by Alma COHEN Finland and Sweden are to discuss their stalled NATO bids with Turkey in Brussels on Monday, but hopes are fading they will be able resolve their dispute before an alliance summit next week, experts say. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was to meet with representatives from the three countries to try to make progress on the Nordic nations’ membership applications, which have been blocked by Ankara. “I think it is possible but […]
Tag: Ukraine
Russia to ‘intensify’ fighting, Zelensky warns as EU decision looms
by Benoit Finck with Anna Malpas in the Donbas Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia was likely to intensify its “hostile activity” this week, as Kyiv awaits a historic decision from the European Union on its bid for candidate status. Nearly three months after Russia launched a bloody invasion of his country, Zelensky said there had been “few such fateful decisions for Ukraine” as the one it expects from the EU this week. “Only […]
Ukraine says lost control of Severodonetsk village
Ukraine said Monday it had lost control of a village adjacent to the eastern industrial city of Severodonetsk, the centre of weeks of fierce fighting with invading Russian troops. “Unfortunately, we do not control Metyolkine anymore. And the enemy continues to build up its reserves,” the Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said in a statement on social media. Russia’s capture of the hamlet with a pre-war population of around 1,000 people, is the latest around […]
Ukraine mechanics turn rally cars into ‘combat buggies’
by Marina Moyseyenko Agence France-Presse ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AFP) — At a workshop in Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, mechanics are hard at work turning rally cars into vehicles that can be used to fight Russian troops on the frontline. They change mufflers, remove sports tuning and change the interiors to create pared-down vehicles — all under the supervision of businessman Volodymyr Tarkhov. Before the Russian invasion, the 32-year-old produced fiberglass catamarans and kayaks. Since the start […]
Russia to ‘intensify’ fighting, Zelensky warns as EU decision on Ukraine looms
by Benoit Finck with Anna Malpas in the Donbas Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned Sunday that Russia was likely to intensify its “hostile activity” this week, as Kyiv awaits a historic decision from the European Union on its membership application. Nearly three months after Russia launched a bloody invasion of his country, Zelensky said there had been “few such fateful decisions for Ukraine” as the one it expects from […]
Russia’s operation in Ukraine not cause of global inflation: Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine was not the cause of global economic troubles, instead blaming Western countries for using the situation to cover up their own mistakes. “What is happening is not the result of recent months, much less the result of a special military operation that Russia is conducting in the Donbas,” Putin said referring to the predominantly Russia-speaking region of Eastern Ukraine. “The rising prices, […]
Russia says nearly 2,000 foreign fighters killed in Ukraine
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Friday said that close to 2,000 foreign mercenaries have been killed in Ukraine since the start of Moscow’s military intervention in the pro-Western country. Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement that 6,956 “mercenaries and weapons specialists” from 64 countries had arrived in Ukraine since the start of the conflict and that “1,956 have already been destroyed”. Another 1,779 have left Ukraine, the statement said. It said that Poland […]
Russia has ‘strategically lost’ Ukraine war: UK armed forces chief
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Russia has already “strategically lost” its war with Ukraine, suffering heavy losses and strengthening NATO, the UK’s chief of defense staff said in an interview published on Friday. “This is a dreadful mistake by Russia. Russia will never take control of Ukraine,” said Tony Radakin, the country’s highest-ranking military officer, adding it would emerge a “more diminished power”. “Russia has strategically lost already. NATO is stronger, Finland and Sweden are […]
US urges Russia ‘humane treatment’ of Americans captured in Ukraine
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday urged Russia to treat any American volunteers captured while fighting alongside Ukrainian troops as prisoners of war guaranteed humane treatment. The State Department also said that a third American was believed to be missing in Ukraine in addition to two military veterans who were reportedly seized by Russian forces in a pitched battle last week. “The Russians have certain obligations and members of the Ukrainian […]
Zelensky ‘grateful’ for new US arms package to Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday he was “grateful” for a new American arms package to Kyiv after speaking to US President Joe Biden. “The United States announced new strengthening of our defense, a new $1 billion support package,” Zelensky said in an evening address. “I am grateful for this support, it is especially important for our defense in (the eastern region of) Donbas.” Biden announced an arms package to Ukraine […]
China vows support for Russia, drawing US ire
BEIJING, China (AFP) — President Xi Jinping on Wednesday assured Vladimir Putin of China’s support on Russian “sovereignty and security” — leading Washington to warn Beijing it risked ending up “on the wrong side of history”. China has refused to condemn Moscow’s massive military assault on Ukraine and has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for Russia by blasting Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv. China is “willing to continue to offer mutual support […]
Russia plans evacuations from chemical plant in battleground Ukraine city
by Anna Malpas with Benoit Finck in Kyiv Agence France-Presse LYSYCHANSK, Ukraine (AFP) — Russia said it would establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from a chemical plant in Severodonetsk starting Wednesday as Ukrainian forces wage a desperate battle for control of the city. The industrial hub is under intense bombardment as Russia focuses its offensive on the eastern Donbas region in an effort to seize a swathe of Ukraine. Moscow’s forces have intensified […]





