Russian and US space chiefs meet to discuss continued cooperation
Dmitry Bakanov, the director of the state space corporation Roscosmos, met Thursday with NASA's new acting administrator, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, on a visit to attend the planned launch of a U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew to the space station. The launch was delayed by weather until Friday.
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New York Times
30 minutes ago
- New York Times
I've Seen How Russia Is Torturing Prisoners of War
One of the few successes to come out of the recent peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have been agreements for prisoner swaps. At the end of May, the largest swap since the beginning of the war took place, with each side handing over more than 300 service personnel and civilians. This week President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram that preparations are being made to exchange 1,200 more. There are still thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians — including journalists, activists and residents of the occupied territories — being held in cramped and unsanitary facilities in a network of detention centers across Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia itself. They are held, often incommunicado, in overcrowded facilities where they are physically and psychologically tortured, underfed and denied legal representation and medical care. Some have been returned to their families in body bags. Prisoners on both sides of this conflict have reported being subjected to abuse, despite the humane treatment of prisoners of war being demanded by international law. Based on my findings, only one side employs torture as an integral part of its war policy: Russia. Though Russia has denied that it employs torture, the consistent and widespread nature of witness accounts while in Russian custody — along with Moscow's failure to address the issue — have led me to the conclusion that it can only be a systemic, state-endorsed practice approved at the highest levels. This creates profound distrust in Russia as a negotiating partner. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion over three years ago, I have documented allegations of beatings — by Russian forces and other authorities of Ukrainian prisoners of war as well as civilians — that last for hours, egregious sexual violence, electric shocks, suffocation, sleep deprivation and mock executions. Malnourishment is routine and individuals have reported being hung upside down and held in other stress positions for prolonged periods, sometimes while being beaten. Many of my findings have been supported by those of other international authorities, including the U.N. Commission of Inquiry. The stories are horrifying. Oleksandr Kharlats, a Ukrainian veteran who was detained twice early in the war, described to me in an interview that he was held in a small cell with around eight other men. Mr. Kharlats said he was interrogated six or seven times, sometimes at night and always with the same approach: He would be electrocuted while being forced to hold his arms along his body to intensify the pain. When he fell to the floor with convulsions, he said, soldiers would hit his back with the butts of their machine guns or beat his limbs with batons. Anatoliy Tutov told me that he was interrogated four times during his detention and that these interrogations included repeated electrocutions, beatings and sexualized torture, including a threat to cut off his penis and rape him. After his release, he was diagnosed with bruises on his internal organs, two broken ribs and cracks in several others. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
News24
30 minutes ago
- News24
Trump hails progress in Russia talks on Ukraine conflict: ‘This war must come to a close'
The US made progress in talks with Russia over the Ukraine war, said President Donald Trump. Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed pressure had worked on Russia. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said his special envoy Steve Witkoff had made 'great progress' in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Washington continued its preparations to impose secondary sanctions on Friday. The meeting came two days before a deadline set by Trump for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions. Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Putin over the lack of progress towards peace and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports. A White House official said that while the meeting had gone well and Moscow was eager to continue engaging with the US, secondary sanctions that Trump has threatened against countries doing business with Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday. No details were provided. READ | Ukraine pushes US to pressure Russia after attack with 'no military sense' killed 2 'My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Great progress was made!' Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 'Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,' he added. AFP A Kremlin aide earlier on Wednesday said Witkoff held 'useful and constructive' talks with Putin on Wednesday. The two met for around three hours on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the three-and-half-year war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides had exchanged 'signals' on the Ukraine issue and discussed the possibility of developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, but declined to give more details until Witkoff had reported back to Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed pressure had worked on Russia and Moscow was now more amenable to a ceasefire. 