Latest news with #Helsinki+50
Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Russia striking Azerbaijan's SOCAR oil facilities in Ukraine on purpose, Kyiv says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha attends a press conference during the Helsinki+50 OSCE conference in Helsinki, Finland, July 31, 2025. Lehtikuva/Mikko Stig/via REUTERS/File Photo KYIV - Russian drones on Monday intentionally attacked an oil depot belonging to Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR in Ukraine's southern Odesa region for the second time in two weeks, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, writing on X, said the "deliberate Russian an attack not only on us but also on our relations and energy security." Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for "an appropriate diplomatic and legal response" by Baku to what he described as moves "against Azerbaijan's interests". There was no immediate comment from SOCAR, which operates around 60 fuel stations across Ukraine, or Azerbaijani officials. Russia has not publicly commented on the matter. Ukraine's energy minister told reporters in Kyiv it was "hard to assess the damage" and said rescue crews were still at work. Monday's attack follows an August 8 Russian drone attack that damaged a SOCAR oil depot, two industry sources told Reuters. At least four people had been injured in that strike, they said. Russian forces have frequently targeted Ukrainian infrastructure and energy facilities far behind the front line. REUTERS
Straits Times
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
US should impose more sanctions on Russia, Finland says, as Trump's deadline arrives
FILE PHOTO: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen attends a press conference during the Helsinki+50 OSCE conference in Helsinki, Finland, July 31, 2025. The conference marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. Lehtikuva/Mikko Stig/via REUTERS/File Photo HELSINKI - U.S. President Donald Trump should move forward with imposing more sanctions on Russia as it would help bring an end to the war in Ukraine, Finland's foreign minister said on Friday in a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker interview. Trump set Friday as the deadline by which Russia had to agree to peace in Ukraine or have its oil customers face secondary tariffs. If imposed, they would sever a major source of funding for Russian President Vladimir Putin's war effort. However, Putin and Trump are now expected to meet as early as next week following talks between the Russian leader and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, raising the possibility that the new sanctions may be delayed or cancelled. A White House official said on Wednesday the secondary sanctions were still expected to be implemented against countries doing business with Russia from Friday despite the latest diplomatic flurry. "I certainly hope that President Trump will move forward with those sanctions," Elina Valtonen said in the interview, referring to the secondary sanctions that could especially impact China and India, the biggest purchasers of Russian oil. Finland's President Alexander Stubb was among several European leaders to join a phone call with Trump on Wednesday designed to coordinate Western efforts to end the Ukraine war. Valtonen said continued Western arms supplies to Kyiv also had a vital role to play in pressuring Putin to end the war, which began in February 2022 with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "What we do see... is that the reason that Russia has again shown some willingness to talk, is that the increased arms deliveries (to Ukraine) are definitely piling up the pressure on Russia to find a way out of the war," she said. Finland, along with other Nordic countries and the three Baltic states, has been among Ukraine's staunchest supporters. The 2022 invasion prompted Finland, which shares a 1,340-km (833 mile) border with Russia, to join NATO two years ago, upending decades of non-alignment. Valtonen became foreign minister two months after that historic step was taken. The Russian state's fiscal situation is not as good as it was three years ago and its economic situation is even worse, Valtonen said, referring to the impact of sanctions and a massive diversion of resources in Russia to the war effort. "We need to be piling up on the pressure, and then hope that Russia will react positively one day, which means that they will end their invasion," she said. GAZA Asked about the situation in Gaza, Valtonen expressed "great worry" over a decision by Israel's security cabinet to approve a plan on Friday to take control of Gaza City in an expansion of military operations despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating nearly two-year-old war. On Thursday, asked if Israel would take over the entire coastal territory, Netanyahu told Fox News Channel in an interview: "We intend to." "We do think that it is so important now... to keep alive the prospect for the two-state solution, even though it looks very difficult at this moment," she said, referring to the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel. France, Britain and Canada have announced plans in recent weeks to recognise an independent Palestinian state, but Valtonen signalled that Finland has no immediate plans to do so. "There have to be concrete steps, which essentially means that there will be a mutual recognition of a Palestinian state at some point (with Israel), but also the normalisation of relations between Arab countries ... and with Israel," she said. REUTERS
