Latest news with #Kostyantynivka
Al Arabiya
7 days ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Russia says its forces capture two settlements in eastern Ukraine
Russian troops took control of the settlement of Kostyantynivka in Ukraine's Sumy region and Zelene Pole in the Donetsk region, Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
Asharq Al-Awsat
7 days ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Zelenskiy Says Russia Has Gathered 50,000 Troops for Offensive on Northern Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Russia has gathered 50,000 troops near Ukraine's northern Sumy region, but added that Kyiv had taken steps to prevent Moscow from conducting a large-scale offensive there. The build-up comes as Russia appears to be gearing up for a summer offensive in Ukraine while Kyiv waits for Moscow to present a memorandum laying out its conditions to proceed with ceasefire talks. Sumy lies across the border from Russia's Kursk region where Ukraine previously seized and held a pocket of land for months, before being almost fully pushed out last month, although it says it still holds some areas there. "Their largest, strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front," Zelenskiy told reporters on Tuesday. "To push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region." Putin has said he wants a "buffer zone" along Russia's border with Ukraine. Zelenskiy said he believed Russia wanted a buffer zone of about 10 kilometers (6 miles). Russia has captured at least four border villages in the region recently, and has been creeping slowly forwards over the past several weeks on parts of the frontline in eastern Ukraine near the city of Kostyantynivka. However, Zelenskiy said that the Russians had been pushed back in that area by 4 km (2.5 miles) over two days. Ukraine and Russia swapped 1,000 captives each after a meeting of the two countries' delegations in Istanbul nearly two weeks ago which failed to produce a ceasefire sought by Ukraine, the US and Europe. Zelenskiy said that he viewed Türkiye, the Vatican and Switzerland as the most realistic venues for further negotiations with Russia. He said interest in hosting talks had also been expressed by Malta, as well as unspecified African nations. Reuters previously reported that Moscow does not see the Vatican as a serious venue for talks. Zelenskiy said that he will attend the next G7 summit after being invited by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose country currently holds the bloc's rotating presidency. He added that he will likely take part in the next EU summit. Speaking about Ukraine's domestic arms production, Zelenskiy said he wanted $30 billion for Ukraine to fully fund the available capacity of the rapidly expanding sector.
Jordan Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Kremlin says Putin-Zelensky meeting possible only after agreement
This handout photograph taken on May 16, 2025 and released on May 17, 2025 by the press service of the Ukrainian Ground Forces shows a crater next to a burnt car following a drone attack in Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region (AFP photo) KYIV, Ukraine — The Kremlin on Saturday said a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be possible only after both sides reach an agreement, a day after Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct talks in more than three years, which did not result in a truce. The first direct talks since the spring of 2022 -- shortly after Moscow's full-scale invasion that February -- between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul resulted in a concrete agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each. Ukraine's top negotiator, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, said the "next step" would be a meeting between Zelensky and Putin. Russia said it took note of the request. "We consider it possible, but only as a result of the work and upon achieving certain results in the form of an agreement between the two sides," the Kremlin's spokesman said. Russia's top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky said that Moscow and Kyiv would "present their vision of a possible future ceasefire", without saying when. The Kremlin said that first the POW swap must be completed and both sides need to present their visions for a ceasefire before fixing the next round of talks. "For now, we need to do what the delegations agreed on yesterday" in Turkey, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that "this, of course, means first and foremost to complete a 1,000 for 1,000 swap". The head of Ukraine's military intelligence Kirillo Budanov told broadcaster TSN he hoped the exchange would happen next week and that he saw no hurdles to the swap. Fighting goes on On Saturday, there were few signs of progress towards halting the fighting. The bus was attacked near the city of Bilopillya, local community head Yuri Zarko told Suspilne TV. A family of three died in the attack, the authorities said. Elsewhere on the frontlines, the Russian army said its troops captured Oleksandropil village in the eastern Donetsk region, where some of the most intense fighting in the war is ongoing. Apart from Sumy, Russia pounded missiles and drones across eastern Ukraine, hitting the Kherson, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions, killing six and wounding more than a dozen. In Kherson, Russian shelling hit a truck carrying humanitarian aid on Saturday morning. 'Real steps' needed French President Emmanuel Macron said he was sure that US counterpart Donald Trump would react to Putin's "cynicism" on Ukraine following the deadly minibus attack. Putin declined to travel to Turkey for the meeting. Zelensky accused him of being "afraid" and Russia of not taking the talks "seriously". "Yesterday in Istanbul, everyone saw a weak and unprepared Russian delegation with no significant powers. This must change. We need real steps to end the war," Zelensky said on Saturday. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the outcome of the Istanbul talks during a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said, adding Moscow was ready to continue working with the US on the matter. On Friday, Zelensky attended a European summit in Albania where he urged a "strong reaction" from the world if the Istanbul talks failed, including new sanctions. Macron said European nations were coordinating with Washington on additional sanctions should Moscow continue to refuse an "unconditional ceasefire". Both Moscow and Washington have talked up the need for a meeting on the conflict between Putin and US President Donald Trump. Trump has argued that "nothing's going to happen" on the conflict until he meets Putin face-to-face. During the Istanbul talks, the Ukrainian side said Russia was making "unacceptable" territorial demands. Moscow claims annexation of five Ukrainian regions -- four since its 2022 invasion, and Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
