Page 85 - Ukraine

Russia launches largest drone attack on Ukrainian capital before Kyiv Day

Ukraine's capital was subjected to the largest drone attack since the start of Russia's war, local officials said, as Kyiv prepared to mark the anniversary of its founding on Sunday. At least one person was killed. Russia launched the most massive attack on the city overnight Saturday with Iranian-made Shahed drones, said Serhii Popko, a senior Kyiv military official. The attack lasted more than five hours, with air defense reportedly shooting down more than 40 drones. A 41-year-old man was killed and a 35-year-old woman was hospitalized when debris fell on a seven-story nonresidential building and started a fire, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Ukraine's air force said that Saturday night was also record-breaking in terms of Shahed drone attacks across the country. Of the 54 drones launched, 52 were shot down by air defense systems. In the northeastern Kharkiv province, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said a 61-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man were killed in two separate she

Allies to train Ukrainians on F-16s; Jets no magic weapons, warns Pentagon

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that European allies are developing a coordinated program to train Ukrainian forces on the F-16 fighter jet, but Pentagon leaders warned that it will be a costly and complex task and won't be a magic solution to the war. Austin said the allies recognize that in addition to training, Ukraine will also need to be able to sustain and maintain the aircraft and have enough munitions. And he said air defense systems are still the weapons that Ukraine needs most in the broader effort to control the airspace. There are no magic weapons, said Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who spoke alongside Austin at a Pentagon press conference. He said providing 10 F-16s could cost USD 2 billion, including maintenance. "The Russians have a thousand fourth and fifth-generation fighters, so if you're going to contest Russia in the air, you're going to need a substantial amount of fourth and fifth-generation fighters." As a result,

UK inflation falls to lowest in over a year but food prices remain elevated

Official figures show that inflation in the UK has fallen to its lowest level since the immediate aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which caused energy and food costs to surge. The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that the consumer price index dropped to 8.7 per cent in the year to April from 10.1 per cent in March, largely because last year's energy spike in the wake of the invasion dropped out of the annual comparison. The fall took inflation to its lowest level since March 2022, a month after the war began. Though welcome, the fall wasn't as big as anticipated. The consensus in financial markets was that it would ease back further to 8.3 per cent. The main reason why inflation is consistently running higher than anticipated is that food prices remain elevated. The rate of inflation fell notably as the large energy price rises seen last year were not repeated this April, but was offset partially by increases in the cost of second-hand cars and cigarettes," t

European defense ministers meet in Poland to discuss Ukraine's defenses

Defense ministers and senior defense officials from 12 northern European countries are meeting in Poland on Monday to discuss stepping up deterrence and security on NATO's eastern flank and strengthening Ukraine's defenses, ahead of NATO's summer summit. They are meeting at military facilities in Legionowo, near Warsaw, as part of the so-called Northern Group - a platform for developing security initiatives for NATO and European Union members. Officials will also discuss preparation for the July NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, according to Denmark's Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. That summit is expected to gauge prospects for Ukraine's membership. Recently, the US agreed to allow training on American-made F-16 fighter jets, laying the groundwork for their eventual transfer to Ukraine. Initiated by Britain in 2010, The Northern Group includes The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Poland and the three Baltic states. Germany and Norway

Ukrainian nuclear plant loses power supply again, is 'extremely vulnerable'

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest atomic power station, switched to emergency diesel generators Monday after losing its external power supply for the seventh time since Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said. The nuclear safety situation at the plant (is) extremely vulnerable, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a tweet. We must agree to protect (the) plant now; this situation cannot continue, Grossi said, in his latest appeal for the area to be spared from the fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces. IAEA staff are deployed at the plant, which is occupied by Russian troops. The plant's six nuclear reactors are protected by a reinforced shelter able to withstand an errant shell or rocket. But a disruption in the electrical supply could disable cooling systems essential for the reactors' safety. Emergency diesel generators can be unreliable. Fighting, especially ...

Time to reform both Security Council and Bretton Woods system: UN chief

G7 calls for constructive and stable relations with Beijing

Zelenskyy denies Ukrainian city of Bakhmut occupied by Russian forces

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russian forces weren't occupying Bakhmut, casting doubt on Moscow's claims that the eastern Ukrainian city has fallen. Responding to a reporter's question about the status of the city at the Group of Seven meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, Zelenskyy said, Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation as of today. The fog of war made it impossible to confirm the situation on the ground in the invasion's longest battle, and a series of comments from Ukrainian and Russian officials added confusion to the matter. Zelenskyy's response in English to a question earlier at the summit about the status of Bakhmut was interpreted by many as saying the city had fallen to Russian forces. For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts. There is nothing in this place, Zelenskyy said in those earlier comments, adding that the fight had left nothing in Bakhmut but a lot of dead Russians.

