Page 84 - Russia

Kim Jong Un's sister denies North Korea supplied weapons to Russia

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again denied Friday that her country has exported any weapons to Russia, as she labeled outside speculation on North Korea-Russian arms dealings as the most absurd paradox. The US, South Korea and others have steadfastly accused North Korea of supplying artillery, missiles and other conventional weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for advanced military technologies and economic aid. Both North Korea and Russia have repeatedly dismissed that. Foreign experts believe North Korea's recent series of artillery and short-range missile tests were meant to examine or advertise the weapons it was planning to sell to Russia. Kim Yo Jong called outside assessments on the North Korean-Russian dealings the most absurd paradox which is not worth making any evaluation or interpretation. We have no intention to export our military technical capabilities to any country or open them to the public, she said in a statement carrie

Russia asks British diplomat to leave country in a week in tit-for-tat move

Russia on Thursday declared Britain's defence attach persona non grata and gave the diplomat a week to leave the country in response to London's decision to expel the Russian defence attach earlier this month over spying allegations. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned a representative of the British Embassy in Moscow on Thursday to express its strong protest in connection with the unfriendly and groundless decision to expel the Russian attach from London. We emphasized that we regard this step as a politically motivated action of clearly Russophobic nature, which is causing irreparable damage to bilateral relations, the statement read. Britain on May 8 announced several measures to target Moscow's intelligence gathering operations in the UK Those included a decision to boot Maxim Elovik, a Russian colonel who the British government termed an undeclared military intelligence officer, rescinding the diplomatic status of several Russian-owned properties ...

China, Russia reaffirm close ties as Moscow presses offensive in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday reaffirmed their no-limits partnership that has deepened as both countries face rising tensions with the West, and they criticized US military alliances in Asia and the Pacific region. At their summit in Beijing, Putin thanked Xi for China's proposals for ending the war in Ukraine, which have been rejected by Ukraine and its Western supporters as largely following the Kremlin's line. Putin's two-day state visit to one of his strongest allies and trading partners comes as Russian forces are pressing an offensive in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022. China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but it has backed the Kremlin's contentions that Russia was provoked into attacking Ukraine by the West, and it continues to supply key components needed by Moscow for weapons production. China, which hasn't

Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping pledge new era, cast US as Cold War hegemon

Xi and Putin believe the post-Cold War era of extraordinary U.S. dominance is crumbling after perceived humiliations of the 1991 Soviet collapse and centuries of European colonial dominance of China

Ukraine risks dragging West into major war with Russia, says Putin ally

President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has touched off the worst breakdown in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

Switzerland conference on Ukraine futile without Russia, says Kremlin

Russia has previously said it saw no point in a conference being planned by Switzerland to discuss how to end the Ukraine conflict

As Putin visits China to meet Xi; here's what to know about the allies

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China starting on Thursday underlines an increasingly close partnership between the two allies who oppose the US-led democratic order. China, led by President Xi Jinping, has offered robust diplomatic support to Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine and has emerged as a top export market for Russian oil and gas, helping fill the Kremlin's war coffers. Russia also has relied on China as the main source of high-tech imports to keep its military machine running. Once Communist rivals, the two countries that share a 4,200-kilometer (2,600-mile) border have become closer in recent years. A look at that relationship: DEAR FRIENDS' Putin and Xi have met over 40 times and developed strong personal ties to bolster their "strategic partnership as they both face soaring tensions with the West. Xi last travelled to Moscow in March 2023, where they addressed each other as dear friend and exchanged compliments. Putin went to Beijing in October for a su

Ukrainian troops retreat, Zelenskyy postpones trips amid Russian offensive

Ukrainian forces withdrew from some parts of the country's northeast and battled Russian troops in other areas Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to postpone all his upcoming foreign trips underscored the seriousness of the threat his soldiers face. Against that grim backdrop, visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to reassure Ukraine of continuing American support, announcing a $2 billion arms deal. Most of the money comes from a package approved last month. The top diplomat's trip comes as Russian troops press a new offensive in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. It began last week, marking the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began in 2022 and forcing thousands to flee their homes. In recent weeks, Moscow's forces have also sought to build on gains in the eastern region of Donetsk. Taken together, the developments mean the war has entered a critical stage for Ukraine's depleted army. Ukraine's General Staff reported late .

Russian forces advancing in Ukraine from all sides as per plan: Putin

Russia has been pushing Ukrainian forces back at various points in recent months despite hundreds of billions of dollars worth of aid from the United States and its allies

Zelenskyy postpones foreign visits as Ukraine faces new Russian offensive

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said Wednesday that he has postponed all his upcoming foreign visits amid a new Russian offensive. Zelenskyy cancelled all foreign visits that were planned for the coming days, his office said Wednesday on Telegram. The head of state instructed his team to reschedule the visits. We are grateful to our partners for understanding, the announcement said. Zelenskyy had been expected to visit Spain, and perhaps Portugal, later this week.

