Why Japan has suspended its annual military parade
The defence ministry stated it is now difficult to continue the event as it focuses on maintaining a 'watertight defence posture in the face of the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II'.
The annual review, a ceremonial display of defence capabilities and readiness, was traditionally held to boost morale and public understanding of the Self-Defence Forces (SDF).
Defence minister Gen Nakatani explained that the extensive preparations for the review placed too heavy a burden on troops, potentially disrupting essential training and surveillance duties.
The decision follows intensifying military activities in the region, including a Chinese naval drill near Japan in June involving simultaneous aircraft carrier operations, which Tokyo deemed unprecedented.
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The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv ‘pushes Russian forces back' hours after Putin asks Trump for Donetsk surrender
The Ukrainian military has claimed to have pushed Russia 's forces back by about 1.2 miles on part of the Sumy front in northern Ukraine. "Ukrainian soldiers continue active combat actions to destroy the enemy and liberate our settlements," the Ukrainian general staff said. It added that fighting was raging near the villages of Oleksiivka and Yunakivka, which lie 5km and 7km from the Russian border, respectively. It comes as Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine surrender the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk provinces as one condition for ending the war. The Russian leader told Donald Trump that he would be prepared to stop fighting on the rest of the frontline if Ukraine gave in to the demand and addressed the 'root causes of the conflict'. The concessions were discussed at the highly anticipated summit of the two leaders in Alaska on Friday, which ended with no peace deal despite nearly three hours of talks. Sources very close to the meeting told The Independent the dramatic move appears to have been endorsed by Mr Trump as a means to bring an end to the war. Volodymyr Zelensky is due to head to Washington DC on Monday to meet Trump, after the US President hailed his meeting with the Russian leader as 'very successful'. Canada praises US stance on Ukraine security guarantees Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed what he said was US openness to providing security guarantees to Ukraine under a peace deal to end Russia's war against Kyiv. "Robust and credible security guarantees are essential to any just and lasting peace. I welcome the openness of the United States to providing security guarantees as part of Coalition of the Willing's efforts," Carney said in a statement. "The leadership of President Trump and the United States is creating the opportunity to end Russia's illegal war in Ukraine." Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 20:58 Full report | Putin demands Zelensky surrenders Donestsk region as condition for ending war in Ukraine Our World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley reports: Putin demands Ukraine surrenders Donestsk region as condition for ending war Details on Vladimir Putin's demand for Ukrainian terriotary comes ahead of Volodymyr Zelensky meeting Donald Trump in Washington on Monday Ukraine says it presses Russian troops back on part of Sumy front The Ukrainian military said that it had pushed Russian forces back by about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) on part of the Sumy front in northern Ukraine. There was no immediate comment from Russia, which controls a little over 200 square kilometres in the region, according to Ukraine's battlefield mapping project DeepState. "Ukrainian soldiers continue active combat actions to destroy the enemy and liberate our settlements," the Ukrainian general staff wrote on Facebook. It added that fighting was raging near the villages of Oleksiivka and Yunakivka, which lie 5 km and 7 km from the Russian border, respectively. The ebb and flow of the battlefield lines has taken on greater political significance in recent days as Ukraine finds itself at another critical diplomatic juncture with U.S. President Donald Trump stepping up his efforts to broker an end to the war. Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 20:02 Watch | Starmer speaks with Trump after president's Ukraine ceasefire talks with Putin Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 19:59 Trump and Zelensky to meet at the White House Monday. Here's what to expect Katie Hawkinson reports: Trump and Zelensky to meet in Oval Office amid fallout from Putin Alaska summit Trump spoke with Zelensky for more than 90 minutes after his Alaska meeting with Putin Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 19:29 Recap | Zelensky must be at future peace talks, Starmer says The 'path to peace in Ukraine' cannot be decided without Volodymyr Zelensky, Sir Keir Starmer said, as he commended Donald Trump's 'pursuit of an end to the killing'. The Prime minister said the US president's actions had 'brought us closer than ever before' to an end to the war in Ukraine. But he insisted insisted Ukraine's leader must take part in future peace talks after speaking with Mr Trump and Nato allies in the wake of the US president's negotiations with Vladimir Putin. Sir Keir spent Saturday morning speaking to western allies in the wake of the Anchorage summit. Following the round of calls, the Prime minister said: 'President Trump's efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended. 