Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

US Senate bill seeks 100% tariffs on India, China for buying Russian oil

A bill seeking to impose 100 per cent tariffs on five countries, including India and China, for buying Russian oil, while exempting European nations purchasing gas from Moscow, was introduced in the US Senate with the support of over 60 lawmakers. The bill, introduced on Thursday, was conceived by Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal and late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. It is designed to deprive Russian President Vladimir Putin of revenue used to finance the war against Ukraine by imposing mandatory sanctions on Russia's political leadership, financial institutions, energy sector, and sanctions evasion networks. Blumenthal had said on Tuesday that the proposed legislation was aimed at imposing 100 per cent tariffs on five major purchasers of Russian oil -- China, India, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan. The text of the bill introduced in the Senate on Thursday imposes tariffs on imports from countries that are the world's top five purchasers of Russian crude oil or natural ga

Best of BS Opinion: New urea policy skirts fertiliser subsidy reform

From fertiliser subsidies and Russian oil tariffs to regulatory independence, rural water reforms and the politics of interfaith marriage, here are today's top Opinion pieces.

How Putin turned Japan into a hub for Russian espionage operations

Operating out of a Tokyo high-rise, a military intelligence unit finds the high-tech equipment that Russia needs to wage war

Russian attacks kill 6, injure 29 as Ukrainian forces target oil tankers

Russian attacks on Ukraine killed six people, including a child, and wounded 29, officials said Saturday, adding that Ukrainian forces damaged more than two dozen Russian tankers and other vessels in the Sea of Azov. Ukraine's General Staff said 21 tankers used to transport oil and petroleum products were damaged overnight, in addition to four tugboats, two cargo ships and a dredging vessel. Russian officials said one person was killed in the Ukrainian drone strikes and that only four ships came under attack. In Ukraine's northeast Sumy region, four people were killed, including a child, and 17 people were wounded when two aerial glide bombs hit a crowded area where civilians were present, said Sumy regional head Oleh Hryhorov. Eleven people, including one child, were wounded in missile and drone attacks overnight on Kyiv, the State Emergency Service reported. In the southern region of Odesa, two people were killed after a Russian missile struck a building, said regional head Oleh .

At least 10 injured as Russia targets Kyiv with missiles and drones

At least 10 people, including a child, were injured after Russia launched an overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv early Saturday, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service. Explosions and fires were reported across the capital's Solomianskyi, Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts, the emergency service said in a statement on Telegram. In Solomianskyi district, a strike ignited a fire in a three-storey office and warehouse building, while another warehouse caught fire in the Dniprovskyi district after it was hit. Russia launched 10 missiles of various types, including six ballistic missiles, along with 121 drones against Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's Air Force said. Ukrainian air defences said they shot down or electronically suppressed two missiles and 111 drones. The Air Force said direct hits were recorded at 11 locations from ballistic missiles, two guided air-to-surface missiles and seven attack drones. Falling debris from intercepted weapons was reported at three ...

Should the world adopt a law to recognise ecocide as a global crime?

From the Vietnam War to the crisis in West Asia, the environment is no longer just collateral damage. It is becoming a target in its own right

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely to escalate war with Ukraine

Putin is resisting calls for peace talks and may escalate the war, sources say, as Ukraine intensifies drone attacks on Russian fuel tankers and supply routes

Russia bans diesel exports after Ukrainian drone attacks hit refineries

Russia's temporary diesel export ban has pushed global fuel prices to multi-year highs, adding fresh pressure to energy markets already disrupted by the Iran war

11 killed, several injured as Russia launches missile, drone attack on Kyiv

Russia launched waves of missiles and drones targeting Kyiv early Monday that killed at least 10 people, authorities said, hours after Ukraine's president warned that another large-scale attack was imminent. Another 46 were injured, according to local officials, as emergency workers combed through rubble looking for survivors at residential high-rise buildings in two locations that suffered direct hits. "These are residential buildings. Places where people slept and lived their ordinary lives," said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's City Military Administration in a post on Telegram. A residential building in the Podilskyi district partially collapsed, he said. In the Darnytsia district, several multistory buildings were damaged and people were believed to be trapped under the rubble. The attack involved waves of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones. Explosions echoed across the city as civilians sought shelter in metro stations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ha

Trump offers to help Putin seek Ukraine deal, also calls Zelenskyy

Russia has said any solution must include ‌Moscow assuming full control over Ukraine's Donbas region

Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg oil terminal in fresh attack on Russia

