Latest news with #Russian-Ukrainian
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Russian firm rewards 12 soldiers with around $200,000 each for downing Ukraine's three F-16
Russian firm rewards 12 soldiers with around $200,000 each for downing Ukraine's three F-16 (AP) Twelve Russian soldiers have been awarded 15 million rubles (approximately $195,000) each by Russian oil equipment firm Fores for their alleged role in shooting down a US-made F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine, the first of its kind reportedly brought down in the conflict, New York Post reported. The award ceremony was held on May 29 near the Russian-Ukrainian border in the presence of military commanders, the company said in a statement. 'Fores has delivered on its earlier promise to transfer 15 million rubles to members of the Russian Armed Forces for downing the first F-16 in the special military operation zone,' the statement read. Fores did not specify how or when the aircraft was brought down, but media reports have linked the incident to the crash of a Ukrainian F-16A/B on March 13, 2025, over Russian-occupied territory. While Russian sources claim the jet was downed by an S-400 air defence system or an R-37 missile fired by a Russian fighter, Ukraine has said the aircraft may have been accidentally hit by one of its own air defence missiles during an attempt to intercept Russian jets. The cash reward had been promised months earlier by Fores Director General Sergey Shmotyev, who announced it at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in December said his company would pay 15 million rubles to Russian troops for the first confirmed F-16 shootdown. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo 'Payment for the downed F-16 is our contribution to those risking their lives for the Motherland's security,' Shmotyev told TASS. Fores, based in the Urals and primarily manufacturing consumables for the oil industry, has supported the Russian military throughout the war. To date, it has donated over 237 million rubles (around $3 million) for military equipment and supplies including communication devices, thermal sights, and medical kits. Meanwhile, Ukraine has confirmed the loss of three F-16s since receiving them from Western allies—first in August 2024, then in April 2025, and most recently on May 16. All losses have officially been attributed to technical malfunctions or emergencies, not enemy fire. In the latest incident, Ukraine said the pilot safely ejected after steering the jet away from a civilian area. However, speculation continues about possible Russian missile involvement or friendly fire in at least two of the cases.
New York Post
17 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Russian soldiers handed $200,000 each for downing US-made F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine: report
A dozen Russian soldiers were awarded nearly $200,000 each for helping to shoot down a US-made F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine. The 12 servicemen were given the cash at a ceremony near the Russian-Ukrainian border after Russian oil giant, Forse, offered up the bounty last year in a bid to encourage the destruction of Western equipment, the Kremlin's state media TASS reported Friday. 'Fores has delivered on its earlier promise to transfer 15 million rubles to members of the Russian Armed Forces for downing the first F-16 in the special military operation zone,' the company boasted in a statement. 4 The 12 servicemen were given the cash at a ceremony near the Russian-Ukrainian border. Paulo M.F. Pires – Ukraine received its first deliveries of F-16 warplanes from the US last summer under the Biden administration but has already reported losing three of them. The hefty rewards were doled out as Kyiv on Friday resisted pressure from Moscow and Washington to commit to attending another round of peace talks with Russia on June 2 — insisting it first needed to see the proposals Russian negotiators plan to put forward. President Trump, for his part, has repeatedly urged Moscow and Kyiv to come up with a deal that'll end the three years of bloodshed. 'For a meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear, and the negotiations must be properly prepared,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X. 4 Russian soldiers, who were involved in the country's military campaign in Ukraine, march in columns during a parade on Victory Day in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2025. REUTERS 'Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to ensure that the next potential meeting brings no results,' he said, citing a lack of proof from Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, said the Russian delegation would be traveling to Turkey and were ready for talks with Ukraine first thing Monday. 'At the moment, everyone is focused on the direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations. A list of conditions for a temporary truce is being developed,' Peskov told reporters in Moscow. 4 In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via a videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 30, 2025. POOL/AFP via Getty Images It comes after Acting Deputy US Ambassador John Kelley told the United Nations Security Council a day earlier that the US-backed proposal — including a 30-day land, air, sea and critical infrastructure ceasefires — was 'Russia's best possible outcome.' 'We want to work with Russia, including on this peace initiative and an economic package. There is no military solution to this conflict,' Kelley told the Security Council. 'The deal on offer now is Russia's best possible outcome. President Putin should take the deal.' 'If Russia makes the wrong decision to continue this catastrophic war, the United States will have to consider stepping back from our negotiation efforts to end this conflict,' he added, warning that Washington could also impose further sanctions on Russia. 4 US President Donald Trump prepares to sign executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 22, 2025. AFP via Getty Images Kelley, too, condemned Russia's recent onslaught on Ukraine — arguing the attacks didn't demonstrate 'a desire for peace.' 'We will judge Russia's seriousness towards ending the war, not only by the contents of that term sheet, but more importantly, by Russia's actions,' he said. With Post wires
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate to 'start moving' Russia sanctions bill next week, Graham says
