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☆ Slovakia's Fico appointed prime minister for fourth time
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Slovakia's designated Prime Minister Robert Fico and Slovakia's President Zuzana Caputova attend the new cabinet's inauguration, at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava, Slovakia, October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa Acquire Licensing RightsOct 25 (Reuters) - Leftist leader Robert Fico was appointed Slovakia's prime minister on Wednesday for the fourth time, after pledging in his election campaign to end military support for Ukraine and criticising sanctions on Russia. President Zuzana Caputova appointed Fico and his cabinet after his SMER-SSD party won the Sept. 30 election and formed a coalition with the centre-left HLAS and nationalist SNS parties. Fico quit as prime minister in 2018 amid mass public protests against corruption after a journalist was murdered. Both Ukraine and migration may be among topics at an EU summit on Thursday and Friday that Fico will attend.

Persons: Robert Fico, Zuzana Caputova, Radovan Stoklasa, Fico, Viktor Orban, Orban, Jan Lopatka, Toby Chopra, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Ukraine, SNS, EU, NATO, Thomson Locations: Bratislava, Slovakia, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Europe, Brussels, United States, Prague

☆ Gakpo available for Liverpool's game with Toulouse, says Klopp
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Soccer Football - England - Premier League - Liverpool v Aston Villa - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - September 3, 2023 Liverpool's Cody Gakpo during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Molly Darlington/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 25 (Reuters) - Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has recovered from injury and is available for Thursday's Europa League home game against Toulouse, manager Juergen Klopp said. "Cody is in full training now since Sunday, which means he's available for the squad," Klopp told reporters. Liverpool, fourth in the Premier League, take on Nottingham Forest on Sunday, but for now Klopp's focus is solely on Toulouse. "This year - a really young team, a really talented team ... they have a clear idea - but we have to see how they show up here." "We hope to go long, long, long in this competition, for that we have to make all the decisive steps - and tomorrow night is a very big one."

Persons: Cody Gakpo, Molly Darlington, Juergen Klopp, Cody, Klopp, Andy Robertson, It's, Trevor Stynes, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Soccer Football, England, Premier League, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Anfield, Thursday's Europa League, Toulouse, Europa League, Liverpool's, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Nottingham Forest, LASK, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, Scotland, Toulouse, Union

☆ India to resume some visa services in Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A large India national flag is attached to India House where the High Commission of India is located, in London, Britain, September 19 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 25 (Reuters) - India will resume some visa services in Canada with effect from Oct. 26, its High Commission said on Wednesday, in a move that could reduce tensions caused by the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada. On Wednesday, the Indian High Commission said it had decided to resume issuing some categories of visas after reviewing the security situation and taking into account recent Canadian measures, which it did not enumerate. It said it would resume issuing standard entry visas as well as business, medical and conference visas. Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Chopra and Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Peter Nicholls, Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Akanksha, Toby Chopra, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Commission, REUTERS, Canada, Indian High Commission, Thomson Locations: India, London, Britain, Canada, Canadian, Vancouver, Bengaluru

☆ Euro zone lenders and borrowers shun credit as rates climb - ECB
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A view shows the logo of the European Central Bank (ECB) outside its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany March 16, 2023. "For the fourth quarter of 2023, euro area banks expect a further, albeit more moderate, net tightening of credit standards on loans to firms, and broadly unchanged credit standards on loans to households for house purchase," the ECB said. "For consumer credit, euro area banks expect a further significant net tightening." Banks expect a further, albeit less pronounced, decline in demand for all types of loans in the fourth quarter. The poll also showed banks found it harder to secure funding in the third quarter, especially from retail customers, reflecting stronger competition for deposits.

Persons: Heiko Becker, Banks, Francesco Canepa, Kevin Liffey, Bernadette Baum Organizations: European Central Bank, REUTERS, Bank Lending, ECB, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, FRANKFURT

