Page 35 - Russia Ukraine Conflict

US to send Ukraine $400 million more in military aid as war advances

The U.S. will send USD 400 million more in military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials announced Thursday, amid concerns that financial assistance for the war against Russia could decline a bit if Republicans take control of Congress. The aid comes as the vote counting from Tuesday's election continues, with Republicans inching closer to a narrow House majority and with control of the Senate hinging on tight races in Arizona, Nevada and Georgia. According to the Pentagon, the aid package will contain large amounts of ammunition and, for the first time, four highly mobile Avenger Air Defense Systems. Include is ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS, which Ukraine has been successfully using in its counteroffensive against Russia. There also will be Stinger missiles for the HAWK surface-to-air anti-aircraft system, 10,000 mortar rounds, thousands of artillery rounds for Howitzers, 400 grenade launchers, 100 Humvees, cold weather gear and 20 million ...

Masked power play: CoPs are places for grandstanding and inane statements

Carbonisation is driven by consumption. The more we consume, the more carbon is generated. But by design, CoPs are consumption blind

Global banking is a bright spot

The world's financial system faces an intimidating set of challenges, but the lessons of the global financial crisis are holding banks in good stead

Ukraine conflict must be resolved through dialogue, reiterates S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said it is premature to talk about whether India could play a role in brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine, even as he reiterated the need for resolving the conflict through talks and highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that "today's era is not of war". He also said that the Global South is feeling the brunt of the impact of the conflict without actually being able to influence any of the decision-making. "You asked whether the situation is ripe or is it premature. I think your question itself is premature. In a way, we are not looking, we cannot approach today's problems with models or experiences -- this is a very, very different situation in which we are in today," Jaishankar said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. He was replying to a question on increasing speculation about Indian role in brokering peace and whether New Delhi is willing to be a facilitator to resol

Russia says retreat from key city of Kherson begun, but Ukraine cautious

Ukrainian officials acknowledged that Russian troops had no choice but to flee a key southern city but stopped short of declaring victory in Kherson on Thursday even after Moscow said it began a retreat that would represent a humiliating defeat in the grinding war. It was difficult to know what was happening in the strategic port city, from which tens of thousands have fled in recent weeks. Some Western observers, including the highest-ranking U.S. military officer, said they believed the Kremlin's forces have been forced to pull out though a full withdrawal could take some time. Ukrainian officials have warned for weeks that any announcement of a Russian retreat should be treated skeptically. They have accused Moscow of plotting to lure Ukrainian troops into an ambush and said Russian soldiers have donned civilian clothes in an effort to melt into the city's population. But on Thursday, Ukraine's armed forces commander-in-chief, Valeriy Zaluzhny, said that the enemy had no other .

Kyiv seeks int'l support, boosts Southeast Asia ties with peace accord

Ukraine signed a peace accord on Thursday with Southeast Asian nations, a largely symbolic act that comes as Kyiv seeks to shore up international support in isolating Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kulbela signed the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia as the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations got underway in Phnom Penh. The ASEAN summit kicks off a series of three top-level meetings in Asia, with the Group of 20 summit in Bali to follow and then the APEC economic forum in Bangkok. They come as Russia seeks new markets for its energy products to avoid Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine. As a group, the ASEAN nations, with a combined population of nearly 700 million, have been reserved in their stance toward the invasion, condemning the war but generally trying to avoid assigning blame. Eight of 10 ASEAN countries did vote in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russian aggression, with Vietnam and

100,000 Russian troops killed or injured in Ukraine amid war, says US

Russia's announced retreat from Kherson, a regional capital in southern Ukraine that it seized early in the war, and a potential stalemate in fighting over the winter could provide both countries an opportunity to negotiate peace, Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Wednesday. He said as many as 40,000 Ukrainian civilians and well over" 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the war, now in its ninth month. Same thing probably on the Ukrainian side," Milley added. There has been a tremendous amount of suffering, human suffering, he said at The Economic Club of New York. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he was open to peace talks with Russia to end the war but only on the condition that Russia return all of Ukraine's occupied lands, provide compensation for war damage and face prosecution for war crimes. Russia has said it is open to talks, and this week announced it had begun a retreat from Kherson. Zelensky

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend G-20 summit: Official

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia next week, avoiding a possible confrontation with the United States and its allies over his war in Ukraine, an Indonesian government official said Thursday. US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders are to attend the two-day summit in Bali that starts on November 15. The summit was to be the first time that Biden and Putin would have been together at a gathering since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the Chief of Support for G-20 events told reporters in Denpasar, Indonesia, that Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will lead the Russian delegation. The Indonesian government respects the decision of the Russian government, which President Putin himself previously explained to President Joko Widodo in a very friendly telephone conversation, said Pandjaitan, who is also the Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment. Biden had r

Russian military claims pullout from occupied city; Ukraine sceptical

Russia's military said Wednesday it will withdraw from the only Ukrainian regional capital it captured, but Kyiv was sceptical and an analyst warned this could be a ruse to lure the country's forces into a deadly trap. A forced pullout from the city of Kherson would mark one of Russia's worst setbacks in the 8-month-old war. Ukrainian authorities cautioned against considering the announced plan to retreat from Kherson, a gateway to the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, and nearby areas as a done deal. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that the Russians were feigning a pullout from Kherson to lure the Ukrainian army into an entrenched battle in the strategic industrial port city. If confirmed, the withdrawal from Kherson in a region of the same name that Moscow illegally annexed in September would pile on another setback to Russia's early failed attempt to capture the capital, Kyiv, and the chaotic and hasty retreat from the administrative region around Ukraine's ...

