Latest news with #UkrainianCrisis
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump envoy Witkoff meets Putin in Moscow ahead of Ukraine ceasefire deadline
President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff was greeted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday ahead of expected talks, the Kremlin said in a short statement. The meeting between Putin and Witkoff ended after around three hours, according to Russian state media. Yuri Ushakov, a top aide to Putin, told reporters that the meeting was "a very useful and constructive conversation," in comments reported by Russia's Tass state news agency. The two main topics discussed were "the Ukrainian crisis" and "the prospect of possible development of strategic cooperation between the United States and Russia," Ushakov said. "On our part, in particular on the Ukrainian issue, some signals were transmitted," Ushakov said. "The corresponding signals were received from President Trump. Now the situation is such that our president has complete information -- that is, our signals, the signals from President Trump -- and the results of these conversations have not yet been reported to Trump." "Therefore, I would refrain from more detailed comments," Ushakov said. "Let's see when Witkoff will be able to report to Trump about the conversation that took place today. After that, obviously, we will be able to add my comments to something more substantial.' Witkoff was met on his arrival in Moscow by Kirill Dmitriev -- the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund -- at the capital's Vnukovo Airport, according to state media agencies Tass and Interfax. The visit is Witkoff's fifth to Moscow since Trump took office, with the special envoy at the forefront of White House efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. A source familiar with Witkoff's plans told ABC News on Tuesday that the special envoy was expected to hold meetings with Russian leadership on Wednesday. Tass reported that Witkoff and Dmitriev walked in the Zaryadye Park in central Moscow before Witkoff's convoy traveled to the Kremlin. Witkoff was last in Moscow on Apr. 25, when he met with Russian Putin at the Kremlin. MORE: Russia ramps up grinding summer offensive as Ukraine seeks US battlefield aid Last month, Trump said he would impose additional economic measures -- including secondary sanctions on Russian fossil fuel export customers, the largest of which are India and China -- if Putin failed to agree to a ceasefire by Aug. 8. Trump cited Russia's continued drone and missile strikes on Ukraine when issuing his ultimatum to the Kremlin, which was initially set at 50 days but later shortened to only 10 days. In July, Russia set a new monthly record for long-range attacks on Ukraine, per data from the Ukrainian air force, firing 6,443 drones and missiles into the country. Ukraine is backing the U.S. demand for an immediate ceasefire, after which negotiations as to a full peace deal can take place. On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he "coordinated" positions with Trump in a phone conversation. "Today, we coordinated our positions -- Ukraine and the United States," Zelenskyy wrote in a post to X. "We exchanged assessments of the situation: The Russians have intensified the brutality of their attacks. President Trump is fully informed about Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities and communities." MORE: Trump envoy Witkoff to head to Russia for 'last chance' Ukraine ceasefire talks On Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was open to more meetings with Witkoff. "The dialogue continues and the United States continues its efforts to mediate in the search for a Ukrainian settlement," he said, as quoted by Tass. "These efforts are very important, including in the context of the ongoing process of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations," Peskov said. "Work is continuing, and we remain committed to the idea that a political and diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian problem is, of course, our preferred option." ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Shannon K. Kingston, Yuriy Zaliznyak and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
The Guardian
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv under Russian drone attacks for second night running
Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, early on Sunday and injured at least seven people, as debris set an apartment building on fire and damaged homes, officials said. The head of Kyiv city's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said 'more than a dozen enemy drones' were flying around the capital early on Sunday. The Kyiv mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said the city was 'under attack' but 'air defences are operating', telling citizens to stay in shelters. A day earlier, Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 14 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones on Kyiv, injuring 15 people in one of the biggest assaults on the Ukrainian capital since the beginning of the war more than three years ago. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the attacks indicated Moscow was 'prolonging the war … Only additional sanctions against key sectors of the Russian economy will force Moscow to agree to a ceasefire.' Patrick Wintour reports Trump's refusal to impose the promised 'bone-crushing sanctions' over Russia's rejection of a 30-day ceasefire has left European leaders frustrated and despondent. The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, spoke of 'another night of terror for Ukrainian civilians', posting on X. 