Malaysian PM Anwar meets with Russian President Putin in Moscow
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow. Mr Anwar's four-day tour is the first official visit by a Malaysian leader to Russia in nearly 20 years. He had been to Vladivostok in September last year for a working trip. Afifah Ariffin reports from Kuala Lumpur.
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CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Russia hits Ukraine's Kharkiv with deadly night-time drone barrage
KHARKIV, Ukraine: A concentrated, nine-minute Russian drone attack on Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv killed six people and injured 64 others, including nine children, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday (Jun 11). The overnight assault follows Russia's two biggest airstrikes of the war this week and forms part of intensified bombardments that Moscow claims are in retaliation for recent Ukrainian strikes inside Russia. FIRES AND DESTRUCTION ACROSS KHARKIV Kharkiv, located in Ukraine's northeast and close to the Russian border, has remained a frequent target of missile and drone attacks despite resisting Russia's full-scale advance in the early days of the war. Prosecutors in the Kharkiv region said on Telegram that the death toll had risen to six as emergency teams retrieved more bodies from the rubble. At least three individuals are still believed to be trapped. The 17-drone barrage sparked fires in 15 apartments within a five-storey building and caused widespread destruction to homes and infrastructure across the city, Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said. 'There are direct hits on multi-storey buildings, private homes, playgrounds, enterprises and public transport,' he said. A Reuters witness observed emergency crews rescuing people from damaged buildings while firefighters battled blazes during the night. ZELENSKIY: PRESSURE ON RUSSIA MUST INCREASE President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the latest strikes and renewed calls for international action. 'Every new day now brings new despicable blows from Russia,' he said. 'Russia deserves increased pressure; with literally every blow it strikes against ordinary life, it proves that the pressure is not enough.' Among the injured were a 2-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, according to Oleh Sinehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region. Nine of those wounded have been hospitalised. The Ukrainian military reported that Russia launched 85 drones overnight across the country, with 40 of them shot down. ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE TARGETED IN THE SOUTH Elsewhere, Russian attacks knocked out electricity in the southern regions of Mykolaiv and Kherson. In Kherson, governor Oleksandr Prokudin said an 'important energy facility' had been hit. 'It is currently impossible to predict the duration of the work. Residents of the region, I ask you to show understanding and prepare for a prolonged power outage,' he said. Vitaliy Kim, governor of neighbouring Mykolaiv, said emergency shutdowns were in effect but restoration work was underway. Both Kherson and Mykolaiv face daily attacks, with Kherson enduring artillery and drone bombardments while Mykolaiv sees frequent missile and drone strikes. There was no immediate comment from Russia regarding the latest overnight assault. Russia and Ukraine both deny intentionally targeting civilians. However, thousands of non-combatants have been killed since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.
Straits Times
17 hours ago
- Straits Times
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic makes first-ever visit to Ukraine
FILE PHOTO: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrives for the European Political Community Summit at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania, May 16, 2025. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj/File Photo KYIV - Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic travelled to the Ukrainian city of Odesa for a regional summit on Wednesday, the first time the Moscow-friendly leader has visited the country during his 12 years in power. In a statement, Vucic's office said he would travel to Ukraine for one day to take part in the Ukraine-Southeastern Europe Summit in the Black Sea port of Odesa, which this week faced a major Russian drone and missile attack. Senior politicians from 12 Southeastern European nations were expected to take part in the summit. Serbia wants to join the European Union, but Russia, a traditional Slavic and Orthodox Christian ally, remains its biggest gas supplier, and the country's sole oil refinery is majority-owned by Gazprom and Gazprom Neft. Although Belgrade has refused to join Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, it has condemned Moscow's policies in the United Nations and expressed support for Ukraine's territorial integrity. Vucic has also previously met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at least three times. Belgrade recognises Ukraine in its entirety, including territories seized by Russia since 2014, while Kyiv refused to recognise the 2008 independence of Kosovo, Serbia's predominantly Albanian former southern province. In late May, the SVR, the Russian foreign intelligence service, accused Belgrade of "a stab in the back", alleging Serbia's defence manufacturers were selling ammunition and weapons to Ukraine via intermediaries. The only Serbian president to visit Ukraine since the Balkan country became independent in 2006 was Boris Tadic in 2011. Ukraine's previous president, Petro Poroshenko, visited Serbia in 2018. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
EU proposes lowering Russia oil price cap in new sanctions
An apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, in Odesa, Ukraine, on June 10. PHOTO: REUTERS BRUSSELS - The European Union on June 10 proposed slashing a price cap on Russia's global oil exports, as part of a new package of sanctions over Moscow's war in Ukraine. The move comes ahead of a Group of 7 (G-7) summit in Canada next week where allies will push US President Donald Trump to be more aggressive in punishing the Kremlin. 'We are ramping up pressure on Russia, because strength is the only language that Russia will understand,' European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said. 'Our message is very clear, this war must end. We need a real ceasefire, and Russia has to come to the negotiating table with a serious proposal.' The European Commission, the EU's executive, suggested cutting the current oil price cap from US$60 to US$45 as Moscow drags its feet on a ceasefire in Ukraine. The cap is a G-7 initiative aimed at limiting the amount of money Russia makes by exporting oil to countries across the world. Set at US$60 by the G-7 in 2022, it is designed to limit the price Moscow can sell oil around the world by banning shipping firms and insurance companies dealing with Russia to export above that amount. To have most impact, the EU and other G-7 partners need to get the United States to follow suit and agree to the cut in level. But Mr Trump so far has frustrated Western allies by refusing to impose sanctions on Russia, despite President Vladimir Putin's failure to agree to a Ukraine ceasefire. 'My assumption is that we do that together as G-7,' Dr von der Leyen said. 'We have started that as G-7, it was successful as a measure from the G-7, and I want to continue this measure as G-7.' 'Massive' sanctions threatened Mr Trump last week said he had a deadline to sanction Russia 'in my brain', but warned that he may also target Kyiv if no advances are made in his peace push. European leaders in May threatened Moscow with 'massive' sanctions if it did not agree a truce. 'Russia lies about its desire for peace. Putin is taking the world for a ride. Together with the United States, we can really force Putin to negotiate seriously,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. As part of its 18th round of sanctions since Russia's 2022 invasion, the EU also proposed measures to stop the defunct Baltic Sea gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 from being brought back online. Officials said they would also look to target some 70 more vessels in the 'shadow fleet' of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs. The EU in addition is looking to sever ties with a further 22 Russian banks and add more companies, including in China, to a blacklist of those helping Moscow's military. One EU diplomat described the latest proposals as 'one of the most substantive and significant packages we've discussed recently'. 'It will hurt Russia's ability to finance its war machine. Now let's see how the discussions evolve.' The sanctions will need to be agreed by all 27 EU countries, and could face opposition from Moscow-friendly countries Hungary and Slovakia. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
