Page 185 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

Tiruppur exporters brace for slowdown, see demand dipping by 40%

Tiruppur contributed around 54.2 per cent of the country's textile exports last fiscal

Putin declares annexation of 4 Ukrainian regions in Kremlin ceremony

Russian President Vladimir Putin has opened a Kremlin ceremony to start the process of absorbing parts of Ukraine into Russia, defying international law. The annexation ceremony in the Kremlin's opulent white-and-gold St. George's Hall will feature Putin and the heads of the four regions of Ukraine signing treaties for them to join Russia, in a sharp escalation of the seven-month conflict. The ceremony comes three days after the completion of Kremlin-orchestrated referendums on joining Russia that were dismissed by Kyiv and the West as a bare-faced land grab, held at gunpoint and based on lies. The separatist Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine have been backed by Moscow since declaring independence in 2014, weeks after the annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. The southern Kherson region and part of the neighboring Zaporizhzhia were captured by Russia soon after Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Both houses of the Kremlin-controlled Russian parliament will

RBI monetary policy: Repo rate hiked by 50 bps, here is what it tells us

RBI Policy: Shaktikanta Das announced the RBI MPC's decision to hike the repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.9% and slash the GDP forecast for FY23 to 7% from 7.2% earlier

Finland government announces ban on entry of Russian tourists in country

The Finnish government has announced its decision to significantly restrict the entry of Russian citizens into the country.

US Senate approves $12.3 billion aid for Ukraine in war against Russia

US Senate approved emergency aid of USD 12.3 billion to Ukraine in its war against Russia; the measure will not only continue government spending but will also help in war to a greater extent

US will never recognise Russia's claims on Ukrainian territory: Joe Biden

In response to Russia's move to formally annex four more areas in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden said that Washington will "never, never, never recognise" Moscow's claims on Kiev's territory

Russian President Putin recognises independence for 2 more Ukraine regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin has recognised the independence of two more Ukrainian regions, a precursor to their annexation by Russia. Putin issued decrees early Friday recognising the independence of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. He took similar steps in February regarding Luhansk and Donetsk and earlier for Crimea. Russia's plan to annex more of Ukraine on Friday is an escalation of the seven-month war and is expected to isolate the Kremlin further, draw more international punishment and bring Ukraine extra military, political and economic support. The annexation - and planned celebratory concerts and rallies in Moscow and the occupied territories - would come just days after voters supposedly approved independence in Moscow-managed referendums. Ukrainian and Western officials have denounced the votes as illegal, forced and rigged.

US State Secy Blinken accuses Russia of 'land grab' referendums in Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday accused Russia of a "land grab" after referendums in Ukraine and that the US will never recognise the legitimacy or outcome of the "sham" referenda. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday that four regions of Ukraine - Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - would be folded into Russia during a Kremlin ceremony attended by President Vladimir Putin.v The Kremlin's sham referenda are a futile effort to mask what amounts to a further attempt at a land grab in Ukraine. To be clear: the results were orchestrated in Moscow and do not reflect the will of the people of Ukraine, Blinken said. The United States does not, and will never, recognise the legitimacy or outcome of these sham referenda or Russia's purported annexation of Ukrainian territory, he asserted. "This spectacle conducted by Russia's proxies is illegitimate and violates international law. It is an affront to the principles of international peace and securit

Current account deficit widens to 2.8% of GDP in Q1; trade deficit jumps

Services exports, remittances show firm momentum in Q1

Putin to annex seized Ukrainian land, UN warns of 'dangerous escalation'

If Russia moves ahead with its plans to annex four Ukrainian regions, it would mark a 'dangerous escalation' that would jeopardise the prospects for peace in the region, the UN Secretary-General said

India reaches out to US, Iraq for LNG after Gazprom reduces supply: Report

The decision comes as LNG supplies from Russia's Gazprom have been declining since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war

PM's remarks to Putin reflect India's stance on Ukraine war: S Jaishankar

India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent remarks to Russian President Vladimir Putin were consistent with the existing Indian position