Russia warns EU of strong response if restrictions imposed on Russian media

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Western correspondents in Moscow would feel response if the European Union took action against Russian media

Ukraine plans electricity imports after Russian attacks on energy system

Ukraine consumes up to 19,000 Mwh at peak of consumption in winter

Russian air destroys 10 Ukraine-launched ATACMS missiles over Crimea

The war has killed thousands, displaced millions and turned Ukrainian cities into rubble

Defying west, President Putin scheduled to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing

Blinken said Beijing's supply of dual-use goods was 'powering Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine'

ICC prosecutor faces demand to act against Israeli leaders, Putin warrant

The International Criminal Court's prosecutor faced demands Tuesday for speedy action against Israeli leaders and a blistering Russian attack over the ICC's arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin stemming from Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Karim Khan responded by telling the UN Security Council that he will not be swayed or intimidated as his team investigates possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Gaza and the Palestinian territories as well as in Ukraine. Libya's UN ambassador, Taher El-Sonni, told Khan that if the Libyan cases the ICC is investigating are so complex that they won't be completed until the end of 2025, he should allocate the court's efforts to the war in Gaza. El-Sonni claimed genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity are being perpetrated by Israeli forces. The world expects the ICC to be courageous and to issue arrest warrants against officials of the Israeli regime who have repeated again and again that they want to commit genocidal actio

Putin backs China's Ukraine peace plan, says Beijing understands conflict

Putin, speaking to China's Xinhua news agency ahead of his visit to Beijing this week, said Russia remained open to dialogue and talks to solve the more than two-year-old conflict

Russia arrests another senior defence min official in bribery charges

Russian authorities arrested another senior Defence Ministry official on charges of bribery, authorities said Tuesday, days after President Vladimir Putin replaced the defence minister in a Cabinet shake-up and amid expectations of further purges at the ministry. The Investigative Committee, Russia's top law enforcement body, wrote in a statement that Lt. Gen. Yury Kuznetsov, the chief of the ministry's main personnel directorate, was arrested on charges of bribery and placed in custody pending investigation and trial. Kuznetsov is accused of accepting an exceptionally large bribe, a charge punishable by up to 15 years in prison, the statement said. The official's home and other properties were searched, the Investigative Committee reported, and the authorities seized gold coins, luxury items and 100 million rubles (just over USD 1 million) in cash. Putin replaced Sergei Shoigu as defence minister Sunday in a Cabinet shakeup that comes as he begins his fifth term in office, moving

US delay in war aide allowed Putin inflict more damage: Ukraine's ex-prez

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said the long delay by the US Congress in approving military aid for his country was a colossal waste of time, allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to inflict more suffering in the 2-year-old invasion and prolonging the war. The severe lack of ammunition, which forced outgunned Ukrainian forces to surrender village after village on the front lines, also sowed concern among Ukraine's other Western allies about Kyiv's prospects in repelling the Russian invasion, Yushchenko told The Associated Press in an interview on Monday. That sent a signal to Putin to attack, ruin infrastructure, rampage all over Ukraine, said Yushchenko, a pro-European reformer who sought to distance Kyiv from Moscow during his 2005-2010 administration. And, of course, this undermines the morale of those in the world who stand with and support Ukraine, said Yushchenko, who was in Philadelphia to speak at a World Affairs Council event. The delay is not fatal to ..

US Prez Biden signs ban on imports of Russian nuclear reactor fuel into law

The ban on imports of the fuel for nuclear power plants begins in about 90 days, although it allows the Department of Energy to issue waivers in case of supply concerns

Putin shuffles security team, replaces defence minister Sergei Shoigu

Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed replacing Sergei Shoigu as defence minister on Sunday and appointed him as secretary of Russia's national security council. The appointment comes after Putin proposed appointing Andrei Belousov as the country's defence minister in place of Shoigu, who has served in the post for years. The reshuffle comes as Putin starts his fifth presidential term and as the war in Ukraine drags on for the third year In line with Russian law, the entire Russian Cabinet resigned on Tuesday following Putin's glittering inauguration in the Kremlin. The announcement came as thousands more civilians have fled Russia's renewed ground offensive in Ukraine's northeast that has targeted towns and villages with a barrage of artillery and mortar shelling, officials said Sunday. The intense battles have forced at least one Ukrainian unit to withdraw in the Kharkiv region, capitulating more land to Russian forces across less defended settlements in the so-cal