Latest news with #Kiev
Russia Today
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
The West waging ‘centuries-old war' against Moscow – Russia's top UN diplomat
Western nations are using Ukraine as their proxy in a longstanding confrontation with Russia that is deeply rooted in history, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told RT's Rick Sanchez. In an interview on The Sanchez Effect aired on Friday, the diplomat argued that the conflict 'should be seen in a larger context.' 'They do not care about Ukraine. This is not a war between Russia and Ukraine,' Nebenzia said. 'Ukraine is a proxy in this war. This is a centuries-old war of the West against Russia, starting with the Polish invasion in the 17th century,' he added. As examples of earlier confrontations, Nebenzia cited Napoleon's invasion of Russia, the 1854–1856 Crimean War, Western military intervention during the Russian Civil War, and the invasion by Nazi Germany and its allies during World War II. He emphasized that Hitler's army included not only Germans, but also units drawn from allied countries and occupied territories. The Ukrainians and 'their sponsors' in the West sabotaged the 2014–2015 Minsk accords, which were aimed at ending the conflict between Kiev and the breakaway Donbass republics, the Russian diplomat said. Former French President Francois Hollande and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel later admitted the agreement was used by Kiev to buy time and rearm, Nebenzia stated. 'We are not going [to fall] into the same trap once again,' he said. He added that politicians like former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson similarly helped derail the 2022 peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine's European backers were forced to adjust their position, Nebenzia argued, after US President Donald Trump launched efforts to broker peace and Ukrainian troops began losing more ground. 'They changed their rhetoric from 'We should inflict strategic defeat on Russia' to 'Russia should not win in this war.' Now they are advocating for a full, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire, which is testimony that they want to shield and protect their proxy, as they are obviously losing on the battlefield,' he said. At the same time, Nebenzia noted that the resumption of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations earlier this year provides hope that the conflict could be resolved soon.
Russia Today
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia ready for new talks with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow is prepared for a third round of negotiations with Kiev, adding that the talks should center on proposed agreements to resolve the Ukraine conflict. The president made the remarks on Friday in Minsk, following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. Asked by reporters how the settlement process was progressing – and when a third round of talks with Ukraine might take place – Putin said the heads of both negotiating teams remain in constant contact, speaking regularly by phone. He added that draft proposals from both Russia and Ukraine should form the basis of the next round of negotiations, the time and venue for which still need to be agreed on. 'These are two completely opposing documents. But that's exactly what negotiations are for – to look for ways to bridge the gap. The fact that they're polar opposites isn't surprising in my view,' Putin said. 'I'd rather not go into details, because I believe it's neither appropriate nor helpful to get ahead of the negotiations themselves.' During the previous round of direct negotiations in Istanbul earlier this month, Russian and Ukrainian representatives exchanged draft memorandums outlining their respective visions for a road map toward a peace deal and agreed to exchange prisoners of war. Moscow also unilaterally decided to repatriate the bodies of slain Ukrainian troops as a humanitarian gesture. Since then, Moscow has handed over 6,000 bodies to Kiev and is ready to return nearly 3,000 more, Putin said. 'But it's now up to the Ukrainian side to accept the remains of their fallen soldiers,' he added. 'We agreed that once this stage is completed, we would hold a third round of negotiations. Overall, we're ready – we just need to agree on the time and place.' Putin thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for supporting the negotiation process, saying he expects Ankara to maintain its stance. 'We're ready to hold the meeting in Istanbul,' he added.