'While progress has been made, the next step must be further talks involving President Zelensky. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him.' Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 18:59 Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 18:31 The key takeaways from Putin and Trump's summit in Alaska My colleague Holly Evans reports: The key takeaways from Putin and Trump's summit in Alaska Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is due to meeting Trump in Washington next week after the Alaska summit ended without a deal Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 18:12 Comment | Putin got everything he wanted from Trump – Ukraine will be terrified for what comes next Jon Sopel writes: When I went to bed last night, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had just gone into their summit meeting in Anchorage, Alaska – and I really had not the faintest idea what I might wake up to. Would it be a comprehensive peace deal agreed between the two of them that would totally screw Ukraine; or would it be a furious Trump announcing massive, punitive sanctions against Russia over Putin's intransigence – something he had been threatening just a couple of weeks ago before announcing the summit? Or would it be any number of outcomes in between? Instead, we woke up to – well, what exactly? Sure, there was a lot of vacuous vibe stuff about progress, constructive talks, deeper understanding, but let's be clear about the headline: THERE WAS NO DEAL. The missiles, the attack drones, will continue and, as far as we can tell, there is no timetable for a ceasefire. Both Ukraine and Europe will be concerned about the Alaska summit and how it took place, writes Jon Sopel, and it's not looking good for President Zelensky's imminent visit to the White House Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 17:49 Nordic-Baltic leaders say they remain steadfast in support of Ukraine The leaders of eight Nordic-Baltic nations have said that they remain steadfast in their support for Ukraine and to the efforts by Donald Trump to end the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden said in a statement that achieving peace between Ukraine and Russia requires a ceasefire and security guarantees for Ukraine. "We welcome President Trump's statement that the US is prepared to participate in security guarantees. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine's armed forces or on its cooperation with other countries," the statement said. Trump has said that he had agreed with Putin that a peace deal should be sought without the prior ceasefire that Ukraine and its European allies, until now with US support, have demanded. Jabed Ahmed16 August 2025 17:36
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Is Zelensky about to walk into another White House ambush after Trump's Putin meeting?
The free world's most celebrated president is showing some mettle in agreeing to a meeting with the leader of the free world. When Volodymyr Zelensky walks into the Oval Office on Monday, he knows he's risking another ambush. The Ukrainian president is prepared to gamble that he'll get another White House schoolyard bullying session, because there's a slim chance that Donald Trump may finally have tired of being played by the Kremlin. It is now conceivable, just, that Trump is prepared to consider security guarantees for Ukraine that reflect Nato's Article 5, which could mean that if Ukraine signed up to a peace deal then its long-term future sovereignty and security would be protected, by force of arms, by allies including the US. Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, spoke with Trump and went public with the idea (that had been hers in the first place) suggesting that the US president had bought into the concept. "The crucial point remains security guarantees to prevent new Russian invasions, and this is the aspect where the most interesting developments were recorded in Anchorage," Meloni said. Meloni said Trump had highlighted an earlier Italian proposal for security guarantees for Ukraine "inspired by Nato's Article 5'. "The starting point of the proposal is the definition of a collective security clause that would allow Ukraine to benefit from the support of all its partners, including the USA, ready to take action in case it is attacked again," said Meloni. After his Friday summit with Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Trump said that the two presidents were close to an agreement. He didn't mention 'peace' or a 'ceasefire' and admitted that there's no deal until there is a full deal. Sources have since confirmed to The Independent that Putin demanded that Ukraine give Luhansk and Donetsk provinces to Russia in return for a 'freeze' on the front lines elsewhere. Zelensky, they said, would seek 'clarity' on the proposal - which could only be agreed after a referendum in Ukraine. 