Ukraine

October 10, 2024 10:08 AM

Harsh weather curbs global wheat output, buoys prices

Harsh weather is reducing wheat production in major global exporters, cutting inventories that have already been projected to hit nine-year lows, while fuelling a sudden surge in prices. Dryness afflicting suppliers from Russia, the world's biggest, to Argentina, is making food production vulnerable as recent Russian attacks on grain ships in the Black Sea rekindles concerns about the war limiting supplies. While top southern hemisphere exporters Argentina and Australia have lost several milli...

October 4, 2024 12:21 PM

Ukraine’s top commander orders defences bolstered in the east after Vuhledar falls

Ukraine's armed forces commander General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Thursday he had ordered defences to be strengthened in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after Kyiv forces announced they had withdrawn from the town of Vuhledar. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged the loss of Vuhledar, saying moving troops out and preserving lives was the critical issue. The Russia-appointed governor of Donetsk region said both sides had recognised the strategic value of the town, adding that reconstru...

October 4, 2024 12:17 PM

Thousands protest in Berlin against arms supplies to Ukraine

Thousands of demonstrators marched through central Berlin on Thursday, protesting against the German government's continued supply of weapons to Ukraine and criticizing Western nations for fueling the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The rally coincided with German Unity Day but took on a somber tone as participants marched from three directions through the city toward Tiergarten Park, united in their call for diplomatic solutions to global conflicts. Protesters expressed frustration ...

October 3, 2024 3:28 PM

Russia launches major drone attack on Ukraine, damages energy infrastructure

Russian forces launched a major drone attack overnight on 15 Ukrainian regions, causing damage to energy infrastructure and residential buildings, authorities said on Thursday. The Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 78 out of 105 Russian drones during the assault, with 23 more likely impacted by active electronic jamming. The drones damaged power lines and substations' equipment in the Kyiv, Odesa and Ivano-Frankivsk regions in the past 24 hours, Ukraine's energy ministry said on the Te...

September 27, 2024 1:48 PM

Putin draws a nuclear red line for the West

President Vladimir Putin has drawn a "red line" for the United States and its allies by signalling that Moscow will consider responding with nuclear weapons if they allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia with long-range Western missiles. But some in the West are asking: does he actually mean it? The question is critical to the course of the war. If Putin is bluffing, as Ukraine and some of its supporters believe, then the West may feel ready to deepen its military support for Kyiv regardle...

September 26, 2024 10:12 AM

Putin issues nuclear warning to the West over strikes on Russia from Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Wednesday that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it was struck with conventional missiles, and that Moscow would consider any assault on it supported by a nuclear power to be a joint attack. The decision to change Russia's official nuclear doctrine is the Kremlin's answer to deliberations in the United States and Britain about whether or not to give Ukraine permission to fire conventional Western missiles into Russia. Putin, opening a meeting of Ru...

September 24, 2024 6:09 PM

Ukraine says China is key route for foreign tech in Russian weapons

Roughly 60% of the foreign parts found in Russian weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine come via China, Ukraine's presidential adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk told reporters on Tuesday. Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and despite sweeping Western sanctions, Moscow has been able to replenish its military machine with western microchips and semiconductors. Ukraine has been struggling to keep up with Russia's onslaught. Kyiv says Moscow not only receives parts from and via China, ...

September 24, 2024 1:20 PM

“We welcome everyone’s participation in peacemaking, it is hard work…”: US Ambassador Garcetti on PM Modi’s visit to Russia, Ukraine

In light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visits to Russia and Ukraine, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti stated that the United States welcomes the involvement of all parties in peacemaking efforts. Garcetti emphasized that India's established relations with both nations position PM Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to play crucial roles in fostering dialogue amid ongoing conflict. Garcetti highlighted the significance of respecting national sovereignty, asserting tha...

September 20, 2024 5:31 PM

EU to provide Ukraine with loan worth up to 35 bln euros, von der Leyen says

The EU will grant a loan of up to 35 billion euros ($39 billion)to Ukraine to help the country stuck in a grinding war with Russia, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday. The loan, which was announced while the bloc's Commission chief was on a visit to Kyiv, is part of a wider plan among G7 nations to raise funds using proceeds from Russian assets frozen to sanction the country for invading its neighbour. "Relentless Russian attacks means Ukraine needs continued EU s...

September 20, 2024 4:40 PM

Zelenskiy says Ukraine ‘victory plan’ depends on quick decisions by allies

Ukraine's "victory plan" in the war against Russia depends on quick decisions being taken by allies this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Zelenskiy told a joint press conference with von der Leyen that Ukraine planned to use a proposed multi-billion dollar European Union loan for air defence, energy and domestic weapons purchases. Zelenskiy singled out the importance of U.S. President Joe Biden to the victo...