Russia’s Shoigu Accuses West of Seeking to Expand Ukraine War to Asia-Pacific 

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, takes a seat for the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. (AP)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, takes a seat for the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. (AP)
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Russia’s Shoigu Accuses West of Seeking to Expand Ukraine War to Asia-Pacific 

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, takes a seat for the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. (AP)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, takes a seat for the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. (AP)

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the West wants to expand the conflict in the Ukraine to the Asia-Pacific region, Russian state media reported, citing comments made at a Beijing defense forum on Monday.

Speaking at the Xiangshan Forum, China's biggest military diplomacy event, Shoigu said NATO is covering up a build-up of forces in the Asia-Pacific region with an "ostentatious desire for dialogue", Russia's TASS news agency reported.

Shoigu said NATO countries were promoting an arms race in the region, increasing their military presence and the frequency and scale of military drills there.

US forces will use information exchanges with Tokyo and Seoul on missile launches to deter Russia and China, Shoigu said. He also accused Washington of trying to use climate change and natural disasters as an excuse for "humanitarian interventions".

Shoigu said the emergence of new security blocs such as the Quad and AUKUS undermined the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and nuclear non-proliferation efforts in the region.

At the same time, he said, Russia's move to revoke its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty did not mean the end of the agreement, and Russia was not lowering its threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.

"We are only seeking to restore parity with the United States, who have not ratified this treaty," Russia's RIA news agency quoted Shoigu as saying. "We are not talking about its destruction."

Shoigu said that Moscow was ready for talks on the post-conflict settlement of the Ukraine crisis on further 'co-existence' with the West, but that Western countries needed to stop seeking Russia's strategic defeat.

Making clear the conditions for such talks were not in place yet, Shoigu said: "It is also important to ensure equal relations between all the nuclear powers and permanent United Nations Security Council members who carry special responsibility for upholding peace and global stability."



Trump Calls China’s Xi Tough, ‘Hard to Make a Deal with’ 

US President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (Reuters)
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Trump Calls China’s Xi Tough, ‘Hard to Make a Deal with’ 

US President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (Reuters)

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Chinese President Xi Jinping is tough and "extremely hard to make a deal with," days after the US President accused China of violating an agreement to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions.

"I like President Xi of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said on Monday that Trump would speak with Xi this week as the two leaders seek to iron out differences on last month's tariff agreement in Geneva, among larger trade issues.

A US trade court last week ruled that Trump overstepped his authority in imposing the bulk of his tariffs on imports from China and other countries under an emergency powers act.

Less than 24 hours later, a federal appeals court reinstated the tariffs, saying it was pausing the trade court ruling to consider the government's appeal.