Page 35 - Ukraine

Nato's Dragone meets Zelenskyy, discusses military aid, long-range drones

Zelenskyy also expressed gratitude for Dragone's first foreign visit to Ukraine

Zelenskyy confirms new Ukrainian offensive in Russia's Kursk region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed a new Ukrainian offensive in Russia's Kursk region and said that North Korean troops were fighting alongside Russian forces there. In the areas of the Kursk operation, new assaults have taken place, Zelenskyy said during his Friday address, adding, Russia has once again deployed North Korean soldiers alongside its troops. According to Zelenskyy, a significant number of enemy troops were destroyed. He gave no details but said the losses were in the hundreds. Russia's Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that it had repelled a Ukrainian counterattack in the Kursk region. Russia said Friday its forces had captured the mining town of Toretsk in their latest breakthrough in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, where Ukrainian defences are creaking. Ukrainian officials did not confirm the report. South Korea's military said last month that it suspected North Korea was preparing to send additional troops to Russia after its soldiers suffered

Trump wants to negotiate about Ukraine, Putin's stance remains unclear

Nearly three years after President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, his troops are making steady progress on the battlefield. Kyiv is grappling with shortages of men and weapons. And the new US president could soon halt Ukraine's massive supply of military aid. Putin is closer than ever to achieving his objectives in the battle-weary country, with little incentive to come to the negotiating table, no matter how much US President Donald Trump might cajole or threaten him, according to Russian and Western experts interviewed by The Associated Press. Both are signalling discussions on Ukraine - by phone or in person - using flattery and threats. Putin said Trump was clever and pragmatic, and even parroted his false claims of having won the 2020 election. Trump's opening gambit was to call Putin smart and to threaten Russia with tariffs and oil price cuts, which the Kremlin brushed off. Trump boasted during the campaign he could end the war in 24 hours, which later became six months. He

US set to unveil Trump plan to end three-year Russia-Ukraine conflict

The blueprint would be set out for allies by Trump's special representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, the people said on condition of anonymity

Ukraine wants partner countries to join in postwar projects worth billions

Ukraine wants to collaborate with partner countries on postwar projects worth billions of dollars not just in mining rare earth elements, but also in energy and construction sectors to help rebuild the country, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Wednesday. Sybiha responded to comments by President Donald Trump who said Monday that he wanted to gain access to Ukraine's valuable rare earth materials as a condition for continuing support for its war against Russia. Ukrainian officials have said Russia wants to get its hands on Ukraine's vast natural resources. Kyiv intends to offer guarantees of the presence of major businesses in Ukraine and the vested interests of our closest allies the United States in developing these (rare earth) deposits and ensuring their protection, the foreign minister said. But cooperation should not be limited to rare earth materials, Sybiha said in a news conference alongside visiting U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Ukraine has huge poten

Trump wants Ukraine to supply US with rare earths in exchange for war aid

Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said Ukraine was willing, adding that he wants equalisation from Ukraine for Washington's close to $300 billion in support

Ukraine ready for talks on war, US, Europe must also take part: Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy, who had long called for all Russian troops to leave Ukraine as a pre-condition, has in recent weeks spoken of the need for talks on moving the conflict to a just end

Trump wants Ukraine's rare earth elements as condition of further support

President Donald Trump on Monday indicated that he wants to reach an agreement with Ukraine to gain access to the country's rare earth materials as a condition for continuing US support for its war against Russia. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump complained that the US had sent more in military and economic assistance to Ukraine than its European partners, adding, We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earth and other things." Trump suggested that he's received word from the Ukrainian government that they'd be willing to make a deal to give the US access to the elements critical to the modern high-tech economy. I want to have security of rare earth, Trump added. We're putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earth. And I want security of the rare earth, and they're willing to do it. Trump, who had previously said he'd bring about a rapid end to the war, said talks are ongoin

