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☆ Russia, Ukraine Give Conflicting Zaporizhzhia Frontline Accounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia and Ukraine gave clashing accounts over the weekend about what is going on along the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, with Moscow saying it has stopped Kyiv's counter-offensive and Ukraine's army saying it keeps pressing on. Ukraine has retaken a few small villages in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region since the start of its counter-offensive in June, but progress has been small and the vast frontline in the country's east and south has changed little over the past year. Balitsky said that small battles were ongoing near the village of Robotyne and near the village of Shcherbaky, which is about 22 km to the northwest. The Russian defence ministry said in its daily briefing on Sunday that Russian forces have repelled Ukraine's attacks near Verbove and Robotyne. Ukraine's General Stuff also said that Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations in the Melitopol direction, in the western Zaporizhzhia region, "exhausting the enemy all along the frontline" there.

Persons: Kyiv's, Yevgeny Balitsky, Balitsky, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Valery Zaluzhnyi, Lidia Kelly, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Staff Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, Russian, Robotyne, Shcherbaky, Verbove, Washington, Melbourne

☆ EU Weighs Advancing Ukraine's Membership Bid as Russia War Drags On
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's Brussels-based executive will publish a report on Wednesday assessing progress achieved towards membership by EU hopefuls. Such talks take years before candidates meet extensive legal and economic criteria to join, and the bloc is not willing to take in a country at war. The Commission said last June that Ukraine met two out of seven conditions the EU had set to start membership talks. MOLDOVA, GEORGIAIn good news for Ukraine, Germany's foreign minister expressed confidence that the EU would advance its bid to join. But Tbilisi has the backing of Orban and could still move ahead on its EU path as the bloc wrestles for influence with Russia.

Persons: Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, Ursula von der Leyen's, von der Leyen, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Viktor Orban, Orban, Gabriela Baczynska, Sharon Singleton Organizations: European Union, Kyiv, EU, Hungarian, Reuters Locations: Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen's Brussels, Kyiv, Europe, Italian, MOLDOVA, GEORGIA, Moscow, Georgia, Moldova, Chisinau, Russia, Tbilisi

☆ Zelenskiy pushes US for more aid, invites Trump to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the U.S. to provide more funding to help his forces counter Russia, and invited former U.S. President Donald Trump to fly in to see the scale of the conflict for himself. Zelenskiy said American soldiers could eventually be pulled into a greater European conflict with Russia if Washington did not step up support. It passed a bill last week to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, but did not include any increase in aid for Ukraine. In the interview airing on Sunday, Zelenskiy invited former U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, to visit Ukraine and see the fallout of the conflict initiated by Russia's President Vladimir Putin in February 2022. "If he can come here, I will need ... 24 minutes to explain to President Trump that he can't manage this war," Zelenskiy said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Donald Trump, Zelenskiy, NBC's, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Trump, Putin, Ted Hesson, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Press, Democrat, U.S, Congress, Republican, House, Democratic, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Russia, Washington, NATO, ., Israel, Ukraine

☆ EU's von der Leyen visits Kyiv ahead of report on accession progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen attends the UK Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Britain November 2, 2023. Joe Giddens/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Nov 4 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on Saturday ahead of a report the European Union is expected to present next week about Ukraine's progress in its membership bid, a Ukrainian lawmaker said. Parliamentary deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on his Telegram channel that von der Leyen was expected to speak in the Ukrainian parliament. Ukraine, which applied to join the European Union days after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, sees joining the trade bloc as a top priority. Von der Leyen's visit comes at a difficult moment for Ukraine as its troops battle fatigue and concerns swirl over the future of vital U.S. military assistance which Kyiv relies on heavily.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Joe Giddens, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, der Leyen, Ukraine's, Annalena Baerbock, Von der, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Olena, Tom Balmforth Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, Bletchley, Rights, European, German, Thomson Locations: Milton Keynes , Buckinghamshire, Britain, Kyiv, European Union, Ukrainian, Ukraine, European

