Page 60 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

Russia's Prez Putin boasts of gains in Ukraine at annual news conference

President Vladimir Putin boasted that his military operation in Ukraine has strengthened Russia and denied that the ouster of key ally Bashar Assad in Syria had hurt Moscow's prestige, as he held his annual news conference and call-in show Thursday. He used the tightly choreographed event, which lasted for about 4 1/2 hours, to reinforce his authority and demonstrate a sweeping command of everything from consumer prices to military hardware. He claimed that sending troops into Ukraine in 2022 has boosted Russia's military and economic power. He also said that if he could go back in time, he would have thought that such a decision should have been made earlier, and Russia should have prepared for it in advance and more thoroughly. "Russia has become much stronger over the past two or three years because it has become a truly sovereign country, he said. We are standing firm in terms of economy, we are strengthening our defence potential and our military capability now is the strongest

Putin, Zelenskyy rule out renewal of key gas transit deal for Europe

Kyiv has refused to extend the five-year deal to ship Russian gas across Ukraine beyond its expiry at the end of this month, President Vladimir Putin said in Moscow

Russia ready to compromise with Donald Trump on Ukraine war, says Putin

Asked what he might be able to offer Trump, Putin dismissed an assertion that Russia was in a weak position, saying that Russia had got much stronger since he ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022

Ukrainian strikes refinery in Russia's Rostov with missiles and drones

As Russia advances at the fastest pace since the start of the war in 2022, Ukraine has repeatedly tried to strike Russia's oil infrastructure

EU leaders to send clear message to Trump about their support to Ukraine

The leaders will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the start of their talks in Brussels

North Korea can produce ballistic missiles for Russia to use in Ukraine war

North Korea demonstrated this year that it could produce ballistic missiles and supply them to Russia for use against Ukraine in a matter of months, the head of a research organisation that traces weapons used in the war said on Wednesday. Jonah Leff told the UN Security Council that researchers on the ground examined remnants of four missiles from North Korea recovered in Ukraine in July and August, including one that had marks indicating it was produced in 2024. "This is the first public evidence of missiles having been produced in North Korea and then used in Ukraine within a matter of months, not years," he said. Leff also had briefed the Security Council in late June, telling members that the organisation he heads, Conflict Armament Research, had "irrefutably" established that ballistic missile remnants found in Ukraine early this year were from a missile manufactured in North Korea. The UK-based organisation, which was established in 2011 to document and trace weapons used in

Want Ukraine in stronger position for peace talks with Russia: Nato leader

NATO's secretary-general said he wants to discuss ways to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any future peace talks with Russia during a meeting on Wednesday with Ukraine's president and a small number of European leaders. But Mark Rutte appeared frustrated at growing speculation in NATO capitals about when those peace talks might start and whether European peacekeepers would be involved, saying that speaking publicly about it plays into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "High on the agenda is to make sure that the president, his team in Ukraine, are in the best possible position one day when they decide so to start the peace talks," Rutte told reporters as he welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to his residence in Brussels. The focus, Rutte said, must be "to do everything now to make sure that when it comes to air defence, when it comes to other weapons systems, that we make sure that we provide whatever we can". He said that another issue up for .

Ukraine kills Russian chemical weapons chief Igor Kirillov in Moscow

The Lieutenant General was also listed in a sprawling unofficial Ukrainian database of people considered to be enemies of the country called Myrotvorets (Peacemaker). A photograph of Kirillov

Bomb hidden in electric scooter kills senior Russian nuclear forces general

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the chief of Russia's Troops of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence, was killed on Tuesday outside a Moscow apartment building

Stupid for Biden to let Ukraine use US weapons to strike Russia: Trump

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday suggested that he may reverse President Joe Biden's recent decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use American long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory. Trump called the decision made by Biden last month stupid." He also expressed anger that his incoming administration was not consulted before Biden made the move. With the loosening of the restrictions, Biden gave Ukraine long-sought permission to use the Army Tactical Missile System provided by the U.S. to strike Russian positions hundreds miles from its border. I don't think that should have been allowed, not when there's a possibility certainly not just weeks before I take over," Trump said during at a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort. "Why would they do that without asking me what I thought? I wouldn't have had him do that. I think it was a big mistake. Trump's withering criticism of the Biden administration's move comes as the Democratic administratio

Zelenskyy should prepare to make deal to end Russia-Ukraine war, says Trump

Trump said it would take a century to rebuild Ukrainian cities leveled by the Russian invasion and brushed aside Ukrainian hopes of recapturing seized territory

Ten EU nations write letter seeking wider sanctions on Russian-origin metal

There are more than 2,000 individuals and entities on the EU's sanctions list, but not Russian metal producers such as Rusal or primary metal produced in Russia

