Russia bombardment of Kyiv kills 15 and injures 135, including many children
Kyiv's mayor said the number of injured children was the highest recorded in the city since Russia's full-scale war began, and tomorrow has been declared a day of mourning.
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Asharq Al-Awsat
9 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Trump's Deadline for the Kremlin Looms but Putin Shows No Sign of Making Concessions
The coming week could mark a pivotal moment in the war between Russia and Ukraine, as US President Donald Trump's deadline for the Kremlin to reach a peace deal approaches — or it could quietly pass without consequence. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected in Moscow midweek, just before Trump's Friday deadline for the Kremlin to stop the killing or face potentially severe economic penalties from Washington. So far Trump's promises, threats and cajoling have failed to shift the Kremlin's position, and the stubborn diplomatic stalemate remains in place. Meanwhile, Ukraine is losing more territory on the front line, although there is no sign of a looming collapse of its defenses. Trump's envoy is expected in Moscow Witkoff is expected to land in the Russian capital on Wednesday or Thursday, according to Trump, following his trip to Israel and Gaza. 'They would like to see (Witkoff),' Trump said Sunday of the Russians. 'They've asked that he meet so we'll see what happens.' Trump, exasperated that Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn't heeded his calls to stop bombing Ukrainian cities, a week ago moved up his ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia as well as introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil, including China and India. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that officials are happy to meet with Trump's envoy. 'We are always glad to see Mr. Witkoff in Moscow,' he said. 'We consider (talks with Witkoff) important, substantive and very useful.' Trump is not sure sanctions will work Trump said Sunday that Russia has proven to be 'pretty good at avoiding sanctions.' 'They're wily characters,' he said of the Russians. The Kremlin has insisted that international sanctions imposed since its February 2022 invasion of its neighbor have had a limited impact. Ukraine insists the sanctions are taking their toll on Moscow's war machine and wants Western allies to ramp them up. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday urged the United States, Europe and other nations to impose stronger secondary sanctions on Moscow's energy, trade and banking sectors. Trump's comments appeared to signal he doesn't have much hope that sanctions will force Putin's hand. The secondary sanctions also complicate Washington's relations with China and India, who stand accused of helping finance Russia's war effort by buying its oil. Since returning to office in January, Trump has found that stopping the war is harder than he perhaps imagined. Senior American officials have warned that the US could walk away from the conflict if peace efforts make no progress. Putin shows no signs of making concessions The diplomatic atmosphere has become more heated as Trump's deadline approaches. Putin announced last Friday that Russia's new hypersonic missile, the Oreshnik, has entered service. The Russian leader has hailed its capabilities, saying its multiple warheads that plunge to a target at speeds of up to Mach 10 cannot be intercepted. He claimed that they are so powerful that the use of several of them in one conventional strike could be as devastating as a nuclear attack. Separately, one of Putin's top lieutenants warned that the Ukraine war could nudge Russia and the US into armed conflict. Trump responded to what he called the 'highly provocative statements' by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev by ordering the repositioning of two US nuclear submarines. Putin has repeated the same message throughout the war: He will only accept a settlement on his terms and will keep fighting until they're met. The war is killing thousands of troops and civilians Russia's relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line have killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations. It has pushed on with that tactic despite Trump's public calls for it to stop over the past three months. On the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, Russia's bigger army has made slow and costly progress. It is carrying out a sustained operation to take the eastern city of Pokrovsk, a key logistical hub whose fall could open the way for a deeper drive into Ukraine. Ukraine has developed technology that has allowed it to launch long-range drone attacks deep inside Russia. In its latest strike it hit an oil depot near Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, starting a major fire.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Russian drone strike kills two in Ukraine's northeast Kharkiv region
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A Russian drone attack on Monday killed two people on a moped in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region near the border, regional police said. A police report on the Telegram messaging app said a man and a woman were killed near Vovchansk, an area that was visited during the day by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Russian forces staged a brief incursion into the region near Vovchansk in May 2024, but Ukrainian troops later recaptured most of the area. Separately, Ukraine's Interior Ministry said that the number of dead had risen to seven in a Russian strike last Thursday on an apartment building in the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Donetsk region. REUTERS
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Russia urges caution on Donald Trump's nuclear submarine posturing, urges caution
The Kremlin responded on Monday (August 4) to US president Donald Trump's recent nuclear posturing, urging all sides to exercise restraint when discussing nuclear weapons. This follows Trump's statement that he had ordered two US nuclear submarines to reposition in response to remarks made by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev about the risks of nuclear conflict. 'In general, of course, we would not want to get involved in such a controversy and would not want to comment on it in any way,' Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. 'Of course, we believe that everyone should be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric.' Despite Trump's remarks, Moscow insisted it did not view the situation as an escalation in nuclear tensions. 'We do not believe that we are talking about any escalation now,' Peskov said, adding, 'It is clear that very complex, very sensitive issues are being discussed, which, of course, are perceived very emotionally by many people.' He further downplayed the US repositioning of submarines, noting, 'American submarines are already on combat duty. This is an ongoing process, that's the first thing.' When asked whether the Kremlin had advised Medvedev to tone down his inflammatory online rhetoric, Peskov declined to give a direct answer. 'The main thing, of course, is the position of President Putin,' he said. The exchange of words comes at a tense diplomatic moment. Trump has threatened fresh sanctions on Russia and its oil buyers—including India and China—unless President Vladimir Putin agrees to end the ongoing war in Ukraine by Friday. The war has now entered its fourth year. Despite Trump's ultimatum, Putin last week claimed Russia had momentum on the battlefield and said peace talks had shown 'some positive progress,' signaling no major shift in Moscow's stance. Trump has sent his longtime associate Steve Witkoff to Moscow for another round of unofficial diplomacy. Witkoff, a real estate developer and Trump ally, has met Putin during past visits but is yet to secure any breakthrough. 'We are always happy to see Mr Witkoff in Moscow and we are always happy to have contacts with Mr Witkoff,' Peskov said. 'We consider them important, meaningful and very useful.' However, the Kremlin did not confirm whether the trip was at Moscow's invitation or what it hoped to gain from the discussions. Although Trump has praised Putin in the past, he has recently expressed frustration over Russia's ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia has intensified bombing raids on Ukrainian cities, and three rounds of direct peace talks in Turkey have yielded little progress beyond prisoner and body exchanges.
