Latest news with #NewVoice
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kyiv can end martial law if war ends by August, official says
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, could legally suspend martial law if the war with Russia ends by August 2025, Defense Committee Secretary Roman Kostenko said in an interview with New Voice (NV). President Volodymyr Zelensky first declared martial law and general mobilization on Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The measure has been repeatedly extended since then. "Regarding martial law, from a legal point of view. The Verkhovna Rada, as it adopted it, can cancel it, even if there are some decisions that require it," Kostenko said. "I'm not saying that it will. But if we look at it from a legal point of view, if (martial law) is in place by August, it does not mean that it will be in place by August, if the war ends. It can always be canceled — also by a decision of the president and approval of the Verkhovna Rada." Kostenko's comments come as the United States escalates pressure on Russia and Ukraine to agree on a ceasefire, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to on further peace negotiations if either side continues to resist a deal. Kostenko said that despite Washington's efforts to broker a ceasefire, he does not expect the Trump administration to successfully negotiate a resolution. "It certainly does not look like the end of the war," he said. The Verkhovna Rada on April 16 approved the extension of martial law and mobilization for another 90 days, until August 6. Under martial law, Ukrainian men aged between 18 and 60, with some exceptions, are not allowed to leave the country as they may be called up for military service. Martial law also prevents Ukraine from holding regular parliamentary and presidential elections. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to leverage Kyiv's delayed elections to portray Zelensky as "illegitimate" — a claim that has found traction with members of the Trump administration. Trump in February denounced Zelensky as a "dictator without elections," echoing the Kremlin's propaganda narrative. Several weeks later he walked back on the statement, criticizing Putin for continuing to attack Zelensky's credibility. Read also: Putin announces Easter ceasefire, Zelensky reacts with skepticism We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Russia Today
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
NATO not part of Ukraine peace talks
NATO is not involved in the US-mediated ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Secretary General Mark Rutte has said. He added that Ukraine's NATO membership has never been a part of a potential peace deal. During an interview with Ukraine's New Voice published on Saturday, the NATO chief was asked if the bloc had any 'red lines' in the negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict. 'We do not have our own red lines, because we are not part of that,' Rutte said. 'We are not part, as NATO, of those negotiations. They are really driven by the US, together with Ukraine and the Russians. I'm glad that the US has broken the deadlock, that these talks are now ongoing,' he added. Rutte ruled out that NATO, as a bloc, could send peacekeepers to Ukraine. 'Probably it will not be NATO as such. That's not very likely,' he said, adding that individual member states could dispatch troops on their own. 'That always means that it has an impact on NATO territory. It might have an impact on the defense of NATO territory also going forward.' Several NATO members, including France, the UK, and Germany have floated proposals to deploy peacekeepers after a ceasefire is reached. Read more Trump rules out Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for rare earths Rutte stressed that Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO has not been tied to the ongoing talks. 'It has never been promised to Ukraine that NATO membership will be part of a peace deal or a ceasefire,' he said. 'These are two separate things, a peace deal and the long-term prospect.' US President Donald Trump reiterated this week that Ukraine will 'never be a member of NATO.' Russia has cited NATO's expansion eastward as one of the core reasons behind the conflict, and demanded that Ukraine drop its plans to join the alliance. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has rejected the deployment of troops from NATO members in Ukraine in any capacity as unacceptable.
