Page 6 - Russia Ukraine Conflict

US must stop suppressing China or risk 'conflict': Chinese FM Qin Gang

"The United States' perception and views of China are seriously distorted," Qin said

Operations to defend Bakhmut will continue: Ukraine's President Zelenskyy

Moscow has been trying to take Bakhmut for months, as both sides suffer heavy losses in a grinding war of attrition, the BBC reported

Estonia's pro-Ukraine prime minister Kaja Kallas scores win in re-election

The centre-right Reform Party of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, one of Europe's most outspoken supporters of Ukraine, overwhelmingly won the Baltic country's general election, while a far-right populist challenger lost seats in a vote that focused on national security and the economy. Preliminary returns from a completed ballot count showed the Reform Party, the senior partner in the outgoing three-party coalition government, received 31.2 per cent of the vote the biggest share in Sunday's election. That translates into 37 seats at Estonia's 101-seat Parliament, or Riigikogu, an increase of three seats from the 2019 election. This result, which is not final yet, will give us a strong mandate to put together a good government, Kallas told her party colleagues and jubilant supporters at a hotel in the capital, Tallinn. Kallas, prime minister since 2021, faced a challenge from the far-right populist EKRE party, which seeks to limit the Baltic nation's exposure to Russia's war in Ukraine

Russian forces steps up effort to take elusive prize of Ukraine city

The fate of Bakhmut appeared to be hanging in the balance on Monday, as Russian forces continued to encroach on the devastated eastern Ukrainian city but its defenders still denied the Kremlin the prize it has sought for six months at the cost of thousands of lives. Intense Russian shelling targeted the Donetsk region city and nearby villages as Moscow deployed more resources there in an apparent bid to finish off Bakhmut's resistance, according to local officials. Civilians are fleeing the region to escape Russian shelling continuing round the clock as additional Russian troops and weapons are being deployed there, Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said. Russian forces that invaded Ukraine just over a year ago have been bearing down on Bakhmut for months, putting Kyiv's troops on the defensive but unable to deliver a knockout blow. More broadly, Russia continues to experience difficulty generating battlefield momentum. Moscow's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022 soon stalled and

Germany's Olaf Scholz warns of 'consequences' if China sends arms to Russia

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says there would be "consequences" if China sent weapons to Russia for Moscow's war in Ukraine, but he is fairly optimistic that Beijing will refrain from doing so. Scholz's comments came in an interview with CNN that aired on Sunday, two days after he met US President Joe Biden in Washington. US officials have warned recently that China could step off the sidelines and begin providing arms and ammunition to Moscow. Ahead of his trip, Scholz had urged Beijing to refrain from sending weapons and instead use its influence to press Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. Asked by CNN if he could imagine sanctioning China if it did aid Russia, Scholz replied: "I think it would have consequences, but we are now in a stage where we are making clear that this should not happen, and I am relatively optimistic that we will be successful with our request in this case, but we will have to look at (it) and we have to be very, very cautious." He did not elabora

Russian shelling hits Ukrainian town, kills 1; Bakhmut battle rages

Russian shelling destroyed homes and killed one person in northern Ukraine's Kharkiv province, the region's governor said Sunday, while fighting raged in the fiercely contested eastern city of Bakhmut. The town of Kupiansk is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Russian border; the region has come under frequent attacks even though Russian ground forces withdrew from the area nearly six months ago. Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said at least five homes were razed in the latest attack that left a 65-year-old man dead. Two civilians were killed over the past day in Bakhmut, Donetsk province Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said. Russian forces have spent months trying to capture the city as part of their offensive in eastern Ukraine, and the area has seen some of the bloodiest ground fighting of the war. In recent days, Ukrainian units destroyed two key bridges just outside Bakhmut, including one linking it to the nearby town of Chasiv Yar along the last remaining Ukrainian resupply route, according

China defence budget raised by 7.2%, 3 times India's, one-third of America

Actual defence spending during the year will rise to $225 billion, a single-digit budget increase for the eighth consecutive year

G20's Ukraine problem

War rather than multilateral issues dominates

Sitharaman underplays lack of consensus on Ukraine at G20 ministers' meet

Addressing the Raisina Dialogue event, Sitharaman, while describing India as an attractive destination for global businesses, highlighted the rule of law among other factors as an important aspect

US, Germany in 'lockstep' on Russia Ukraine war: Joe Biden and Olaf Scholz

US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met privately in the Oval Office for more than an hour on Friday after declaring themselves in "lockstep" on maintaining pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Even their top advisers were left out of the conversation. When the meeting ended, Biden and Scholz walked across the hall to the Roosevelt Room, where the American and German officials had been mingling. Biden joked that the two leaders had solved all the world's problems by themselves, according to a senior administration official, who requested anonymity to describe the closed-door discussions. If any agreements were reached or plans made, the White House was not saying. The official readout of the meeting provided little additional detail, except to say the two leaders discussed the war and "exchanged perspectives on other global issues". The conversation came at a delicate moment in the conflict. Ukraine and Russia are preparing for spring offensives, ...

