Latest news with #Ukraine war
France 24
2 days ago
- Business
- France 24
Ukraine's Zelensky seeks shakeup with new prime minister
The announcement is likely to herald a broad government reshuffle, more than three years after Russia launched its invasion that has cost tens of thousands of lives. "I have proposed that Yuliia Svyrydenko lead the government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work," Zelensky wrote on social media, posting a picture of the two. "I look forward to the presentation of the new government's action plan in the near future," Zelensky added. Svyrydenko, 39, gained prominence this year during fraught negotiations around a rare minerals deal with the United States that nearly derailed ties between Kyiv and its most important military ally. Shortly after Zelensky's announcement, she said Ukraine faced a "crucial time" and listed her priorities as "strengthening" Ukraine's economy, expanding domestic support programmes and scaling up weapons production. Ukraine's economy has been decimated by the Russian invasion, and Kyiv is reliant on tens of billions of dollars in annual support from Western countries to stay afloat. If the change is approved, Svyrydenko would replace Denys Shmygal, who became prime minister in 2020, before the war. "The government needs a change because people are exhausted," said Tymofiy Mylovanov, a former economy minister who worked with Svyrydenko. Mylovanov, who now heads the Kyiv School of Economics, said the changes would likely bring "a sort of freshness" after three and a half years of war. Zelensky said last week he is also considering naming Defence Minister Rustem Umerov as Ukraine's ambassador to Washington. Zelensky met with Umerov over the weekend, after which he said that "Ukraine needs more positive dynamics in relations with the United States and at the same time new steps in managing the defense sector of our state." Svyrydenko, who is also a deputy prime minister, was appointed to manage Ukraine's struggling economy months before the Kremlin launched its full-scale assault in February 2022. Her appointment as prime minister will require approval by parliament, which has largely united around Zelensky since the invasion and is unlikely to vote against him.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Trump threatens Putin with 100% tariffs
President Donald Trump says the U.S. will slap 100 percent tariffs on Russia if Vladimir Putin doesn't agree to a peace deal with Ukraine within 50 days. The president tore into Putin while meeting with NATO Secretary Mark Rutte in the Oval Office as his anger at the Russian dictator boiled over amid its escalating attacks on Ukraine. Trump said he'll be imposing secondary tariffs on Russia in 50 days if a deal to end the war isn't reached. 'We'll be doing tariffs in 50 days [on Russia] and we'll be doing tariffs - secondary tariffs - at 100 percent,' he said in the Oval Office on Monday. 'I'm disappointed in President Putin. I thought we would've had a deal two months ago,' he went on about the proposed peace deal. Trump will also send sophisticated weaponry, including Patriot missiles, to Ukraine – in his latest pivot in the brutal conflict. 'I'm going to have [ NATO Secretary] Mark Rutte speak about it, but we've made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons and they're going to be paying for them,' he stated. 'We - the United States - will not be having any payment made. We're not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they're going to be paying for it.' Trump on Sunday night directed yet another sharp comment toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Russia continues to bombard its neighbor with missile and drone attacks. He confirmed that the U.S. will send Patriot missile defense systems that Ukraine says is vital to its defense, after his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instituted a pause that caused a sudden clash within his administration. There are also reports he will send offensive weaponry, after many of his allies have criticized the way way the Biden administration pushed weapons out the door following Russia's 2022 invasion. One tool potentially at his disposal is $3.85 billion in leftover drawdown authority from the prior administration. Trump has only hinted at aspects of the deal, which he has described has having European allies foot the bill for U.S. weaponry. 'We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need, because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening,' Trump said in his latest barb at Putin. 'We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100 percent for that, and that's the way we want it,' Trump said. He also teased a 'major statement' on NATO, on a day he is set to meet at the White House with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte . The talks are set to include Secretary of State Marco Rubio , who is back from Malaysia after commenting on the hunt for an imposter who has been using AI to impersonate him , and Hegseth, who has been under fire for his handling of Ukraine after reportedly failing to brief the president on major policy moves. Describing the plan, Trump said: ' We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100 percent for that, and that's the way we want it.' Trump gave the latest hint in his stunning U-turn last week, when he said that the U.S. will 'have to' once again send powerful weapons to Ukraine, despite his administration pausing critical arms shipments the week before. Hegseth was sitting Trump at the time during his cabinet meeting. 'I don't know, why don't you tell me?' Trump replied when asked who ordered the weapons halt. Trump and his top aides have made skeptical comments about the effort to arm Ukraine, which dramatically turned back the thrust of Russia's initial invasion but has been stuck in a war of attrition on its own territory.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Trump threatens Putin with a 50-day ultimatum on Ukraine peace deal or face 100% tariffs
President Donald Trump says the U.S. will slap 100 percent tariffs on Russia if Vladimir Putin doesn't agree to a peace deal with Ukraine within 50 days. The president tore into Putin while meeting with NATO Secretary Mark Rutte in the Oval Office as his anger at the Russian dictator boiled over amid its escalating attacks on Ukraine. Trump said he'll be imposing secondary tariffs on Russia in 50 days if a deal to end the war isn't reached. 'We'll be doing tariffs in 50 days [on Russia] and we'll be doing tariffs - secondary tariffs - at 100 percent,' he said in the Oval Office on Monday. 'I'm disappointed in President Putin. I thought we would've had a deal two months ago,' he went on about the proposed peace deal. Trump will also send sophisticated weaponry, including Patriot missiles, to Ukraine – in his latest pivot in the brutal conflict. 'We've made a deal today where we are going to be sending [Ukraine] weapons and they're going to be paying for them,' he stated. 'We - the United States - will not be having any payment made. We're not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they're going to be paying for it.' Trump on Sunday night directed yet another sharp comment toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Russia continues to bombard its neighbor with missile and drone attacks. He confirmed that the U.S. will send Patriot missile defense systems that Ukraine says is vital to its defense, after his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instituted a pause that caused a sudden clash within his administration. There are also reports he will send offensive weaponry, after many of his allies have criticized the way way the Biden administration pushed weapons out the door following Russia's 2022 invasion. One tool potentially at his disposal is $3.85 billion in leftover drawdown authority from the prior administration. Trump has only hinted at aspects of the deal, which he has described has having European allies foot the bill for U.S. weaponry. 