Page 105 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

Seizing Russia's frozen assets is the right move

The same principle that applies to individuals committing torts should be applied to nations

Russia suspects supply of India-made 115mm artillery shells to Ukraine

The Ministry of External Affairs has categorically denied these claims, stating that the Foreign Minister has only held discussions on bilateral cooperation with Ukraine

India has not sent any artillery ammunition to Ukraine, says govt

India on Thursday trashed reports that claimed spotting certain Indian-origin artillery shells in Ukraine, and categorically asserted that it has not sent any ammunition to that country. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi has neither sent nor exported any artillery ammunition to Ukraine. "We have also seen some media reports in this regard. We can categorically say that we have not sent any of this artillery ammunition to Ukraine," he said at a media briefing. Jaiswal's remarks came in response to a question on reports about Indian-made artillery shells being spotted in Ukraine. India has been maintaining that the conflict in Ukraine must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. On Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a "useful" phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba focusing on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Kyiv's peace formula and ways to advance bilateral ties. The phone conversation came days af

Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of war prisoners in biggest release

Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in the biggest single release of captives since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian authorities said that 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned home in the first exchange in almost five months. Russia's Defence Ministry said that 248 Russian servicemen have been freed under the deal sponsored by the United Arab Emirates. There was no immediate acknowledgment from the UAE, which has maintained close business ties to Moscow throughout Russia's war on Ukraine. Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said it was the 49th prisoner exchange during the war. Some of the Ukrainians had been held since 2022. Among them were some of those who fought in milestone battles for Ukraine's Snake Island and the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Russian officials offered no other details of the exchange. Also Wednesday, Russia said it shot down 12 missiles fired at one of its southern regions borderin

Russia, Ukraine exchange prisoners of war in deal brokered by UAE

Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war under a deal sponsored by the United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian authorities said that 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned home. Russia's Defence Ministry said that 248 Russian servicemen have been freed from Ukrainian captivity. The ministry said that the deal was made possible thanks to mediatory efforts by the United Arab Emirates. The massive prisoner exchange followed other such deals earlier in the war, which is nearing the two-year mark.

Nato to help allies buy 1,000 missiles amid Russia's Ukraine air assault

NATO announced Wednesday that it would help buy up to 1,000 Patriot missiles so that allies can better protect their territory as Russia ramps up its air assault on Ukraine. NATO's Support and Procurement Agency said it will support a group of nations, including Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain, in buying the Patriots, which are used to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles as well as enemy aircraft. According to industry sources, the contract could be worth around USD 5.5 billion. The purchase could help allies free up more of their own defense systems for Ukraine. The agency said that other user nations are expected to benefit from the conditions of the contract, without elaborating. Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians, cities and towns show how important modern air defenses are, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. Scaling up ammunition production is key for Ukraine's security and for ours. As an organization, NATO

Russian missiles hit Ukrainian cities killing 5 and injuring at least 130

Ukraine's two largest cities came under attack early on Tuesday from Russian missiles that killed five people and injured as many as 130, officials said, as the war approached its two-year mark and the Kremlin stepped up its winter bombardment of urban areas. Air defences shot down all 10 of the Russian Kinzhal missiles, which can fly at 10 times the speed of sound, out of about 100 of various types that were launched, claimed General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's commander-in-chief. But other missiles got through in Kyiv and in Kharkiv, the provincial capital of the northeastern region. In Kyiv and its surrounding region, four people were killed and about 70 were wounded, while in the Kharkiv region, one person was killed and about 60 were hurt, the Interior Ministry said. The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is an air-launched ballistic missile that is rarely used by Russian forces due to its cost and limited stocks. The barrage fired on Tuesday was the highest number used in one attack since the .