The U.S. Senate is expected to "start moving" next week on a bill introducing sweeping new sanctions against Russia, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said at a press briefing in Kyiv on May 30 attended by The Kyiv Independent. The proposed bill would impose 500% tariffs on imports from countries purchasing Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products. At least 82 U.S. senators are prepared to vote for the bill, Graham said. "I would expect next week that the Senate will start moving the sanctions bill," Graham, a vocal supporter of Ukraine and close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, said. "There are House members that are ready to move in the House, and you'll see congressional action. President Trump said that the next two-week period will be outcome-determined." Asked whether Congress would pass the bill before its summer recess and whether Trump would sign it, Graham responded: "I've never been more optimistic than I am today." The senator dismissed the upcoming June 2 Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in Istanbul, where Moscow is expected to present a draft ceasefire memorandum, as unlikely to yield progress. "I see nothing about the meeting on Monday in Istanbul to give me any hope at all that Russia is interested in peace," he said. "So when this two-week period is over, I think it'd be pretty clear to everybody (that) Russia is playing a game at the expense of the world, not just the United States." The senator also credited growing global recognition of Ukraine's willingness to negotiate in good faith and Russia's refusal to reciprocate. "It's clear to almost anyone — Putin is not remotely interested in anything that would lead to peace," he said. "So there's a card game going on this summer. The first cards are going to be played by the United States Senate and the House." Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya on May 30 reiterated that Moscow would only consider a ceasefire if Ukraine halts mobilization and stops receiving foreign military aid. Reuters reported on May 28 that Russian President Vladimir Putin's broader demands include a written pledge from NATO to stop expanding, the lifting of certain sanctions, and recognition of Ukraine's neutral status. Graham accused Moscow of stalling while ramping up its war effort and warned that the U.S. response would be swift and severe. He also issued a stark warning to Beijing. "China, the game you're playing with Russia is about to change. If you keep buying cheap Russian oil to fuel Putin's war machine, there will be a 500% tariff on all of your products coming into the United States," he said. He added that "70% of Russian oil is bought by China and India." The first round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in over two years, held in Istanbul on May 16, produced no agreement on a ceasefire but resulted in a major prisoner exchange. A second round is tentatively scheduled for June 2. Ukraine continues to demand a complete and unconditional ceasefire. Russia has refused, intensifying aerial assaults across Ukraine. Read also: Ukraine attacks elite Russian unit base nearly 7,000km away in Vladivostok, source claims We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Turkey hopes for renewed Russia-Ukraine peace talks
Turkey hopes that Ukraine and Russia can resolve the conflict in a potential second round of direct talks on a ceasefire, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday in Kiev. The two warring sides last met in Istanbul in mid-May, their first direct public contact in three years. "We are convinced that progress can certainly be made as long as we remain at the negotiating table," Fidan told a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha. A high-level meeting with the participation of the United States could follow the second round, Fidan said, adding that Turkey wants to see the war end as soon as possible. The call comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday announced Moscow's desire for new talks in Istanbul. The Russian delegation is ready to present a memorandum to the Ukrainian team in Turkey, Lavrov said. The document sets out the Russian position on "all aspects of a reliable overcoming of the root causes of the crisis," he said. Ukraine's Sybiha said his side needs to see the Russian proposal before they can prepare for the negotiations and work toward a tangible outcome. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said on Wednesday that Kiev has already submitted its position to Moscow. Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for more than three years. A major prisoner exchange followed the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul on May 16.
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Etihad
Turkey proposes to host Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit
30 May 2025 14:40 KYIV (AFP)Turkey on Friday proposed hosting a summit with the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and the United States as it strives to broker an elusive deal to end the Russian-Ukrainian said it would send a team of negotiators to Istanbul for a second round of direct talks with Ukraine on Monday -- although Kyiv has yet to confirm whether it will President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has fostered warm relations with both Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, has become a key mediator amid Donald Trump's push for a deal to end the over three-year war."We sincerely think that it is possible to cap the first and second direct Istanbul talks with a meeting between Mr. Trump, Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelensky, under the direction of Mr. Erdogan," Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during a visit to Kremlin pushed back against the idea of a face-to-face meeting involving Putin and Zelensky."First, results must be achieved through direct negotiations between the two countries," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told met Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga in Kyiv and was due to meet Zelensky later in the held talks with Putin in Moscow earlier this has said it is open to further negotiations, but has not confirmed it will be in Istanbul on talks in Istanbul on May 16 -- the first in over three years -- the sides agree to swap documents outlining possible roadmaps to Kremlin repeated Friday that it would hand over its version at the talks on Monday, but Kyiv is pressuring Moscow to send a copy in advance. 'Disregard for diplomacy' - Ukraine has for more than two months been urging Russia to agree to a full, unconditional and immediate 30-day ceasefire -- an idea first proposed by has repeatedly rejected those calls, despite pressure from Washington and Europe, while the Russian army has intensified its advances in eastern has said that a ceasefire is possible as a result of negotiations, but that talks should focus on the "root causes" of the typically uses that language to refer to a mix of sweeping demands that have at times included limiting Ukraine's military, banning it from joining NATO, massive territorial concessions and the toppling of and the West have rejected those calls and cast Russia's assault as nothing but an imperial-style land invasion in February 2022 triggered the biggest European conflict since World War of thousands have been killed, swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed, and millions forced to flee their has been growing increasingly frustrated at both Zelensky and Putin for not having struck a deal a UN Security Council meeting Thursday a US diplomat reaffirmed that Washington could pull back from peace efforts if it does not see progress the sides having held their first peace talks in more than three years, there has been little sign of movement towards a possible compromise the talks earlier in May, Ukraine said Russia threatened to accelerate its ground offensive into new regions and made a host of maximalist demands, including that Kyiv cede territory still under its with its European allies, Ukraine has been ramping up pressure on Trump to hit Moscow with fresh sanctions -- a step he has so far not taken."Talks of pauses in pressure or easing of sanctions are perceived in Moscow as a political victory -- and only encourage further attacks and continued disregard for diplomacy," Zelensky said Friday on social media. Russia has meanwhile been pressing its advance on the battlefield, with its forces on Friday claiming to have captured another village in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
