Page 73 - Ukraine

Lloyd Austin makes unannounced visit to Ukraine, to meet senior officials

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday in a high-profile push to keep money and weapons flowing to Ukraine even as US and international resources are stretched by the new global risks raised by the Israel-Hamas conflict. Austin, who traveled to Kyiv by train from Poland, is scheduled to meet with senior Ukrainian officials and publicly press Ukraine's urgent military needs as it enters another tough winter of fighting. This is Austin's second trip to Kyiv, but he's making it under far different circumstances. His first visit occurred in April 2022, just two months after Russia's large-scale invasion. At the time, Ukraine was riding a wave of global rage at Moscow's invasion, and Austin launched an international effort that now sees 50 countries meet monthly to coordinate on what weapons, training and other support could be pushed to Kyiv. But the conflict in Gaza could pull attention and resources from the Ukraine fight. The US has worked ...

European Union struggles to produce, send ammunition promised to Ukraine

European Union nations acknowledged on Tuesday that they risk failing to provide Ukraine with the ammunition they pledged to help Kyiv stave off the Russian invasion and win back its territory. Early this year, EU leaders promised to provide 1 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine's front line by spring next year in what would have amounted to a serious ramp-up of production. But the 27-nation bloc, for over half a century steeped in a peace, not war message and sheltering under a US military umbrella, is finding it tough to come up with the goods. The 1 million will not be reached, you have to assume that, said German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, ahead of a meeting of EU defence and foreign affairs ministers in Brussels. Estonia's defence minister, Hanno Pevkur, said it was crucial to ramp up supply of the ammunition. Look at Russia. They are producing today more than ever. They are getting shells from North Korea. Europe cannot say that ... Russia and North Korea can deliv

Convicted killer of Putin's critic pardoned after fighting against Ukraine

The European Court of Human Rights has condemned Russia for failing to take adequate steps to find those who ordered Politkovskaya's murder, Moscow Times reported

German budget sees more cash for Ukraine, green buildings, industry: Report

Some of the additional spend would be used to replenish the German military's own arsenal, as it has been shipping weapons to Ukraine

Cash-strapped Pakistan sold weapons worth $364 mn to Ukraine: Report

Cash-strapped Pakistan reportedly earned USD 364 million in an arms deal with two private US companies last year to supply ammunition to Ukraine in its war with Russia, according to a media report. A British military cargo plane flew from Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan in Rawalpindi to the British military base in Cyprus, Akrotiri, and then to Romania a total of five times to supply arms to the war-torn country, the BBC Urdu reported on Monday. Islamabad has, however, consistently denied that it has provided any ammunition to Ukraine, a neighbouring country to Romania. Citing details of the contract from the American Federal Procurement Data System, the BBC report claimed that Pakistan signed two contracts with American companies named Global Military and Northrop Grumman for the sale of 155mm shells. These agreements to provide weapons to Ukraine were signed on August 17, 2022, and were specifically linked to the purchase of 155mm shells. The Foreign Office in Islamabad has den

Ukraine war: Russia rebuts West's human rights violations charge at UN meet

Western countries on Monday repeatedly called on Russia to end domestic repression of dissident voices and end its war in Ukraine and human rights violations related to it as Russia came under a regular review at the UN's top rights body. A delegation from Moscow, led by State Secretary and Deputy Justice Minister Andrei Loginov, defended Russia's right to ensure law and order by restricting some forms of protest or voices that might threaten domestic security. He also said Russia's special military operation in Ukraine had no relation to the subject matter" at issue in the review. Monday's three-and-half-hour hearing in Geneva was part of an exercise known as the universal periodic review, or UPR, which all UN member states face about every four or five years in connection with the UN-backed Human Rights Council. Russia came under widespread international condemnation after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Two separate teams of ...

