Page 98 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

Russian passports become universal in Ukraine's occupied territories

He and his parents were among the last in their village to take a Russian passport, but the pressure was becoming unbearable. By his third beating at the hands of the Russian soldiers occupying Ukraine's Kherson region, Vyacheslav Ryabkov caved. The soldiers broke two of his ribs, but his face was not bruised for his unsmiling passport photo, taken in September 2023. It wasn't enough. In December, they caught the welder on his way home from work. Then one slammed his rifle butt down on Ryabkov's face, smashing the bridge of his nose. Why don't you fight for us? You already have a Russian passport, they demanded. The beating continued as the 42-year-old fell unconscious. Let's finish this off, one soldier said. A friend ran for Ryabok's mother. Russia has successfully imposed its passports on nearly the entire population of occupied Ukraine by making it impossible to survive without them, coercing hundreds of thousands of people into citizenship ahead of elections Vladimir Putin h

Plane carrying UK minister gets its GPS jammed as it flew near Russia

A plane carrying British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps had its satellite signal jammed as it flew near Russian territory, the government said on Thursday. The government said the Royal Air Force jet carrying Shapps, officials and journalists temporarily experienced GPS jamming when they flew close to Kaliningrad on a flight from Poland to the UK. The Times of London, whose reporter was onboard, said that for about 30 minutes mobile phones couldn't connect to the internet and the aircraft was forced to use alternative methods to determine its location. Shapps visited Poland on Wednesday to see UK troops participating in a large NATO exercise, Steadfast Defender. Kaliningrad is a Russian enclave bordered by Poland and Lithuania, home to the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman, Dave Pares, said the jamming didn't threaten the safety of the aircraft at any point. He said it was not unusual for aircraft to experience electronic jamming near ...

Russia goes to presidential polls with war economy lifting living standards

Wages have soared by double digits, the ruble has stabilized, and poverty and unemployment are at record lows

'Seven more Nepalese citizens serving Russian Army killed, toll touches 19'

Seven more Nepalese citizens serving the Russian Army in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war have died in the last week, taking the total number of deaths to 19, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs latest update on the toll came two days after Deputy Prime Minister Kaji Shrestha asked Russia to share a list of Nepalese citizens serving the Russian Army in the ongoing Russian--Ukraine war but stressed that complications remained in bringing them back from the war zone. He also met the Russian Ambassador to Nepal Aleksei Novikov on Tuesday over the matter when the latter called on him. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the deaths of seven more Nepali nationals who were fighting from the Russian side in the Russia-Ukraine war. "With the deaths of 7 more Nepalese citizens with the Russian Army, the total number of such cases have touched 19," said the statement. The ministry said that the deaths of Nepali ...

Drama in Russia's poll all about what Putin will do with another term

As Vladimir Putin heads for another six-year term as Russia's president, there's little electoral drama in the race. What he does after he crosses the finish line is what's drawing attention and, for many observers, provoking anxiety. The voting that concludes on Sunday is all but certain to allow Putin to remain in office until 2030, giving him a full three decades of leading Russia as either president or prime minister. The heft of that long tenure and the thorough suppression of effective domestic opposition voices gives Putin a very strong and perhaps unrestrained hand. That position is bolstered by the Russian economy's surprising resilience despite wide-ranging Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine. It's also strengthened by Moscow's incremental but consistent battlefield advances in recent months, flagging support for military aid to Kyiv from the United States and other quarters, and growing skepticism in some Western countries over more progressive social .

Russia ready to use nuclear weapons if sovereignty threatened, says Putin

President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to its statehood, sovereignty or independence, voicing hope that the US would refrain from actions that could trigger a nuclear conflict. Putin's statement was another blunt warning to the West ahead of a presidential vote this week in which he's all but certain to win another six-year term. In an interview with Russian state television released early Wednesday, Putin described U.S. President Joe Biden as a veteran politician who fully understands possible dangers of escalation, and said that he doesn't think that the world is heading to a nuclear war. At the same time, he emphasized that Russia's nuclear forces are in full readiness and from the military-technical viewpoint, we're prepared. Putin said that in line with the country's security doctrine, Moscow is ready to use nuclear weapons in case of a threat to the existence of the Russian state, our sovereignty and independence. The .

