Russian companies to raise finance in this country and to ban the Russian state from raising sovereign debt on the UK markets.

3) Sanctions against more than 100 Russian individuals, entities and subsidiaries. They include five wealthy oligarchs with links to the Putin regime.

4) Immediately banning Russian airline Aeroflot from landing planes in the UK.

5) Suspend and prohibit all dual use export licences to Russia on items such as electrical components that could be used in military or civilian computers.

6) Legislation prohibiting a wide range of high-tech exports to Russia.

7) A new law limiting the amount of money Russian nationals can deposit in UK bank accounts.

8) Work with allies to limit Russian access to the Swift international payment system.

9) Extend the full range of sanctions against Russia to Belarus, given its close links with Moscow and the part it played in the invasion of Ukraine.

10) Bring forward measures intended for the Economic Crime Bill to strengthen unexplained wealth orders and take action against kleptocrats that launder funds in the UK.

What Sanctions Were Already In Place?

Johnson announced the UK’s first set of measures against Putin on Tuesday which included sanctioning three wealthy allies of Putin and five Russian banks.

Alongside this, members of Russia’s lower parliamentary chamber, the Duma, and the Federation Council, who voted to recognise the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, also face sanctions.

In addition, the territorial sanctions that were imposed on Crimea in the aftermath of the 2014 war will be extended to Donetsk and Luhansk, so no trade can be undertaken with UK individuals or businesses until they are returned to Ukrainian control.

How Will The New Sanctions Hurt Russia?

The sanctions announced today will hit the pockets of oligarchs, big banks and companies with direct links to the Kremlin.

On the five super-rich oligarchs being targeted, a diplomatic source said: “These are people who have international lifestyles.

“They come to Harrods to shop, they stay in our best hotels when they like, they send their children to our best public schools, and that is what’s being stopped.

“So that these people are essentially persona non grata in every major Western European capital in the world. That really bites.”

In Johnson’s words, the aim is to “hobble” the Russian economy and increase the pressure on Putin to end his military action in Ukraine.

Even before the sanctions take effect, Russia’s economy is already feeling the impact of the global condemnation of its invasion.

Some $250 billion has already been wiped from the value of Russia’s top companies – the biggest one day decline on record – while the rouble has plummeted to record lows against dollar.

What Has Been The Political Reaction To The Sanctions?

Unlike the response to the previous sanctions announcement, opposition parties have responded positively to the latest measures, while urging the prime minister to go further if necessary.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “I welcome the set of sanctions outlined by the prime minister today and pledge opposition support for further measures.

“And there are changes we must make here in the UK. For too long our country has been a safe-haven, for the money that Putin and his fellow bandits stole from the Russian people. It must change now.

“Cracking open the shell companies in which the stolen money is hidden will require legislation. Bring it forward immediately prime minister and Labour will support it.”

SNP leader Ian Blackford called for the “complete economic isolation” of Russia.

He said: “Let’s not fall for the Kremlin propaganda that they are prepared to soak up any sanctions. If we act now, if the sanctions are targeted enough, swift enough, severe enough, if we impose nothing less than economic isolation, Putin and his cronies will suffer the consequences of their actions.”

What Might Happen Next?

Western officials believe Putin is determined to capture the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and replace the pro-western president Volodymr Zelensky with a puppet regime.

They fear such an assault would lead to large numbers of civilian casualties and the conflict could lead to clashes with neighbouring countries such as Poland, a Nato member.

Under Article 5 of the Nato constitution, which decrees that an attack on one member is an attack on them all, this would lead to full-scale war between Russia and the west.

Kenya’s United Nations Speech On Ukraine Praised For Citing Africa’s Colonial Legacy

Posted on 23/02/2022 by Boris Clair

Martin Kimani used his address at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to warn Vladimir Putin to respect Russia’s border with Ukraine and highlight the dangers of stoking the “embers of dead empires”.

His remarks came after the Russian president ordered troops into eastern Ukraine – under the fabrication of “peace keeping” – after recognising the independence of two separatist regions, a move criticised globally as a breach of international law.

Kimani said the birth of Kenya and Ukraine’s independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union had the “ending of empire” in common.

He said rather than engage in “bloody wars” that would be raging decades later, Africa opted to “settle for the borders that we inherited”, even if there was a “yearning for integration with peoples in neighbouring states”. Kimani added Kenya “rejects such a yearning from being pursued by force” and “we reject it again today”.

A clip of the address, which came hours after Putin had given a rambling speech re-writing the history of eastern Europe, was viewed more than 3 million times from one Twitter feed.

“Kenya and almost every African country was birthed by the ending of empire. Our borders were not of our own drawing. They were drawn in the distant colonial metropoles of London, Paris, and Lisbon with no regard for the ancient nations that they cleaved apart.

