Latest news with #military exercises
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Putin's show of strength to the West: Russia carries out huge wargames in Baltic and Caspian seas with 150 warships and 15,000 troops ahead of peace talks with Ukraine today
Russia launched major navy drills around the world today, deploying more than 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic oceans and in the Baltic and Caspian seas as peace talks with Ukraine were set to get underway. The so-called 'July Storm' exercise from July 23 to July 27 will test the readiness of the fleet for non-standard operations, the use of long-range weapons and other advanced technology, including unmanned systems, Russia's defence ministry said. 'At sea, the crews of the ships will practice deployment to combat areas, conducting anti-submarine operations, defending areas of deployment and economic activity,' a statement read. They will also practice 'repelling attacks by air attack weapons, unmanned boats and enemy drones, ensuring the safety of navigation, striking enemy targets and naval groups', under the supervision of Navy chief Admiral Alexander Moiseev. Besides the naval vessels, more than 120 aircraft will also take part in the drills along with 10 coastal missile systems, displaying Moscow 's aerial prowess. It comes as a delegation of eight Russian officials gets set to meet their Ukrainian counterparts in the Turkish city of Istanbul for a third round of direct peace talks. But there is little hope the negotiations will yield significant results, and the Kremlin earlier this week sought to play down expectations. Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters: 'There is no reason to expect any breakthroughs in the category of miracles... it is hardly possible in the current situation. 'We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning.' Asked if he could give a sense of how the Kremlin saw the potential time frame of a possible peace agreement, Peskov said he could give no guidance on timing. 'There is a lot of work to be done before we can talk about the possibility of some top-level meetings,' Peskov added, a day after Zelensky renewed a call for a meeting with Vladimir Putin. The Russian President has thus far spurned Zelensky's offers of a face-to-face meeting to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. But the Ukrainian leader insists that lower-level delegations like the ones expected for talks in Istanbul today simply do not have the political heft to stop the fighting on their own. The sides remain far apart on how to end the war begun by Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. The Russian President has repeatedly declared that any peace deal should see Ukraine withdraw from the four regions that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022. He also wants Ukraine to renounce its bid to join NATO and accept strict limits on its armed forces - demands Kyiv and its Western allies have rejected. 'Ukraine never wanted this war, and it is Russia that must end the war that it itself started,' Zelensky said in a Telegram post as he called for a sit-down with Putin. But Peskov said Tuesday that 'a lot of work needs to be done before having a detailed discussion on the possibility of high-level meetings,' effectively scrapping hopes of a summit to bring Zelensky and Putin together any time soon. Ukrainian and Western officials have accused the Kremlin of stalling in talks in order for its bigger army to capture more Ukrainian land. Moscow's forces are currently in control of roughly 20% of Ukraine's landmass. Indeed, sources in the Kremlin told Reuters last week that Putin intends to simply seize more Ukrainian territory and believes his nation, which has thus far survived the toughest sanctions imposed by the West, can endure further economic hardship. 'Putin thinks no one has seriously engaged with him on the details of peace in Ukraine - including the Americans - so he will continue until he gets what he wants,' one source said. Russian analysts have said Moscow's forces will aim to bleed Ukraine dry with a strategy of 'a thousand cuts,' using drones and meat grinder assaults to relentlessly pressure many sectors of the front while increasing long-range aerial attacks against key infrastructure. Since spring, Russian troops have accelerated their land gains, capturing the most territory in eastern Ukraine since the opening stages of Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022. DeepState Map, a Ukrainian open-source live mapping service, suggests Putin's soldiers have managed to secure 1,415 square kilometres (546 square miles) of land in the past three months. Now, they're closing in on the eastern strongholds of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region, methodically capturing villages near both cities to try to cut key supply routes and envelop their defenders. Capturing those strongholds would allow Russia to push toward Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, setting the stage for the seizure of the entire Donetsk region. If Russian troops seize those last strongholds, it would open the way for them to forge westward to the Dnipropetrovsk region. The regional capital of Dnipro, a major industrial hub of nearly 1 million, is about 150 kilometres (90 miles) west of Russian positions. Putin's troops are also already in control of the entire Luhansk region, along with more than 70% of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and small parts of the Kharkiv region, where they are encircling Lyman and Kupiansk. Russia's battlefield success of late is due in part to Ukraine's manpower and ammunition