The Star
08-08-2025
- Politics
- The Star
US should impose sanctions on Russia, Finland's Valtonen says
FILE PHOTO: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen attends a press conference during the Helsinki+50 OSCE conference in Helsinki, Finland, July 31, 2025. The conference marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. Lehtikuva/Mikko Stig/via REUTERS/File Photo HELSINKI (Reuters) -Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said on Friday she hoped U.S. President Donald Trump will move forward with imposing sanctions on Russia as it would help bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine. "I certainly hope that President Trump will move forward with those sanctions," Valtonen said in a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker interview. "What we do see - and suspect now as well - is that the reason that Russia has again shown some willingness to talk, is that the increased arms deliveries (to Ukraine) are definitely piling up the pressure on Russia to find a way out of the war." Finland, its fellow Nordic countries and the Baltics, have been among the staunchest supporters of Ukraine. The 2022 invasion prompted Finland, which shares a 1,340-km (833 mile) border with Russia, to join NATO two years ago, upending decades of non-alignment. (Reporting by Anne Kauranen; additional reporting by Essi Lehto; writing by Gwladys Fouche; editing by Terje Solsvik)
Straits Times
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
US should impose sanctions on Russia, Finland's Valtonen says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen attends a press conference during the Helsinki+50 OSCE conference in Helsinki, Finland, July 31, 2025. The conference marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. Lehtikuva/Mikko Stig/via REUTERS/File Photo HELSINKI - Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said on Friday she hoped U.S. President Donald Trump will move forward with imposing sanctions on Russia as it would help bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine. "I certainly hope that President Trump will move forward with those sanctions," Valtonen said in a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker interview. "What we do see - and suspect now as well - is that the reason that Russia has again shown some willingness to talk, is that the increased arms deliveries (to Ukraine) are definitely piling up the pressure on Russia to find a way out of the war." Finland, its fellow Nordic countries and the Baltics, have been among the staunchest supporters of Ukraine. The 2022 invasion prompted Finland, which shares a 1,340-km (833 mile) border with Russia, to join NATO two years ago, upending decades of non-alignment. REUTERS
Euronews
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Moscow is 'stuck in another century,' Ukraine's president says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the confiscation of Russian assets and said the leadership in Moscow is "mentally stuck in another century" as officials and politicians gathered in the Finnish capital for the Helsinki+50 conference. Moscow is still living in a time of "brutal violence disregard for human rights and equality,' Zelenskyy said. He added: "We know that such ideas and such times must never return to Europe" via video-link at the meeting marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Accords. The Helsinki Accords, singed in 1975, were a set of agreements focused on principles of international cooperation, respect for sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs. The agreements — signed between 35 countries including the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War — laid the groundwork for the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). "It's time to confiscate Russian assets, not just freeze them, confiscate them, and use them to serve peace, not war," the Ukrainian leader said. His comments come a day after a large overnight Russian missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv killed six, including a six-year-old boy and injured at least 52 people. Zelenskyy's Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb called on European countries to choose between "spheres of interests and the use of force, or the sovereignty of states and common rules and principles." He touched on the legacy of the Helsinki agreement, telling the conference: "Even though the world has changed significantly in 50 years, the same rules still apply to basic human interaction." He added, "The best solutions can be found through dialogue and listening to one another." During his speech, Zelenskyy thanked US President Donald Trump for his efforts to broker a ceasefire deal. "President Trump is truly interested in ending the war and we have to do everything we can to make sure the United States and Europe act together for security," the Ukrainian leader said. On Tuesday, Trump expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin's failure to agree on a truce. He announced he would reduce a 50-day deadline he previously set for Moscow to agree to peace in Ukraine to a new limit of 10 to 12 days.