Ukraine's 2 largest cities under heavy Russian missile attack, 1 killed

Ukraine's two largest cities came under heavy Russian missile attacks on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring dozens. Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, said one person died and 41 were injured in Russian missile strikes that hit the centre of Kharkiv city and other areas. In Kyiv, the capital, five areas of the city were hit in the strikes and at least 12 people injured, according to mayor Vitali Klitschko. The barrage of the cities continued Russia's escalated attacks on Ukraine in recent days that began on Friday with its largest single attack on Ukraine since the war started, in which at least 41 civilians were killed. The following day, shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod that Russian officials blamed on Ukraine killed more than two dozen people. Russia has struck back repeatedly since. The attack on Belgorod was one of the deadliest to take place on Russian soil since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started more than 22 months ago. ..

Ready for peace in Ukraine but only on Russia's terms, says Putin

"We also want to end the conflict, and as soon as possible" - but "only on our terms," Putin said. The Russian leader didn't specify what conditions must be met for peace

Russia launches record 90 drones on Ukraine during early hours of new year

Russia launched a record 90 Shahed-type drones over Ukraine during the early hours of the new year, the Ukrainian air force said Monday, while Russia also reported Ukrainian attacks. A 15-year-old boy was killed and seven people wounded after falling debris from one of 87 downed drones hit a residential building in the city of Odesa, the head of the region's military administration, Oleh Kiper, said. Debris also sparked a number of small fires, including at the city's port. In the western city of Lviv, Russian attacks severely damaged a museum dedicated to Roman Shukhevych, a controversial Ukrainian nationalist and military commander who fought for Ukrainian independence during World War II. University buildings in the town of Dubliany were also damaged, although no casualties were reported. Writing on social media, Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi described the strike as symbolic and cynical, adding, this is a war for our history." Meanwhile, four people were killed and 13 more wounded .

New Year's Eve celebrations roll across Asia, but wars cast shadow on 2024

Revellers across Asia celebrated the countdown to midnight on New Year's Eve with fireworks and brightly lit signs offering a hopeful start to 2024 for some, even as the globe's ongoing conflicts raised security concerns and let to muted or even cancelled festivities. As the clock struck midnight in Australia, more than 1 million people a number equivalent to one in five of the city's residents watched a 12-minute firework display focused on the Sydney Harbor Bridge from the shore and from boats in the harbour. It's total madness, said German tourist Janna Thomas, who had waited in line since 7.30 am to secure a prime waterfront location in the Sydney Botanic Garden. Organisers worldwide have readied for large-scale celebrations despite the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine. In New York City, where there have been near-daily protests sparked by the Israel-Hamas war, officials and party organizers said they were prepared to ensure the safety of tens of thousands of revelers who wil

Fresh drone strikes on Ukraine after Russia promises retaliation for attack

Russia launched a fresh drone assault on Ukraine on Saturday night, after promising that strikes on the Russian border city of Belgorod earlier in the day would not go unpunished. The Ukrainian Air Force said Sunday that it had shot down 21 of 49 drones launched by Russian forces overnight. Twenty-eight people were wounded in an attack on the eastern city of Kharkiv, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said Sunday. A central hotel, apartment buildings, kindergarten, shops and administrative buildings sustained damage, according to the regional prosecutor's office. In the Kyiv region that surrounds the capital, a Russian drone attack caused a fire to break out at a critical infrastructure facility, local officials said. They did not identify the facility further. The Russian attacks came after shelling in the center of the Russian border city of Belgorod Saturday killed 24 people, including three children. A further 108 people were wounded in the strike, regional governor Vyacheslav Glad

Putin lauds Russian unity in New Year's address as war shadows celebration

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Russia's united society in his prerecorded New Year's address to the nation, the country's state news agencies reported Sunday. Putin addressed Russians in a video that ran under four minutes long, significantly shorter than the New Year's speech he gave last year, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. Millions of people were expected to watch the new address when it airs on TV as each Russian time zone region counts down the final minutes of 2023 on Sunday. The first to see it were residents of the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Chukotka region in Russia's Far East, some nine hours ahead of Moscow. Returning to tradition after speaking flanked by soldiers last year, Putin delivered his address to the nation against the backdrop of a snowy Kremlin. In remarks carried by RIA Novosti, he described 2023 as a year marked by high levels of unity in Russian society. What united us and unites us is the fate of the Fatherland, a deep understandin

