Page 44 - Ukraine

Ukraine's 'victory plan' receives mixed reactions from Western allies

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plan to end Ukraine's nearly three-year war with Russia has received mixed reactions from Western allies so far. The "victory plan" that Zelenskyy outlined at home and abroad includes a formal invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and permission to use Western long-range missiles to strike military targets in Russia two steps Kyiv's allies have been reluctant to support before. US backing is crucial if Zelenskyy is to get support from other allies for proposals he believes are necessary to strengthen Ukraine's position on the battlefield and ahead of any peace negotiations. But analysts say the Biden administration is unlikely to make a decision before the US presidential election on Nov. 5, as it may not appeal to voters. "They seem to be just doing very little now and waiting for the election," said Phillips O'Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. "So much of the strategy will live or die in ...

Biden meets with European allies as Trump's new term possibility hangs over

Expected on the agenda of discussions are conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia according to a Biden administration official

Biden to discuss Ukraine with European allies on swansong Berlin trip

Biden, who sought to improve ties with Europe after presidency of Donald Trump, will be greeted with military honors before receiving Germany's highest order of merit from President Frank Steinmeier

Zelenskyy says 10K North Koreans could join Russian forces in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday his government has intelligence information that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country, warning that a third nation wading into the hostilities would turn the conflict into a world war. Zelenskyy did not go into detail about the claim that came a day after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said that Washington and its allies are alarmed by North Korea's military support for Russia's war in Ukraine but couldn't confirm Ukrainian claims that soldiers were sent to fight for Moscow. From our intelligence we've got information that North Korea sent tactical personnel and officers to Ukraine, Zelenskyy told reporters at NATO headquarters. They are preparing on their land 10,000 soldiers, but they didn't move them already to Ukraine or to Russia. Earlier, he warned that any North Korean involvement would be "the first step to a world war. NATO Secretary-General

President Zelenskyy heads to EU, Nato to seek backing for 'victory plan'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will seek support from European Union leaders on Thursday for what he is calling his victory plan to end the devastating war with Russia. Zelenskyy will address EU leaders at their summit in Brussels before shuttling across town to meet with NATO defence ministers. The EU is a key supporter of Ukraine a candidate member of the 27-nation bloc as it fights Russia's invasion that began more than 2 1/2 years ago. Zelenskyy outlined the five-point plan to Ukraine's parliament on Wednesday without disclosing confidential elements that have been presented in private to key allies, including the United States. Reaction was muted at NATO, where Secretary-General Mark Rutte said only that he and the allies take note of it. He did not discuss when Ukraine might join the world's biggest military alliance, beyond insisting that it would eventually become a member. The plan has many aspects and many political and military issues we really need to hammer

Nato shows no sign of letting Ukraine join, seeks details on victory plan

NATO on Wednesday showed no sign it would be willing to invite Ukraine to join its ranks anytime soon as allies sought more information from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about his victory plan for ending the war with Russia. The plan centres on a request for NATO to move forward on the accelerated membership application that Zelenskyy made two years ago to seek protection under the military alliance's security umbrella after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. NATO's credibility is based on its collective security guarantee, Article 5 of its founding treaty. It's a political commitment by all 32 member countries to come to the aid of any member whose sovereignty or territory might be under attack. However, it does not apply to a partner country like Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte declined to welcome the victory plan, saying only that he and the allies take note of it. He did not discuss when Ukraine might join the world's biggest military alliance, beyond insistin

Zelenskyy to present victory plan to parliament after presenting to allies

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was set to at least partially unveil a plan to win the war against Russia to his country's Parliament on Wednesday after weeks of dropping hints about the blueprint to lukewarm Western allies, including U.S. President Joe Biden. The plan comprising military, political, diplomatic and economic elements is considered by many as Ukraine's last resort to strengthen its hand in any future cease-fire negotiations with Russia. Thus far, however, no country has publicly endorsed it or commented on its feasibility. Zelenskyy is keen to get the victory plan in place before a new U.S. president is sworn in next year, though Ukrainian officials say neither presidential candidate will necessarily improve Kyiv's standing in the war. Zelenskyy's presentation to Parliament, announced on Monday by presidential adviser Serhii Leshchenko, comes during a bleak moment in Ukraine. The country's military is suffering losses along the eastern front as Russian force

Russia says more than 30K evacuated from areas bordering war torn Ukraine

Ukrainian forces launched an incursion into the Kursk region in August, taking control of dozens of settlements and holding most positions since

Ukraine's rocky past with Poland is haunting Zelenskyy amid escalating war

The rift coincides with mounting war fatigue among Kyiv's Western allies, with Russian troops making grinding advances in the country's east

Zelenskyy shows victory plan to allies, discusses using long-range weapons

Meetings in Europe, along with one in Berlin on Friday, were aimed at presenting Ukraine's position and possibly outlining its requirements for accepting future peace talks

