Page 16 - Ukraine

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

Heads of delegations of Russia & Ukraine hold bilateral meeting in Istanbul

The Russian and Ukrainian delegation chiefs, Vladimir Medinsky and Rustem Umerov, held a one-on-one meeting in Istanbul

Russian strikes in Ukraine kill child, injure 24 ahead of peace talks

Russian forces struck three Ukrainian cities in overnight attacks, killing a child and wounding at least 24 people, officials said Tuesday, a day before a planned third round of direct peace talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's announcement late Monday that the negotiations would take place generated little hope they would deliver any progress on ending the three-year war. That is despite the Trump administration's efforts to push forward peace efforts, which have stalled as Russian President Vladimir Putin is reluctant to budge from his demands. The previous two rounds were held in Istanbul, and Russian media reports said the Turkish city likely would also host the meeting this time. The talks in May and June led to a series of exchanges of prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers but produced no other agreements. The war has continued unabated, meanwhile. Russia is driving hard to break through at eastern and northeaste

New EU Russia curbs may bolster Indian oil refiners' reliance on traders

In its 18th package of sanctions against Russia the European bloc banned imports of refined petroleum products made from Russian crude coming from third countries

Next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks to be held on July 23: Zelenskyy

Moscow and Kyiv have already conducted two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul earlier this year

Russia launches airstrike on Kyiv hours before talks on support for Ukraine

Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months, only hours before the UK and Germany are to chair a meeting to discuss US President Donald Trump's plans for NATO allies to provide Ukraine with weapons. The attack killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The drone and missile assault on Kyiv overnight into Monday underscored the urgency of Ukraine's need for further Western military aid, especially in air defence, a week after Trump said deliveries would arrive in Ukraine within days. The virtual meeting will be led by British Defense Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius. Healey said US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte, as well as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen Alexus Grynkewich, will attend the meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. Moscow has intensified its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, and analysts say

Talks planned after Trump said Europe will pay for weapons to Ukraine

The UK and Germany are chairing a meeting Monday to discuss President Donald Trump's plans for NATO allies to provide Ukraine with weapons, a week after the US president said deliveries would arrive in Ukraine within days. The virtual meeting will be lead by British Defence Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius. Healey said US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte, as well as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen Alexus Grynkewich, will attend the meeting of Ukraine Defence Contact Group. The talks come after Russia pounded Ukraine with some 300 drone strikes Saturday, Ukrainian officials said. Moscow continues to intensify its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate. In an shift of tone toward Russia, the U.S. president last week gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions. Trump's arms plan, announced a week ago, involves European nations .

Kremlin says open to peace with Ukraine; but insists on achieving its goals

Russia is open to peace with Ukraine, but achieving its goals remains a priority, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday, days after US President Donald Trump gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions. Peskov and other Russian officials have repeatedly rejected accusations from Kyiv and its Western partners of stalling peace talks. Meanwhile, Moscow continues to intensify its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, launching more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate. President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy, Peskov told state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin. The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear, he added. The Kremlin has insisted that any peace deal should see Ukraine withdraw f