February 9, 2022

*) Macron: Putin told me Russia won't further escalate Ukraine crisis Emmanuel Macron has said that Vladimir Putin told him Russia would not further escalate the Ukraine crisis. Macron's remarks on Tuesday came after the Kremlin denied reports that he and Putin struck a deal on de-escalation. The French President and the Russian President had held a more than five-hour meeting on Monday. And on Tuesday, Macron visited Kiev, where he attended a news conference after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to Macron, Putin also said there won’t be any “permanent base” or “deployment” by Russia in Belarus. *) Top gas exporters to meet in Qatar amid Russia-Ukraine impasse Qatar will host the biannual summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum on February 22. Russia, Iran and Qatar are key members of the forum. The US and Australia, two other leading exporters, are not part of the group. The news comes at a time when Europe is worried about its gas supplies due to the Russia-Ukraine standoff. The US has sought Qatar's help in providing emergency supplies if pipelines to Western Europe are cut due to the crisis. *) Taliban to discuss aid, frozen assets with diplomats in Geneva A Taliban delegation is in Geneva for a week of NGO-hosted talks on humanitarian access and human rights. Afghanistan faces a complex situation due to past overlapping conflicts, Covid-19 and extreme weather, the Geneva Call foundation said on Tuesday. It added that there will be discussions on the protection of civilians, healthcare and the explosive remnants of war. The Taliban delegation will also meet with Swiss and other European officials, plus the Red Cross. *) Iran nuclear deal 'in sight' as talks resume in Vienna Talks to revive a deal with Iran on its contested nuclear programme have resumed in Vienna. Officials have signalled that an agreement could be "in sight". The negotiations were halted at the end of last month. The resumption comes after parties in recent weeks cited progress in seeking