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☆ 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
▼ + 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, general notes advances in south
▼ + 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

☆ Air raid alerts extended throughout Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 18 (Reuters) - Air raid alerts were declared throughout Ukraine early on Friday, with some areas reporting explosions. Officials said anti-aircraft units were in action in several regions. Far western regions were initially left out of the warnings but officials later extended them to the entire country. The military said central regions were at risk from drone attacks. Officials in Kyiv said anti-aircraft units were in operation.

☆ Zelenskiy collects Charlemagne Prize on behalf of Ukrainian people
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zelenskiy flew to the western city of Aachen with Chancellor Olaf Scholz following talks in the German capital. He received a standing ovation at a ceremony in the Coronation room of Aachen town hall, where he was awarded the prize, which celebrates services to European unification. "Ukrainians will always make Europe stronger," Zelenskiy said in English before switching to Ukrainian to address the gathering that included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The Ukrainian people, under Zelenskiy's leadership, are fighting not only for their country "but also Europe and European values", the prize committee said in a statement. Previous recipients of the prize include French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

☆ Eli Lilly Trial Finds Alzheimer’s Drug Can Slow Progress of Disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Gina Kolata | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The drug manufacturer Eli Lilly announced on Wednesday that a clinical trial of an experimental Alzheimer’s drug showed it can slow progress of the feared disease and allow patients to have more time when they can still live independently, performing tasks like cooking meals, going to the store and driving a car. Lilly announced its results, from a trial involving 1,736 patients, in a news release, as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The drug, donanemab, is not a cure, but along with two other drugs recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration,it may be a turning point in the long and frustrating quest to find an Alzheimer’s treatment. “These all point in the same direction,” said Dr. Ronald Petersen, the director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the Mayo Clinic. He added that the donanemab results were “modest” but “meaningful.” “

☆ Ukraine seeks to prevent military leaks after NATO assistance plans reportedly appear on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"The participants of the meeting focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defence forces of Ukraine," it said. One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since the invasion. The Ukrainian military said it was holding on in the city but the situation was difficult. Ukrainian military expert Vladyslav Selezniov has said Ukraine will have to pull back if the route for getting supplies in and wounded out is threatened. Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut and understood Russian intentions.

☆ Washington trying to wreck Russia-Africa summit -Russia's Lavrov
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Ronald Popeski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. is trying to wreck Russia's planned summit with African countries as part of efforts to isolate Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Tuesday. Moscow is preparing for its second summit with African countries, scheduled for the end of July in St. Petersburg, including work on infrastructure, technology and energy projects. "It is true that the United States and its vassals are doing everything possible to achieve Russia's international isolation," Lavrov told the website. "In particular, they are trying to torpedo the planned second Russia-Africa summit ... to persuade our African friends not to take part." U.S. President Joe Biden hosted a U.S.-Africa leaders summit in 2022 in Washington, seeking to bolster alliances amid the growing Russian and Chinese presence on the continent.

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcome ceremony before Russia - China talks in narrow format at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 21, 2023. Sputnik/Sergei Karpukhin/Pool via REUTERSApril 4 (Reuters) - The West is trying to drive a wedge between Russia and China by talking about their unequal relations and Moscow's dependence on Beijing, Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Tuesday. Lavrov, speaking to the Argumenty i Fakty news website, also said the European Union's hostile stand towards Moscow means it had "lost" Russia. Lavrov said suggestions of an unequal relationship between Moscow and Beijing "have been exaggerated generally by unfriendly countries" for a long time. "We see this as an attempt to cast a shadow on our successes, to drive a wedge into the friendship between Moscow and Beijing," Lavrov told the website.

☆ Xi: China's proposal on Ukraine reflects unity of global views
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 20 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that Beijing's proposal on how to solve the Ukraine crisis reflects global views and seeks to neutralise consequences, but acknowledged that the solutions are not easy. The China proposal, a 12-point paper released last month, represents "as much as possible the unity of the world community's views," Xi wrote in an article in Rossiiskaya Gazeta, a daily published by the Russian government, according to Reuters' translation from Russian. Xi has been seeking to present China as a global peace maker and project it as a responsible great power. A peaceful resolution to the situation in Ukraine, Xi wrote, would also "ensure the stability of global production and supply chains." "There is no universal model of government and there is no world order where the decisive word belongs to a single country," Xi wrote.

☆ Russia will not resume START nuclear talks until Washington listens to Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Russia will not resume participation in the START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States until Washington listens to Moscow's position, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks published on Tuesday. Peskov told the daily Izvestia in an interview that the "attitude of the collective West", led by the United States needs to change towards Moscow. "The security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of another," Peskov said. He also said that NATO by arming Ukraine "acts as a single bloc no longer as our conditional opponents, but as enemies". Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Ronald Popeski; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Feb 19 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Sunday that Ukraine would maintain its months-long defence of the eastern city of Bakhmut, mindful of the price paid in human lives. Bakhmut, in the frontline Donetsk region, had a pre-war population of 70,000 but now Ukrainian officials estimate fewer than 5,000 civilians remain. It is important for us to defend it, but not at any price and not for everyone to die," Zelenskiy told the daily. Russian forces have besieged Bakhmut since July when they captured two major towns farther north. "There are no grounds at this time for the Ukrainian military to leave Bakhmut.

