Latest news with #offensives
The Guardian
12-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Russia preparing for fresh offensives not a ceasefire, Zelenskyy says
Russia is preparing its troops for new offensives instead of getting ready to stop the war in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday, ahead of talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday. '[Putin] is certainly not getting ready for a ceasefire and war end,' the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address. He added, without providing specifics, that Russia was moving its troops for new operations on Ukrainian soil. 'There is no sign that the Russians have received signals to prepare for a postwar situation.' Separately, Zelenskyy said he had spoken to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, as he seeks to rally support for Ukraine beyond Europe. Both countries have taken cautious diplomatic positions on the Russian invasion. India is a major buyer of Russian oil and Saudi Arabia has pitched itself as a mediator in the conflict. Zelenskyy said he spoke to both leaders about strengthening Ukraine's position in any peace process. 'Communication with leaders is ongoing practically around the clock – we are in constant touch,' he wrote on X. 'Now is the moment when there is a real chance to achieve peace.' Trump said he and Putin would discuss 'land swapping' when they met on Friday and expressed frustration with Zelenskyy for putting conditions on such a potential agreement. During a news conference at the White House on Monday, the US president said he was frustrated with Zelenskyy's insistence that Ukraine would need to hold a national referendum on any peace deal that stipulated recognising Russian control over territory that it has occupied during the war. 'I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelenskyy was saying I have to get constitutional approval,' Trump said. 'He has approval to go to war and kill everybody but he needs approval to do a land swap. Because there will be some land swapping going on. I know that through Russia and through conversations with everybody.' Moscow hopes the Putin-Trump meeting will give momentum to the normalisation of relations between Russia and the US, the Tass news agency reported on Tuesday. 'We hope that the upcoming high-level meeting will give an impulse to the normalization of bilateral relations,' Tass cited Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying. German chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday invited Trump to join emergency virtual talks with EU leaders and Zelenskyy on Wednesday ahead of the Alaska summit. Merz's office said in a statement that the virtual talks would focus on 'further options for action to put pressure on Russia' and 'preparations for possible peace negotiations and related issues of territorial claims and security'. It is not clear whether or not Trump has accepted the invitation to the call. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday that the EU would work on a 19th package of sanctions against Russia and warned against concessions to Moscow. 'As far as Russia has not agreed to full and unconditional ceasefire, we should not even discuss any concessions,' Kallas said in a statement. 'The sequencing of the steps is important. First an unconditional ceasefire with a strong monitoring system and ironclad security guarantees,' she said, adding that 'we will work on a 19th package of sanctions'. The captain and two officers of a ship believed to belong to Russia's so-called shadow fleet have been charged with sabotage for cutting five Baltic Sea cables in December, Finnish prosecutors said on Monday. The captain and first and second officers of the Cook Islands-registered oil tanker Eagle S are alleged to have dragged the ship's anchor on the seabed for about 90km (56 miles), damaging five undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland. A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and wounded two others in a region about 420km (260 miles) east of Moscow, a Russian official said on Monday. The governor of Nizhny Novgorod, Gleb Nikitin, said in a statement that drones targeted two 'industrial zones' and caused the casualties and unspecified damage.
