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☆ Moldova Police Find Russian Drone Fragments Near Ukraine Border
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

CHISINAU (Reuters) - Police on Sunday found fragments of a Russian drone alongside the Moldova border with Ukraine, prompting pro-European President Maia Sandu to renew her support for Kyiv in its nearly two-year-old war with Moscow. The war has buffeted Moldova, with periodic reports of weapon fragments found on the territory of the ex-Soviet state lying between Ukraine and Romania. A police statement said the fragments were found near the village of Etulia. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 Images"Russia’s war on Ukraine hits close to home in Moldova — again," Sandu wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Reuters could not independently verify the incident and Russian authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Maia Sandu, Sandu, Ronald Popeski, Mark Porter Organizations: Police, Kyiv, European Union, Reuters Locations: CHISINAU, Russian, Moldova, Ukraine, Moscow, Soviet, Romania, Russia, Etulia, Ismail, Moldova —

☆ US, Russia Clash at UN Over North Korea, Patriot Missiles in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood traded the accusations at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Ukraine, requested by Moscow. "To date, Russia has launched DPRK-supplied ballistic missiles against Ukraine on at least nine occasions," Wood told the 15-member Security Council, using the North Korea's formal name: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). "Russia and the DPRK must be held accountable for their actions, which undermine long-standing obligations under UN Security Council resolutions," he said. Russian investigators said last week that they had evidence showing that Ukraine's military shot down the military transport plane with U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles. Senior Ukrainian U.N. diplomat Serhii Dvornyk accused Russia of misusing the Security Council "for disseminating fakes."

Persons: Michelle Nichols UNITED, Russia's U.N, Vassily Nebenzia, Robert Wood, Wood, Nebenzia, Serhii Dvornyk, Michelle Nichols, Ronald Popeski, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, United, U.S, Security, Democratic People's, UN, North, ., Russian Air Force, Security Council, Senior Ukrainian Locations: United States, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Washington, Russian, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, Pyongyang, North Korea, Iran, U.S

☆ Oil Refinery in Southern Russia Ablaze -News Agencies Quote Officials
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - A fire broke out at a large oil refinery in the southern Russian town of Tuapse on Wednesday and emergency teams were battling the blaze, Russian news agencies quoted officials as saying. "According to emergency services of Tuapse district, a fire broke out on the territory of the oil refinery in the town," the agencies quoted a statement by the Krasnodar, or Kuban, region emergencies service. Agencies also quoted officials at the region's major airport, in the seaside town of Sochi, about 100 km (60 miles) to the southeast, as saying it had suspended arrivals and departures. Sergei Boiko, the head of Tuapse district, said on Telegram that the fire was located in the refinery's vacuum unit -- a secondary processing section. Unofficial Telegram channels showed pictures of the blaze and said drones had been responsible.

Persons: Crews, Sergei Boiko, Ronald Popeski, Leslie Adler, Sandra Maler Organizations: Reuters Locations: Russian, Tuapse, Krasnodar, Kuban, Sochi

☆ Moldova denounces new Russian ban on fruit imports
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCHISINAU, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Pro-European authorities in Moldova on Friday dismissed as groundless a ban imposed by Russia on imports of its fruit and vegetables, the latest display of deteriorating relations between Moscow and the ex-Soviet state. Russia's farm goods oversight agency, Rosselkhoznadzor, said on Thursday it was reinstating restrictions last imposed in 2022. It cited "continuous, systematic observation of elements subject to quarantine" and said Moldovan authorities had taken no action to right the situation. "The decision by the Russian authorities contradicts phytosanitary principles and is in no way grounded in real arguments," it said in a statement. We ship to 28 countries," Iurie Fala, Executive Director of the Moldovan Fruit Producers Association, told Reuters.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Maia Sandu, Charles Michel, Valentyn, ANSA, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Fala, Alexander Tanas, Ronald Popeski, Sandra Maler Organizations: European, REUTERS, Rights, Moldovan, European Union, Moldovan Fruit Producers Association, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Rights CHISINAU, Moldova, Russia, Moscow, Soviet, Romania, Russian

