Page 16 - Vladimir Putin

Trump's envoy arrives in Moscow ahead of Russia-Ukraine peace deadline

US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow, reported state-owned Russian media on Wednesday, days before the White House's deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukriane or potentially face severe economic penalties. Witkoff was seen taking an early morning stroll through Zaryadye Park, a stone's throw from the Kremlin, with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's envoy for investment and economic cooperation, footage aired by TASS showed. Dmitriev had played a key role in direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in recent months, as well as discussions between Russian and US officials. Moscow is yet to confirm whether Witkoff will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his stay. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed on Monday Witkoff's visit. We consider (talks with Witkoff) important, substantive and very useful," he said. Trump's deadline for Putin ends on Friday. Washington has threatened severe tariffs and

Trump says he never fixed a percentage for tariffs on Russian oil buyers

Trump's change in stance comes hours after he suggested imposing increased tariffs on additional countries buying energy from Russia, including China

Putin doubts potency of Trump's ultimatum to end the war: Report

Putin's goal is to fully capture the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which Russia has claimed as its own, and then to talk about a peace pact, one of the sources said

Despite US pressure, Russian oil tankers unload at Indian refineries

More tankers are poised to discharge another 2.2 million barrels of Urals in the coming hours

Vladimir Putin dismisses Zelensky's appeal for regime change in Moscow

Recent polls have shown that Zelensky could lose in a competitive election, with retired General Valery Zaluzhny emerging as a leading alternative

'Let them sail': Russian lawmaker shrugs off Trump's nuclear sub threat

Donald Trump ordered two US nuclear subs into 'appropriate regions' after Medvedev's remarks; Russian lawmaker says subs are being tracked, calls for US-Russia pact to avoid World War III fears

Putin, facing Trump deadline, signals no change in stance on Ukraine

He has expressed mounting frustration with Putin, accusing him of "bullshit" and describing Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine as "disgusting"

Putin says hypersonic missile enters service, to be deployed in Belarus

President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia has started production of its newest hypersonic missiles and reaffirmed its plans to deploy them to ally Belarus later this year. Sitting alongside Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Valaam Island near St Petersburg, Putin said the military already has selected deployment sites in Belarus for the Oreshnik intermediate range ballistic missile. Preparatory work is ongoing, and most likely we will be done with it before the year's end, Putin said, adding that the first series of Oreshniks and their systems have been produced and entered military service. Russia first used the Oreshnik, which is Russian for hazelnut tree, against Ukraine in November, when it fired the experimental weapon at a factory in Dnipro that built missiles when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Putin has praised the Oreshnik's capabilities, saying its multiple warheads that plunge to a target at speeds up to Mach 10 are immune to being intercepted and a

Kremlin silent as Trump cuts new deadline for Putin to halt Ukraine war

Trump has threatened sanctions in 10-12 days on countries buying Russian exports, including energy, unless Putin agrees to ceasefire-down from the earlier 50-day deadline

Trump says he's shortening 50-day deadline for Russia to end Ukraine war

US President Donald Trump said Monday he intends to shorten the 50-day deadline he gave Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a deal that ends the three-year war in Ukraine. His announcement came as Russia fired an overnight barrage at Ukraine of more than 300 drones, four cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian air force said. Trump said two weeks ago he would implement severe tariffs on Russia unless a peace deal is reached by early September, as he expressed exasperation with Putin over the bombardment of Ukrainian cities amid the Republican president's attempts to stop the fighting. Trump said he would give Putin 10 to 12 days from Monday, meaning he wants peace efforts to make progress by Aug 7-9. The plan includes possible sanctions and secondary tariffs targeting Russia's trading partners. The formal announcement would come later Monday or on Tuesday, he said. No reason in waiting, Trump said of the shorter timeline. We just don't see any progress bei

Trump may travel to China to meet Xi Jinping in 'not-too-distant future'

Another possible trip would be for a September 3 Beijing ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, which Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to attend

Zelenskiy says talks with Russia for peace, needs 'more momentum'

Two rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey earlier this year have yielded little more than an agreement to exchange prisoners and soldiers' remains

Russia may use 50-day window to wear down Ukraine, but quick gains unlikely

President Donald Trump's ultimatum to Russia to accept a peace deal in Ukraine within 50 days or face bruising sanctions on its energy exports has given the Kremlin extra time to pursue its summer offensive. The dogged Ukrainian resistance, however, makes it unlikely that the Russian military will make any quick gains. President Vladimir Putin has declared repeatedly that any peace deal should see Ukraine withdraw from the four regions that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022 but never fully captured. He also wants Ukraine to renounce its bid to join NATO and accept strict limits on its armed forces - demands Kyiv and its Western allies have rejected. A chronic shortage of manpower and ammunition has forced Ukrainian forces to focus on holding ground rather than launching counteroffensives. But despite a renewed Russian push and an onslaught of aerial attacks on Kyiv and other cities in recent weeks Ukrainian officials and analysts say it remains unlikely that Moscow can

'Can you hit Moscow, St Petersburg?' Trump asked Zelenskyy in July 4 call

The remarks were made during a July 4 phone call, following a separate call Trump held with Putin a day earlier, which he reportedly described as 'bad'

Trump vows 100% tariff on Russia if war in Ukraine not stopped in 50 days

Without providing details, Trump said that the levies on Russia would come in the form of secondary tariffs

Russia fires drones, missiles at Ukraine overnight; Lutsk hit hardest

Russia fired a record 728 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, as well as 13 missiles, the Ukrainian air force said Wednesday, in the latest escalation amid mounting Russian aerial and ground attacks in the more than three-year war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the city of Lutsk, which lies in Ukraine's northwest along the border with Poland and Belarus, was the hardest hit, though 10 other regions were also struck. Lutsk is home to airfields used by the Ukrainian army. Cargo planes and fighter jets routinely fly over the city. No casualties were immediately reported, as emergency crews continued to assess the damage. Russia has recently sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences by launching massive aerial assaults, including adding more decoy drones to its attacks. Russia launched its previous largest aerial assault late in the night of July 4 into the following day, with the biggest prior to that occurring less than a week earlier. Russia's bigger army h

Europe court set to rule on cases against Russia over Ukraine conflict

Europe's top human rights court is set to rule Wednesday on Russia's actions in the conflict in Ukraine, including human rights violations during the full-scale invasion and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. Judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will rule on four cases, brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia, marking the first time an international court will adjudicate Russian culpability for the wider conflict in Ukraine dating from 2014. Any decision will be largely symbolic. The complaints were brought before the court's governing body expelled Moscow in 2022, following the full-scale invasion. Families of the victims of the MH17 disaster see the decision as an important milestone in their 11-year quest for justice. It's a real step in understanding who was really responsible, Thomas Schansman, who lost his 18-year-old son Quinn in the tragedy, told The Associated Press. The Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was sh

Trump says he is not happy with Russia's Putin, considering sanctions

I'm not happy with him, I can tell you that much right now. This is killing a lot of people, Trump said of Putin during a meeting with his Cabinet

Appearance of Nato bases in Ukraine an immediate threat to Russia: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Nato's efforts to turn Ukraine into a strategic military foothold left Moscow with no choice but to launch its 2022 military operation

Putin calls for expanding use of national currencies among Brics nations

Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed on the advantages of creating an independent settlement and depository system within Brics