Latest news with #Sergei Lavrov
LBCI
a day ago
- Business
- LBCI
Russia says EU-US trade deal 'heavy blow' to European industry
Russia on Monday criticized a trade deal reached between the European Union and the United States, saying it would deal a "heavy blow" to European industry. "Such an approach will lead to the further deindustrialisation of Europe, to the flow of investments from Europe to the United States, and of course, this will be a very heavy blow," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a youth conference near Moscow.
CNA
6 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
North Korea's Kim urges troops to prepare 'for real war'
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has urged his military to be ready "for real war" as he observed a firing contest of artillery units, Pyongyang state media said on Thursday (Jul 24). Kim's remarks follow the North's deployment of troops and weapons to help Russia during its more than three-year-long offensive in Ukraine. Video footage aired by state-run Korea Central Television on Thursday showed soldiers from artillery units firing shells towards the sea. Kim is seen looking through binoculars at an observation post, flanked by two military officials, but the location for Wednesday's contest was not disclosed. He urged the soldiers to be ready "for real war" at "anytime" and be capable of "destroying the enemy in every battle", the Korean Central News Agency reported in an English dispatch. South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have reported that Pyongyang sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia's Kursk region last year, along with artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems. Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, Seoul has said. Kim offered Moscow his full support for its war in Ukraine during recent talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, state media reported previously.
Al Arabiya
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
North Korea's Kim Jong Un urges military to be ready for ‘real war'
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has urged his military to be ready 'for real war' as he observed a firing contest of artillery units, Pyongyang state media said Thursday. Kim's remarks follow the North's deployment of troops and weapons to help Russia during its more than three-year long offensive in Ukraine. Video footage aired by state-run Korea Central Television on Thursday showed soldiers from artillery units firing shells towards the sea. Kim is seen looking through binoculars at an observation post, flanked by two military officials, but the location for Wednesday's contest was not disclosed. He urged the soldiers to be ready 'for real war' at 'anytime' and be capable of 'destroying the enemy in every battle', the Korean Central News Agency reported in an English dispatch. South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have reported Pyongyang sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia's Kursk region last year, along with artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems. Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, Seoul has said. Kim offered Moscow his full support for its war in Ukraine during recent talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, state media reported previously. The two heavily sanctioned nations signed a military deal last year, including a mutual defense clause, during a rare visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Don't expect miracles in new peace talks, Russia warns
Russia has warned there will be no 'miracles' in a third round of direct peace talks with Ukraine set for Wednesday. Delegates from Kyiv and Moscow are due to meet in Istanbul, but the sides remain far apart on how to end the war started by Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion on Feb 24, 2022. Hopes therefore remain low that Ukraine and Russia will make any progress towards stopping the fighting, despite US efforts to push the peace process forward. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has praised previous talks in Istanbul, but a Kremlin spokesman has moved to dampen expectations - Pavel Bednyakov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images 'There is no reason to expect any breakthroughs in the category of miracles – it is hardly possible in the current situation,' said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman. 'We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning.' Mr Peskov also declined to give any indication of a possible timeline to reach an agreement to end the war. Ukrainian and Western officials have accused the Kremlin of stalling the talks in order for its bigger army to capture more Ukrainian land. Russia currently holds about 20 per cent of Ukraine. Russia's approach – setting low expectations – comes just one day after Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, renewed his offer to meet directly with Putin to negotiate a ceasefire, and expressed interest in speeding up the talks. 'Ukraine never wanted this war, and it is Russia that must end the war that it itself started,' Mr Zelensky posted online. The talks will be the third direct round of such meetings. Rustem Umerov, the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, will lead the delegation on behalf of Kyiv. Moscow has not yet announced who it will send. 'The agenda from our side is clear: The return of prisoners of war, the return of the children abducted by Russia, and the preparation of a leaders' meeting,' Mr Zelensky said, outlining priorities for the talks. The earlier Istanbul talks in May and June led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war, and the remains of fallen soldiers – but no real breakthrough on a peace agreement in a war that has been grinding on for three and a half years. Mr Zelensky has insisted that lower-level delegations will not be as effective as a face-to-face meeting between the two countries' leaders, but Putin has repeatedly rejected the idea – even as Donald Trump last week threatened to slap Russia with new sanctions if a peace deal is not agreed in 50 days, a period that will expire on Sept 2. Demands from both sides remain far apart – particularly on the issue of returning occupied Ukrainian territory. The Kremlin has made clear that it wants Ukraine to give up the regions that Moscow claims have been integrated into Russia. Russia also wants promises that Ukraine will not be allowed to join Nato, to limit the size of the Ukrainian military, and to recognise Russian as an official language in Ukraine. Ukrainian and Russian representatives first met in Istanbul in May, with proceedings overseen by Hakan Fidan, the Turkish foreign minister - Arda Kucukkaya/Turkish Foreign Ministry via Reuters But such demands have already been rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies. The Trump administration has pushed for an unconditional ceasefire before more substantial talks on a final has agreed to this, but Russia has refused unless certain conditions are met. Russia and Ukraine are continuing to launch attacks at each other's cities as they prepare for the talks. Russian forces attacked Ukrainian cities in three regions overnight on Monday, killing a child and injuring at least 40 others, officials said. And in a statement on Russia's Telegram channel, it has said that its forces took control of the village of Novotoretske in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. Ukraine also launched an attack against Russia using long-range drones. The defence ministry in Moscow said that its air defences shot down 35 such drones overnight, including three over the capital. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea bans foreigners from seaside resort weeks after opening
North Korea has announced that its newly opened seaside resort will not be receiving foreign tourists. The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, opened on 1 July, has been touted as a key part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's ambitions to boost tourism. In the lead-up to its opening, the resort was promoted as an attraction for both locals and foreigners. But as of this week, a notice on North Korea's tourism website says that foreigners are "temporarily" not allowed to visit. Last week, the first Russian tourists reportedly arrived at the resort in Wonsan - around the same time that Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov met Kim in the city. Lavrov hailed the seaside development as a "good tourist attraction", and said he hoped it would become popular among Russians, AFP reported. The two countries are set to launch direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang by the end of the month. A Russian tour guide previously told NK News that they had planned several more trips to the resort in the coming months. Wonsan, a city along North Korea's east coast, is home to some of the country's missile facilities and a large maritime complex. It's also where Kim spent much of his youth, among holiday villas belonging to the country's elites. The new seaside resort has lined 4km (2.5 miles) of its beachfront with hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and a water park. It has a capacity of some 20,000 people, according to state media. However, since the resort began construction in 2018, human rights groups have protested the alleged mistreatment of its workers. They point to reports of people being forced to work long hours to finish the massive project, under harsh conditions and inadequate compensation. Russian ambassadors attended the resort's completion ceremony on 24 June, along with Kim and his family. Last year, North Korea allowed Russian tourists to visit North Korea after a years-long suspension of tourism during the pandemic. In February, North Korea also started to receive tourists from the West, including Australia, France, Germany and the UK. It abruptly halted tourism weeks later, however, without saying why. North Korea's Benidorm-style resort welcomes first Russian tourists North Korea to open beach resort as Kim bets on tourism