☆ Moldova Denounces New Russian Ban on Fruit Imports
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Alexander TanasCHISINAU (Reuters) - Pro-European authorities in Moldova on Friday dismissed as groundless a ban imposed by Russia on imports of its fruit and vegetables, the latest display of deteriorating relations between Moscow and the ex-Soviet state. Russia's farm goods oversight agency, Rosselkhoznadzor, said on Thursday it was reinstating restrictions last imposed in 2022. It cited "continuous, systematic observation of elements subject to quarantine" and said Moldovan authorities had taken no action to right the situation. "The decision by the Russian authorities contradicts phytosanitary principles and is in no way grounded in real arguments," it said in a statement. We ship to 28 countries," Iurie Fala, Executive Director of the Moldovan Fruit Producers Association, told Reuters.

Persons: Alexander Tanas CHISINAU, ANSA, Maia Sandu, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Fala, Alexander Tanas, Ronald Popeski, Sandra Maler Organizations: Moldovan, European Union, Moldovan Fruit Producers Association, Reuters Locations: Moldova, Russia, Moscow, Soviet, Ukraine, Romania, Russian

[1/3] Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov disembarks from a plane upon his arrival at an airport ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Skopje, North Macedonia, November 30, 2023. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told reporters on Wednesday in Brussels where he attended a NATO meeting. The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said he understood unease about Lavrov attending the meeting in Skopje, North Macedonia. But he said it was a chance for Lavrov to hear broad condemnation of Russia's war in Ukraine. I think that is simply wrong," said Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov disembarks, Russia's Sergei Lavrov, Margus Tsahkna, Lavrov, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Dimitar Kovacevski, OSCE Michael Carpenter, Antony Blinken, Helga Schmid, Krisjanis Karins, Humeyra Pamuk, Aleksandar Vasovic, Ronald Popeski, Francois Murphy, William Maclean, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Organisation for Security, Cooperation, Russian Foreign Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Organization for Security, Baltic, OSCE, Soviet, NATO, Tass, Russian, North Macedonia's, Kremlin, AS, Ukraine, United, U.S, United Nations General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Europe, Skopje, North Macedonia, BRUSSELS, VIENNA, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Estonian, Brussels, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Belarus, United States, Moscow, West, New York, Latvian

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLVIV, Ukraine, Nov 12 (Reuters) - At least three Russian officers were killed in the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian city of Melitopol in a blast Ukraine's intelligence said on Sunday was an "act of revenge" by local resistance groups. The blast occurred during a meeting on Saturday of Russian officers in Melitopol, a town in southwestern Ukraine that has become a hub of Russian forces after they captured it in early days of the war. Reuters could not independently verify the Ukrainian intelligence claim. The Ukraine intelligence statement said the Saturday meeting was attended by Russian National Guard and FSB intelligence service officers. Ukrainian media said an attack last week on the occupied town of Skadovsk in Kherson region also targeted Russian officers.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Ivan Fedorov, Ron Popeski, Lidia Kelly, Grant McCool, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ukrainian Defence, Reuters, Russian National Guard, National Guard, Black, Fleet, Thomson Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Melitopol, Rights LVIV, Moscow, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Crimean, Crimea, Skadovsk, Kherson

A police officer walks near a damaged residential building, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, October 17, 2023. Ukraine's General Staff, in its evening report, said its forces had beaten back 15 attacks near Kupiansk in the northeast and 18 attacks near Maryinka further south, where battles have raged for months. Barabash said Russian troops had been targeting the town's vast coking plant with artillery for the past week. Occupied briefly when Russian-backed separatists seized large areas of eastern Ukraine in 2014, the town was retaken by Ukrainian forces who subsequently erected substantial fortifications around it. Russian accounts of the fighting said Moscow's troops had launched strikes on Ukrainian men and equipment in villages near the eastern town of Bakhmut, seized by Russian forces last May.

