Yahoo News Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s forces ‘being pushed from Kharkiv’ as Russian leader to visit North Korea
Vladimir Putin’s forces in the northeast Ukrainian region of Kharkiv are “being pushed out” of the area after launching a surprise attack last month, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed.
"Our forces are gradually pushing (Russian troops) out of Kharkiv Oblast,” Mr Zelensky said, after receiving reports from the military command.
The Ukrainian military has claimed that Russia suffered some 4,000 soldier casualties in the month since they launched their Kharkiv offensive, which began on 10 May.
Despite Mr Zelensky’s claims, however, Ukrainian war tracker DeepState records Russia as having occupied around 71 square miles of territory in Kharkiv as of 18 June, up from 66 square miles a fortnight ago.
It comes as Vladimir Putin is set to arrive in North Korea for the second time, 24 years after he visited the pariah state just a few months after assuming the Russian presidency.
Ahead of his visit, he promised to build trade and security systems with North Korea as he seeks to boost Russia’s military in its war against Ukraine.
Key points
Oil depots on fire in Russia's Rostov after Ukranian drone attack, governor says
Record number of Nato members hitting defence spending targets, says chief
Ukraine says its air defence systems destroyed 10 Russian drones
China should suffer consequences for helping Russia's war effort, says Nato chief
Vladimir Putin thanks North Korea for support ahead of Kim Jong-un summit
Ukrainian soldiers watch the country’s first Euro group match
11:30 , Tom Watling
Photos have dropped on the wire showing Ukrainian soldiers watching the country’s first group stage match at the Euros.
Ukraine were beaten 3-0 by Romania.
Rod Stewart responds after ‘booing’ heard during display of support for Ukraine
11:00 , Tom Watling
Rod Stewart responds after ‘booing’ heard during display of support for Ukraine
Drone attack on Russian oil depots was operation by Ukraine’s SBU, source says
10:35 , Tom Watling
A drone attack that set on fire oil storage sites in Russia’s southern Rostov region overnight was conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), an intelligence source said on Tuesday.
Russian officials said earlier that several oil storage tanks had caught fire after a drone attack in the town of Azov. The source told Reuters the attack struck the Azovskaya and Azovnefteprodukt depots that have a total of 22 fuel tanks.
Russian warships leave Havana's port after a 5-day visit to Cuba
10:15 , Tom Watling
Russian warships leave Havana's port after a 5-day visit to Cuba
Slovakia backs Mark Rutte’s candidacy for top Nato job
09:45 , Tom Watling
Slovakia supports Mark Rutte’s proposed appointment as the next Nato secretary-general, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said on Tuesday, one of the last countries in the alliance to fall in line behind the outgoing Dutch prime minister.
Slovakia had preferred a “geographically” closer candidate from central and eastern Europe, such as Romanian President Klaus Iohannis who had also sought the job, but now backs Rutte, Pellegrini said after a European Union summit in Brussels.
“After a final discussion with Mark Rutte and consultation with the Slovak government, Slovakia can imagine Mark Rutte as the Nato chief,” and will support him, Pellegrini said at a news briefing broadcast live on television.
The United States, Britain, France and Germany back Rutte to succeed Jens Stoltenberg, who will step down as Nato’s head in October.
Nato takes decisions by consensus, so any candidate needs the support of all 32 allies. With the nods of Slovakia and Hungary, Rutte now awaits support from just Romania.
Putin says Russia and North Korea ‘ready to confront ambition of West’ as he arrives for rare visit
09:23 , Tom Watling
Visiting Putin says Russia and North Korea ‘ready to confront ambition of West’
Hungary not opposed to Rutte’s candidacy for Nato top job anymore, Dutch media reports
09:00 , Tom Watling
Hungary has dropped its opposition to Mark Rutte as the next Nato secretary-general, Dutch media has reported, after the outgoing Dutch prime minister and his Hungarian counterpart met on the sidelines of a European Union leaders’ meeting in Brussels.