[1/3] French President Emmanuel Macron, left, shakes hands with Israel's President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. ... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreSummary Macron visits IsraelProposes that anti-Islamic State coalition fights HamasGives no details on planJERUSALEM, Oct 24 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron proposed on Tuesday that an international coalition fighting against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria be widened to include the fight against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. Macron gave no detail on how the U.S.-led coalition of dozens of countries, of which Israel is not a member, could be involved. Macron, who warned against the risks of a regional conflict, also said the fight against Hamas "must be without mercy but not without rules". The French president, who met families of French victims at Tel Aviv airport, said freeing nine French hostages was a priority for France.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Isaac Herzog, Israel, Macron, Benjamin Netanyahu, it's, Mahmoud Abbas, Karim Emile Bitar, Tassilo Hummel, Michael Georgy, Michel Rose, Ingrid Melander, Kevin Liffey, Mike Harrison, Robert Birsel Organizations: Islamic, Palestinian, Hamas, Israeli, Daesh, France, West Bank, IRIS, Thomson Locations: Jerusalem, Israel, Gaza, JERUSALEM, Islamic State, Iraq, Syria, U.S, France, Daesh, Tel Aviv, Jordan's, Amman, Ramallah, Beirut, Paris

☆ Freed Israeli hostage says Hamas treated her well after initial violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Janis Laizans | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TEL AVIV, Oct 24 (Reuters) - An elderly Israeli hostage who was released by Hamas overnight said she had been beaten by the militants when she was abducted and taken to Gaza on Oct. 7, but was then treated well during her two-week captivity in the Palestinian enclave. Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was one of two women freed late on Monday, leaving around 220 hostages still in the hands of Hamas, including both of their husbands. "I've been through hell," Lifshitz told reporters, speaking in barely a whisper and seated in a wheelchair outside the Tel Aviv hospital, where she was taken following her release. Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, an Israeli grandmother who was held hostage in Gaza, speaks to members of the press after being released by Hamas militants, at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel October 24, 2023. Inside Gaza, a group of hostages were led into what Lifshitz called a "spider's web" of tunnels that Hamas had built beneath the coastal territory.

Persons: Yocheved Lifshitz, I've, Lifshitz, Nir Oz, Kan, Nir Oz's, Janis Laizans, Henriette Chacar, Crispian Balmer, Kevin Liffey, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Hamas, Ichilov, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TEL AVIV, Gaza, Yocheved, Tel Aviv, Israel

☆ Russian court grants unspecified 'interim measures' as Baltika sues Carlsberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Barrels are seen at the museum of the Baltika brewery in St. Petersburg, October 12, 2014. REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 20 (Reuters) - A court in St Petersburg has imposed unspecified "interim measures" against Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) in favour of Baltika Breweries, court filings showed, after the Danish brewer stopped licensing its brands in Russia this month. The court filings provided no information other than that interim measures had been granted in a lawsuit filed on Oct. 17 by Baltika against Carlsberg. In another lawsuit filed on Sept. 25, before Carlsberg terminated the licence agreements, Baltika had asked a Russian court to prohibit Carlsberg from initiating legal proceedings in Denmark, citing the risk that Carlsberg could seek to remove Baltika's right to use certain trademarks. The court did not grant interim measures, but a hearing in that case is scheduled for Nov. 15.

Persons: Alexander Demianchuk, Vladimir Putin, Baltika, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Carlsberg, Baltika Breweries, Carlsberg Group, Baltika, Reuters, Thomson Locations: St . Petersburg, St Petersburg, Danish, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Denmark

☆ Kremlin: unacceptable for Biden to compare Putin to Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov leaves after the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 20 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday that remarks by U.S. President Joe Biden comparing Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Palestinian militant group Hamas were "unacceptable". In remarks on Thursday, Biden sought to compare Hamas's actions to those of Putin, whose forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: They both want to annihilate a neighbouring democracy," he said. Israel has responded to Hamas's attack with heavy daily bombardments of the enclave that have killed almost 4,000 people, Palestinian officials say.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Israel, Biden, Putin, Hamas, Peskov, Kevin Liffey, Christina Fincher Organizations: U.S, Rights, Hamas, Russian Federation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Gaza, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Cairo

☆ Russian e-commerce firm Ozon notifies Nasdaq of delisting intention
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view shows the pick-up point of the Ozon online retailer in Moscow, Russia March 16, 2020. But trading in Ozon's securities on Nasdaq was suspended soon after Russia despatched troops to Ukraine in February 2022, as were listings of Russian companies on the London Stock Exchange. "We have no reason to believe that trading of Ozon's ADSs on Nasdaq will resume. This step is aimed at reducing costs associated with providing reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's standards." Ozon said it planned to file for voluntary delisting by Oct. 30, and that the delisting would not affect its operations.

