Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – April 14, 2022

ANKARA 

Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

Speaking at a ceremony in Turkiye’s northwestern Bursa city, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated that the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) promotes Turkic culture across the world.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said normalization talks between neighboring Turkiye and Armenia should not be neglected but should continue.

Turkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) reported that the country has sent 67 trucks of humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war began in late February.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Wednesday with his Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian counterparts in the capital Kyiv.

International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan visited the Ukrainian city of Bucha near the capital Kyiv. He also met with Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova in the capital Kyiv, where he lauded the "strong cooperation of Ukrainian authorities for independent ICC investigations.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Russian war in Ukraine has resulted in disruptions in food, energy and finance, affecting 1.7 million people worldwide.

US President Joe Biden informed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call that the US is providing Ukraine with an additional $800 million in security assistance ahead of a feared Russian assault on the country's east.

Ukraine claimed that a total of 19,800 Russian soldiers have been killed since the start of the war. The Ukrainian army has destroyed 158 Russian aircraft, 143 helicopters, 739 tanks, 1,895 armored vehicles, 358 artillery systems and seven boats so far, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said the country’s possibility of joining NATO will be debated in the country’s parliament in the coming weeks.

In a related development, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said Europe is facing a new security situation and that they will evaluate this situation and make a decision on NATO membership soon.

France’s far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said Wednesday that she would call for a "rapprochement between NATO and Russia" and withdraw France from the integrated command of NATO if she defeats Emmanuel Macron for the presidency.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced that it has blacklisted 398 members of the US Congress.

"On the principle of reciprocity, all members of the US Congress are put on the blacklist," said a ministry statement.