Persons: Yevhen, Vitaliy Barabash, We've, Barabash, Avdiivka, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ukraine's, Staff, Suspilne, Russia's, Russian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Rights LVIV, Russia, Kyiv, Kupiansk, Maryinka, Moscow, Donetsk, Russian, Bakhmut

☆ Kazakh President: Forming Multi-Polar World Painful, but Reason Will Prevail
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - The formation of a base for a multi-polar world order is proceeding with extreme difficulty amid conflict in different parts of the world, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in an interview published on Wednesday. But Tokayev, interviewed by the Russian daily Izvestia, said he believed world tensions would subside and be replaced international cooperation focusing on a reformed United Nations. "As we see, the formation of the architecture of the modern multi-polar world is proceeding extremely painfully," Tokayev told the daily ahead of a visit to Kazakhstan this week by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tokayev told Izvestia the U.N. would play a central role in international relations once tensions eased. "The many crises in different parts of the world have exposed the U.N.'s vulnerability in its attempts to resolve them."

Persons: Kassym, Jomart Tokayev, Tokayev, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Lidia Kelly, Ronald Popeski, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, United Nations, Pravda, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Commonwealth of Independent, Security Locations: Kazakh, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Commonwealth of Independent States, Eurasia, Melbourne, Winnipeg

"We all understand that now, in wartime, when there are many challenges, it is utterly irresponsible to engage in topics related to an election in such a frivolous manner," he said. In peacetime, Ukraine would had held parliamentary elections in October and the first round of presidential vote in early spring 2024. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said at the weekend the president was weighing the pros and cons of a wartime poll. Zelenskiy himself had previously said he would be prepared to hold the vote if Ukraine secured the assistance it needed - and if election were deemed necessary. Zelenskiy had earlier said the attack in southern Zaporizhzhia region was "a tragedy that could have been avoided".

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Lindsey Graham, Dmytro Kuleba, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, Republican, Ukrainian, Thomson Locations: KYIV, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, Lincoln

Russian forces have geared up for fresh attacks in different sections of the front and are suffering heavy losses. The Black Sea has become a crucial theatre in the war. "When we ensure even more security to the Black Sea, Russia will lose any ability to dominate in this area and expand its malign influence to other countries," Zelenskiy said. The full extent of the damage that Ukraine has done in recent months to the Russian Black Sea Fleet remains unclear. "Ukraine's success in the battle for the Black Sea will go down in history books, although it's not being discussed much today," Zelenskiy said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, it's, Vitaliy Barabash, Barabash, Ron Popeski, Maria Starkova, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Russian Navy, unwaveringly, Russia, Russian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LVIV, Ukraine's, Ukraine, Russia, Sevastopol, East, Europe, Russian, Avdiivka, Bakhmut

REUTERS/Alexey Pavlishak/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The United States has information that the Russian military is executing soldiers who do not follow orders related to the war with Ukraine, the White House said on Thursday. "We have information that the Russian military has been actually executing soldiers who refuse to follow orders," White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. Russia's ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, in a comment on the Telegram messaging app, made no reference to the White House allegations. The United States has strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has been providing significant aid to Kyiv. "I think it's a symptom of ... how poorly Russia's military leaders know they're doing and how bad they have handled this from a military perspective," he said.

Persons: Alexey Pavlishak, John Kirby, Kirby, Anatoly Antonov, Antonov, Russia's, Steve Holland, Jeff Mason, Ronald Popeski, Arshad Mohammed, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United, Kremlin, Antonov, Thomson Locations: Simferopol, Crimea, United States, Ukraine, Russian, Washington, U.S, Ukrainian, Avdiivka

[1/3] Police officers inspect a postal distribution centre of Nova Post company hit by Russian missiles, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Korotych, outside of Kharkiv, Ukraine October 22, 2023. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Six people have been killed and at least 14 injured in a Russian missile attack that hit a postal distribution centre in the war-devastated northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said. Those killed and injured were employees of the postal centre, Synehubov said on Telegram. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was devastated in the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion. "(Russian forces) need heavy artillery and anti-tank missiles to destroy every stronghold."

Persons: Sofiia, Volodymyr Zelenksiy, Oleh Synehubov, Synehubov, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Pavel Norozhnyi, Ron Popeski, Maria Starkova, Lidia Kelly, Alistair Bell Organizations: Police, Nova Post, REUTERS, Rights, Nova, Telegram . Police, Russia's Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Nova, Russian, Ukraine, Korotych, Kharkiv, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine's, Avdiivka, Bakhmut, Donetsk, U.S

☆ Ukrainian troops face new Russian assault on eastern town of Avdiivka
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russian forces subjected Avdiivka to fierce attacks last week, but the shelling had tapered off in the last few days. Kupiansk was recaptured by Ukrainian troops late last year in a lighting advance through the country's northeast, but Russian forces have stepped up attacks in a bid to retake it. Zaluzhniy said Ukrainian forces around Kupiansk were "maintaining their defence in the most difficult of conditions". Russia's accounts of the fighting said its forces had destroyed a command point near Avdiivka and repelled 11 Ukrainian attacks near Kupiansk. When Ukrainian troops retook parts of Kherson region last year, Russian forces abandoned its biggest city, also called Kherson.

Persons: Yevhen, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Zaluzhniy, Oleksandr Shtupun, Avdiivka, Kupiansk, Shtupun, Olena Harmash, Ronald Popeski, Timothy Heritage Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Kupiansk, Russian, Donetsk, Azov, Verbove, Zaporizhzhia, Robotyne, U.S, Ukrainian, Dnipro, Kherson, Kyiv

☆ Ukrainian heavy artillery inflicts 'hell' on Russian lines near Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian servicemen fire a RAK-SA-12 small multiple launch rocket system towards Russian troops near the front line town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine July 10, 2023. Buoyed after the capture last week of the key village of Klishchiivka, Ukrainian troops have lauded the 155 millimetre howitzers as key equipment being provided by the United States and its NATO allies. Unit commander Oleksandr said Ukraine's armed forces "very much rely" on heavy artillery, including the Polish-made Krab gun and the U.S.-made M109 self-propelled howitzer. Oleksandr, 30, described Klishchiivka - a village on the heights south of the devastated town of Bakhmut - as "one of the places they (the Russians) were clinging to." The gains have been among the most significant in Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began in June and has struggled to break through entrenched Russian lines.

Persons: Sofiia, Oleksandr, Ukraine's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Anna Voitenko, Ronald Popeski, Max Hunder, Mike Harrison Organizations: REUTERS, West, Reuters, NATO, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Donetsk region, BAKHMUT, Russia, Klishchiivka, United States, U.S, Klischiivka, West

☆ Ukrainian Heavy Artillery Inflicts 'Hell' on Russian Lines Near Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Buoyed after the capture last week of the key village of Klishchiivka, Ukrainian troops have lauded the 155 millimetre howitzers as key equipment being provided by the United States and its NATO allies. Unit commander Oleksandr said Ukraine's armed forces "very much rely" on heavy artillery, including the Polish-made Krab gun and the U.S.-made M109 self-propelled howitzer. We hear that we keep giving them hell and they keep wondering how much ammunition we have left." Oleksandr, 30, described Klishchiivka - a village on the heights south of the devastated town of Bakhmut - as "one of the places they (the Russians) were clinging to." The gains have been among the most significant in Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began in June and has struggled to break through entrenched Russian lines.

Persons: Anna Voitenko, Oleksandr, Ukraine's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ronald Popeski, Max Hunder, Mike Harrison Organizations: West, Reuters, NATO Locations: BAKHMUT, Bakhmut, Russia, Klishchiivka, United States, U.S, Klischiivka, West

☆ Ukrainian troops vow to take back Bakhmut but say it won't be easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this week that Kyiv would retake the city following the capture last week of Andriivka and Klishchiivka to the south. But it won't be easy because Russia will still fight hard for it, demonstrated by the ferocity of the combat his unit had just endured in the outlying villages. One shouldn't think that the counter-offensive and taking Bakhmut is easy: (that) we just flank them, close reinforcements routes and it is done. HEAVY FIREUkrainian soldiers who spoke to Reuters at a location about 20 km (12 miles) from Andriivka described a bloody slog, costing lives for every metre, before they ultimately vanquished the village's Russian defenders. "Our comrades from another unit came from one side.

