Page 80 - Ukraine

India at UN urges immediate return to dialogue, diplomacy in Ukraine war

The permanent representative further added, We have consistently advocated that no solution can ever be arrived at the cost of human lives

Food insecurity returns

End of Ukraine grain deal spells trouble

Russia halts grain deal as bridge to Crimea struck, claims Ukraine strike

The grain deal was hailed as preventing a global food emergency when it was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last year, halting a de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia

What is the Black Sea grain deal that is at risk of falling apart?

Russia and Ukraine are among the world's top grain exporters, and their conflict sent food prices surging around the world

Putin says Wagner mercenary group 'doesn't exist' as it has no legal basis

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Wagner private military company simply doesn't exist as a legal entity, in comments adding to the series of often bizarre twists that have followed the group's abortive revolt last month the most serious threat to Putin's 23-year rule amid the war in Ukraine. There is no law on private military organisations. It simply doesn't exist, Putin told a Russian newspaper late Thursday, referring to the Wagner group. Putin recounted to Kommersant his own version of a Kremlin event attended by 35 Wagner commanders, including the group's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on June 29. That meeting came just five days after Prigozhin and his troops staged a stunning but short-lived rebellion against Moscow authorities. The meeting was revealed earlier this week by a Kremlin official. Putin said that at the talks, Wagner rejected an offer to keep its troops in Ukraine, where they have played key battlefield roles, under the leadership of their direct ...

Jaishankar meets Russian counterpart in Indonesia, discusses Ukraine

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov here and discussed bilateral economic issues and matters related to the Ukraine conflict. Jaishankar met Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Ministerial in the Indonesian capital, their second bilateral meeting in just over a month. "Met with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia in Jakarta today. Discussed bilateral economic issues, as also matters pertaining to the Ukraine conflict," Jaishankar tweeted. The two sides discussed the Ukraine conflict on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi voiced India's deep concern about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, especially on the countries of the Global South, asserting that the conflict must end. In an interview with the French newspaper Les Echos ahead of his official visit to France, Modi said India has always stood for peaceful resolution of differences through dialogue and diplomacy. On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the prime

Ukraine repels large Russian missile, drone attack that injured civilians

Ukraine air defences shot down 20 Iranian-made drones fired by Russia mostly at the Kyiv region Thursday night, but wreckage fell on four districts of the capital, wounding two people and destroying several homes, officials said. The latest barrage by the Kremlin's forces began shortly after midnight, and explosions shook different parts of the city. Two people were hospitalised with shrapnel wounds, authorities said. In the capital, rescuers extinguished a fire in a 16-story building, as well as in a non-residential building, the Interior Ministry said. Debris also damaged the frontage of a 25-story apartment building, it said. Russian strikes have become a grim part of everyday life in Ukraine over the almost 17 months of the war. Volodymyr Motus, a 22-year-old resident of the 25-story building, carefully picked his way across the floor a destroyed apartment, his footsteps accompanied by the sound of shattered glass. The mangled furniture was coated in a thick layer of dust. I w

Concerned about impact of Russia-Ukraine conflict on Global South: PM Modi

India is deeply concerned about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, especially on the countries of the Global South, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, asserting that the conflict must end. In an interview to French newspaper Les Echos, he said India has always stood for peaceful resolution of differences through dialogue and diplomacy, and for respecting sovereignty of all nations while replying to questions about an "aggressive" China. To a query on China and if its massive investment in its defense capabilities is threatening the security of the region, Modi said while peace is necessary for the future India seeks to build, it is far from assured. "Our interests in the Indo-Pacific region are vast, and our engagement is deep. I have described our vision for this region in one word SAGAR, which stands for Security and Growth for All in the Region. While peace is necessary for the future we seek to build, it is far from assured," he said. India stands for respective ...