'It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire. The pressure on them works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details - neither us nor the US,' Zelensky said in his nightly address. Writing separately on the X social media platform, Zelensky said he had discussed Witkoff's visit to Russia with Trump, adding that he had reiterated Ukraine's support for a just peace and its continued determination to defend itself. 'Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it itself started,' Zelensky said, adding that European leaders had joined the call with Trump. Trump on Truth Social said he had updated some of Washington's European allies following Witkoff's meeting. Trump took a key step toward punitive measures on Wednesday when he imposed an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil. No similar order was signed for China, which also imports Russian oil. The new measure raises tariffs on some Indian goods to as high as 50% - among the steepest faced by any US trading partner. The Kremlin says threats to penalise countries that trade with Russia are illegal. It was not clear what Russia might have offered to Witkoff to stave off Trump's threat. Ushakov, who was present, told Russian news outlet Zvezda: 'We had a very useful and constructive conversation.' He added: 'On our part, in particular on the Ukrainian issue, some signals were transmitted. Corresponding signals were also received from President Trump.' Bloomberg and independent Russian news outlet The Bell reported that the Kremlin might propose a moratorium on airstrikes by Russia and Ukraine - an idea mentioned last week by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with Putin. Yevhenii Zavhorodnii/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images Such a move, if agreed, would fall well short of the full and immediate ceasefire that Ukraine and the US have been seeking for months. But it would offer some relief to both sides. Since the two sides resumed direct peace talks in May, Russia has carried out its heaviest air attacks of the war, killing at least 72 people in the capital Kyiv alone. Trump last week called the Russian attacks 'disgusting'. Ukraine continues to strike Russian refineries and oil depots, which it has hit many times. Zelensky said on Wednesday that Russia had attacked a gas pumping station in southern Ukraine in what he called a deliberate and cynical blow to preparations for the winter heating season. Russia said it had hit gas infrastructure supplying the Ukrainian military. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Zelensky, said on Wednesday that a full ceasefire and a leaders' summit were required. 'The war must stop and for now this is on Russia,' he posted on Telegram. Putin is unlikely to bow to Trump's sanctions ultimatum because he believes he is winning the war and his military goals take precedence over his desire to improve relations with the US, three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters. The Russian sources told Reuters that Putin was sceptical that yet more US sanctions would have much of an impact after successive waves of economic penalties during the war. The Russian leader does not want to anger Trump, and he realises that he may be spurning a chance to improve relations with Washington and the West, but his war goals are more important to him, two of the sources said. Putin's conditions for peace include a legally binding pledge that NATO will not expand eastward, Ukrainian neutrality, protection for Russian speakers, and acceptance of Russia's territorial gains in the war, Russian sources have said. Zelensky has said Ukraine would never recognise Russia's sovereignty over its conquered regions and that Kyiv retains the sovereign right to decide whether it wants to join NATO. Witkoff, a real estate billionaire, had no diplomatic experience before joining Trump's team in January, but has been simultaneously tasked with seeking ceasefires in the Ukraine and Gaza wars, as well as negotiating in the crisis over Iran's nuclear programme.
Fox News
31 minutes ago
- Fox News
NASA announces retirement of veteran astronaut Butch Wilmore after 25 years of service
NASA has announced the retirement of test pilot and astronaut Butch Wilmore after 25 successful years of service and flights aboard four different spacecraft. Wilmore, a veteran pilot and graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, has logged 464 days in space since his selection by NASA in 2000. The decorated U.S. Navy Capt. has flown on the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2009, Roscosmos Soyuz in 2014, Boeing Starliner in 2024, and returned to Earth aboard SpaceX Dragon most recently. He also completed five spacewalks for a total of 32 hours outside the International Space Station. "Butch's commitment to NASA's mission and dedication to human space exploration is truly exemplary," said Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "His lasting legacy of fortitude will continue to impact and inspire the Johnson workforce, future explorers, and the nation for generations. On behalf of NASA's Johnson Space Center, we thank Butch for his service." Wilmore has been recognized as not only technically gifted but also an adaptable astronaut whose legacy spans decades of advancing human spaceflight across many missions. He was one of the few astronauts that flew aboard both NASA's legacy and commercial vehicles which helped validate critical systems for long-term human spaceflight. "Throughout his career, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what is required of an astronaut. His mastery of complex systems, coupled with his adaptability and steadfast commitment to NASA's mission, has inspired us all," said Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. "As he steps into this new chapter, that same dedication will no doubt continue to show in whatever he decides to do next." Wilmore's most recent launch aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, marked the first crewed flight test mission. During the mission, they were able to help remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly and collect samples for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock. "From my earliest days, I have been captivated by the marvels of creation, looking upward with an insatiable curiosity. This curiosity propelled me into the skies, and eventually to space, where the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in ways words can scarcely convey," said Wilmore. "Even as I ventured beyond Earth's limits, I remained attuned to the beauty and significance of the world below, recognizing the same intricate design evident among the stars is also woven into the fabric of life at home." Wilmore's retirement signals the end of NASA's pioneering era of cross-platform astronaut missions and early commercial spaceflight validation.