A Ukrainian drone attack struck an oil terminal in St Petersburg on Saturday, Russian officials said, as Kyiv presses on with bombardment of Russia's oil infrastructure. Almost daily long-range attacks on Russian oil facilities have created a fuel crisis and heaped political pressure on the Kremlin as its all-out invasion of Ukraine stretches into its fifth year. Gov. Alexander Beglov said the city's Kirovsky district on the Baltic Sea was hit. He also said that air defences shot down 72 Ukrainian drones across Russia's second-largest city and the surrounding region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as part of Ukraine's "long-range sanctions" against Russia. He said that Ukrainian forces also hit a military target on the island of Kronstadt, just off the coast of St Petersburg. "The Ukrainian defence forces hit the port oil infrastructure, which earns money for the Russian war, and there were also hits on Kronstadt - an important military target," he sai

Putin shrugs off fuel shortages in Russia as attacks ramp up on Ukraine

Despite severe fuel shortages across Russia, President Vladimir Putin appears unbothered by Ukraine's increasing attacks on his country's oil refineries. He has shrugged off the setback for one of the world's leading oil producing nations as "not critical," dismissed ceasefire proposals and insisted the war will continue until his goals are met. Putin has described the attacks on Russian energy as an effort by Ukraine to distract attention from its losses on the battlefield, although analysts say the advance of Russian forces has been stymied in recent months. The Russian leader appears to believe his government can keep the fuel crisis from eroding his authority and support for the war he launched more than four years ago. The Russian military unleashed a massive 11-hour barrage on the Ukrainian capital overnight into Thursday morning that killed at least 21 people. It was one of the deadliest attacks on Kyiv since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Here's a deeper look at

Russian missile, drone attack on Ukraine kills 20, injures dozens

Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine's capital with missiles and drones overnight into Thursday with the intense strikes causing loud explosions and shaking Kyiv for hours. Residential buildings were damaged in the attacks that killed one person and injured numerous people, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least 11 people were injured. The attack with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones affected all of the city's 10 districts, on both sides of the Dnipro River. Many residents took shelter at metro stations after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other authorities issued the first warnings of the attack. Russia has intensified its attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, even as Ukraine's own long-range drone campaign against Russian military sites and energy facilities has caused fuel shortages and disrupted supply lines inside Russia. Klitschko urged residents to remain in shelters, describing an

Ukraine inks deal for 16 Saab Gripen E fighter jets amid war with Russia

The aircraft is designed to operate from short stretches, temporary runways or roads, supporting dispersed operations and high availability

Russia may allow lower quality fuel output, imports to tackle supply crisis

Russia is considering temporarily permitting Euro-2 fuel standards, which were phased out more than a decade ago due to environmental concerns

Zelenskyy condemns 'horrific attacks' as Russian strikes kill 12, injure 40

Russian missiles and drones killed at least 12 civilians and injured 40 others in Ukraine on Monday in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as "horrific attacks." Since Russia launched its all-out invasion of its neighbour more than four years ago, its forces have conducted bombing in an effort to destroy Ukraine's infrastructure and sap morale. More than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to the UN. A Russian missile targeting infrastructure struck the central city of Dnipro, killing six people and wounding 29, Dnipropetrovsk regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said. Russian drones also hit a passenger minibus in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing three and wounding six, including a child, Zelenskyy said on social media. Russian drones also killed a 69-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man in the northeastern Sumy region, National Police said. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said a daytime Russian strike killed one person and wounded five others in the ...

Ukraine hits another Russian oil refinery as Putin admits fuel shortage

Ukraine kept up its heavy drone assault on Russia, setting fire to a major oil refinery in the south, as President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time on Sunday that the country was facing a "certain deficit" of fuel and vowed to strengthen protection of oil facilities and boost fuel output. Ukraine has markedly stepped up its long-range attacks on Russian military industries and energy facilities in recent months, aiming to cut Moscow's revenue for its invasion - now in its fifth year - and make Russians feel the consequences. "Our long-range sanctions' reached two oil refineries in Russia," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday. "Each (strike) means a reduction in the resources that fuel the Russian war machine, and another step toward peace." The campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies, causing widespread shortages and long lines at gas stations across the country and prompting authorities in many regions to introduce .

Ukraine strikes two Russian oil refineries overnight, intensifying attacks

Zelenskyy said the strikes on refineries in Krasnodar and Yaroslavl were part of efforts to weaken Russia's ability to sustain its war, as Kyiv steps up attacks on fuel infrastructure

Ukraine hits Russian chemical plant again in heavy overnight drone attack

Regional governor Dmitry Milyayev said an industrial facility in Novomoskovsk 200 km (125 miles) south of Moscow had been damaged

Worst is over for crude oil prices for now: Jim Burkhard, S&P Global Energy

Oil prices will remain volatile, but we expect Brent to move into the $80-$90 range, says Jim Burkhard, vice-president and head of research for oil markets, energy and mobility at S&P Global Energy.