Page 131 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

Germany enters recession as energy prices soared after Ukraine war

First-quarter output shrank 0.3% from the previous three months following a 0.5% drop between October and December, statistics office. Its initial estimate, last month, was for stagnation

Damage to Russian-occupied dam submerges Ukrainian island community

The rising waters came as a relief at first, for both the tiny community living on the islands in the southern Kakhovka Reservoir and for everyone who had feared the low levels risked a meltdown at the nearby Russian-occupied nuclear power plant. Since mid-February, the water level in the reservoir has steadily increased, according to data from Theia, a French geospatial analytical organization. An Associated Press analysis of satellite imagery showed the water has now risen so high that it's washing over the top of the damaged Russian-occupied dam downstream. The waves first covered the natural shoreline, then submerged the marsh grasses. Next they came for Lyudmila Kulachok's garden, then Ihor Medyunov's guest room. The wild boars fled for higher ground, replaced by water fowl. Medyunov's four dogs have an ever-smaller patch of grass to roam, and Kulachok serves meals on a picnic table sloshing through the murk in waders. Ukraine controls five of the six dams along the Dnipro Rive

Here's a look at companies leaving Russia and those staying back

More than 500 companies have suspended their business in Russia, and a similar number have withdrawn completely. An additional 151 are scaling back, 175 are buying time and 230 are digging in, according to database kept by Yale University. Chinese companies figure prominently in the last category. Here's a look at some of the Western companies that have chosen to stay or exit Russia: LEAVE Volkswagen on Friday closed a deal to sell its Russian business, including its plant in the western city of Kaluga with 4,000 employees, to an entity supported by Russian dealer Avilon. The agreement had been delayed for months by a lawsuit from Russian automaker GAZ. It made cars under contract for VW until the partnership was ended by what the Germany company calls a mutual agreement in May 2022. Though VW has disposed of its Russia business, it still must contend with the lawsuits. KFC owner Yum! Brands withdrew from Russia in March 2022 and some of the restaurants have rebranded as Rostic'

Russia to respond promptly, harshly to future incursions: Defence minister

Russia will respond quickly and extremely harshly to future incursions, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting with senior defence officials

Russia's upper house supports denunciation of armed forces treaty with NATO

The upper house of the parliament of Russia announced on social media that its senators approved a bill on the denunciation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE)

EU defence ministers fail to agree on new military aid to Ukraine amid war

The bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell recalled that more than 10 billion euros in military support have already been provided to Ukraine

Russia claims victory over 'Ukrainian nationalists' who broke into Belgorod

"A Ukrainian nationalist formation" that broke into Russia's Belgorod region has been defeated, the Russian Defence Ministry said

Russia pushes India for help to avert its global financial isolation

Many countries in the so-called Global South including India have stayed mostly neutral over Russia's aggression against Ukraine. That balancing act was on display at a Group of Seven summit in Japan

G7 ends with Ukraine in focus as Prez Zelenskyy meets world leaders

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy huddled with some of his biggest backers as the Group of Seven summit closed in Hiroshima on Sunday, building momentum for his country's war effort even as Russia claimed a battlefield victory that was quickly disputed by Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader's in-person appearance in his trademark olive drab underscored the centrality of the war for the G7 bloc of rich democracies. It also stole much of the limelight from other priorities, including security challenges in Asia and outreach to the developing world, that the leaders focused on at the three-day gathering. Hosting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the group was committed to strong backing for Ukraine from every possible dimension. Zelenskyy held two major rounds of meetings Sunday, one with G7 leaders and a second with them and a host of invited guests including India and South Korea. He also spoke one-on-one with several leaders. Hanging over Sunday's talks was the Russian cl

Zelenskyy denies Ukrainian city of Bakhmut occupied by Russian forces

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russian forces weren't occupying Bakhmut, casting doubt on Moscow's claims that the eastern Ukrainian city has fallen. Responding to a reporter's question about the status of the city at the Group of Seven meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, Zelenskyy said, Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation as of today. The fog of war made it impossible to confirm the situation on the ground in the invasion's longest battle, and a series of comments from Ukrainian and Russian officials added confusion to the matter. Zelenskyy's response in English to a question earlier at the summit about the status of Bakhmut was interpreted by many as saying the city had fallen to Russian forces. For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts. There is nothing in this place, Zelenskyy said in those earlier comments, adding that the fight had left nothing in Bakhmut but a lot of dead Russians.