'We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need, because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening,' Trump said in his latest barb at Putin. 'We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100 percent for that, and that's the way we want it,' Trump said. He also teased a 'major statement' on NATO, on a day he is set to meet at the White House with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. The talks are set to include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is back from Malaysia after commenting on the hunt for an imposter who has been using AI to impersonate him, and Hegseth, who has been under fire for his handling of Ukraine after reportedly failing to brief the president on major policy moves. Describing the plan, Trump said: 'We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100 percent for that, and that's the way we want it.' Trump gave the latest hint in his stunning U-turn last week, when he said that the U.S. will 'have to' once again send powerful weapons to Ukraine, despite his administration pausing critical arms shipments the week before. Hegseth was sitting Trump at the time during his cabinet meeting. 'I don't know, why don't you tell me?' Trump replied when asked who ordered the weapons halt. Trump and his top aides have made skeptical comments about the effort to arm Ukraine, which dramatically turned back the thrust of Russia's initial invasion but has been stuck in a war of attrition on its own territory. A push into Russia's Kursk region eventually got repelled by Russian forces backed up by soldiers sent by North Korea. Before Trump selected him as his running mate, JD Vance said: 'I do not think that it is in America's interest to continue to fund an effectively never-ending war in Ukraine,' saying back in 2022: 'I gotta be honest with you, I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kim renews North Korea's support for Russia over Ukraine, state media reports
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has reassured Russia of 'unconditional support' from Pyongyang to Moscow in its every effort to resolve the war in Ukraine, its state media reported on Sunday. Mr Kim's continued diplomatic help from North Korea came as he met with Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, who was on a three-day visit to North Korea and described the two countries' relations as 'an invincible fighting brotherhood'. The two leaders met in North Korea's eastern coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday, where both countries held their high-level strategic dialogue, for the second time this year, pledging mutual cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang under a partnership treaty signed last year. Russian media said Mr Lavrov also thanked the North Korean leader for the troops deployed to Russia. The Russian foreign minister also passed on a message from Putin to Mr Kim, hoping for more direct contacts in future, reported Tass news agency. Russia and North Korea have also signed a mutual defence treaty, which obliges them to immediately provide military assistance using 'all means' if either is attacked – marking the strongest military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. "Kim Jong Un reaffirmed that the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis," KCNA said, using the acronym for North Korea's formal name. Mr Kim told the Russian foreign minister that the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics will contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported. Mr Lavrov also met his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Wonsan on Saturday where the two signed a joint statement offering support to safeguard each other's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Alienated on the world stage and facing crunching financial sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has extended its diplomatic ties with the hermit kingdom North Korea and sought military assistance in soldiers and ammunition. The ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have soared to their historic best during the last two years, with North Korea deploying more than 10,000 of its troops and arms to Russia to help with Vladimir Putin's invasion of its smaller neighbour. This comes as on Sunday, South Korean defence ministry's intelligence arm reported to the parliament that North continued to supply artillery ammunition to Russia and has so far shipped about 12 million rounds. In another display of their growing bilateral ties, North Korea last month agreed to dispatch 6,000 military engineers and builders for reconstruction in Russia's Kursk region where Ukraine launched an audacious cross-border incursion in August.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Kim renews North Korea's support for Russia over Ukraine, state media reports
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has reassured Russia of 'unconditional support' from Pyongyang to Moscow in its every effort to resolve the war in Ukraine, its state media reported on Sunday. Mr Kim's continued diplomatic help from North Korea came as he met with Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, who was on a three-day visit to North Korea and described the two countries' relations as 'an invincible fighting brotherhood'. The two leaders met in North Korea's eastern coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday, where both countries held their high-level strategic dialogue, for the second time this year, pledging mutual cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang under a partnership treaty signed last year. Russian media said Mr Lavrov also thanked the North Korean leader for the troops deployed to Russia. The Russian foreign minister also passed on a message from Putin to Mr Kim, hoping for more direct contacts in future, reported Tass news agency. Russia and North Korea have also signed a mutual defence treaty, which obliges them to immediately provide military assistance using 'all means' if either is attacked – marking the strongest military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. "Kim Jong Un reaffirmed that the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis," KCNA said, using the acronym for North Korea's formal name. Mr Kim told the Russian foreign minister that the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics will contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported. Mr Lavrov also met his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Wonsan on Saturday where the two signed a joint statement offering support to safeguard each other's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Alienated on the world stage and facing crunching financial sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has extended its diplomatic ties with the hermit kingdom North Korea and sought military assistance in soldiers and ammunition. The ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have soared to their historic best during the last two years, with North Korea deploying more than 10,000 of its troops and arms to Russia to help with Vladimir Putin 's invasion of its smaller neighbour. This comes as on Sunday, South Korean defence ministry's intelligence arm reported to the parliament that North continued to supply artillery ammunition to Russia and has so far shipped about 12 million rounds. In another display of their growing bilateral ties, North Korea last month agreed to dispatch 6,000 military engineers and builders for reconstruction in Russia's Kursk region where Ukraine launched an audacious cross-border incursion in August.
