South Africa says BRICS mulling new payment system to ditch dollar control

The BRICS club of emerging economies wants to find a way of bypassing the dollar to create a fairer payment system that would not be skewed toward wealthier countries, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told Sputnik.

"The systems currently in place tend to privilege very wealthy countries and tend to be really a challenge for countries, such as ourselves, which have to make payments in dollars which costs much more in terms of our various currencies," Pandor said.

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📌 LIVE UPDATES: Foreign Minister Lavrov Wraps Up Results of Russian Diplomacy in 2022

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❗️ The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and his first deputy died in a helicopter crash in the Kiev region: Ukrainian police

💬When describing situation in Southeast Asia Russian FM Lavrov says "the Westerners" (he frequently uses this term) use "Indo-Pacific" construct to weaken Chinese influence in Asia. Slams AUKUS.

❗️ 16 people including Ukrainian interior minister die in helicopter crash near Kiev, police say

💬Lavrov slams Ursula von der Leyen's Davos rhetoric about punishing Russia through sanctions, says that "masks are off" and western politicians are talking only about sanctions.

❗️ Key statements made by Russia’s FM Lavrov during the press conference on the results of Russian foreign policy in 2022:

▪️ What's happening in Ukraine is result of West's decision to start hybrid war against Russia

▪️ EU has completely fallen to US dictate

▪️ US to slap sanctions on any country that disobeys Washington's orders

▪️ US and EU ready to use blackmail, force and sanctions to colonize other countries

▪️ Europeans serve US interests in ‘containing' Russia and China

▪️ EU-NATO declaration on cooperation subjugates Europe to the North Atlantic Alliance

▪️ West aims to destroy ties between former partner nations

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⚡️ Russian FM Sergey Lavrov says no talks with Zelensky are possible because he adopted legislation prohibiting UA officials from holding talks with Moscow.

❗️UPDATE: 18 killed, 26 injured in the helicopter crash in the Kiev region

💬 Lavrov blames the West for destroying Iraq and Lybia, says Yugoslavia was also torn apart in an attempts to divide the Balkans, mentions Biden's 1998 senatorial speech where he called for the bombing of Belgrade.

💬 Lavrov says Russia was the only country that followed the Minsk agreements, others "were card sharks".

💬 Lavrov draws parallels between Ukraine crisis and the 2008 conflict in Georgia, says NATO is accountable for both of them, hints at America's possible involvement in igniting the 2008 Georgia's attack on South Ossetia.

💬 Lavrov goes into more detail on the causes of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, says Moscow is responding to the hybrid war which has been waged against it.

❗️ None of the Arab countries joined anti-Russia sanctions despite unprecedented pressure from West - Lavrov

💬 Lavrov describes in neutral or positive terms the efforts of Turkish and the Arab world's diplomacy in Syria, criticizes America's actions in the region, says the Washington wants the Kurds to create a "quasi-state" on Syrian territory.

Danes Up in Arms Over Removal of Christian Holiday to Raise Defense Spending

The Danish government has confirmed its intention to abolish Great Prayer Day, a historic holiday, in order to fund its military spending, despite widespread protests.

The Great Prayer Day, introduced in 1686, is one of eleven official holidays in Denmark. It falls on the fourth Friday after Easter and three weeks before Pentecost and was traditionally used for fasting, prayer and church visits.

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💬 Some word play from Lavrov: the West doesnt want a tribunal on Ukraine, says "drop the last letter" ("tribuna" in Russian="tribune"), adds that the West basically needs a stage to voice its taking points.

📹 💬 "There can be no negotiations with Zelensky, simply because he has legally banned talks with the Russian government," Lavrov said during the Q&A session of his press conference.

The Russian foreign minister added that the Ukrainian president makes unrealistic proposals on peace settlement.

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💬 Lavrov explaining to Sky News journo the basics of the international law and, once again, talking about the US-backed Maidan coup in Kiev.

Says the US immediately backed the bloody coup of 2014 in Ukraine, while ignoring the EU as a guarantor of agreements between President Yanukovich and the opposition, mentions Victoria Nuland's "f*ck the EU" leaked phonecall.

❗️ Russia's Ukraine op aimed at ending war raging in Donbass since 2014 - Putin

❗️Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️ In the Kharkov region and the LPR, Russian artillery inflicted fire damage on units of the 14th and 92nd Mechanized Brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade. Over 60 Ukrainian soldiers, an armored personnel carrier, two pickup trucks, two cars and one US-made M777 artillery system were destroyed.

▪️ The Russian artillery and airborne strikes on accumulations of troops inflicted defeat on units of the 92nd Mechanized, 80th and 95th Air Assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Lugansk People's Republic. The total losses of the enemy in this direction per day amounted to more than 90 Ukrainian troops, an infantry fighting vehicle and three armored fighting vehicles. In addition, two US-made AN/TPQ-50 and AN/TPQ-48 counter-battery radars, as well as a ST-68 target detection and tracking radar, were destroyed.

▪️ Volunteers of the Russian assault detachments, with fire support from aviation, missile troops and artillery, liberated the village of Sol in the DPR. During the day, up to 90 Ukrainian troops, three armored combat vehicles, four vehicles, a Msta-B howitzer and a Grad MLRS combat vehicle were destroyed. In addition, the AFU ammunition depot for HIMARS and Grad multiple launch rocket systems was destroyed.

▪️Artillery and marines thwarted Ukraine's attempts to attack in the direction of the settlements of Stepnoye, Sladkoye and Urozhaynoye in the DPR. The total losses of the enemy amounted to 90 Ukrainian troops, four armored combat vehicles, one pickup truck and seven vehicles.

▪️ During the day, aviation, missile forces and artillery defeated 76 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at firing positions, troops and military equipment in 103 districts.

▪️ Russian aviation shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 in the DPR.

▪️ Air defense destroyed seven Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles.

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