Persons: Evgenia, Ozon, Ozon's ADSs, Olga Popova, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Nasdaq, London Stock Exchange, U.S . Securities, Exchange, Kazakhstan's Astana International Exchange, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine

☆ Google's Russian subsidiary recognised as bankrupt by court - RIA
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Google's Russian subsidiary has been recognised as bankrupt by a Moscow court, the RIA news agency reported on Wednesday, over a year after proceedings began. Alphabet Inc.'s (GOOGL.O) Russian unit filed for bankruptcy in summer 2022 after authorities seized its bank account, making it impossible to pay staff and vendors. Google's Russian subsidiary has been under pressure in Russia for failing to delete content Moscow deems illegal and for restricting access to some Russian media on YouTube. However, while the Kremlin has banned some platforms including Twitter and Facebook, it has so far stopped short of blocking access to Google's services. Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Toby Melville, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Google, REUTERS, Rights, Inc, YouTube, Kremlin, Twitter, Facebook, Reuters, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Putin accuses IOC of using Olympics for politics and racism
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 19 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday lashed out at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for effectively suspending Russia from the Olympic movement, accusing it of using the Games as a tool of politics and racism. Last week the IOC banned the Russian Olympic Committee for recognising regional bodies from four territories that Moscow claims to have annexed from Ukraine. "And that the Games themselves can be used as an instrument of political pressure against people who have nothing to do with politics. The IOC did not say last week whether they would be admitted to Paris 2024. Stanislav Pozdnyakov, head of the Russian Olympic Committee, said in Perm that the key thing now was to prepare athletes for the 2028 Games.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Russia's, Dmitry Chernyshenko, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, Maxim Rodionov, Kevin Liffey, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: International Olympic Committee, IOC, Russian Olympic Committee, Sporting Power, Olympic, Games, Olympics, Zvezda, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Perm, Sochi, Paris, Kazan

☆ Putin says US wading deeper into Ukraine war, calls missile supplies a 'mistake'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, October 18, 2023. Sputnik/Andrei Gordeev/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the United States was wading deeper into the Ukraine conflict and making a mistake by providing Kyiv with long-range ATACMS missiles. He told a news conference during a visit to China that he had briefed President Xi Jinping "in some detail" about Ukraine. War is war," Putin said. This is another mistake by the United States."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Andrei Gordeev, Xi Jinping, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: of, People, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Kremlin, Army Tactical Missile, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Washington, Israel, Russian, Moscow

☆ Google's Russian subsidiary recognised as bankrupt by court -RIA
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Google's Russian subsidiary has been recognised as bankrupt by a Moscow court, the RIA news agency reported on Wednesday, over a year after proceedings began. Alphabet Inc.'s (GOOGL.O) Russian unit filed for bankruptcy in summer 2022 after authorities seized its bank account, making it impossible to pay staff and vendors. Google's Russian subsidiary has been under pressure in Russia for failing to delete content Moscow deems illegal and for restricting access to some Russian media on YouTube. However, while the Kremlin has banned some platforms including Twitter and Facebook, it has so far stopped short of blocking access to Google's services. Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Google, Inc, YouTube, Kremlin, Twitter, Facebook, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Putin responds to Biden: Russia can't be 'put down' and U.S. should learn respect
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday rejected comments by U.S. President Joe Biden, saying in an interview in Beijing that Moscow's interests could not be suppressed, and that U.S. politicians should learn to respect others. In a brief interview aired on state television during a summit in the Chinese capital, Putin said: "This is not about me personally. Putin said that both Biden, with whom he has had an antagonistic relationship since the U.S. president took office in 2021, and the wider American political elite needed to learn to "respect" Russia. He said: "This applies not only to President Biden, but also to the U.S. political elites as a whole. You must learn to respect others, and then there will be no need to suppress anyone."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Putin, he's, Biden, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: CBS News, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Beijing, Europe, Russia

☆ Russian Strategic Bombers Patrol Over Sea of Japan - Defence Ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry on Tuesday said two Tu-95 strategic bombers had carried out a seven-hour flight over the Sea of Japan, accompanied by Su-35 fighter jets. "The flight was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for using airspace," Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash, long-range aviation commander, said in a statement. "Long-range aviation pilots regularly carry out flights over the neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, Black and Baltic Seas, and Pacific Ocean," Kobylash said. (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Christina Fincher and Kevin Liffey)

