Page 123 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

Putin vows response against Crimea bridge blast, calls it terrorist attack

"Tonight another terrorist attack took place against the bridge," Putin said in a meeting with officials Monday

Russia halts grain deal as bridge to Crimea struck, claims Ukraine strike

The grain deal was hailed as preventing a global food emergency when it was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last year, halting a de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia

What is the Black Sea grain deal that is at risk of falling apart?

Russia and Ukraine are among the world's top grain exporters, and their conflict sent food prices surging around the world

China intensifies joint military exercises with Russia amid US sanctions

China and the armed forces of Vladimir Putin conducted six joint military exercises together last year, the most in data going back two decades

Putin says Wagner mercenary group 'doesn't exist' as it has no legal basis

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Wagner private military company simply doesn't exist as a legal entity, in comments adding to the series of often bizarre twists that have followed the group's abortive revolt last month the most serious threat to Putin's 23-year rule amid the war in Ukraine. There is no law on private military organisations. It simply doesn't exist, Putin told a Russian newspaper late Thursday, referring to the Wagner group. Putin recounted to Kommersant his own version of a Kremlin event attended by 35 Wagner commanders, including the group's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on June 29. That meeting came just five days after Prigozhin and his troops staged a stunning but short-lived rebellion against Moscow authorities. The meeting was revealed earlier this week by a Kremlin official. Putin said that at the talks, Wagner rejected an offer to keep its troops in Ukraine, where they have played key battlefield roles, under the leadership of their direct ...

Russia-Ukraine war discussion may be pushed to the last minute of G20 talks

On the first day, members discussed the preamble and conclusion paras of the proposed communique, he said

Ukraine repels large Russian missile, drone attack that injured civilians

Ukraine air defences shot down 20 Iranian-made drones fired by Russia mostly at the Kyiv region Thursday night, but wreckage fell on four districts of the capital, wounding two people and destroying several homes, officials said. The latest barrage by the Kremlin's forces began shortly after midnight, and explosions shook different parts of the city. Two people were hospitalised with shrapnel wounds, authorities said. In the capital, rescuers extinguished a fire in a 16-story building, as well as in a non-residential building, the Interior Ministry said. Debris also damaged the frontage of a 25-story apartment building, it said. Russian strikes have become a grim part of everyday life in Ukraine over the almost 17 months of the war. Volodymyr Motus, a 22-year-old resident of the 25-story building, carefully picked his way across the floor a destroyed apartment, his footsteps accompanied by the sound of shattered glass. The mangled furniture was coated in a thick layer of dust. I w

Concerned about impact of Russia-Ukraine conflict on Global South: PM Modi

India is deeply concerned about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, especially on the countries of the Global South, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, asserting that the conflict must end. In an interview to French newspaper Les Echos, he said India has always stood for peaceful resolution of differences through dialogue and diplomacy, and for respecting sovereignty of all nations while replying to questions about an "aggressive" China. To a query on China and if its massive investment in its defense capabilities is threatening the security of the region, Modi said while peace is necessary for the future India seeks to build, it is far from assured. "Our interests in the Indo-Pacific region are vast, and our engagement is deep. I have described our vision for this region in one word SAGAR, which stands for Security and Growth for All in the Region. While peace is necessary for the future we seek to build, it is far from assured," he said. India stands for respective ...

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being held in Russian prisons

The Ukrainian civilians woke long before dawn in the bitter cold, lined up for the single toilet and were loaded at gunpoint into the livestock trailer. They spent the next 12 hours or more digging trenches on the front lines for Russian soldiers. Many were forced to wear overlarge Russian military uniforms that could make them a target, and a former city administrator trudged around in boots five sizes too big. By the end of the day, their hands curled into icy claws. Nearby, in the occupied region of Zaporizhzhia, other Ukrainian civilians dug mass graves into the frozen ground for fellow prisoners who had not survived. One man who refused to dig was shot on the spot yet another body for the grave. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being detained across Russia and the Ukrainian territories it occupies, in centres ranging from brand-new wings in Russian prisons to clammy basements. Most have no status under Russian law. And Russia is planning to hold possibly thousands more.

