Page 12 - Ukraine

EU appeals to Trump to defend Europe's interests at war summit with Putin

European Union leaders appealed on Tuesday to US President Donald Trump to defend their security interests at a key summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later this week over the war in Ukraine. The Europeans are desperate to exert some influence over a Friday meeting that they have been sidelined from. It remains unclear whether even Ukraine will take part. Trump has said that he wants to see whether Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its fourth year. But Trump has disappointed US allies in Europe by saying that Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He also said that Russia must accept land swaps, although it remains unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender. The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 and used Russia's energy might to try to cow the EU, might secure favourable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them. In a statement early on Tuesday,

Trump says he'll quickly know if Putin seeks Ukraine peace deal in talks

President Donald Trump said Monday that he expected to determine mere moments into his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week whether it would be possible to work out a deal to halt the war in Ukraine. At the end of that meeting, probably the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made, Trump said at a White House press conference that he called to announce plans for a federal takeover of Washington's police force to help combat crime. He said he thought Friday's sitdown with Putin in Alaska would be "really a feel-out meeting". Trump added that it'll be good, but it might be bad and predicted he may say, "lots of luck, keep fighting. Or I may say, we can make a deal. Putin wants to lock in Russia's gains since invading Ukraine in February 2022 as Trump presses for a ceasefire that has remained out of reach. Trump's eagerness to reach a deal has raised fears in Ukraine and Europe about such an agreement favouring Russia, without sufficient .

Russia, Ukraine stick to demands ahead of Putin-Trump Alaska summit

The maximalist demands reflect Putin's determination to reach the goals he set when he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022

Russia, Ukraine firm on demands ahead of planned Putin-Trump summit

The threats, pressure and ultimatums have come and gone, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained Moscow's uncompromising demands in the war in Ukraine, raising fears he could use a planned summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska to coerce Kyiv into accepting an unfavourable deal. The maximalist demands reflect Putin's determination to reach the goals he set when he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Putin sees a possible meeting with Trump as a chance to negotiate a broad deal that would not only cement Russia's territorial gains but also keep Ukraine from joining NATO and hosting any Western troops, allowing Moscow to gradually pull the country back into its orbit. The Kremlin leader believes time is on his side as the exhausted and outgunned Ukrainian forces are struggling to stem Russian advances in many sectors of the over 1,000-kilometre front line while swarms of Russian missiles and drones batter Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian

Will not allow Ukraine's 2nd partition: Zelenskyy ahead of Trump-Putin meet

The Ukrainian leader accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of attempting to 'legalise' occupied territories in exchange for halting the fighting

Zelenskyy vows Ukraine won't cede land but seeks lasting peace with Trump

Zelenskyy said any decisions made without Ukraine are against peace and will achieve nothing

Zelenskyy's image takes a hit even after reversal of unpopular law

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy quickly reversed course last month on a law that would have curbed the independence of the country's anti-corruption watchdogs after widespread protests that threatened the stability of his leadership for the first time since Russia's invasion. It's unlikely that the damage to the president's image can be changed as easily. Zelenskyy's reversal followed years of public discontent that simmered around his inner circle, some of whom have been accused of corruption. But Ukrainians have been largely deferential toward their president in wartime, trusting him to lead the fight against the Kremlin and even acquiescing in the suspension of some civil liberties. The protests showed the limits of that goodwill after the public concluded that Zelenskyy's fast-tracking of the law was a step too far. People will support Zelenskyy in whatever he does as it relates to the war. But the previous level of trust that he will carry out everything correctly, ...

Trump to meet Armenia & Azerbaijan leaders to sign US-brokered peace deal

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan are expected to sign a peace deal Friday at the White House that could potentially put an end to decades of conflict, President Donald Trump said. Trump said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev would also be signing agreements with the US to pursue Economic opportunities together, so we can fully unlock the potential of the South Caucasus Region. Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now, thanks to TRUMP, Trump wrote on Thursday night on his Truth Social site. The prospective agreement could potentially put an end to decades of conflict and set the stage for a reopening of key transportation corridors across the South Caucasus that have been shut since the early 1990s. Three US officials, who were not authorised to speak publicly ahead of the announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agreements included a major breakthrough establishing a key transit corridor .

