Ukraine's Zelenskiy suggests truce until meeting with Putin can be arranged
FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks to the media during a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo
Ukraine's Zelenskiy suggests truce until meeting with Putin can be arranged
KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday proposed implementing a ceasefire until a meeting can be arranged with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"My proposal, which I believe our partners can support, is that we agree a ceasefire with the Russians until the leaders meet," Zelenskiy told a briefing in Kyiv.
"At this time, people will understand that the nations, Europe, Ukraine and the whole world have a chance to end the war," he said, adding that monitoring of the ceasefire could be discussed at the meeting.
Zelenskiy said Kyiv would "be grateful" for support for the idea from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Russia has resisted Ukrainian and Western calls for a ceasefire, saying that certain conditions must first be met.
On Wednesday Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated Moscow's stance that any ceasefire would simply be used by Ukraine to acquire more Western weapons. Putin also questioned the point of peace talks after accusing Ukraine of ordering deadly attacks on bridges in Russia that killed seven and injured 115 more.
Zelenskiy said President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, which hosted peace talks on Monday, had expressed support for a top-level meeting of the presidents of Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and Turkey.
The June 2 talks in Istanbul made little progress towards ending the three-year-old war in Ukraine, though the sides exchanged proposals as well as a plan for another major swap of prisoners of war.
Zelenskiy said the POW exchange would begin over the coming weekend.
"The Russian side has informed us that this weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, it can return 500 people," he said.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov has previously said the next exchange would focus on swapping the severely wounded and the young, as well as the bodies of dead soldiers.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine had not received a Russian response to the document Kyiv shared ahead of Monday's meeting in Istanbul and he characterised the Russian proposals as ultimatums. REUTERS
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Straits Times
12 minutes ago
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Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Secret Russian intelligence document shows deep suspicion of China
In public, President Vladimir Putin of Russia says his country's growing friendship with China is unshakable – a strategic military and economic collaboration that has entered a golden era. But in the corridors of Lubyanka, the headquarters of Russia's domestic security agency, known as the FSB, a secretive intelligence unit refers to the Chinese as 'the enemy'. This unit, which has not previously been disclosed, has warned that China is a serious threat to Russian security. Its officers say that Beijing is increasingly trying to recruit Russian spies and get its hands on sensitive military technology, at times by luring disaffected Russian scientists. The intelligence officers say that China is spying on the Russian military's operations in Ukraine to learn about Western weapons and warfare. They fear that Chinese academics are laying the groundwork to make claims on Russian territory. 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China targets Russia's war secrets and scientists Soon after Russian troops pushed across the border into Ukraine, officials from Chinese defence firms and institutes tied to Chinese intelligence began flooding into Russia. Their goal, according to the FSB document, was to better understand the war. China has world-class scientists, but its military has not fought a war since a month-long conflict with Vietnam in 1979. The result is anxiety in China about how its military would perform against Western weapons in a conflict over Taiwan or the South China Sea. Chinese intelligence officials are eager to understand Russia's fight against an army backed by the West. 'Of particular interest to Beijing is information about combat methods using drones, modernisation of their software and methods for countering new types of Western weapons,' the FSB document says, adding that Beijing believes the war in Ukraine will become drawn-out. The conflict has revolutionised warfare technology and tactics. China has long lagged behind Russia in its aviation expertise, and the document says that Beijing has made that a priority target. China is targeting military pilots and researchers in aerohydrodynamics, control systems and aeroelasticity. Also being sought out, according to the document, are Russian specialists who worked on the discontinued ekranoplan, a hovercraft-type warship first deployed by the Soviet Union. 'Priority recruitment is given to former employees of aircraft factories and research institutes, as well as current employees who are dissatisfied with the closure of the ekranoplan development programme by the Russian Ministry of Defense or who are experiencing financial difficulties,' the report says. It is not clear from the document whether those recruitment efforts are limited to hiring Russian specialists for Chinese ventures or also extend to recruiting them as spies. The document also shows that Russia is very concerned about how China views the war in Ukraine and is trying to feed Beijing's spies with positive information about Russian operations. And it commands Russian counterintelligence operatives to prepare a report for the Kremlin about any possible changes in Beijing's policy. Western leaders have accused China of providing Russia with essential weapons components and working to conceal it. The FSB document lends support to that claim, stating that Beijing had proposed establishing supply chains to Moscow that circumvent Western sanctions and had offered to participate in the production of drones and other unspecified high-tech military equipment. The document does not say whether those proposals were carried out, though China has supplied Russia with drones. The FSB memo also hints at Chinese interest in the Wagner mercenary group, a Russia-backed paramilitary group that propped up governments in Africa for years and fought alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. 