Latest news with #Ukrainewar
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia launches a major aerial attack on Kyiv hours before high-level talks on support for Ukraine
Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months hours before the U.K. and Germany chaired a meeting on Monday to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for NATO allies to provide Ukraine with weapons. The attack killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. A drone struck the entrance to a subway station in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district where people had taken cover. Videos posted on social media showed the station platform engulfed by smoke, with dozens of people inside. Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said the station had to be ventilated in what he called an 'enhanced mode.' The heaviest strikes hit the city's Darnytskyi district, where a kindergarten, supermarket and warehouse facilities caught fire. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who arrived in Kyiv on Monday for talks with Zelenskyy, visited some of the damaged area. Zelenskyy and Barrot spoke about expanding defense cooperation, including a decision by French companies to start manufacturing drones in Ukraine, and advancing Ukraine's path toward European Union membership, the Ukrainian leader said on social media. The overnight drone and missile assault on Kyiv underscored the urgency of Ukraine's need for further Western military aid, especially in air defense, a week after Trump said deliveries would arrive in Ukraine within days. Western defense chiefs hold Ukraine meeting The virtual meeting of high-level military officials Monday was led by British Defense Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte, as well as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, attended the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Moscow has intensified its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate as Russian drone production expands. Ukraine's new Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal urged allies to speed up deliveries of American air defense systems under the plan put forward by Trump. 'I request the U.S. to make these weapons available for purchase, and our European partners to extend all the needed financing for their procurement,' Shmyhal, who until recently served as prime minister, said as the meeting began. Trump's arms plan, announced a week ago, involves European nations sending American weapons, including Patriot air defense missile systems, to Ukraine via NATO — either from existing stockpiles or buying and donating new ones. In an shift of tone toward Russia, Trump last week gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions. At Monday's meeting, Healey was expected to urge Ukraine's Western partners to launch a '50-day drive' to get Kyiv the weapons it needs to fight Russia's bigger army and force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, the U.K. government said in a statement. NATO's Grynkewich told The Associated Press on Thursday that 'preparations are underway' for weapons transfers to Ukraine while U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said he couldn't give a time frame. Kyiv wants American-made Patriot missile systems Germany has said it offered to finance two new Patriot systems for Ukraine and raised the possibility of supplying systems it already owns and having them replaced by the U.S. But delivery could take time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested, because 'they have to be transported, they have to be set up; that is not a question of hours, it is a question of days, perhaps weeks." Other Patriot systems could come thanks to Switzerland, whose defense ministry said Thursday it was informed by the U.S. Defense Department that it will 'reprioritize the delivery" of five previously ordered systems to support Ukraine. While Ukraine waits for Patriots, a senior NATO official said the alliance is still coordinating the delivery of other military aid — such as ammunition and artillery rounds — which includes aid from the U.S. that was briefly paused. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Zelenskyy said Saturday that his officials have proposed a new round of peace talks this week. Russian state media on Sunday reported that no date has yet been set for the negotiations, but said that Istanbul would likely remain the host city. The Kremlin spokesman said Sunday that Russia is open to peace with Ukraine, but achieving its goals remains a priority. Ukraine fires drones at Moscow The overnight Russian barrage of Kyiv began shortly after midnight and continued until around 6 a.m. Residents of the capital were kept awake by machine-gun fire, buzzing drone engines and multiple loud explosions. It was the first major attack on Kyiv since Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, arrived in the city last Monday. Russia halted strikes on Kyiv during his visit. Russia's Ministry of Defense said its attack used drones and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. It said that the barrage successfully targeted airfield infrastructure and Ukraine's military-industrial complex. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 426 Shahed and decoy drones overnight Monday, as well as 24 missiles of various types. It said 200 drones were intercepted with 203 more jammed or lost from radars. Ukraine, meanwhile, continued to deploy its domestically produced long-range drones. Russia's Ministry of Defense said that its forces shot down 74 Ukrainian drones overnight, with almost a third of them destroyed close to the Russian capital. Twenty-three drones were shot down in the Moscow region, the ministry said, 15 of which were intercepted over the city itself. ___ Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war at
Reuters
3 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
One dead, six injured in Russian drone attack on Ukraine's Odesa
