Ukraine's Zelensky meets with U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal
July 11 (UPI) -- Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on Friday.
The meeting, called the Coalition of the Willing, also was attended by U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg.
Zelenskyy said that strengthening Ukraine's air defense is a top priority.
Ukrainian intelligence says Russia plans to launch attacks with up to 1,000 drones at a time. Ukraine's defense against these attacks are interceptor drones, but there must be more investment in their production, according to a statement from Zelensky. He also said Ukraine is ready to purchase a large defense package from the United States.
To prevent Russia's ongoing attacks, Zelensky said there needs to be more sanctions against Russia. Graham and Blumenthal discussed a bill they are sponsoring that addresses that.
"We also touched on the bill introduced by Senators Graham and Blumenthal regarding additional restrictive measures against Russia and those supporting its war effort," Zelensky said on X. "Without a doubt, this is exactly the kind of leverage that can bring peace closer and make sure diplomacy is not empty."
Blumenthal added that other nations at the conference were supportive of the bill.
"Deeply inspired & energized by strong solidarity among European heads of state -- hearing from Sen. Graham & me about our Russia Sanctions bill at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome," he said on X. "Powerful commitment to Ukraine's cause & our legislation."
He hinted that the sanctions would hurt Russia-supporting nations.
"Momentum building for our Russia Sanctions bill, shown by repeated statements of support from heads of state in Rome at the Ukraine Recovery Conference," he tweeted. "Bone crushing sanctions should help halt China, India & Brazil from fueling Russia's war machine by buying its oil & gas."
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its attacks, launching record numbers of drones at Kyiv and other civilian targets. The United States has begun sending arms to Ukraine after a pause.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference is a two-day event focused on building political and private-sector support for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
11 minutes ago
Concerns grow for 3 OSCE workers jailed since shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine
VIENNA -- It was late at night when they came for Dmytro Shabanov, a security assistant in eastern Ukraine at the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. His seizure from his home in the Luhansk region in April 2022 — weeks after Moscow's full-scale invasion — was part of a coordinated operation by pro-Russian forces who detained him and two other Ukrainian OSCE workers. Maksym Petrov, an interpreter, also was seized in the Luhansk region, while Vadym Golda, another security assistant, was detained in neighboring Donetsk. More than three years later, the three Ukrainian civilians who had worked with the international group's ceasefire monitoring efforts in the eastern regions remain behind bars. They have not been part of recent large-scale prisoner exchanges with Russia. Their detention has raised alarm among OSCE officials, Western nations and human rights advocates, who demand their immediate release while expressing concern about their health and prison conditions amid allegations of torture. The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian mission to the OSCE did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press on those allegations or on OSCE personnel having immunity from prosecution as international civil servants. 'He was taken from his home after the curfew took effect,' said Margaryta Shabanova, Shabanov's wife, who lives in Kyiv. 'I had a last call with him around 20 minutes before it happened.' After his arrest, Shabanov disappeared for three months, held incommunicado by Russian separatists and interrogated in a Luhansk prison until he was forced to sign a confession. That fateful night turned Shabanova's life upside down. 'Every morning, I wake up hoping that today will be different -- that today I will hear that my Dima is free,' she said. 'Painfully, days stretch on, and nothing changes. The waiting, the not knowing, the endless hope slowly turning into quiet despair.' Fighting back tears, Shabanova describes life without her husband. 