Despite war, pandemic, global trade growth likely to accelerate in 2024

Globalisation reached a record high in 2022 and stayed nearly as high in 2023, despite various global shocks over the past decade, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and the USChina trade conflict, a report said on Wednesday. The "New DHL Global Connectedness Report 2024" by DHL and New York University's Stern School of Business, released here, also said that the share of global output traded internationally was back to a record high level in 2022. After a slowdown in 2023, trade growth is forecast to accelerate in 2024, it said. Trade growth played a crucial role in boosting connectedness. The report tracks how flows of trade, capital, information, and people move around the world and measure the globalisation of 181 countries and territories. The globalisation of information flows has notably surged over the past two decades, even though the latest data show a slowdown in their growth, partly due to less research collaboration between the US and ...

3 things to watch for in Russia's presidential poll, other than Putin's win

While the result may be a foregone conclusion, the election offers an important glimpse into the Kremlin's domestic challenges as it continues a war against Ukraine that recently entered third year

Russian polls to give Putin another 6 yrs in power, a look at key issues

Vladimir Putin is poised to sweep to another six-year term in this week's presidential election, even though Russians are dying in Ukraine in a war grinding through its third year and his country is more isolated than ever from the rest of the world. The all-but-certain outcome comes through his rigid control of Russia established during his 24 years in power the longest Kremlin tenure since Soviet leader Josef Stalin. Putin, 71, has silenced virtually all dissent through harsh new laws that impose heavy fines or prison on independent voices. Critics have succumbed to unexplained deaths or fled abroad. The ballot features three other token candidates who publicly support his policies. How is the war affecting the election? Putin has focused his campaign on a pledge to fulfill his goals in Ukraine, describing the conflict as a battle against the West for the very survival of Russia and its 146 million people. In a state-of-the-nation address last month, he charged that the U.S. an

Ukraine launches drone attacks on Russia for second night in row: Officials

"No one was injured," Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine said on the Telegram messaging app.

Polish prez pushes Nato to ramp up spending, calls on US to fund Ukraine

President Andrzej Duda used a joint White House visit with his political rival, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, on Tuesday to call on NATO allies to significantly increase defense spending and press a divided Washington to break its impasse over replenishing funds for Ukraine at a critical moment in the war in Europe. Duda wants members of the NATO alliance to raise their spending on defense to three per cent of their GDP as Russia puts its own economy on a war footing and pushes forward with its plans to conquer Ukraine. Poland already spends four per cent of its own economic output on defense, double the current target of two per cent for NATO nations. The Polish leader made the call as he and Tusk visited Washington to mark their country's 25th anniversary of joining the now 32-member transatlantic military alliance. It was a historic step into the West after breaking free from Moscow's sphere of influence after decades of communist rule. Russia's against Ukraine really demonstrated

Killed 234 fighters while thwarting an incursion from Ukraine, says Russia

The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday night that Moscow's military and security forces killed 234 fighters while thwarting an incursion into Russian border regions earlier in the day. In a statement, the ministry blamed the attack on the Kyiv regime and Ukraine's terrorist formations, insisting that the Russian military and border forces were able to stop the attackers and avert a cross-border raid. It also said the attackers lost seven tanks and five armored vehicles. The reports of border fighting earlier on Tuesday were murky, and it was impossible to ascertain with any certainty what was unfolding in Russia's Kursk and Belgorod regions. Cross-border attacks in the area have occurred sporadically since the war began and have been the subject of claims and counterclaims, as well as disinformation and propaganda. Ukrainian long-range drones smashed into two oil facilities deep inside Russia on Tuesday, officials said, while an armed incursion claimed by Ukraine-based Russian ..

Pentagon to supply $300 mn in weapons to Ukraine even as it lacks funds

The Pentagon will rush about $300 million in weapons to Ukraine after finding some cost savings in its contracts, even though the military remains deeply overdrawn and needs at least $10 billion to replenish all the weapons it has pulled from its stocks to help Kyiv in its desperate fight against Russia, senior defense officials said Tuesday. It's the Pentagon's first announced security package for Ukraine since December, when it acknowledged it was out of replenishment funds. It wasn't until recent days that officials publicly acknowledged they weren't just out of replenishment funds, but $10 billion overdrawn. The replenishment funds have allowed the Pentagon to pull existing munitions, air defense systems and other weapons from its reserve inventories under presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, to send to Ukraine and then put contracts on order to replace those weapons. One of the senior defence officials who briefed reporters said the package represented a one time shot unle