Citing sources, Dutch outlets Nos and RTL reported that Orban did not reiterate his demand for an apology from Rutte for what Orban described last month as “problematic” opinions on Hungary.
The apology had been one of the two conditions Hungary had put forward for approving Rutte as the successor to Jens Stoltenberg at the helm of Nato.
The other - the guarantee that Hungary would not have to provide funding for Ukraine or send personnel to the war-torn country - was met last week by Stoltenberg.
This year, the United States, Britain, France and Germany all backed Rutte to succeed Stoltenberg, who will step down in October, as the head of Nato.
Turkey told its allies in April it would also support Rutte. Now only Romania and Slovakia have not yet given a green light.
Nato takes decisions by consensus, so any candidate needs the support of all 32 allies.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said in March he was running for the Nato top job, arguing Eastern European states need better representation in Euro-Atlantic leadership roles.
Oil depots on fire in Russia's Rostov region after drone attack
08:45 , Tom Watling
Several oil storage tanks were on fire after a drone attack early on Tuesday in the town of Azov in Russia’s southern region of Rostov, officials said.
“According to preliminary data, there are no casualties,” Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region that borders Ukraine, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia’s ministry of emergency situations said on Telegram that the fire had spread across 5,000 cubic metres, and that several dozen firefighters with 21 pieces of equipment were battling the blaze.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has often said that targeting Russia’s energy, military and transport infrastructure undermines Moscow’s war effort.
The town of Azov is situated on the Don River and is about 16 kilometres from the Sea of Azov.
Ukraine says its air defence systems destroy all 10 Russia-launched drones
08:38 , Tom Watling
Ukraine‘s air force has said that its air defence systems destroyed all 10 drones that Russia launched overnight targeting the country.
The drones were destroyed over Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.
Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine
08:30 , Tom Watling
Good morning.
Below we have some of the latest photos coming out of Ukraine and Russia.
Estonia’s Kallas, fierce Russia critic, tipped to be new EU foreign policy chief
08:15 , Namita Singh
Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas is tipped to become the European Union’s next foreign policy boss, but her tough stance on Russia may raise doubts as to whether she can represent views from across the bloc.
EU leaders held informal talks yesterday, their first since the European Parliament election, to discuss appointments for the bloc’s top jobs, with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen expected to secure a second term and EU diplomats saying Ms Kallas was in line for the foreign affairs role.
Ms Kallas, who turns 47 today, has been a staunch critic of neighbouring Russia since she became prime minister in early 2021.
An uncompromising voice in the EU and Nato for unconditional support to Kyiv and for containing Moscow, she led her country of 1.4 million people to become one of the highest per-capita military donors to Ukraine.
The war between Russia and Ukraine set to grind on as a peace conference packs little punch
08:00 , Namita Singh
Russia and Ukraine are set to remain locked in battle for the foreseeable future after an international gathering billed as a first step toward peace delivered no eye-catching diplomatic breakthrough that might suggest a coming end to Europe’s biggest conflict since the second World War.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is set to grind on as a peace conference packs little punch
Russian official says Ukraine pouring troops into contested Kharkiv region
07:45 , Namita Singh
A Russian official yesterday said that fighting was gripping parts of Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region which Moscow has been trying to seize and added that Ukraine’s military was pouring men and equipment into the contested area.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv’s forces were gradually pushing Russian troops out of the contested area. His top commander predicted that Moscow would try to press forward pending the arrival in Ukraine of sophisticated Western equipment, including US-made F-16 fighter jets.
Russian forces crossed into parts of Kharkiv region last month and officials say they have seized about a dozen villages.
Vitaly Ganchev, Russia-appointed governor of the areas of Kharkiv region controlled by Moscow, said Russian forces were beating back Ukraine’s latest counter-attacks in areas near Vovchansk, 5km inside the border.
“There is fighting still going on in the Kharkiv sector. The fiercest clashes are in Vovchansk and near Lyptsy,” Mr Ganchev told Russian news agencies.
