Page 57 - Ukraine

Putin gives North Korea's Kim a luxury Russian-built limousine, says TASS

Photos released by Russian media showed Putin and Kim taking turns to take the wheel in the new Aurus around the guest house following the summit talks

Over 20 NATO allies likely to hit defence spending target amid Ukraine war

A record more than 20 NATO member nations are expected to hit the Western military alliance's defence spending target this year, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, as the war in Ukraine drives worldwide concerns. The estimated figure, announced by Stoltenberg during a talk at the Wilson Centre in Washington, marks a nearly fourfold increase from 2021 in the ranks of the 32 NATO member nations meeting the alliance's defense spending guideline. Only six nations were meeting the goal that year, ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. NATO member countries agreed last year to spend at least 2 per cent of their gross domestic product on defence. The surge in spending reflects the worries of Western allies about the war in Ukraine. Some countries also are concerned about the possible reelection of former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly characterised many NATO allies as freeloading on US military spending and said on the ...

Ukraine, bondholder group unable to reach deal in formal $20 bn debt talks

Ukraine had been in formal talks with bondholders for nearly two weeks, seeking to restructure the debt in order to retain access to international markets

Euro Cup 2024: Belgium vs Slovakia live match to begin at 9:30 PM IST today

On Monday, June 17, three matches will take place in the Uefa Euro 2024 being played in Germany. Teams such as Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belgium, Austria and France will be involved

78 nations at Swiss conference agree Ukraine's territorial integrity must

Nearly 80 countries called Sunday for the territorial integrity of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia's two-year war, though some key developing nations at a Swiss conference did not join in. The way forward for diplomacy remains unclear. The joint communique capped a two-day conference marked by the absence of Russia, which was not invited. Many attendees expressed hope that Russia might join in on a road map to peace in the future. The all-out war since President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has killed or injured hundreds of thousands of people, unsettled markets for goods like grain and fertiliser, driven millions from their homes and carved a wedge between the West which has sanctioned Moscow and Russia, China and some other countries. About 100 delegations, mostly Western countries, attended the conference that was billed as a first step toward peace. They included presidents and prime ministers from France, Germany, Britai

India to engage with all parties to help achieve peace in Ukraine: MEA

New Delhi will continue to engage with all stakeholders as well as the two parties to the conflict to contribute to all earnest efforts to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine, an official said

Meet 40-yr-old Dutchman who gets Nike and Lego into wartime Russia's stores

The man who got Nike shoes to Russia amid war is Wijnand Herinckx, a 40-year-old Dutch citizen who lives in Moscow

Ukraine bid falters a bit as several nations don't sign on to summit text

Eighty countries jointly called Sunday for the territorial integrity of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia's war, though some key developing nations at a Swiss conference did not join in. The joint communique capped a two-day conference at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland marked by the absence of Russia, which was not invited, but that many attendees hoped could join in on a roadmap to peace.

Russian forces storm detention facility to rescue staff taken hostage

Russian security forces stormed a detention centre in southern Russia, ending a hostage standoff, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported Sunday. The hostages at the facility in Rostov-on-Don were uninjured, said RIA Novosti, citing Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service. It said that the hostage takers had been liquidated, with other local news outlets reporting that at least some of the prisoners had been killed.

India avoids signing any communique on peace in Ukraine at Swiss summit

India on Sunday refrained from associating itself with any communique emerging from a Ukraine summit for peace hosted by Switzerland and asserted that it will remain engaged with all stakeholders to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Pavan Kapoor, Secretary(West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, represented India at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine that was held at a resort near Lucerne in Switzerland on June 15 and 16. The summit concluded with dozens of countries throwing their support to Ukraine's "territorial integrity" and calling for talks among all parties to find a lasting solution to the conflict. "The Indian delegation attended the Opening and Closing Plenary Sessions of the Summit. India did not associate itself with any communique/document emerging from this Summit," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "India's participation in the Summit, as well as in the preceding NSA/Political Director-level meetings based on Ukraine's Peace Formula

Why Russia's bonhomie with North Korea is potential danger to the world

Russia's forces have been able to blast thousands of artillery shells a day at Ukraine thanks to supplies sent by Kim Jong Un

Meloni describes Putin's cease-fire offer for Ukraine as 'propaganda'

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Saturday dismissed a cease-fire offer for Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin as propaganda, as she wrapped up a Group of Seven summit that saw a deal reached for a USD 50 billion loan to Ukraine. The loan will be provided by the US, UK, Canada and possibly Japan, Meloni said. The frozen Russian assets to be used as collateral are mainly in Europe, so Europe is already contributing by identifying the guarantee mechanism, she added. The loan agreement was reached at the opening Thursday of the two-day annual meeting of leaders from the G7 countries of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States in southern Italy's Puglia region. Asked about Putin's cease-fire proposal, Meloni said it seems to me more like a propaganda move than a real one. The Russian president said Friday he would immediately order a cease-fire in Ukraine and start negotiations if Kyiv begins withdrawing troops from the four regions Mosco