Ukrainian commander played key role in Nord Stream sabotage: Reports

Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, said on Telegram that Russia is trying to recapture positions they previously lost around Bakhmut

Germany set to double Ukraine military aid under Scholz plan: Report

A spokesperson for Germany's Ministry of Defence said the Bundestag committee has not finished negotiations and declined to comment further

Ukraine President Zelenskyy rules out holding elections next spring

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late Monday ruled out holding a presidential vote in the spring and urged his countrymen to avoid political divides, saying they must concentrate all resources on fighting Russia. Zelenskyy's comments in a video address follow increasing discussions about the possibility of a presidential election in March. Zelenskyy, who was elected for a five-year term in March 2019, had previously avoided definitive statements on the question. His associates had said he was pondering various possibilities. Now, in wartime, when there are so many challenges, it is absolutely irresponsible to throw the topic of elections into society in a lighthearted and playful way, Zelenskyy said, adding that the waves of any politically divisive things must stop". We must realise that now is the time of defense, the time of the battle that determines the fate of the state and people, not the time of manipulations, which only Russia expects from Ukraine, he said. I believe

Ukrainian missile strike on shipyard in Crimea damages Russian ship

The Russian military said a Ukrainian missile strike on a shipyard in annexed Crimea had damaged a Russian ship. The Russian Defence Ministry said late Saturday that Ukrainian forces fired 15 cruise missiles at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch, a city in the east of the Crimean Peninsula. Air defences shot down 13 missiles but others hit the shipyard and damaged a vessel, a statement from the ministry said. The ministry didn't give details about the ship or the extent of the damage. The Ukrainian air force commander, Mykola Oleshchuk, said in a statement that at the time of the attack carried out by Ukrainian tactical aviation, one of the most modern ships of Russia's Black Sea fleet was at the shipyard carrier of the Kalibr cruise missiles. He didn't say directly, however, that this particular ship was damaged by the strike. The Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, has been a frequent target since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale

Russian attack kills 2 in Ukraine that also damaged Kherson city center

A Russian attack on Kherson in eastern Ukraine killed one person and caused serious damage in the city's center, the region's governor said, and a Russian drone strike killed another civilian in the frequently targeted city of Nikopol. On Wednesday, the attack on Kherson, which Russian forces seized early in the war but then abandoned a year ago, also wounded two people. Despite the withdrawal, Russian attacks from the other side of the Dnieper River persist. Again an apocalyptic scene," regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said on the Telegram messaging app. Broken glass, torn window frames, ruined homes. People with trembling voices telling about what they have been through." In Nikopol, which is on the opposite bank of the Dniper from the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, four people were wounded in the drone strike along with the woman who was killed, according to regional Gov. Serhii Lysak. Oleksii Kuleba, deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, said "the occupi

Over 40% of Ukrainians need humanitarian help under war conditions: UN

Russian strikes are inflicting unimaginable suffering on the people of Ukraine and more than 40 per cent of them need humanitarian assistance, a senior UN official told the UN Security Council. Ramesh Rajasingham, director of coordination in the UN humanitarian office, said thousands of civilians have been killed in strikes on homes, schools, fields and markets since Russia's invasion in February 20022. The UN human rights office has formally verified 9,900 civilians killed, but he said the actual number is certainly higher. Ukrainian civilians are suffering horrendous humanitarian consequences and unimaginable levels of suffering from the Russian strikes, Rajasingham said. About 18 million Ukrainians more than 40 per cent of the population need some form of humanitarian assistance, and as winter approaches needs will be magnified," he said. Rajasingham said significant damage and destruction of critical infrastructure continues to severely impact civilian access to electricity, .

Russia imposes effective capital controls on Western company exits

Russia has steadily tightened exit requirements since Western companies started leaving soon after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022

Biden's Cabinet will push Congress to send aid to Israel and Ukraine

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make the case Tuesday that the United States should immediately send aid to Israel and Ukraine, testifying at a Senate hearing as the administration's massive $105 billion emergency aid request for conflicts in those countries and others has already hit roadblocks in the divided Congress. President Joe Biden's Cabinet secretaries will be advocating for the foreign aid to a mostly friendly audience in the Senate, where majority Democrats and many Republicans support tying aid for the two countries together. But it faces much deeper problems in the Republican-led House, where new Speaker Mike Johnson has proposed cutting out the Ukraine aid and focusing on Israel alone, and cutting money for the Internal Revenue Service to pay for it. The drastically narrowed House proposal, which would cost more than $14 billion, faced immediate resistance among Senate Democrats -- and put pressure on Senate Republicans who ...