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being held in Russian prisons

The Ukrainian civilians woke long before dawn in the bitter cold, lined up for the single toilet and were loaded at gunpoint into the livestock trailer. They spent the next 12 hours or more digging trenches on the front lines for Russian soldiers. Many were forced to wear overlarge Russian military uniforms that could make them a target, and a former city administrator trudged around in boots five sizes too big. By the end of the day, their hands curled into icy claws. Nearby, in the occupied region of Zaporizhzhia, other Ukrainian civilians dug mass graves into the frozen ground for fellow prisoners who had not survived. One man who refused to dig was shot on the spot yet another body for the grave. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being detained across Russia and the Ukrainian territories it occupies, in centres ranging from brand-new wings in Russian prisons to clammy basements. Most have no status under Russian law. And Russia is planning to hold possibly thousands more.

Ukraine wins G7 security pledges but Nato membership remains elusive

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed fresh pledges of weapons and ammunition to fight Russia's invasion along with longer-term security commitments from the West on Wednesday even as he expressed disappointment over the lack of a clear path for his country to join NATO as the alliance wrapped up its annual summit. "The Ukrainian delegation is bringing home a significant security victory for the Ukraine, for our country, for our people, for our children," he said while flanked by U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders from the Group of Seven most powerful democratic nations. A joint declaration issued by the G7 lays the groundwork for each nation to negotiate agreements to help Ukraine bolster its military over the long term. Zelenskyy described the initiative as a bridge toward eventual NATO membership and a deterrent against Russia. "We will not waver," Biden vowed after the summit in Lithuania ended. "I mean that. Our commitment to Ukraine will not weaken. We will

Biden, Zelenskyy praise each other despite divisions over Ukraine war

President Joe Biden wants Ukraine to win the war against Russia. But he doesn't want World War III - especially with nuclear weapons. Balancing those two goals has been difficult, and the tension was on particular display at the NATO summit in Vilnius this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an emotional, even caustic, demand for a clear path toward joining the alliance. But Biden, who was to try to showcase NATO's strength in a sum-up speech Wednesday evening, was not willing to take that step, even as the United States continues to provide more weapons and ammunition than any other country to Ukraine. The competing priorities in the midst of Europe's bloodiest war in generations created an undercurrent of friction even as Biden and Zelenskyy projected a united front during their meeting as the summit drew to a close. The public encounter had the vibe of two leaders clearing the air, and each conspicuously heaped praise on his counterpart. Biden lauded Zelenskyy a

NATO summit results in mixed news for Ukraine, hope for Sweden's entry

US President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts wrapped up a two-day summit Wednesday with pledges of long-term support for Ukraine but no offer of the country's protection under the alliance's security umbrella. Results from the meeting in Lithuania, a nation on NATO's eastern flank that borders Russia, were mixed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky was grateful for the pledges of more arms and ammunition but disappointed that his country has no clear time frame for joining the world's biggest security alliance. After an evening of pre-summit intrigue, Sweden took a big step toward becoming NATO's 32nd member country when Turkey signaled it would give its approval but not before October. The allies also launched sweeping changes to their defense plans in case of an attack from Russia or by terrorists. They agreed to step up defense spending, too, but set out no timetable for meeting the targets. UKRAINE'S FUTURE IN NATO NATO allies offered more weapons, ammunition and other

Nato prepared to back Ukraine in fight but not to extend membership

NATO leaders prepared to provide Ukraine with more military assistance for fighting Russia but only vague assurances of future membership as the alliance's summit draws to a close on Wednesday. A draft agreement states that Ukraine can join NATO when allies agree and conditions are met." The ambiguous outcome reflects the challenges of reaching consensus among the alliance's current members while the war continues, and it is likely to leave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unsatisfied. Although Zelenskyy planned to attend the summit's final day, he has been sharply critical of what he described as NATO's absurd reluctance to set a timeline for his country's acceptance into the alliance. In essence, Western countries are willing to keep sending weapons to help Ukraine do the job that NATO was designed to do hold the line against a Russian invasion but not allow Ukraine to join its ranks and benefit from its security. Zelenskyy said in a Tuesday speech in a town square in .

