Page 82 - Russia

China, Russia trying to undermine peace summit on Ukraine war: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in the Philippines on Monday in a rare Asian trip to urge regional leaders to attend a Swiss-organised global peace summit on the war in Ukraine that he accuses Russia, with China's help, of trying to undermine. Zelenskyy arrived unannounced and under heavy security in Manila late Sunday after speaking over the weekend at the Shangri-La defence forum in Singapore. He had planned but failed to meet with Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on the sidelines of that annual defence gathering and decided to fly here to personally invite Marcos to attend the summit in Switzerland, two Filipino officials told AP. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss details of Zelenskyy's secretive trip to Manila. Both leaders spoke critically of China at the defence forum in Singapore, which was attended by top defence and government officials from around the world, including from Washington and Beijing. Th

Zelenskyy accuses China of pressuring countries to skip Ukraine peace talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China of helping Russia to disrupt a Swiss-organised peace conference on the war in Ukraine, speaking at Asia's premier security conference on Sunday. In a news conference at the Shangri-La defense forum in Singapore, Zelenskyy said that China is pressuring other countries and their leaders not to attend the upcoming talks. Russia, using Chinese influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats also, does everything to disrupt the peace summit, he said, according to a simultaneous translation of his remarks. Regrettably this is unfortunate that such a big independent powerful country as China is an instrument in hands of Putin. In a speech earlier in the day, Zelenskyy urged top defence officials to attend the upcoming summit, saying he was disappointed at the failure of some countries to commit to joining. Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun spoke earlier in the day at the Shangri-La conference but he did not appear to be in the room wh

Russia's major air attack damages Ukrainian energy infra in 5 regions

There were no immediate reports of casualties

Considering action against China firms, banks over Russian war support: US

Encounters between the Philippines and China in Asia's most contested waters have grown more tense and frequent in the past year as Beijing presses its claims

US, allies clash with China and Russia over North Korea's launches

The United States and allies South Korea and Japan clashed with China and Russia on Friday over North Korea's latest satellite and ballistic missile launches and threats to use nuclear weapons that have escalated tensions in northeast Asia. The scene was an emergency open meeting of the UN Security Council called after North Korea's failed launch of a military reconnaissance satellite on May 27 and other launches using ballistic missile technology in violation of UN sanctions. Since the beginning of 2022, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea the North's official name has launched over 100 missiles using this banned technology as it has advanced its nuclear weapons programme. In response, the US and its allies have carried out an increasing number of military exercises. UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari briefed the council meeting saying sovereign states have the right to benefit from peaceful space activities but the DPRK is expressly prohibited from conducting ..

Biden partially lifts ban on Ukraine using US arms in strikes on Russia

President Joe Biden has given Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, according to two US officials familiar with the matter. The officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, underscored that the US policy calling on Ukraine not to use American-provide long-range missiles and other munitions to strike inside Russia offensively has not changed. The move comes as Ukrainian officials have stepped up calls on the US administration to allow its forces to defend itself against attacks originating from Russian territory. Biden's decision was first reported by Politico. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday assailed Russian attempts to sow discord in democracies with misinformation after hinting the Biden administration may soon allow Ukraine to use American-supplied munitions to strike inside Russia. With an increasing number of officials saying Ukraine must be able to defend its

Biden allows use of US weapons for limited Ukrainian strikes inside Russia

Under the new directive, Ukraine is permitted to retaliate against Russian forces or targets located near Kharkiv using weaponry supplied by the United States

OpenAI shuts down influence networks using its tools in Russia, China

The company said that ultimately, in its assessment, these campaigns failed to significantly increase their reach as a result of using OpenAI's services

Blinken pledges $135 mn in US aid to Moldova to counter Russian influence

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday pledged USD 135 million in aid to Moldova for energy security and to counter Russian disinformation as the Western-leaning nation struggles to blunt Moscow's push for influence buoyed by recent successes in its war in neighboring Ukraine. Opening a short visit to eastern Europe with a stop in Chisinau before travelling to the Czech Republic, Blinken announced the assistance at a news conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu. Before Wednesday, the US had provided Moldova with USD 774 million in financial aid since the Ukraine war began in February 2022, USD 300 million of which was earmarked for energy security. Blinken's trip, organised around a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Prague, comes amid concerns that Moldova and the former Soviet republic of Georgia are facing renewed threats from Russia. The trip comes two weeks after Blinken made an unannounced trip to Ukraine to reassure Kyiv of Washington's support in the face of

