Celebration the 80th of Victory in Europe Day
07/05/2025 06:07 Meanwhile, Russians celebrate Victory Day on May 9, with rehearsals underway for a grand parade through Moscow. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned foreign leaders who travel there it will be up to the Russian government to ensure their safety. Listen to every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 3 pm. Follow us on and and listen to our .
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ABC News
21 hours ago
- ABC News
Ukraine and Russia exchange drone strikes hours after failed ceasefire talks
A displaced Ukrainian family-of-three has died and two Russian women have been killed as Moscow and Kyiv exchanged drone strikes just hours after ceasefire talks concluded in Istanbul. Ukraine's regional officials announced on Thursday that the bodies of a woman, her husband and their adult son had been discovered under the rubble of a house in the border region of Kharkiv. They said the family killed in the village of Pidlyman had fled the settlement of Boguslavka which was captured by Russian forces when they invaded in early 2022, but was later retaken by Ukrainian forces. A later drone barrage on Kharkiv city wounded 33 people, including a 10-year-old girl and a month-old infant, the governor said. Meanwhile in Russia, a Ukrainian drone strike left two women dead and several others wounded in Sochi in Russia's south, regional authorities said. The Russian defence ministry said its air defence systems had downed 39 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles mainly over southern regions of the country. This latest exchange followed a brief third round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, which failed to reach a ceasefire. A separate Russian drone and missile barrage wounded seven people including a child in the central Ukrainian region of Cherkasy, emergency services said. In the southern port city of Odesa, a Russian drone attack wounded four people and badly damaged the Pryvoz market. Ukraine's prime minister said some of the buildings targeted, including the famous market, were UNESCO protected. "Russia continues its terror and obstructs diplomacy," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post. "[This] is why it deserves full-scale sanctions responses, as well as our strikes on their logistics, their military bases, and their military production facilities." He said Russia had launched 103 drones — mainly the Iranian-designed Shahed type of unmanned aerial vehicle — and four missiles. In a separate development in Ukraine's domestic politics, Mr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday he had approved a draft bill strengthening Ukraine's law enforcement system and the independence of its anti-corruption agencies. It comes after new laws to limit the independence of two key anti-corruption bodies passed this week in Ukraine, sparking large street protests and attracting rare rebukes from European allies. On Thursday, Mr Zelenskyy bowed to the mounting pressure. He said on X that the draft bill, which would be submitted to parliament later in the day, was well-balanced and "upholds the independence of anti-corruption agencies". The European Union earlier said a commitment to fight corruption is an important precondition both for EU financial aid as well as for potential EU membership. "We welcome the fact that the Ukrainian government is taking action," an EU spokesperson said. "We work with them to make sure that our concerns ... are indeed taken into account." ABC/AFP/Reuters
SBS Australia
a day ago
- SBS Australia
Third round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks take place
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have resumed in Istanbul for a third round, amid cautious hopes for progress, ongoing prisoner swaps, and growing discontent at home in Ukraine. But despite some gestures of goodwill, the path to peace remains elusive. The delegations met once again inside Istanbul's ornate Ciragan[[See-ra-GAN]] Palace, as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan opened the day's talks. He thanked the leaders involved, including Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy for enabling the talks, and praised U-S President Donald Trump for backing the process. "We have gathered for the third round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, hosted by Turkey. Our goal is to end this bloody war that has a high cost as quickly as possible. We extend our gratitude to Mr. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and Mr. (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy for demonstrating their will to make these talks possible, to Mr. (US President Donald) Trump for supporting the process that led to an end to the war, and to all other leaders who have directly or indirectly supported the talks." Russia and Ukraine delegations last met face to face seven weeks ago. While those rounds led to prisoner exchanges, they didn't deliver a breakthrough. This time, Ukraine is pushing harder for a full and unconditional ceasefire, something it says is essential for any real diplomacy. Representing Ukraine at the talks, National Security and Defence Council Secretary Rustem Umerov lays out Kyiv's position. "Ukraine keeps insisting on a full and unconditional ceasefire as the necessary basis for effective diplomacy. We are ready for a ceasefire now and to start substantive peace negotiations. And it is up to the other sides to accept this basic step towards peace." And there's another priority: a summit between resident Zelenskyy and President Putin. Mr Zelenskyy wants the two leaders to meet directly to put an end to Europe's largest war since the Second World War. But Moscow says not so fast. Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia's delegation says meeting only makes sense after an agreement is already worked out. 