☆ Russian forces want to capture big coking plant in key town, mayor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 3 (Reuters) - Russian forces, focused for weeks on seizing the key eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka, are now intent on capturing its vast coking plant, the town's mayor said on Friday. Mayor Vitaliy Barabash, speaking on national television, said audio transmission intercepts had revealed that Moscow was now seeking to secure the town's giant coking plant. Ukrainian military analysts say a sustained assault on Avdiivka had more political that military significance and could be little more than a propaganda prize for Moscow. The General Staff report also reported that Ukrainian forces had repelled seven attacks near Kupiansk, a town in the northeast first seized by Russia but recaptured by Ukrainian forces in a fast-moving offensive late last year. Russian accounts of the fighting said Moscow's forces beat back Ukrainian attempts to advance near Kupiansk and struck Ukrainian forces in a series of towns south and west of Donetsk.

Persons: Vitaliy Barabash, Barabash, Avdiivka, Natalia Homeniuk, Homeniuk, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ron Popeski, Michael Perry Organizations: Russian, Ukraine's, Staff, Moscow, The, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russian, Bakhmut, Moscow, Kupiansk, Russia, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Lviv, Ukraine's, Poland, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy Says War Not in 'Stalemate', More Air Defence Help Needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denied on Saturday that the war with Russia had reached a "stalemate", and said more work with allies was needed to strengthen air defences. But this is not a stalemate," Zelenskiy said during a news conference with visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Zelenskiy acknowledged there had been difficulties in the war, now in its 21st month, and that Kyiv had yet to achieve any major successes in its counteroffensive. But he said Ukrainian troops had no other alternative but to keep fighting and required more support from Western allies, especially with air defences. Russian troops were mounting numerous attacks near Avdiivka, Lyman and Mariinka in the eastern Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military said in its daily update.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Zelenskiy, Ursula von der Leyen, Lyman, Mariinka, Olena Harmash, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Ukraine's, European Locations: Russia, Moscow, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Azov

LVIV, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Ukraine rained 15 cruise missiles on Russia's shipyard in the Crimean port city of Kerch on Saturday, damaging one ship, Russian defence ministry said, in an attack that could further undermine Moscow's striking capabilities. Moscow has often attacked Ukraine in the course of the 20-month-long war with Kalibr missiles. Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea, said there were no casualties in the Saturday attack on the shipyard in Kerch in Crimea. According to some Ukrainian war monitoring Telegram channels, a small Russian cruise missile carrier the Askold, was damaged in the attack. In September, the Russian defence ministry said that the Askold ship of the Black Sea Fleet was engaged in destroying Ukrainian targets in the waters off Crimea.

Persons: Mykola Oleshchuk, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sergei Aksyonov, Maria Starkova, Elaine Monaghan, Lidia Kelly, Philippa Fletcher, Ros Russell, Andrew Heavens, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Air Force, Russian Navy, Kalibr, Ukraine's Air Force, Sea Fleet, Reuters, Black, Thomson Locations: LVIV, Ukraine, Crimean, Kerch, Moscow, Russian, Ukrainian, Crimea

☆ Russian Forces Want to Capture Big Coking Plant in Key Town, Mayor Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) - Russian forces, focused for weeks on seizing the key eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka, are now intent on capturing its vast coking plant, the town's mayor said on Friday. Mayor Vitaliy Barabash, speaking on national television, said audio transmission intercepts had revealed that Moscow was now seeking to secure the town's giant coking plant. Ukrainian military analysts say a sustained assault on Avdiivka had more political that military significance and could be little more than a propaganda prize for Moscow. The General Staff report also reported that Ukrainian forces had repelled seven attacks near Kupiansk, a town in the northeast first seized by Russia but recaptured by Ukrainian forces in a fast-moving offensive late last year. Russian accounts of the fighting said Moscow's forces beat back Ukrainian attempts to advance near Kupiansk and struck Ukrainian forces in a series of towns south and west of Donetsk.

