Page 31 - Ukraine

Putin smells blood in the water on US backed Black Sea ceasefire deal

Putin knows Ukraine will find it extraordinarily difficult to agree to its conditions, and that a refusal makes it likely the US will again suspend arms shipments and intelligence sharing in punishmen

Russia, Ukraine blame each other for ceasefire breaches at energy sites

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of breaking the terms of a tentative US-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges to negotiating a broader peace in the war in Ukraine. Russia's defence ministry alleged that Ukrainian drone attacks hit an electric facility in the Bryansk region early Wednesday and a power grid facility in the Kursk region on Tuesday, leading to a power cut affecting thousands of people. It said the Ukrainian government "is doing everything to derail the Russian-US agreements on the gradual settlement" of the war. Ukraine's General Staff denied the allegations, saying in a statement on Wednesday that Russia's claims were part of a broader disinformation campaign aimed at justifying continued hostilities. The accusations came hours after Washington announced a tentative agreement with Ukraine and Russia to pause attacks on energy sites and ensure safe shipping in the Black Sea, following three days of separate talk

Proposed European force for Ukraine may respond if Russia attacks: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that a proposed European armed force for possible deployment in Ukraine in tandem with an eventual peace deal could respond to a Russian attack if Moscow launched one. Macron spoke after talks with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and ahead of a summit in Paris of some 30 nations on Thursday that will discuss the proposed force for Ukraine. If there was again a generalised aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would be under attack and then it's our usual framework of engagement. Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it, Macron said. Their collective name, coalition of the willing, suggests that the loose grouping of Ukraine's allies certainly wants to help. But as the nearly three dozen nations gather again for more talks in Paris, it is still far from clear exactly what kind

Zelenskyy calls on US to sanction Russia after fresh drone strikes

None of the Ukrainian statements said Russia attacked energy infrastructure overnight, but Zelenskyy said they went against the spirit of the peace talks

Russia gets US to agree to help lift curbs on food, fertilizer and shipping

The United States further said it had also agreed with Russia and Ukraine to implement a ban on military strikes on each other's energy installations

White House announces Black Sea ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine

The White House said in a statement that Washington would help restore Russia's access to the world market for agricultural and fertiliser exports

Expect to sign critical minerals deal with Ukraine soon, says Trump

Trump also told reporters as he met his Cabinet that the United States is talking to Ukraine about the potential for American firms owning Ukrainian power plants

Russia developing 'privileged strategic partnership' with India: Lavrov

Russia is developing "privileged strategic partnership" with India, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday. Lavrov said at an event that Russia is actively expanding ties with countries like China, India, Iran, North Korea and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, the state-run TASS news agency reported on Monday. "We prioritize boosting ties with the majority of global states," he said at a meeting of the board of trustees of the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund. "The relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation with the People's Republic of China boast an unprecedented level of mutual trust. Particularly privileged strategic partnership is developing with India," the top Russian diplomat said. Lavrov added that serious progress has been reached in expanding and deepening of friendly ties with such states as Iran and North Korea. Moscow puts special emphasis on strengthening of all areas of cooperation with allies and part

US meets Russians separately after talks with Ukrainians on ceasefire

US negotiators worked on a proposed partial ceasefire in Ukraine on Monday, meeting with representatives from Russia a day after holding separate talks with the Ukrainian team. Each side has accused the other of undermining efforts to reach a pause in the 3-year-old war. Kyiv and Moscow agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after US President Donald Trump spoke with the countries' leaders, but the parties have offered different views of what targets would be off-limits to attack. While the White House said energy and infrastructure would be covered, the Kremlin declared that the agreement referred more narrowly to energy infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would also like to see railways and ports protected. Talks Monday are expected to address some of those differences, as well as a potential pause in attacks in the Black Sea to ensure the safety of commercial shipping. US and Russian representatives met in the morning in the Saudi .

US, Russian negotiators launch ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia

US and Russian negotiators on Monday sat down for talks in Saudi Arabia on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine, hours after a round of negotiations between US and Ukrainian negotiators, Russian news reports said. The state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies said the negotiations began in Riyadh. The meeting is expected to be followed by another contact between US and Ukrainian teams. The separate meetings are set to discuss details of a pause in long-range attacks against energy facilities and civilian infrastructure and a halt on attacks in the Black Sea to ensure safe commercial shipping. Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after US President Donald Trump spoke with the countries' leaders, but the parties have offered different views of what targets would be off-limits to attack. While the White House said energy and infrastructure would be covered, the Kremlin declared that the agreement referred more narrowly to energy infrastructure. Ukrainian .

One injured, houses damaged by Russian airstrike in Kyiv region: Ukraine

Late on Sunday, in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Russia's attack injured a 54-year-old woman and damaged windows of multi-story and residential buildings, the region's administration said

US, Ukraine hold talks in Saudi Arabia amid efforts to reach resolution

The negotiations come ahead of scheduled meetings between Russian and Ukrainian representatives today

7 dead after Moscow targets Kyiv with drone attack ahead of ceasefire talks

The Ukrainian delegation is expected to meet with US officials in Saudi Arabia a day ahead of the indirect talks, Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelenskyy said

Ukraine's territorial concessions key issue ahead of peace talks: US envoy

Witkoff also reflected on the 'warming up' of ties between the US and Russia, saying President Putin had commissioned a portrait of Donald Trump and sent it to him

News Highlights: We will have a full ceasefire very soon in the Russia-Ukraine war, says Trump

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Kyiv still in talks with US about minerals deal, says Ukraine spokesman

"If the American side has additional ideas on how to conclude this document, how to move forward, they need to be considered at level of teams that are communicating," spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said

Trump to sign mineral deal with Ukraine, hopes for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

Referring to his recent phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump expressed hope for an end to the ongoing conflict

Highlights: Madras HC directs ED not to proceed further with Tasmac case

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EU, NATO military leaders to discuss Ukraine peacekeeping amid truce talks

Senior officers from countries across Europe and beyond will meet Thursday at a military headquarters on the outskirts of London to flesh out plans for an international peacekeeping force for Ukraine as details of a partial ceasefire are worked out. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the "coalition of the willing" plan, led by Britain and France, is moving into an "operational phase." But it's unclear how many countries are willing to send troops, or whether there will be any ceasefire to protect. Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after President Donald Trump spoke with the countries' leaders this week, though it remained to be seen when it might take effect and what possible targets would be off limits to attack. The tentative deal to partially rein in the three-year war came after Russian President Vladimir Putin rebuffed Trump's push for a full 30-day ceasefire. The difficulty in getting the combatants to agree not to target one another's ..

Trump-Putin plan Saudi meet: What's next for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire?

Ukraine and Russia immediately exchanged attacks following a 30-day ceasefire talk between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump