Page 2 - Russia

US proposes unfreezing Russian assets to revive Ukraine peace talks: Report

European delegates, however, rebuffed the proposal, which was pitched by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner

Russian diesel not for us, but for world markets: Trump amid criticism

Facing criticism over the diesel deal with Russia, US President Donald Trump said the fuel from Moscow's refineries was meant to stabilise the global market, which has been hit by high prices. On October 9, Trump announced that Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons "immediately thereafter." To facilitate the shipments, the US Treasury Department issued a temporary licence easing sanctions on Russian diesel shipments to global markets until April 7, 2027. The move came ahead of November congressional midterms in the US, as diesel prices surged amid supply disruptions caused by the Iran war. "That's a diesel deal. Not for us. That's being released into the world. That's not being released to us," Trump told reporters here on Tuesday, amid a growing chorus against the surprise deal he announced last week after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Republicans and Democrats hit out at the deal

Trump says he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran at all

Trump says Moscow and Beijing have too much to lose by helping Tehran, amid reports of possible Russian targeting support and Chinese assistance during the Iran war

Trump's diesel deal with Russia irks allies, unlikely to reduce prices

The decisions and the ceasefire are all a bet that lowering fuel prices will be the best way to win more votes next month despite the risk of a backlash from political friends and foes alike

Trump's deal with Russia gives Putin a boost in economic war with Ukraine

President Trump is moving to buy Russian diesel while also pressuring Ukraine to halt attacks on refineries, a lifeblood of Moscow's war machine

EU sanctions nearly 1,600 Russians and firms over drone, missile parts

The EU has sanctioned nearly 1,600 Russian individuals and firms linked to military production, targeting suppliers of drone and missile components amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

US Senators question legality of Trump's deal to allow Russian oil imports

A bipartisan group of US Senators have questioned the legality of President Donald Trump's decision to allow diesel imports from Russia, contending that it ran counter to a law banning such trade till Moscow ends the war in Ukraine. On Friday, after a phone call with Putin, Trump announced that he had struck a deal with Russia to immediately supply 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and the global marketplace. "Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin's brutal war against Ukraine," US Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, Ron Wyden (all Democrats), Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, and John Curtis (all Republicans), said in a statement here on Sunday. "President Trump's decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the US runs directly counter to that law," the Senators said. Trump's decision to allow imports of Russian oil to the US and global markets came weeks after the US Congress overwhelmingly pass

Trump says Russia and Ukraine reach 'energy ceasefire' but gives no details

Trump says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an immediate energy ceasefire but provides no details, while neither country has confirmed the agreement.

Republican lawmakers to bring Bill to block Trump's Russian diesel deal

Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick has declared that he would bring a bipartisan Bill to block President Donald Trump's move to lift sanctions on Russian diesel after talks with President Vladimir Putin. Fitzpatrick's move has received support from outgoing Congressman Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, who has decided to co-sponsor the legislation. However, the move appears to be largely symbolic as the US House of Representatives will have a few months to pass as the term of the house expires in January. "We will be introducing bipartisan legislation to block any and all purchases of Russian oil," Fitzpatrick, the co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, said in a post on x. "It will be called the 'Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act'. It will be forced to the Floor via discharge and it will pass overwhelmingly," he said. "I've already agreed to be an original cosponsor. Congress must make a stand," Bacon said in a post on X. Bacon is not seeking re-election

Mystery surrounds death of young worker in Russia studying deadly diseases

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Saturday it still doesn't know what caused the death of a young worker at a lab in Russia that focuses on plague and other illnesses. The UN health agency has cited initial, unconfirmed reports suggesting pneumonic plague, a severe disease less common than the better-known bubonic plague linked to the Black Death in the Middle Ages. Pneumonic plague spreads from person to person, causing a severe form of pneumonia, but recovery rates are high if it is detected and treated in time. WHO, in its first full Disease Outbreak News since the case emerged earlier this month, called for a continued investigation. Russian health officials, it said, had conducted more than 5,500 tests and found no evidence of any dangerous pathogenic microorganisms. "Additional clinical, epidemiological and laboratory information, including confirmation of the diagnosis in the deceased laboratory worker, is required to improve confidence in the assessment," WHO said.

