Page 132 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

UK extends Russian export ban to diamonds, metals over Ukraine conflict

The UK on Friday extended its package of sanctions against Russia with a ban on Russian diamonds, an industry worth USD 4 billion in exports in 2021, as well as imports of Russian-origin copper, aluminium and nickel and sanctioned 86 more people and entities linked with the country over the Russia-Ukraine conflict. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is in Japan for the G7 Summit, said the trade measures and individual sanctions will hit Russian President Vladimir Putin's key revenue streams. During talks with world leaders in Hiroshima the site of the World War II atomic bombing, Sunak warned against complacency in defending democratic values and standing up to autocratic regimes. For the sake of global peace and security, we must show that brutal violence and coercion does not reap rewards, said Sunak. As today's sanctions announcements demonstrate, the G7 remains unified in the face of the threat from Russia and steadfast in our support for Ukraine. We are meeting today in

Volodymyr Zelensky to visit Japan to attend G7 summit this weekend: Report

Zelensky will make the trip to seek a continued supply of aid and arms to the war-torn country

G7 leaders ready to pile fresh sanctions on Russia over Ukraine war

Leaders of the world's most powerful democracies planned to devote much of the first full day of the Group of Seven summit to finding new ways to punish Russia for its 15-month invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats against Ukraine, along with North Korea's months-long barrage of missile tests and China's rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal, have resonated with Japan's push to make nuclear disarmament a major part of the summit. World leaders Friday visited a peace park dedicated to the tens of thousands who died in the world's first wartime atomic bomb detonation. After group photos and a symbolic tree planting, a new round of sanctions were to be unveiled against Moscow, with a focus on redoubling efforts to enforce existing sanctions meant to stifle Russia's war effort and hold accountable those behind it, a U.S. official said. Russia is now the most-sanctioned country in the world, but there are questions about the effectiveness of the financial ..

World leaders land in Hiroshima for G7 meet, Ukraine war high on agenda

World leaders landed in Hiroshima on Thursday for a Group of Seven meeting, the site of the world's first atomic bomb attack, with Russia's war in Ukraine expected to be high on the agenda. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kicked off his summit diplomacy by meeting with US President Joe Biden after his arrival at a nearby military base. He was due to hold talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a bit later in the day, before the three-day summit opens on Friday. The Japan-US alliance is the very foundation of peace and security in the Indo- Pacific region, Kishida told Biden in opening remarks. We very much welcome that the cooperation has evolved in leaps and bounds, he said. When our countries stand together we stand stronger and I believe the whole world is safer when we do," Biden said. The US president exited Air Force One in heavy rain and briefly greeted troops on arrival at the nearby Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. As G-7 attendees made their way to Hiroshi

Ukraine says it shot down 29 of 30 Russia cruise missiles fired today

Russia fired 30 cruise missiles against different parts of Ukraine early Thursday in the latest nighttime test of Ukrainian air defences, which shot down 29 of them, officials said. One person died and two were wounded by a Russian missile that got through and struck an industrial building in the southern region of Odesa, according to Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the region's military administration. Loud explosions were heard in Kyiv as the Kremlin's forces targeted the capital for the ninth time this month in a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive using newly supplied advanced Western weapons. Debris fell on two Kyiv districts, starting a fire at a garage complex. There was no immediate word about any victims, Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv Military Administration, said in a Telegram post. Ukraine also shot down two Russian exploding drones and two reconnaissance drones, according to authorities. The bombardment .

China asks embassies to avoid 'propaganda' in pro-Ukrainian displays

Foreign embassies in Beijing were asked by the Chinese government to avoid displaying what it calls propaganda in an apparent response to shows of support for Ukraine. Chinese leader Xi Jinping's government says it is neutral in Moscow's 15-month-old invasion of Ukraine but has repeated Russian justifications, accusing Washington and the US-European military alliance NATO of provoking Moscow. A Chinese envoy visited Ukraine this week and was due to go to Russia to discuss a possible political settlement, but little progress is expected. The Chinese Foreign Ministry asked diplomatic missions last week not to use their exterior walls to display political propaganda, according to a European Union spokesperson and a diplomat from a European government. The May 8 request cites a need to avoid causing disputes between countries, but doesn't define propaganda or give other details, EU spokesperson Nabila Massrali wrote in a statement. Massrali said the EU Delegation in Beijing has not ..

Russia aerially attacked Kiev for 9th time this month today: Mayor

At least eight people were reportedly killed, including a five-year-old boy, and 17 others injured near Kherson due to shelling on Wednesday

Russia threat to exit Ukraine grain deal adds risk to global food security

The United Nations is racing to extend a deal that has allowed shipments of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea to parts of the world struggling with hunger, helping ease a global food crisis exacerbated by the war Russia launched more than a year ago. The breakthrough accord that the UN and Turkey brokered with the warring sides last summer came with a separate agreement to ease shipments of Russian food and fertiliser that Moscow insists hasn't been applied. Russia set a Thursday deadline for its concerns to be ironed out or it's bowing out. Such brinkmanship isn't new: With a similar extension in the balance in March, Russia unilaterally decided to renew the deal for just 60 days instead of the 120 days outlined in the agreement. UN officials and analysts warn that a failure to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative could hurt countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia that rely on Ukrainian wheat, barley, vegetable oil and other affordable food products, especially

