Latest news with #Vesti
Mint
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Russia, Ukraine intensify attacks ahead of Moscow's World War II commemoration
KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine and Russia stepped up strikes ahead of Moscow's World War II commemorations on Thursday, with Russia closing more than a dozen airports and canceling scores of flights amid a wave of drone attacks. The drone attacks, which Ukraine says targeted military facilities, disrupted travel as world leaders began arriving in Moscow for the annual Victory Day parade that marks the Soviet victory over invading Nazi forces in 1945. Russia, meanwhile, struck the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, overnight with a ballistic missile, followed by hours of drone strikes that lasted well into Wednesday. At least two people were killed and seven injured, authorities said. The attacks come as the U.S. has struggled to get Ukraine and Russia to agree on a peace plan, threatening at times to walk away if the two sides didn't make progress. Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that he wasn't pessimistic about the status of talks. 'I wouldn't say that the Russians are uninterested" in ending the conflict, he said. The Russians are asking for a certain set of concessions, and 'we think they're asking for too much, he said. Moscow said it planned to observe a cease-fire that it had called for, which was set to go into effect at midnight local time. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called Moscow's three-day cease-fire proposal a 'theatrical performance" by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has called for a 30-day cease-fire, saying more time is needed for negotiations. 'In two or three days, it is impossible to build any plan for the next steps regarding ending the war," Zelensky said. Vance said Wednesday that Russia doesn't view a 30-day cease-fire as in their strategic interests. 'So we've tried to move beyond the obsession with the 30-day cease-fire," he said. Kyiv hasn't publicly commented on the drone attacks, but a senior government official said the strikes were necessary as a show of force. More than a dozen Russian airports ceased operations at some point over the past two days in response to the drone attacks , authorities said. Russia's national carrier Aeroflot has canceled numerous flights, as have other Russian airlines. Some airports, including in Moscow, remain closed. Unverified videos of the Ukrainian attack posted online showed a thunderous midair explosion that lit up the sky. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said at least nine Ukrainian drones were intercepted over the city. The attacks also disrupted the air travel of some leaders as they made their way to Moscow for the military parade in Red Square, which Putin is expected to use to show the country isn't isolated after more than three years of war in Ukraine. A plane carrying Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who was traveling to Moscow, was forced to land in Azerbaijan on Wednesday, according to a report by Russia's Vesti television channel. He later resumed his journey, state media reported. Vucic is one of 29 world leaders, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who Moscow says will attend the parade in a show of support for Putin. The Victory Day spectacle traditionally includes Russian nuclear missile launchers trundling across Red Square and contingents of foreign troops goose-stepping over the cobblestones. Write to Matthew Luxmoore at
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Vesti in at Mercedes for Bahrain GP FP1 outing
Motorsport photo Frederik Vesti will take part in Free Practice 1 with Mercedes at Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix, driving George Russell's W16. A Formula Regional European champion in 2019 and Formula 2 runner-up in 2023, Vesti has been on Mercedes' books since 2021, currently acting as the team's reserve driver alongside Valtteri Bottas – on top of his racing commitments in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Cadillac. Advertisement F1 regulations state that teams must run rookies – drivers who have competed in two grands prix at most – twice in each of their cars over the 2025 season's grand prix weekends. Debutant Andrea Kimi Antonelli has already fulfilled this requirement in Melbourne and Shanghai on his side of the garage, and Vesti is set to do likewise with, at first, his Bahrain appearance. 'I am really looking forward to getting my first taste of the W16 in FP1 in Bahrain,' the 23-year-old Dane said. 'Being able to put all of my simulator work into practice on the track is a really exciting prospect for me. Frederik Vesti, Reserve Driver, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Frederik Vesti, Reserve Driver, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images Advertisement 'At the start of the year, I set myself the goal of maximising every chance I get behind the wheel of an F1 car in 2025, and that is what I hope to achieve in Bahrain. I will be doing everything I can to help the team, George, and Kimi get set for the rest of the weekend. 'I am grateful to Mercedes for once again giving me this opportunity.' Similar rules previously allowed Vesti to drive Mercedes' W14 car in FP1 at the Mexico City and Abu Dhabi grands prix in 2023, while last year the required sessions had been given to incoming racer Antonelli. At least two other rookies will take part in FP1 at Sakhir, with Ferrari protege Dino Beganovic driving Charles Leclerc's SF-25 machinery, while Oliver Bearman will cede his Haas car to Ryo Hirakawa following the latter's recent switch from Alpine. Read Also: Hirakawa switches from Alpine to Haas as 2025 F1 reserve driver
Jordan News
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Jordan News
Lavrov Emphasizes Russia's Rejection of Giving Up Crimea and Donbas: "Russian Territories" - Jordan News
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that the issue of sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula, Donbas, and Novorossiya "has already been settled," stressing that these regions are considered part of Russia according to the country's constitution. اضافة اعلان In an interview with the "Vesti" news program on Russian state television, which was published on Wednesday, Lavrov said, "Crimea, Donbas, and Novorossiya are all issues that were settled long ago, in light of the results of the referendum reflected in our constitution." Lavrov pointed out that Russia's stance is based on the constitutional framework that recognizes these areas as an integral part of Russia, according to RT. Russian President Vladimir Putin had emphasized in remarks made in June that Ukraine's withdrawal from Donetsk, Luhansk, and the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia is one of the conditions for peace with Kyiv. Ukraine still refuses to acknowledge Russia's control over these territories, asserting that they are part of its own land, alongside the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow seized in 2014. Kyiv also demands a return to pre-2014 borders. This comes amid the United States' ongoing efforts to mediate separate negotiations in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, between the warring sides to reach a partial ceasefire agreement in the Black Sea and energy facilities. On Tuesday, the United States announced it had reached separate agreements with both Ukraine and Russia to halt attacks in the sea and target energy facilities. The agreements are the first official commitments from both sides since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House on January 20, according to Reuters. The White House stated that the U.S. and Ukraine had agreed to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, cease the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes. The statement also indicated that the two countries expressed a desire to work together on the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of detained civilians, and the return of abducted Ukrainian children. It remains unclear when or how the security agreements in the Black Sea will be implemented. However, the agreement with Russia goes beyond that made with Ukraine, as Washington pledged to work on lifting international sanctions on Russian agricultural and fertilizer exports. According to the Kremlin, the agreements regarding the Black Sea will not take effect unless certain links between some Russian banks and the global financial system are restored. In contrast, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the Kremlin's statements, indicating that his understanding was that the two ceasefire agreements did not require easing sanctions to take effect and would be implemented immediately. In a recorded statement, the Ukrainian president described the Kremlin's statement as an attempt to "manipulate," saying, "Unfortunately... we see how the Russians have begun to manipulate. They are already trying to distort the agreements and deceive our mediators and the entire world." Both Russia and Ukraine have stressed that they will rely on Washington to enforce the agreements, while each expressed doubts about the other's commitment, according to Reuters.
