Page 118 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

G20: Outcome document adopted; Russia, China object to para on Ukraine war

The G20-Chief Science Advisers' Roundtable in Gujarat on Monday concluded with the unanimous adoption of the 'Outcome Document' which focussed on the need to have a 'One Health' approach to collectively address health threats to humans, animals and the environment for better disease prevention, control, and pandemic preparedness. Owing to the objections raised by both Russia and China, a paragraph on the war in Ukraine was classified as 'Chair Summary', while remaining 16 paragraphs became part of the 'Outcome Document' that was unanimously adopted by all the member countries, said an official release. Chief science advisers and the nominated equivalents from G20 members and guest countries met during the day at Mahatma Mandir here for the second meeting of the G20-Chief Science Advisers' Roundtable under India's G20 presidency. "We are very hopeful and convinced that the next presidency of Brazil will take it forward. In this roundtable, the focus was on three themes - One Health f

Evacuation order finds few followers in Ukraine despite Russia's push

The thunder of mortar fire echoes in the distance as 5-year old David approaches his mother with an innocent request: Can he play with the baseball bat a relative gave him as a gift? Valeria Pototska rolls her eyes and tells her son no for the umpteenth time. It's a toy for big kids, she scolds. The boy, who doesn't so much as flinch when the weapons not far from their town in northeast Ukraine shoot off more rounds, pouts and peddles away on his bicycle. Other neighborhood children frolic in a playground in Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, seemingly immune to the war unfolding 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) away. Ukrainian authorities this month ordered a mandatory evacuation of the village and three dozen other populated areas as war returned to Kharkiv province. So far, most residents have refused to go as the battle inches closer to their backyards. It's normal, Pototska said of the soundtrack of weapons that punctuates the monotony of their daily lives. Olena Kanivets, a friend sitting beside her

Two killed, five injured in Ukraine after Russia launched missile strike

Andrii Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President's office, said the strike caused an explosion at an oil mill in the village of Hoholeve

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin confirmed dead in plane crash: Russia

Russia's Investigative Committee has confirmed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash. The committee said in a statement Sunday that after forensic testing, all 10 bodies recovered at the site of the crash were identified, and their identities conform to the manifest. Russia's civil aviation authority earlier this week said Prigozhin, along with some of his top lieutenants, were on the list of those on board the plane that crashed Wednesday.

Russia denies involvement in plane crash that killed Wagner chief Prigozhin

Prigozhin was a former close aide of Russian President Vladimir Putin until he initiated a rebellion in June 2023. Prigozhin controlled a network of companies including Wagner private military group

Russia's Wagner group faces uncertainty after presumed death of leader

The Wagner Group's presence extends from the ancient battlegrounds of Syria to the deserts of sub-Saharan Africa, projecting the Kremlin's global influence with mercenaries accused of using brutal force and profiting on mineral riches they seized. But that was under Yevgeny Prigozhin, who in what could have been his final video released earlier this week appeared in military fatigues and held an assault rifle from an unidentified dry and dusty plain as he boasted that Wagner is making Russia even greater on all continents and Africa even more free. On Wednesday, a private jet carrying Prigozhin and his top lieutenants of the mercenary group crashed northwest of Moscow, two months after he led an armed rebellion that challenged the authority of President Vladimir Putin. There is wide speculation that Prigozhin, who is presumed dead, was targeted for his uprising, although the Kremlin has denied involvement. That crash has raised questions about the future of the Wagner Group. In ...

Russia's Wagner mercenaries face uncertainty after death of Prigozhin

The Wagner Group's presence extends from the ancient battlegrounds of Syria to the deserts of sub-Saharan Africa, projecting the Kremlin's global influence with mercenaries accused of using brutal force and profiting on mineral riches they seized. But that was under Yevgeny Prigozhin, who in what could have been his final video released earlier this week appeared in military fatigues and held an assault rifle from an unidentified dry and dusty plain as he boasted that Wagner is making Russia even greater on all continents and Africa even more free. On Wednesday, a private jet carrying Prigozhin and his top lieutenants of the mercenary group crashed northwest of Moscow, two months after he led an armed rebellion that challenged the authority of President Vladimir Putin. There is wide speculation that Prigozhin, who is presumed dead, was targeted for his uprising, although the Kremlin has denied involvement. That crash has raised questions about the future of the Wagner Group. In ...

Vladimir Putin probably approved Yevgeny Prigozhin's killing, say US, UK

In Putin's first comments on the crash, the Russian president said on state TV Thursday that "preliminary information says that some Wagner employees were there"

Value chains to MSMEs, G20 ministerial meeting lays out focus areas

The ministerial meeting occurred against the backdrop of the global challenges that international trade growth has been facing

Russia denies role in plane crash believed to have killed Yevgeny Prigozhin

President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, on Friday rejected allegations that the Kremlin was behind a plane crash that is presumed to have killed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose brutal fighters were feared in Ukraine, Africa and Syria and conducted a brief but shocking mutiny in Russia two months ago. Prigozhin, who was listed among those on board the plane, was eulogised by Putin, even as suspicions grew that the Russian leader was behind a Wednesday crash that many saw as an assassination. A preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded that the plane was downed by an intentional explosion. One of the US and Western officials who described the initial US assessment said it determined that Prigozhin was very likely targeted and that the explosion falls in line with Putin's long history of trying to silence his critics. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment, did not offer any details about what

