Page 109 - Russia

India urges G7 to delay ban on Russian diamonds as rules not clear: Report

India has urged the Group of Seven (G7) countries to delay an incoming ban on Russian diamonds because the rules to trace the origins of gems remain unclear, two sources aware of the matter said.

N Korea, Russia clash with US and S Korea over Pyongyang's missile launch

North Korea and Russia clashed with the United States, South Korea and their allies at an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday on Pyongyang's latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, which it called a warning counter-measure to threats from the US and other hostile forces. North Korean Ambassador Kim Song said this is the most dangerous year in the military-security landscape on the Korean Peninsula, pointing to stepped up US-South Korean military exercises and the US deployment of nuclear-powered submarines and other nuclear assets to the area that have raised a nuclear war danger. The US and nine allies pointed to five North Korean ICBM launches, over 25 ballistic missiles launches and three satellite launches using ballistic missile technology this year, violating multiple Security Council resolutions and threatening the peace and stability of its neighbours and the international community. In a statement read just before the council meeting by US deputy ...

Confident Ukraine will get more US support for war with Russia: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he's certain the United States will make good on its promise to provide billions of dollars in further aid for Kyiv to continue its fight against Russia, and he bluntly replied No, to a question about whether his country might lose the war. Speaking at an end-of-year news conference in Kyiv, Zelenskyy also dismissed suggestions that Moscow's forces have come out of 2023 on top after mostly beating back Ukraine's counteroffensive and stepping up its military production. Russia failed to achieve any of its goals this year, he said, although he conceded Ukraine still faces lots of challenges after expending Western military hardware in the counteroffensive that failed to make an impression on the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line. The US Congress has left town for the holidays without a deal to send some USD 61 billion to Ukraine, and the US Defence Department says it is almost out of money to help Kyiv after almost 22 months

West accuses Iran of illegally testing missiles, transferring drones

The Western powers in the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran accused Tehran on Monday of developing and testing ballistic missiles, transferring hundreds of drones to Russia, and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60 per cent level for a country without a nuclear weapons programme all in violation of a UN resolution endorsing the deal. Iran and its ally, Russia, dismissed the charges by Britain, France and Germany, strongly supported by the United States, which pulled out of the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018. The six-party agreement was aimed at ensuring that Iran could not develop atomic weapons. Under the accord, Tehran agreed to limit enrichment of uranium to levels necessary for the peaceful use of nuclear power in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. The sharp exchanges came at the Security Council's semi-annual meeting on the implementation of its resolution endorsing the 2015 nuclear deal. Both Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Iravan

Putin officially registered as candidate for Russian presidential election

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday presented documents to Russia's Central Election Commission to register as a candidate in the 2024 presidential election. He submitted them, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media. Supporters of Putin on Saturday formally nominated him to run in the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate. The nomination by a group of at least 500 supporters, under Russian election law, is mandatory for those running not on a party ticket. Independent candidates also need to gather at least 300,000 signatures of support from 40 regions or more. The group that nominated Putin included top officials from the ruling United Russia party, prominent Russian actors and singers, athletes and other public figures. Putin has used different tactics over the years. He ran as an independent in 2018 and his campaign gathered signatures. In 2012, he ran as a nominee of the Kremlin's United Russia party, so there was no need for ...

Russia to deepen oil export cuts in Dec by at least 50,000 barrels per day

Saudi Arabia and Russia, the world's two biggest oil exporters, called in December for all OPEC+ members to join an agreement on output cuts after a fractious meeting of the producers' club

Russia presidential polls: Supporters name Putin as independent candidate

Russian President Vladimir Putin's supporters on Saturday formally nominated him to run in the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate, state news agencies reported. The nomination by a group of at least 500 supporters is mandatory under Russian election law for those not running on a party ticket. Independent candidates also need to gather at least 300,000 signatures in their support. The group that nominated Putin included top officials from the ruling United Russia party, prominent Russian actors and singers, athletes and other public figures. Whoever is ready to support the candidacy of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for the post of president of Russia, please vote. Who's in favour? Mikhail Kuznetsov, head of the executive committee of the People's Front, asked those gathered. The People's Front is a political coalition, founded in 2011 by Putin. After the vote, Kuznetsov announced that the group had voted unanimously to nominate Putin. According to Russian electi

Russia and Ukraine exchange drone attacks hours after EU funding stalled

Russia and Ukraine each reported dozens of attempted drone attacks in the past day, just hours after Hungary vetoed 50 billion Euros (USD 54.5 billion) of EU funding to Ukraine. Ukraine's air force said Saturday that Ukrainian air defense had shot down 30 out of 31 drones launched overnight against 11 regions of the country. Russia also said Friday evening that it had thwarted a series of Ukrainian drone attacks. Russian anti-aircraft units destroyed 32 Ukrainian drones over the Crimean peninsula, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram. Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world considered illegal, and has used it as a staging and supply point during the war. Earlier, Russia's Defense Ministry said that six drones had been shot down in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. In Ukraine's partially occupied southern Kherson region, Russian-installed governor Vladimir Saldo reported on Telegram that Russian anti-aircraft units had downed