Ukraine pledges to reclaim land that Russia is likely to annex: Official

Ukraine is determined to reclaim territory that Russia is likely to annex following stage-managed voting in occupied areas and takes seriously Moscow's threats to use nuclear weapons in the war with its neighbor, an adviser to Ukraine's president said Wednesday. In an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak insisted that nothing would change on the battlefield if Russia moves to incorporate four regions of southern and eastern Ukraine in the coming days, as is widely expected. We will liberate our territory by military means," Podolyak said. And for us, our actions depend not so much on what the Russian Federation thinks or wants, but on the military capabilities that Ukraine has. Ukraine and its Western allies have denounced the Kremlin-orchestrated referendums that ended Tuesday as as illegal and a sham, noting that many residents remain displaced by the seven-month war. They also said Moscow-installed local officials had announced the .

Europe ramps up energy security after suspected pipelines sabotage

European companies are ramping up security around pipelines and energy prices are climbing again as the suspected sabotage of two pipelines that deliver natural gas from Russia underscored the vulnerability of Europe's energy infrastructure and prompted the EU to warn of possible retaliation. Some European officials and energy experts have said Russia is likely to blame for any sabotage it directly benefits from higher energy prices and economic anxiety across Europe although others cautioned against pointing fingers until investigators are able to determine what happened. Russia has sharply curtailed natural gas shipments to Europe in retaliation for sanctions that the West put in place after its invasion of Ukraine. On Wednesday, Russian energy giant Gazprom increased the pressure, threatening on Twitter to cease dealing with a Ukrainian company that controls one of the two remaining pipelines that ship Russian gas to Europe. Coming on top of the apparent sabotage to the Nord ..

Moscow sets up draft offices at borders to intercept fleeing Russian men

Long lines of Russians trying to escape being called up to fight in Ukraine continued to clog highways out of the country on Wednesday, and Moscow reportedly set up draft offices at borders to intercept some of them. North Ossetia, a Russian region that borders Georgia, declared a state of high alert and said that food, water, warming stations and other aid should be brought in for those who have spent days in queues. Volunteers on the Georgian side of the border also have brought water, blankets and other assistance. North Ossetia restricted many passenger cars from entering its territory, and set up a draft office at the Verkhy Lars border crossing, Russian news agencies said. Some media outlets released photos at the crossing showing a black van with military enlistment office written on it. Another such draft checkpoint was set up in Russia along the Finnish border, according to the independent Russian news outlet Meduza. Tens of thousands of Russian men have fled in the week .

US announces $1.1 bn more in military aid for Ukraine to counter Russia

The US will provide an additional USD 1.1 billion in aid to Ukraine, with funding for about 18 more advanced rocket systems and other weapons to counter drones that Russia has been using against Ukrainian troops, the Biden administration announced Wednesday. The latest package is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds contracts to purchase weapons and equipment. And it brings the total of US aid to Ukraine to nearly USD 17 billion since the Biden administration took office. The aid announcement comes as Russia moves to annex parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine that held Kremlin-orchestrated referendums on living under Moscow's rule. The votes were denounced by Kyiv and the West as illegal and rigged. We will not be deterred from supporting Ukraine, we will continue to stand with the Ukrainian people, and provide them with the security assistance they need to defend themselves, for as long as it takes, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

Putin to proclaim formal annexation of Ukrainian territory in days

European Union likely to place trade sanctions on Moscow over 'sham' votes

FinMin opposed extension of PMGKAY a day ahead of Cabinet approval

Office memorandum flagged fiscal concerns due to impact of Ukraine war on fuel prices. With Covid-19 having largely subsided, reasons for which earlier extensions were given no more seem to hold

Russia claims win in 4 'referendums' held in occupied regions of Ukraine

Russia has claimed to win four 'referendums' in occupied Ukrainian regions, a victory which Moscow may use as grounds to annex more territory, the media reported on Wednesday

President Zelensky meets French FM to seek support for war-torn Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with visiting French Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna to discuss support for Ukraine, the presidential press service reported