Iranian, Russian security officials discuss Ukraine crisis, bilateral ties

Shamkhani noted that Iran welcomes and supports any initiative that leads to a ceasefire and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and is ready to play a role in ending the conflicts

Russia says withdrawing from Ukraine's city of Kherson and nearby areas

Russia's military announced Wednesday that it's withdrawing from Ukraine's southern city of Kherson and nearby areas, in what would be another in a series of humiliating setbacks for Moscow's forces in the 8-month-old war. Ukrainian authorities did not immediately confirm the move and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested in recent days that the Russians were feigning a pullout from Kherson in order to lure the Ukrainian army into an entrenched battle. Zelenskyy called attempts to convince civilians to move deeper into Russian-controlled territory theater. The top Russian military commander in Ukraine, Gen Sergei Surovikin, reported to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday that it was impossible to deliver supplies to the city of Kherson and other areas on the western bank of the Dnieper River that it lies on. Shoigu agreed with his proposal to retreat and set up defenses on the eastern bank. The withdrawal from Kherson which sits in a region of the same name that Mosc

Russia announces troops withdrawal from west bank of Dnipro river

Russia's military announced Wednesday that it's withdrawing from a key Ukrainian city and nearby areas, in what would be one of the most significant and humiliating setbacks for Moscow's forces in the 8-month-old war. Ukrainian authorities, however, cautioned against considering the retreat a done deal. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that the Russians were feigning a pullout from Kherson to lure the Ukrainian army into an entrenched battle in the strategic industrial port city. The withdrawal from Kherson in a region of the same name that Moscow illegally annexed earlier this year would pile on another setback after Russia's early failed attempt to capture the capital, Kyiv. Kherson, with a prewar population of 280,000, is the only regional capital Russian forces captured since the Feb. 24 invasion began. Kyiv's forces have zeroed in on the city and cut off supply lines in recent weeks as part of a larger counteroffensive in eastern and southern Ukraine that has pushed .

European Union eyes cheap loan plan for 'stable' Ukraine funding in 2023

The European Union on Wednesday unveiled a plan to provide Ukraine with around 18 billion euros (dollars) in financial aid next year in regular payments to help the war-ravaged country keep its energy and health care facilities running as well as to fund salaries and pension schemes. The EU's executive branch, the European Commission, said the aid would involve loans with extremely favourable terms worth around 1.5 billion euros every month, possibly starting in January. Ukraine would not have to reimburse the funds for at least a decade and EU member countries would cover the interest costs. The International Monetary Fund estimates that Ukraine will need 3-4 billion dollars each month in 2023. The 27-nation EU's contribution will be matched by the United States, while other donors and financial institutions are expected to plug the gap. Ukraine needs our help, said Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis as he unveiled the plan. He said the government in Kyiv needs

India, Russia vow to expand economic cooperation, including energy sector

India and Russia on Tuesday vowed to expand their economic engagement including New Delhi's import of petroleum products from its "time-tested" partner even as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasized on ending the Ukraine conflict in view of growing global concerns over energy and food security. After holding wide-ranging talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov in Moscow, Jaishankar said India would be supportive of any initiative that "de-risks" the global economy and stabilises the global order at this stage. In his opening remarks at the meeting with Lavrov, Jaishankar described Indo-Russia relations as "exceptionally steady" and "time-tested" and said the objective is to fashion a contemporary, balanced, mutually beneficial, sustainable and long-term engagement between the two sides. It was Jaishankar's first visit to Moscow after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February and his talks with the Russian ...

Volodymyr Zelenskyy open to talks with Russia on Ukraine's terms

Ukraine's president has suggested he's open to peace talks with Russia, softening his earlier refusal to negotiate with Moscow while President Vladimir Putin is in power while sticking to Kyiv's demands. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's appeal to the international community late Monday to force Russia into real peace talks reflected a change in rhetoric for a man who signed a decree in late September stating the impossibility of holding talks with Putin. But since his preconditions appear to be non-starters for Moscow, it's hard to see how Zelenskyy's latest comments would advance any talks. Zelenskyy reiterated that his conditions for dialogue were the return of all of Ukraine's occupied lands, compensation for damage caused by the war and the prosecution of war crimes. Western weapons and aid have been key to Ukraine's ability to fight off Russia's invasion, which some initially expected would tear through the country with relative ease. But U.S. midterm elections Tuesday will define the ..

Buying oil from Russia is to India's advantage, says S Jaishankar

Says India's obligation is to ensure consumers get best access on 'most advantageous' terms

Aftermath of Russia-Ukraine war dims the sheen on steel industry

But strong domestic demand and cooling raw material prices encourage manufacturers to stay the course on capex plans

Stores now preferred choice over online shopping: Raymond's Singhania

Raymond's sales rise 15% in September quarter versus pre-Covid period

Recession, climate change, Ukraine war: Kant lists challenges before G20

The former Niti Aayog chief executive said that climate change was another big crisis that the world faced, impacting larger nations, as well as threatening to submerge smaller island nations

India will 'benefit' from price cap on Russian oil: US Treasury Secretary

India will "benefit" from the proposed price cap on oil, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said, arguing that the United States does not want Russia to "profit unduly" from the war by enjoying prices that are essentially very high due to its Ukrainian invasion. Developing countries like India and China have been increasingly buying discounted Russian oil as global energy prices remain high and Western nations seek to scale down their reliance on Russian energy. We want Russian oil to continue to supply global markets; stay on the market. But we want to make sure that Russia doesn't profit unduly from the war by enjoying prices that are essentially very high due to the war, Yellen told PTI in an exclusive interview on Monday ahead of her trip to India later this week. India's oil purchase from Russia and the Ukrainian invasion is expected to be significant topics of discussion during her India trip, where Yellen is travelling to primarily co-chair the US-India Economic and Financia