'The silence at the dinner table, the birthdays and holidays have been missed for over three years. People say to me that I am strong, but they don't see the moments I collapse behind closed doors,' she said. The Vienna-based OSCE monitors ceasefires, observes elections, and promotes democracy and arms control, and Shabanov 'really liked his job' at the international organization, said his wife, especially working with the foreign staff. She said her husband believed that 'international service could protect lives and make the world a little more just.' The OSCE had operated a ceasefire monitoring mission in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Moscow separatists had been fighting Ukrainian government troops since 2014, with about 14,000 killed even before the full-scale invasion. The monitors watched for truce violations, facilitated dialogue and brokered local halts in fighting to enable repairs to critical civilian infrastructure. But on March 31, 2022, Russia blocked the extension of the OSCE mission, and separatist leaders declared it illegal the following month. It remains unclear whether the three detained OSCE staffers had tried to flee eastern Ukraine. Locally recruited Ukrainians like Shabanov, Petrov and Golda worked in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions to help shut down the OSCE mission. They cleared offices, safeguarded OSCE assets, including armored vehicles, drones and cameras, and oversaw evacuations of their international colleagues. That operation was completed by October 2022. The three men were arrested despite carrying documents confirming their immunity, the OSCE said. Shabanov and Petrov were convicted of treason by a Russian-controlled court in Luhansk in September 2022 and sentenced to 13 years in prison. Golda, 57, was convicted of espionage by a court in Donetsk, also under Moscow's control, in July 2024 and sentenced to 14 years. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in November 2022 it believed the activities of the OSCE monitors 'were often not only biased but also illegal.' Without identifying the three Ukrainian OSCE staff by name, the ministry alleged that local residents were recruited by the West to collect information for the Ukrainian military and 'several' were detained. The OSCE condemned the sentences and called for the immediate release of the three men, asserting they were performing their official duties as mandated by all of its 57 member states, including Russia. Seven months after the invasion, Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, despite not fully controlling them. On March 27, 2025, Russia transferred Shabanov from a detention facility in the Luhansk region to a high-security penal colony in Russia's Omsk region in Siberia, according to Ievgeniia Kapalkina, a lawyer with the Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group who represents the Shabanov and Petrov families. Petrov remains at risk of being moved to Russia, she said. Penal colonies in Siberia are known for harsh conditions, where 'prisoners often lose all contact with the outside world, effectively 'disappearing' within Russia's penal system,' the legal group said in March. "Given their existing health issues, the lack of proper medical care in remote regions could prove fatal,' it added. Ukrainian human rights activist Maksym Butkevych, who was in the same Luhansk penal colony with Shabanov and Petrov from March 2024 until being released in October 2024, said both men were tortured during interrogation. Shabanov was 'beaten several times during the interrogations until he lost consciousness and was subjected to extreme psychological pressure,' he said. Butkevych said Shabanov, 38, has problems with his back and legs. "He had to lie down at least for couple of hours every day due to pain,' he added. Petrov, 45, has 'a lot of health issues,' Butkevych said, including allergies worsened by his captivity, "specifically the interrogation period.' Kapalkina said both men were 'subjected to repeated unlawful interrogations during which they suffered severe physical and physiological abuse' and eventually 'signed confessions under coercion.' The allegations of torture could not be independently verified by the AP. Butkevych suggested the three imprisoned OSCE workers, who are not prisoners of war, are likely 'bargaining chips' for Moscow, to be 'exchanged for someone or something significantly important for Russia.' Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, the current chairperson of the OSCE, said in a statement to AP that imprisoning civilian officials of an international organization "is completely unacceptable." "Securing their release is a top priority for the Finnish OSCE Chairpersonship,' she said. OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu is 'very closely and personally engaged on this matter,' a spokesperson said, noting he traveled to Moscow in March and raised the issue with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Yurii Vitrenko, Ukraine's ambassador to International Organizations in Vienna, called for the unconditional release of the three, saying they should 'never have been illegally detained' by Russia, should 'never have been put on a fake trial,' and should 'never have been handed illegal sentences." Vitrenko suggested that other states with more influence with Russia should exert more pressure to help secure their release. He did not identify those countries. Shabanova said she regularly asks 'those who have the power' to take action. 'Do not look away,' she said, adding that the OSCE and the international community must ask themselves why their actions have not led to the release of her husband. Her only wish, she said, is "to see my Dima walk through the door, just to hold his hand again, to look into his eyes and say, 'You are home now. It's over.''