'In order for such a meeting (between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) to take place, it is necessary to work out the terms of the agreement in advance, to understand what to discuss at this meeting, and in fact, at this meeting it is necessary not to discuss the agreement, but to put a period, to sign. You know, as we say, the end crowns the work. A meeting in order to discuss all this from scratch again makes no sense.' Still, there have been signs of limited cooperation. President Zelenskyy announced that more Ukrainian prisoners of war have returned home, many of them ill or severely wounded, some held in captivity for more than three years. Footage released by the Ukrainian presidential press service shows them stepping off buses, draped in flags, chanting 'Glory to Ukraine!' And Russia, too, says it's ready for more swaps. But there are disagreements over the fate of civilians, especially children. Mr Medinsky claims many listed Ukrainian children were never in Russia and may now be scattered across Europe. It's a sensitive topic, with human rights groups urging transparency and speed. But while Kyiv navigates war and diplomacy, tensions are rising at home. For the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, anti-government protests have erupted, not over the war itself, but over a controversial anti-corruption law. In the western city of Lviv, around 1,500 demonstrators gathered, many of them young, many of them angry. They accused the government of undermining the very institutions Ukraine needs to align with the European Union. The law, signed by President Zelenskyy, gives the president greater control over the bodies that investigate corruption. Yana, a protestor, says it's a step backwards. 'And I don't like that the government is now taking away this opportunity from us, our future, which we are actually fighting so hard for, gnawing away at Russia. I want us all to be in the European Union, that's why we are here.' Critics say weakening anti-graft watchdogs risks alienating key Western allies. As one protester put it, Ukraine can't afford to lose support at such a critical phase of the war. Mr Zelenskyy responded by convening top anti-corruption officials. He promised a new plan to protect the autonomy of watchdogs with proposed legislation expected within two weeks. In his nightly address, the president acknowledged the backlash, saying Ukraine must strengthen the rule of law. "We agreed that the heads of these institutions will jointly propose an action plan – a plan of concrete steps that can strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine. Of course, everyone has heard what people are saying these days – what they are saying on social media, to each other, on the streets. It's not falling on deaf ears. We've analysed all the concerns, all the aspects of what needs to be changed and what needs to be stepped up."
SBS Australia
a day ago
- SBS Australia
No progress on ceasefire deal after Russia-Ukraine peace talks
Russia and Ukraine discussed further prisoner swaps overnight at a brief session of peace talks in Istanbul, but the sides remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders. "We have progress on the humanitarian track, with no progress on a cessation of hostilities," Ukraine's chief delegate Rustem Umerov said after talks that lasted just 40 minutes. He said Ukraine had proposed a meeting before the end of August between Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He added: "By agreeing to this proposal, Russia can clearly demonstrate its constructive approach." Russia's chief delegate Vladimir Medinsky said the point of a leaders' meeting should be to sign an agreement, not to "discuss everything from scratch". He renewed Moscow's call for a series of short ceasefires of 24-48 hours to enable the retrieval of bodies. Ukraine says it wants an immediate and much longer ceasefire. The talks took place just over a week after US President Donald Trump threatened heavy new sanctions on Russia and countries that buy its exports unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days. There was no sign of any progress towards that goal, although both sides said there was discussion of further humanitarian exchanges following a series of prisoner swaps, the latest of which took place on Wednesday. Medinsky said the negotiators agreed to exchange at least 1,200 more prisoners of war (POWs) from each side, and Russia had offered to hand over another 3,000 Ukrainian bodies. He said Russia was working through a list of 339 names of Ukrainian children that Ukraine accuses it of abducting. Russia denies that charge and says it has offered protection to children separated from their parents during the war. "Some of the children have already been returned back to Ukraine. Work is underway on the rest. If their legal parents, close relatives, representatives are found, these children will immediately return home," Medinsky said. Vladimir Medinsky was the head of a delegation from Russia in peace talks with Ukraine. Source: AAP / Alexander Ryumin/TASS/Sipa USA Umerov said Ukraine was expecting "further progress" on POWs, adding: "We continue to insist on the release of civilians, including children." Ukrainian authorities say at least 19,000 children have been forcibly deported. Shortest talks yet Before the talks, the Kremlin had played down expectations, describing the two sides' positions as diametrically opposed and saying no one should expect miracles. At 40 minutes, the meeting was even shorter than the two sides' previous encounters on 16 May and 2 June, which lasted a combined total of under three hours. Oleksandr Bevz, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, said his country had proposed a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting in August because that would fall within the deadline set by Trump for a deal. Putin turned down a previous challenge from Zelenskyy to meet in person and has said he does not see him as a legitimate leader because Ukraine, which is under martial law, did not hold new elections when Zelenskyy's five-year mandate expired last year. Trump has patched up relations with Zelenskyy after a public row with him at the White House in February, and has lately expressed growing frustration with Putin. Three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters last week that Putin, unfazed by Trump's ultimatum, would keep fighting in Ukraine until the West engaged on his terms for peace, and that his territorial demands may widen as Russian forces advance.
