Global report

1 RUSSIA

Talks scheduled as Putin voices anger at Nato

US and Russian officials will take part in security talks on 10 January as the countries confront rising tensions over Ukraine, a spokesperson for the Biden administration said.

Russia and Nato are also likely set for talks on 12 January, while a broader regional meeting including Moscow, Washington and several European countries is set for 13 January, the spokesperson added.

This month Vladimir Putin accused the west of “coming with its missiles to our doorstep” as he reiterated demands for no further Nato expansion in Europe. The Russian president said he would be prepared to launch an intervention if he felt Ukraine or its western allies were preparing an attack on Russia’s proxies in the country

Analysts have said Russia may be seeking a casus belli as it stations more than 100,000 soldiers, along with tanks and artillery, within striking distance of the Ukrainian border.

There are few signs that Ukraine’s military is preparing an offensive in Donbas, where the frontlines have remained mostly static for six years. More than 14,000 people have died since fighting began in 2014.

2 UNITED STATES

Latin America urges US to cut plastic waste exports

Environmental organisations across Latin America have called on the US to reduce plastic waste exports to the region, after a report