“Today, across the border of every single African country live our countrymen, with whom we share deep historical, cultural, and linguistic bonds.

“At independence, had we chosen to pursue states on the basis of ethnic, racial, or religious homogeneity, we would still be waging bloody wars these many decades later. Instead, we agreed that we would settle for the borders that we inherited, but we would still pursue continental political, economic, and legal integration. Rather than form nations that looked ever backwards into history with a dangerous nostalgia, we chose to look forward to a greatness none of our many nations and peoples had ever known.

“We chose to follow the rules of the Organisation of African Unity and the United Nations Charter, not because our borders satisfied us, but because we wanted something greater, forged in peace.

“We believe that all states formed from empires that have collapsed or retreated have many peoples in them yearning for integration with peoples in neighbouring states. This is normal and understandable. After all, who does not want to be joined to their brethren and to make common purpose with them?

“However, Kenya rejects such a yearning from being pursued by force. We must complete our recovery from the embers of dead empires in a way that does not plunge us back into new forms of domination and oppression. We rejected irredentism and expansionism on any basis, including racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural factors. We reject it again today.”

Putin also ordered the deployment of Russian forces to the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine “keep the peace” – though commentators have warned not to be fooled by the language.

Johnson: Putin’s Decision To Recognise Separatist Ukraine States ‘A Very Dark Sign’

Posted on 21/02/2022 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson has hinted Russia could face fresh sanctions as Vladimir Putin said he would recognise two breakaway republics in Ukraine.

The UK prime minister said the Russian president’s decision to acknowledge Donetsk and Luhansk’s claims to independence was a “very dark sign” that is “plainly in breach of international law”.

On Monday, the Ukraine crisis intensified as Putin used a long speech to recognise the two rebel-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine, which breaches the 2015 protocol that ended the conflict in Donbas.

The comments come amid mounting Western fears that Russia, which has massed an estimated 150,000 troops near Ukraine’s border, is poised to invade.

The move appears to have dashed hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough which had been raised with the possibility of talks between Putin and US president Joe Biden.

Johnson said he was considering whether the actions could trigger the imposition of fresh sanctions on Russia, as foreign secretary Liz Truss said Putin’s actions could not be allowed to go “unpunished”.

At a Downing Street press conference, the PM said: “This is plainly in breach of international law, it’s a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine.

“It is a repudiation of the Minsk process and the Minsk Agreements.

“I think it’s a very ill omen and a very dark sign.”

It was “yet another indication that things are moving in the wrong direction in Ukraine”.

My statement condemning Russia’s recognition of the ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ and ‘Luhansk People’s Republic’ as independent states 👇 pic.twitter.com/e0y3LNu29X

— Liz Truss (@trussliz) February 21, 2022

The prime minister had previously said sanctions would be triggered if Russia invaded Ukraine.

But he said: “Plainly what has happened is extremely bad news and we will be urgently talking to our friends and allies around the world, all of whom are jointly signed up with us in this package of sanctions.”

Johnson said it was “becoming clear that we are going to need to start applying as much pressure as we possibly can”.

“It is hard to see how this situation improves,” he acknowledged.

But he added: “I think there’s a sort of chance that (Putin) could row back from this, and we’ve got to pray that that’s the case.”

The prime minister said he would speak to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky to “offer him the support of the United Kingdom”.

Meanwhile, the foreign secretary said the recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic as independent states “demonstrates Russia’s decision to choose a path of confrontation over dialogue”.

“We will co-ordinate our response with allies,” she said.

“We will not allow Russia’s violation of its international commitments to go unpunished.”

The government has already promised a tougher sanctions regime to deal with any Russian transgression, with MPs expected to approve the new framework on Tuesday.

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: “This blatant breach of international law must be met with consequences from the international community.”

The European Union announced it would impose sanctions in response to Russia’s recognition of the two states.

In a joint statement, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel said it was an “illegal act”.

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said: “This further undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party.”

Earlier defence secretary Ben Wallace has said there was still “strong cause for concern” that Putin remained committed to an invasion of Ukraine, despite diplomatic moves to end the crisis.

In a Commons statement, he said Russian forces were continuing to move towards the border zone contrary to repeated assurances given by Moscow.

There were now more than 110 battalion tactical groups massed along the border while the Black Sea fleet included two amphibious groups and nine cruise missile-equipped ships with a further four cruise missile-capable vessels in the Caspian.

At the same time, he said there had been “a proliferation of false flag operations and propaganda stunts and Russian news outlets carrying fictitious allegations”.