Putin claims that airport riots targeting Israelis were staged from Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday charged without offering evidence that Western spy agencies and their Ukrainian agents have helped engineer a riot in the southern region of Dagestan, where a mob stormed the airport after a flight from Israel landed there. More than 20 people were hurt none Israelis in clashes that Putin cast as part of US efforts to weaken Russia. Hundreds of angry men, some carrying banners with antisemitic slogans, rushed onto the tarmac of the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the predominantly Muslim region, on Sunday night, looking for Israeli passengers on the flight from Tel Aviv. Police officers and civilians were injured and two of them were in critical condition, regional health authorities said. More than 80 people were detained in the unrest, according to police. Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal probe on charges of organizing mass unrest. Russia has issued carefully calibrated criticism of both sides in the war ..

Biden meets with new US Speaker Johnson, discusses aid for Israel, Ukraine

President Joe Biden met with the new House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries at the White House on Thursday to discuss his request for nearly $106 billion for Israel, Ukraine and other national security needs. Johnson, a staunch conservative allied with Donald Trump, has shown little interest in providing additional money from Congress to support Ukraine in its war with Russia. Biden met with Johnson and Jeffries before a classified briefing for them and other congressional leaders on the assistance package, according to a White House official. Johnson, who inherited many of the same political problems that tormented past GOP leaders and challenged their tenure as speaker, had a busy first full day in office. He planned to met later with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Earlier, Johnson said prayer is appropriate as a response to the mass shootings in Maine. This is a dark time in America, Johnson said at the Capitol. He added: "Prayer is appropriat

Russia-Ukraine war showed we can't rely on defence imports: Army chief

General Manoj Pande also said that India is putting significant focus on leveraging the infusion of modern technology in the Army

Russian naval assets no longer safe in Black Sea near Crimea: Zelenskyy

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Tuesday that recent Ukrainian attacks have denied the Russian fleet safe bases and secure maritime corridors in the western part of the Black Sea, as Kyiv's troops look to squeeze the Kremlin's occupying forces out of the Crimean Peninsula. Crimea provides rear support for Moscow's battlefield efforts further west and has been a frequent target for Ukrainian forces during the war since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Russian fleet is no longer capable of operating in the western part of the Black Sea and is gradually retreating from Crimea, Zelenskyy claimed, without providing evidence. This is a historic achievement. Ukraine is keen to show that billions of dollars' worth of weapons supplied by its Western allies have allowed it to make progress in the fighting, as the conflict enters its 21st month amid a broad stalemate. With the war poised to extend into another winter and likely deep into next year, Kyiv is pushing its allies

US commitment to Ukraine a key issue as President Biden meets EU leaders

Saddled with a dysfunctional Congress, President Joe Biden has the task of assuring European Union leaders on Friday that the United States can nonetheless deliver on promises to send tens of billions of dollars' worth of aid to wartime Ukraine and Israel. The Oval Office sit-down comes at a moment when domestic U.S. political chaos could further destabilize an increasingly chaotic world. Many of Biden's shared priorities with the EU depend on getting a budget through Congress a tough task given that the House lacks an elected speaker and differences with some Republican lawmakers over aid for Ukraine could force a federal government shutdown in November. Along with addressing Ukraine's efforts to repel Russia and the fallout from Hamas' attack on Israel, the U.S. and EU leaders are also figuring out how to manage climate change, economic competition with China and trade and tax issues. One day ahead of his meeting with Biden, European Council President Charles Michel expressed ...

Ukraine uses US-provided long-range ATACMS missiles against Russian forces

The United States has quietly delivered a small number of long-range ballistic missiles that Ukraine said it urgently needed and that President Joe Biden promised last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Tuesday, saying they were used on the battlefield against Russia and executed very accurately. Today I express special gratitude to the United States," Zelenskyy said in his evening address, adding that the missiles have proven themselves. The US has refused to discuss the delivery publicly, but officials familiar with the move also confirmed it earlier in the day. Fewer than a dozen of the missiles got into Ukraine within the last few days, said officials. Their arrival at the warfront gives Ukraine a critical ability to strike Russian targets that are farther away, allowing Ukrainian forces to stay safely out of range. The officials were not authorised to publicly discuss the matter before an official announcement and spoke Tuesday on the condition of ...