Page 86 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

US rebukes Vietnam as Putin set to visit country after repeated invitations

Putin is expected to visit Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday, after repeated invitations from Vietnamese leaders

Nuclear powers set to continue boosting operational warheads, says report

The number of such warheads rose to 3,904 as Russia continues to threaten its adversaries at the same time as China may have put weapons of mass destruction on high operational alert

78 nations at Swiss conference agree Ukraine's territorial integrity must

Nearly 80 countries called Sunday for the territorial integrity of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia's two-year war, though some key developing nations at a Swiss conference did not join in. The way forward for diplomacy remains unclear. The joint communique capped a two-day conference marked by the absence of Russia, which was not invited. Many attendees expressed hope that Russia might join in on a road map to peace in the future. The all-out war since President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has killed or injured hundreds of thousands of people, unsettled markets for goods like grain and fertiliser, driven millions from their homes and carved a wedge between the West which has sanctioned Moscow and Russia, China and some other countries. About 100 delegations, mostly Western countries, attended the conference that was billed as a first step toward peace. They included presidents and prime ministers from France, Germany, Britai

India to engage with all parties to help achieve peace in Ukraine: MEA

New Delhi will continue to engage with all stakeholders as well as the two parties to the conflict to contribute to all earnest efforts to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine, an official said

Meet 40-yr-old Dutchman who gets Nike and Lego into wartime Russia's stores

The man who got Nike shoes to Russia amid war is Wijnand Herinckx, a 40-year-old Dutch citizen who lives in Moscow

Ukraine bid falters a bit as several nations don't sign on to summit text

Eighty countries jointly called Sunday for the territorial integrity of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia's war, though some key developing nations at a Swiss conference did not join in. The joint communique capped a two-day conference at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland marked by the absence of Russia, which was not invited, but that many attendees hoped could join in on a roadmap to peace.

Russian forces storm detention facility to rescue staff taken hostage

Russian security forces stormed a detention centre in southern Russia, ending a hostage standoff, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported Sunday. The hostages at the facility in Rostov-on-Don were uninjured, said RIA Novosti, citing Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service. It said that the hostage takers had been liquidated, with other local news outlets reporting that at least some of the prisoners had been killed.

India avoids signing any communique on peace in Ukraine at Swiss summit

India on Sunday refrained from associating itself with any communique emerging from a Ukraine summit for peace hosted by Switzerland and asserted that it will remain engaged with all stakeholders to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Pavan Kapoor, Secretary(West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, represented India at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine that was held at a resort near Lucerne in Switzerland on June 15 and 16. The summit concluded with dozens of countries throwing their support to Ukraine's "territorial integrity" and calling for talks among all parties to find a lasting solution to the conflict. "The Indian delegation attended the Opening and Closing Plenary Sessions of the Summit. India did not associate itself with any communique/document emerging from this Summit," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "India's participation in the Summit, as well as in the preceding NSA/Political Director-level meetings based on Ukraine's Peace Formula

Meloni describes Putin's cease-fire offer for Ukraine as 'propaganda'

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Saturday dismissed a cease-fire offer for Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin as propaganda, as she wrapped up a Group of Seven summit that saw a deal reached for a USD 50 billion loan to Ukraine. The loan will be provided by the US, UK, Canada and possibly Japan, Meloni said. The frozen Russian assets to be used as collateral are mainly in Europe, so Europe is already contributing by identifying the guarantee mechanism, she added. The loan agreement was reached at the opening Thursday of the two-day annual meeting of leaders from the G7 countries of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States in southern Italy's Puglia region. Asked about Putin's cease-fire proposal, Meloni said it seems to me more like a propaganda move than a real one. The Russian president said Friday he would immediately order a cease-fire in Ukraine and start negotiations if Kyiv begins withdrawing troops from the four regions Mosco

Russia absent as world leaders meet at Swiss resort for Ukraine peace talks

The presidents of Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Somalia will join many Western heads of state and government and other leaders at a conference this weekend aimed to plot out first steps toward peace in Ukraine with Russia notably absent. Swiss officials hosting the conference say more than 50 heads of state and government, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will join the gathering at the Brgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne. Some 100 delegations including European bodies and the United Nations will be on hand. Who will show up and who will not has become one of the key stakes of a meeting that critics say will be useless without the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin's government, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and is pushing ahead with the war. US Vice President Kamala Harris is set to attend while Turkey and Saudi Arabia have dispatched their foreign ministers. Key developing countries like Brazil, an observer at the event, India and ..