Putin says he hopes to meet Trump as US presses for peace deal on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he hopes to meet next week with US President Donald Trump, possibly in the United Arab Emirates. The news came on the eve of a White House deadline for Moscow to show progress toward ending the 3-year-old war in Ukraine. Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov had said earlier a summit could possibly take place next week at a venue that has been decided in principle. Ushakov brushed aside the possibility of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining the summit, something the White House had said Trump was ready to consider. Putin has spurned Zelenskyy's previous offers of a meeting to clinch a breakthrough. We propose, first of all, to focus on preparing a bilateral meeting with Trump, and we consider it most important that this meeting be successful and productive, Ushakov said, adding that US special envoy Steve Witkoff's suggestion of a meeting including Ukraine's leader was not specifically discussed. Putin made the ...

More Ukrainians now want negotiated end to war with Russia, shows poll

After more than three years of war, Ukrainians are increasingly eager for a settlement that ends the fight against Russia's invasion, according to a new Gallup poll published Thursday although only about a quarter of Ukrainians surveyed expect the guns to fall silent within the next 12 months. The enthusiasm for a negotiated deal is a sharp reversal from 2022 the year the war began when Gallup found that about three-quarters of Ukrainians wanted to keep fighting until victory. Now only about one-quarter hold that view, with support for continuing the war declining steadily across all regions and demographic groups. The findings were based on samples of 1,000 or more respondents ages 15 and older living in Ukraine. Some territories under entrenched Russian control, representing about 10% of the population, were excluded from surveys conducted after 2022 due to lack of access. Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia's relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line h

Nato to coordinate arms deliveries to Ukraine, most will be bought from US

NATO started coordinating regular deliveries of large weapons packages to Ukraine after the Netherlands said it would provide air defence equipment, ammunition and other military aid worth 500 million euros (USD 578 million), most bought from the US Two deliveries are expected this month. The equipment that will be provided is based on Ukraine's priority needs on the battlefield. NATO allies then locate the weapons and ammunition and send them on. Packages will be prepared rapidly and issued on a regular basis, NATO said late Monday Air defense systems are in greatest need. The United Nations has said that Russia's relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians. Russia's bigger army is also making slow but costly progress along the 1,000-kilometre front line. Currently, it is waging an operation to take the eastern city of Pokrovsk, a logistical hub whose fall could allow it to drive deeper into Ukraine. European allies and

Ukrainian drone hits Russian oil depot as Zelenskyy announces prisoner swap

An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot near Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi sparked a major fire, Russian officials said on Sunday, as the two countries traded strikes and the Ukrainian president announced a prisoner exchange. More than 120 firefighters attempted to extinguish the blaze, which was caused by debris from a downed drone striking a fuel tank, Krasnodar regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram. Videos on social media appeared to show huge pillars of smoke billowing above the oil depot. Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, temporarily stopped flights at Sochi's airport. Farther north, authorities in the Voronezh region reported that four people were wounded in another Ukrainian drone strike. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 93 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight into Sunday. Meanwhile, in southern Ukraine, a Russian missile strike hit a residential area in the city of Mykolaiv, accord

Ukrainian drone strike sparks major fire at Russian oil depot near Sochi

An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot near Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi sparked a major fire, Russian officials said Sunday, as the two countries traded strikes. More than 120 firefighters attempted to extinguish the blaze, sparked after debris from a downed drone struck a fuel tank, Krasnodar regional Gov Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram. Videos on social media appeared to show huge pillars of smoke billowing above the oil depot. Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, temporarily stopped flights at Sochi's airport. Further north, authorities in the Voronezh region reported that four people were wounded in another Ukrainian drone strike. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 93 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight into Sunday. Meanwhile, in southern Ukraine, a Russian missile strike hit a residential area in the city of Mykolaiv, according to the State Emergency Services, wounding seven people. The Ukrainian