2 hospitalised, buildings damaged in Kyiv by Russian drone strike overnight

Russian forces unleashed a barrage of self-exploding Iranian-made Shahed drones early Thursday morning, according to the Kyiv City Administration. Nearly ten drones were identified and shot down, the municipal authorities wrote on Telegram. Explosions were heard in different parts of the city, and debris from intercepted drones fell on five districts of the Ukrainian capital. Some buildings were damaged, and two people hospitalised with shrapnel wounds.

Ukraine wins G7 security pledges but Nato membership remains elusive

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed fresh pledges of weapons and ammunition to fight Russia's invasion along with longer-term security commitments from the West on Wednesday even as he expressed disappointment over the lack of a clear path for his country to join NATO as the alliance wrapped up its annual summit. "The Ukrainian delegation is bringing home a significant security victory for the Ukraine, for our country, for our people, for our children," he said while flanked by U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders from the Group of Seven most powerful democratic nations. A joint declaration issued by the G7 lays the groundwork for each nation to negotiate agreements to help Ukraine bolster its military over the long term. Zelenskyy described the initiative as a bridge toward eventual NATO membership and a deterrent against Russia. "We will not waver," Biden vowed after the summit in Lithuania ended. "I mean that. Our commitment to Ukraine will not weaken. We will

Biden, Zelenskyy praise each other despite divisions over Ukraine war

President Joe Biden wants Ukraine to win the war against Russia. But he doesn't want World War III - especially with nuclear weapons. Balancing those two goals has been difficult, and the tension was on particular display at the NATO summit in Vilnius this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an emotional, even caustic, demand for a clear path toward joining the alliance. But Biden, who was to try to showcase NATO's strength in a sum-up speech Wednesday evening, was not willing to take that step, even as the United States continues to provide more weapons and ammunition than any other country to Ukraine. The competing priorities in the midst of Europe's bloodiest war in generations created an undercurrent of friction even as Biden and Zelenskyy projected a united front during their meeting as the summit drew to a close. The public encounter had the vibe of two leaders clearing the air, and each conspicuously heaped praise on his counterpart. Biden lauded Zelenskyy a

Our unity will not falter, I promise you: Biden at Nato on Ukraine defence

President Joe Biden pledged Wednesday that western allies will not waver in defense of Ukraine, casting the struggle against Russian aggression as one of the world's central challenges. Our unity will not falter," Biden declared. "I promise you. He made the promise at the NATO summit in the capital of Lithuania, a country that he said knows the transformational power of freedom" after spending decades under Moscow's thumb. He drew parallels between Lithuania's struggle to escape Soviet rule and Ukraine's ongoing fight to repel Russia's deadly invasion, highlighting the importance of rallying allies to take on the challenge. America never recognised the Soviet occupation of the Baltic," he said to an outpouring of cheers from a crowd of thousands in a courtyard at Vilnius University draped with American and Lithuanian flags. "Never, never. More spectators gathered in an overflow area, where a big screen was set up. Biden spent two days in Vilnius for the annual NATO summit, where ..

Concerns over food security grow as Russia warns to pull out of grain deal

Concerns are growing that Russia will not extend a United Nations-brokered deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to parts of the world struggling with hunger, with ships no longer heading to the war-torn country's Black Sea ports and food exports dwindling. Turkey and the UN negotiated the breakthrough accord last summer to ease a global food crisis, along with a separate agreement with Russia to facilitate shipments of its food and fertiliser. Moscow insists it's still facing hurdles, though data shows it has been exporting record amounts of wheat. Russian officials repeatedly say there are no grounds for extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is up for its fourth renewal Monday. It's something they have threatened before then have twice gone on to extend the deal for two months instead of the four months outlined in the agreement. The UN and others are striving to keep the fragile deal intact, with Ukraine and Russia both major suppliers of wheat, barley, vegetable

Nato prepared to back Ukraine in fight but not to extend membership

NATO leaders prepared to provide Ukraine with more military assistance for fighting Russia but only vague assurances of future membership as the alliance's summit draws to a close on Wednesday. A draft agreement states that Ukraine can join NATO when allies agree and conditions are met." The ambiguous outcome reflects the challenges of reaching consensus among the alliance's current members while the war continues, and it is likely to leave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unsatisfied. Although Zelenskyy planned to attend the summit's final day, he has been sharply critical of what he described as NATO's absurd reluctance to set a timeline for his country's acceptance into the alliance. In essence, Western countries are willing to keep sending weapons to help Ukraine do the job that NATO was designed to do hold the line against a Russian invasion but not allow Ukraine to join its ranks and benefit from its security. Zelenskyy said in a Tuesday speech in a town square in .