“The enemy is sending reserves and trying to counter-attack but is meeting a fierce response from our armed forces.”
Russian warships leave Cuba after a 5-day visit
07:30 , Namita Singh
A fleet of Russian warships, including a nuclear submarine, left Havana’s port yesterday after a five-day visit to Cuba following planned military drills in the Atlantic Ocean.
The exercise was seen as a show of strength by Moscow amid growing tensions with the US and other Western countries supporting Ukraine against Russia.
The submarine, a frigate, an oil tanker and a rescue tug slowly departed from the port on Monday morning.
It’s unclear what the fleet’s destination is or where it will dock next in the Caribbean, although US officials have said the vessels could possibly stop in Venezuela.
Report:
Russian warships leave Havana's port after a 5-day visit to Cuba
Journalist Evan Gershkovich's trial to be held behind closed doors
07:15 , Namita Singh
The trial of jailed US journalist Evan Gershkovich will start in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg later this month behind closed doors, the court has said.
The first American journalist to be detained on spy charges in Russia since the end of the Cold War more than three decades ago, Mr Gershkovich has repeatedly denied the charges while the US and the UK have hit out at what they see as politically motivated charges.
US president Joe Biden has called his detention “totally illegal”.
My colleague Tom Watling reports:
Trial of jailed journalist Gershkovich to be behind closed doors, Russia court says
Kidnapped, abused, humiliated – the Ukrainian children stolen by Russia
07:00 , Tom Watling
Kidnapped, abused, humiliated – the Ukrainian children stolen by Russia
Indian court denies bail to man accused of trafficking men to Russia
06:56 , Namita Singh
A court in Delhi has denied bail to a man accused of trafficking Indian citizens to be deployed in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“The allegations against the accused are grave and serious in nature. Enlarging the applicant on bail at this stage will hamper further investigation of the case,” said the court as it denied relief to Micheal Elangovan.
The accused has denied the allegations.
“There is also a possibility that he may try to destroy the evidence which are yet to be obtained by the IO (investigating officer). The applicant may also assist the other accused persons in continuing to evade the process of law,” said the court.
Nato targets AI, robots and space tech in $1.1bn fund
06:45 , Namita Singh
A consortium of Nato allies has confirmed the first tranche of companies awarded funding as part of the group’s $1.1bn innovation fund.
The alliance unveiled the fund in the summer of 2022, months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, promising to invest in technologies that would enhance its defences. The fund is backed by 24 of NATO’s 32 member states, including Finland and Sweden, which joined the alliance earlier this year.
On Tuesday, the Nato Innovation Fund (NIF) confirmed it had directly invested in four European tech companies, which it said would help address challenges in defence, security, and resilience.
The body has allocated funding to Fractile AI, a London-based computer chipmaker aiming to make large language models (LLMs) like those that power ChatGPT run faster, as well as Germany’s ARX Robotics, which designs unmanned robots with functions ranging from heavy-lifting to surveillance.
China should face consequences for helping Putin’s war on Ukraine, says Nato chief
06:40 , Namita Singh
China should face consequences for helping Vladimir Putin in his war on Ukraine.
Beijing was “trying to get it both ways” by supporting Russia’s war effort, while trying to have a relationship with European allies.
“This cannot work in the long run,” Mr Stoltenberg told BBC News, as he raised concerns about China sharing technologies with Russia that it is using to “build missiles, weapons they use against Ukraine”.
“At some stage, we should consider some kind of economic cost if China doesn’t change their behaviour,” he told the outlet.
Putin treats international law like ‘toilet paper’, says Kyiv’s top official as peace summit meets
06:00 , Tom Watling
Putin treats global law like ‘toilet paper’, says Kyiv official ahead of peace summit
Rod Stewart ‘booed’ as he salutes Ukraine president Zelensky
05:50 , Namita Singh
Sir Rod Stewart appeared to be booed by his own fans after he saluted photos of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky during a concert in Germany.