Downing Street said intelligence reports suggested the Russian plan “has in effect already begun” and that it was “starting to play out in real time”.

Nevertheless Johnson’s official spokesman said there was still a “window for diplomacy” after it appeared that a tentative agreement had been reached on a crisis summit between Putin and Biden.

Following a series of lengthy calls involving French president Emmanuel Macron, the White House said talks could go ahead provided there had been no invasion.

However Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later that while the two leaders could meet if they considered it necessary, no plans for a summit had been agreed.

“It’s premature to talk about specific plans for a summit. The meeting is possible if the leaders consider it feasible,” he said.

Boris Johnson ‘Fears For The Security Of Europe’ As Tensions Grow Over Potential Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

Posted on 11/02/2022 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson “fears for the security of Europe” as tensions mount over a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine and British people were urged to leave the country.

The UK prime minister voiced his concern during a call with Western leaders – including US president Joe Biden – as the Foreign Office updated its advice on Friday evening to urge UK nationals to “leave now while commercial means are still available”.

At the same time, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said there is the “credible prospect” of an invasion of some sort taking place before the end of the Winter Olympics on February 20.

He said the Russians are in a position to “mount a major military operation in Ukraine any day now”, which could include a “rapid assault on the city of Kyiv” or on other parts of the country.

The warning was echoed by UK defence secretary Ben Wallace, who said warned an invasion could come “at any time”.

Tensions have heightened in the last 24 hours as Russian president Vladimir Putin has now amassed an estimated 130,000 troops on the border with Ukraine.

US national security advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during the daily White House press briefing.

Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images

The Foreign Office followed the US in advising against all travel to Ukraine, with a spokesman saying: “The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority, which is why we have updated our travel advice.

“We urge British nationals in Ukraine to leave now via commercial means while they remain available.”

After Johnson and world leaders held the virtual call, a No 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister told the group that he feared for the security of Europe in the current circumstances.

“He impressed the need for Nato allies to make it absolutely clear that there will be a heavy package of economic sanctions ready to go, should Russia make the devastating and destructive decision to invade Ukraine.

“The prime minister added that president Putin had to understand that there would be severe penalties that would be extremely damaging to Russia’s economy, and that Allies needed to continue with efforts to reinforce and support the Eastern frontiers of Nato.

“He urged the leaders to work together to deliver economic and defensive support to Ukraine.

“The leaders agreed that if president Putin deescalated, there was another way forward, and they pledged to redouble diplomatic efforts in the coming days.”

Speaking from the White House, Sullivan said Russia could choose “in very short order to commence a major military action against Ukraine” but stressed the US does not know whether Putin has made a final decision.

Moscow denies it is planning an invasion and called the Western military actions provocations meant to bait Russia into war.

But diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have yet to yield results.

The two countries share a border, and between 1919 and 1991 Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union in the early-1990s but maintained close economic and cultural links with Russia.

Russia has been trying to reunite with its neighbour even since, with Putin calling the break-up of the Soviet bloc the “greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century”.

It’s not entirely clear why Putin is acting now. There’s speculation he may be moving because the US looks weak following the messy evacuation from Afghanistan.

Boris Johnson Dodges Questions On His Political Survival During Ukraine Press Conference

Posted on 01/02/2022 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson dodged uncomfortable questions about his political survival during a major press conference in Ukraine.

The prime minister was taking questions from journalists when he was asked about the partygate scandal rocking his premiership.

The BBC asked him: “Prime minister, first, have you done enough to survive? Have you done enough to persuade enough colleagues to rescue your premiership?

“And on the issue of Ukraine, why should the international community take your diplomacy seriously, when you’re so preoccupied at home, when you put talking to MPs ahead of talking to President Putin?”

Johnson simply responded by saying his focus was “entirely on delivering on the priorities of the British people” before going on to talk about the security of the UK’s allies.

However, later in the conference Johnson did appear to commit to publishing the full Sue Gray report into the partygate scandal once the Metropolitan police probe is complete.

“Yes, of course we’ll publish everything that we can as soon as the process has been completed,” he said.

It comes as a tenth Conservative MP went on the record calling for him to resign over the scandal.

The PM faced the cameras alongside Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky as part of a trip aimed at showing support for Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.

Johnson warned: “It goes without saying that a further Russian invasion of Ukraine would be a political disaster, a humanitarian disaster, in my view it would also be for Russia, for the world, a military disaster as well.

“And the potential invasion completely flies in the face of president Putin’s claims to be acting in the interest of the Ukrainian people.”

Ahead of the talks in Kyiv, Johnson announced £88 million of new funding to promote stable governance in Ukraine and reduce its reliance on Russian energy supplies.