Russian mercenary chief's likely death could destabilize his army: UK

Britain's defense ministry said on Friday that the presumed death of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash could destabilise the Wagner Group, whose brutal fighters were feared in Ukraine, Africa and Syria and conducted a brief but shocking mutiny in Russia. Prigozhin, who was listed among those on board, was eulogized Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, even as suspicions grew that the Russian president was behind a Wednesday crash that many saw as an assassination. Russian authorities have not yet confirmed Prigozhin's death. The British ministry wrote that It is highly likely that he is indeed dead. However, it noted that he is known to exercise exceptional security measures. The demise of Prigozhin almost certainly would have a deeply destabilizing effect on the Wagner Group. His personal attributes of hyperactivity, exceptional audacity, a drive for results and extreme brutality permeated Wagner and are unlikely to be matched by any successor, t

Heineken sells its Russian operations for 1 euro, takes 300-mn-euro hit

Dutch brewer Heineken has completed its withdrawal from Russia, 18 months after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, selling its business in Russia for just 1 euro, the company announced Friday. Heineken said it would incur a total loss of 300 million euros ($325 million) for the sale to Russian manufacturing giant the Arnest Group. Heineken had faced criticism for the slow pace of its exit in the wake of the outbreak of war, but insisted it was seeking to look after its local employees in Russia. In March last year, Heineken had said it was quitting Russia as its business there was no longer sustainable nor viable in the current environment," but added that it wanted to ensure an orderly transfer to a new owner. While it took much longer than we had hoped, this transaction secures the livelihoods of our employees and allows us to exit the country in a responsible manner, Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink said in a statement. The sale covers all of Heineken's assets i

Prigozhin's death removes one problem, may create new ones for Putin

The United States is looking at a number of theories over what brought down the plane, including a surface-to-air missile hitting it, U.S. officials told Reuters

Yevgeny Prigozhin's death won't change the face of Vladimir Putin's war

Putin has gambled that he and his people have more patience, staying power and guts than does the decadent West

Putin's chef, dead in plane crash: Who was Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin?

In 2014, Prigozhin founded Wagner, a private military company. Its fighters were used in support of Moscow's allies in countries including Syria, Libya and the Central African Republic

Russia, Ukraine trade drone attacks; Kyiv claims it took out key defense

Russia and Ukraine traded drone attacks early on Wednesday, officials said, with Kyiv apparently targeting Moscow again and the Kremlin's forces launching another bombardment of Ukrainian grain storage depots in what have recently become signature tactics in the almost 18-month war. Later Wednesday, the Ukrainian intelligence agency claimed it had destroyed a key Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system in occupied Crimea. If confirmed, it would be another embarrassing blow for Moscow, as Ukraine increasingly targets Russia's assets far behind the front line in southern and eastern Ukraine. The agency, known by its acronym GUR, claimed on its official Telegram channel that Russia has a limited number of the sophisticated systems and that the loss is a painful blow. Moscow officials made no immediate comment. The long-range S-400 missiles are capable of striking enemy aircraft and are regarded as one of the best such systems available. They have a range of 400 kilometers

India hopeful of consensus among G20 nations on 5 trade, investment issues

G20 nations also aim to remove bottlenecks that impede integration of MSMEs in international trade

Blood and billions: Here's a look at the cost of Russia's war in Ukraine

Russia's expenditure on the war is a state secret, but it coincides with a major shock to the Russian economy from the toughest ever Western sanctions imposed after the invasion

Zelenskyy thanks Denmark for pledging to send F-16s for use against Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Danish lawmakers on Monday for helping his country resist Russia's invasion, a day after Denmark and the Netherlands announced they will provide Kyiv with American-made F-16 warplanes that could be delivered around the end of the year. Zelenskyy told the lawmakers that if Russia's invasion is successful, other parts of Europe would be at risk from the Kremlin's military aggression. All of Russia's neighbours are under threat if Ukraine does not prevail, he said in a speech in Copenhagen. Zelenskyy portrays Ukraine as defending Western values of freedom and democracy against tyranny. He has argued that Ukraine needs to be properly provisioned to fend off Russia's much bigger force. Ukraine has been pressing its Western allies for months to give it F-16s. Its armed forces are still using aging Soviet-era combat planes from the 1970s and '80s, and its counteroffensive against Russian positions is advancing without air support, which ...

Netherlands, Denmark will give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine: Dutch PM

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Sunday told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the Netherlands and Denmark will give F-16 warplanes to Ukraine. Rutte, meeting with Zelenskyy at a Dutch air base, said the planes would be delivered once unspecified conditions are met. The announcement came minutes after Rutte and Zelenskyy inspected two gray F-16 jets parked in a hangar at the base. The offer came two days after the Netherlands and Denmark said the US had authorized the countries to deliver American-made F-16s to Ukraine.