Page 111 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

Russia maneuvers carefully over Israel war; seeks to expand global clout

Russia has issued carefully calibrated criticism of both sides in the war between Israel and Hamas. But the conflict also is giving Moscow bold new opportunities - to advance its role as a global power broker and challenge Western efforts to isolate it over Ukraine. While Moscow lacks leverage to mediate a settlement in the Middle East, it could try to play on some perceived credibility problems with the West's response to the crisis. It also expects the Israel-Hamas war to distract attention from the fighting in Ukraine and erode support for Kyiv. There are risks for Moscow, however. It could damage its relationship with Israel, which until now has kept it from sending weapons to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on towns in southern Israel. At the same time, he warned Israel against blockading the Gaza Strip, likening it to Nazi Germany's siege of Leningrad during World War II. He has cast the war as a failure of U.S. ..

Russian naval assets no longer safe in Black Sea near Crimea: Zelenskyy

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Tuesday that recent Ukrainian attacks have denied the Russian fleet safe bases and secure maritime corridors in the western part of the Black Sea, as Kyiv's troops look to squeeze the Kremlin's occupying forces out of the Crimean Peninsula. Crimea provides rear support for Moscow's battlefield efforts further west and has been a frequent target for Ukrainian forces during the war since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Russian fleet is no longer capable of operating in the western part of the Black Sea and is gradually retreating from Crimea, Zelenskyy claimed, without providing evidence. This is a historic achievement. Ukraine is keen to show that billions of dollars' worth of weapons supplied by its Western allies have allowed it to make progress in the fighting, as the conflict enters its 21st month amid a broad stalemate. With the war poised to extend into another winter and likely deep into next year, Kyiv is pushing its allies

Rupee stable, forward premia dip on RBI's likely $5 billion forex rollover

The rupee settled at Rs 83.19 per US dollar on Monday, against Rs 83.12 a dollar on Friday

LIVE: Air quality likely to worsen; Grap stage 2 enforced in Delhi

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Biden requests $105 billion from US Congress for aid in Israel, Ukraine

The request will further seek additional funding for the US-Mexico border and priorities in the Indo-Pacific region

US veto at UN to shield Israel could compromise its Ukraine rallying cry

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield justified Wednesday's veto by telling the council more time was needed for diplomacy

Army commanders discuss Israel-Hamas issue and Russia-Ukraine war in Delhi

Top commanders of the Indian Army deliberated on the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas conflict at a five-day conclave to draw relevant lessons besides focusing on ways to make the force "future ready" in line with with emerging contours of threats and challenges. The situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and ways to enhance the Army's combat readiness to deal with any contingencies also figured at the Army Commanders' Conference that took place in Delhi from October 16 to 20. The apex leadership brainstormed on the current and emerging security scenarios and reviewed the operational preparedness of the Indian Army, officials said, adding they also delved into "foundational aspects" of organisational structures and evolving training regimes. The recent glacial lake burst and subsequent flash floods in Sikkim as well as state of preparedness were also deliberated upon with a focus on instituting mechanisms for better response to such situations. The Army ...

US commitment to Ukraine a key issue as President Biden meets EU leaders

Saddled with a dysfunctional Congress, President Joe Biden has the task of assuring European Union leaders on Friday that the United States can nonetheless deliver on promises to send tens of billions of dollars' worth of aid to wartime Ukraine and Israel. The Oval Office sit-down comes at a moment when domestic U.S. political chaos could further destabilize an increasingly chaotic world. Many of Biden's shared priorities with the EU depend on getting a budget through Congress a tough task given that the House lacks an elected speaker and differences with some Republican lawmakers over aid for Ukraine could force a federal government shutdown in November. Along with addressing Ukraine's efforts to repel Russia and the fallout from Hamas' attack on Israel, the U.S. and EU leaders are also figuring out how to manage climate change, economic competition with China and trade and tax issues. One day ahead of his meeting with Biden, European Council President Charles Michel expressed ...

Biden declares support for Israel and Ukraine is 'vital' for US security

President Joe Biden declared it is vital for America's national security for Israel and Ukraine to succeed in their wars, making the case Thursday night for deepening US involvement in a rare Oval Office address as he preparedto ask for billions of dollars in military assistance for both countries. If international aggression is allowed to continue, Biden said, conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world. Hamas and Putin represent different threats," Biden said. "But they share this in common. They both want to completely annihilate a neighbouring democracy. He said he would send an urgent funding request to Congress, which is expected to be roughly USD 100 billion over the next year. The proposal, which will be unveiled on Friday, includes money for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, humanitarian aid and border management. It's a smart investment that's going to pay dividends for American security for generations," Biden said. Biden hopes that combining all of these issues