HSBC completes sale of Russian banking unit to Expobank for undisclosed fee

HSBC's exit from Russia has been on the cards since February, when Russian President Vladimir Putin gave approval for the asset sale to privately owned Expobank to go ahead

Prez Putin makes ex-bodyguard Alexei Dyumin secretary of State Council

After being re-elected for another six-year term earlier this year, Putin made Dyumin an aide specialising in the defence industry

Disruptive attacks doubled, Russia behind many: Europe's cybersecurity exec

Disruptive digital attacks, many of which have been traced to Russia-backed groups, have doubled in the European Union in recent months and are also targeting election-related services, according to the EU's top cybersecurity official. Juhan Lepassaar, head of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, or ENISA, told The Associated Press in an interview that attacks with geopolitical motives have steadily risen since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The number of hacktivist attacks (against) European infrastructure threat actors whose main aim is to cause disruption has doubled from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024, Lepassaar said late Tuesday at the agency's headquarters in Athens. It's quite a significant increase," he said. Citizens from the EU's 27 member states will vote June 6-9 for lawmakers in the European Parliament in an election that will also shape the EU's executive branch, the European Commission. Elections, also due

Russia's wealthy elite may face higher tax as govt proposes new system

Russia's wealthy elite could face higher income taxes, according to a proposal the country's finance ministry floated on Tuesday. The proposal, which would likely have to go through parliament for approval and subsequently a signoff by President Vladimir Putin, comes as Russia continues to spend vast amounts of money on the military campaign in Ukraine. The proposal involves a progressive tax on personal incomes and represents a change of course from the current flat-rate tax that was credited with bringing order and improving tax collections after it was introduced in 2001. It envisages imposing a 13 per cent tax for incomes of up to 2.4 million rubles (USD 27,000) a year. For incomes over that amount, a steadily higher tax rates would apply. The maximum tax would be 22 per cent for annual incomes exceeding 50 million rubles (USD 555,000). The increased taxes would affect only 3.2 per cent of Russia's working population, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on the ministry's websi

Russia to build Central Asia's first nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan

Putin said Russia would put $400 million into a joint investment fund of $500 million to finance projects in Uzbekistan

China needs to know risks outweigh rewards in attacking Taiwan: US lawmaker

Taiwan has for the last two years complained of delays to deliveries of US weapons, such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as manufacturers supply Ukraine to support its defence against Russia

Amid Russian gains in the Ukraine war, Putin overhauls defence ministry

The timing of Putin's recent moves is most likely a sign that he has greater confidence about his battlefield prospects in Ukraine and his hold on political power as he begins his fifth term as prez

Ukraine has taken back control in embattled Kharkiv region: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian forces have secured combat control of areas where Russian troops entered the northeastern Kharkiv region earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Our soldiers have now managed to take combat control of the border area where the Russian occupiers entered, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Friday evening. Zelenskyy's comments appeared to be at odds with those made by Russian officials. Viktor Vodolatskiy, a member of Russia's lower house of parliament, said Russian forces now controlled more than half of the town of Vovchansk, three miles (five kilometres) inside the border, Russian state news agency Tass reported Friday. Vovchansk has been a flashpoint for fighting since Russia launched an offensive in the Kharkiv region on May 10. Vodolatskiy was also quoted as saying that, once Vovchansk was secured, Russian forces would target the cities of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk in the neighbouring Donetsk region. No independent ...

G7 to explore ways of using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine

The G7 and its allies froze some $300 billion of Russian assets shortly after Moscow invaded its neighbour in February 2022

Indian film industry to increase film shootings, screenings in Russia

Film production and distribution companies in Russia are wooing Indian filmmakers and promoting their movies

Russian military officials are being arrested. All you need to know

The arrests began after President Vladimir Putin began his fifth term and shuffled his ally, longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, into a new post