Persons: Su, Sergei Kobylash, Kobylash, Alexander Marrow, Christina Fincher, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Japan, North Atlantic, Baltic

☆ Putin and Orban reaffirm Russian-Hungarian ties amid international strains
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a meeting ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 17, 2023. Sputnik/Grigory Sysoyev/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his closest ally among European Union leaders, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to bilateral ties amid international tensions over the war in Ukraine. The men met in the government guest house where Putin was staying before the start of an international forum on China's Belt and Road Initiative. One of these countries is Hungary,” Putin told Orban. In an emailed response to Reuters, Orban's press chief Bertalan Havasi said Orban and Putin had discussed gas and oil shipments and nuclear energy issues.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, Grigory Sysoyev, Orban, Putin, ” Putin, Bertalan Havasi, Havasi, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Hungarian, Forum, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, European Union, Initiative, Kyiv, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Hungarian, Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, Brussels, Russian, Europe, Moscow, Budapest

☆ Russia fines Zoom $1.18 mln for operating without local office -RIA
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Zoom Video Communications logo is pictured at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York, New York, U.S., April 18, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 17 (Reuters) - A Russian court on Tuesday fined Zoom Video Communications (ZM.O) 115 million roubles ($1.18 million) for operating without opening a local office, the RIA news agency reported. RIA cited judge Timur Vakhrameyev as saying the fine had been set at a 10th of Zoom's 2022 revenues in Russia. Zoom was fined 15 million roubles last week in what a court said was a repeated failure to store data that it held on Russian citizens on a server in Russia. Other companies, such as Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google and Apple (AAPL.O), have been fined heavily in Russia in the last few years.

Persons: Carlo Allegri, RIA, Timur Vakhrameyev, Zoom, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: NASDAQ, REUTERS, Rights, Video Communications, Google, Apple, Meta, Facebook, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York , New York, U.S, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Car bomb kills official in Russian-held Ukrainian town, governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 7 (Reuters) - A party official in the Russian-held town of Nova Kakhovka in Ukraine's Kherson province was killed by a car bomb on Saturday, the provincial governor said. Vladimir Malov, executive secretary of the town branch of Russia's governing United Russia party, died in hospital, Vladimir Saldo said in a post on his Telegram channel. He said it had been a "terrorist attack", meaning one orchestrated by Ukraine. In July, Russia said it had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to kill Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-backed head of unilaterally annexed Crimea, arresting an agent before he could blow up Aksyonov's car. Reporting by Reuters; writing by Kevin Liffey; editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Malov, Vladimir Saldo, Sergei Aksyonov, Kevin Liffey, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Russia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Nova, Ukraine's Kherson, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Russia, Crimea

☆ Putin ally suggests postponing March presidential election, or excluding rivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 7 (Reuters) - Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Russia's Chechnya region and close ally of President Vladimir Putin, proposed on Saturday that a presidential election due next March should either be postponed due to the war in Ukraine or limited to one candidate - Putin. However, Russia's failures in the war, which Moscow calls a "special military operation", have made events less predictable. "I propose now, while the 'special military operation' is under way, to unanimously decide that we will have one candidate in the elections - Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin," Kadyrov was quoted as saying. He has also ruptured relations with the West, which has imposed sweeping economic sanctions, armed Ukraine at huge cost, and expanded and reinforced the U.S.-led NATO alliance. Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Ros RussellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Kadyrov, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Kevin Liffey, Ros Russell Organizations: Kremlin, NATO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Chechnya, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Chechen, Grozny, U.S

☆ Putin says Russia has tested next-generation nuclear weapon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia, October 5, 2023. Putin, who has repeatedly reminded the world of Russia's nuclear might since launching his invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, said no one in their right mind would use nuclear weapons against Russia. He noted that the United States had not ratified the treaty that bans nuclear tests, whereas Russia had both signed and ratified it. In February, Putin suspended Russia's participation in the New START treaty that limits the number of nuclear weapons each side can deploy. I think no person of sound mind and clear memory would think of using nuclear weapons against Russia."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Grigory Sysoyev, Putin, Sergei Karaganov, Karaganov, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Duma, Military, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet Union, United States, Russia's, Russian, Western, U.S, Europe

