Latest news with #WorldWarTwo
Kuwait Times
36 minutes ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
US and Russia clash in public as Ukraine war heats up
KOROSTYSHIV: Relatives, friends and other attendees mourn over the coffins of seventeen-year-old Roman Martyniuk, his eleven-year-old sister Tamara Martyniuk and eight-year-old brother Stanislav Martyniuk, who were killed by a Russian missile strike, during a funeral ceremony at a cemetery in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, on May 28, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. – AFP MOSCOW: The United States and Russia quarreled in public on Wednesday over the intensifying Ukraine war after US President Donald Trump warned that President Vladimir Putin was 'playing with fire' and Moscow massed 50,000 troops near a Ukrainian region. While world leaders bicker over the prospects for peace, the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two is heating up fast: swarms of drones are being launched by both sides while Russia is advancing at key points along the front. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said that Putin was playing with fire and cautioned that 'REALLY BAD' things would have happened already to Russia if it was not for Trump himself. 'What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened in Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He's playing with fire,' Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, told a state TV reporter that Trump's remark suggested that he is not well-briefed on the realities of the war. 'Trump is not sufficiently informed about what is really happening in the context of the Ukrainian-Russian confrontation,' Ushakov said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was clear the Trump administration is making 'considerable efforts towards a peaceful settlement' and that Russia was 'grateful for the mediation efforts of President Trump personally.' 'Just like the United States, Russia has its own national interests, which are above all for us, and they are above all for our president,' Peskov said. After speaking to Trump on May 19 for more than two hours, Putin said that he had agreed to work with Ukraine on a memorandum which would set out the contours of a peace accord including the timing of a ceasefire. Russia, Peskov said, was preparing for the next round of negotiations with Ukraine and to continue contacts with the United States. War heating up With Trump and the Kremlin trading barbs, the war intensified. Russia said it had downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions overnight while Ukraine said Russia had launched 88 drones and five ballistic missiles. After Russia ejected Ukrainian forces from the western Kursk region, Moscow's forces have pushed over the border into neighboring Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine and taken several villages there. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia has gathered 50,000 troops near the northern Sumy region, but added that Kyiv had taken steps to prevent Moscow from conducting a large-scale offensive there. Putin has repeatedly said he wants a 'buffer zone' along Russia's border with Ukraine. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said that the US-led NATO military alliance was using the Ukrainian crisis to build up its presence across eastern Europe and the Baltic but that Russia was advancing along the entire front in Ukraine. Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops. Russia currently controls just under one fifth of Ukraine. Though Russian advances have accelerated over the past year, the war is costing both Russia and Ukraine dearly in terms of casualties and military spending. Top Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev, a former president, said Trump should worry more about World War Three, a remark Trump's envoy, Keith Kellogg, said it was reckless. 'Stoking fears of WW III is an unfortunate, reckless comment... and unfitting of a world power,' Kellogg said on X. - Reuters
RTHK
5 hours ago
- Politics
- RTHK
Germany, Ukraine to jointly produce long-range weapons
Germany, Ukraine to jointly produce long-range weapons German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (right) held a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Photo: Reuters Germany and Ukraine aim to jointly develop the industrial production of long-range missiles, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday. "There will be no range restrictions, allowing Ukraine to fully defend itself, even against military targets outside its own territory," Merz said in a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "We want to enable long-range weapons, we also want to enable joint production, and we will not speak about details publicly but will intensify cooperation." Zelenskiy said the two leaders had agreed to cooperate in the production of weapons in Ukraine, including drones. Government officials had signed agreements on the construction and development of production facilities, he said. "These new projects already exist," he said. "We just want them to be in the amount that we need." Zelenskiy's visit to Berlin comes after Ukrainian and Russian officials met this month for face-to-face negotiations, under pressure from US President Donald Trump to end the conflict. The talks failed however to produce a ceasefire agreement and Russia unleashed three nights of massive Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine over the weekend. Moscow has also gathered 50,000 troops near Ukraine's northern Sumy region, Zelenskiy told reporters. The military moves do not "speak the language of peace", Merz said. "This is a slap in the face for all those who are struggling for a ceasefire, in Ukraine itself, but also in Europe and the USA," he said. When asked about Merz's weapons announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "all these actions naturally hinder peace efforts". Russia has accused Ukraine of significantly increasing drone and missile attacks on Russian territory over the past week using Western-supplied munitions. Merz also said Europe would continue to increase pressure on Russia to engage in peace talks to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two - including ensuring that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline could not go into operation. (Reuters, AFP)