Zelenskyy seeks support from leaders of G7 countries on Ukraine conflict

All the allies and partners have achieved a level of cooperation which ensures that democracy, international law, and freedom are respected, Zelenskyy said adding that "Democracy needs more"

Ukraine at centre of last day of diplomacy, G7 looks to punish Russia

World leaders ratcheted up pressure on Sunday on Russia for its war against Ukraine, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the centre of a swirl of diplomacy on the final day of the Group of Seven summit of rich-world democracies. Zelenskyy's in-person attendance at one of the world's premier diplomatic gatherings is meant to galvanise attention on his nation's 15-month fight against Russia. Even before he landed on Saturday on a French plane, the G7 nations had unveiled a slew of new sanctions and other measures meant to punish Moscow and hamper its war-fighting abilities. Ukraine is the overwhelming focus of the summit, but the leaders of Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as the European Union, are also working to address global worries over climate change, AI, poverty, economic instability and nuclear proliferation. Two US allies South Korea and Japan continued efforts Sunday to improve ties that have often been

G7 urges China to press Russia to end Ukraine war, respect Taiwan's status

The Group of Seven wealthy democracies united in urging China to pressure its strategic partner Russia to end its war on Ukraine and resolve territorial disputes peacefully, and China lashed back. In a joint statement, the G7 leaders emphasized they did not want to harm China and were seeking "constructive and stable relations" with Beijing, "recognizing the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China". "We call on China to press Russia to stop its military aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine," said the statement Saturday. "We encourage China to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on territorial integrity and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter", including in direct talks with Ukraine. Cooperation with China is needed given its global role and economic size, the group said, in appealing for working together on challenges such as climate change, biodiversity, .

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Ukraine conflict must be resolved through dialogue, diplomacy: Quad

The Quad leaders on Saturday called for the resolution of the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy while asserting that it must not be an era of war, a formulation that echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's position. Modi, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese held talks on pressing global challenges including the Ukraine conflict at the annual Quad summit in Hiroshima. After the summit, the leaders released a joint statement that touched upon the Ukraine conflict, the situation in the East and South China seas and their vision for the Indo-Pacific region. The leaders said they stand for adherence to international law, peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for principles of the UN Charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states. "In this context, today we express our deep concern over the war raging in Ukraine and mourn its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences,"

PM Modi meets Ukranian President Zelenskyy in Hiroshima on G7 sidelines

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit here. It is the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year. "PM @narendramodi held talks with President @ZelenskyyUa during the G-7 Summit in Hiroshima," the prime minister's office tweeted. The prime minister arrived in Hiroshima on Friday to attend the annual summit of the G7 grouping in the first leg of his three-nation tour that will also take him to Papua New Guinea and Australia. The Ukrainian president is also attending the G7 summit following an invitation by Japan, the current chair of the powerful grouping.

G7 tightens Russia sanctions, looks to cut China trade reliance

G7 leaders, who will be joined this weekend by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, vowed to restrict any exports to Russia that could help it in its 15-month war against Ukraine

PM Narendra Modi to meet Zelenskyy on sidelines of G7 on Saturday

In his interview with Nikkei, the PM also discussed India's security challenges

Biden endorses plans to train Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 fighter jets

President Joe Biden on Friday endorsed plans to train Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 fighter jets, according to two people familiar with the matter, as he huddled with allies at the Group of Seven summit on how to bolster support for Kyiv against Russia's invasion. The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden's private conversations with allies, said he announced he had approved the training, which is likely to be conducted in Europe over the coming months, during a meeting of G7 leaders in Hiroshima, where the leaders also announced new sanctions on Moscow in advance of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining them at the summit on Sunday. Biden told the leaders that decisions on when, how many, and who will provide the fourth-generation fighter jets for Ukraine to use in battle will be made in the months ahead while the training is underway. Zelenskyy has consistently called for the supply of Western fighter jets to bolster his country's defences against ...

Explained | What is the Storm Shadow missile, and why is the UK supplying it to Ukraine?

The UK has supplied Ukraine with long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles. So, what is this missile? Watch the video to know.

Russian PM to visit China amid criticism of Western arms sales to Ukraine

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will visit Beijing next week for talks, China's Foreign Ministry said Friday, marking the latest exchange in a relationship in which Russia is becoming increasingly reliant on China for economic and diplomatic support. During the visit, the two sides will have an in-depth exchange of views on practical cooperation in bilateral relations and issues of common concern, ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing. We look forward to further strengthening cooperation between the two sides, deepening people-to-people and local exchanges (and) injecting strong momentum into the recovery of the world economy, Wang added. Mishustin's visit is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, China's Deputy Permanent U.N. Representative Geng Shuang again criticised Western arms sales to Ukraine, saying it would only lead to escalation, more civilian casualties and displacement, and make it harder to obtain a ceasefire and start peace ...

Volodymyr Zelensky to visit Japan to attend G7 summit this weekend: Report

Zelensky will make the trip to seek a continued supply of aid and arms to the war-torn country

Russian conduct unchanged with Western warships in east Med: US commander

A U.S. Navy commander said Wednesday there is no significant change in the conduct of Russian aircraft and warships toward Western naval and air assets in the eastern Mediterranean as Moscow's war in Ukraine grinds on. Cmdr. Peter C. Flynn said that Russian warplanes and naval vessels have been conducting themselves professionally, like other military forces in the region, and there's been no indication of any heightened aggression or hostility. We obviously study what is going on in theater and you know that certainly plays a role in what we do and what we prepare for, but not a significant change in the attitude of Russian forces, Flynn told The Associated Press aboard the USS Arleigh Burke. The destroyer, one of the United States' most capable warships, is docked at Cyprus' main Limassol port. Russia has a naval base in Tartus, Syria, the only such facility that Moscow has outside the former Soviet Union. In 2017, Moscow struck a deal with Syrian President Bashar Assad to extend