Page 15 - Russia Ukraine Conflict

Putin threatened me with missile strike before Ukraine war: Boris Johnson

The former Prime Minister also said that he warned Putin that invading Ukraine would lead to Western sanctions and more NATO troops on Russia's borders

Fast-track talks underway in Ukraine for long-range missiles, planes

Ukraine and its Western allies are engaged in fast-track talks on the possibility of equipping the invaded country with long-range missiles and military aircraft, a top Ukrainian presidential aide said on Saturday. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukraine's supporters in the West understand how the war is developing and the need to supply planes capable of providing cover for the armoured fighting vehicles that the United States and Germany pledged at the beginning of the month. However, in remarks to online video channel Freedom, Podolyak said that some of Ukraine's Western partners maintain a conservative attitude to arms deliveries, due to fear of changes in the international architecture. Russia and North Korea have accused the West of prolonging and taking a direct role in the war by sending Kyiv increasingly sophisticated weapons. We need to work with this. We must show (our partners) the real picture of this war," Podolyak said,

Russia issue looms for 2024 Summer Paris Olympics, Zelenskyy rebukes IOC

The question of if and how Russia competes at the Olympics hangs over the 2024 Paris Summer Games. Just as it has now for five straight Olympics during Thomas Bach's leadership of the IOC, whose support this week for some Russians to compete in Paris was publicly challenged Friday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia and its athletes have been at risk of being banned though ultimately competed at each Olympics since the steroid-tainted 2014 Sochi Winter Games that was Bach's first as president of the International Olympic Committee. This time it is Russia waging war on Ukraine. Previously it was Russian state-backed doping and then Russian authorities trying to cover up evidence of that scandal. Zelenskyy wants Russia excluded from taking part in Paris while its military is occupying and attacking his country. He stressed that this week in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. Ukraine's sports minister first warned on Thursday of boycotting the Olympics. Tha

India's 1.4 bn population could become world economy's new growth engine

Bloomberg Economics expects the nation's per capita income to pull even with some developed countries in that span, putting Modi's goal within reach

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Russia has shifted war focus to 'NATO and the West', says EU official

A senior EU official said Friday that Russia has taken its war against Ukraine to a a different stage by making indiscriminate attacks on civilians and non-military targets, while criticising Moscow for triggering recent moves by Germany and the United States to send advanced tanks to Ukraine. Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of the European Union's European External Action Service, defended German and US provisions of the military equipment to Ukraine, and criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for waging a war on NATO and the West. Sannino, speaking at a news conference in Tokyo as part of an Asia-Pacific tour, said Putin had moved from a concept of special operation to a concept now of a war against NATO and the West. He said German and US tank provisions are meant to help Ukrainians defend themselves in the war, rather than making them attackers. I think that this latest development in terms of armed supply is just an evolution of the situation and of the way Russia star

Russia's path to 2024 Olympics takes shape, Ukraine objects amid war

Russia's path to sending a team to the Paris Olympics next year became clearer on Thursday amid fierce objections from Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee indicated on Wednesday it favors officially neutral teams from Russia and its ally Belarus at the 2024 Olympics despite a plea from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to exclude them entirely. A day later, Russia and Belarus were invited to compete at the Asian Games, a key Olympic qualifier. Russia typically competes as part of Europe but has a tense relationship with many of the countries set to host qualifying events there. Russia and Belarus have been barred from almost all international competitions in Olympic sports following the invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy has said he told French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is hosting the Olympics, that Russia should have no place there. Ukraine is seeking to rally support against the IOC-brokered plan. IOC has been disregarding Russian war crimes, claiming t

Russia launches wave of missile, drone attacks: Ukrainian officials

Ukrainian officials said Thursday that Russia launched a wave of missile and self-exploding drone attacks on the country. Air raid sirens wailed nationwide. There were no immediate reports of the targets, but Kyiv's mayor said a Russian missile strike killed one person, the first death from an attack in the capital since New Year's Eve. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two other people were injured in the strike.. The head of the Kyiv city administration said 15 cruise missiles were shot down. Serhii Popko said the missiles were fired in the direction of Kyiv but did not clarify if the capital itself was a target. Odesa regional governor Maksym Marchenko reported that several facilities of energy infrastructure were damaged not just in the Odesa region, but other regions of Ukraine. That caused significant problems with electricity supply. Earlier Vinnytsia regional governor reported about strikes in his region. The attacks came after Germany and the United States announced Wednesday th