Miami Herald
7 hours ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Afghanistan has least hope for future in global history
By Stephen Beech Afghanistan has the lowest well-being levels in recorded history following the withdrawal of American forces, according to new research. Afghans' life satisfaction and hope for the future are both at all-time, global lows, suggest the findings. People living there reported an average life satisfaction of just 1.28, on a scale from zero to 10, following the withdrawal of US troops from the war-torn country and the Taliban regaining power in 2022 - the lowest figure recorded anywhere in the world. The figure is lower than life satisfaction scores recorded in more than 170 countries since 1946, when global ratings were first calculated after World War Two. In 2022, the global mean life satisfaction rating recorded in the Gallup World Poll was 5.48, with most people in economically developed Western countries recording between six and eight, according to the study published in the journal Science Advances. Afghans also showed little hope for the future. When asked to imagine what their lives would be like in five years on the same scale, hope among Afghans fell even lower than their life satisfaction, at 1.02. The War in Afghanistan began in 2001, triggered by the United States and its allies when the Taliban government refused to surrender al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the 9/11 terror attacks. The subsequent conflict led to the violent deaths of more than 165,000 Afghans, while it is estimated that at least as many died due to the lack of necessities, such as food and medicine, as a result of the conflict. Study lead author Levi Stutzman, of the University of Toronto in Canada, said: "Globally, people expect their future to be better than their present. "People are optimistic about their future. "Afghanistan is quite different as Afghans have reported low life satisfaction and even lower hope, which likely reflects profound distress and despair within the country." He added: "This research shines a light on the well-being, the life satisfaction, of people who have been left behind. "They've been left behind by the United States, they've been left behind by the international community, and they've been left behind by international news organisations." The research team says their findings also underline the impacts that life circumstances and structural factors, such as war and political unrest, can have on subjective well-being. Life circumstances have previously been downplayed in leading well-being theories and models, which prioritised genetic factors and intentional activities such as exercise and practicing gratitude. Doctoral student Stutzman said: "Our own sense of well-being, our own happiness, isn't solely up to us. "A lot of it is structural." The research team analysed face-to-face interview data collected in Afghanistan over three periods: before the U.S. withdrawal in 2018 and 2019, during the U.S. withdrawal and the first month of Taliban rule in 2021, and after the U.S. withdrawal in 2022. In 2018, Afghans rated their life satisfaction at 2.69, and that did not significantly decline in 2021, during the early stages of the withdrawal of US and UK troops from Afghanistan and the first month of renewed Taliban rule. But after the U.S. withdrawal was completed and the consolidation of Taliban rule in 2022, life satisfaction in Afghanistan dropped to previously unseen levels. In 2022, nearly all Afghans reported a life satisfaction score below five, and two in three Afghans reported a life satisfaction score of either zero or one. A deeper analysis shows that women and people living in rural areas have been disproportionately affected, due to the Taliban placing increased restrictions on women's rights and rural communities lacking resources to help combat food insecurity. The research team said that the struggles facing Afghans have not been widely reported on since 2022, when thousands of them descended on the airport in Kabul desperately trying to flee their country, some clinging to the outside of aircraft trying to take off. Study co-author Dr. Felix Cheung, Assistant Professor in psychology at the University of Toronto, added: "Just because the war has ended, it doesn't mean that every problem has been solved. "That is the first step of a very long recovery process - a process that requires investments in necessities like healthcare, food and water, and infrastructure- and is informed by evidence." The post Afghanistan has least hope for future in global history appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Trump again criticises Putin as Ukraine war heats up
