Latest news with #Russian aggression
The Sun
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Moment warped Russian soldiers taunt Ukraine by flying an AMERICAN flag into battle ahead of crunch Zelensky-Trump talks
THIS is the moment twisted Russian soldiers mock Ukraine by flying an American flag into battle. Their malicious taunts come as Donald Trump meets Volodymyr Zelensky today for high-stakes peace talks on how to end the bloody war. 8 8 8 Swathes of eastern Ukraine are on the negotiating table as the leaders discuss how to stop the Russian aggression once and for all. And now, horrifying footage shows Vlad's troops flying the US flag alongside the Russian tricolour. Parading in a captured American M113 armoured personnel the Ukrainian truck is seen speeding down a road, as forces stormed Mala Tokmachka in Ukraine's Zaporizhia region. The sick jibe follows an overnight Russian drone strike on Kharkiv which killed five people, including two children, and injured dozens more. The city near the Russian border was also hit hours earlier by a ballistic missile that wounded at least 11 people, Mayor Igor Terekhov said. The head of the Centre for the Study of the Occupation, Petr Andryushchenko, fumed: 'The Russians have already declared the United States an ally and are storming Mala Tokmachka in M113 armoured personnel carriers….with Russian and American flags. 'This is the logical conclusion to all of Trump's absurdity. And all of this is on the official propaganda channel of Russia Today. There are no words.' While a local news channel wrote: 'The Russians put American flags on their armoured vehicles next to the tricolour and are driving around the occupied Ukrainian land." 'This is all you need to know about the result of the negotiations in Alaska.' Donald Trump vows full peace deal not 'mere ceasefire' after Alaska summit as Zelensky to head to White House Their bizarre taunts stem from Trump's perceived support for Vladimir Putin after the pair met in Alaska on Friday to discuss ending the war. Plans haggled at the face-to-face summit were later circulated by the Americans and The Sun was told a surrender deal would see Ukraine forced to reject Nato membership and other 'multinational deals'. Negotiations also involved the potential ceding control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine which are, in part, occupied by Russian troops. Today, six months after his disastrous Oval Office shouting match with Trump, Zelensky will himself sit at the negotiating table to discuss Ukraine's future. What do Trump and Zelensky want from the summit? By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter FOR Donald Trump, it is a chance to convince Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to a quick peace deal and end bloodshed in Ukraine - something the US president has been chasing ever since he stepped inside the White House. But the quick deal may not be all good news for Ukraine, as it may have to cede more territory to stop the Russian onslaught in a hasty decision. Zelensky instead wants to take things slow and get the Russians to stop striking his country initially with a ceasefire so that he can focus on deeper peace talks. He, too, wants lasting peace in his war-torn nation, but not at the expense of more Ukrainian territory. The brave Ukrainian leader also wants America to offer security guarantees against future Russian aggression. Europe, meanwhile, is expected to act as a mediator to facilitate the talks. It hopes to get a fair deal for Ukraine, one that diminishes the chances of Russia attacking Europe again in the future - which political analysts have warned could happen in the next five to 10 years. Ukraine and its allies have long feared that Trump could press an agreement favourable to Moscow - which now seems inevitable. But to what extent? That remains to be seen. PM Sir Keir Starmer will be in attendance, joined by the leaders of France, Germany and Italy alongside the heads of Nato and the EU in a firm show of solidarity against the Russians. Zelensky yesterday said territory haggling could only be discussed 'by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia' at his expected showdown with Putin. European leaders including Sir Keir held a video conference ahead of the White House meeting where they warned the Kremlin's barbarous invasion must not see 'borders redrawn by force'. After her own meeting on Sunday with Mr Zelensky, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: 'These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone, and these decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table.' But US officials insisted it was Mr Trump who invited all of the key players as the time had come to finally work out how to police any peace deal with Russia. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the key issue was, 'How do we stop this from happening again?' as he opened the door for a major role for the US in the so-called 'Coalition of the Willing' that has vowed to protect Ukraine's future sovereignty. 8 8 8
South China Morning Post
11-08-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Philippines, Poland find common ground in deterring China, Russia
With Poland bracing for potential Russian aggression and the Philippines contending with sustained tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea , analysts say the two countries may find strategic common ground – not just in their geopolitical outlooks, but also in their shared aspirations as 'emerging middle powers'. Warsaw's dramatic ramp-up in defence spending and its uncompromising stance against Moscow's provocations have drawn the attention of Filipino security analysts, some of whom see useful parallels with Manila's struggle to modernise its forces and deter Chinese pressure in the South China Sea. 'There are valuable lessons that Manila can learn from Warsaw despite their geographic distance, as both face similar strategic dilemmas as front lines in rivalries between hegemonic powers,' said Chester Cabalza, founder and president of the International Development and Security Cooperation think tank. Tensions between Russia and Poland have escalated in recent years. Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Warsaw has doubled its defence spending from 2.4 per cent of gross domestic product to nearly 5 per cent – an outlay expected to reach some €30 billion (US$35 billion) this year – and has pursued a sweeping programme of military modernisation. In May, Poland ordered the closure of Russia's consulate in Krakow after authorities linked Moscow to a fire that damaged more than 1,000 shops in a Warsaw shopping centre last year . In retaliation, Russia shut down the Polish consulate in Kaliningrad. Play Meanwhile, the Philippines and China remain locked in a protracted territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea – Manila's term for its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. In recent years, China has been accused of deploying 'grey-zone tactics' to assert its claims in the disputed waterway, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling in favour of the Philippines.
