Page 71 - Ukraine

Biden's push for Ukraine aid stalls in Senate as negotiations drag on

President Joe Biden's push to have Congress replenish wartime aid for Ukraine as part of a deal on border and immigration policy changes will almost certainly drag into next year. The Senate, which had postponed its holiday recess, returned to Washington on Monday after negotiators worked through the weekend on the border legislation, trying to reach an agreement that could unlock the Republican votes for Biden's USD 110 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and other security priorities. But senators said they still had plenty of work ahead, and it remained uncertain how many more days the Senate will remain in session this week. Barely half of the senators returned for a Monday evening vote. Obviously we need time, said Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the top Democratic negotiator. The delay heaps more uncertainty on the future of the Biden administration's priority of providing support against Russia's invasion. It also puts a potential pause on politically fraught ...

Russia and Ukraine exchange drone attacks hours after EU funding stalled

Russia and Ukraine each reported dozens of attempted drone attacks in the past day, just hours after Hungary vetoed 50 billion Euros (USD 54.5 billion) of EU funding to Ukraine. Ukraine's air force said Saturday that Ukrainian air defense had shot down 30 out of 31 drones launched overnight against 11 regions of the country. Russia also said Friday evening that it had thwarted a series of Ukrainian drone attacks. Russian anti-aircraft units destroyed 32 Ukrainian drones over the Crimean peninsula, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram. Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world considered illegal, and has used it as a staging and supply point during the war. Earlier, Russia's Defense Ministry said that six drones had been shot down in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. In Ukraine's partially occupied southern Kherson region, Russian-installed governor Vladimir Saldo reported on Telegram that Russian anti-aircraft units had downed

Is the West abandoning Ukraine? Prez Volodymyr Zelenskiy's tough week

France and Germany and others let it be known showing up wouldn't be a good idea, according to people familiar with the discussion, who spoke on condition of anonymity

Village council member in Ukraine sets off grenades during meet, injures 26

A village council member in western Ukraine detonated three hand grenades during a meeting on Friday, critically injuring himself and at least two dozen other people, authorities said. A video posted on social media showed a man entering a room where the village council of Keretsky was meeting to discuss and approve the community's budget. The man, who was preliminary identified as Serhii Batryn, a council member who belongs to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party, took three grenades from his pockets, removed the pins and threw the weapons on the floor in front of him. Thranscarpathian region police said in an official statement that 26 people were injured, six of them critically. The man who set off the grenades suffered grave injuries and medics worked to save his life, police said. There was no immediate word on a possible motive or if the attack was somehow connected to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Hungary blocks European Union aid for Ukraine after membership talks nod

EU leaders will reconvene for a second day of their summit meeting on Friday with several topics on the agenda, including the conflict between Israel and Hamas

LIVE: PM Modi to interact with beneficiaries of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra

Catch all the latest news updates from across the world

Advantage Moscow: 'Fortress Russia' hasn't turned into 'rubble Russia'

Russia will pay a long-term price, of course, but it has weathered Western sanctions. Its current position isn't what Western powers would have predicted in February 2022, writes T N Ninan

US keeps funding Ukraine's military even as it says it's out of money

The White House has been increasingly pressuring Congress to pass stalled legislation to support Ukraine's war against Russia, saying that funding has run out. On Tuesday, however, President Joe Biden touted a new military aid package worth $200 million for Ukraine. Money is dwindling. But the announcement of more weapons being sent to Kyiv just underscores the complexity of the funding. So has the money run out? Or are there still a few billion dollars floating around? It's complicated. Store credit ... In a Nov. 4 letter to Congress, White House budget director Shalanda Young said flatly: We are out of money to support Ukraine in this fight. This isn't a next year problem. The time to help a democratic Ukraine fight against Russian aggression is right now. Since then, the U.S. has announced three more aid packages totaling $475 million. That may seem contradictory, but it's due to the complex programs used to send aid to Ukraine. There are two pots of money for weapons and sec

Russian President Putin vows victory in war as West wavers on Ukraine

Putin is holding the news conference for the first time since he ordered the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine

LIVE: Delhi police produce four accused before court seeking 15-day custody

Catch all the latest updates LIVE from across the world

617,000 Russian troops in Ukraine: Putin at rare 4 hour media interaction

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday there would be no peace in Ukraine until the Kremlin realises its goals, which remain unchanged after nearly two years of fighting that has sent tensions soaring between Moscow and the West. Speaking at a year-end news conference that lasted over four hours and offered him an opportunity to reinforce his grip on power, Putin gave some rare details on what Moscow calls its special military operation. He dismissed the need for a second wave of mobilisation of reservists to fight in Ukraine a move that has been deeply unpopular. He said there are some 617,000 Russian soldiers there, including around 244,000 troops who were called up to fight alongside professional military forces. There will be peace when we will achieve our goals, Putin said, repeating a frequent Kremlin line. Victory will be ours. Putin highlighted Russian military gains in Ukraine as the conflict's second winter approached. Almost all along the line of contact our ar

European Union struggles to keep its elementary promises to Ukraine intact

European Union leaders struggled at the start of a two-day summit Thursday to keep their two most elementary promises to Ukraine at war intact to give it the money and wherewithal to stave off the Russian invasion and maintain its hope that one day it will be able to join the wealthy bloc. And stunningly, the threat to that commitment does not come from outside, but from within, from its increasingly recalcitrant member Hungary. The vision of its prime minister, Viktor Orban, heartily shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin two months ago still hung heavy over the summit. Orban came into the summit vowing to both block the plans by his 26 fellow leaders to officially declare that membership negotiations with Ukraine can start, and more pressingly, deny Kyiv 50 billion Euros (USD 54 billion) in financial aid that the country dearly needs to stay afloat. The challenge comes at an especially dire time for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, straight off a trip to ...