21 killed in Russia's Belgorod following aerial attacks across Ukraine

Shelling in the centre of the Russian border city of Belgorod Saturday killed 21 people, including three children, local officials reported. A further 110 people were wounded in the strike, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, making it one of the deadliest attacks on Russian soil since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine 22 months ago. Russian authorities accused Kyiv of carrying out the attack, which took place the day after an 18-hour aerial bombardment across Ukraine killed at least 41 civilians. Images of Belgorod on social media showed burning cars and plumes of black smoke rising among damaged buildings as air raid sirens sounded. One strike hit close to a public ice rink in the very heart of the city, which lies 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of the Ukrainian border and 415 miles (670 kilometers) south of Moscow. While previous attacks have hit the city, they have rarely taken place in daylight and have claimed fewer lives. Russia's Defence Ministry said it ...

Zelenskyy urges global response to Russia's 'latest act of terror'

In response to the devastating attacks that left at least 31 people dead and over 150 injured, Ukraine urgently called for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

Western assets will meet same fate if Russian assets are seized: Kremlin

Leaders of the Group of Seven major industralised nations will discuss a new legal theory that would enable the seizure of frozen Russian assets when they meet in February

Russia unleashes one of biggest aerial barrages against Ukraine: Zelenskyy

Russia launched about 110 missiles as well as drones against Ukrainian targets during the night Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday, killing at least seven civilians in what appeared to be one of the biggest aerial barrages of the 22-month war. Most of the incoming missiles and drones were shot down during the roughly 18-hour onslaught, according to Zelenskyy. However, scores of people were injured and an unknown number of people were buried under rubble, Ukrainian officials said. Among the buildings damaged across Ukraine were a maternity hospital, apartment blocks and schools. Zelenskyy said the Kremlin's forces used a wide variety of weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles. Today, Russia used nearly every type of weapon in its arsenal, Zelenskyy said on sopcial media platform X, formerly Twitter. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said Russia apparently launched everything they have in the attack. If Zelenskyy's count is confirmed, it would be the

Russian poet receives 7-year prison sentence for reciting anti-war verses

A Russian poet was given a 7-year prison sentence Thursday for reciting verses against Russia's war in Ukraine, a tough punishment that comes during a relentless Kremlin crackdown on dissent. Moscow's Tverskoi District Court convicted Artyom Kamardin on charges of making calls undermining national security and inciting hatred, which related to him reading his anti-war poems during a street performance in downtown Moscow in September 2022. Yegor Shtovba, who participated in the event and recited Kamardin's verses, was sentenced to 5 1/2 years on the same charges. The gathering next to the monument to poet Vladimir Mayakovsky was held days after President Vladimir Putin ordered a mobilization of 300,000 reservists amid Moscow's military setbacks in Ukraine. The widely unpopular move prompted hundreds of thousands to flee Russia to avoid being recruited into the military. Police swiftly dispersed the performance and soon arrested Kamardin and several other participants. Russian media

US announces final military aid package worth $250 million for Ukraine

'This package provides up to $250 million of arms and equipment under previously directed drawdowns for Ukraine'

Russia-India ties going strong despite turbulences: Putin to Jaishankar

Russia's relations with India and its people are making "steady headway" despite the "current turbulences" in the world, President Vladimir Putin has said and expressed confidence that the two countries will maintain their traditionally friendly ties in "any alignment of political forces" after elections in India. Putin's remarks came on Wednesday when visiting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on him at the Kremlin. "We are very pleased to note that despite the current turbulences in the world, relations with our traditional friends in Asia, with India and the Indian people are making steady headway," Putin said. The ties between India and Russia remained strong notwithstanding Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue. "We know Prime Minister Modi's position and we have repeatedly spoken about this the position concerning his ...