St. Petersburg International Economic Forum
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Donald Trump has sent an official US delegation to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum led by Rodney Mims Cook Jr.
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Cook is overseeing the president’s controversial White House ballroom extension and is chair of the US Commission of Fine Arts.
Another guest is the former Hollywood actor and Putin supporter Steven Seagal.
Ukrainian officials shared video footage on Wednesday that showed drones buzzing noisily above St Petersburg’s skyline. “The Petersburg forum is opening with a nice plume of black smoke in the background after Ukrainian strikes,” posted Serhii Sternenko, an adviser to the country’s defence minister.
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Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in St Petersburg early on Wednesday, hours before international guests gathered for the city’s flagship economic forum, in a blow to Vladimir Putin.
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Several long-range drones crashed into oil storage facilities after Russian air defences failed to shoot them down. There were loud explosions and black smoke rose high above the city from the blazing oil terminal. Drones also struck the nearby Kronstadt naval base and shipyard in Leningrad oblast, which is home to Russia’s Baltic fleet. The corvette, the Boikiy, caught fire. It was in dry dock undergoing repairs.
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In the past, Russia has used the St Petersburg forum to court western investors. Since Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, most have stayed away. The Kremlin has instead invited close regional and other allies, including this year the presidents of Uzbekistan and Tanzania, alongside ministers from Cuba, Belarus , Saudi Arabia and Donald Trump’s official US delegation led by Rodney Mims Cook Jr.
Source: Edited from The Guardian,June 3/26
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