More India is strong, more calm things will be: Former US Defence Secy

He said that all NATO could do was remind Putin that it is a nuclear-armed alliance. Its message was that Russia should not even think about it

Russians pound access routes to Ukraine's besieged Bakhmut: Report

Prigozhin's men have spearheaded the assault in eastern Ukraine for months

It's a shame only Ukraine is of interest to G20: Russia's Sergey Lavrov

Lavrov said US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had publicly stated that Russia must be defeated on the battlefield

Joe Biden, German Chancellor Scholz to huddle on Ukraine war at White House

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting the White House on Friday for a private meeting with President Joe Biden as both allies become increasingly vocal about their concerns that China may step off the sidelines and supply weapons to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Such a step could dramatically change the war's trajectory by allowing Moscow to replenish its depleted stockpiles. China is Germany's top trading partner, and European nations have generally been more cautious than the United States in taking a hard line with Beijing. However, there are signs that may be shifting as global rivalries grow more tense. In a speech to the German parliament on Thursday, Scholz called on China to use your influence in Moscow to press for the withdrawal of Russian troops, and do not supply weapons to the aggressor Russia. The US and Germany have worked closely together to supply Ukraine with military and humanitarian assistance. But there has also been friction over issues such as ...

US says it hopes to work closely with India to end Ukraine-Russia conflict

India as the G20 host has a "unique role" to play in bringing about an end to the war in Ukraine due to its "longstanding historical" ties to Russia, the US has said, expressing hope to work closely with New Delhi to find a way to stop the conflict. The G20 foreign ministers' meeting hosted by India on Thursday was unable to come out with a joint communique due to a sharp rift between the West and Russia over the Ukraine conflict despite efforts by host India to bridge the differences. "We are deeply grateful to our Indian partners for the way they have led the G20 to date. And as you alluded to, there is a lot more work to be done over the course of this year, but India is off to a very promising start with its stewardship of the G-20," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Thursday. The India-US partnership was a subject of discussion between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterpart External Affairs Minister S Jaishanka

Allowing Russia in Ukraine will be message to aggressors: Blinken at Quad

On Quad grouping, Blinken said he believes it is a force for good, positive, and affirmative action

India, now a great power, has to choose side in Ukraine war: Senator Warner

Describing India as a "great power" and a country that prides itself in moral values, powerful American Senator Mark Warner, a long-time advocate of a strong India-US relationship, on Thursday said New Delhi has to choose a side in the Ukrainian war at some point. Commending India for standing up to the Chinese aggression and its challenge, Senator Warner, the Chairman of the powerful Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told PTI in an interview that the steps being taken by India vis-a-vis the Ukraine conflict so far are not enough and New Delhi can do more. "I commend Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi for making that comment in front of (Russian President) Mr. (Vladimir) Putin in Uzbekistan. But one statement in a war that's now over a year old, I think there's more that can be done," Warner said, referring to the PM' this is "not an era of war" assertion. India has maintained that it stands on the side of peace on the Ukrainian and has expressed willingness to contribute to any

US expected to send more ammo, folding armoured bridges to Ukraine

The US is expected to announce a new package of military aid for Ukraine Friday, including for the first time eight armoured vehicles that can launch bridges and allow troops to cross rivers or other gaps, US officials said Thursday. The officials said the total cost of the package will be about USD 400 million and will also include large amounts of ammunition, such as rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems. It comes just a week after the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and as Ukrainian forces are preparing for a spring offensive. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid package has not yet been publicly announced. The so-called Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge is a portable, 60-foot folding metal bridge that is carried on top of a tank body. Providing that system now could help Ukrainian troops as they launch the expected offensive, and make it easier for troops to cross rivers to get to Russian forces. Including this latest

No joint communique on Ukraine conflict due to rift between West, Russia

With the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi unable to come out with a joint communique due to the sharp rift between the West and Russia over the Ukraine conflict, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this is not a reflection on India's efforts as host but of the divisions" seen among countries in the international fora. India as President of the G20 hosted the Foreign Ministers Meeting on Thursday in New Delhi, attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang among counterparts from other G20 nations. The meeting was unable to come out with a joint communique due to a sharp rift between the West and Russia over the Ukraine conflict despite efforts by host India to bridge the differences. Blinken told a news conference in the Indian capital that Russia and China were the two countries that did not support a joint communique at the meeting. Well, we are not a party to the

Kremlin accuses Ukrainian saboteurs of attack inside Western Russia

The Kremlin on Thursday accused Ukrainian saboteurs of crossing into western Russia and firing on villagers. Ukraine denied the claim and warned that Moscow could use the allegations to justify stepping up its own attacks in the ongoing war. The exact circumstances of the alleged attack reported in the Bryansk region were unclear, including what the strategic purpose of such an assault might be. If confirmed, it would be another indication following drone attacks earlier this week that Kyiv may be stepping up pressure against Moscow by exposing Russian defensive weaknesses, embarrassing the Kremlin and sowing unease among Russian civilians. Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukrainian terrorists for an incursion, claiming that they deliberately targeted civilians, including children in "yet another terror attack, another crime. They infiltrated the area near the border and opened fire on civilians, Putin said during a video call. They saw a civilian vehicle with civilians, wit