Eurasia & Multipolarity

'If there is a peace deal on Ukraine, Russia will be able to attack NATO'

'If Russia can keep the Ukrainian territory it now occupies under the agreement, it can mobilise and expand faster than NATO. Russia is already trying to destabilise the West with hybrid warfare. They could also hold major military exercises on NATO's eastern border. If they did that with tens or even hundreds of thousands of troops, it would of course cause enormous fear within NATO – and certainly in the states bordering Russia.'

An unprecedented presidential vote recount in Romania has shown no marked difference from the original results, confirming the lead of nationalist Călin Georgescu, who will face liberal Lasconi in the run-off on Sunday.

The country’s top court last week took the step of ordering a recount amid fears of election interference from Russia, given the surprise result that showed Georgescu top the first round of the vote.

The court on Monday certified the election result after the recount found no significant differences from the original tally, with Georgescu and Lasconi having qualified for a run-off scheduled for December 8.

Cancelling the first-round results would have turned Georgescu into a “martyr”, warned Iulian Fota, the foreign ministry’s state secretary for strategic affairs. He described the court’s decision to recount the vote as a “mistake” that fuelled “rumours and conspiracy theories” and discredited the electoral process.

Romania’s western partners are worried about a key ally turning towards Moscow.

Georgescu denied wanting to take Romania out of the US-led military alliance and said he instead wanted to “renegotiate” the terms of its membership.

“We also need to address foreign interference in elections in EU member states more effectively. The rise of extremism in Romania is clearly linked to Russian propaganda.”

China has banned shipments to the US of several minerals and metals used in semiconductor manufacturing and military applications, in a rapid retaliation by Beijing against new export controls from Washington.

China’s commerce ministry on Tuesday said it would prohibit the export to the US of dual-use items that include gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials, and would impose stricter controls related to graphite.

The ministry said Washington was “weaponising trade and technology” in the guise of national security. The retaliation came after the US on Monday imposed another round of sweeping export controls that are designed to make it harder for China to develop artificial intelligence for its military.

“To safeguard national security . . . China has decided to strengthen export controls on dual-use items to the US,” said the ministry, which added that the measures would be effective immediately.

Separately, four major Chinese trade associations that represent the internet, auto, semiconductor and communications industries reacted to the US moves by telling members to reduce purchases of American chi

“US chip products are no longer safe or reliable, and relevant Chinese industries should be cautious in procuring US chips,” said the China Semiconductor Industry Association.

The embargoed minerals and metals are used in the production of semiconductors and batteries, as well as communications equipment components and military hardware, such as armour-piercing ammunition.

“China had previously concluded that holding fire would slow the pace of decoupling, but they have now concluded that holding fire simply invites greater US sanctions and that they need to push back to impose costs,” said Scott Kennedy, a China expert at CSIS, a Washington think-tank.

China produces 98 per cent of the world’s supply of gallium and 60 per cent of germanium, according to the US Geological Survey.

The US controls unveiled on Monday included tougher restrictions on the export of critical semiconductor manufacturing tools and a ban on exports to China of advanced high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, a crucial component in artificial intelligence products.

"What is surprising and extremely dangerous is that NATO leaders insist on lowering the draft age [in Ukraine]. Instead of lowering the draft age, supplying weapons, and providing training, we should be talking about peace, a ceasefire, and peace negotiations."