Modi wraps up Italy visit, meets world leaders at G7 summit: Key takeaways

India was among 12 countries and five international organisations invited to the G7 summit by Italy

Putin sets terms for ceasefire: Ukraine must pull out from 'annexed' parts

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised on Friday to immediately order a cease-fire in Ukraine and start negotiations if Kyiv began withdrawing troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and renounced plans to join NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected what he called an ultimatum by Putin to surrender more territory. Putin's remarks came as Switzerland prepared to host scores of world leaders -- but not from Moscow -- this weekend to try to map out first steps toward peace in Ukraine. They also coincided with a meeting of leaders of the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations in Italy and after the US and Ukraine this week signed a 10-year security agreement that Russian officials, including Putin, denounced as null and void. Putin blasted the Switzerland conference as just another ploy to divert everyone's attention, reverse the cause and effect of the Ukrainian crisis (and) set the discussion on the wrong track. His demands came in a speech a

Peace summit for Ukraine conflict opens in Switzerland without Russia

Switzerland will host scores of world leaders this weekend to try to map out first steps toward peace in Ukraine even though Russia, which launched and is continuing the war, won't take part. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government didn't want Russia involved, and the Swiss aware of Moscow's reservations about the talks didn't invite Russia. The Swiss insist Russia must be involved at some point, and hope it will join the process one day. Ukrainians too are considering that possibility, Zelenskyy's top adviser says. The process unlikely to produce major results this weekend is seen as a largely symbolic effort on the part of Kyiv to rally the international community and project strength against its better armed and manned adversary. But the question looming over the summit will be how the two countries can move back from the brink and eventually silence guns in a war that has cost hundreds of billions of dollars and caused hundreds and thousands of deaths and ...

Security deal with US is 'bridge' to Ukraine's Nato membership: Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy made the remarks at a joint news conference with US President Joe Biden, which was held on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy on Thursday

Highlights of the day: Six dead, 1,500 tourists stranded as landslides, rain wreak havoc in Sikkim

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US expands Russia sanctions, targets chips sent via China amid Ukraine war

Separately, the Commerce Department said it was targeting shell companies in Hong Kong for diverting semiconductors to Russia

G7 summit opens with deal to use Russia's frozen assets for Ukraine

A Group of Seven summit is opening Thursday with agreement on a US proposal to back a USD 50 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets as collateral, giving Kyiv a strong show of support even as Europe's political chessboard shifts to the right. Diplomats confirmed that an agreement had been reached on the deal before the leaders even landed in southern Italy for the three-day summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be on hand and is expected to sign a separate bilateral security agreement with US President Joe Biden. Beyond the Ukraine war, Pope Francis will become the first pope to address a G7 summit, adding a dash of celebrity and moral authority to the annual gathering that is being held this year in Italy's sun-drenched Puglia region. He'll be speaking Friday about the promises and perils of artificial intelligence, but is expected to also renew his appeal for a peaceful end to wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The G7 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, ...

G7 Summit: Biden, Zelenskyy to sign deal to use Russian cash to help Kyiv

President Joe Biden and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sign a bilateral security agreement between the US and Ukraine on Thursday when they meet on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Italy, as negotiators for the group have reached an agreement on how to provide Ukraine with up to USD 50 billion backed by frozen Russian assets, two people familiar with the matter said Wednesday. The international group of wealthy democracies has been discussing ways of using the more than USD 260 billion in Russian assets frozen outside the country after the February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine to help Kyiv. European officials have resisted confiscating the assets, citing legal and financial stability concerns most of the frozen assets are located in Europe but the plan would use the interest earned on the assets to help Ukraine's war effort. The two people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the agreement before it was formally announced. An official with the French ...

Russian forces launch deadly attacks on Ukraine ahead of G7 Summit; 9 dead

Russian forces launched new deadly attacks on Ukraine, killing at least nine people on Wednesday, a day before the leaders of countries that are some of Ukraine's biggest backers were to discuss how to slow Moscow's offensive. Ukrainian authorities said that along with the nine killed, 29 others, including five children, were wounded when Russian missiles hit an apartment block in Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown. Zelenskyy said the strike has again proven that "Ukraine, together with its partners, must strengthen its air defences something that he has repeatedly appealed for with Ukraine's Western partners. The United States has agreed to send another Patriot missile system, two US officials said late Tuesday. Modern air defence systems are capable of providing maximum protection of people, our cities, and our positions," Zelenskyy said. And we need as many of them as possible. Earlier on Wednesday, Ukraine's air force said it shot down more than two

Indians in war zone should be brought back: India to Russian officials

According to MEA reports, two Indian nationals who had been recruited by the Russian Army have recently been killed in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine