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NATO: Russia repositioning, not scaling back
Russian troops not withdrawing but regrouping in Ukraine, NATO says
Putin said timing premature for Ukraine ceasefire- Draghi
Ukraine's President Zelenskiy says others may be emboldened if Russia not punished- Moody's withdraws all credit ratings on Russian entities
- Ukraine, Russia talks resume Friday by video
- Ukraine economy to recover in 2023 if war ceases in next two months, EBRD says
- Seafood biz braces for losses of jobs, fish due to sanctions
- Russia bombards areas where it pledged to scale back
- Ukraine: Russia's 2020 policy allows for 'defensive' use of nuclear weapons
- India to allow Russia to invest, borrow from domestic market amid sanctions on Moscow
Ukraine's President Zelenskiy says others may be emboldened if Russia not punished
Moody's withdraws all credit ratings on Russian entities
Ukraine, Russia talks resume Friday by video
Ukraine economy to recover in 2023 if war ceases in next two months, EBRD says
Seafood biz braces for losses of jobs, fish due to sanctions
Russia bombards areas where it pledged to scale back
Ukraine: Russia's 2020 policy allows for 'defensive' use of nuclear weapons
India to allow Russia to invest, borrow from domestic market amid sanctions on Moscow
British spy chief says Russian soldiers are disobeying orders in Ukraine
"It's clear he misjudged the resistance of the Ukrainian people. He underestimated the strength of the coalition his actions would galvanise. He underplayed the economic consequences of the sanctions regime, and he overestimated the abilities of his military to secure a rapid victory," Fleming said.
Russia's ruble rebound raises questions of sanctions' impact
The ruble is no longer rubble. While the West has imposed unprecedented levels of sanctions against the Russian economy, Russia's Central Bank has jacked up interest rates to 20% and the Kremlin has imposed strict capital controls on those wishing to exchange their rubles for dollars or euros.
Putin misled by 'yes men' in military afraid to tell him the truth: US, EU officials
“We have information that Putin felt misled by the Russian military, which has resulted in persistent tension between Putin and his military leadership,” Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, told reporters during a press briefing. “We believe that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions because his senior advisors are too afraid to tell him the truth,” she said.
Moscow announces Mariupol ceasefire today to evacuate civilians
A humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, via the Russian-controlled port of Berdiansk, would be opened from 10 am (0700 GMT), the ministry said Wednesday.
China, Russia 'more determined' to boost ties, Beijing says
The two also condemned what they called illegal and counter- productive Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Russia will gradually transfer gas payments to rubles: Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Moscow will now only accept rubles as payment for natural gas deliveries to "unfriendly" countries, which include the European Union.
Mariupol a strategic prize for Russia, symbol of resistance for Ukraine
Nearly 5,000 people have been killed and buildings across the city destroyed, according to the mayor. He said 290,000 people had fled by March 27 but that at least 160,000 were still trapped without power and with little food or other supplies.
As Ukraine holds out, its military losses remain hard to gauge
Hiding combat deaths and equipment destruction is standard procedure in wartime, and both Russia and Ukraine have given scant details on losses that are impossible to verify, but surely downplayed in order to keep morale up.
A month into Ukraine's war with Russia, gravediggers of Lviv mourn the dead
Stefan Ivanchuk, a 60-year-old groundskeeper at Lychakiv cemetery in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, is already sweating as he bends to his work among the graves, where blue and yellow ribbons, the colours of Ukraine, adorn simple wooden crosses.
United Nations says over four million have fled Ukraine
Aid workers say the flow has eased in recent days as many people await developments in the war. An estimated 6.5 million people have also been displaced from their homes within Ukraine.
Ukraine's Chernigiv 'shelled all night' despite Russian vows
"The enemy has demonstrated its 'decrease in activity' in the Chernigiv region with strikes on Nizhyn, including air strikes. Chernigiv was shelled all night," regional governor Vyacheslav Chaus wrote on social media.
Poland to cut all Russian oil imports; Germany warns on gas
Poland has already largely reduced its dependence on Russian oil, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. Morawiecki told a news conference that Poland was launching the most radical plan among European nations to wean off Russian energy sources. Poland said Tuesday it was banning imports of Russian coal. Morawiecki said he expects gas imports will be cut in May.
Germany will not accept breach of gas supply contracts by Russia
"We will not accept any breach of private delivery contracts, and I am pleased that companies agree," he said at a news conference.
Ukraine demands Russia withdraw from Chernobyl area, says ammunition could explode
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Ukraine had asked Russia at talks on Tuesday to allow 97 humanitarian corridors to be established to the worst-hit towns, cities, and villages in Ukraine.
War threatens food security in Russia and beyond
Since 2014 Russia has pursued two primary goals in its food policy. Domestically, it has strived for food security through import substitution and self-sufficiency in several basic commodities. Internationally, it has strived to increase the value and volume of its food exports, especially wheat and other grains. The war in Ukraine threatens both goals.
Britain says Russian units forced to return to Belarus, Russia to resupply
"Such activity is placing further pressure on Russia's already strained logistics and demonstrates the difficulties Russia is having re-organising its units in forward areas within Ukraine," Britain's defence ministry said.
Ukraine isn't naive, Zelenskiy says after Russian pledge to scale down attack on Kyiv
"In order to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations and achieving the ultimate goal of agreeing and signing (an) agreement, a decision was made to radically, by a large margin, reduce military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv directions," Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin told reporters.
India calls for 'purposeful engagement' by Russia, Ukraine in ongoing talks, hope understanding could be reached soon
Russia and Ukraine held the latest round of talks on Tuesday in Istanbul. Moscow said that it will significantly scale back military operations near Ukraine's capital and a northern city, as the outlines of a possible deal to end the grinding war which started on February 24.
Russian pledge to scale back in Ukraine draws skepticism
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there was no reason to believe Russia's announcement that it would reduce military activity near Kyiv, the capital, as well as in the northern city of Chernihiv, given what's still happening on the ground.
Russia says de-escalation not a ceasefire; talks have long way to go
Russian negotiators earlier on Tuesday gave an undertaking to sharply scale back military activity around Ukraine's capital Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv, in the most tangible sign yet of progress towards a peace deal.
The Ukraine war is reshaping how Europe spends
Across the European Union and Britain, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is reshaping spending priorities and forcing governments to prepare for threats thought to have been long buried - from a flood of European refugees to the possible use of chemical, biological and even nuclear weapons by a Russian leader who may feel backed into a corner.
UK to step up military presence in Arctic
Britain participates in biennial exercises with partners in the North Atlantic but the Russian invasion of Ukraine has seen the area take on added strategic importance. Wallace's Norwegian counterpart Odd Roger Enoksen said that his country, as a member of NATO but also a neighbour of Russia, "wants more allied activity up North". He further noted, "The UK is our most important ally in Europe."
Dutch expels 17 Russians for alleged spying
The decision comes as many other Western countries also expelled Russian diplomats, including the United States, which kicked out 12 intelligence operatives in early March, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Putin, Zelensky meeting possible after Istanbul talks: Ukraine
"The results of today's meeting are sufficient for a meeting at the leaders' level," Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said.
Russia says it will cut back operations near Ukraine capital
The statement comes on Tuesday after another round of talks Russia and Ukraine held in Istanbul and appears to be the first major concession the Russians made since the beginning of their invasion in Ukraine more than a month ago.
Russia 'postpones' military service for IT specialists
Military service is compulsory in Russia for men aged between 18 and 27. Many try to evade service through medical or educational exemptions while some simply ignore the summons.
'No handshake' as Ukraine, Russia delegations meet for peace talks
Ukraine and the United States hold little hope of an immediate breakthrough. But the resumption of face-to-face talks is an important first step towards a ceasefire in a Russian invasion that is stalled on most fronts but inflicting horrible suffering on civilians trapped in besieged cities.
After Russian forces pull back, a shattered town in Ukraine breathes
It is not clear where the Russian forces went, under what circumstances they fled or whether the town will remain free of them in the days ahead. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his overnight address emphasized that the situation remains tense in Ukraine's northeast around Kharkiv, the nearest large city, and other areas.
Ukraine retakes Kyiv suburb, as talks resume under shadow
Troops "liberated" the suburban town of Irpin, Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky said, wresting a key gateway to the capital's northwest from Russian control. AFP journalists witnessed continued heavy shelling in the area and encountered fleeing residents, who described hellish scenes of bombs raining from the sky and people killed in cold blood while trying to escape.
When Nokia pulled out of Russia, a vast surveillance system remained
Called the System for Operative Investigative Activities, or SORM, it is also most likely being employed at this moment as President Vladimir Putin culls and silences anti-war voices inside Russia.
After Biden's fiery speech, nine unscripted words reverberate
And although the forceful denunciation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war resonated with some leaders, it was an unprompted ad-lib that captured the attention of foreign policy experts, members of Congress and NATO allies.
Russian billionaire Abramovich, Ukrainian peace negotiators hit by suspected poisoning
The Kremlin has said Abramovich played an early role in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine but the process was now in the hands of the two sides' negotiating teams. Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what President Vladimir Putin calls a "special military operation" to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine. Ukraine and the West say Putin launched an unprovoked war of aggression.
Carlsberg to leave Russia, one of its main markets
As a result of the decision, revenues from the Russian operations would not be included in the company's earnings going forward, and the company said it would "later provide further details on the accounting impact of the planned disposal." Shares in Carlsberg were up over seven percent on the Copenhagen stock exchange following the announcement.
EU seeks end to golden passport schemes, halt to sales of visas to Russians
The Commission urged an immediate end to existing national programmes for the sale of passports. Currently only Malta, Cyprus and Bulgaria have such schemes and they have all committed to ending them. Cyprus' parliament has just voted to end its programme.
Joe Biden 'gaffe' on Vladimir Putin scrambles US message on Ukraine
Biden's comment that the Russian president "cannot remain in power" -- delivered in Warsaw at the close of three days of marathon diplomacy -- was termed "a horrendous gaffe" by one Republican senator.
No 'significant achievements' so far in Russia-Ukraine talks: Kremlin
"So far we cannot state any significant achievements or breakthroughs," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during his daily press briefing. "For now we cannot and will not speak of progress," Peskov added. He said, however, that it was "important" that it had been decided to continue the talks in person.