Economic stability key selling point as Putin gears up for reelection

Russians are finding a few imported staples, like fruit, coffee and olive oil, have shot way up in price. Most global brands have disappeared or been reincarnated as Russian equivalents under new, Kremlin-friendly ownership. A lot more Chinese cars are zipping around the streets. Those who want a particular luxury cosmetic may be out of luck. Other than that, not much has changed economically for most people in President Vladimir Putin's Russia, more than two years after he sent troops into Ukraine. That's despite the sweeping sanctions that have cut off much of Russia's trade with Europe, the U.S. and their allies. That sense of stability is a key asset for Putin as he orchestrates his foreordained victory in the March 15-17 presidential election for a fifth, six-year term. Inflation is higher than most people would like, at over 7% above the central bank's goal of 4%. But unemployment is low, and the economy is expected to grow 2.6% this year, according to the International ...

Oscars 2024: India-set 'To Kill a Tiger' loses to '20 Days in Mariupol'

"To Kill a Tiger", set in a village in Jharkhand, lost to "20 Days in Mariupol" in the best documentary feature category at the 96th edition of the Academy Awards. Directed by Ukrainian filmmaker and war correspondent Mstyslav Chernov, "20 Days in Mariupol" follows the story of Ukrainian journalists trapped in Mariupol after Russia's invasion. Other Oscar nominees in the best documentary feature category were "Bobi Wine: The People's President", "The Eternal Memory", and "Four Daughters" . A Canadian production, "To Kill a Tiger" is directed by Delhi-born Nisha Pahuja, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker based in Toronto. It had its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival 2022 where it won the Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. The film follows Ranjit's uphill battle to find justice for his 13-year-old daughter who was abducted and later sexually assaulted by three men. "Ranjit goes to the police, and the men are arrested. But Ranjit's relief is short-lived

Pope Francis' 'white flag' comment met with criticism from Ukraine, allies

Ukrainian and allied officials Sunday criticised Pope Francis for saying that Kyiv should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia, a statement many interpreted as a call for Ukraine to surrender. The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland, a vocal ally of Kyiv, condemned the pope's remarks. And a leader of one of Ukraine's Christian churches on Sunday said that only the country's determined resistance to Moscow's full-scale invasion, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb 24, 2022, had prevented a mass slaughter of civilians. In an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI and partially released on Saturday, Francis used the phrase the courage of the white flag as he argued that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should be open to peace talks brokered by international powers. Our flag is blue and yellow. We live, die and win under it. We will not raise other flags, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba posted on Sunday on X, former

Erdogan offers to host peace summit with Russia during Zelenskyy visit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose NATO-member country has sought to balance its close relations with both Ukraine and Russia, offered during a visit Friday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to host a peace summit between the two countries. Erdogan, who has repeatedly discussed brokering a peace deal, said at a news conference in Istanbul following his meeting with Zelenskyy that he hoped Russia would be on board with Turkey's offer. Since the beginning, we have contributed as much as we could toward ending the war through negotiations," Erdogan said. "We are also ready to host a peace summit in which Russia will also be included. Ukraine remains firm on not engaging directly with Russia on peace talks, and Zelenskyy has said multiple times the initiative in peace negotiations must belong to the country which has been invaded. Zelenskyy said any peace negotiations must align with a 10-point plan he has previously suggested, which includes food security, ...

Wake up, democracy under threat: US President Joe Biden to lawmakers

Biden's speech took aim squarely at Trump, criticising him and Republicans for blocking aid to Ukraine and sympathising with Russian President Vladimir Putin

MEA raises concerns over Indians working as support staff for Russian army

Several Indian nationals have been duped to work with the Russian Army and India has strongly taken up the matter with the Russian government for their early discharge, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said strong action has been initiated against agents and unscrupulous elements who recruited the Indians on false pretexts and promises. "The CBI yesterday busted a major human trafficking network conducting searches in several cities and collecting incriminating evidence. A case of human trafficking has been registered against several agents," Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing. "We once again appeal to Indian nationals to not be swayed by offers made by agents for support jobs with the Russian Army. This is fraught with danger and risk to life," he said. Jaiswal said India remains committed to ensure early release of the Indian nationals serving as support staff to the Russian Army. "We remain committed to the early rel

India busts trafficking racket duping people into fighting for Russia

The traffickers, operating across several Indian states, targeted people using social media platforms and through local agents, the CBI said in a statement