Page 30 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

Europe court set to rule on cases against Russia over Ukraine conflict

Europe's top human rights court is set to rule Wednesday on Russia's actions in the conflict in Ukraine, including human rights violations during the full-scale invasion and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. Judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will rule on four cases, brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia, marking the first time an international court will adjudicate Russian culpability for the wider conflict in Ukraine dating from 2014. Any decision will be largely symbolic. The complaints were brought before the court's governing body expelled Moscow in 2022, following the full-scale invasion. Families of the victims of the MH17 disaster see the decision as an important milestone in their 11-year quest for justice. It's a real step in understanding who was really responsible, Thomas Schansman, who lost his 18-year-old son Quinn in the tragedy, told The Associated Press. The Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was sh

US to send more weapons to Ukraine, says Trump days after announcing pause

The Pentagon had earlier suspended deliveries of certain air-defence missiles and artillery shells to Ukraine, following concerns over the dwindling US stockpile

Appearance of Nato bases in Ukraine an immediate threat to Russia: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Nato's efforts to turn Ukraine into a strategic military foothold left Moscow with no choice but to launch its 2022 military operation

Russia launches largest missile, drone barrage since war in Ukraine began

Waves of drones and missiles targeted Kyiv overnight in the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began more than three years ago, officials said Friday, amid a renewed Russian push to capture more of its neighbour's land. Hours after the barrage that killed one person and wounded at least 26 others, including a child, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a very important and productive phone call with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders discussed how Ukrainian air defences might be strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the US and Ukraine, and broader US-led efforts to end the war with Russia, according to a statement by Zelenksyy. The US has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles. Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Zelenskyy says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time. Th

Russia won't back down from Ukraine war objectives: Putin tells Trump

Putin says Russia remains committed to its Ukraine war aims in phone call with Trump but is open to talks; US pause in military aid shocks Kyiv and Western allies

Russia hits Kyiv in biggest drone, missile attack since Ukraine war began

Waves of drone and missile attacks targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday in the largest aerial attack since Russia's war in Ukraine began, injuring 23 people and inflicting damage across multiple districts of the capital. Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight, the country's air force said. The majority were Shahed drones, while Russia used 11 missiles in the attack. Throughout the night, Associated Press journalists in Kyiv heard the constant buzzing of drones overhead and the sound of explosions and intense machine gun fire as Ukrainian forces tried to intercept the aerial assault. Kyiv was the primary target of the attack. At least 23 people were injured, with 14 hospitalised, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Ukrainian air defences shot down 270 targets, including two cruise missiles. Another 208 targets were lost from radar and presumed jammed. Russia successfully hit eight locations with nine missiles and 63 drones. Debris from intercepted drones f

'He could get offended': Putin halts forum to take Donald Trump's call

Vladimir Putin tells Donald Trump that Russia will not back down in Ukraine, open to talks; both leaders discuss Iran tensions, US weapons pause, and push for diplomatic solutions

China to EU: Russian defeat in Ukraine may push US to target Beijing next

China's Wang Yi told the EU that a Russian defeat would shift US pressure to China, denied aiding Moscow, and hinted at cutting trade dialogue in protest

Lack of new US sanctions allows Russia to replenish its war chest

President Trump has issued no new restrictions on Russia this year, in effect allowing Moscow to acquire the money and materials it needs in its conflict with Ukraine

Russia ramps up offensives against Ukraine as both sides seek advantage

An emboldened Russia has ramped up military offensives on two fronts in Ukraine, scattering Kyiv's precious reserve troops and threatening to expand the fighting to a new Ukrainian region as each side seeks an advantage before the fighting season wanes in the autumn. Moscow aims to maximise its territorial gains before seriously considering a full ceasefire, analysts and military commanders said. Ukraine wants to slow the Russian advance for as long as possible and extract heavy losses. Kremlin forces are steadily gaining ground in the strategic eastern logistics hub of Pokrovsk, the capture of which would hand them a major battlefield victory and bring them closer to acquiring the entire Donetsk region. The fighting there has also brought combat to the border of the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time. In an effort to prevent Moscow from bolstering those positions in the east, Ukrainian forces are trying to pin down some of Russia's best and most battle-hardened ..