US President Donald Trump has again expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the intensifying Ukraine conflict, a day after warning that Putin was "playing with fire" by resisting ceasefire talks while escalating drone and missile attacks. But Trump also told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he was not yet prepared to impose new sanctions on Russia because he did not want the penalties to scuttle a potential peace deal. Russia has proposed holding the next round of direct talks with Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, also on Wednesday. There was no immediate response from Kyiv. The public squabble between the US and Russia unfolded as the three-year-old war heats up, with swarms of drones launched by both Russia and Ukraine and Russian troops advancing at key points along the front. Delegates from Russia and Ukraine met earlier this month in Istanbul under pressure from Trump to end the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War Two, but the talks failed to yield the ceasefire that Kyiv and its Western allies have pushed for. Moscow said certain conditions needed to be met before a ceasefire agreement. Asked whether the Russian leader might be intentionally delaying negotiations, Trump said, "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 differently." After speaking to Trump on May 19, Putin said he had agreed to work with Ukraine on a memorandum which would set out the contours of a peace accord including the timing of a ceasefire. Putin's demands for ending the war include a written pledge from Western leaders that NATO will not expand eastward to former Soviet republics such as Ukraine and Georgia and the lifting of some sanctions on Russia, according to Russian sources with knowledge of the negotiations. In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump had warned Putin that he was "playing with fire" and that "really bad" things would have happened to Russia already if not for Trump himself. Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, told a state TV reporter that Trump's remark suggested he is not well-briefed on the realities of the war. Russia said on Wednesday it had downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions overnight, while Ukraine's military said it had struck several Russian weapon production sites. Ukraine said Russia had launched 88 drones and five ballistic missiles. After Russia said in late April it had ejected Ukrainian forces from the western Kursk region, Moscow's forces have pushed over the border into the neighbouring Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine and taken several villages there. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia has gathered 50,000 troops near the northern Sumy region, but added that Kyiv had taken steps to prevent Moscow from conducting a large-scale offensive there. Speaking in Berlin during a visit by Zelenskiy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany and Ukraine will develop the joint production of long-range missiles, a move the Kremlin said was irresponsible and amounted to stoking the war. Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said that the US-led NATO military alliance was using the Ukrainian crisis to build up its presence across eastern Europe and the Baltic but that Russia was advancing along the entire front in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump has again expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the intensifying Ukraine conflict, a day after warning that Putin was "playing with fire" by resisting ceasefire talks while escalating drone and missile attacks. But Trump also told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he was not yet prepared to impose new sanctions on Russia because he did not want the penalties to scuttle a potential peace deal. Russia has proposed holding the next round of direct talks with Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, also on Wednesday. There was no immediate response from Kyiv. The public squabble between the US and Russia unfolded as the three-year-old war heats up, with swarms of drones launched by both Russia and Ukraine and Russian troops advancing at key points along the front. Delegates from Russia and Ukraine met earlier this month in Istanbul under pressure from Trump to end the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War Two, but the talks failed to yield the ceasefire that Kyiv and its Western allies have pushed for. Moscow said certain conditions needed to be met before a ceasefire agreement. Asked whether the Russian leader might be intentionally delaying negotiations, Trump said, "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 differently." After speaking to Trump on May 19, Putin said he had agreed to work with Ukraine on a memorandum which would set out the contours of a peace accord including the timing of a ceasefire. Putin's demands for ending the war include a written pledge from Western leaders that NATO will not expand eastward to former Soviet republics such as Ukraine and Georgia and the lifting of some sanctions on Russia, according to Russian sources with knowledge of the negotiations. In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump had warned Putin that he was "playing with fire" and that "really bad" things would have happened to Russia already if not for Trump himself. Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, told a state TV reporter that Trump's remark suggested he is not well-briefed on the realities of the war. Russia said on Wednesday it had downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions overnight, while Ukraine's military said it had struck several Russian weapon production sites. Ukraine said Russia had launched 88 drones and five ballistic missiles. After Russia said in late April it had ejected Ukrainian forces from the western Kursk region, Moscow's forces have pushed over the border into the neighbouring Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine and taken several villages there. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia has gathered 50,000 troops near the northern Sumy region, but added that Kyiv had taken steps to prevent Moscow from conducting a large-scale offensive there. Speaking in Berlin during a visit by Zelenskiy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany and Ukraine will develop the joint production of long-range missiles, a move the Kremlin said was irresponsible and amounted to stoking the war. Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said that the US-led NATO military alliance was using the Ukrainian crisis to build up its presence across eastern Europe and the Baltic but that Russia was advancing along the entire front in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump has again expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the intensifying Ukraine conflict, a day after warning that Putin was "playing with fire" by resisting ceasefire talks while escalating drone and missile attacks. But Trump also told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he was not yet prepared to impose new sanctions on Russia because he did not want the penalties to scuttle a potential peace deal. Russia has proposed holding the next round of direct talks with Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, also on Wednesday. There was no immediate response from Kyiv. The public squabble between the US and Russia unfolded as the three-year-old war heats up, with swarms of drones launched by both Russia and Ukraine and Russian troops advancing at key points along the front. Delegates from Russia and Ukraine met earlier this month in Istanbul under pressure from Trump to end the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War Two, but the talks failed to yield the ceasefire that Kyiv and its Western allies have pushed for. Moscow said certain conditions needed to be met before a ceasefire agreement. Asked whether the Russian leader might be intentionally delaying negotiations, Trump said, "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 differently." After speaking to Trump on May 19, Putin said he had agreed to work with Ukraine on a memorandum which would set out the contours of a peace accord including the timing of a ceasefire. Putin's demands for ending the war include a written pledge from Western leaders that NATO will not expand eastward to former Soviet republics such as Ukraine and Georgia and the lifting of some sanctions on Russia, according to Russian sources with knowledge of the negotiations. In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump had warned Putin that he was "playing with fire" and that "really bad" things would have happened to Russia already if not for Trump himself. Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, told a state TV reporter that Trump's remark suggested he is not well-briefed on the realities of the war. Russia said on Wednesday it had downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions overnight, while Ukraine's military said it had struck several Russian weapon production sites. Ukraine said Russia had launched 88 drones and five ballistic missiles. After Russia said in late April it had ejected Ukrainian forces from the western Kursk region, Moscow's forces have pushed over the border into the neighbouring Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine and taken several villages there. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia has gathered 50,000 troops near the northern Sumy region, but added that Kyiv had taken steps to prevent Moscow from conducting a large-scale offensive there. Speaking in Berlin during a visit by Zelenskiy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany and Ukraine will develop the joint production of long-range missiles, a move the Kremlin said was irresponsible and amounted to stoking the war. Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said that the US-led NATO military alliance was using the Ukrainian crisis to build up its presence across eastern Europe and the Baltic but that Russia was advancing along the entire front in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump has again expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the intensifying Ukraine conflict, a day after warning that Putin was "playing with fire" by resisting ceasefire talks while escalating drone and missile attacks. But Trump also told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he was not yet prepared to impose new sanctions on Russia because he did not want the penalties to scuttle a potential peace deal. Russia has proposed holding the next round of direct talks with Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, also on Wednesday. There was no immediate response from Kyiv. The public squabble between the US and Russia unfolded as the three-year-old war heats up, with swarms of drones launched by both Russia and Ukraine and Russian troops advancing at key points along the front. Delegates from Russia and Ukraine met earlier this month in Istanbul under pressure from Trump to end the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War Two, but the talks failed to yield the ceasefire that Kyiv and its Western allies have pushed for. Moscow said certain conditions needed to be met before a ceasefire agreement. Asked whether the Russian leader might be intentionally delaying negotiations, Trump said, "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 differently." After speaking to Trump on May 19, Putin said he had agreed to work with Ukraine on a memorandum which would set out the contours of a peace accord including the timing of a ceasefire. Putin's demands for ending the war include a written pledge from Western leaders that NATO will not expand eastward to former Soviet republics such as Ukraine and Georgia and the lifting of some sanctions on Russia, according to Russian sources with knowledge of the negotiations. In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump had warned Putin that he was "playing with fire" and that "really bad" things would have happened to Russia already if not for Trump himself. Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, told a state TV reporter that Trump's remark suggested he is not well-briefed on the realities of the war. Russia said on Wednesday it had downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions overnight, while Ukraine's military said it had struck several Russian weapon production sites. Ukraine said Russia had launched 88 drones and five ballistic missiles. After Russia said in late April it had ejected Ukrainian forces from the western Kursk region, Moscow's forces have pushed over the border into the neighbouring Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine and taken several villages there. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia has gathered 50,000 troops near the northern Sumy region, but added that Kyiv had taken steps to prevent Moscow from conducting a large-scale offensive there. Speaking in Berlin during a visit by Zelenskiy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany and Ukraine will develop the joint production of long-range missiles, a move the Kremlin said was irresponsible and amounted to stoking the war. Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said that the US-led NATO military alliance was using the Ukrainian crisis to build up its presence across eastern Europe and the Baltic but that Russia was advancing along the entire front in Ukraine.
West Australian
8 hours ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Trump again criticises Putin as Ukraine war heats up
US President Donald Trump has again expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the intensifying Ukraine conflict, a day after warning that Putin was "playing with fire" by resisting ceasefire talks while escalating drone and missile attacks. But Trump also told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he was not yet prepared to impose new sanctions on Russia because he did not want the penalties to scuttle a potential peace deal. Russia has proposed holding the next round of direct talks with Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, also on Wednesday. There was no immediate response from Kyiv. The public squabble between the US and Russia unfolded as the three-year-old war heats up, with swarms of drones launched by both Russia and Ukraine and Russian troops advancing at key points along the front. Delegates from Russia and Ukraine met earlier this month in Istanbul under pressure from Trump to end the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War Two, but the talks failed to yield the ceasefire that Kyiv and its Western allies have pushed for. Moscow said certain conditions needed to be met before a ceasefire agreement. Asked whether the Russian leader might be intentionally delaying negotiations, Trump said, "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 differently." After speaking to Trump on May 19, Putin said he had agreed to work with Ukraine on a memorandum which would set out the contours of a peace accord including the timing of a ceasefire. Putin's demands for ending the war include a written pledge from Western leaders that NATO will not expand eastward to former Soviet republics such as Ukraine and Georgia and the lifting of some sanctions on Russia, according to Russian sources with knowledge of the negotiations. In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump had warned Putin that he was "playing with fire" and that "really bad" things would have happened to Russia already if not for Trump himself. Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, told a state TV reporter that Trump's remark suggested he is not well-briefed on the realities of the war. Russia said on Wednesday it had downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions overnight, while Ukraine's military said it had struck several Russian weapon production sites. Ukraine said Russia had launched 88 drones and five ballistic missiles. After Russia said in late April it had ejected Ukrainian forces from the western Kursk region, Moscow's forces have pushed over the border into the neighbouring Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine and taken several villages there. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia has gathered 50,000 troops near the northern Sumy region, but added that Kyiv had taken steps to prevent Moscow from conducting a large-scale offensive there. Speaking in Berlin during a visit by Zelenskiy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany and Ukraine will develop the joint production of long-range missiles, a move the Kremlin said was irresponsible and amounted to stoking the war. Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said that the US-led NATO military alliance was using the Ukrainian crisis to build up its presence across eastern Europe and the Baltic but that Russia was advancing along the entire front in Ukraine.
