Ukrainian delegation arrives in Istanbul for Russia talks
The two sides are set to hold their second round of direct peace talks since 2022, but the two sides are still far apart on how to end the war and the fighting is stepping up.
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Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Ukraine says it uncovers major drone procurement corruption scheme
KYIV: Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies said on Saturday they had uncovered a major graft scheme that procured military drones and signal jamming systems at inflated prices, two days after the agencies' independence was restored following major protests. The independence of Ukraine's anti-graft investigators and prosecutors, NABU and SAPO, was reinstated by parliament on Thursday after a move to take it away resulted in the country's biggest demonstrations since Russia's invasion in 2022. In a statement published by both agencies on social media, NABU and SAPO said they had caught a sitting lawmaker, two local officials and an unspecified number of national guard personnel taking bribes. None of them were identified in the statement. 'The essence of the scheme was to conclude state contracts with supplier companies at deliberately inflated prices,' it said, adding that the offenders had received kickbacks of up to 30 percent of a contract's cost. Four people had been arrested. 'There can only be zero tolerance for corruption, clear teamwork to expose corruption and, as a result, a just sentence,' President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram. Zelensky, who has far-reaching wartime presidential powers and still enjoys broad approval among Ukrainians, was forced into a rare political about-face when his attempt to bring NABU and SAPO under the control of his prosecutor-general sparked the first nationwide protests of the war. Zelensky subsequently said that he had heard the people's anger, and submitted a bill restoring the agencies' former independence, which was voted through by parliament on Thursday. Ukraine's European allies praised the move, having voiced concerns about the original stripping of the agencies' status. Top European officials had told Zelensky that Ukraine was jeopardizing its bid for European Union membership by curbing the powers of its anti-graft authorities. 'It is important that anti-corruption institutions operate independently, and the law adopted on Thursday guarantees them every opportunity for a real fight against corruption,' Zelensky wrote on Saturday after meeting the heads of the agencies, who briefed him on the latest investigation.
Asharq Al-Awsat
7 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Interfax: Armenia, US to Hold Joint Military Drills On August 12-20
Armenia and the United States will hold joint military exercises in Armenia on August 12-20, Russia's Interfax news agency cited the Armenian Defense Ministry as saying on Saturday. The Eagle Partner 2025 exercises will focus on peacekeeping tasks and medical evacuation procedures, the ministry was quoted as saying. Armenia is a treaty ally of Russia and traditionally a close partner, although bilateral relations have become strained in recent years as Yerevan grows closer to the West.
Al Arabiya
10 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Breaking: Ukraine's military says it struck Russia's Ryazan oil refinery
Ukraine's military said on Saturday that it had struck Russia's Ryazan oil refinery, causing a fire on its territory. In a statement on Telegram, the Unmanned Systems Forces also said they had hit the Annanefteprodukt oil storage facility in Voronezh region.