Kremlin has 'no information' about missing Putin critic Alexei Navalny

The prison authorities moved him from the penal colony, where he was serving his sentence for multiple charges, including extremism, but have not said where he was transferred to

Is the West abandoning Ukraine? Prez Volodymyr Zelenskiy's tough week

France and Germany and others let it be known showing up wouldn't be a good idea, according to people familiar with the discussion, who spoke on condition of anonymity

Hungary blocks European Union aid for Ukraine after membership talks nod

EU leaders will reconvene for a second day of their summit meeting on Friday with several topics on the agenda, including the conflict between Israel and Hamas

Curbs on Russian diamonds by G7 to have minimal impact on India: Govt

The government on Friday said G7 nation's decision to impose curbs on direct imports of Russian-origin diamonds will have a minimal impact on India's diamond trade, a government official said on Friday. Indian officials are continuously in touch with the G7 technical team on the issue and they have managed to resolve certain issues like checking of diamonds at only one place. The G7 leaders have decided to introduce import restrictions on non-industrial diamonds, mined, processed, or produced in Russia, from January 1, 2024, followed by further phased restrictions on the import of Russian diamonds processed in third countries from March 1, 2024. Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said as long as diamonds are processed in India, there should not be further checks on that because India can maintain tracking of rough diamonds. "In that respect perhaps, it is a respite to our diamond industry. They will not be put through double check," he said. Explaining further, joint secretary in t

Advantage Moscow: 'Fortress Russia' hasn't turned into 'rubble Russia'

Russia will pay a long-term price, of course, but it has weathered Western sanctions. Its current position isn't what Western powers would have predicted in February 2022, writes T N Ninan

Russian central bank hikes interest rates by 100 basis points to 16%

"The return of inflation to target in 2024 and its further stabilisation close to 4% assume that tight monetary conditions will be maintained in the economy for a long period"

Blizzards sweep across Russia bringing more than 20 cm of snow fall

A cyclone brought more than a day of constant blizzards to the Russian capital in what could be one of the strongest snow storms to hit Moscow in 60 years, according to meteorologists

Russian President Putin vows victory in war as West wavers on Ukraine

Putin is holding the news conference for the first time since he ordered the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine

617,000 Russian troops in Ukraine: Putin at rare 4 hour media interaction

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday there would be no peace in Ukraine until the Kremlin realises its goals, which remain unchanged after nearly two years of fighting that has sent tensions soaring between Moscow and the West. Speaking at a year-end news conference that lasted over four hours and offered him an opportunity to reinforce his grip on power, Putin gave some rare details on what Moscow calls its special military operation. He dismissed the need for a second wave of mobilisation of reservists to fight in Ukraine a move that has been deeply unpopular. He said there are some 617,000 Russian soldiers there, including around 244,000 troops who were called up to fight alongside professional military forces. There will be peace when we will achieve our goals, Putin said, repeating a frequent Kremlin line. Victory will be ours. Putin highlighted Russian military gains in Ukraine as the conflict's second winter approached. Almost all along the line of contact our ar

Russian volunteers join Ukrainian ranks to fight against Putin's forces

When Russia's invasion of Ukraine ignited into war, back in Moscow, a young Russian who now goes by the name of Karabas was plunged into despair. Shocked by images of what was happening to Ukrainians in Russian-occupied areas, he decided to act against Russia, his home and country. Karabas said he knew that what he was doing was drastic. He packed his bags and decided to find a way to get to Ukraine to join the ranks of Kyiv's troops fighting Russian forces. It took him almost a year to make it happen. Today, he is part of the Siberian Battalion, a unit made up of Russians who have joined Ukrainian military ranks to fight against their homeland, hoping someday to help oust Russian President Vladimir Putin. Its members hail mostly from ethnic minorities from Russia's far east. I was disillusioned with my own people," recounted Karabas, who like other fighters in the battalion spoke to The Associated Press on condition that only his military call sign be used. "That is why I wanted

World's top spaceport faces hard times as Russia, Kazakhstan squabble

But plans for the site meant to help propel Russia's efforts in the new space age risk running off course

Russia-Ukraine war: Zelensky pleads for aid at Capitol and White House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told America his country was fighting for our freedom and yours as he made an impassioned plea Tuesday for Congress to approve more assistance to fight Russia's invasion. But prospects for additional US aid to Ukraine appeared seriously delayed, if not in grave doubt, despite his whirlwind diplomacy in Washington. After hours of talks on Capitol Hill, Zelenskyy spent more hours at the White House meeting with President Joe Biden and his aides about a way forward. The US has already provided Ukraine USD 111 billion since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his grinding invasion more than 21 months ago, but Republicans are insisting on linking any more money to strict US-Mexico border security changes that Democrats decry. The White House is warning that if new money isn't provided by year's end it will have swift consequences for Ukraine's capacity to hold its territory, let alone take back land captured by Russia. As Zelenskyy wrapped u