The British rocker, 79, has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in 2022.
During his performance at Leipzigs Quarterback Immobilien Arena on Friday (14 June), Stewart had the Ukrainian flag projected on to the large screen behind him.
Roisin O’Connor reports:
Sir Rod Stewart ‘booed’ as he salutes Ukraine president Zelensky during concert
Ukraine says its air defence systems destroyed 10 Russian drones
05:49 , Namita Singh
Ukraine’s air force said its air defence systems destroyed all 10 drones that Russia launched overnight targeting the country.
The drones were destroyed over Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.
Putin congratulates South Africa’s Ramaphosa on re-election
05:42 , Namita Singh
Vladimir Putin congratulated South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa on his re-election as president yesterday, reflecting continued good relations with Pretoria despite uncertainty over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
“Hope was expressed for continued joint work on further strengthening of the partnership between Russia and South Africa in all its aspects,” a statement on the Kremlin website said, referring to Mr Putin’s telephone call to Mr Ramaphosa.
Mr Ramaphosa was re-elected by parliament on Friday. But the failure of his African National Congress party to win a majority in last month’s election, for the first time in 30 years, prompted the formation of a government made up - so far - of five parties.
Russia and Ukraine have jostled for support from African nations since the 2022 invasion, with each country’s foreign minister embarking on several tours of the continent.
South Africa initially denounced Russia’s February 2022 invasion, but has since adopted a more nuanced position and abstained on several votes in the UN General Assembly condemning Russian actions.
South Africa attended the “peace summit” on Ukraine held in Switzerland over the weekend. But it declined to sign the final communique, along with India, Indonesia, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, even though some contentious issues were omitted in the hope of drawing wider support.
Oil depots on fire in Russia's Rostov region after drone attack, governor says
05:03 , Namita Singh
Oil depots were on fire after a drone attack early this morning in the town of Azov in Russia’s Rostov region, the governor of the southern Russian region said.
“According to preliminary data, there are no casualties,” the governor, Vasily Golubev, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
What to expect from Nato summit in DC
05:02 , Namita Singh
The summit is expected to address what Nato and Nato members can do for Ukraine as it faces unrelenting air and ground attacks from Russia.
They so far have resisted Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s appeals to take his country into the bloc as long as the war is still on.
Nato general secretary Jens Stoltenberg pointed to efforts to bolster Ukraine in the meantime. They include Nato streamlining the eventual membership process for Ukraine, and Nato nations providing updated arms and training to Ukraine’s military, including the US giving it F-16s and bringing Ukrainian pilots to the US for training on the advanced aircraft.
“The idea is to move them so close to membership that when the time comes, when there is consensus, they can become a member straight away,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
However, Russia’s offensive concludes, just taking Ukraine into the alliance will dissuade Vladimir Putin from trying again in the future to conquer Ukraine, the Nato chief claimed.“When the fighting ends, Nato membership” for Ukraine “assures that the war really ends”, he said.
Rod Stewart ‘booed’ as he salutes Ukraine president Zelensky during Germany concert
05:00 , Tom Watling
Rod Stewart ‘booed’ as he salutes Ukraine president Zelensky during concert
‘Nato good for US jobs’ as allies buy more military equipment
04:53 , Namita Singh
Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg noted that allies were buying more military equipment from the US. “So Nato is good for US security, but Nato is also good for US jobs.” he said.
Nato members agreed last year to spend at least two per cent of their gross domestic product on defence. The surge in spending reflects the worries about the war in Ukraine.
Poland, at more than four per cent, and tiny Estonia both lead the United States this year in the percentage of their GDP they spend on defence. Both countries border Russia.
Defence spending across European allies and Canada was up nearly 18 per cent this year alone, the biggest increase in decades, according to Nato’s estimated figures released yesterday.