Ukrainians train in survival skills to cope with dangers from Russia''s war

In a cramped municipal building in a residential area of the Ukrainian capital, a group of people take turns training to shoot using a replica of a machine gun with the help of a weapons training simulator relying on virtual reality. The nearly 20 participants all of them civilians and most of them women have never held a weapon before. With Russia's war on Ukraine now in its 17th month, the Kyiv City Administration has opened up training for civilians who want to learn survival skills, including how to shoot, provide first aid and recognise land mines. These and other skills could be used in a hostile environment provoked by missile strikes and other man-made disasters. In a dark room with tightly closed blinds, the unreal poof-poof sounds of the replica weapons are heard. People enthusiastically ask the instructors how to hold their weapons properly and ask to try one more time. "I am more than 45 years old. As soon as the opportunity arose, I decided that I needed to refresh s

US welcomes India's role in helping to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine

The United States has welcomed the role of India in helping achieve lasting peace in Ukraine, a senior administration official said Monday. "A strategic failure for Russia, which has seen an enormous loss of both military personnel, but military equipment. It's seen its standing in the world affected. It's seen its economy crippled by the sanctions and export controls we've imposed," Matthew Miller, Spokesperson of the State Department told reporters at a news conference here. "I will say with respect to what other countries of the world can do, we welcome the international support that Ukraine has received since the beginning of this conflict," he said in response to a question. "We welcome the role that India or any other country could play in helping achieve a just and lasting peace that recognizes Ukraine's territorial integrity and recognizes Ukraine's sovereignty," he said, adding that the United States believes that the war in Ukraine has been a strategic failure for ...

Russia has 'no red lines' to prevent attacks on nuclear plant, says Ukraine

The catastrophic collapse of a dam in southern Ukraine has made Kyiv worried that Russia might stage an attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to foment panic and quell Ukrainian advances on the frontline, Ukraine's energy minister said Monday. Herman Halushchenko said the destruction of the dam while under Russian control in the Kherson region proved there are no red lines for Moscow. He said it warrants the level of alarm Ukraine's leadership has been raising in recent weeks of an alleged Russian ploy to attack the nuclear plant in a possible false flag operation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged last week, citing intelligence reports, that Russian troops placed objects resembling explosives atop several power units to simulate an attack. Drone and satellite images obtained by the Associated Press showed unidentified white objects on the roof of the plant's fourth power unit, but Ukrainian leaders have so far been unable to provide further evidence. While Russia .

Russian military chief who was targeted by rebellion surfaced in video

Russia's Defence Ministry released a video Monday of the country's military chief, the first time Gen. Valery Gerasimov has been shown since the leader of a mercenary army sought his dismissal during a brief rebellion. In the video, Gerasimov is shown hearing a report from the chief of staff of Russia's aerospace forces and calling for improvement in identifying the location of Ukrainian missiles. During last month's short-lived revolt, the head of private defense company Wagner repeatedly denounced Gerasimov, who serves as chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu for denying supplies to his fighters in Ukraine. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenaries forces entered the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on June 23 and took control of the headquarters of Russia's southern military command. Wagner forces also moved toward Moscow, encountering little resistance. Prigozhin claimed that the uprising was not aimed at President ...

Russian air strike on Ukraine aid distribution at school branded war crime

A Russian airstrike on a school in southern Ukraine killed four adults as people gathered to receive humanitarian aid, the governor of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region said on Monday, branding the incident "a war crime. Three women and a man, all in their 40s, died in Sunday's attack in the town of Orikhiv, Gov. Yuriy Malashko said. A guided aerial bomb caused an explosion at the school, Malashko said, without providing evidence. Eleven other people were wounded in the attack, he said. Overall, Russia fired on 10 settlements in the province over the course of a day, he said. Moscow denies it targets civilian locations. Russia has been accused numerous times of doing so and committing other war crimes since its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022. In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. Broad ...