Latest news with #BTR-4
Japan Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Ukraine, sidelined in Trump-Putin summit, fights Russian grab for more territory
Service members of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fire a cannon of a BTR-4 armoured personnel carrier during military exercises at a training ground, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova By Andrew Osborn and Lili Bayer Small bands of Russian soldiers thrust deeper into eastern Ukraine on Tuesday before a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, which European leaders fear could end in peace terms imposed on an unlawfully shrunken Ukraine. In one of the most extensive incursions so far this year, Russian troops advanced near the coal-mining town of Dobropillia, part of Putin's campaign to take full control of Ukraine's Donetsk region. Ukraine's military dispatched reserve troops, saying they were in difficult combat against Russian soldiers. Trump has said any peace deal would involve "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both" Russia and Ukraine, which has up to now depended on the U.S. as its main arms supplier. But because all the areas being contested lie within Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European Union allies fear that he will face pressure to give up far more than Russia does. Trump's administration tempered expectations on Tuesday for major progress toward a ceasefire, calling his meeting on Friday with Putin in Alaska a "listening exercise." Zelenskyy and most of his European counterparts have said a lasting peace cannot be secured without Ukraine at the negotiating table, and a deal must comply with international law, Ukraine's sovereignty and its territorial integrity. They will hold a virtual meeting with Trump on Wednesday to underscore those concerns before the Putin summit, the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021. "An imitated rather than genuine peace will not hold for long and will only encourage Russia to seize even more territory," Zelenskyy said in a statement on Tuesday. Zelenskiy said Russia must agree to a ceasefire before territorial issues are discussed. He would reject any Russian proposal that Ukraine pull its troops from the eastern Donbas region and cede its defensive lines. Asked why Zelenskyy was not joining the U.S. and Russian leaders at the Alaska summit, a White House spokeswoman said on Tuesday that the bilateral meeting had been proposed by Putin, and that Trump accepted to get a "better understanding" of how to end the war. "Only one party that's involved in this war is going to be present, and so this is for the president to go and to get a more firm and better understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. "You need both countries to agree to a deal." Trump is open to a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy later, Leavitt said. RUSSIA ADVANCES IN EASTERN UKRAINE Ukraine faces a shortage of soldiers after Russia invaded more than three years ago, easing the path for the latest Russian advances. "This breakthrough is like a gift to Putin and Trump during the negotiations," said Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, suggesting it could increase pressure on Ukraine to yield territory under any deal. Ukraine's military meanwhile said it had retaken two villages in the eastern region of Sumy on Monday, part of a small reversal in more than a year of slow, attritional Russian gains in the southeast. Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has mounted a new offensive this year in Sumy after Putin demanded a "buffer zone" there. Ukraine and its European allies fear that Trump, keen to claim credit for making peace and seal new business deals with Russia's government, will end up rewarding Putin for his 11 years spent in efforts to seize Ukrainian territory, the last three in open warfare. European leaders have said Ukraine must be capable of defending itself if peace and security is to be guaranteed on the continent, and that they are ready to contribute further. "Ukraine cannot lose this war and nobody has the right to pressure Ukraine into making territorial or other concessions, or making decisions that smack of capitulation," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at a government meeting. "I hope we can convince President Trump about the European position." Zelenskyy has said he and European leaders "all support President Trump's determination." Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Putin's principal ally in Europe, was the only leader not to join the EU's statement of unity. He mocked his counterparts as "sidelined" and said Russia had already defeated Ukraine. "The Ukrainians have lost the war. Russia has won this war," Orban told the "Patriot" YouTube channel in an interview. Trump had been recently hardening his stance towards Russia, agreeing to send more U.S. weapons to Ukraine and threatening hefty trade tariffs on buyers of Russian oil in an ultimatum that has now lapsed. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
The Star
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
EU leaders say Ukraine should have freedom to decide its future
Service members of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stand next to a BTR-4 armoured personnel carrier during military exercises at a training ground, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Ukrainians must have the freedom to decide their own future, European Union member states said on Tuesday, seeking to weigh in ahead of talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plan to speak with Trump on Wednesday, before the summit in Alaska, amid fears that Washington, hitherto Ukraine's leading arms supplier, may dictate unfavourable peace terms to Kyiv. "Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities," the leaders of all EU countries except Hungary said in a joint statement, adding: "We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests." FEARS THAT TRUMP MAY REWARD RUSSIA Kyiv and its European allies fear that Trump, keen to claim credit for making peace and seal business deals with Moscow, could in effect reward Russia for more than 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian territory, the last three in open warfare. "A Ukraine capable of defending itself effectively is an integral part of any future security guarantees," the European statement said, adding that EU nations were ready to contribute further to security guarantees. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Putin's principal ally in Europe, mocked the statement from his EU counterparts. "The fact that the EU was left on the sidelines is sad enough as it is. The only thing that could make things worse is if we started providing instructions from the bench," Orban said on X. "The only sensible action for EU leaders is to initiate an EU-Russia summit, based on the example of the U.S.-Russia meeting." Trump had been hardening his stance towards Moscow, agreeing to send more U.S. weapons to Ukraine and threatening hefty trade tariffs on buyers of Russian oil in an ultimatum that has now lapsed. Even so, the prospect of Trump hosting Putin on U.S. soil for the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021 has revived fears that he might put narrow U.S. interests ahead of the security of European allies or broader geopolitics. UKRAINE MAKES SMALL ADVANCES IN SUMY Trump has said any peace deal would involve "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both" Russia and Ukraine, prompting consternation in Kyiv and European capitals as virtually all the territory in question is Ukrainian. Kyiv's military said on Monday it had retaken two villages in the eastern region of Sumy, part of a small reversal in more than a year of slow, attritional Russian gains in the southeast. "It's tough. But we are holding back the enemy," Ukraine's top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, wrote on Facebook, following a meeting on Tuesday with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and fellow commanders. Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has mounted a new offensive this year in Sumy after Putin demanded a "buffer zone" there. Russian forces have meanwhile been pushing westward for months along other sections of the 1,000-km (600-mile) frontline, capturing villages almost daily, mainly in the Donetsk region. Ukraine's authoritative Deep State mapping project shows that Russian forces control about 200 sq km (77 sq miles) of Sumy, and a total of about 114,000 sq km (44,000 sq miles) in Ukraine, including Crimea, seized in 2014. (Reporting by Lili Bayer and Sudip Kar-Gupta in Brussels and Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; additional reporting by Krisztina Than in Budapest; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
EU leaders say Ukraine should have freedom to decide its future
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Service members of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stand next to a BTR-4 armoured personnel carrier during military exercises at a training ground, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova BRUSSELS - Ukrainians must have the freedom to decide their own future, European Union member states said on Tuesday, seeking to weigh in ahead of talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plan to speak with Trump on Wednesday, before the summit in Alaska, amid fears that Washington, hitherto Ukraine's leading arms supplier, may dictate unfavourable peace terms to Kyiv. "Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities," the leaders of all EU countries except Hungary said in a joint statement, adding: "We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests." FEARS THAT TRUMP MAY REWARD RUSSIA Kyiv and its European allies fear that Trump, keen to claim credit for making peace and seal business deals with Moscow, could in effect reward Russia for more than 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian territory, the last three in open warfare. "A Ukraine capable of defending itself effectively is an integral part of any future security guarantees," the European statement said, adding that EU nations were ready to contribute further to security guarantees. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Putin's principal ally in Europe, mocked the statement from his EU counterparts. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NEL, Sengkang LRT resume service after hours-long power fault; Punggol LRT being restored Singapore Live: NEL services resume fully; Sengkang-Punggol LRT services still unavailable Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore Plan to base Singapore's F-15 fighter jets in Guam cancelled Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Scoot to launch flights to Chiang Rai, Okinawa, Tokyo-Haneda, boost frequency to other places Singapore Off-duty SCDF officer dies after accident in Punggol; 15-year-old pillion rider taken to hospital Business Goh Cheng Liang, Nippon Paint billionaire and richest Singaporean, dies at 98 "The fact that the EU was left on the sidelines is sad enough as it is. The only thing that could make things worse is if we started providing instructions from the bench," Orban said on X. "The only sensible action for EU leaders is to initiate an EU-Russia summit, based on the example of the U.S.-Russia meeting." Trump had been hardening his stance towards Moscow, agreeing to send more U.S. weapons to Ukraine and threatening hefty trade tariffs on buyers of Russian oil in an ultimatum that has now lapsed. Even so, the prospect of Trump hosting Putin on U.S. soil for the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021 has revived fears that he might put narrow U.S. interests ahead of the security of European allies or broader geopolitics. UKRAINE MAKES SMALL ADVANCES IN SUMY Trump has said any peace deal would involve "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both" Russia and Ukraine, prompting consternation in Kyiv and European capitals as virtually all the territory in question is Ukrainian. Kyiv's military said on Monday it had retaken two villages in the eastern region of Sumy, part of a small reversal in more than a year of slow, attritional Russian gains in the southeast. "It's tough. But we are holding back the enemy," Ukraine's top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, wrote on Facebook, following a meeting on Tuesday with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and fellow commanders. Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has mounted a new offensive this year in Sumy after Putin demanded a "buffer zone" there. Russian forces have meanwhile been pushing westward for months along other sections of the 1,000-km (600-mile) frontline, capturing villages almost daily, mainly in the Donetsk region. Ukraine's authoritative Deep State mapping project shows that Russian forces control about 200 sq km (77 sq miles) of Sumy, and a total of about 114,000 sq km (44,000 sq miles) in Ukraine, including Crimea, seized in 2014. REUTERS