Persons: Vitaliy Barabash, Barabash, Avdiivka, Natalia Homeniuk, Homeniuk, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ron Popeski, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, Russian, Ukraine's, Staff, Moscow, The Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russian, Bakhmut, Moscow, Kupiansk, Russia, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Lviv, Ukraine's, Poland, Ukraine

☆ White House says US sending smaller military packages to Ukraine due to Congress inaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Joe Biden shake hands during the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima, Japan May 21, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The United States has begun sending smaller military aid packages to Ukraine in order to stretch out support given a stalemate in Congress over providing funding for Ukraine, the White House said on Friday. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the U.S. intention is to extend the ability to support Ukraine for as long as possible while Congress debates new aid. Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Nandita Bose, Steve Holland, Chris Reese Organizations: Presidential Press Service, REUTERS, AIR FORCE, United, White, Thomson Locations: Hiroshima, Japan, United States, Ukraine

☆ Rich countries are stumbling into a debt trap
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Felix Martin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Unlike many corporations and households, the U.S. government did not lock in the low interest rates of the last decade by issuing long-dated debt, preferring instead to skew funding towards bills and short-term bonds. The second route out of the debt trap is to target the primary fiscal surplus, choosing a combination of spending cuts and tax hikes that will stabilise the public debt. That leaves the third route to debt sustainability – keeping real interest rates low. But in the short run, it allows a government to tame the debt ratio without fiscal austerity, and even if growth is sluggish. Governments are indeed stuck in a classic debt trap.

Persons: Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kacper, Everett Dirksen, you’re, Dirksen’s, Stanley Druckenmiller, Joe Biden’s, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: Japan's, NATO, REUTERS, Reuters, Congressional, Office, International Monetary Fund, U.S, Treasury, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics, Medicaid, Federal, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Vilnius, Lithuania, Illinois, U.S, Britain

☆ How Ukraine's counteroffensive has struggled so far
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But in mid-October, some Russian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian forces had formed a small bridgehead on the eastern bank. Shortly after, Ukrainian soldiers breached the first line of defences south of the town of Velyka Novosilka in the first known breakthrough of the counteroffensive. Military analysts and authorities in Kyiv said Ukraine had badly damaged a large landing ship and an attack submarine. Just over a week later, a Ukrainian missile attack hit Russia's Black Sea naval headquarters in Sevastopol. In mid-October, Ukrainian forces used U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles for the first time, damaging airfields near Luhansk in Ukraine's east and in Berdiansk on the Sea of Azov, both under Russian control.

Persons: Alina Smutko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Wagner, Mike Collett Organizations: 67th Mechanised Brigade, Armed Forces, REUTERS, Reuters, Military, White, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kreminna, Luhansk region, Kyiv, KHERSON, Dnipro, Russia, Velyka, Neskuchne, Orikhiv, Azov, Crimea, AVDIIVKA, Avdiivka, Russian, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Bakhmut, BAKHMUT, Moscow, Kharkiv, Kherson, KUPIANSK, Russia's Belgorod, Kupiansk, Crimean, Sevastopol, East, Luhansk, Ukraine's, Berdiansk

☆ Ukraine replaces special forces commander, removed officer wonders why
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that Colonel Serhiy Lupanchuk would now head the forces and described him as "an experienced officer, combat officer and the right man in command". The president said Lupanchuk's predecessor, Maj-Gen. Viktor Horenko, who led the forces from July 2022, "will continue to perform special tasks" within the Defence Ministry's Intelligence Directorate. The special forces are believed to be behind the most sophisticated operations Ukraine's military has conducted in areas under Russian control, in particular Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, eight years before Moscow's full land invasion. The special forces are also responsible for military information and psychological operations, as well as the organization of resistance in occupied territories. Zelenskiy this week praised Ukraine's military for diminishing Moscow's military strength in the Black Sea through increased air and sea drone attacks on Russian military targets.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Serhiy Lupanchuk, Viktor Horenko, Horenko, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Zaluzhniy, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Rod Nickel Organizations: Defence Ministry's Intelligence, Pravda, Fleet, Economist, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Crimea, Sevastopol, Black