Russia absent as world leaders meet at Swiss resort for Ukraine peace talks

The presidents of Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Somalia will join many Western heads of state and government and other leaders at a conference this weekend aimed to plot out first steps toward peace in Ukraine with Russia notably absent. Swiss officials hosting the conference say more than 50 heads of state and government, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will join the gathering at the Brgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne. Some 100 delegations including European bodies and the United Nations will be on hand. Who will show up and who will not has become one of the key stakes of a meeting that critics say will be useless without the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin's government, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and is pushing ahead with the war. US Vice President Kamala Harris is set to attend while Turkey and Saudi Arabia have dispatched their foreign ministers. Key developing countries like Brazil, an observer at the event, India and ..

Putin sets terms for ceasefire: Ukraine must pull out from 'annexed' parts

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised on Friday to immediately order a cease-fire in Ukraine and start negotiations if Kyiv began withdrawing troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and renounced plans to join NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected what he called an ultimatum by Putin to surrender more territory. Putin's remarks came as Switzerland prepared to host scores of world leaders -- but not from Moscow -- this weekend to try to map out first steps toward peace in Ukraine. They also coincided with a meeting of leaders of the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations in Italy and after the US and Ukraine this week signed a 10-year security agreement that Russian officials, including Putin, denounced as null and void. Putin blasted the Switzerland conference as just another ploy to divert everyone's attention, reverse the cause and effect of the Ukrainian crisis (and) set the discussion on the wrong track. His demands came in a speech a

G7: Way to peace is through 'dialogue & diplomacy', PM Modi tells Zelenskyy

PM Modi met Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Italy's Apulia region. The prime minister described the meeting with the Ukrainian president as 'very productive'

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni welcomes guest with 'Namaste', video goes viral

The heads of G7 nations reached Italy to participate in the 2024 Summit. PM Modi also arrived in Italy to participate in the G7 meeting, where India is invited as an outreach country

Peace summit for Ukraine conflict opens in Switzerland without Russia

Switzerland will host scores of world leaders this weekend to try to map out first steps toward peace in Ukraine even though Russia, which launched and is continuing the war, won't take part. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government didn't want Russia involved, and the Swiss aware of Moscow's reservations about the talks didn't invite Russia. The Swiss insist Russia must be involved at some point, and hope it will join the process one day. Ukrainians too are considering that possibility, Zelenskyy's top adviser says. The process unlikely to produce major results this weekend is seen as a largely symbolic effort on the part of Kyiv to rally the international community and project strength against its better armed and manned adversary. But the question looming over the summit will be how the two countries can move back from the brink and eventually silence guns in a war that has cost hundreds of billions of dollars and caused hundreds and thousands of deaths and ...

Highlights of the day: Six dead, 1,500 tourists stranded as landslides, rain wreak havoc in Sikkim

Catch all the latest updates from around the world here

G7 agrees to use frozen Russian assets for $50 billion loan for Ukraine

A Group of Seven summit opened on Thursday with agreement reached on a US proposal to back a USD 50 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets as collateral, giving Kyiv a strong show of support even as Europe's political chessboard shifts to the right. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni welcomed the heads of state of the G7 leading industrialised nations to a luxury resort in southern Italy, saying she wanted the message of the meeting to be one of dialogue with the global south and unity. She likened the G7 to the ancient olive trees that are a symbol of the Puglia region, with their solid roots, and branches projected toward the future. Beyond discussions on Ukraine, the war in Gaza and China's industrial policy, Pope Francis will become the first pope to address a G7 summit, adding a dash of celebrity and moral authority to the annual gathering. He'll be speaking on Friday about the promises and perils of artificial intelligence, but is expected to also renew his appeal for

G7 summit opens with deal to use Russia's frozen assets for Ukraine

A Group of Seven summit is opening Thursday with agreement on a US proposal to back a USD 50 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets as collateral, giving Kyiv a strong show of support even as Europe's political chessboard shifts to the right. Diplomats confirmed that an agreement had been reached on the deal before the leaders even landed in southern Italy for the three-day summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be on hand and is expected to sign a separate bilateral security agreement with US President Joe Biden. Beyond the Ukraine war, Pope Francis will become the first pope to address a G7 summit, adding a dash of celebrity and moral authority to the annual gathering that is being held this year in Italy's sun-drenched Puglia region. He'll be speaking Friday about the promises and perils of artificial intelligence, but is expected to also renew his appeal for a peaceful end to wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The G7 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, ...