Domestic refiners shun costly Russian oil as West Asia flows recover

Surging prices for Russia's flagship Urals crude loaded in the Baltic, a mainstay for Indian refiners, are driving the pullback

Ukraine grapples with shortage of troops at front after over 4 years of war

Ukraine's advances in drone technology and tactics have captured the world's attention. Despite those innovations, one problem has plagued the country since the start of Russia's invasion: a shortage of combat-ready troops. Ukraine has always been outmanned by Russia, but as the war drags through its fifth year, the need for personnel is increasingly acute, commanders and analysts say, with some units at only half strength. There just aren't enough forces to fully exploit the battlefield advantages resulting from the drone innovations. "Based on the equipment and the number of people we have today, we barely have enough to hold the sector we currently have," said a deputy commander of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion in eastern Ukraine's Pokrovsk area, a focus of Russia's offensive. "To move forward would inevitably mean greater losses," said the deputy commander, who insisted on identifying himself only as "Afer" because of military rules. Long-standing mobilisation problems, includi

Death in Siberia lab sparks plague fears, but Russia says no epidemic risk

Death of 28-year-old Darya Shipilova at a Siberian anti-plague research facility has raised concerns over possible exposure to Yersinia pestis, though officials have not linked her death to bacterium

23 Indians rescued after oil tanker attacked off Russia's Black Sea coast

A Liberia-flagged vessel carrying oil, with a crew of 23 Indian nationals, came under attack by drone boats off Russia's Black Sea coast, Russian authorities said. "The crew has been saved and evacuated to shore," a spokesman for the Russian transport ministry told state-run TASS news agency. The Aframax Rio tanker came under attack on Tuesday by unmanned surface vessels (USVs), and open fire is raging in the Black Sea waters, the Russian transport ministry said. The ministry said the vessel's all Indian crew of 23 was saved and none was hurt according to preliminary data. The incident took place near Sochi, Russia's popular resort city on the Black Sea coast. Russia's Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin held a headquarters meeting on eliminating the consequences of the attack on the tanker Aframax Rio off the Black Sea coast. According to the report, the fire was so intense that firefighting could not begin initially. Open burning of oil is currently taking place in the Black Sea

A spy's guide to fighting AI-driven propaganda and disinformation

A Russia-backed network called Portal Kombat is spreading disinformation across hundreds of websites to influence AI models such as ChatGPT, Grok and Gemini, according to a former CIA officer

Donald Trump Jr repaid costs of wedding celebrations, says Russian oligarch

The Russian oligarch who helped bankroll Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding celebration says the president's eldest son has paid back the money. "Yes, he did," Umar Kremlev told an International Boxing Association press conference in Istanbul on Tuesday. "He did repay the money I spent on the present." Still, he said he felt the repayment was unnecessary. "Frankly speaking, I do not understand why he decided to do so," he went on. "There are all kinds of events organized by all kinds of people. It is as if I invite you to come and visit my country house. Would you expect me to issue an invoice to them afterward?" Speaking through an interpreter, he said that would be "ridiculous." ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative website, reported last month that Kremlev, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, "footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses" when Trump Jr. married socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas in May. That included paying to rent o

Why are the US China and Russia racing to build nuclear reactors on the Moon

The US, China and Russia are developing nuclear reactors to power future permanent lunar bases. NASA wants its first lunar reactor ready for launch by December 2030,

Ukraine claims its attacks have reduced Russia's refining capacity by 51%

Ukraine said that its long-range strikes have neutralised more than half of Russia's oil refining capacity, hampering Moscow's ability to supply its forces during its 4 1/2-year-old invasion. The Defence Ministry said Sunday that recent strikes on refineries in cities including Moscow, Yaroslavl, Ust-Luga, Perm, Saratov and Syzran had put 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity out of action. The claim could not be independently verified. Both Moscow and Kyiv have intensified their aerial assaults as progress along the 1,200-kilometre front line has largely ground to a halt. Ukrainian forces have repeatedly attacked refineries from Moscow to Siberia, sparking a widespread fuel crisis in Russia earlier this year that forced authorities to restrict gasoline sales. President Vladimir Putin said in a rare admission Thursday that the strikes had caused Russia to lose roughly 1 per cent of its gross domestic product. "They started attacking oil refineries and openly declared the goal of .

Russia plague scare: Nearly 200 face quarantine after lab worker dies

A suspected plague case in Siberia has prompted quarantine measures after a 28-year-old worker at an anti-plague research institute died. Here's all you need to know

Russia vows to intensify strikes, warns diplomats against Kyiv travel

Moscow threatens attacks on Ukrainian military and industrial infrastructure as tensions escalate and Germany backs Kyiv