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Russian missile and drone attack kills six and injures 52 in Kyiv
Russia attacked Ukraine's capital overnight with missiles and drones, killing at least six people including a six-year-old boy, authorities have said. Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said at least 52 other people were injured in the attacks, and the number is likely to rise. A large part of a nine-storey residential building collapsed after it was struck, he added. Rescue teams are at the scene to rescue people trapped under the rubble. 'Missile strike. Directly on a residential building. People are under the rubble. All services are on site,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his official Telegram page. Images from the scene showed plumes of smoke emanating from a partially damaged building and debris strewn on the ground. At least 27 locations across Kyiv were hit by the attack, Mr Tkachenko said, with the heaviest damage in the Solomianskyi and Sviatoshynskyi districts. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline — August 8 — for peace efforts to make progress or Washington will impose punitive sanctions and tariffs. Western leaders have accused Mr Putin of dragging his feet in US-led peace efforts in an attempt to capture more Ukrainian land.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump announces 25% tariff on India and unspecified penalties for buying Russian oil
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will impose a 25% tariff on goods from India, plus an additional import tax because of India's purchasing of Russian oil, President Donald Trump said Wednesday. The new tariffs were part of a flurry of trade activity that included a series of executive actions regarding Brazil, copper and shipments of goods worth less than $800, as well as a reduced 15% tax on imports from South Korea, including its autos. It was all a prelude to Friday when Trump's new tariff regime is scheduled to start, an event the White House has portrayed as a testament to Trump's negotiating skills even as concerns persist about the taxes hurting growth and increasing inflationary pressures. India 'is our friend,' Trump said on his Truth Social platform announcing the taxes, but its tariffs on U.S. products 'are far too high.' The Republican president added India buys military equipment and oil from Russia, enabling Moscow's war in Ukraine. As a result, he intends to charge an additional 'penalty' starting on Friday as part of the launch of his administration's revised tariffs on multiple countries. Trump told reporters on Wednesday the two countries were still in the middle of negotiations on trade despite the tariffs slated to begin in a few days. 'We're talking to India now," the president said. "We'll see what happens.' The Indian government said Wednesday it's studying the implications of Trump's tariffs announcement. India and the U.S. have been engaged in negotiations on concluding a 'fair, balanced and mutually beneficial' bilateral trade agreement over the last few months, and New Delhi remains committed to that objective, India's Trade Ministry said in a statement. Trump on Wednesday also signed separate orders to tax imports of copper at 50% and justify his 50% tariffs on Brazil due to their criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro and treatment of U.S. social media companies. Trump also signed an order saying that government now had the systems in place to close the tariff loophole on 'de minimis' shipments, which had enabled goods priced under $800 to enter America duty-free, largely from China. The South Korea agreement will impose a 15% tariff, instead of the 25% Trump had threatened. South Korea would also buy $100 billion in energy resources from the U.S. and provide $350 billion for 'investments owned and controlled by the United States, and selected by myself, as president,' Trump said. There is also an agreement with Pakistan that includes the development of its oil reserves. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent briefed Trump on trade talks with China. Trump's view on tariffs Trump's announcement comes after a slew of negotiated trade frameworks with the European Union, Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia — all of which he said would open markets for American goods while enabling the U.S. to raise tax rates on imports. The president views tariff revenues as a way to help offset the budget deficit increases tied to his recent income tax cuts and generate more domestic factory jobs. While Trump has effectively wielded tariffs as a cudgel to reset the terms of trade, the economic impact is uncertain as most economists expect a slowdown in U.S. growth and greater inflationary pressures as some of the costs of the taxes are passed along to domestic businesses and consumers. There's also the possibility of more tariffs coming on trade partners with Russia as well as on pharmaceutical drugs and computer chips. Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer would announce the Russia-related tariff rates on India at a later date. Tariffs face European pushback Trump's approach of putting a 15% tariff on America's long-standing allies in the EU is also generating pushback, possibly causing European partners as well as Canada to seek alternatives to U.S. leadership on the world stage. French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday in the aftermath of the trade framework that Europe 'does not see itself sufficiently' as a global power, saying in a cabinet meeting that negotiations with the U.S. will continue as the agreement gets formalized. 'To be free, you have to be feared,' Macron said. 'We have not been feared enough. There is a greater urgency than ever to accelerate the European agenda for sovereignty and competitiveness.' Seeking a deeper partnership with India Washington has long sought to develop a deeper partnership with New Delhi, which is seen as a bulwark against China. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has established a good working relationship with Trump, and the two leaders are likely to further boost cooperation between their countries. When Trump in February met with Modi, the U.S. president said that India would start buying American oil and natural gas. The new tariffs on India could complicate its goal of doubling bilateral trade with the U.S. to $500 billion by 2030. The two countries have had five rounds of negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement. While U.S. has been seeking greater market access and zero tariff on almost all its exports, India has expressed reservations on throwing open sectors such as agriculture and dairy, which employ a bulk of the country's population for livelihood, Indian officials said. The Census Bureau reported that the U.S. ran a $45.8 billion trade imbalance in goods with India last year, meaning it imported more than it exported. At a population exceeding 1.4 billion people, India is the world's largest country and a possible geopolitical counterbalance to China. India and Russia have close relations, and New Delhi has not supported Western sanctions on Moscow over its war in Ukraine. The new tariffs could put India at a disadvantage in the U.S. market relative to Vietnam, Bangladesh and, possibly, China, said Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations. 'We are back to square one as Trump hasn't spelled out what the penalties would be in addition to the tariff,' Sahai said. 'The demand for Indian goods is bound to be hit.' ___ Roy reported from New Delhi. Associated Press writers Samuel Petrequin in Paris, and Darlene Superville and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report. Josh Boak And Rajesh Roy, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
