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Russian forces invaded Ukraine in late February 2022, turning Moscow into a global pariah in the worlds of finance, diplomacy, sports and culture, as the West punished it with sanctions. President Vladimir Putin called Russia’s actions - which have triggered the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II - a “special military operation”. Nuclear-armed Russia has warned of consequences if Nato interferes in Ukraine, while strategic ally China urges a peaceful, diplomatic solution.
Beijing visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken keeps talks open between the two superpowers with the Ukraine war, Russian relations and Mideast conflict looming large.
- Russia and Ukraine have turned to improvised armour solutions to give their tanks extra protection
- But Moscow, in recent weeks, appears to have taken this a step further with an effective innovation
‘Serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield’ for Ukraine, said Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Kyiv on Monday.
The Duchess of Edinburgh, wife of Prince Edward, made the visit as part of her work to champion survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, Buckingham Palace said.
One of Europe’s most hawkish leaders towards Beijing is confirmed to meet the Chinese president during his first trip to the continent in five years.
The victims, who were 23 and 36, were killed on the premises of a shopping centre in the village of Murnau in Upper Bavaria. Possible motive for the killings was not yet known, police said.
Russian troops ‘will likely make significant tactical gains in the coming weeks’ while Kyiv awaits badly needed weaponry from the US, a Washington-based think tank said.
While the assessment didn’t dispute Putin’s culpability for the death, it found that the timing possibly wasn’t as intended by Putin, the WSJ report said.
‘Our interaction is important for strategic stability on the planet,’ Dong Jun says after meeting with Sergey Shoigu; both chiefs back continued military cooperation.
Observers say Ukraine will be high on the agenda when Chinese President Xi Jinping travels to France, Serbia and Hungary next month, while the West will be watching Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s visit to China for signs Beijing is supporting Moscow’s war efforts.
Court documents allege that suspect Dylan Earl was connected to the proscribed terrorist group the Wagner Group, the domestic Press Association news agency reported.
Ukraine sidelines US-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, US officials said.
Purpose is to enlist China’s help in ending the companies’ activities that allegedly violate sanctions on supplying products with military applications to Moscow.
But American treasury secretary says the policy option is something Washington ‘would be prepared to use if necessary’.
Trip would be the long-time leader’s first abroad since his re-election, amid Western claims that China is propping up Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
Europe must not become a vassal of the US, he said, as he outlined his vision for a more assertive EU on the global stage.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells counterpart Peter Szijjarto in Beijing that Hungary is a ‘European country of unique influence’.
The weapons, with double the striking distance, were used for the first time to bomb a Russian airfield in Crimea and Russian forces in another occupied area.
Biden signed the bill into law on Wednesday that provides billions of dollars of new US aid to Ukraine, notching a rare bipartisan victory for the president as he seeks re-election.
Trade, Ukraine among topics on the agenda, with Blinken expected to pressure China to urge its firms to stop supplying dual-use goods to Russia or face more punitive measures.
It is the Russia’s highest-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022
The US Congress gave final approval to a long-delayed US$61 billion aid package for Ukraine on Tuesday. Ukraine hopes to quickly get fresh supplies to the war zone as Russia makes battlefield gains.
The move comes as Kyiv faces manpower shortages in the fighting against Russia, and is tied to a new law that includes tougher penalties against draft dodgers.
Report on possible sanctions on Chinese banks draws sharp rebuttal from Foreign Ministry, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads for talks with Chinese leaders.
In a phone call on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked US President Joe Biden for unblocking US$61 billion in military aid. US Senate is to take up the measure on Tuesday.
America’s top diplomat pledges to keep raising atrocities with responsible governments days before he is expected to meet senior officials in Beijing.
Ukraine says its soldiers will benefit from the aid package as Western leaders laud the US move, noting it will help ‘make us all safer’.
The Russian president ‘frightens people, he keeps them in fear’, said Yulia Navalnaya, widow of the dissident who died in a Siberian prison camp in February, in an interview.
A long-delayed US$61 billion in funding for Kyiv’s forces has cleared the House but still needs a vote in the Senate.