shortages after more than three years of brutal war, but can also be attributed in part to a refinement of frontline tactics, specifically the use of drones. Petro, a senior sergeant with the 38th Marine Brigade fighting near Pokrovsk, told the Kyiv Independent last week that his unit is experiencing a 'huge problem' with Russia's use of drones and glide bombs. Rather than relying on tanks and armoured vehicles to grind forward as they did earlier in the war, Russian forces are increasingly deploying swarms of first-person view (FPV) drones to bombard Ukrainian positions and limit the mobility of defenders. Roman Pohorilyi, co-founder of DeepState Map, added that Shahed-type attack drones are also being used along the contact line, not just to launch attacks on infrastructure. But groups of unfortunate foot soldiers are nonetheless forced to pile in behind them in a mad dash to overwhelm the defensive lines - a tactic Petro described as 'meat assaults in small groups'. 'Three (Russian soldiers) advance, two are killed, and one reaches the trench.' A view of the destruction after Russian forces launched a missile attack on the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv Since Donald Trump's return to the White House in January, the US and Russian leaders have shared several personal phone calls. Trump also dispatched special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow for a diplomatic visit, and the US has proposed an unconditional ceasefire - but these actions have yielded no results. Moscow's escalating attacks on Ukraine have tested Trump's patience, and his temper boiled over last week during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office. 'We are very, very unhappy with [Russia], and we're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 per cent,' he threatened. 'I'm disappointed in President Putin. I thought we would've had a deal two months ago,' he went on, in reference to the US-proposed ceasefire that Kyiv accepted but was rejected by Moscow. Perhaps more consequentially, Trump also threatened to levy secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian exports to discourage them from keeping funds flowing into the Kremlin's war chest, should the conflict continue beyond the 50-day deadline. Until now, the US and its European allies have declined to impose measures that would restrict Russia from exporting its oil and gas elsewhere. Such a move would constitute a dramatic ramping up of Western efforts to back Ukraine as it would likely see Washington and the EU target countries such as China, India and NATO member Turkey, all of whom import huge quantities of Russian energy. In response, leading Russian propagandist Igor Korotchenko said Moscow must use the 50-day period before sanctions are imposed to win the war by dramatically increasing the intensity of attacks across the border. Korotchenko, a former colonel-turned-military analyst and editor-in-chief of National Defence magazine, told state-TV: 'Weakening the potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' rear support system will force Ukraine to accept Russia's terms. 'It is necessary to intensify Russian strikes… to the maximum extent possible. Scaling up this approach, we can achieve success.'
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Defence Minister says China could spy on Aussie ships in days ahead
The Deputy Prime Minister says China is not spying on Australian war drills but could not rule it out from happening in the days ahead. Richard Marles, who is also the Defence Minister, said on Today that he was certain ongoing Australian war drills were not being spied on 'right now'. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is participating in Talisman Sabre military exercises that include more than 30,000 military personnel from Australia, the US and 19 partner nations. The exercises began on Sunday and will run until August 4 across Queensland, Western Australia, NSW, the Northern Territory and Papua New Guinea. Mr Marles was asked on Today whether he was aware if warships were spying on the war games. 'They're not, but they have in the past,' he said. 'But it might happen over the coming days and weeks. That's what's happening.' Labor MP Pat Conroy said on Sunday – when he was acting as defence minister – the ADF was prepared for China to observe the military exercises. 'People observe these exercises to collect intelligence around procedures, around the electronic spectrum and the use of communications, and we'll adjust accordingly so that we manage that leakage,' Mr Conroy said. 'I think it'll be a two-way process, but when we conduct these exercises, we're always cognisant that they're being observed by people who want to collect information about how we work with our allies, how we communicate with our allies and partners, and you manage that accordingly in a sensitive way. 'That's what the Australian people would expect our Australian Defence Force to do, and we'll continue to do that. 'But again, I'll say the Chinese military have observed these exercises since 2017 and it'd be very unusual if they didn't do that this time.' Chinese spy ships were spotted at the last Talisman Sabre exercises in 2023. Mr Marles said the Australian Navy was in the vicinity of China, and the 'fundamental point' was the countries should engage in accordance with the 'rules-based order'. 'The reason we have used that as our baseline is because we are much more often in the vicinity of China than China is in the vicinity of Australia,' he said. 'And the reason for that is because that's where our trade routes are. 'That's where our sea lines of communication are.