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy ponders idea of 2024 election during war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Yuliia Dysa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is weighing the pros and cons of a spring 2024 presidential vote, his foreign minister said on Friday, though there are major concerns over how to organise a free and fair vote during war with Russia. Ukraine was scheduled to hold a parliamentary election in October and a presidential vote in March 2024. Kuleba made his comment during an online appearance at the World Policy Conference in the United Arab Emirates when asked whether Ukraine would hold a presidential election in spring. Zelenskiy has said he wants to run for another term if an election happens. Opponents of holding a vote fear Russia would try to derail it while political jockeying would undermine national unity.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Lindsey Graham, Dmytro Kuleba, Kuleba, Zelenskiy, Yuliia Dysa, Olena, Tom Balmforth, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Republican, World, Conference, United, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, U.S, United Arab Emirates, Europe

☆ Russia's biggest drone strike in weeks hits critical Ukrainian infrastructure
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7]Emergency personnel work at a site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine November 3, 2023. In the nearby region of Ivano-Frankivsk a military facility was hit, governor Svitlana Onishchuk said. Oleh Kiper, Odesa's regional governor, reported a strike on an infrastructure facility in the southern region. Oleh Synehubov, Kharkiv's governor, said drones had hit civilian infrastructure and caused fires in and near the city of Kharkiv. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said eight private houses, a three-storey building, several cars, and a car repair shop were damaged during the attack on Kharkiv.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Yevhen, Maksym, Svitlana Onishchuk, Oleh, Ihor Klymenko, Olena, Tom Balmforth, Gareth Jones Organizations: Kharkiv, REUTERS, Air, Frankivsk, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Ukraine's, Odesa, Kherson, Lviv, Poland, Russian, Ivano

Arctic-2 LNG has been expecting to start exporting soon and it is uncertain how much Russian LNG would be blocked by the new measures. The largest Russian LNG producer Novatek (NVTK.MM) said in September it would start shipments from Arctic-2 LNG early next year. The State Department said Zakharov is the creator and designer of the drones. "And every sanctions decision must work in full, so that there is no chance for Russia to bypass them." The State Department also imposed sanctions on multiple defense-related entities and procurement companies in the UAE.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Doug Mills, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Antony Blinken, Aleksandr Zakharov, Zakharov, Andriy Yermak, Yermak, Daphne Psaledakis, Timothy Gardner, Alexandra Alper Mike Stone, Karen Freifeld, Yuliia Dysa, Ron Popeski, Nick Zieminski, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S, White, Rights, Moscow, State Department, Commerce Department, United Arab, Treasury Department, Systems, Treasury, Russian LNG, European, ZALA Aero, Russian Ministry of Defense, The State Department, Russian Federation, Washington, Turkish, UAE . Construction, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, Ukraine, Siberia, Washington, Russian, U.S, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, China, Russia, Moscow, Crimea, Europe, European Union, Ukrainian, ZALA, UAE, New York, Gdansk, Beijing

☆ Ukraine Says Russian Warplanes Drop Explosives on Black Sea Shipping Lanes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Ukraine said on Wednesday Russian warplanes had dropped "explosive objects" into the likely paths of civilian vessels in the Black Sea three times in the last 24 hours, but that its fledgling shipping corridor was still operating. Ukraine is trying to build up a new shipping lane without Russian approval to revive its vital seaborne exports. "The occupiers are continuing to terrorise the paths of civilian shipping in the Black Sea with tactical aviation, dropping explosive objects into the likely paths of civilian vessel traffic," the southern military command said. However, the navigation corridor continues to function under the watch of the defence forces," it said. They say dozens of cargo vessels had travelled the route since it began operations in August.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Tom Balmforth, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Reuters, Wednesday Russian Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, British