Putin, Zelenskyy agree to meet with African peace mission: S Africa prez

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have agreed to separate meetings with a delegation of leaders from six African countries to discuss a possible plan to end the war in Ukraine, South Africa's president said Tuesday. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he spoke with Putin and Zelenskyy by phone over the weekend and they each agreed to host "an African leaders peace mission" in Moscow and Kyiv, respectively. Principal to our discussions are efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the devastating conflict in the Ukraine, Ramaphosa said. The leaders of Zambia, Senegal, Republic of Congo, Uganda and Egypt would make up the delegation along with Ramaphosa, he said in a statement. Putin and Zelenskyy gave him the go-ahead to commence the preparations, the South African leader said. Four of those six African countries South Africa, Republic of Congo, Senegal and Uganda abstained from a U.N. vote last year on condemning Russia's invasio

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Multiple events like Russia-Ukraine war disrupted supply chains: IAF Chief

The event organised by the IAF was held at the Air Force Auditorium in the national capital, where Air Chief Marshal Chaudhuri inaugurated the seminar and delivered the key-note address

S Korea, Japan use G-7 to push improvement in ties long marked by animosity

Amid the high-level efforts to deal with a raft of global emergencies, this weekend's Group of 7 summit of rich democracies will also see an unusual diplomatic reconciliation as the leaders of Japan and South Korea look to continue mending ties that have been marked for years by animosity and bickering. At first glance the two neighbours would seem to be natural partners. They are powerful, advanced democracies and staunch US allies in a region beset with autocratic threats. The continuing fallout, however, from centuries of complicated, acrimonious history, culminating in the brutal 1910-1945 Japanese colonization of the Korean Peninsula, has resulted in more wariness than friendship. A big part of the sudden recent shift in tone is a shared focus on China's growing aggressiveness, t he threat of North Korea's fast-improving arsenal of nuclear-capable missiles and deep worry about how Russia's war in Ukraine is influencing both issues. Some diplomatic nudging by Washington, which

Have communicated with China: Pentagon on stopping weapons supply to Russia

However, Pentagon does not have any indications that China has provided lethal assistance to Russia

Will visit UK on Europe tour to seek military aid: Ukrainian prez Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Britain on Monday, as the staunch ally of Ukraine prepares to give more military aid in an effort to change the course of the war. It will be the fourth European country Zelenskky has visited in the past few days. He made an unannounced visit to Paris on Sunday evening to meet French President Emmanuel Macron, after trips to Germany and Italy, where he met those countries' leaders and Pope Francis. A message posted Monday on Zelenskyy's official Telegram Channel said: "Today London. The UK is leading the way when it comes to expanding our capabilities on the ground and in the air. This cooperation will continue today. I will meet my friend Rishi. We will conduct substantive negotiations face-to-face and in delegations. Sunak's office confirmed the two leaders would meet at Chequers. the prime minister's country retreat outside London. The U.K. has become one of Ukraine's major military allies. Last week Britain announced it was sending Ukr

Ukraine is not attacking Russian territory, says President Zelenskyy

"We are preparing a counterattack to de-occupy the illegitimately conquered territories," Zelenskyy added

France to send more tanks, armoured vehicles to Ukraine amid Russia war

The trip to Paris was part of Zelenskyy's weekend-long whirlwind tour of several major European allies, ahead of an expected major Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia

Guest nations at G-7 worries over China's threats to Taiwan, Russia's war

This week's summit of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies in Hiroshima will include eight other guest nations, part of a complicated, high-stakes diplomatic gambit meant to settle the world's most serious crises. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has invited South Korea, Australia, India, Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, Comoros and the Cook Islands. Kishida hopes this mix of countries will help efforts to stand up to China's assertiveness and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to analysts. He also wants stronger ties with US allies and with developing nations and to make progress on working toward a nuclear-free world, something that looks increasingly difficult amid North Korean and Russian nuclear threats. Here's a look at what to expect as the rich world leaders welcome these guest countries: PUSHBACK ON CHINA, RUSSIA As their top diplomats did last month in a meeting in Nagano, Japan, the leaders of the G-7 nations -- the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Franc

Zelenskyy makes surprise visit to Paris for talks with French President

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will make a surprise visit to Paris for talks o Sunday night with French President Emmanuel Macron, extending a multi-stop European tour that has elicited fresh pledges of military support as his country gears up for a counteroffensive against Russian occupation forces. Macron's office announced the Paris leg of Zelenskyy's trip, and France dispatched a plane to pick up Zelenskyy in Germany, where he met Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier on Sunday. Macron's office said the two leaders will hold talks over dinner and that Macron will reaffirm France and Europe's unwavering support to reestablish Ukraine in its legitimate rights and to defend its fundamental interests. They'll also discuss Ukraine's military and humanitarian needs and the more long term perspectives for a return to peace in Europe," Macron's office said. France has supplied Ukraine with an array of weaponry, include air-defense systems, light tanks, howitzers and other arms and ..

G7 and European Union plan to ban restart of Russian gas pipelines

4 Russian military aircraft crash near border with Ukraine

Modi spoke to Putin, Zelensky, war stopped and students can return: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was instrumental in evacuation of Indian students from war-torn Ukraine. PM Modi spoke to (Russian president Vladimir) Putin and (Ukraine president Volodymyr) Zelensky. He also spoke to (US president Joe) Biden when needed. The war stopped briefly and Indian students in Ukraine could return home, Singh said. PM Modi did what no other country was able to do, the senior BJP leader said while addressing the Veer Shiromani Maharana Pratap Maha Sammelan here. Singh spoke of the valour and sacrifice of Maharana Pratap and the battle of Haldighati. Maharana Pratap ate rotis made of grass but never compromised with self-respect, he added. If you understand his dedication, then you will call his times as Maharana kal (era) and not as Mughal era, Singh said. Be it Haldighati or Galwan valley, India's head has always been held high and will remain so, the minister said. Singh said under Modi as PM, India's weapons ..