Russia Ukraine Conflict

What happens if Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine is turned off?

Putin said that day that it was clear there would be no new deal with Kyiv to send Russian gas through Ukraine to Europe

Gaza war to Ukraine nuclear fears: Conflicts that shaped 2024 geopolitics

Wars in Europe and West Asia intensified in 2024, exposing the failures of global peace mechanisms, deepening crises, and straining alliances, with Trump's return adding fresh uncertainty

Donald Trump keeps door open to Putin offer for talks on war in Ukraine

The Russian president offered on Thursday to hold talks with Trump, saying, 'I'll be ready to meet if he wants'

Pope Francis calls for ceasefire on all fronts in prayer ahead of Christmas

Pope Francis called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday Angelus prayer ahead of Christmas, condemning the cruelty of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza. Let the weapons fall silent and let the Christmas carols ring out! Francis said, delivering his Sunday blessing from indoors due to a cold and as a precaution ahead of a busy Christmas period. Let us pray that at Christmas there will be a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, in the Holy Land, throughout the Middle East and throughout the world, the pope said. Francis recalled, as he often does, the battered Ukraine that continues to be hit by attacks on cities, which sometimes damage schools, hospitals and churches. He also expressed his pain thinking of Gaza, of such cruelty, to the machine-gunning of children, to the bombing of schools and hospitals ... How much cruelty! Francis on Saturday also criticised Israel's actions in Gaza and said that his envoy had been unable to enter the territory becau

Ukrainian drones hit Russian fuel depot for second time this month

Ukrainian drones struck a major Russian fuel depot for the second time in just over a week on Sunday, according to a senior Russian regional official, as part of a massive cross-border attack on fuel and energy facilities that Kyiv says supply Moscow's military. The strikes came days after Russia launched sweeping attacks on Ukraine's already battered energy grid, threatening to plunge thousands of homes into darkness as winter tightens its grip over the region, and as Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbour nears the three-year mark. A fire broke out at the Stalnoy Kon oil terminal in Russia's southern Oryol region, local Gov. Andrey Klychkov said in a post on the Telegram messaging app, adding Russian forces downed 20 drones targeting fuel and energy infrastructure in the province. Russian independent news outlet Astra shared video of what it said was an explosion at the site, showing a massive orange blaze lighting up the night sky. While the clip could not be independently ..

Trump's Nato push: Higher defence spending, continued aid to Ukraine

Trump plans to push Nato allies to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP while continuing aid to Ukraine, marking a significant shift in his foreign policy approach

Russian missile attack kills one in Kyiv, damages embassies, says Ukraine

Russia launched five ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital, all of which were intercepted by Ukrainian air defences

Russia targets Kyiv in response to Ukrainian strike using US-made weapons

Ukraine's air force said it intercepted five Iskander short-range ballistic missiles fired at the city

Russia keeps rates at 21% amid inflation struggles fueled by war spendings

Russia's central bank has left its benchmark interest rate at 21 per cent, holding off on further increases as it struggles to snuff out inflation fueled by the government's spending on the war against Ukraine. The decision comes amid criticism from influential business figures, including tycoons close to the Kremlin, that high rates are putting the brakes on business activity and the economy. Factories are running three shifts making everything from vehicles to clothing for the military, while a labour shortage is driving up wages and fat enlistment bonuses are putting more rubles in people's bank accounts to spend. All that is driving up prices. On top of that, the weakening Russian ruble raises the prices of imported goods like cars and consumer electronics from China, which has become Russia's biggest trade partner since Western sanctions disrupted economic relations with Europe and the US. High rates can dampen inflation but also make it more expensive for businesses to get th

Russia's Prez Putin boasts of gains in Ukraine at annual news conference

President Vladimir Putin boasted that his military operation in Ukraine has strengthened Russia and denied that the ouster of key ally Bashar Assad in Syria had hurt Moscow's prestige, as he held his annual news conference and call-in show Thursday. He used the tightly choreographed event, which lasted for about 4 1/2 hours, to reinforce his authority and demonstrate a sweeping command of everything from consumer prices to military hardware. He claimed that sending troops into Ukraine in 2022 has boosted Russia's military and economic power. He also said that if he could go back in time, he would have thought that such a decision should have been made earlier, and Russia should have prepared for it in advance and more thoroughly. "Russia has become much stronger over the past two or three years because it has become a truly sovereign country, he said. We are standing firm in terms of economy, we are strengthening our defence potential and our military capability now is the strongest