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

☆ Ukraine eyes global peace summit this year, says deputy foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko Acquire Licensing RightsOct 29 (Reuters) - Ukraine aims to hold a global "peace summit" of world leaders this year, Deputy Minister Mykola Tochytskyi said on Sunday after international representatives met in Malta over the weekend to discuss Kyiv's peace formula for its war with Russia. "This aim remains necessary and possible ... it has been demonstrated that there is interest in this," Deputy Minister Mykola Tochytskyi told Reuters by phone shortly after concluding his meetings. The deputy minister said Ukraine's efforts to win over "Global South" countries were not affected by differing positions on the Israel-Hamas conflict, although it could make it more difficult to focus the spotlight on Ukraine. Tochytskyi confirmed China did not attend the Malta meeting despite efforts from Ukraine to get Beijing to send a representative. He said Ukraine was keeping an open-door policy for China or any other country to attend future summits.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Mykola Tochytskyi, Tochytskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy's, Li Hui, Max Hunder, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Israel, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian, Malta, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Israel, China, Beijing

☆ Russian security forces remove pro-Palestinian protesters from Dagestan airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Grigory Dukor Acquire Licensing RightsOct 29 (Reuters) - Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters on Sunday stormed Russia's Dagestan airport in Makhachkala where a plane from Israel had just arrived, forcing Russian security forces to close the airport and divert flights while removing the demonstrators. Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia security forces had removed the group by 10:20 p.m. Moscow time (1920 GMT). The passengers on the plane were "in a safe place", security forces told Reuters. Israel urged Russian authorities to protect Israelis and Jews in their jurisdictions following the reportA statement by the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said the Israeli ambassador in Moscow was working with Russian authorities. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was appalled by the events in Dagestan, blaming the events on Russia's official messages about Israel.

Persons: Grigory Dukor, Allahu Akbar, Rosaviatsia, Israel, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Dagestan's, Dan Williams, Ron Popeski, Hugh Lawson, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Sunday, Russia's, Reuters, Foreign Ministry, Israel, Regional, Thomson Locations: Dagestan, Makhachkala, Israel, Russia's Dagestan, Caucasus, Palestine, Russian, Moscow, Nalchik, Kabardino, Jerusalem, Israeli, Russia

☆ Belarus' Lukashenko says Ukraine-Russia war at stalemate, urges talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view shows a multi-storey residential building damaged in recent shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, October 26, 2023. "There are enough problems on both sides and in general the situation is now seriously stalemate: no one can do anything and substantively strengthen or advance their position," Lukashenko said. "We need to sit down at the negotiating table and come to an agreement," Lukashenko said in a question and answer video posted on the website of the Belarusian state news agency BelTA. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reiterated on Saturday at a gathering of over 60 national security advisers that his 10-point peace plan, which includes calls for the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, is the only way to end the war. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Lidia Kelly, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . White, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian, Belarus, U.S, Belarusian, Melbourne

☆ Ukraine holds peace formula talks in Malta, Russia absent
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Christopher Scicluna | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Without Russia, which criticized Malta for hosting the talks after smaller ones this year in Jeddah and in Copenhagen, Zelenskiy said he longed for a day when human history "is the history of peace only." Officials said they hoped for the outcome of the weekend's gathering, partly in person, partly virtual, to be agreement to hold a global peace summit later this year. No official list of delegates to the talks was issued, but officials said they included representatives of European, South American, Arab, African and Asian countries. Simon Mordue of the European Council and Bjorn Seibert of the European Commission represented the EU, the official said. The parties would take necessary preparatory steps for a possible peace summit in future with no exact date yet fixed, the official said.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Ian Borg, Borg, Simon Mordue, Bjorn Seibert, Christopher Scicluna, Elaine Monaghan, Andrew Gray, Olena, David Evans, Mike Harrison Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, YouTube, Malta's, European Union, United, United Arab Emirates, European, European Commission, EU, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian, Rights VALLETTA, Malta, Israel, Kyiv, Jeddah, Copenhagen, China, Egypt, United Arab, Armenia, Mexico, Washington, Brussels