Japan Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan voices strong concern over Chinese military and rare earth moves
Japan's top diplomat used a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of a regional summit in Malaysia on Thursday to lay out a laundry list of concerns with Beijing — including dangerous intercepts by its military and its export controls on crucial rare earth elements. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya held talks with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related gatherings in Kuala Lumpur to voice Tokyo's 'strong concerns' about the flurry of security and economic issues, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Highlighting Tokyo's rising security concerns, the 45-minute talks came just ahead of an announcement by Japan's Defense Ministry of what it said were two 'unusual approaches' by Chinese fighter jets near Air Self-Defense Force surveillance aircraft that 'risked accidental collisions' over the East China Sea on Wednesday and Thursday. At the meeting, Iwaya pressed Wang over last month's territorial airspace violation by a China Coast Guard helicopter around the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea as well as the ramped-up activities of its two operational aircraft carrier activities in the Western Pacific. The foreign minister also pointed to the deteriorating security situation in the East and South China Seas, while highlighting the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, saying that large-scale military exercises around Taiwan are 'incompatible with this' — an apparent criticism of China's increasingly common drills around the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own and has vowed to unify with the mainland. Iwaya also said he had 'strongly urged' Wang to expedite the approval process for export licenses of rare earths and magnets, saying the controls were having a 'severe' impact on Japanese firms. Japanese imports of the elements, which are essential for making a number of advanced products, have reportedly fallen to the lowest level in five years following Beijing's imposition of trade restrictions in response to U.S. tariffs. According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Wang assured Iwaya that China can meet the normal rare earth demands of Japanese companies 'as long as the relevant regulations are observed and the necessary procedures are followed.' The detention of Japanese nationals in China also featured in the talks, with Iwaya calling for their early release and describing the issue as 'one of the biggest factors impeding people-to-people exchanges and the improvement of national sentiment' between the neighboring countries. Japan's top diplomat is one of dozens of foreign ministers, both from Southeast Asia and the region's top partners, who have convened in Kuala Lumpur for two-days of gatherings that end Friday. Besides speaking with Wang on Thursday, Iwaya also attended a Japan-ASEAN meeting in which he highlighted Southeast Asia's growing economic and security role at a time of escalating geopolitical tensions. 'The international community is at a historic turning point, with regional and international situations becoming increasingly severe and uncertain,' Iwaya said. 'ASEAN is the linchpin in realizing a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' and the world's growth center,' he added. 'Its role is becoming increasingly important for peace and prosperity throughout the region.' U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (center) poses for photos with Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) and Philippines Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro at a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related meetings in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. | POOL / VIA AFP-JIJI But as the region grapples with uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump's new trade tariff announcements, Iwaya also called for 'maintaining and strengthening a free, fair and open international economic order' based on rules and with the World Trade Organization system at its core. Iwaya also held talks with several other counterparts, including a trilateral meeting with Theresa P. Lazaro of the Philippines and U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio, who is on his first trip to Asia since assuming his current role. Rubio looked to defuse growing concerns that the United States under Trump remains aloof and distracted when it comes to the interests of Southeast Asia and the larger Indo-Pacific region, telling gathered ministers Thursday that it 'remains a focal point of U.S. foreign policy.' 'When I hear in the news that perhaps the United States ... might be distracted by events in other parts of the planet, I would say distraction is impossible, because it is our view — our strong view and the reality — that this century and the next — the story of the next 50 years will largely be written here in this region,' he said. 'It is impossible to ignore it, to sideline it, and we have no intention of doing so,' he added. Rubio also held highly anticipated talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with the pair discussing a Ukraine peace deal, as well as the situation in Iran and Syria, according to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. Global and regional concerns have taken center stage in almost all ASEAN-related gatherings as the 10-member bloc's unity and ability to ease tensions is being put to the test over not only the intensifying civil war in Myanmar and the border clash between Cambodia and Thailand but also over the ongoing maritime disputes between Manila and Beijing. In a separate gathering with Iwaya, Wang and South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoonjoo, Malaysia's top diplomat, Mohamad Hasan, emphasized the seriousness of growing trade and security issues facing Southeast Asia. 'The region is facing a storm — what might be called the perfect storm,' he said, explaining that the challenges are multifold, ranging from intensifying great power rivalry, economic fragmentation to technological disruptions and transboundary threats. 'Unilateralism and nationalism are on the rise, marginalizing multilateralism that is essential for a stable world order,' he added. Talks on these issues, however, had largely been overshadowed by Washington's announcements of new trade tariffs on the summit's host and other U.S. regional partners and allies, raising doubts about its commitment to the region. The reaction from the summit was prompt and unequivocal, with this year's ASEAN chairman, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, slamming the tariffs on Wednesday as tools being wielded to 'pressure, isolate and contain.' 'Tariffs, export restrictions and investment barriers have now become the sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry,' Anwar said. 'This is no passing storm,' he added. 'It is the new weather of our time.' Despite efforts by some to offer concessions, Trump on Monday announced hefty levies of between 25% and 40% on six Southeast Asian countries, as well as 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea. Among ASEAN nations, only Vietnam has so far secured a deal, which lowers the levy from an initial 46% initial to 20%.