Ukrainians train in survival skills to cope with dangers from Russia''s war

In a cramped municipal building in a residential area of the Ukrainian capital, a group of people take turns training to shoot using a replica of a machine gun with the help of a weapons training simulator relying on virtual reality. The nearly 20 participants all of them civilians and most of them women have never held a weapon before. With Russia's war on Ukraine now in its 17th month, the Kyiv City Administration has opened up training for civilians who want to learn survival skills, including how to shoot, provide first aid and recognise land mines. These and other skills could be used in a hostile environment provoked by missile strikes and other man-made disasters. In a dark room with tightly closed blinds, the unreal poof-poof sounds of the replica weapons are heard. People enthusiastically ask the instructors how to hold their weapons properly and ask to try one more time. "I am more than 45 years old. As soon as the opportunity arose, I decided that I needed to refresh s

US President Biden to meet Ukrainian counterpart at Nato summit: Report

The meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy will mark a sign of unity as the Ukrainian President's presence at the summit had been in question

US welcomes India's role in helping to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine

The United States has welcomed the role of India in helping achieve lasting peace in Ukraine, a senior administration official said Monday. "A strategic failure for Russia, which has seen an enormous loss of both military personnel, but military equipment. It's seen its standing in the world affected. It's seen its economy crippled by the sanctions and export controls we've imposed," Matthew Miller, Spokesperson of the State Department told reporters at a news conference here. "I will say with respect to what other countries of the world can do, we welcome the international support that Ukraine has received since the beginning of this conflict," he said in response to a question. "We welcome the role that India or any other country could play in helping achieve a just and lasting peace that recognizes Ukraine's territorial integrity and recognizes Ukraine's sovereignty," he said, adding that the United States believes that the war in Ukraine has been a strategic failure for ...

Russia has 'no red lines' to prevent attacks on nuclear plant, says Ukraine

The catastrophic collapse of a dam in southern Ukraine has made Kyiv worried that Russia might stage an attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to foment panic and quell Ukrainian advances on the frontline, Ukraine's energy minister said Monday. Herman Halushchenko said the destruction of the dam while under Russian control in the Kherson region proved there are no red lines for Moscow. He said it warrants the level of alarm Ukraine's leadership has been raising in recent weeks of an alleged Russian ploy to attack the nuclear plant in a possible false flag operation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged last week, citing intelligence reports, that Russian troops placed objects resembling explosives atop several power units to simulate an attack. Drone and satellite images obtained by the Associated Press showed unidentified white objects on the roof of the plant's fourth power unit, but Ukrainian leaders have so far been unable to provide further evidence. While Russia .

Russian air strike on Ukraine aid distribution at school branded war crime

A Russian airstrike on a school in southern Ukraine killed four adults as people gathered to receive humanitarian aid, the governor of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region said on Monday, branding the incident "a war crime. Three women and a man, all in their 40s, died in Sunday's attack in the town of Orikhiv, Gov. Yuriy Malashko said. A guided aerial bomb caused an explosion at the school, Malashko said, without providing evidence. Eleven other people were wounded in the attack, he said. Overall, Russia fired on 10 settlements in the province over the course of a day, he said. Moscow denies it targets civilian locations. Russia has been accused numerous times of doing so and committing other war crimes since its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022. In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. Broad ...

Nearly 50,000 Russian men died in conflict with Ukraine, shows report

Nearly 50,000 Russian men have died in the war in Ukraine, according to the first independent statistical analysis of Russia's war dead. Two independent Russian media outlets, Mediazona and Meduza, working with a data scientist from Germany's Tubingen University, used Russian government data to shed light on one of Moscow's closest-held secrets the true human cost of its invasion of Ukraine. To do so, they relied on a statistical concept popularised during the COVID-19 pandemic called excess mortality. Drawing on inheritance records and official mortality data, they estimated how many more men under age 50 died between February 2022 and May 2023 than normal. Neither Moscow nor Kyiv gives timely data on military losses, and each is at pains to amplify the other side's casualties. Russia has publicly acknowledged the deaths of just over 6,000 soldiers. Reports about military losses have been repressed in Russian media, activists and independent journalists say. Documenting the dead h

Why Europe can't give weapons to Ukraine quickly even after 1.5 yrs of war

The calculation matters beyond the corporate offices of Europe's defence industry, which collectively generates about €120 billion a year in revenues