Ukraine strikes major Russian oil refinery twice in 3 days: Official

Ukrainian long-range drones struck one of Russia's biggest oil refineries for the second time in three days, a senior Kyiv official said Monday, as Ukraine tries to slow the Russian army's push along parts of the front line and the third anniversary of the war approaches. The attack late Sunday hit a refinery in the Volgograd region, which is one of Russia's 10 biggest refining facilities, processing close to 6% of the country's oil, an official in Ukraine's Security Service told The Associated Press. Russian authorities acknowledged only a brief fire at the Volgograd refinery during the drone attack. Ukrainian defences are creaking under months-long Russian drive to occupy more land, especially in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland, before the possible start of peace negotiations steered by US President Donald Trump. Ukraine, though heavily dependent on Western military aid, has been developing its own arms industry, including drones that can fly increasingly long ranges with

Too early to discuss Zelenskyy's four-way peace talks format: Kremlin

Moscow has long said the fact that Zelenskiy was not re-elected last year when his 5-yr term expired - due to martial law being in force - means he would not have legal authority to sign a peace deal

Ukraine drone attack forces flight suspensions at many Russian airports

Russia's aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said that it was suspending flights from the airports of Astrakhan as well as from four others, in Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Saratov and Ulyanovsk to ensure air safety

Excluding Ukraine from US-Russia talks on war 'very dangerous': Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that excluding his country from talks between the US and Russia about the war in Ukraine would be very dangerous" and asked for more discussions between Kyiv and Washington to develop a plan for a ceasefire. Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Zelenskyy said Russia does not want to engage in ceasefire talks or to discuss any kind of concessions, which the Kremlin interprets as losing at a time when its troops have the upper hand on the battlefield. He said US President Donald Trump could bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the table with the threat of sanctions targeting Russia's energy and banking system, as well as continued support of the Ukrainian military. I think these are the closest and most important steps, he said in the interview in the Ukrainian capital that lasted for more than an hour. Zelenskyy's remarks followed comments Friday by Trump, who said American and Russian officials were

News update: Sitharaman to table Economic Survey in Parliament on Friday

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US has not stopped military aid to Ukraine, says President Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday the US has not stopped military aid to Ukraine after newly sworn in US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he would pause foreign aid grants for 90 days. Zelenskyy did not clarify whether humanitarian aid had been paused. Ukraine relies on the US for 40% of its military needs. I am focused on military aid; it has not been stopped, thank God, he said at a press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu. The two leaders met in Kyiv on Saturday to discuss the energy needs of Moldova's Russian-occupied Transnistria region, which saw its natural gas supplies halted on Jan 1 due to Ukraine's decision to stop Russian gas transit. Ukraine has said it can offer coal to the Transnistrian authorities to make up for the shortfall. The future of US aid to Ukraine remains uncertain as President Donald Trump begins his second term in office. The American leader has repeatedly said he wouldn't have allowed Russia's invasion of Ukraine t

Putin claims Ukraine war could have been avoided under Trump presidency

Putin claims Ukraine war could've been avoided if Trump won in 2020, praising him as 'smart' and 'pragmatic'

News Highlights: India will continue buying Russian crude if available at discount, says Puri

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Ukraine reforming its recruitment efforts to attract younger soldiers

Ukraine is in the final stages of drafting recruitment reforms to attract 18- to 25-year-olds who are currently exempt from mobilisation as it looks for ways to bolster its fighting force, the battlefield commander recently appointed to the President's Office said. In his first interview with foreign media since taking up his new position last fall, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Colonel Pavlo Palisa said Ukraine is exploring new recruitment options because the current drafting system inherited from Soviet times is hindering progress. While Ukraine passed a mobilisation law last spring and lowered the age of conscription from 27 to 25 years old, the measures have not had the impact needed to replenish its ranks or replace battlefield losses in its war with Russia. One initiative is what Palisa described as an honest contract," a plan that includes financial incentives, clear guarantees for training, and measures to ensure dialogue between soldiers and their commanders. T

Ukrainian govt seeks up to $20 billion to boost weapons production

The minister said that country's defense industry has developed significantly and currently around 40 per cent of weapons used by Kyiv's troops are Ukrainian-made

Russia-Ukraine war would've never started if I were President: Trump

Trump also said that North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or Nato countries must pay 5 per cent of their GDP for its defence budget