US halts weapon supplies pledged to Ukraine after Pentagon review

The US is halting some shipments of weapons to Ukraine amid concerns that its own stockpiles have declined too much, officials said on Tuesday, a setback for the European country as it tries to fend off escalating attacks from Russia. Certain munitions were previously promised to Ukraine under the previous Biden administration to aid its defences during the more than three-year-old war. The pause reflects a new set of priorities under President Donald Trump and came after Defence Department officials scrutinised current US stockpiles and raised concerns. This decision was made to put America's interests first following a review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned -- just ask Iran. That was a reference to Trump recently ordering US missile strikes against nuclear sites in Iran. Pentagon stocks of some weapons

Frequent shocks to economy make inflation more unpredictable: ECB chief

The head of the European Central Bank said inflation has become more unpredictable due to shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine and that policymakers need to take the possibility of such extreme scenarios into account and communicate them to the public as well. The world ahead is more uncertain, and that uncertainty is likely to make inflation more volatile, European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said Monday in a speech opening the central bank's annual conference in Sintra, Portugal. It's pretty basic but that's the reality. One reason, she said, was that increasingly regular supply disruptions were leading companies to change their prices more frequently, a habit that goes beyond the recent burst of inflation in the US and Europe and reflects a structural shift in how firms operate under conditions of permanently higher uncertainty. The bank's assessment of the economy needs to rely on taking extreme possible scenarios into account as

Russia not delaying Ukraine peace talks, says Kremlin after US claims

Asked about the remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was grateful to Trump's team for helping to facilitate talks but that Moscow was not stalling the talks

German foreign minister visits Ukraine, pledges continued support

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, in a show of continuing support for Ukraine's fight to repel Russia's invasion as US-led international peace efforts fail to make progress. Wadephul was due to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. Wadephul said in a statement that Germany will help Ukraine continue to defend itself successfully with modern air defence and other weapons, with humanitarian and economic aid". Germany has been Ukraine's second-largest military backer after the United States, whose continuing support is in doubt. However, Berlin has balked at granting Zelenskyy's request to provide Ukraine with powerful German- and Swedish-made Taurus long-range missiles. That's due to fears that such a move could enrage the Kremlin and end up drawing NATO into Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. Instead, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged in May to help Ukraine

Trump's tariffs and tax policies test assumptions on US dollar, markets

As foreseen: swings in sovereign bond markets have been sharp, the Japanese yen rallied, and a comeback for emerging markets is finally materialising

Russia launches biggest aerial attack on Ukraine since start of war

Russia launched its biggest aerial attack against Ukraine overnight, a Ukrainian official said Sunday, part of an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the 3-year-old war. Russia fired a total of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, Ukraine's air force said. Of these, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine's air force, told the Associated Press that the overnight onslaught was the most massive air strike, on the country, taking into account both drones and various types of missiles. The attack targeted regions across Ukraine including western Ukraine, far from the frontline. Poland and allied countries scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the Polish air force said Sunday. Kherson regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said one person died in a drone strike. Six people were wounde

Russia will no longer play 'one-sided' games with the West: Vladimir Putin

Putin's remarks came just days after the Nato summit in The Hague, where the alliance's members committed to increasing defence expenditure to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035

Zelenskyy backs tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders for Ukraine invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally approved plans Wednesday to set up a new international court to prosecute senior Russian officials for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The special tribunal will be created through an agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe, the continent's top human rights body. Zelenskyy visited the Strasbourg-based organisation for the first time as part of the announcement. The special tribunal aims to target senior Russian leaders for the crime of aggression, which underpins the countless war crimes Ukraine accuses Russian forces of committing since the start of the war on Feb 24, 2022. Existing international courts, including the International Criminal Court in The Hague lack jurisdiction to prosecute Russian nationals for that specific offense. Since early in the conflict, Kyiv has been pushing for the creation of a special tribunal that goes beyond prosecuting war crimes that Ukraine alleged Russian forces committed including .

Zelenskyy meets Trump at Nato; discusses air defence, drone cooperation

Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump was their first meeting face-to-face since April, when they met at St Peter's Basilica during Pope Francis' funeral

Russian long-range drones haunt Ukraine's nights with deadly strikes

How Russia's terrifying long-range drone program has brought about a deadly new phase in the war