'We had an extremely productive meeting and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there,' Trump said. That 'one' significant sticking point with Russia might well be that Ukraine and Europe have persuaded Trump that there can be no enduring peace for Ukraine if a ceasefire, or peace deal, is just a pause in fighting while the Kremlin prepares for a renewed conflict. Putin's demand that Ukraine cede two provinces in return for a pause in the killing are certain to be rejected by Europe and Ukraine as they make no commitment to ending Putin's long-term desire to take the rest of the counrty. So far this year Trump has echoed and accepted almost all of Russia's conditions for peace. He has endorsed Putin's demand that Ukraine can never join Nato. He has accepted that Moscow should keep the Ukrainian lands it has already captured. He has blamed the west for provoking the war with Russia in the first place and has even questioned the legitimacy of the Zelensky presidency itself. Diplomatic sources very close to the European and Ukrainian talks, which followed the Trump-Putin meeting, said that while there was relief that Trump now understood the need for Ukrainian security guarantees. But details of how it would work – and what concessions Ukraine would be asked to make, are critical. 'The question is – how can, or will, this work?' one senior source said. If, on arrival in the Oval Office, Trump tells him to accept that he must give away Ukraine's east, including Crimea, forever abandon fantasies of joining the EU and Nato and hold elections while his country is occupied (all Russian demands) – then any 'security guarantees' will be meaningless. They will have been part of a Russian effort to see Zelensky enfiladed in the White House, as he was in February. Europe's leaders know this. They have moved fast to wrap Zelensky in diplomatic armour. "We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We welcome President Trump's statement that the US is prepared to give security guarantees. The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine's armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to EU and NATO,' they said. The leaders – Sir Keir Starmer, France's Emmanuel Macron, Italy's Giorgia Meloni, Germany's Friedrich Merz, Finnish president Alexander Stubb, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, European Council President Antonio Costa and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – are warning Trump that, whatever Putin may have told him, he risks a permanent breach with Europe if he stays in the Kremlin's camp. Zelensky has reiterated these principles and that there can be no talks about Ukraine, without Ukraine. Trump has said he understands this. But his instincts remain with Putin. Worse still is that while the US president is narcissistic and peevish, which makes him easily manipulated by Putin. But he deeply, personally, resents Zelensky. Both are former television stars. But Ukraine's president is perceived as the embodiment of his nation's heroism. Trump is seen as a dangerous joke on the international stage. When they meet again in the White House on Monday it's unlikely trump will contain his righteous jealousy.
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Reuters
Ukraine says it presses Russian troops back on part of Sumy front
KYIV, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The Ukrainian military said on Saturday that it had pushed Russian forces back by about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) on part of the Sumy front in northern Ukraine. There was no immediate comment from Russia, which controls a little over 200 square kilometres in the region, according to Ukraine's battlefield mapping project DeepState. "Ukrainian soldiers continue active combat actions to destroy the enemy and liberate our settlements," the Ukrainian general staff wrote on Facebook. It added that fighting was raging near the villages of Oleksiivka and Yunakivka, which lie 5 km and 7 km from the Russian border respectively. The ebb and flow of the battlefield lines have taken on greater political significance in recent days as Ukraine finds itself at another critical diplomatic juncture with U.S. President Donald Trump stepping up his efforts to broker an end to the war. The U.S. leader said he and Russian leader Vladimir Putin had "determined" there should be no ceasefire and he would now focus on a quick deal to end the war that has raged since 2022. Russian troops earlier this week advanced up to 10 km near Dobropillia in Ukraine's east, raising fears of a wider breakthrough that would further threaten key cities. The Ukrainian military later said it had managed to halt the assault and push Russians back. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the Russian thrust as a failed attempt by Moscow to display battlefield strength ahead of Friday's summit between Putin and Trump in Alaska. He predicted more such efforts in a statement on Saturday. "...we anticipate that in the coming days the Russian army may try to increase pressure and strikes against Ukrainian positions to create more favourable political circumstances for talks," he said.