Concerns among Nato allies about possible change in US administration
04:51 , Namita Singh
Some countries are concerned about the possible reelection of former president Donald Trump, who has characterised many Nato allies as freeloading on US military spending and said on the campaign trail that he would not defend Nato members that don’t meet defence spending targets.
“Shifting US administrations have had the absolutely valid point to say that US allies are spending too little,” Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg told reporters.
“The good news is that’s changing.”
Record number of Nato members hitting defence spending targets, says chief
04:40 , Namita Singh
A record 23 of Nato’s 32 member nations are hitting the Western military alliance’s defense spending target this year, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday, as Russia’s war in Ukraine has raised the threat of expanding conflict in Europe.
The estimated figure is a nearly fourfold increase from 2021, when only six nations were meeting the goal. That was before Russian president Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“Europeans are doing more for their collective security than just a few years ago,” Mr Stoltenberg said in a speech at the Wilson Center research group.
After the speech, Mr Stoltenberg met at the White House with president Joe Biden. The US president said the alliance has become “larger, stronger and more united than it’s ever been” during Mr Stoltenberg’s tenure.
Mr Biden spoke affectionately of Mr Stoltenberg, calling him “pal” and saying he wished that Stoltenberg, who has been Nato’s secretary general since 2014, could serve another term when the current one expires in October.
“Together, we’ve deterred further Russian aggression in Europe,” Mr Biden said. “We’ve strengthened Nato’s eastern flank, making it clear that we’ll defend every single inch of Nato territory.”
US criticises Putin’s trip to Vietnam
04:19 , Namita Singh
After North Korea, the Kremlin said Vladimir Putin will visit Vietnam tomorrow and on Thursday for talks that are expected to be focused on trade.
The United States, which has spent years strengthening ties and accelerating trade with Vietnam, criticised Mr Putin’s planned visit.
As Russia continues to seek international support to sustain its illegal and brutal war against Ukraine, we reiterate that no country should give Mr Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalise his atrocities.
US Embassy in Vietnam
North Korea and Russia to expand cooperation in tourism, culture and education
04:09 , Namita Singh
North Korea is under heavy UN Security Council economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while Russia is also grappling with sanctions by the United States and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin said the countries will also expand cooperation in tourism, culture and education.
The visit comes amid growing concerns about an arms arrangement in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with badly needed munitions to fuel Mr Putin’s war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that would enhance the threat posed by Kim Jong Un’s nuclear weapons and missile program.
Military, economic and other exchanges between North Korea and Russia have sharply increased since Mr Kim visited the Russian Far East in September for a meeting with Mr Putin, their first since 2019.
US and South Korean officials have accused the North of providing Russia with artillery, missiles and other military equipment to help prolong its fighting in Ukraine, possibly in return for key military technologies and aid.
Vladimir Putin thanks North Korea for support ahead of Kim Jong Un summit
04:06 , Namita Singh
Russian president Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea for supporting his actions in Ukraine and said their countries will co-operate closely to overcome US-led sanctions as he headed to Pyongyang for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Mr Putin’s comments appeared in North Korean state media hours before he was expected to arrive for a two-day visit as the countries deepen their alignment in the face of separate, intensifying confrontations with Washington.
Mr Putin, who will be making his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, said he highly appreciates its firm support of his invasion of Ukraine.
He said the countries would continue to “resolutely oppose” what he described as Western ambitions “to hinder the establishment of a multipolarised world order based on mutual respect for justice”.
Mr Putin also said Russia and North Korea will develop unspecified trade and payment systems “that are not controlled by the West” and jointly oppose sanctions against the countries, which he described as “unilateral and illegal restrictive measures”.
Nicolae Stanciu stunner helps Romania record impressive victory over Ukraine
04:00 , Tom Watling
Nicolae Stanciu stunner helps Romania record impressive victory over Ukraine
Putin to visit North Korea as US, allies decry military ties
03:00 , Tom Watling
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea this week for the first time in 24 years, the two countries said, a rare trip that underscores Moscow’s burgeoning partnership with the nuclear-armed state.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended an invitation to Putin during a visit to Russia’s Far East last September. Putin last visited Pyongyang in July 2000.
