Page 19 - Vladimir Putin

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

Russia launches largest missile, drone barrage since war in Ukraine began

Waves of drones and missiles targeted Kyiv overnight in the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began more than three years ago, officials said Friday, amid a renewed Russian push to capture more of its neighbour's land. Hours after the barrage that killed one person and wounded at least 26 others, including a child, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a very important and productive phone call with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders discussed how Ukrainian air defences might be strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the US and Ukraine, and broader US-led efforts to end the war with Russia, according to a statement by Zelenksyy. The US has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles. Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Zelenskyy says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time. Th

Russia won't back down from Ukraine war objectives: Putin tells Trump

Putin says Russia remains committed to its Ukraine war aims in phone call with Trump but is open to talks; US pause in military aid shocks Kyiv and Western allies

'He could get offended': Putin halts forum to take Donald Trump's call

Vladimir Putin tells Donald Trump that Russia will not back down in Ukraine, open to talks; both leaders discuss Iran tensions, US weapons pause, and push for diplomatic solutions

Trump, disappointed by call with Putin, to speak with Zelenskyy on Friday

US efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine have stalled, with Trump facing increasing pressure, including from Republicans, to push Putin to engage in serious negotiations

New CIA report slams investigation into Russia's support for Trump in 2016

A declassified CIA memo released Wednesday challenges the work intelligence agencies did to conclude that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election because it wanted Republican Donald Trump to win. The memo was written on the orders of CIA Director John Ratcliffe, a Trump loyalist who spoke out against the Russia investigation as a member of Congress. It finds fault with a 2017 intelligence assessment that concluded the Russian government, at the direction of President Vladimir Putin, waged a covert influence campaign to help Trump win. It does not address that multiple investigations since then, including from the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee in 2020, reached the same conclusion about Russia's influence and motives. The eight-page document is part of an ongoing effort by Trump and close allies who now lead key government agencies to revisit the history of a long-concluded Russia investigation, which resulted in criminal indictments and shadowed most of hi

Lack of new US sanctions allows Russia to replenish its war chest

President Trump has issued no new restrictions on Russia this year, in effect allowing Moscow to acquire the money and materials it needs in its conflict with Ukraine

Russia ramps up offensives against Ukraine as both sides seek advantage

An emboldened Russia has ramped up military offensives on two fronts in Ukraine, scattering Kyiv's precious reserve troops and threatening to expand the fighting to a new Ukrainian region as each side seeks an advantage before the fighting season wanes in the autumn. Moscow aims to maximise its territorial gains before seriously considering a full ceasefire, analysts and military commanders said. Ukraine wants to slow the Russian advance for as long as possible and extract heavy losses. Kremlin forces are steadily gaining ground in the strategic eastern logistics hub of Pokrovsk, the capture of which would hand them a major battlefield victory and bring them closer to acquiring the entire Donetsk region. The fighting there has also brought combat to the border of the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time. In an effort to prevent Moscow from bolstering those positions in the east, Ukrainian forces are trying to pin down some of Russia's best and most battle-hardened ..

Russia will no longer play 'one-sided' games with the West: Vladimir Putin

Putin's remarks came just days after the Nato summit in The Hague, where the alliance's members committed to increasing defence expenditure to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035

Zelenskyy meets Trump at Nato; discusses air defence, drone cooperation

Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump was their first meeting face-to-face since April, when they met at St Peter's Basilica during Pope Francis' funeral