☆ Eli Lilly says U.S. FDA rejects accelerated approval for Alzheimer's drug
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Deena Beasley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Mike SegarJan 19 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co on Thursday said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had rejected accelerated approval of its experimental Alzheimer's drug because it had not submitted enough trial data from patients who were treated for at least a year. That study, Lilly said, would form the basis of donanemab's application for traditional FDA approval shortly thereafter. The FDA can grant "accelerated" approval to drugs based on their impact on a measurement, in this case amyloid brain plaques, likely to correlate with patient response. Donanemab is in the same class as aducanumab and lecanemab, the latter being a treatment for early Alzheimer's that was given accelerated approval by the FDA earlier this month. Sales of amyloid-lowering Alzheimer's drugs, which need to be given by infusion, are expected to be minimal until they receive standard FDA approval.

A newly approved Alzheimer's drug will be available to patients in the coming days, according to its maker, the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai. While Leqembi offers hope to patients and their families, experts say that there are still some key unanswered questions about the drug, including about its safety and effectiveness. Besides questions about who will benefit the most, there are also questions about how long the drug will benefit patients. About 17% of the Leqembi group experienced brain bleeds, compared with 9% in the placebo group. The reports of brain bleeding and brain swelling "may only be the tip of the iceberg," he said.

☆ Top business leaders discuss financial innovation at the World Economic Forum
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

[The stream is slated to start at 2:30 a.m. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] Moderated by CNBC's Steve Sedgwick, top business leaders discuss at Davos, Switzerland, how financial actors respond to ongoing disruptions while keeping pace with technological advancement. Joining CNBC is Ronald P. O'Hanley, the chairman and chief executive officer at State Street Corporation, Lynn Martin, president of NYSE Group Inc., Dan Schulman, the president and chief executive officer at PayPal, Mark Suzman, the chief executive officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Mohammed Al-Jadaan, the minister of finance for Saudi Arabia. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

☆ Russia cancels new prisoner exchange round, Ukrainian officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 14 (Reuters) - Russia canceled at the last minute on Saturday a scheduled exchange of prisoners of war, the Ukrainian body dealing with prisoners said. "Another round of exchange of prisoners was planned today with the Russian side," the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on the Telegram messaging app. The office of Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. On Saturday Moskalkova said on her Telegram messaging app that Russian soldiers had allegedly reported instances of extortion while in Ukrainian captivity. Reporting by Ronald Popeski; Writing by Ronald Popeski and Lidia Kelly; Editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/16] Emergency personnel work at the site where an apartment block was heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine January 15, 2023. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and Kyiv's other allies condemned Saturday's Russian attacks. "More security assistance is coming to help Ukraine defend itself," Brink said on Twitter, calling the strike on Dnipro "horrifying." In Soledar, where Russian forces have refocused attacks after failing to take the larger nearby centre of Bakhmut, Ukraine insisted that its forces were battling to hold the town. But officials acknowledged the situation was difficult, that street fighting was raging and Russian forces were advancing from various directions.

Dec 27 (Reuters) - A Minsk court sentenced in absentia former Olympic swimmer Aliaksandra Herasimenia and political activist Alexander Opeykin to 12 years in prison for calling for sanctions and actions aimed at harming the national security of Belarus. Belarus has been shunned by the United Nations and many countries for an ongoing crackdown on political opponents, civil society and journalists. According to the U.S. embassy in Belarus, there are more than 1,300 political prisoners in Belarus. "The regime can't get to them, but their property in Belarus was seized, including a car & an apartment. Reporting in Winnipeg by Ron Popeski and in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

Dec 27 (Reuters) - Moscow's proposals for settlement in Ukraine are well known to Kyiv and either Ukraine fulfils them for their own good or the Russian army will decide the issue, TASS agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying. Moscow has been calling its invasion in Ukraine a "special military operation" to "demilitarise" and "denazify" its neighbour. Lavrov told TASS that when it comes to how long the conflict will last, "the ball is in the regime's court and Washington behind it." Kyiv has ruled out conceding any land to Russia in return for peace, and publicly demands Russia relinquish all territory. Moscow has insisted it is pursing "demilitarisation" and "denazification" but in reality its aims have not been fully defined.

Dec 19 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the Federal Security Services to step up surveillance of Russian society and the country's borders to prevent risks from abroad and traitors at home. Speaking ahead of Tuesday's Security Services Day - widely celebrated in Russia - Putin said the "emergence of new threats" increases the need for greater intelligence activity. "Work must be intensified through the border services and the Federal Security Service (FSB)," Putin said. Putin instructed the FSB to maximise their "use of the operational, technical and personnel potential" to tighten control of the society. "It is necessary to severely suppress the actions of foreign special services, quickly identify traitors, spies and saboteurs."

☆ Putin orders border strengthening, demands greater control of society by special services
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 19 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the strengthening of Russia's borders and instructed special services to keep greater control of society and to ensure the safety of people in regions in Ukraine that Moscow claims as its own, news agencies reported. "Work must be intensified through the border services and the Federal Security Service (FSB)," Russia's state-owned RIA news agency cited Putin as saying. Speaking on Security Services Day, widely celebrated in Russia, Putin instructed the services to increase control of the society and maximise their "use of the operational, technical and personnel potential" to prevent risks coming from abroad and internal traitors. "Maximum composure, concentration of forces is now required from counterintelligence agencies, including military intelligence," TASS state agency citied Putin as saying. "It is necessary to severely suppress the actions of foreign special services, quickly identify traitors, spies and saboteurs."

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