☆ Putin Says Russia Has Tested Next-Generation Nuclear Weapon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia had successfully tested a potent new strategic missile and declined to rule out the possibility it could carry out weapons tests involving nuclear explosions for the first time in more than three decades. Putin said for the first time that Moscow had successfully tested the Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable cruise missile with a potential range of many thousands of miles. He also told an annual gathering of analysts and journalists that Russia had almost completed work on its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile system, another key element of its new generation of nuclear weapons. Putin, who has repeatedly reminded the world of Russia's nuclear potential since launching his invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, said no one in their right mind would use nuclear weapons against Russia. He noted that the United States had not ratified the treaty that bans nuclear tests, whereas Russia had both signed and ratified it.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Karaganov, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Duma, Military, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet Union, United States, Russia's

☆ Putin repeats assertion that Russia did not start war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the crew of the Alyosha T-80 tank, which destroyed a Ukrainian armoured convoy on the Zaporizhzhia direction in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia August 24, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 5 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reiterated his position that Russia did not start the war in Ukraine but launched what it calls a "special military operation" to try to stop it. In his yearly speech to the Valdai Discussion Club, being held in Sochi, Putin said Russia, the world's largest country by area, had no need to take territory from Ukraine. He said the conflict was not therefore imperial or territorial but about the global order, and that the West, which had lost its hegemonic power and always needed an enemy, had lost touch with reality. Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Guy Faulconbridge; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Putin, Vladimir Soldatkin, Guy Faulconbridge, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Kremlin, Sputnik, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Kremlin, Sochi

☆ Three Former Nagorno-Karabakh Leaders Arrive in Armenia - News Agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Three ex-leaders of Azerbaijan's formerly ethnic Armenian-controlled region of Nagorno-Karabakh arrived safely in Armenia on Tuesday, the Armenian state news agency Armenpress quoted one of them as saying. Almost all the 120,000 or so inhabitants have since fled to Armenia, fearing for their safety. But Azerbaijan has arrested Ruben Vardanyan, a former head of Karabakh's government, and Levon Mnatsakanyan, former commander of Nagorno-Karabakh's separatist army, at border checkpoints. Former state minister Artur Arutyunyan, ex-interior minister Karen Sarkisyan and the former head of the security service, Ararat Melkunyan, all entered Armenia on Tuesday, Arutyunyan said, according to Armenpress. (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Alison Williams)

Persons: Armenpress, Ruben Vardanyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Artur Arutyunyan, Karen Sarkisyan, Arutyunyan, Kevin Liffey, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, Karabakh Locations: Azerbaijan's, Nagorno, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ararat Melkunyan

Russia has been bolstering its armed forces and ramping up weapons production in the expectation of a long war in Ukraine, where front lines have barely shifted for a year. "There are no plans for an additional mobilisation," Shoigu was shown telling top generals on state television. "The armed forces have the necessary number of military personnel to conduct the special military operation." Putin ordered a "partial mobilisation" of 300,000 reservists in September last year, prompting hundreds of thousands of young men to flee Russia to avoid being sent to fight. While Ukraine was able to win back territory last year from Russia in attacks which humiliated the Russian armed forces, this year has been different.

Persons: Anton Vaganov, Shoigu, Sergei Shoigu, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Putin, Mark Milley, Milley, Dmitry Peskov, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Defence, West, Belfer, Harvard Kennedy School, CNN, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Leningrad Region, MOSCOW, Russian, That's, United States

President Vladimir Putin, who rules the world's biggest nuclear power, has repeatedly cautioned the West that any attack on Russia could provoke a nuclear response. The Soviet Union's last nuclear test took place in 1990. The United States' last nuclear test took place in 1992 and France and China conducted their last nuclear tests in 1996, according to the United Nations. Simonyan said the Ukraine crisis was moving towards a nuclear ultimatum and that the West would not stop until Russia sent a nuclear message. He also cautioned that if the United States returned to nuclear testing, then Russia would resume too.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Margarita Simonyan, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Simonyan, Putin, Russia's, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Nick Macfie, Gareth Jones Organizations: Donetsk, Kremlin, New York Times, Soviet, United, United Nations, RT, Soviet Union, Washington, Thomson Locations: Russian, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Siberia Kremlin, MOSCOW, Russia, Moscow, Siberia, United States, France, China, Ukraine, Alamogordo , New Mexico, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Soviet, Ban, Soviet Union

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