Russia Today
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
UK starting to turn away Ukrainians
The UK has begun turning down asylum claims from Ukrainians, asserting that applicants can safely relocate to other parts of Ukraine, the Guardian has reported. A London-based legal firm told the newspaper on Friday that it receives weekly inquiries from Ukrainians whose refusal letters commonly state that they do not meet the threshold for persecution under the Refugee Convention, as applicants are deemed able to relocate to safer parts of Ukraine. The letters also cite the availability of public services in Ukraine and suggest that seeking help from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and local organizations. The firm noted that the growing number of refusals was linked to updates made in January to the UK Home Office's guidance, which now identifies regions such as Kiev and western Ukraine as 'generally safe.' Refugee status in the UK grants recipients five years of residency with access to work, benefits, healthcare, housing support, and family reunification. The UK also offers temporary visas through the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Family schemes, allowing stays of up to 18 months. As of March 2025, over 270,000 visas had been issued. A Home Office spokesperson told the Guardian that the UK has offered or extended sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. The ministry emphasized that asylum claims are assessed individually and noted that the Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open. Several million Ukrainians have fled their country over the past three years. According to Eurostat data, around 4.3 million had been granted temporary protection in the EU as of March 2025. Russia, meanwhile, reported that 5.5 million people had arrived from Ukraine by the end of 2023. The outflow has been driven not only by the ongoing conflict but also by increasingly aggressive mobilization tactics used by the Ukrainian military. These efforts have led to violent confrontations between draft officers and those resisting conscription, with male Ukrainians risking criminal prosecution for fleeing the country. London has committed billions in military assistance to Ukraine since 2022. Moscow has repeatedly accused the UK and its Western allies of using Ukraine as a 'battering ram' against Russia and of pursuing the conflict 'until the last Ukrainian.'
Russia Today
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian military airfield hit with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles
Russian forces launched an overnight attack on a Ukrainian military airfield using high-precision weapons, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported on Friday. In a statement, the ministry announced that the group strike was carried out using long-range precision air-based weapons, including the Kinzhal ballistic hypersonic missile system, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles. The statement did not identify the specific location of the airfield or offer any assessment of the damage caused. Ukrainian and Russian media reports have suggested that the airfield in question is the Starokonstantinov air base in Khmelnytsky Region in western Ukraine. The Defense Ministry has also reported that over the past week, Russian forces carried out a total of six group strikes using high-precision weapons and drones. According to the statement, the targets included 'defense industry enterprises of Ukraine, fuel and energy facilities, port infrastructure supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces, air defense radar stations, ammunition and fuel depots, mine and torpedo weapon arsenals, production workshops, storage and launch sites for UAVs, military airfields, and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations, nationalists, and foreign mercenaries.' Russian and Ukrainian media outlets have reported that explosions were heard overnight in Kiev and the surrounding region, while air defense sirens were activated in Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa, and eight regions in western Ukraine, including Lviv, Rivne, and Ivano-Frankovsk. Russia carried out several other high-precision attacks this week. On Monday, the Defense Ministry reported strikes on two Ukrainian military training sites using Iskander missiles. The same day, Moscow also reported launching a large strike on several Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises in Kiev Region, as well as a military airfield and an arsenal of mine-torpedo weapons used by the Ukrainian Navy. Kiev claimed that the strikes hit a residential building, leading to several deaths. However, it has not been established whether the damage was caused by a direct hit or by debris from shot-down missiles and drones. Officials in Moscow maintain that all strikes are aimed strictly at military objectives and deny targeting civilian infrastructure.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky would lose Ukrainian election
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky would lose a presidential election to former defense chief Valery Zaluzhny if citizens were allowed to vote soon, according to a recent public opinion survey. Zelensky has suspended national elections under martial law and chose not to step down after his presidential term expired last year. Zaluzhny, who was dismissed as commander-in-chief of the armed forces in 2024 and later appointed Kiev's ambassador to the United Kingdom, has long been seen as a strong potential contender for the presidency. The latest snapshot of voters' preferences comes from a monthly report by Kiev-based pollster Socis, released Wednesday. A survey of approximately 2,000 respondents showed that Zelensky and Zaluzhny would reach a runoff in a presidential contest, as they were the only candidates with double-digit support. However, nearly a quarter of respondents (24.7%) said they had not yet decided whom they would vote for. In a head-to-head, the former top general would receive more than 60% of the vote, according to the poll – a figure that aligns with prior sociological research. Zaluzhny has not declared an intent to run, stating that Ukraine's ongoing conflict with Russia must be resolved first. When Socis asked voters whom they would support if their preferred candidate were not on the ballot, only 6.5% named Zelensky as their second choice, compared to 18.1% for Zaluzhny and 11.0% for Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency. The poll also indicated that if Zaluzhny were to form a new political party, it would win the most votes in a parliamentary election – also hypothetical for now – defeating any party backed by Zelensky. Respondents identified persistent corruption and misappropriation of public funds as the leading failure of the current government, with 65% citing the issue. When asked who was responsible, 55.1% blamed 'the entire government,' 40.3% pointed to law enforcement agencies charged with tackling corruption, and 31.2% assigned blame to the presidency, and by extension, to Zelensky.