“At the invitation of the Chairman of State Affairs of the DPRK, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin will pay a friendly state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on June 18-19,” the Kremlin said.
North Korea’s state news agency KCNA also announced the visit but offered no further details.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is set to grind on as a peace conference packs little punch
02:00 , Tom Watling
The war between Russia and Ukraine is set to grind on as a peace conference packs little punch
Russian attack on Ukraine's Poltava region injures 12, causes power cuts
01:00 , Tom Watling
A Russian missile attack on Ukraine‘s east-central Poltava region on Monday injured 12 people, including two children, and damaged power lines, knocking out electricity for more than 55,000 consumers, a regional governor said.
According to preliminary information, there were no fatalities, Filip Pronin said in a video address from the site posted on Telegram. Several high-rise buildings were damaged, he said. Smoke rising from damaged garages could be seen in the background, while rescuers attempted to extinguish fires. Pronin said later that due to damage to power lines, some 53,000 private and 2,400 industrial consumers faced electricity cuts. Earlier, Ukraine‘s air force announced a missile alert for the region.
G7 leaders strike deal on $50bn funding for Ukraine using Russian assets
Tuesday 18 June 2024 00:00 , Tom Watling
G7 leaders strike deal on $50bn funding for Ukraine using Russian assets
Ukraine employs a flexible defense while waiting for new Western ammo to get to the front
Monday 17 June 2024 23:00 , Tom Watling
Ukraine employs a flexible defense while waiting for new Western ammo to get to the front
Putin treats international law like ‘toilet paper’, says Kyiv’s top official as peace summit meets
Monday 17 June 2024 22:00 , Tom Watling
Putin treats global law like ‘toilet paper’, says Kyiv official ahead of peace summit
Kidnapped, abused, humiliated – the Ukrainian children stolen by Russia
Monday 17 June 2024 21:00 , Tom Watling
Kidnapped, abused, humiliated – the Ukrainian children stolen by Russia
Putin warns West’s ‘theft’ of Russian assets in G7 deal won’t go unpunished
Monday 17 June 2024 20:00 , Tom Watling
Putin says West’s ‘theft’ of Russian assets in G7 deal won’t go unpunished
The war between Russia and Ukraine is set to grind on as a peace conference packs little punch
Monday 17 June 2024 19:00 , Tom Watling
The war between Russia and Ukraine is set to grind on as a peace conference packs little punch
Nicolae Stanciu stunner helps Romania record impressive victory over Ukraine
Monday 17 June 2024 18:00 , Tom Watling
Nicolae Stanciu stunner helps Romania record impressive victory over Ukraine
Putin to visit North Korea for talks with Kim Jong Un, both countries say
Monday 17 June 2024 17:00 , Tom Watling
Putin to visit North Korea for talks with Kim Jong Un, both countries say
Ukrainian soldiers watch as their team plays Romania in Euro 2024
Monday 17 June 2024 16:30 , Tom Watling
Ukrainian soldiers somewhere along the frontline in the eastern Donetsk region have been pictured watching their national team play against Romania in their first game of Euro 2024.
We rescue Ukrainian children from Russia and see the trauma they suffer
Monday 17 June 2024 16:00 , Tom Watling
We rescue Ukrainian children from Russia and see the trauma they suffer
Putin sacks four Russian deputy defence ministers, appoints his niece
Monday 17 June 2024 15:30 , Tom Watling
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday sacked four deputy defence ministers and appointed a relative, Anna Tsivileva, to fill one of the vacancies, according to Kremlin decrees.
The trial of a US reporter charged with espionage in Russia is to begin June 26
Monday 17 June 2024 15:00 , Tom Watling
The trial of a US reporter charged with espionage in Russia is to begin June 26
Russian attack knocks out power for 55,000 consumers in Ukraine's Poltava region
Monday 17 June 2024 14:30 , Tom Watling
More than 55,000 private and industrial consumers were left without electricity on Monday after power lines in Ukraine‘s east-central Poltava region were damaged in a Russian air attack, the regional governor said.
