Page 15 - Vladimir Putin

Ukraine risks dragging West into major war with Russia, says Putin ally

President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has touched off the worst breakdown in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

China, Russia ties stabilising factor, conducive to peace, says Putin

Russia's President Vladimir Putin landed in Beijing on Thursday for a two-day state visit to China, in a show of unity between the authoritarian allies as Moscow presses forward with a new offensive in Ukraine. Putin's visit comes as Russia has become more economically dependent on China following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. On the eve of the visit, Putin said in an interview with Chinese media that the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours, Putin was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency. The Russian leader's two-day trip comes as his country's forces have pressed an offensive in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region that began last week in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began, forcing almost 8,000 people to flee thei

As Putin visits China to meet Xi; here's what to know about the allies

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China starting on Thursday underlines an increasingly close partnership between the two allies who oppose the US-led democratic order. China, led by President Xi Jinping, has offered robust diplomatic support to Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine and has emerged as a top export market for Russian oil and gas, helping fill the Kremlin's war coffers. Russia also has relied on China as the main source of high-tech imports to keep its military machine running. Once Communist rivals, the two countries that share a 4,200-kilometer (2,600-mile) border have become closer in recent years. A look at that relationship: DEAR FRIENDS' Putin and Xi have met over 40 times and developed strong personal ties to bolster their "strategic partnership as they both face soaring tensions with the West. Xi last travelled to Moscow in March 2023, where they addressed each other as dear friend and exchanged compliments. Putin went to Beijing in October for a su

Ukrainian troops retreat, Zelenskyy postpones trips amid Russian offensive

Ukrainian forces withdrew from some parts of the country's northeast and battled Russian troops in other areas Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to postpone all his upcoming foreign trips underscored the seriousness of the threat his soldiers face. Against that grim backdrop, visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to reassure Ukraine of continuing American support, announcing a $2 billion arms deal. Most of the money comes from a package approved last month. The top diplomat's trip comes as Russian troops press a new offensive in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. It began last week, marking the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began in 2022 and forcing thousands to flee their homes. In recent weeks, Moscow's forces have also sought to build on gains in the eastern region of Donetsk. Taken together, the developments mean the war has entered a critical stage for Ukraine's depleted army. Ukraine's General Staff reported late .

Russian forces advancing in Ukraine from all sides as per plan: Putin

Russia has been pushing Ukrainian forces back at various points in recent months despite hundreds of billions of dollars worth of aid from the United States and its allies

Zelenskyy postpones foreign visits as Ukraine faces new Russian offensive

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said Wednesday that he has postponed all his upcoming foreign visits amid a new Russian offensive. Zelenskyy cancelled all foreign visits that were planned for the coming days, his office said Wednesday on Telegram. The head of state instructed his team to reschedule the visits. We are grateful to our partners for understanding, the announcement said. Zelenskyy had been expected to visit Spain, and perhaps Portugal, later this week.

Ukraine plans electricity imports after Russian attacks on energy system

Ukraine consumes up to 19,000 Mwh at peak of consumption in winter

Russian air destroys 10 Ukraine-launched ATACMS missiles over Crimea

The war has killed thousands, displaced millions and turned Ukrainian cities into rubble

Defying west, President Putin scheduled to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing

Blinken said Beijing's supply of dual-use goods was 'powering Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine'

ICC prosecutor faces demand to act against Israeli leaders, Putin warrant

The International Criminal Court's prosecutor faced demands Tuesday for speedy action against Israeli leaders and a blistering Russian attack over the ICC's arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin stemming from Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Karim Khan responded by telling the UN Security Council that he will not be swayed or intimidated as his team investigates possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Gaza and the Palestinian territories as well as in Ukraine. Libya's UN ambassador, Taher El-Sonni, told Khan that if the Libyan cases the ICC is investigating are so complex that they won't be completed until the end of 2025, he should allocate the court's efforts to the war in Gaza. El-Sonni claimed genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity are being perpetrated by Israeli forces. The world expects the ICC to be courageous and to issue arrest warrants against officials of the Israeli regime who have repeated again and again that they want to commit genocidal actio

Putin backs China's Ukraine peace plan, says Beijing understands conflict

Putin, speaking to China's Xinhua news agency ahead of his visit to Beijing this week, said Russia remained open to dialogue and talks to solve the more than two-year-old conflict

Russia arrests another senior defence min official in bribery charges

Russian authorities arrested another senior Defence Ministry official on charges of bribery, authorities said Tuesday, days after President Vladimir Putin replaced the defence minister in a Cabinet shake-up and amid expectations of further purges at the ministry. The Investigative Committee, Russia's top law enforcement body, wrote in a statement that Lt. Gen. Yury Kuznetsov, the chief of the ministry's main personnel directorate, was arrested on charges of bribery and placed in custody pending investigation and trial. Kuznetsov is accused of accepting an exceptionally large bribe, a charge punishable by up to 15 years in prison, the statement said. The official's home and other properties were searched, the Investigative Committee reported, and the authorities seized gold coins, luxury items and 100 million rubles (just over USD 1 million) in cash. Putin replaced Sergei Shoigu as defence minister Sunday in a Cabinet shakeup that comes as he begins his fifth term in office, moving