Biden considers border restrictions as he tries to reach Ukraine aid deal

Top Biden administration officials laboured Wednesday to try to reach a last-minute deal for wartime aid for Ukraine by agreeing to Senate Republican demands to bolster US-Mexico border policies, with urgency setting in as Congress prepared to depart Washington with the impasse unresolved. The White House was racing to lock in a deal in principle with key Senate negotiators, according to two people familiar with the plans who demanded anonymity to discuss them. A core negotiating group, which has included Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, departed the Capitol Wednesday evening after making progress but without the principles of a deal finalized. As details of the plan emerged, advocates for immigrants and members of President Joe Biden's own Democratic Party fretted about the policies under discussion. Some demonstrated at the Capitol, warning of a return to the hardline border and immigration policies of the Trump era. Congress has little time to reach an agreement on

Russia-Ukraine war: Zelensky pleads for aid at Capitol and White House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told America his country was fighting for our freedom and yours as he made an impassioned plea Tuesday for Congress to approve more assistance to fight Russia's invasion. But prospects for additional US aid to Ukraine appeared seriously delayed, if not in grave doubt, despite his whirlwind diplomacy in Washington. After hours of talks on Capitol Hill, Zelenskyy spent more hours at the White House meeting with President Joe Biden and his aides about a way forward. The US has already provided Ukraine USD 111 billion since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his grinding invasion more than 21 months ago, but Republicans are insisting on linking any more money to strict US-Mexico border security changes that Democrats decry. The White House is warning that if new money isn't provided by year's end it will have swift consequences for Ukraine's capacity to hold its territory, let alone take back land captured by Russia. As Zelenskyy wrapped u

Russian-linked hackers claim cyberattack on mobile network, says Ukraine

Tuesday's attack on Kyivstar, which has 24.3 million mobile subscribers and more than 1.1 million home internet users, knocked out services, silenced air raid alert syst

At least 50 people injured in nighttime Russian missile attack on Ukraine

Ukraine's capital came under another missile attack early Wednesday, resulting in at least 45 injuries and several damaged buildings, the city's mayor said. A series of loud explosions could be heard in Kyiv at 3 a.m. as the city's air defences were activated for the second time this week. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Kitschko said on Telegram that debris from intercepted missiles fell in the eastern Dniprovskyi district, injuring at least 45 people. Eighteen people including two children were hospitalized while 27 people received medical treatment on the spot. An apartment building, a private house and several cars caught fire, while the windows of a children's hospital were shattered, Klitschko said. Falling rocket debris also damaged the water supply system in the district. On Monday, a Russian missile attack destroyed several homes on the outskirts of Kyiv and left more than 100 households temporarily without electricity. Wednesday's attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Biden meets Zelenskyy, calls on Congress to pass funding to Ukraine

Biden also announced a $ 200 million military package under the Presidential Drawdown Authority

Zelenskyy to arrive on Capitol as Biden's Ukraine package risks collapse

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will arrive on Capitol Hill to a darker mood than when he swooped in last winter for a hero's welcome, as the Russian invasion is grinding into a third year and US funding hangs in balance. Zelenskyy's visit on Tuesday comes as President Joe Biden's request for an additional USD 110 billion US aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs is at serious risk of collapse in Congress. Republicans are insisting on strict US-Mexico border security changes that Democrats decry as draconian in exchange for the overseas aid. It is maddening, said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a close ally of Biden, of the stalemate. A very bad message to the world, to the Ukrainian people. The White House said the time was right for Zelenskyy's trip to Washington as Biden pushes lawmakers to approve the aid package before the year-end holidays. But the mood turned grim at the Capitol on the eve of his arrival. Zelenskyy will meet privately with senat

Explosions heard in Kyiv in possible air attack; no word on damage so far

A series of loud explosions rang out in Ukraine's capital early Monday followed by air raid sirens. There was no immediate word on the origin of the explosions, but they sounded like air defence units firing into the sky. Kyiv is routinely targeted by Russian drone and missile attacks. Just over two weeks ago, Kyiv came under what Ukrainian officials said was the most intense drone attack since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 75 Iranian-made Shahed drones against the capital, of which 74 were destroyed by air defenses. The explosions Monday occurred just after 4 a.m. as the city was under its nightly curfew. There was no immediate information on any damage or casualties.

Ukraine Prez Zelenskyy in Argentina to win support from developing nations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Buenos Aires to witness the swearing-in on Sunday of Argentina's new president, Javier Milei. It is the Ukrainian leader's first-ever trip to Latin America as Kyiv continues to court support among developing nations for its 21-month-old fight against Russia's invading forces. Milei welcomed Zelenskyy at the presidential palace after his inauguration. The two shared an extended hug, exchanged words and then Milei, who has said he intends to convert to Judaism, presented his Ukrainian counterpart with a menorah as a gift. They were expected to have a longer one-on-one meeting later on Sunday. A political outsider who has railed against what he calls entrenched official corruption in Argentina and promised to uproot the political establishment, Milei ran on a pro-Western foreign policy platform, repeatedly expressing distrust of Moscow and Beijing. Zelenskyy phoned Milei shortly after the Argentinian's electoral victory, thanking him