Russia's Putin to visit Vietnam, sparking US rebuke of Hanoi
Monday 17 June 2024 14:00 , Tom Watling
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Hanoi this week, Vietnamese and Russian state media said on Monday, highlighting Communist-ruled Vietnam’s loyalty to Russia and triggering a U.S. rebuke.
The visit follows Hanoi avoiding a Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland last weekend, while sending its deputy foreign minister to a BRICS meeting in Russia earlier last week.
Putin, who was sworn in for a fifth time just over a month ago, is expected to meet Vietnam’s new president, To Lam, and other leaders during the two-day visit to Hanoi on Wednesday and Thursday, officials said.
The United States, which upgraded relations with Hanoi last year and is Vietnam’s top trading partner, reacted harshly.
“No country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalise his atrocities,” a spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Hanoi told Reuters when asked about the impact of the visit on ties with the United States.
Ukraine’s national security chief: Putin could use nuclear weapons if he is on the verge of defeat
Monday 17 June 2024 13:28 , Tom Watling
Ukraine’s head of the national security council has warned that Vladimir Putin could resort to using nuclear weapons if he is on the “verge of a catastrophic defeat”.
Asked by The Times if there was ever a scenario where Putin could use nuclear weapons - a threat the Russian leader and his officials have made frequently over the past two and half years - Oleksandr Lytvynenko said: “We can’t rule out anything, if Russia is on the verge of a catastrophic defeat.”
He added, however, that there was no likelihood that Putin would deploy nuclear weapons while Russia had the upper hand in the war. Currently, Russian forces hold the momentum, having recently pushed into the northeast Ukrainian region of Kharkiv and retaken territory further east, though their advances have been minimised.
Zelensky says he would hold peace talks tomorrow if Russia leaves Ukraine territory
Monday 17 June 2024 13:10 , Tom Watling
Zelensky says he would hold peace talks tomorrow if Russia leaves Ukraine territory
World’s top nine nuclear-armed nations deepening their reliance on nuclear weapons
Monday 17 June 2024 12:40 , Tom Watling
World’s top nine nuclear-armed nations deepening their reliance on nuclear weapons
Rod Stewart ‘booed’ as he salutes Ukraine president Zelensky during Germany concert
Monday 17 June 2024 12:10 , Tom Watling
Rod Stewart ‘booed’ as he salutes Ukraine president Zelensky during concert
Kremlin says Swiss conference showed futility of talks without Russia
Monday 17 June 2024 11:40 , Tom Watling
The Kremlin has said that a Swiss-hosted conference on the Ukraine war had produced negligible results and showed the futility of holding talks without Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the results of the meeting were “close to zero”.
President Vladimir Putin said last week that Russia was willing to end the war, but he set out conditions for Ukraine - renouncing its Nato ambitions and withdrawing troops from four regions claimed by Russia - that Kyiv rejected as tantamount to capitulation.
At the weekend summit in Switzerland, Western powers and their allies denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but failed to persuade major non-aligned states to join their final statement, and no country came forward to host a sequel.
Over 90 countries attended the two-day talks at a Swiss Alpine resort at the behest of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, billed as a “peace summit” even though Moscow was not invited.
Russia ridiculed the event from afar. A decision by China to stay away all but assured that the summit would fail to achieve Ukraine‘s goal of persuading major countries from the “global South” to join in isolating Russia.
Brazil attended only as an “observer”. And in the end, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and South Africa all withheld their signatures from the summit communique, even though some contentious issues were omitted in the hope of drawing wider support.
Still, the conference provided Kyiv with a chance to showcase the support from Western allies that it says it needs to keep fighting against a far bigger enemy.