Drone strikes another arms depot inside Russia, says Ukraine military

A Ukrainian drone struck an important arms depot inside Russia, the Ukraine military said Wednesday, three weeks after another drone blasted a major Russian armoury and three days after a drone smashed into a key oil terminal in Russia-occupied Crimea. The Tuesday night strike targeted an arsenal in Russia's Bryansk border region where missiles and artillery munitions were stored, including some that had been delivered by North Korea, a Ukrainian General Staff statement said. Hugely powerful glide bombs that have terrorised civilian areas of Ukraine and bludgeoned Ukrainian army defences were also kept at the arsenal, located 115 kilometres (70 miles) from the Ukrainian border, and some of the ammunition was stored in the open, it said. Striking such arsenals creates serious logistical problems for the Russian army, thus significantly reducing (its) offensive capabilities, the statement said. Russia is expending enormous amounts of ammunition as it makes its advantage in artillery

Russian forces reach another key frontline city Toretsk: Ukraine military

With Ukraine now losing more and more territory, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has ordered his top brass do 'everything that can be done' to minimise Moscow's advance along the frontline

Russian missile strike damaged vessel carrying grain in port, says Ukraine

The ministry said this was the 20th civilian vessel to be damaged by Russian attacks

Ukraine grain exports reach 11.2 MT so far this year, says Kyiv

The volume included 6.5 million tons of wheat, almost 3 million tons of corn and more than 1.4 million tons of barley

Russian hypersonic missile hit 'area of' major air base, says Ukraine

Missile debris also fell onto an open area in the central Shevchenkivskyi district and damaged the roof of a car in the southern Kyiv district of Holosiivskyi

Fire breaks out at oil depot in Feodosia on Crimean coast of Black Sea

Ukraine's air and sea drone attacks on Russian military targets in Crimea over the course of the war have damaged or destroyed several ships

PM's meetings with Putin, Zelenskyy 'beginning of communication': EAM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meetings with the top leaders of Russia and Ukraine were "beginnings of a communication process" between two countries engaged in a serious conflict that has had enormous consequences, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday. In an interactive session at The Conclave 2024 organised by news channel Pratidin Time, Jaishankar said Prime Minister Modi was one of the very few world leaders who has the "ability" to speak to both the leaders, who "trust" him. "What are we trying to do? You don't necessarily have to mediate... sometimes you have to communicate. We are actually, simultaneously talking to two countries who are having a conflict," he said to a question on India's role in "mediation" in the Ukraine conflict. Jaishankar said Prime Minister Modi has had at least three meetings with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said National Security Adviser Ajit Doval also met Puti

Russian glide bomb strikes Ukrainian apartment building, 12 injured

A Russian glide bomb struck a five-story apartment block in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, injuring at least 12 people including a 3-year-old girl, local officials said Thursday. The bomb hit between the third and fourth floors of the building on Wednesday night, igniting blazes, Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Firefighters searched for survivors through smoke and rubble. The city of Kharkiv, located around 30 km (18 miles) from the Russian border, has been a frequent target of aerial attacks throughout the war against Russia that is now deep into its third year. Glide bombs have become an increasingly common weapon in the war. They have terrorised civilians and bludgeoned the Ukrainian army's front-line defences. They were a key weapon in Russia's capture of the tactically significant town of Vuhledar on Wednesday, as Russian forces wreak destruction on the eastern Donetsk region and force weary Ukrainian troops to withdraw from obliterated towns and ...

Ukraine's military to pull out of Vuhledar in east after 2 yrs of fighting

Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from the front-line town of Vuhledar, perched atop a tactically significant hill in eastern Ukraine, after more than two years of grinding battle, military officials said Wednesday. Vuhledar, a town Ukrainian forces fought tooth and nail to keep, is the latest urban settlement to fall to the Russians. It follows a vicious summer campaign along the eastern front that saw Kyiv cede several thousand square kilometres of territory. Ukraine's Khortytsia ground forces formation, which commands eastern regions including Donetsk, said in a statement posted on Telegram it was withdrawing troops from Vuhledar to protect the military personnel and equipment. In an attempt to take control of the city at any cost, reserves were directed to carry out flanking attacks, which exhausted the defence of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As a result of the enemy's actions, there arose a threat of encircling the city, the statement said. The tactical significanc

Russian artillery strike hit market in Ukraine city of Kherson, kills 7

An apparent Russian artillery strike hit a market in the southern Ukraine city of Kherson on Tuesday, killing at least seven people and wounding three others, authorities said. The strike happened as shoppers made their way between stalls at the city centre market, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. He published a video showing the blurred corpses of people in civilian clothes lying near a stall with tomatoes and other vegetables. Ukraine's General Prosecutor's Office said the strike was most likely carried out by Russian artillery and hit close to a public transport stop. The city has not recently been a hotspot in the war, now deep into its third year, as the fiercest battles have been taking place in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region where Russia's army is pushing hard to take ground ahead of the winter. Ukrainian forces have struck back with an incursion into Russia's Kursk border region, but the government is waiting to hear what further Western military and financial supp