Putin, Zelenskyy rule out renewal of key gas transit deal for Europe

Kyiv has refused to extend the five-year deal to ship Russian gas across Ukraine beyond its expiry at the end of this month, President Vladimir Putin said in Moscow

Russia ready to compromise with Donald Trump on Ukraine war, says Putin

Asked what he might be able to offer Trump, Putin dismissed an assertion that Russia was in a weak position, saying that Russia had got much stronger since he ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022

Ukrainian strikes refinery in Russia's Rostov with missiles and drones

As Russia advances at the fastest pace since the start of the war in 2022, Ukraine has repeatedly tried to strike Russia's oil infrastructure

EU leaders to send clear message to Trump about their support to Ukraine

The leaders will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the start of their talks in Brussels

North Korea can produce ballistic missiles for Russia to use in Ukraine war

North Korea demonstrated this year that it could produce ballistic missiles and supply them to Russia for use against Ukraine in a matter of months, the head of a research organisation that traces weapons used in the war said on Wednesday. Jonah Leff told the UN Security Council that researchers on the ground examined remnants of four missiles from North Korea recovered in Ukraine in July and August, including one that had marks indicating it was produced in 2024. "This is the first public evidence of missiles having been produced in North Korea and then used in Ukraine within a matter of months, not years," he said. Leff also had briefed the Security Council in late June, telling members that the organisation he heads, Conflict Armament Research, had "irrefutably" established that ballistic missile remnants found in Ukraine early this year were from a missile manufactured in North Korea. The UK-based organisation, which was established in 2011 to document and trace weapons used in

Want Ukraine in stronger position for peace talks with Russia: Nato leader

NATO's secretary-general said he wants to discuss ways to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any future peace talks with Russia during a meeting on Wednesday with Ukraine's president and a small number of European leaders. But Mark Rutte appeared frustrated at growing speculation in NATO capitals about when those peace talks might start and whether European peacekeepers would be involved, saying that speaking publicly about it plays into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "High on the agenda is to make sure that the president, his team in Ukraine, are in the best possible position one day when they decide so to start the peace talks," Rutte told reporters as he welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to his residence in Brussels. The focus, Rutte said, must be "to do everything now to make sure that when it comes to air defence, when it comes to other weapons systems, that we make sure that we provide whatever we can". He said that another issue up for .

Ukraine kills Russian chemical weapons chief Igor Kirillov in Moscow

The Lieutenant General was also listed in a sprawling unofficial Ukrainian database of people considered to be enemies of the country called Myrotvorets (Peacemaker). A photograph of Kirillov

Bomb hidden in electric scooter kills senior Russian nuclear forces general

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the chief of Russia's Troops of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence, was killed on Tuesday outside a Moscow apartment building

Stupid for Biden to let Ukraine use US weapons to strike Russia: Trump

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday suggested that he may reverse President Joe Biden's recent decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use American long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory. Trump called the decision made by Biden last month stupid." He also expressed anger that his incoming administration was not consulted before Biden made the move. With the loosening of the restrictions, Biden gave Ukraine long-sought permission to use the Army Tactical Missile System provided by the U.S. to strike Russian positions hundreds miles from its border. I don't think that should have been allowed, not when there's a possibility certainly not just weeks before I take over," Trump said during at a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort. "Why would they do that without asking me what I thought? I wouldn't have had him do that. I think it was a big mistake. Trump's withering criticism of the Biden administration's move comes as the Democratic administratio

Zelenskyy should prepare to make deal to end Russia-Ukraine war, says Trump

Trump said it would take a century to rebuild Ukrainian cities leveled by the Russian invasion and brushed aside Ukrainian hopes of recapturing seized territory