World News | Pentagon Sees Strategy in Russia's Troop Moves

Washington, Mar 30 (AP) The Pentagon said Wednesday that over the last 24 hours it has seen some Russian troops in the areas around Kyiv moving north toward or into Belarus.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the U.S. does not view this as a withdrawal, but as an attempt by Russia to resupply, refit and then reposition the troops.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: Peace Talks Did Not Offer Any Breakthrough, Says Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“We don't know exactly where these troops are going to go,” he said.

But he noted that Russia has talked about prioritising the Donbas region. Kirby was speaking on CNN and Fox Business.

Also Read | WHO Calls for Quality Care for Women, Newborns Post Childbirth.

Kirby also said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have continued to try to speak with their Russian counterparts but they have “not answered and they have not replied with a willingness to do so.”

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Washington: The United Nations chief says one-quarter of humanity -- two billion people -- are living in conflict areas today, and the world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since the end of World War II in 1945.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cited conflicts from Yemen, Syria, Myanmar and Sudan to Haiti, Africa's Sahel “and now the war in Ukraine — a catastrophe shaking the foundations of the international order, spilling across borders and causing skyrocketing food, fuel and fertiliser prices that spell disaster for developing countries.”

He told the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission on Wednesday that last year 84 million people were forced to leave their homes because of conflict, violence and human rights violations.

“And this year, we estimate that at least 274 million will need humanitarian assistance,” he said.

Guterres said this is taking place “at a moment of multiplying risks that are pushing peace further out of reach -- inequalities, COVD-19, climate change and cyber threats, to name just a few.”

He said “the flames of conflict are fuelled by inequality, deprivation and underfunded systems” and these issues must be addressed urgently. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)