Latest news with #Russia
South China Morning Post
44 minutes ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Russia accuses Serbia of betrayal for supplying arms to Ukraine
Russia on Thursday accused Serbia of exporting arms to Ukraine, saying it was a stab in the back by its long-time Slavic Balkan ally. Advertisement 'Serbian defence enterprises, contrary to the 'neutrality' declared by official Belgrade, continue to supply ammunition to Kyiv,' the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, SVR, said in a statement. The statement alleged that the export of the Serbian arms to Ukraine were going through Nato intermediaries, 'primarily the Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria. Recently, exotic options involving African states have also been used for this purpose'. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic told the state RTS television that he has recently discussed the issue of the arm exports to Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that it was agreed that the two countries form a 'working group' to establish how Serbian-made weapons reach the Ukrainian front lines. Boxes of ammunition for the AK-47, popularly known as 'Kalashnikov'. File photo: AP Serbian arms exports to Ukraine, mostly the Soviet-era-calibre ammunition still used by Ukraine's defence forces, have long been known since 2023, but it was not clear why the Russian foreign security service decided to react now.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- General
- Bloomberg
North Korea's Surging Military Aid to Russia Detailed in Report
North Korea has become a crucial source of missiles, munitions and even soldiers for Russia's war in Ukraine as the sanctions-defying alliance between the two countries intensifies, according to a report by 11 countries, including the US and Japan. Last year North Korea 'transferred to Russia at least 100 ballistic missiles, which were subsequently launched into Ukraine to destroy civilian infrastructure and terrorize populated areas such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia,' the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team said in the report released Thursday by the US and allies including Japan, South Korea, the UK, Australia and Canada.
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
America Let Its Military-Industrial Might Wither. China's Is Booming.
Adapting to the dual challenge of China's military and its economy has been a focus of U.S. administrations for years. America is losing ground. Modern warfare is a contest of industrial might, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shown. Both sides are burning through arsenals of artillery shells, rockets and military vehicles. Automated factories now spit out drones day and night. Even an old-fashioned howitzer requires precision manufacturing.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Pressure mounts on a reluctant Trump to impose sanctions on Russia
Some Republicans in Congress and White House advisers are urging U.S. President Donald Trump to finally embrace new sanctions on Moscow as frustration mounts over Russian President Vladimir Putin's military assault on Ukraine. Trump has held off on such penalties for months, believing he could have fruitful dealings with Putin to end the war while also considering sanctions, in general, to be overused and often ineffective. White House officials say Trump still hopes to develop an economic partnership with Russia. He sees sanctions as an escalation in tensions with Moscow that could derail hopes of a ceasefire in the 3-year-old conflict. But his frustration with Putin is genuine and increasingly severe, according to aides. They said he is giving sanctions serious consideration after Russia escalated its attacks in recent days. "He is always looking at different ways to apply pressure," a senior White House official said. "This is no different. He's always weighing his options." U.S. officials have prepared new economic sanctions against Russia, including banking and energy measures. They say that a sanctions package is ready to be implemented based on Trump's order. One option supported by some Trump advisers would be for the president to embrace, or at least not obstruct, legislation introduced by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal last month that would set a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil. A heavily damaged convent in Donetsk, a Russian controlled region of Ukraine | REUTERS Some advisers believe the bill could be useful because it would allow consequential sanctions to go into effect while Trump could in essence tell Putin the sanctions decision was out of his hands, according to one U.S. official with direct knowledge of the matter. That, in turn, could help Trump maintain a viable line of communication with Putin. That U.S. official and another person familiar with internal deliberations said the Trump White House believes secondary sanctions — that is to say sanctions on countries that do business with Russia, not just Russia, itself — are needed for them to be effective. Graham and fellow Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, both close Trump allies, said this week that now is the time to increase pressure on Putin. "I believe President Trump was sincere when he thought his friendship w Putin would end the war. Now that being the case, IT'S TIME FOR SANCTIONS STRONG ENUF SO PUTIN KNOWS 'game over,'" Grassley said in a social media post on Tuesday. Trump entered office in January predicting he would be able to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. But in the months since, he has absorbed the grim reality that the conflict is more intractable than he originally believed and has blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for allowing it to happen. Last week, Trump spoke with Putin for two hours and thought he had a deal to begin ceasefire negotiations immediately. Then, Russia launched a barrage of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, prompting Trump to say Putin had "gone absolutely CRAZY" and that he was "playing with fire" by refusing to engage in ceasefire talks with Kyiv. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump explained why he felt imposing sanctions could antagonize Putin. "If I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that," he said. Russian soldiers march in columns during a military parade in Red Square in central Moscow. | REUTERS Asked whether Putin wanted to end the war, Trump said, "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks," noting he was waiting on Russia to submit its latest peace proposal. "We're going to find out whether or not he's tapping us along or not, and if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently," Trump added. Trump has threatened sanctions before, only to back off. He talked about the possibility of sanctions back in January and again before his most recent call with Putin. Putin said last week that he had agreed to work with Ukraine on a memorandum that would establish the contours of a peace accord, including the timing of a ceasefire. Russia says it is currently drafting its version of the memorandum and cannot estimate how long that will take. Republicans generally have followed Trump's lead on foreign policy in the months since he began his second term in office, making their pursuit of sanctions on their own noteworthy. White House officials have held conversations with Senate Republicans about the contents of the sanctions bill, according to one of the U.S. officials. Should the Senate bill move forward, there is a bipartisan companion bill in the House of Representatives, although support for Ukraine among House Republicans has been notably weaker than in the Senate. The European Union, meanwhile, has been ramping up sanctions on Russia. An EU measure adopted last week hit over 130 entities and individuals, and listed 75 new sanctions entities including major oil firm Surgutneftegaz. In meetings in recent days in Washington, U.S. officials have said they have no qualms with the new measures, according to one person with direct knowledge of the matter.
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- General
- Russia Today
Ukrainian drone strikes apartment block in Moscow (VIDEOS)
A Ukrainian drone struck an apartment block in southwestern Moscow early Thursday morning, as Kiev ramps up attacks on the Russian capital following the first direct talks between the two countries in three years. The UAV hit the Mirax Park residential complex on Vernadsky Avenue, damaging the building's facade and shattering windows. Many residents fled into the street after the blast. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin stated that there were no casualties or 'serious damage.' He added that three drones had been shot down over Moscow. Residents reported hearing loud explosions in several neighborhoods. Another kamikaze drone struck the roof of a residential complex in Odintsovo, a town just outside Moscow. On May 16, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul for the first time since 2022, agreeing to carry out a large prisoner exchange and for each to submit detailed ceasefire proposals. Kiev has since intensified its drone strikes deep inside Russia. On Wednesday, at least 12 UAVs were intercepted over the city, according to Russian officials. The drones damaged three buildings and an industrial facility.