Reuters
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Ukraine war live: EU leaders gather for recovery conference after Russian drone attack on Kyiv
Recap: Zelenskiy also met with Pope Leo on Wednesday a minute ago 05:28 EDT Joshua McElwee Earlier we reported earlier, Zelenskiy met with Trump 's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, in Rome on Wednesday. He also held talks with pope Leo at Castel Gandolfo, a small Italian hill town not far from Rome, where the pope is taking a two-week vacation. Pope Leo told Zelenskiy that the Vatican was willing to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks. The pair discussed "the urgent need for a just and lasting peace", the Vatican said in a statement. Zelenskiy said on X that holding talks with Russia in the Vatican would be "entirely possible, with the goal of stopping Russian aggression and achieving a stable, lasting, and genuine peace". But he said Moscow had rejected such proposals. Russian officials have told Reuters in the past that they did not see the Vatican as a serious venue for talks because it is surrounded by NATO member Italy which has supported Ukraine. Read more about the meeting here. I am grateful to Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex for the warm welcome at his private residence — the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo. It is a great honor for me to be here, in a place which has contributed to shaping the history of Europe and the world for the past four centuries. This… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 9, 2025 The US military resumed delivering some weapons to Ukraine 10 minutes ago 05:20 EDT The United States is delivering artillery shells and mobile rocket artillery missiles to Ukraine, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday, days after Trump's administration halted shipments of some critical weapons to Kyiv. The pause in some weapon shipments last week appears to have been tied to concerns that U.S. military stockpiles might be too low, officials had said. Since then, Trump said he did not know who ordered the pause and that he would send more weapons to Ukraine, primarily defensive ones, to help the war-torn country defend itself against intensifying Russian advances. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 155 mm artillery shells and GMLRS (mobile rocket artillery) missiles were now being provided to Ukraine. The officials did not say how many weapons were being sent and whether the shipment was complete. It was also unclear why the latest shipments only included shells and artillery missiles and whether any decision had been made to resume shipments of other weapons. In pictures: The aftermath of Russian strikes on Kyiv 19 minutes ago 05:10 EDT Firefighters outside a damaged apartment building. REUTERS/Stringer Rubio is due to meet Russia's Lavrov in Kuala Lumpur 05:04 EDT Daphne Psaledakis U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, the U.S. State Department and Russia's foreign ministry said. It would be the second in-person meeting between Rubio and Lavrov. The first meeting between the top diplomats took place in Saudi Arabia in February as part of the Trump administration's effort to re-establish bilateral relations and help negotiate an end to the war. It comes as Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war in Ukraine drags on. On Tuesday, a day after he approved sending U.S. defensive weapons to Ukraine, Trump aimed unusually direct criticism at Putin, saying the Kremlin leader's statements on moving towards peace were "meaningless". Trump has also said he was considering supporting a bill that would impose steep sanctions on Russia, including 500% tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports. When asked on Wednesday about Trump's criticism of Putin, the Kremlin said Moscow was " calm" regarding the criticism and that it would continue to try to fix a "broken" U.S.-Russia relationship. What is the Ukraine Recovery Conference? The Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, Italy, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane The two day event which begins in Rome on Thursday is the fourth annual Ukraine Recovery Conference. They have previously been held in Berlin, London and the Swiss city of Lugano. The conference is focused on the recovery and long-term reconstruction of Ukraine and is attended by governments, international organisations, financial institutions, businesses and other agencies. EU leaders due to attend Thursday's event include Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President of European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Zelenskiy will hold more meetings with US officials on Thursday 44 minutes ago 04:45 EDT Zelenskiy will hold more meetings with U.S. officials on Thursday at a conference dedicated to Ukraine's recovery, its foreign minister said. "The main focus will be on sanctions policy and the adoption of the next package of U.S. sanctions in the near future," Andriy Sybiha posted on Telegram late on Wednesday. The conference in Rome will focus on short and long-term reconstruction following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now 40 months old. Recap: Zelensky met with US envoy Kellogg on Wednesday an hour ago 04:40 EDT Anna Pruchnicka and Dan Peleschuk Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday he had held a "substantive" conversation with Trump 's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, in Rome. "We discussed weapons supplies and strengthening air defense. Given the increase in Russian attacks, this remains one of our top priorities," Zelenskiy wrote on X. "We also covered the purchase of American weapons, joint defense manufacturing, and localization efforts in Ukraine," he added. Trump said on Monday he had approved the supply of additional weapons to Ukraine, primarily defensive ones, to help it defend itself against Russian advances. Zelenskiy said he and Kellogg had discussed at length proposals to slap tougher sanctions on Moscow. "We understand the need for tougher restrictions on Russian energy, especially secondary sanctions targeting buyers of Russian oil," he wrote. He also expressed hope for progress in a bill on stiffer sanctions now before the U.S. Congress. The legislation, he said, "could certainly make Russia give greater thought to peace". Russian attack on Kyiv kills two an hour ago 04:30 EDT Gleb Garanich and Frank Jack Daniel Russian drones and missiles bore down on Kyiv early on Thursday, with officials reporting two deaths, 16 injured and fires in apartment and non-residential buildings. Russia launched 18 missiles and around 400 drones in an attack which primarily targeted the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. There was no comment from Moscow about the attack, which came a day after Russia launched a single-night record number of drones targeting its smaller neighbour in what Ukrainians describe as terror tactics. After U.S. President Donald Trump pledged earlier this week to send more defensive weapons to Kyiv, Washington was already delivering artillery shells and mobile rocket artillery missiles to Ukraine, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday. Zelenskiy held a "substantive" meeting on Wednesday with Trump's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, in Rome ahead of a Ukrainian recovery conference. On Thursday, he will hold more meetings with American officials to discuss the adoption of the next package of U.S. sanctions against Russia in the near future, according to the Ukrainian foreign minister. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, the U.S. State Department and Russia's foreign ministry said. Stay with us for the latest developments as we get them.
