US State Department Archives - Lokmarg

Putin-Wagner Dispute Exposes Real Crack: Blinken

By LokMarg 25th June 2023

The dispute between Russia’s President and Wagner mercenary exposed the “real crack” in Vladimir Putin’s reign, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday.

To a question on whether he knew Wagner will abort his plan, Blinken in an interview with Jonathan Karl for ABC’s “This Week” said, “I don’t know, and I’m not sure we’ll fully know, or it may be something that unfolds in the coming – in the coming days and weeks. We simply don’t have a clear picture of that. And this really is fundamentally an internal matter for the Russians. We’re seeing it unfold. Again, we saw the rising tensions over several months that led to this. But exactly where this goes, we don’t know”, according to a statement released by State Department.
“But what we do know is that we’ve seen real cracks emerge – again, a direct challenge to Putin’s authority surfacing very publicly: the notion that this war, this aggression by Russia was being pursued under false pretenses; the notion that Ukraine or NATO somehow presented a threat to Russia that it had to deal with militarily. That’s now much more out in the open than it’s been. What that leads to, again, we just don’t know at this point,” he added.

On Saturday morning, Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a Telegram post, announced that his men had crossed the border from Ukraine into southern Russia and were ready to go “all the way” against the Russian military, TASS News Agency reported.

But later on, the governor of the southern Russian region of Voronezh said Wagner units are continuing their withdrawal and forces are departing “steadily and without incident.”

Meanwhile, in the interview, Blinken said wherever Wagner is present, death, destruction, and exploitation follow, as per the statement.

To a query on Putin’s hold on power, Blinken said, “It raises lots of questions that we don’t have answers to. As I said before, I think you see cracks of different kinds that have emerged. These are in a sense different in that it’s internal. When you’re being challenged from within, as Putin has been over the last few days, that also raises profound questions.”

“But we’ve seen, I think, lots of different cracks that have emerged in the conduct of this aggression, because everything Putin has tried to accomplish, the opposite has happened. Russia is weaker economically. It’s weaker militarily. It’s standing in the world has plummeted. It’s managed to strengthen and unite NATO. It’s managed to alienate and unite Ukrainians. It’s managed to get Europe off of its dependence on Russian energy,” he added.

“In piece after piece, issue after issue, what Putin has tried to prevent, he’s managed to precipitate. And Russia’s standing is vastly diminished as a result. Now, add to that internal dissension. Again, we can’t speculate on where this goes. We have to remain and we are focused on Ukraine, but it certainly raises new questions that he’s going to have to address,” US State Secretary said. (ANI)

US Approves USD 180 MN Anti-Tank Weapon Sale To Taiwan

By LokMarg 29th December 2022

The US State Department has approved a USD 180 million anti-tank weapon sale to Taiwan, an island that China regards as its own territory.

“State Department authorizes a proposed Foreign Military Sales #FMS case for @TECRO_US #Taiwan to purchase Volcano Anti-Tank systems valued at up to USD 180 million,” State Department’s Political-Military Affairs said in a tweet.
The State Department has made a determination to approve a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US of Volcano anti-tank munition-laying systems and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD 180 million.

This military support comes two days after President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday announced that compulsory military service on the island will be extended from four months to one year, effective January 1, 2024, to strengthen Taiwan’s combat readiness against potential Chinese attacks.

The announcement was made after a round of meetings in the Presidential Office held to discuss Taiwan’s economic and national security, following months-long talks in the wake of the Ukraine conflict, Taiwan Focus reported.

In a statement, the US Defence and Cooperation Agency today said this proposed sale serves US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.

“The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region,” it added.

The US government said the proposed sale will improve Taiwan’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible force capable of deterring adversaries and participating in regional operations.

“The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” the statement added. (ANI)

Corruption Plagues Flood Relief Efforts In Pakistan

By LokMarg 15th October 2022

A UN official has expressed concerns regarding the use of flood assistance in Pakistan, amid the country’s continuing struggle to procure sufficient aid to recover from losses from the unprecedented disaster.

Although the UN is working extensively to procure aid for Pakistan, reports emerged last month that less than a quarter of the USD 160 million has actually been dedicated to on-the-ground relief efforts.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Julien Harneis earlier said of the total amount pledged, only USD 38.35 million has been converted into assistance.

“We are still in the early days; not enough has been delivered and we need to speed up the response. UN and NGOs have some reserve monies in hand, those are being redirected to respond to emergencies, but there is a limit to how much we can do. So use against scale, we need money quickly that can be converted into assistance,” Haneis told newsmen last month, as saying quoted by Dawn.

Responding to possible reports of discrepancy in relief aid in Pakistan, the US State Department on Tuesday said this is something it takes very seriously, not only in Pakistan but anywhere around the world where American taxpayer dollars are implicated.

“This is something we take very seriously, not only in Pakistan but anywhere around the world where American taxpayer dollars are implicated and when there is an urgent humanitarian interest at stake, which is clearly the case, in terms of the response to the flooding in Pakistan,” US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in response to a question over reports of corruption in Pakistan in US relief aid items.

Price noted that US aid partners work with local organizations that have extensive knowledge about the affected areas and their populations.

“We also are required to provide regular program updates on the progress of activities and any security concerns, and we require them – our partners – to immediately report any potential diversions, seizures, or losses immediately. So this is something we take very seriously,” he said.

Speaking over steps taken to monitor and to ensure that adequate tracking mechanisms in this context, Price said, “First, USAID staff – they make regular trips to monitor our programs in the field. We have what’s called a DART – a Disaster Assistance Response Team – and their members travel to more than 10 flood-affected districts in Balochistan, in Sindh province.”

The US provided nearly USD 56.5 million in flood relief and humanitarian assistance to Pakistan this year as well as an additional USD 10 million in food security assistance, according to State Department.

Pakistan has seen massive floods which have wreaked havoc in the country leading to a great loss of lives and infrastructure. As of September 30, government estimates have recorded nearly 1,700 deaths and more than 12,800 injuries since mid-June. (ANI)