☆ Ukraine to Rally Support at Malta Talks, Sees No Cracks in Allied Backing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The talks, which do not involve Russia, will help gauge Ukraine and the West's ability to drum up continued and broader support, particularly in the Global South, as the conflict in Israel dominates headlines, moving the focus from Kyiv. China, which has maintained close economic and diplomatic ties with Russia during the war, attended the talks in Jeddah. Zhovkva said Kyiv still aimed to convene a Global Peace Summit this year. Johnson said on Thursday that he had concerns about Ukraine funding in general and he wanted to understand the "end game" in Ukraine. Separately, in Brussels, most EU leaders said on Friday they backed a plan to support Ukraine with 50 billion euros ($53 billion) over the next four years, though Hungary and Slovakia voiced reservations ahead of a decision the bloc needs to take unanimously in December.

Persons: Tom Balmforth, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Ihor, Zhovkva, Josep Borrell, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Zelenskiy, Mr Johnson, Andrew Gray, Giles Elgood Organizations: Kyiv, Reuters, Global, Union, Ukraine, United Nations, U.S . House Locations: Malta, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Kyiv, Jeddah, Copenhagen, Moscow, Beijing, China, Zhovkva, Zelenskiy, Turkey, Saudi, Qatar, South Africa, United States, Washington, Brussels, Hungary, Slovakia

Oleg Tsaryov, a Ukrainian politician supporting the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, attends a news conference dedicated to a new law on the battle flag of Novorossiya (New Russia) in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, August 22, 2014. A source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) intelligence agency said the shooting was a special operation conducted by the agency. The source gave few details of the operation but described Tsaryov as an "absolutely legal target". The attack took place in Yalta in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Tsaryov, who runs hotels in Crimea, said Reuters' account had "very little to do with reality".

Persons: Oleg Tsaryov, Maxim, Ally, Russia's, Oleg, Vladimir Rogov, Tsaryov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Andriy Yusov, Darya Dugina, Vladlen Tatarsky, Stanislav Rzhitsky, Rzhitsky, Tom Balmforth, Yuliia, Giles Elgood, Ron Popeski, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Security Service of Ukraine, Kyiv, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Donetsk People's Republic, New Russia, Donetsk, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Yalta, Crimea, Russian, United States

☆ Fact Check: Titanic magazine cover comparing Ukrainian and Israeli trick-or-treaters is fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A fabricated Halloween-themed cover of German satirical magazine Titanic, which juxtaposes Israeli trick-or-treaters holding overflowing candy buckets with empty-handed Ukrainians, is being shared online. It is dated as Titanic’s “Nr. However, a search through the monthly magazine’s online archive shows no such cover was published by Titanic. Furthermore, a search through Titanic’s official Twitter account did not reveal the supposed cover, nor did a search through the website’s Facebook page. There is no record of Titanic publishing such a cover and the October edition features a different issue number and image.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, “, Read Organizations: Facebook, Titanic, Reuters, Thomson

☆ Detained Ukraine tycoon Kolomoisky gives up control of 1+1 Media for five years
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Vladyslav Musiienko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 26 (Reuters) - Billionaire tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky who is in custody on suspicion of fraud has transferred control over 1+1 Media, one of Ukraine's largest media groups, to its general director for five years, the group said on Thursday. The decision was taken on Monday as Kolomoisky is currently unable to fully carry out his duties, the group said. But Russia's invasion has eaten into their influence, destroying industrial assets in the east and south, while the television channels they controlled have been broadcasting under a centralised signal since Moscow's February 2022 attack. Kolomoisky's media group owns the 1+1 television channel, which has been one of the most influential and viewed channels in Ukraine for decades. The group also inclusdes a number of other TV channels, media resources such as the UNIAN information agency and production units.

Persons: Ihor Kolomoisky, Vladyslav, Kolomoisky, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Yuliia Dysa, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Soviet Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Soviet

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