'The Chinese plan to use the experience of Wagner fighters in their own armed forces and private military companies operating in the countries of South-east Asia, Africa and Latin America,' the directive says. The wording of the report does not indicate whether the FSB believes that China wants to recruit former Wagner fighters for its own formations or simply wants to learn from their experience. Moscow worries Beijing is trying to encroach on its territory Russia has long feared encroachment by China along their shared 4,200km border. And Chinese nationalists for years have taken issue with 19th-century treaties in which Russia annexed large portions of land, including modern-day Vladivostok. That issue is now of key concern, with Russia weakened by the war and economic sanctions and less able than ever to push back against Beijing. The FSB report raises concerns that some academics in China have been promoting territorial claims against Russia. China is searching for traces of 'ancient Chinese peoples' in the Russian Far East, possibly to influence local opinion that is favourable to Chinese claims, the document says. In 2023, China published an official map that included historical Chinese names for cities and areas within Russia. The FSB ordered officers to expose such 'revanchist' activities, as well as attempts by China to use Russian scientists and archival funds for research aimed at attaching a historical affiliation to borderlands. 'Conduct preventative work with respect to Russian citizens involved in the said activities,' the memo orders. 'Restrict entry into our country for foreigners as a measure of influence.' China is unnerving Russia in Central Asia and the Arctic The concerns about China expanding its reach are not limited to Russia's Far East borderlands. Central Asian countries answered to Moscow during the Soviet era. Today, the FSB reports, Beijing has developed a 'new strategy' to promote Chinese soft power in the region. China began rolling out that strategy in Uzbekistan, according to the document. The details of the strategy are not included in the document other than to say it involves humanitarian exchange. Uzbekistan and neighbouring countries are important to Mr Putin, who sees restoring the Soviet sphere of influence as part of his legacy. The report also highlights China's interest in Russia's vast territory in the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route, which hugs Russia's northern coast. Historically, those waters have been too icy for reliable shipping, but they are expected become increasingly busy because of climate change. The route slashes shipping time between Asia and Europe. Developing that route would make it easier for China to sell its goods. Russia historically tried to maintain strict control over Chinese activity in the Arctic. But Beijing believes that Western sanctions will force Russia to turn to China to maintain its 'aging Arctic infrastructure', according to the FSB document. Already, Russian gas giant Novatek has relied on China to salvage its Arctic liquefied natural gas project, after previously using the American oil services firm Baker Hughes. The FSB asserts that Chinese spies are active in the Arctic, as well. The report says Chinese intelligence is trying to obtain information about Russia's development of the Arctic, using institutions of higher education and mining companies in particular. But despite all of these vulnerabilities, the FSB report makes clear that jeopardising the support of China would be worse. The document squarely warns officers that they must receive approval from the highest echelons of the Russian security establishment before taking any sensitive action at all. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US believes Russia response to Ukraine drone attack not over yet, expects multi-pronged strike
FILE PHOTO: Fire and smoke rise in the city after a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo US believes Russia response to Ukraine drone attack not over yet, expects multi-pronged strike WASHINGTON - The United States believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin's threatened retaliation against Ukraine over its drone attack last weekend has not happened yet in earnest and is likely to be a significant, multi-pronged strike, U.S. officials told Reuters. The timing of the full Russian response was unclear, with one source saying it was expected within days. A second U.S. official said the retaliation was likely to include different kinds of air capabilities, including missiles and drones. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity. They did not detail Russia's expected targets nor elaborate on intelligence matters. The first official said Moscow's attack would be "asymmetrical," meaning that its approach and targeting would not mirror Ukraine's strike last weekend against Russian warplanes. Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday and Russia's Defense Ministry said the strike on military and military-related targets was in response to what it called Ukrainian "terrorist acts" against Russia. But the U.S. officials believe the complete Russian response is yet to come. A Western diplomatic source said that while Russia's response may have started, it would likely intensify with strikes against symbolic Ukrainian targets like government buildings, in an effort to send a clear message to Kyiv. Another, senior, Western diplomat anticipated a further devastating assault by Moscow. "It will be huge, vicious and unrelenting," the diplomat said. "But the Ukrainians are brave people." The Russian and Ukrainian embassies in Washington and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Michael Kofman, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said he expected Moscow might seek to punish Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, for its role in last weekend's assault. To send a message, Russia could employ intermediate-range ballistic missiles for the attack, he said. "Most likely, they will attempt to retaliate against (SBU) headquarters, or other regional intelligence administration buildings," Kofman said, adding Russia could also target Ukrainian defense manufacturing centers. Still, Kofman suggested Russia's options for retaliation may be limited as it is already throwing a lot of its military might at Ukraine. "In general, Russia's ability to substantially escalate strikes from what they are already doing - and attempting to do over the past month - is quite constrained," he said. OPERATION 'SPIDER'S WEB' Kyiv says Sunday's audacious attack employed 117 unmanned aerial vehicles launched deep from within Russian territory in an operation code-named "Spider's Web." The United States assesses that up to 20 warplanes were hit - around half the number estimated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy - and around 10 were destroyed. The Russian government on Thursday denied that any planes were destroyed and said the damage would be repaired, but Russian military bloggers have spoken of loss or serious damage to about a dozen planes, including those capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The strikes, prepared over 18 months and conducted by drones smuggled close to the bases in trucks, dealt a powerful symbolic blow to Russia, which throughout the Ukraine war has frequently reminded the world of its nuclear might. Putin told President Donald Trump in a telephone conversation on Wednesday that Moscow would have to respond to attack, Trump said in a social media post. Trump later told reporters that "it's probably not going to be pretty." "I don't like it. I said: 'Don't do it. You shouldn't do it. You should stop it,'" Trump said of his conversation with Putin. "But, again, there's a lot of hatred." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
