Tag Archives: Ukraine

Reuters reports: U.S. President Joe Biden pledged more American troops, warplanes and warships for Europe on Wednesday as NATO agreed the biggest strengthening of its deterrents since the Cold War in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden’s commitment at the Madrid summit “to defend every inch of allied territory” came as the U.S.-led military alliance also set in motion …

Politico reports: Vladimir Putin plans to attend the G20 summit in Indonesia in November, an aide to the Russian president said Monday. Despite launching a brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin was invited to the meeting of the world’s major developed and emerging economies by Indonesian President Joko Widodo — a move that will spark soul-searching for Western allied leaders …

Bloomberg News reports: Russia defaulted on its foreign-currency sovereign debt for the first time in a century, the culmination of ever-tougher Western sanctions that shut down payment routes to overseas creditors. For months, the country found paths around the penalties imposed after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. But at the end of the day on Sunday, the grace period on …

Reuters reports: Russian missiles hit an apartment block and kindergarten in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday, in strikes U.S. President Joe Biden condemned as “barbarism” as world leaders gathered in Europe to discuss further sanctions against Moscow. Up to four explosions shook central Kyiv in the early ours, in the first such attack on the city in weeks. Two …

From the European Broadcasting Union: The Rules of the Eurovision Song Contest, that all participating broadcasters agree upon, clearly state that the event can be moved in a force majeure situation such as an ongoing war. In response to the EBU’s security questionnaire a number of risks that would impact the immediate planning for such a large event, including the …

The Associated Press reports: European Union leaders on Thursday are set to make Ukraine a candidate for joining the 27-nation bloc, a first step in a long and unpredictable journey toward full membership that could take many years to navigate. According to several diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity before a leaders’ summit in Brussels, Ukraine will receive the …

The New York Times reports: The Nobel Peace Prize put up for auction by the Russian journalist Dmitri A. Muratov to help Ukrainian refugees sold Monday night for $103.5 million to an anonymous buyer, obliterating the record for a Nobel medal. The proceeds from the auction will go to UNICEF to aid Ukrainian children and their families displaced by Russia’s …

Reuters reports: The European Union gave its blessing on Friday for Ukraine and its neighbour Moldova to become candidates to join, in the most dramatic geopolitical shift to result from Russia’s invasion. Ukraine applied to join the EU just four days after Russian troops poured across its border in February. Ukraine and Moldova will still face a lengthy process to …

Reuters reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that millions of people could starve because of a Russian blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports which he said had left the world “on the brink of a terrible food crisis.” Russia has seized large parts of Ukraine’s coast, blocking farm exports and driving up the cost of grain. Zelenskiy said Ukraine was …

Reuters reports: A Russian general was killed in eastern Ukraine, a Russian state media journalist said on Sunday, adding to the string of high-ranking military casualties sustained by Moscow. The report, published on the Telegram messaging app by state television reporter Alexander Sladkov, did not say precisely when and where Major General Roman Kutuzov was killed. Russia already classifies military …

The Associated Press reports: European Union leaders agreed Monday to embargo most Russian oil imports into the bloc by year-end as part of new sanctions on Moscow worked out at a summit focused on helping Ukraine with a long-delayed package of new financial support. The embargo covers Russian oil brought in by sea, allowing a temporary exemption for imports delivered …

Politico Europe reports: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has denied that Vladimir Putin is seriously ill in the wake of numerous reports suggesting that the Russian leader has cancer. “You know, President Putin appears in public every day. You can see him on the screens, read his speeches, listen to his speeches,” Lavrov said,. “I don’t think sane people can …

The Washington Post reports: A diplomat at Russia’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva has resigned over the war in Ukraine, writing that he has never been “so ashamed” of his country, in a rare public rebuke of the war from within the Russian government. In a letter circulated to colleagues in Geneva and posted on a LinkedIn account …

The Insider reports: Video footage has emerged of concertgoers in St Petersburg, Russia, chanting an anti-war message to protest Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The video, shared on Twitter by the Russian opposition politician Lubov Sobol, shows a large crowd chanting in unison. The concertgoers can be heard shouting “fuck the war” repeatedly in Russian, referring to the …

Reuters reports: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday he was concerned about what he called moves by the West to “dismember” Ukraine, and accused Poland of seeking to seize the Western part of the country. He offered no evidence for his assertions. “What worries us is that they are ready, the Poles and NATO, to come out, to help …

The BBC reports: A court in Ukraine has jailed a Russian tank commander for life for killing a civilian at the first war crimes trial since the invasion. Captured soldier Sgt Vadim Shishimarin was convicted of killing Oleksandr Shelipov, 62, in the north-eastern village of Chupakhivka on 28 February. He admitted shooting Mr Shelipov but said he had been acting …

The Washington Post reports: Russia is permanently banning nearly 1,000 Americans, including President Biden and Vice President Harris, from entering the country in response to the United States’ support of Ukraine and the historic sanctions facing Moscow nearly three months into its invasion. On Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry published the list of 963 Americans barred from entering Russia — …

The New York Times reports: Russia is moving toward eliminating age limits for military service — an apparent effort to expand the pool of potential recruits amid heavy casualties in Ukraine. Under an amendment introduced by senior lawmakers, Russians older than 40 would be able to sign first-time military service contracts. The law would bring in more service members with …

The Washington Post reports: The Senate voted Thursday to deliver more than $40 billion in new military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, sending the measure to President Biden after a week-long delay sparked by a lone senator’s objection. The vote was 86-to-11 with all opposition to the package coming from Republicans. The bill provides a combined $20.1 billion in military …

The Week reports: The U.S. has reopened its embassy in Kyiv after having closed it three months ago, just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday. “Today we are officially resuming operations at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. The Ukrainian people, with our security assistance, have defended their homeland in the face of …