Russian, N Korean ministers meet amid suspicions about weapons' transfers

The foreign ministers of Russia and North Korea met Thursday in Pyongyang for talks expected to focus on how to boost their military ties, days after the United States accused the North of sending fresh shipments of munitions to Russia to support its war efforts in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov flew to Pyongyang on Wednesday for a two-day trip. During a reception speech later in the day, Lavrov said he thanked North Korea for its strong support for Russia's war on Ukraine. The focus of outside attention to Lavrov's visit is whether the two countries would provide any hints of how they would solidify their security cooperation or announce the timing for Russian President Vladimir Putin's promised trip to Pyongyang to reciprocate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit to Russia's Far East last month. During his travel to Russia, Kim met Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia's most important domestic space launch center, and inspected other key Russian ...

Biden to address US on response to Hamas' attacks, Russia-Ukraine war

US President Joe Biden, a day after his return from Israel, would deliver a prime time address to the nation on Thursday to state the country's stand on the Hamas' attacks against Israel and Russia-Ukraine war, the White House said Wednesday. Tomorrow, President Biden will address the nation to discuss our response to Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel and Russia's ongoing brutal war against Ukraine, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. This speech will be delivered from the Oval Office at 8:00pm ET, she said. Biden was on his way back from Israel when the White House issued the statement.

Putin, Xi gather for family photo at "One Belt, One Road" forum in China

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping posed for a family photograph ceremony at the 3rd International Forum "One Belt, One Road" on Wednesday

Ukraine uses US-provided long-range ATACMS missiles against Russian forces

The United States has quietly delivered a small number of long-range ballistic missiles that Ukraine said it urgently needed and that President Joe Biden promised last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Tuesday, saying they were used on the battlefield against Russia and executed very accurately. Today I express special gratitude to the United States," Zelenskyy said in his evening address, adding that the missiles have proven themselves. The US has refused to discuss the delivery publicly, but officials familiar with the move also confirmed it earlier in the day. Fewer than a dozen of the missiles got into Ukraine within the last few days, said officials. Their arrival at the warfront gives Ukraine a critical ability to strike Russian targets that are farther away, allowing Ukrainian forces to stay safely out of range. The officials were not authorised to publicly discuss the matter before an official announcement and spoke Tuesday on the condition of ...

Putin begins China visit, underscores ties amid Ukraine war, Gaza conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a visit that underscores China's support for Moscow during its war in Ukraine as well as Russian backing for China's bid to expand its economic and diplomatic influence abroad. The two countries have forged an informal alliance against the United States and other democratic nations that is now complicated by the Israel-Hamas war. China has sought to balance its ties with Israel against its relations with Iran and Syria, two countries that are strongly backed by Russia and with which China has forged ties for economic reasons as well as to challenge Washington's influence in the Middle East. Putin's plane was met by an honour guard as the Russian leader began his visit that is also a show of support for Chinese leader Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road' initiative to build infrastructure and expand China's overseas influence. In an interview to Chinese state media, Putin praised the massive but loosely linked BRI ..

UNSC rejects Russia's resolution on Gaza that fails to mention Hamas

The UN Security Council rejected a Russian resolution Monday night that condemned violence and terrorism against civilians but made no mention of Hamas, whose surprise attack that killed 1,300 Israelis was the worst Jewish massacre since the World War II Nazi Holocaust. Only four countries joined Russia in voting for the resolution China, United Arab Emirates, Mozambique and Gabon. Four countries voted against it the United States, Britain, France and Japan. The other six countries abstained. For a resolution to be adopted it needs a minimum of nine yes votes in the 15-member council. The UN's most powerful body, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, has failed to respond to Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel that killed some 1,300 people and to Israel's retaliatory airstrikes that have killed 2,750 and its order to Gazans in the north to head south to avoid an expected ground war. Britain's UN ambassador, Barbara Woodward, said it would be ...

Putin stresses Israel's right to defend itself but calls for free Palestine

Russia proceeds "from the postulate, a negotiated solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has no alternatives," said Putin

Russia will never be seen as reliable energy supplier: US energy official

Russia has played down the impact of Western sanctions, saying they are used by the United States to eliminate Moscow as a competitor in global energy supplies

WTO chief warns of 'big impact' on trade if Israel-Hamas conflict widens

"Everybody's on eggshells and hoping for the best," she said

The lucky cohort

Unlike those born in the 1940s and '50s, the current generation can no longer take global peace and lifelong economic progress for granted

Ukraine receives $1.15 billion grant from US under World Bank program

The PEACE (Public Expenditures for Administrative Capacity Endurance) in Ukraine project has been the World Bank's flagship financing instrument for Kyiv during Russia's war on Ukraine