IOC seeks to let Russians compete at Paris Olympics as neutral athletes

The IOC made clear Wednesday it wants Russians to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics as neutral athletes, in defiance of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call to exclude them entirely. Citing a unifying mission during a time of war, the International Olympic Committee said no athlete should face discrimination based only on the passport they held. A pathway for athletes' participation in competition under strict conditions should therefore be further explored, the IOC said in a statement published after an executive board meeting. IOC president Thomas Bach did not hold his usual news conference after the meeting. Russia was not directly condemned in the statement though athletes who have been actively supporting the war in Ukraine face being excluded from the Paris Olympics that open in 18 months' time, the IOC said. The IOC cited the example of Yugoslavians competing at the 1992 Barcelona Games as independent athletes while the nation was under United Nations sanctions du

US will send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, says President Joe Biden

President Joe Biden has announced that the US will send 31 state-of-the-art Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine to help its troops push back Russian forces that remain entrenched in the country's east for almost a year since Moscow's invasion. President Biden's announcement on Wednesday came after he held talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on aiding Ukraine. Today, I'm announcing that the United States will be sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, the equivalent of one Ukrainian battalion. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has recommended this step because it will enhance Ukraine's capacity to defend its territory and achieve its strategic objectives, Biden said. The Abrams tanks are the most capable tanks in the world, Biden said, adding that they are also extremely complex to operate and maintain. The US will also provide training programme to maintain and operate these tanks, as well as eight M88 recovery vehic

Ukraine forces pull back from Donbas town after onslaught, says official

Ukrainian forces have conducted an organised retreat from a town in the eastern region of the Donbas, an official said on Wednesday, in what is a rare but modest battlefield triumph for the Kremlin after a series of setbacks in its invasion that began almost 11 months ago. The Ukrainian army retreated from the salt-mining town of Soledar to preserve the lives of the personnel, Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine's forces in the east, told The Associated Press. The soldiers pulled back to previously prepared defensive positions, he said. Moscow has portrayed the battle for Soledar, which lies near the city of Bakhmut, as key to capturing the entire Donbas. The accomplishment takes the Russian forces a step closer to Bakhmut, but military analysts say capturing Soledar is more symbolic than strategic. Ukraine's military, which has held out in Soledar against a monthslong onslaught of superior Russian forces, has said its fierce defence of the eastern stronghold helped tie

'Doomsday Clock' set at 90 seconds to midnight amid Ukraine crisis

The Doomsday Clock's time is set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Science and Security Board with the support of the Bulletin's Board of Sponsors

Ukraine's corruption scandal claims jobs of several top officials

Several senior Ukrainian officials, including front-line governors, lost their jobs Tuesday in a corruption scandal plaguing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government as it grapples with the nearly 11-month-old Russian invasion. Ukraine's biggest government shake-up since the war began came as U.S. officials said Washington was poised to approve supplying Kyiv with M1 Abrams tanks, with international reluctance eroding toward sending tanks to the battlefront against the Russians. Zelenskyy was elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform in a country long gripped by graft, and the new allegations come as Western allies are channeling billions of dollars to help Kyiv fight against Moscow. Officials in several countries, including the United States, have demanded more accountability for the aid, given Ukraine's rampant corruption. While Zelenskyy and his aides portray the resignations and firings as proof of their efforts to crack down, the wartime scandal .

Best of BS Opinion: Give peace a chance, endorsement disclosures & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Won't block Leopard tanks to Ukraine, says Germany's foreign minister

The Kyiv government wants the German-made Leopard 2 tank to break through Russian lines and recapture territory this year

Give peace a chance

G20 presidency is an opportunity to lead the initiative

Former UK PM Boris Johnson visits Ukraine, meets President Zelensky

Johnson, who made no mention of the allegations, he was received by the President and other Ukrainian ministers

PM Modi can play key role in Ukraine-Russia talks: French journalist

There is a need for someone who can bring Ukraine and Russia to the table for talks and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi can play a key role in facilitating the negotiations

France's Macron to hike military funds amid Russia-Ukraine war, new threats

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday proposed to boost defence spending by more than a third through 2030 and to transform" France's nuclear-armed military, to better face evolving threats and take into account the impact of Russia's war in Ukraine. Macron announced a proposal for 413 billion euros (nearly USD 450 billion) in military spending for the period of 2024-2030, to ensure our freedom, our security, our prosperity, our place in the world. That compares with spending of about 295 billion euros in a similar military plan for 2019-2025. The money would notably go to modernising France's nuclear arsenal, boosting intelligence spending by 60 per cent, doubling the number of military reservists, reinforcing cyberdefence and developing more remote-controlled weapons. Nuclear deterrence is an element that makes France different from other countries in Europe. We see anew, in analyzing the war in Ukraine, its vital importance," he said in a speech to military personnel at an

Zelenskyy thanks US President Biden for defense support package of $2.5 bn

The latest package brings total US military assistance to Ukraine since Russia's February 2022 invasion to more than $26.7 billion