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Quad leaders express concern over humanitarian consequences of Ukraine war

The Quad leaders on Saturday mourned the "terrible and tragic" humanitarian consequences of the war in Ukraine and called for ending the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy while asserting that it must not be an era of war, a formulation that echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's position. Modi, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, the leaders of the four Quad nations, discussed the situation in Ukraine along with other pressing global challenges at the annual summit of the grouping in Hiroshima. In his address at the summit, Modi described the Indo-Pacific region as an "engine" of global trade, innovation and development and said its success and security are important for the whole world. The prime minister emphasised the importance of consolidating Quad's constructive agenda and delivering tangible outcomes for the region. Modi also invited Quad leaders to India for the next summit of the grouping in ...

India will do whatever is possible to find solution to war: PM to Zelenskyy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held in-person talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time after Russia invaded Ukraine 15 months back and conveyed to him that India will do whatever is possible to find a solution to the conflict. In the meeting that took place on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, the prime minister said that the war in Ukraine is a "very big issue" for the whole world and that it has had many different impacts on the globe. "I wish to assure you that India and I, in my personal capacity, will do whatever is possible to find a solution to this (conflict)," Modi said in his opening remarks at the talks. The prime minister told the Ukrainian leader that he does not see the conflict as a political or economic issue and that for him, it is an issue of humanity and human values. Since the Ukraine conflict began in February last year, Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Zelenskyy a number of times during

G7 urges China to press Russia to end Ukraine war, respect Taiwan's status

The Group of Seven wealthy democracies united Saturday in urging China to pressure its strategic partner Russia to end its war on Ukraine. In a joint statement issued Saturday, the G7 leaders emphasised they did not want to harm China and were seeking constructive and stable relations with Beijing, recognising the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China. We call on China to press Russia to stop its military aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine, it said. We encourage China to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on territorial integrity and the principles and purposes of the U.N. Charter, including in direct talks with Ukraine. Cooperation with China is needed given its global role and economic size, the group said, in appealing for working together on challenges such as climate change, biodiversity, debts and financing needs of of vulnerable countries, global health .

G7 members stand against Russia's 'unjustifiable' war against Ukraine

They resolved to strengthen disarmament and non-proliferation efforts, towards the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all

US to back providing F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine amid war with Russia: NSA

Zelenskyy has welcomed what he described as a "historic decision", adding that he looked forward to "discussing the practical implementation" of the plan

Share of Russia's grain exports settled in rubles to reach 30%: Official

Russia is also negotiating with importing countries on the creation of grain hubs in them, and on the creation of joint ventures in Russia for grain processing

US helping Ukraine with F-16s shows how for military aid, no can become yes

The US has once again buckled under pressure from European allies and Ukraine's leaders and agreed to provide more sophisticated weapons to the war effort. This time it's all about F-16 fighter jets. Ukraine has long begged for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge as it battles Russia's invasion, now in its second year. And this new plan opens the door for several nations to supply the fourth-generation aircraft and for the US to help train the pilots. President Joe Biden laid out the agreement to world leaders meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, on Friday, according to US officials. So far, however, the US has provided no details and said decisions on when, how many, and who will supply the F-16s will be made in the months ahead while the training is underway. Details on the training are equally elusive. US officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss decisions not yet made public. Still, with this decision, the Biden administration has made a sharp reversal, after .

Russia bans entry of 500 Americans including ex-Prez Obama, Colbert

In response to a new round of U.S. sanctions, Russia announced Friday that it was banning 500 Americans from entering the country, including former President Barack Obama and comedian Stephen Colbert. The list released by the Foreign Ministry did not specify complaints against each individual. But the ministry said the offenses included spreading Russophobia, supplying Ukraine with arms, and officials who are directly involved in the persecution of dissidents in the wake of the so-called storm of the Capitol.'" The ban includes 45 members of the U.S. House, Sens. J.D. Vance, Katie Britt and Eric Schmitt, and former ambassadors to Russia John Tefft and Jon Huntsman. The ministry said it had also denied a U.S. request for consular access to Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested in late March and charged with espionage. The ministry said that was in response to the United States denying visas to Russian journalists who wanted to cover Foreign Minister Serg

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