'These are not the actions of a country seeking peace,' Lammy said of the Russian strike. Katarina Mathernová, the European Union's ambassador to Kyiv, described the attack as 'horrific'. 'If anyone still doubts Russia wants war to continue – read the news.' In addition, 13 civilians were killed on Friday and overnight into Saturday in Russian attacks in Ukraine's south, east and north, regional authorities said. Three people died after a Russian ballistic missile targeted port infrastructure in Odesa on the Black Sea, local governor Oleh Kiper reported. Russia later said the strike targeted a cargo ship carrying military equipment. On Saturday 307 Russian prisoners of war were exchanged for the same number of Ukrainian soldiers on the second day of an extended prisoner swap set to be the largest in the three-year war, according to announcements in Kyiv and Moscow. 'Tomorrow we expect more,' Zelenskyy posted. The first part of the large-scale swap involved 270 soldiers and civilians from each side on Friday. More swaps are expected on Sunday to bring the total to 1,000 as agreed in talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul last week. In north-eastern Ukraine, mayor Ihor Terekhov of Kharkiv, the second-biggest city, said drones hit three city districts and damaged a business. Terekhov said many drones remained in the air over the city. Russian troops advancing slowly on the eastern front captured two settlements in Donetsk region as well as one in Ukraine's northern region of Sumy, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday. The claims could not be confirmed. A Russian defence statement said its forces had captured the village of Stupochky in Donetsk region, east of Kostiantynivka, a town under recent Russian pressure. It also said it had taken control of Otradne, a village farther west along the 1,000-km front and announced the capture of Loknya, a village inside the Russian border in Sumy region. Ukraine acknowledged no such losses. Russia's defence ministry said that early on Saturday its forces shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones over six provinces in western and southern Russia. The drone strikes injured three people in the Tula region south of Moscow, local governor Dmitriy Milyaev said, and sparked a fire at an industrial site there. Andriy Kovalenko, of Ukraine's national security council, said on Saturday the drones hit a plant in Tula that makes chemicals used in explosives and rocket fuel.
Russia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Africa understands root causes of Ukraine crisis
African countries have demonstrated a clear understanding of the causes of the Ukrainian crisis and the role Western powers played in fueling it, Tatyana Dovgalenko, the head of the Department for Partnership with Africa of the Russian Foreign Ministry, has said. In an interview with New Eastern Outlook published on Monday, Dovgalenko noted that many African governments have maintained an independent position, grounded in non-interference and national sovereignty, and have refused to adopt anti-Russian sanctions despite significant pressure from the West. The stance taken is a 'vivid demonstration' of Africa's refusal to capitulate to foreign influence. Instead, she said, many nations across the continent have opted for pragmatic, constructive relations with Moscow. Russia's ties with Africa are not newly forged but rest on decades of friendship and cooperation dating back to Soviet support for liberation movements during the decolonization period, Dovgalenko emphasized. 'There is a strong memory of the substantial and selfless contribution made by the USSR to the struggles of African peoples for freedom and independence, as well as Moscow's assistance in strengthening sovereignty, defense capacity, and in helping the young economies of the continent take shape,' the Foreign Ministry official stated. In contrast to what she described as a widespread European willingness to ignore the past, she argued that Africans are especially attuned to the dangers of foreign interference. African countries have long been subjected to unilateral sanctions and double standards, with some still enduring these measures today. 'The continent knows firsthand what unilateral and illegitimate restrictions mean, and understands their selective, unfounded, and unjust nature,' she pointed out. According to Dovgalenko, Russia does not view Africa as an arena for geopolitical rivalry, but rather as a space for mutually beneficial cooperation. She said this approach sets Russia apart from other global players, because Moscow does not dictate who African nations should align with, nor does it pressure them into taking sides. 'We respect their sovereignty and national interests not in words, but in deeds,' she added. Dovgalenko also pointed to tangible economic progress, stating that Russia has maintained its commitments to the continent despite Western restrictions. 'In 2024, Russian agricultural exports to African countries rose by almost 20%, exceeding $7 billion and reaching 45 nations across the continent,' the official highlighted. In March, Dovgalenko told Jeune Afrique that Russia does not see Africa as a zone of rivalry with other global powers. She contrasted Moscow's approach with that of former colonizers, saying Russia has never exploited the continent or acted like a 'predator.'