EU slaps sanctions on dozens more Russian officials; targets oil, gas fleet

The European Union on Monday imposed fresh sanctions on dozens of officials linked to Russia's war on Ukraine, including two top North Korean defence officials, a military unit blamed for an attack on a Kyiv children's hospital and the heads of companies in the energy sector. Russia's vast shadow fleet of ships that Moscow is exploiting to skirt restrictions on transporting oil and gas, or carrying stolen Ukrainian grain, was also targeted. Fifty-two vessels were added to a growing list of ships banned from European ports and deprived of services. This package of sanctions is part of our response to weaken Russia's war machine and those who are enabling this war, also including Chinese companies, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. We will stand by the Ukrainian people on all fronts: humanitarian, economic, political, diplomatic and military. In all, EU foreign ministers froze the assets of 54 people and 30 entities, which are usually companies, ministries, government agencies

Men signing up for military voluntarily turning the tide of war: Putin

He said roughly 430,000 Russians had signed army contracts this year, up from roughly 300,000 the year before, a factor he said had huge importance for Russia's war effort

Explained: What is DKRO, the covert and most-feared spy agency of Russia?

With around 2,000 elite officers, the DKRO enjoys generous pay, bonuses, and perks like low-cost mortgages, ensuring their loyalty to the Kremlin

Ukraine's drone hits Chechnya as Kyiv retaliates after Moscow attack

A Ukrainian drone struck a campus belonging to Russia's National Guard Sunday in the Russian region of Chechnya, as Kyiv continues to strike back after a mass air attack from Moscow. Footage on social media showed a drone swooping low over the Chechen capital, Grozny, some 800 km southeast of the front line in Ukraine, before exploding. No casualties were reported. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov confirmed that the drone had hit a site belonging to the Akhmat Grozny riot police battalion, and said that two other drones had been shot down by air defences. Kadyrov pledged revenge on Ukrainian forces and said he had ordered a missile strike against military facilities in Kharkiv in retaliation for the attack. The claim could not be independently verified. Russia's Defence Ministry said Sunday that it had shot down 15 Ukrainian drones overnight in the country's Kursk and Belgorod regions, as well as over the Black Sea. It did not mention the Grozny attack. An official in Ukraine's secur

Ukrainian drones strike Russia as Kyiv reels from consecutive air attacks

Ukrainian drone strikes on southern Russia killed a 9-year-old boy and set fire to a major oil terminal, officials said Saturday, the day after Moscow launched a massive aerial attack on its neighbour that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the heaviest bombardments of the country's energy sector since Russia's full-scale invasion almost three years ago. The boy died when a drone struck his family's home outside Belgorod, a Russian city near the border with Ukraine, local Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported on Saturday morning on the Telegram messaging app. His mother and 7-month-old sister were hospitalised with injuries, Gladkov said. He posted photos of what he said was the aftermath of the attack, showing a low-rise house with gaping holes in its roof and front wall flanked by mounds of rubble. Elsewhere in southern Russia, Ukrainian drones overnight hit a major oil terminal in the Oryol region, sparking a blaze, Ukraine's General Staff reported on Saturday

Kremlin praises Trump for criticising Ukraine's strikes in Russia

Trump criticised Ukraine's use of US-supplied missiles for attacks deep into Russia in a Time magazine interview published on Thursday, saying it was "crazy" because it escalated the war

Russia attacks Ukrainian infrastructure by firing cruise missiles, drones

Russia launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine on Friday, firing 93 cruise and ballistic missiles and almost 200 drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing it as one of the heaviest bombardments of the country's energy sector since Russia's full-scale invasion almost three years ago. Ukrainian defences shot down 81 missiles, including 11 cruise missiles that were intercepted by F-16 warplanes provided by Western allies earlier this year, Zelenskyy said. Russia is terrorising millions of people with such assaults, he said on his Telegram channel, renewing his plea for international unity against Russian President Vladimir Putin. A strong reaction from the world is needed: a massive strike a massive reaction. This is the only way to stop terror, Zelenskyy said. But uncertainty surrounds how the war might unfold next year. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next month, has vowed to end the war and has thrown into doubt whether vital US milit

Russia targets Ukrainian infra with massive attack of missiles, drones

Russia on Friday launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine, involving dozens of cruise missiles and drones, the latest such strike aimed at crippling the country's electricity system. The Russian military targeted the Ukrainian power grid, energy minister Herman Halushchenko wrote on his Facebook page. The enemy continues its terror, he said. Halushchenko said energy workers do everything necessary to minimize negative consequences for the energy system, promising to release more details on damages once the security situation allows it. Ukraine's air force reported multiple strike drones launched at Ukraine overnight followed by swarms of cruise missiles in the country's air space. It said Russia also used air-launched ballistic Kinzhal missiles against Ukraine's western regions. Friday's attack is the latest in a series of such raids that has heightened fears that the Kremlin aims to destroy the country's power generation capacity as the winter sets in. Since launching its