Vladimir Putin dismisses Zelensky's appeal for regime change in Moscow

Recent polls have shown that Zelensky could lose in a competitive election, with retired General Valery Zaluzhny emerging as a leading alternative

Putin, facing Trump deadline, signals no change in stance on Ukraine

He has expressed mounting frustration with Putin, accusing him of "bullshit" and describing Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine as "disgusting"

Russian missile, drone attack on Kyiv kills 13, injures more than 130

Russian missile and drone attacks overnight on Ukraine's capital city killed at least 13 people, including a 6-year-old boy, and wounded 132 others, authorities said Thursday. A 5-month-old girl was among 14 children wounded, Ukraine's Emergency Service said. It was the highest number of children injured in a single attack on Kyiv since the start of Russia's invasion three years ago, according to public records consulted by The Associated Press. A large part of a nine-story residential building collapsed in the attack, City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Rescue teams searched for people trapped under the rubble. Yana Zhabborova, 35, a resident of the damaged building, woke up to the sound of thundering explosions, which blew off the doors and windows of her home. It is just stress and shock that there is nothing left, said Zhabborova, a mother of a 5-month-old infant and a 5-year-old child. Russia fired 309 Shahed and decoy drones, and eight Iskander-K cruise .

Russia strikes Kyiv with missiles, drone attack; 6 killed, 52 injured

Russia attacked Ukraine's capital with missiles and drones overnight, killing at least six people including a 6-year-old boy, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday. Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said at least 52 other people were injured in the attacks, and that the number was likely to rise. A large part of a nine-storey residential building collapsed after it was struck, Tkachenko added. Rescue teams were at the scene to rescue people trapped under the rubble. Missile strike. Directly on a residential building. People are under the rubble. All services are on site, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on his official Telegram. Images from the scene showed plumes of smoke emanating from a partially damaged building and debris strewn on the ground. At least 27 locations across Kyiv were hit by the attack, Tkachenko said, with the heaviest damage seen in the Solomianskyi and Sviatoshynskyi districts. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he's givin

Russia kills 21 civilians in Ukraine, remains defiant over Trump's threats

Russian glide bombs and missiles struck a Ukrainian prison and a medical facility overnight, killing at least 21 people, officials said Tuesday, as Russia kept up its bombardment of civilian areas despite US President Donald Trump's threat to soon punish it with sanctions and tariffs unless it stops. A Russian airstrike on a prison in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region killed at least 17 inmates and wounded more than 80 others, officials said. In the Dnipro region, authorities reported at least four people were killed and eight injured. Trump said Monday he is giving Russian President Vladimir Putin 10 to 12 days to stop the killing in Ukraine after three years of war, moving up a 50-day deadline he had given the Russian leader two weeks ago. The move meant Trump wants peace efforts to make progress by Aug 7-9. Trump has repeatedly rebuked Putin for talking about ending the war but continuing to bombard Ukrainian civilians. But the Kremlin hasn't changed its tactics. I'm .

US State Department approves $322 mn in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine

The State Department said Wednesday that it has approved $322 million in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine to enhance its air defense capabilities and provide armored combat vehicles, coming as the country works to fend off escalating Russian attacks. The potential sales, which the department said were notified to Congress, include $150 million for the supply, maintenance, repair and overhaul of U.S. armored vehicles, and $172 million for surface-to-air missile systems. The approvals come weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed a pause on other weapons shipments to Ukraine to allow the Pentagon to assess its weapons stockpiles, in a move that caught the White House by surprise. President Donald Trump then made an abrupt change in posture, pledging publicly earlier this month to continue to send weapons to Ukraine. We have to, Trump said. They have to be able to defend themselves. They're getting hit very hard now. We're going to send some more weapons defensive weapons

Reliance Industries faces scrutiny as EU targets diesel from Russian crude

Reliance bought Abu Dhabi's Murban crude in a rare purchase late last week, traders said, adding that it picked up the cargo soon after Friday's sanction package