Persons: Zelenskiy, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Bakhmut, Andriivka, Viktor, Ilia, Ronald Popeski, Timothy Heritage, Peter Graff Organizations: Bakhmut Troops, Russian, Separate Assault Brigade, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, UKRAINE, Viktor, Ukrainian, Russia, Moscow

☆ US to send controversial depleted-uranium munitions to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Cezary Aszkielowicz/ Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Wednesday announced a new security assistance package worth up to $175 million for Ukraine, including depleted uranium ammunition for Abrams tanks, the first time the U.S. is sending the controversial armor-piercing munitions to Kyiv. Reuters was first to report last week that the rounds, which could help destroy Russian tanks, would form part of a new military aid package for Ukraine, which Russian forces invaded in February 2022. Although Britain sent depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine earlier this year, this would be the first U.S. shipment of the ammunition and will likely stir controversy. Washington previously announced it would send cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite concerns over the dangers such weapons pose to civilians. The use of depleted uranium munitions has been fiercely debated, with opponents like the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons saying there are dangerous health risks from ingesting or inhaling depleted uranium dust, including cancers and birth defects.

Persons: Cezary, Wyborcza.pl, Antony Blinken's, Blinken, Washington, Costas Pitas, Mike Stone, Kanishka Singh, Ronald Popeski, Rami Ayyub, Eric Beech, Grant McCool Organizations: Abrams, REUTERS Acquire, Pentagon, Reuters, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, International Coalition, Thomson Locations: U.S, Szczecin, Poland, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, Ukrainian, Washington, United States

☆ Moldova separatist leader vows to solve opposition politician's suspected murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CHISINAU, July 19 (Reuters) - The president of Moldova's separatist pro-Russian Transdniestria region vowed on Tuesday to solve the suspected murder of an opposition politician who was a rare advocate of reconciliation with the country's pro-European government. Opposition politician Oleg Horgan was found dead in his home this week, apparently after being struck with a heavy object. Transdniestria President Vadim Krasnoselsky said he would take "personal control" of the investigation. A parliamentary committee summoned a special sitting of the assembly to discuss the suspected murder later in the week. Moldova has embarked on a drive to join the EU since the 2020 election of President Maia Sandu, who has roundly denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Transdniestria, Oleg Horgan, Oleg Serebrean, Vadim Krasnoselsky, Krasnoselsky, Horgan, Maia Sandu, Sandu, Ronald Popeski, Sonali Paul Organizations: Organization for Security, Cooperation, European Union, EU, Communist, Sheriff, Moldovan, Civic Congress, Russian, Thomson Locations: CHISINAU, Russian, Moldova, Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Transdniestria, Moscow

☆ Zelenskiy warns of Russian efforts to halt Kyiv's troops, general notes advances in south
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But Ukrainian military analysts suggested that things were not easy for Ukrainian forces in their bid to advance southward. Ukraine has launched a counter offensive to take back swathes of land in eastern and southern Ukraine captured by Russian forces in their invasion launched in February 2022. Russian accounts said its forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks in eastern Donetsk region, including around Bakhmut. General Oleksander Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukrainian forces in the south, said after the meeting that his troops were "systematically moving the enemy out of their positions". Ukrainian forces hope to cut off a land bridge Russian forces have established with the annexed Crimean peninsula.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, General Oleksander Tarnavskyi, Serhiy Hrabskyi, Ronald Popeski, Diane Craft Organizations: Russian, Reuters, Ukrainian NV, Russia's Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Azov, Bakhmut, Donetsk, Berdiansk, Ukrainian, Crimean, Robotyne, Maryinka, Klishchiivka

