Tag Archives: Ukraine

CNN reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday used the word “war” to refer to the conflict in Ukraine, the first known time he has publicly deviated from his carefully crafted description of Moscow’s invasion as a “special military operation” 10 months after it began. “Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but, on the contrary, …

CBS News reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to address a joint meeting of Congress Wednesday night as part of his first trip outside Ukraine since Russia launched its assault on his country in February. The trip comes as Congress considers a massive government funding bill that includes $45 billion for Ukraine aid. The Ukrainian president addressed Congress virtually in …

Yahoo News reports: President Biden and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky will hold a joint press conference Wednesday afternoon following their bilateral meeting in the Oval Office. Zelensky’s visit is his first foreign trip since Russia invaded his country in February, and was kept secret while it was planned. The press event precedes an address by Zelensky to Congress, which may …

Axios reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Washington on Wednesday to meet President Biden, hold a press conference at the White House and address a joint session of Congress, a senior administration official told reporters. Zelensky had not left Ukraine since Russia launched its brutal invasion on Feb. 24. During the visit, Biden will announce another $2 billion in U.S. military aid …

Reuters reports: When telecoms gear makers Nokia and Ericsson leave Russia at the end of the year, their departure could steadily cripple the country’s mobile networks over the long-term, setting off a deterioration in communication for everyday Russians. Ericsson and Nokia, which together account for a large share of the telecoms equipment market and close to 50% in terms of …

Axios reports: Capitol Hill is preparing to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a joint session of Congress this week, Axios has learned. This would be Zelensky’s first in-person visit to the U.S. since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. While the details are not yet finalized, U.S. Capitol Police is beefing up security for a potential Wednesday visit, multiple senior …

CNN reports: A request by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to share a message of world peace prior to kickoff at the World Cup final on Sunday has been rebuffed by FIFA, a source told CNN. The source said Zelensky’s office is offering to appear in a video link to fans in the stadium in Qatar, ahead of the game and …

Yahoo News reports: Pope Francis on Wednesday encouraged people to spend less on gifts and parties this Christmas and send the difference to Ukrainians in need. “Let’s have a more humble Christmas, with more humble gifts,” Francis said. “They are hungry, they are cold, many die due to lack of doctors or nurses.” “Let us not forget them, Christmas in peace …

PolitiFact reports: Ukraine wasn’t being led by neo-Nazis and it wasn’t committing genocide. Putin employed those lies to co-opt Russian citizens whose family members would be sent to fight a war, kill others and possibly die themselves. The lies have permeated the assault. When hundreds of bodies were discovered lying in the streets and homes of Bucha after weeks of …

The Guardian reports: Vladimir Putin will not hold a year-end press conference for the first time in at least a decade, in what Kremlin-watchers view as a break with protocol due to his war in Ukraine. The marathon press-conferences are traditionally an occasion for the Russian president to burnish his image, a campy spectacle that allows Putin to play the …

TIME Magazine reports: The process of choosing the Person of the Year—who or what most influenced the events of the past 12 months, for good or for ill—can be agonizing. How could one person represent an entire year? Do we lean into the light, reach into the darkness, or land somewhere in between? This year’s choice was the most clear-cut …

The Guardian reports: A $200m (£163m) superyacht owned by Viktor Medvedchuk, an oligarch and friend of Vladimir Putin who is under sanctions, is to be sold at auction after its seizure in Croatia earlier this year. The Ukrainian government said a Croatian court had ruled that Medvedchuk’s 92.5-metre Royal Romance yacht should be transferred to the Ukrainian Asset Recovery and …

The Associated Press reports: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed the military alliance’s commitment to Ukraine on Tuesday, saying that the war-torn nation will one day become a member of the world’s largest security organization. Stoltenberg’s remarks came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his NATO counterparts gathered in Romania to drum up urgently needed support for Ukraine aimed …

The New York Times reports: Pope Francis on Wednesday compared the war in Ukraine to the “terrible Holodomor genocide” of the 1930s, when the policies of the Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin, caused a devastating famine in Ukraine. The pontiff’s comparison of Moscow’s attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine to Stalin’s decision to let millions in Ukraine starve represents one of …

Via press release from the European Parliament: On Wednesday, Parliament adopted a resolution on the latest developments in Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. MEPs highlight that the deliberate attacks and atrocities committed by Russian forces and their proxies against civilians in Ukraine, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and other serious violations of international and humanitarian law amount to …

Politico Europe reports: The Kremlin has banned most, if not all, of Ireland’s leaders from visiting Russia — a punishment being met with official indifference and unofficial mockery in Dublin. The Foreign Ministry in Moscow defended Wednesday’s action as necessary to counteract what it called Ireland’s “aggressive anti-Russian propaganda campaign” and “Russophobic hysteria in Irish society.” Outside the chamber, politicians …

CNN reports: Polish President Andrzej Duda said the missile that killed two people in eastern Poland on Tuesday was likely fired by Ukrainian forces defending against a wave of Russian missile strikes, and that the incident appeared to be an accident. “There is no indication that this was an intentional attack on Poland. Most likely, it was a Russian-made S-300 …

The Associated Press reports: Russia pounded Ukraine’s energy facilities Tuesday with its biggest barrage of missiles yet, striking targets across the country and causing widespread blackouts, and a U.S. official said missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, where two people were killed. Polish media reported that two people died Tuesday afternoon after a projectile struck an area where grain was …

The New York Times reports: Russia’s Parliament is set to pass a legislative package that would ban all “gay propaganda,” signaling an even more difficult period ahead for a stigmatized segment of society. The laws would prohibit representation of L.G.B.T.Q. relationships in any media — streaming services, social platforms, books, music, posters, billboards and films — and, activists fear, in …

The New York Times reports: Senior Russian military leaders recently had conversations to discuss when and how Moscow might use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, contributing to heightened concern in Washington and allied capitals, according to multiple senior American officials. President Vladimir V. Putin was not a part of the conversations, which were held against the backdrop of Russia’s …