Al Arabiya
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Zelenskyy says ‘no sign' Russia is getting set for peace
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was preparing its troops for new offensives instead of getting ready to stop the war in Ukraine, after he spoke to Saudi and Indian leaders on Monday as part of efforts to mobilize support for Kyiv beyond Europe. Zelenskyy won diplomatic backing from Europe and the NATO alliance on Sunday, amid fears that the US and Russian leaders may try to dictate terms for ending the 3-1/2-year war during their Friday summit in Alaska. 'Today, there was a report from the intelligence and military command about what Putin is counting on and what he is actually preparing for. In particular, military preparations. He is certainly not getting ready for a ceasefire and war end,' Zelenskyy said in a nightly address. He added, without providing any specifics, that Russia was moving its troops for new operations on Ukrainian soil. 'There is no sign that the Russians have received signals to prepare for a post-war situation,' he said. Vladyslav Voloshyn, Ukraine's military spokesperson for the southern frontline sector, told Reuters on Monday that Russia was moving some of its units in the Zaporizhzhia region for further assaults. In separate statements on Monday, Zelenskyy said he had spoken to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. India is a major buyer of Russian oil, and Saudi Arabia has pitched itself as a mediator in the conflict. Zelenskyy said he spoke to both leaders about strengthening Ukraine's position in any peace process. 'Communication with leaders is ongoing practically around the clock – we are in constant touch,' he wrote on X. 'Now is the moment when there is a real chance to achieve peace.' In his 'long conversation' with Modi, Zelenskyy added that he had also discussed sanctions on Russian oil. Trump last week slapped an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of the product. 'I noted that it is necessary to limit the export of Russian energy, particularly oil, to reduce its potential and ability to finance the continuation of this war,' Zelenskyy said, adding that leaders with 'tangible leverage over Russia' should act. Zelenskyy also urged his country's allies to keep their sanctions against Russia in place until Ukraine receives security guarantees. Putin has also made a flurry of calls in recent days, speaking to the leaders of China, India, Brazil and ex-Soviet states to brief them on his contacts with the United States about the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday, Germany will convene a virtual meeting of European leaders to discuss how to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine ahead of a European call with Trump. Zelenskyy and EU and NATO officials were expected to join the meeting. Earlier on Monday, Zelenskyy warned that any concessions to Russia would not persuade it to stop fighting in Ukraine and that there was a need to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin. 'Russia refuses to stop the killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits,' he wrote on X. 'Concessions do not persuade a killer.'
Reuters
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Zelenskiy says 'no sign' Russia is getting set for peace
KYIV, Aug 11 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia was preparing its troops for new offensives instead of getting ready to stop the war in Ukraine, after he spoke to the leaders of India and Saudi Arabia on Monday as part of efforts to mobilise support for Kyiv beyond Europe. Zelenskiy won diplomatic backing from Europe and the NATO alliance on Sunday, amid fears that the U.S. and Russian leaders may try to dictate terms for ending the 3-1/2-year war during their Friday summit in Alaska. "Today, there was a report from the intelligence and military command about what Putin is counting on and what he is actually preparing for. In particular, military preparations. He is certainly not getting ready for a ceasefire and war end," Zelenskiy said in a nightly address. He added, without providing any specifics, that Russia was moving its troops for new operations on Ukrainian soil. "There is no sign that the Russians have received signals to prepare for a post-war situation," he said. Vladyslav Voloshyn, Ukraine's military spokesperson for the southern frontline sector, told Reuters on Monday that Russia was moving some of its units in the Zaporizhzhia region for further assaults. In separate statements on Monday, Zelenskiy said he had spoken to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, both of whom have taken cautious diplomatic positions on Russia's invasion of its neighbour. India is a major buyer of Russian oil, and Saudi Arabia has pitched itself as a mediator in the conflict. Zelenskiy said he spoke to both leaders about strengthening Ukraine's position in any peace process. "Communication with leaders is ongoing practically around the clock – we are in constant touch," he wrote on X. "Now is the moment when there is a real chance to achieve peace." In his "long conversation" with Modi, Zelenskiy added that he had also discussed sanctions on Russian oil. Trump last week slapped an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of the product. "I noted that it is necessary to limit the export of Russian energy, particularly oil, to reduce its potential and ability to finance the continuation of this war," Zelenskiy said, adding that leaders with "tangible leverage over Russia" should act. Zelenskiy also urged his country's allies to keep their sanctions against Russia in place until Ukraine receives security guarantees. Putin has also made a flurry of calls in recent days, speaking to the leaders of China, India, Brazil and ex-Soviet states to brief them on his contacts with the United States about the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday, Germany will convene a virtual meeting of European leaders to discuss how to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine ahead of a European call with Trump. Zelenskiy and EU and NATO officials were expected to join the meeting. Earlier on Monday, Zelenskiy warned that any concessions to Russia would not persuade it to stop fighting in Ukraine and that there was a need to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin. "Russia refuses to stop the killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits," he wrote on X. "Concessions do not persuade a killer."