☆ Zelenskiy warns of Russian efforts to halt Kyiv's troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VILNIUS, July 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets NATO leaders on Wednesday after they declared his country's future lay inside the alliance but rebuffed his call for a timeline to membership. Zelenskiy will join the NATO leaders on the second day of their summit in Vilnius for an inaugural session of the NATO-Ukraine Council, a body established to upgrade relations between Kyiv and the 31-member transatlantic military alliance. At a rally in Vilnius on Tuesday, Zelenskiy expressed disappointment that NATO had not offered a timeline to membership - a prospect he had earlier branded "absurd". Its leaders on Tuesday reiterated a 2008 declaration that Ukraine would join NATO but also made clear this would not happen automatically after the war ends. Although it did not get what it wanted on membership at the summit, Ukraine has received new pledges of arms from NATO members.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron, Andrius Sytas, Steve Holland, Anna Pruchnicka, Olena Harmash, Lewis Macdonald, Ronald Popeski, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: NATO, U.S, Twitter, Patriot, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Vilnius, Ukraine, Kyiv, United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Europe, Russian, Paris

While NATO members agree Kyiv cannot join during the war, they have disagreed over how quickly it could happen afterwards and under what conditions. Negotiations have also focused on what conditions Ukraine would have to meet to join NATO and how its progress should be tracked, diplomats say. "I am absolutely certain that we will have unity and a strong message on Ukraine," Stoltenberg told reporters. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year prompted Nordic neighbours Finland and Sweden to abandon decades of military non-alignment and apply to join NATO. Sweden, backed by Stoltenberg and many NATO members, said it had kept all its undertakings to Turkey on the issue.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, General Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Maria Zakharova, Tayyip Erdogan, Ulf Kristersson, Erdogan, Kristersson, Ronald Popeski, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: NATO, Diplomats, Alliance, Twitter, Russian Foreign, Nordic, Kurdistan Workers Party, EU, European Union, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Vilnius, Sweden, Lithuanian, Ukraine, Moscow, Eastern Europe, Russia, United States, Germany, NATO, Finland, Turkey, Ankara, Swedish

PRAGUE, July 6 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy landed in the Czech capital Prague on Thursday as part of a tour to drum up support for a fast track to NATO membership for Kyiv ahead of a summit next week. "At the meeting, the presidents should coordinate their positions before the NATO summit in Vilnius, where it is expected to discuss, among other things, security guarantees for Ukraine." His arrival follows a visit to Bulgaria for talks on security and the NATO summit. Zelenskiy's diplomatic adviser Ihor Zhovkva said Kyiv had secured the backing of Bulgaria for its membership of the military alliance "as soon as conditions allow. " During the visit, Zelenskiy urged Sofia to continue military support and moved to dispel the notion that supplies of Western weapons to his country had expanded the scale of the war.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Petr Pavel, Pavel, Zelenskiy, Ihor Zhovkva, Jason Hovet, Robert Muller, Ronald Popeski, Alan Charlish, Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang, Conor Humphries Organizations: NATO, Kyiv, Ukraine, European Union, Air Force, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, Czech, Prague, Ukraine, Vilnius, Russia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Sofia

☆ Belarus leader says nuclear arms will not be used
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 30 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Kremlin's staunchest ally in its war in Ukraine, said on Friday he was certain Russian tactical nuclear weapons deployed in his country would never be used. The Belarusian president, in an address marking his ex-Soviet state's national day, said the stationing of the weapons in Belarus was "my firmest initiative". Lukashenko, like Russia, has repeatedly accused Western countries of trying to destroy his state and says the nuclear deployment is necessary to deter potential aggressors. In his remarks, he said the same Belarusian opposition politicians, now mostly in exile, who denounced the weapons deployment also criticised the construction of a Russian-built nuclear power station now operating in Belarus. "If they shout that nuclear weapons are bad, just do the opposite."

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Ryabkov, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Jacek Siewiera, Wagner, I've, Ronald Popeski, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Russia's Tass, Poland's National Bureau of Security, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Belarus, Belarusian, Soviet, Russia, Poland's, Africa, Europe, Poland

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