US delay in war aide allowed Putin inflict more damage: Ukraine's ex-prez

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said the long delay by the US Congress in approving military aid for his country was a colossal waste of time, allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to inflict more suffering in the 2-year-old invasion and prolonging the war. The severe lack of ammunition, which forced outgunned Ukrainian forces to surrender village after village on the front lines, also sowed concern among Ukraine's other Western allies about Kyiv's prospects in repelling the Russian invasion, Yushchenko told The Associated Press in an interview on Monday. That sent a signal to Putin to attack, ruin infrastructure, rampage all over Ukraine, said Yushchenko, a pro-European reformer who sought to distance Kyiv from Moscow during his 2005-2010 administration. And, of course, this undermines the morale of those in the world who stand with and support Ukraine, said Yushchenko, who was in Philadelphia to speak at a World Affairs Council event. The delay is not fatal to ..

Putin shuffles security team, replaces defence minister Sergei Shoigu

Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed replacing Sergei Shoigu as defence minister on Sunday and appointed him as secretary of Russia's national security council. The appointment comes after Putin proposed appointing Andrei Belousov as the country's defence minister in place of Shoigu, who has served in the post for years. The reshuffle comes as Putin starts his fifth presidential term and as the war in Ukraine drags on for the third year In line with Russian law, the entire Russian Cabinet resigned on Tuesday following Putin's glittering inauguration in the Kremlin. The announcement came as thousands more civilians have fled Russia's renewed ground offensive in Ukraine's northeast that has targeted towns and villages with a barrage of artillery and mortar shelling, officials said Sunday. The intense battles have forced at least one Ukrainian unit to withdraw in the Kharkiv region, capitulating more land to Russian forces across less defended settlements in the so-cal

PM spoke to Putin, Zelenskyy, ensured safe passage to Indian students: EAM

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said PM Modi had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ensure safe passage for Indian students from war-affected areas of Ukraine. During an interaction with editors in Mumbai, Jaishankar shared minute details of how things unfolded. Modi called Putin twice and Zelenskyy once for the safe passage of Indian students from Kharkiv and Sumy, he said. Jaishankar was responding to a query on Modi government's operation to evacuate Indian students from Ukraine after Russia invaded that country on February 24, 2022. There were two incidents. In Kharkiv city and Sumy. In Kharkiv incident, we had asked the students to come out of the city and go to a designated spot so that they could be picked up by us, Jaishankar said. Everything was set. People started moving. And then the Russians started firing on that place which we had designated (as the pickup point), because of some ...

Our army is locked in border battles amid Russia's assault: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian troops are locked in intense battles with the advancing Russian army in two border areas, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, while the death toll from a Russian apartment building collapse blamed on Ukrainian shelling rose to 15. Zelenskyy said fierce battles are taking place near the border in eastern and northeastern Ukraine as outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian soldiers try to push back a significant Russian ground offensive. Defensive battles are ongoing, fierce battles, on a large part of our border area, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Sunday. The Kremlin's forces are aiming to exploit Ukrainian weaknesses before a big batch of new military aid for Kyiv from the US and European partners arrives on the battlefield in the coming weeks and months, analysts say. That makes this period a window of opportunity for Moscow and one of the most dangerous for Kyiv in the two-year war, they say. The new Russian push in the northeastern Kharkiv region, along wi

US announces $400 million military aid package for embattled Ukraine

This package is the third slated for Kyiv after the US passed the national security supplemental last month that included $61 billion for Kyiv

Putin reappoints his PM, a technocrat who has kept low political profile

Russian President Vladimir Putin reappointed Mikhail Mishustin as the country's prime minister on Friday, a widely anticipated move to keep on a technocrat who has maintained a low political profile. Mishustin and other technocrats in the Cabinet have been credited with maintaining a relatively stable economic performance despite bruising Western sanctions for Russia's role in Ukraine. Most other Cabinet members are expected to keep their jobs, though the fate of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu appeared uncertain. In line with Russian law, Mishustin, 58, who held the job for the past four years, submitted his Cabinet's resignation on Tuesday when Putin began his fifth presidential term at a glittering Kremlin inauguration. Mishustin, the former head of Russia's tax service, steered clear of political statements and avoided media interviews during his previous tenure. The speaker of the parliament's lower house, Vyacheslav Volodin, announced that Putin submitted Mishustin's candidacy

Putin, seeking continuity, proposes Mishustin remain as Russia's PM

As dictated by law, the government resigned just before Putin, Russia's paramount leader for nearly a quarter of a century, was sworn in for another six-year term on Tuesday

Putin's next target after Ukraine may be Nato's Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia

With the addition this year of Sweden and last spring of Finland to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the Baltic Sea has been dubbed a 'Nato lake' by some analysts