LGBT soldiers in Ukraine hope their service is changing attitudes as they rally for legal rights
Monday 17 June 2024 11:10 , Tom Watling
LGBT soldiers in Ukraine hope their service is changing attitudes as they rally for legal rights
Russian spy chief says next peace terms in Ukraine will be tougher, Tass reports
Monday 17 June 2024 10:45 , Tom Watling
If Russian President Vladimir Putin's current proposals for a peace treaty with Ukraine are rejected, the next peace terms will be tougher, Russian spy chief and close Putin ally Sergei Naryshkin has said, according to the Kremlin-approved Tass news agency.
He didn't specify whom the proposals could be accepted or rejected by in the report.
Kidnapped, abused, humiliated – the Ukrainian children stolen by Russia
Monday 17 June 2024 10:10 , Tom Watling
Kidnapped, abused, humiliated – the Ukrainian children stolen by Russia
Putin treats international law like ‘toilet paper’, says Kyiv’s top official as peace summit meets
Monday 17 June 2024 09:45 , Tom Watling
Putin treats global law like ‘toilet paper’, says Kyiv official ahead of peace summit
Denmark aims to limit shadow fleet of Russian oil tankers
Monday 17 June 2024 09:20 , Tom Watling
Denmark is considering ways to limit the passage of old tankers carrying Russian oil through the Baltic Sea, the Nordic country’s foreign minister said in a statement on Monday, in a move that could trigger confrontation with Moscow.
Russia sends about a third of its seaborne oil exports, or 1.5 per cent of global supply, through the Danish straits that sit as a gateway to the Baltic Sea, so any attempt to halt supplies would send oil prices higher and hit the Kremlin’s finances.
Denmark has brought together a group of allied countries evaluating measures targeting the so-called shadow fleet of ageing ships transporting the Russian oil, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Reuters.
We could start negotiating with Russia tomorrow, says Zelensky
Monday 17 June 2024 08:52 , Tom Watling
Ukraine could begin negotiating a peace plan with Russia “even tomorrow” if it takes seriously Kyiv’s demands to withdraw its troops entirely from Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
In his concluding speech at a Swiss peace summit over the weekend, Mr Zelensky said: “If Russia is at the next summit, it shows that it wants peace … it can start [negotiations] even tomorrow, if it withdraws its troops from our territory.”
He added that the next summit could take place “in months, not years”.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin claims he is willing to negotiate a peace deal but the terms of his proposal, which includes not only the seizure of Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia but also land still within Ukraine’s control, has been described by Kyiv as a Hitler-like “ultimatum”.
Putin would be allowed to attend next peace summit, says Swiss president
Monday 17 June 2024 08:42 , Tom Watling
An exception to Vladimir Putin’s travel embargo, the result of an arrest warrant for genocide issued last year by the International Criminal Court, “can be made” if the Russian leader wishes to attend Switzerland’s next peace summit, the country’s president has said.
Speaking after the first summit over the weekend, Swiss president Viola Amherd said: “An exception can be made. In the case of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, this could be an exception.”
A similar statement was made by Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis. He also said that the second conference on Ukraine could be held before the US presidential election scheduled for November this year.
After the ICC issued an arrest for Putin in March 2023 for his commanding role in the forcible deportation of tens of thousands - if not hundreds of thousands - of Ukrainian children to Russia, the autocrat has been barred from visiting any of the 124 countries that are signatories to the international court. They are legally obliged to arrest him as soon as he steps on their territory.
It is unclear how Switzerland would circumvent this obligation.
Signatories of Ukraine peace summit drops to 78
Monday 17 June 2024 08:32 , Tom Watling
The number of countries that have signed their support for a Ukraine peace plan after an international summit in Switzerland has dropped to 78, a Swiss statement has said.
Originally, it was reported that 80 countries had signed their backing for the proposal, which calls for Russian forces to withdraw completely from Ukrainian territory.
But the communique shows that Iraq and Jordan have withdrawn their signatures.
At least 12 countries - including Saudi Arabia - had already withheld their signature.
