russia
Putin’s definite ‘maybe’ on ceasefire with Ukraine keeps the White House engaged
Despite initiating Europe’s worst war since Hitler and having the blood of hundreds of thousands on his hands, Russia’s Vladimir Putin is not a leader known for making big decisions quickly. More often than not over his long tenure at the top of Russia’s power pyramid, many analysts believe Putin prefers to delay and defer rather than act decisively. And so, when Putin’s answer finally came Thursday as to whether he would agree to a U.S.-backed Ukrainian proposal for a 30 day ceasefire, it was characteristically non-committal. “We agree with the proposals toRead more
Europe’s leaders warn against ‘appeasement’ with Russia, ceasefire talks without Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday Ukraine would not accept any bilateral agreements on its fate reached by Moscow and Washington in its absence, and called for Europe to have a seat at the negotiating table at the end of the war. “Today it’s important that everything does not go according to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s plan, in which he wants to do everything to make his negotiations bilateral [with the U.S.],” Zelenskyy told reporters. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha echoed the president’s comments, in an interview with Le MondeRead more
Russia can end war now, says PM as Putin warns West
Russia started the conflict in Ukraine and can end it “straight away”, Sir Keir Starmer has said after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Moscow would regard Western missiles being fired into Russia as a serious escalation of the war. The PM is in Washington for talks with US President Joe Biden on Friday, as allies of Kyiv discuss giving Ukraine permission to fire their missiles at targets inside Russia. Putin told Russian state television that this would “mean nothing other than the direct participation of Nato countries – the USRead more
NATO chief chides Ukraine allies for delays that helped Russia
NATO countries haven’t delivered what they promised to Ukraine in time, the alliance’s chief said Monday, allowing Russia to press its advantage while Kyiv’s depleted forces wait for military supplies to arrive from the U.S. and Europe. “Serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield” for Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Outgunned, Ukraine’s troops have struggled to fend off Russian advances on the battlefield. They were recently compelled to make a tactical retreat from three villagesRead more