Latest news with #armedForces
CTV News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Sponsored content: Halifax International Fleet Week
Atlantic Watch Crystal Garrett gets details on an upcoming four-day celebration happening in Halifax for the navy and armed forces.
CNN
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Russian forces are creating ‘buffer zone' along Russia-Ukraine border, Putin says
Russian armed forces are creating a 'security buffer zone' along the border between Russia and Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday. 'I have already said that a decision was made to create the necessary security buffer zone along the border. Our armed forces are currently solving this problem. Enemy firing points are being actively suppressed, the work is underway,' Putin said. Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said the plan was 'aggressive' and demonstrated that 'Russia is the obstacle of peace efforts now.' Thursday's announcement was made ahead of an expected prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia on Friday – an outcome of last week's face-to-face talks in Turkey, the first time the two countries have held direct talks at any level in three years. The Russian president previously raised the possibility of creating a 'buffer zone' in March during a visit to Russia's Kursk region. He doubled down on the border plan during a meeting on Thursday with members of the government, during which he discussed the need to 'restore and rebuild everything that was destroyed' in the border region. '(We must) help people return to their native villages, settlements, (and) where security conditions allow, restore all transport and other infrastructure,' Putin added. The Russian leader is planning on hosting a dedicated meeting to discuss the 'restoration' projects, Russian state media reported on Thursday. The announcement comes days after Putin visited Russia's Kursk region for the first time since claiming to have completely retaken the region from Ukrainian forces, state media reported on Wednesday. During the visit, the Russian leader said that Ukrainian forces were trying to move toward the Russian border, according to RIA Novosti news agency. Kyiv launched its offensive into the Russian border territory last August – the first ground invasion of Russia by a foreign power since World War II – and had held control of parts of the region until late last month. Kyiv had intended on using it as a key bargaining chip in any peace talks. Such dialogue did not materialize until last week, when teams from Kyiv and Moscow met in person in Turkey to begin discussing an end to the war and agreed upon a prisoner exchange – 1,000 people from each side. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Russia had received Ukraine's proposed list of prisoners of war to be exchanged in Friday's expected swap, according to Russian state media. 'Yes, indeed, we have received it now,' Peskov was reported as saying when asked about the Ukrainian list. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X Thursday that Ukraine is 'clarifying the details for each individual included on the lists submitted by the Russian side.' 'The agreement to release 1,000 of our people from Russian captivity was perhaps the only tangible result of the meeting in Türkiye. We are working to ensure that this result is achieved,' Zelensky posted. CNN's Lex Harvey contributed to this report.
Arab News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
PM Sharif invites India to open dialogue, says past wars failed to resolve key issues
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday called for renewed dialogue with India, saying the two nuclear-armed neighbors had fought three wars since independence without resolving their disputes while emphasizing the need to engage in talks to address outstanding issues. Sharif made these remarks during a ceremony in Islamabad commemorating the 'Day of Gratitude,' held to honor Pakistan's military response to Indian strikes inside its territory last week. The event was attended by the chiefs of the armed forces, senior officials and dignitaries. The event featured a flypast and national songs. The recent India-Pakistan standoff was triggered by an attack in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in Indian-administered Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people. India accused Pakistan of involvement, an allegation Islamabad denied while seeking an impartial international probe. The situation escalated into missile and drone exchanges before a ceasefire was announced on May 10. 'Whether we like it or not, we are there forever as neighbors,' the prime minister said, referring to India and Pakistan. 'It's up to us whether we want to be unruly neighbors or peaceful ones.' 'We have fought three wars that solved nothing,' he continued. 'Rather, they brought more poverty, unemployment and other problems on both sides. So the lesson is that we have to sit down at the table like peaceful neighbors and settle our outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir.' Sharif reiterated that Pakistan had no involvement in the Pahalgam incident and expressed gratitude to countries that assisted in de-escalating the conflict. 'I'm extremely grateful to all those friendly countries who have been very helpful in promoting peace and ceasefire in this part of the world... particularly Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Türkiye, China and others,' he added. Sharif extended special thanks to US President Donald Trump for his role in mediating the ceasefire. 'Above all, I would like to mention and thank President Trump for his very brave leadership and his vision that peace must be restored in South Asia sooner rather than later,' he said. 'His path-breaking and strategic leadership... averted a very lethal looming war in this part of the world,' he said. The prime minister emphasized the importance of resolving key issues to ensure lasting peace in the region. 'Without resolving these issues, I don't think we will have peace in this part of the world on a long-term basis,' he said. 'If we want permanent peace, then we need permanent solutions of Jammu and Kashmir and water distribution.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Taiwan President Rallies the Troops Ahead of Possible Chinese Drills
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te offered his support and encouragement to the armed forces on Friday ahead of what the government has warned could be a new round of Chinese military exercises near the island from as early as next week. Taiwan cannot rule out that China will hold more military drills to "stir up trouble" around Tuesday's one-year anniversary of Lai taking office, a senior government spokesperson said on Thursday in Taipei. China calls Lai a "separatist" and has rebuffed his multiple offers for talks. Lai rejects China's sovereignty claims over the democratic and entirely separately governed island, saying only Taiwan's people can decide their future. Lai visited army engineers and anti-submarine helicopter crews at bases in the southern city of Kaohsiung to thank them for their efforts before the traditional Dragon Boat festival at the end of the month. Both the army engineers and the navy's anti-submarine aviation command are the "cornerstones of the nation's armed forces' military strength, and also indispensable to the overall national defense strategy", he told a group of helicopter crew at a lunch at Kaohsiung's Zuoying navy base. "It is only because of your hard work and dedication that the military continues to thrive and the nation's people can live and work in peace and happiness," he added. "Let's work together to protect national security." Lai, who made no direct mention of China or potential for more drills, was accompanied by Defense Minister Wellington Koo and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu, two of his most senior defense officials. China's Defense Ministry and Taiwan Affairs Office said this week that Lai was a "Taiwan Strait crisis maker" who had increased antagonism and confrontation and undermined peace and stability. Last month, China held war games code-named "Strait Thunder-2025A" around Taiwan, the "A" at its end suggesting there could be more to come. China called its May 2024 drills "Joint Sword - 2024A", held shortly after Lai took office, and in October of that year staged "Joint Sword - 2024B".
CBC
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
India, Pakistan accuse each other of overnight attacks
India and Pakistan accused each other of launching new military attacks on Friday, using drones and artillery for the third day in the worst fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours in nearly three decades.