The prime minister had also been due to speak to Russia’s president Vladimir Putin on Monday afternoon, but it was postponed after Johnson had to give a statement to the house over the partygate scandal engulfing his government. The two leaders are now expected to speak on Wednesday afternoon.

Boris Johnson Branded ‘Pathetic’ As He Postpones Call With Vladimir Putin Amid Partygate

Posted on 31/01/2022 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson has been branded “pathetic” after he postponed a phonecall with Vladimir Putin amid the partygate scandal.

The prime minister’s official spokesman revealed this morning he was due to speak to the Russian president in a phone call on Monday afternoon as part of efforts to avoid a conflict in Ukraine.

However, a Downing Street source confirmed with HuffPost UK that the call had been “postponed”.

They could not say when it would take place, only that they were looking for a new date.

The PM’s official spokesman separately said there had not been a “settled time” for the call.

SNP MP Stewart McDonald tweeted simply: “A pathetic embarrassment.”

Meanwhile, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: “Amid a dangerous crisis threatening peace in Europe, a vital diplomatic opportunity has been missed as Boris Johnson scrambles to hold on to his job.

“These are the real world consequences of a distracted prime minister unfit for office running a government in disarray.”

Johnson’s spokesman said: “It’s not unusual for timings with world leaders to change and you will appreciate the control of the timing for the receipt of this report rightly (was) with Sue Gray and her team, and the prime minister had committed to come to the house to make an update.”

Johnson is set to visit Ukraine on Tuesday alongside foreign secretary Liz Truss when he will hold a press conference with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Truss today warned Russian oligarchs they have “nowhere to hide” as she announced a crackdown on Kremlin-linked money.

‘Very Significant Risk’ Russia Will Invade Ukraine, Says Dominic Raab

Posted on 23/01/2022 by Boris Clair

There is a “very significant” risk that Russia will mount an invasion of Ukraine, deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has warned.

Raab, the former foreign secretary, said the UK would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion, but said it was “extremely unlikely” the UK would send out troops to assist with any fightback.

Raab said the UK would instead levy economic and financial sanctions on Moscow as punishment.

“We will support them in defending themselves,” Raab told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on Sunday.

“But also, to the international community, to Nato allies in the West, we’re standing shoulder to shoulder saying there will be very serious consequences if Russia takes this move to try and invade and also install a puppet regime.”

Raab, who is also justice secretary, said it was “very clear there is a concerted not just military buildup on the border but a threat to the democracy, the integrity of Ukraine”.

Asked if the UK would send troops to help in the event of an invasion, Raab said: “It’s extremely unlikely we would do that but what we can say is we’re already willing and engaging in training programmes to support Ukrainians defending themselves, that’s absolutely right.”

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been high since Moscow annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of the Crimea in 2014.

There are currently 100,000 Russian troops amassed at the border with Ukraine, a former Soviet state. Moscow claims it has no intentions to invade and that they are there purely for military training purposes — but Ukraine is fearful of an incursion.

Russia has been locked in talks with the US to ease tensions but so far they have not found agreement.

Vladimir Putin’s list of demands — including a guarantee that Ukraine will never become a member of Nato, that Nato ends its security alliance with Ukraine and that numbers of Nato troops in eastern Europe are reduced — have been rejected as unreasonable by the West.

Asked by the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme if he thought Russia would invade, Raab said: “I think there is a very significant risk of it.”

He added: “The world needs to keep its eye on this and be very clear with President Putin that it would not do this cost-free, that there would be a price.”

In a statement on Saturday, the UK’s Foreign Office said it had “information” to suggest the Kremlin “was looking to install a pro-Russian leader in Kyiv as it considers whether to invade and occupy Ukraine”, citing former Ukrainian MP Yevhen Murayev as a potential candidate.

According to Reuters, the Russian foreign ministry dismissed the claims as “disinformation” and accused Britain and Nato of “escalating tensions” over Ukraine.

Asked by Sky what the UK would do if its fears of a puppet regime in Ukraine materialised, Raab said: “We wouldn’t telegraph all of the measures that we would take, but it’s important that this very clear message not just from the UK, but from all Nato and other interested countries around the world who want to uphold the rule of law, that there’ll be very serious economic consequences.”

Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, said he believed Britain’s accusation that Putin is plotting to install a pro-Moscow leader as head of the government in Ukraine.

He told Sky News: “I do believe that. It’s not the first time they’re trying to do so, historically, and in recent times.”

Asked if he and the Ukrainian government genuinely feared an invasion from Putin, Prystaiko pointed out there has been a Russian presence for almost eight years.

He said the issue was whether thee would be a a “full-scale invasion” or “smaller things just to annoy us and the rest of the world to show his [Putin’s] strength”.

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