July 19 (Reuters) - Russian forces staged a mass drone attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa early on Saturday, setting ablaze at least one multi-storey apartment building and killing one resident, authorities said. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian cities, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to sharpen his tone against Russia and to threaten harsher sanctions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the attack on Odesa injured six people, including a child. Russia launched over 30 missiles and 300 drones during its overnight assault that affected 10 regions of the country, he added on Telegram, and reiterated the importance of air defence provision. Ukraine has been asking for additional support from allies to deliver aid and invest in domestic production to repel Russia's attacks. Five missiles and 30 drones hit 12 locations, and seven locations were hit by downed aerial objects, Ukraine's air force said in a statement on Telegram. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched against its smaller neighbour more than three years ago. Thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian. In the northeastern Sumy region, the latest drone attack damaged critical infrastructure, leaving several thousand families without electricity, Zelenskiy said. Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov earlier said that at least 20 drones had converged on the city, a frequent Russian target, and he said at least one multi-storey apartment building was on fire. Pictures posted online showed a fire engulfing floors near the top of one building and emergency crews moving extended ladders into place. Smoke billowed from windows. Parents were seen carrying children to safety in blankets.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The EU targets Russia's energy revenue and shadow fleet with new sanctions over the war on Ukraine
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union approved on Friday a new raft of sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine, including a lower oil price cap, a ban on transactions with Nord Stream gas pipelines, and the targeting of more shadow fleet ships, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. 'The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war,' Kallas said in a statement. Kallas said the EU move amounts to 'one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date' linked to the war, which is now in its fourth year. It comes as European countries start to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine to help the country better defend itself. The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, had proposed to lower the oil price cap from $60 to $45, which is lower than the market price to target Russia's vast energy revenues. The EU had hoped to get major international powers in the Group of Seven countries involved in the price cap to broaden the impact, but conflict in the Middle East pushed up oil prices and the Trump administration could not be brought onboard. In 2023, Ukraine's Western allies limited sales of Russian oil to $60 per barrel but the price cap was largely symbolic as most of Moscow's crude — its main moneymaker — cost less than that. Still, the cap was there in case oil prices rose. Oil income is the linchpin of Russia's economy, allowing President Vladimir Putin to pour money into the armed forces without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse. The EU has also targeted the Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany to prevent Putin from generating any revenue from them in future, notably by discouraging would-be investors. Russian energy giant Rosneft's refinery in India was hit as well. The pipelines were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany but are not in operation. They were targeted by sabotage in 2022, but the source of the underwater explosions has remained a major international mystery. On top of that, the new EU sanctions targeted Russia's banking sector, with the aim of limiting the Kremlin's ability to raise funds or carry out financial transactions. Two Chinese banks were added to the list. The EU has slapped several rounds of sanctions on Russia since Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine in February 24, 2022. More than 2,400 officials and 'entities' — often government agencies, banks, companies or organizations — have been hit with asset freezes and travel bans. But each round of sanctions is getting harder to agree, as measures targeting Russia bite the economies of the 27 member nations. Slovakia held up the latest package over concerns about proposals to stop Russian gas supplies, which it relies on. The last raft of EU sanctions, imposed on May 20, targeted almost 200 ships in Russia's sanction-busting shadow fleet of tankers. Friday's measures added more than 100 more ships to the list.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
The EU targets Russia's energy revenue and shadow fleet with new sanctions over the war on Ukraine
The European Union approved on Friday a new raft of sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine, including a lower oil price cap, a ban on transactions with Nord Stream gas pipelines, and the targeting of more shadow fleet ships, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. 'The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war,' Kallas said in a statement. Kallas said the EU move amounts to 'one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date' linked to the war, which is now in its fourth year. It comes as European countries start to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine to help the country better defend itself. The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, had proposed to lower the oil price cap from $60 to $45, which is lower than the market price to target Russia's vast energy revenues. The EU had hoped to get major international powers in the Group of Seven countries involved in the price cap to broaden the impact, but conflict in the Middle East pushed up oil prices and the Trump administration could not be brought onboard. In 2023, Ukraine's Western allies limited sales of Russian oil to $60 per barrel but the price cap was largely symbolic as most of Moscow's crude — its main moneymaker — cost less than that. Still, the cap was there in case oil prices rose. Oil income is the linchpin of Russia's economy, allowing President Vladimir Putin to pour money into the armed forces without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse. The EU has also targeted the Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany to prevent Putin from generating any revenue from them in future, notably by discouraging would-be investors. Russian energy giant Rosneft's refinery in India was hit as well. The pipelines were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany but are not in operation. They were targeted by sabotage in 2022, but the source of the underwater explosions has remained a major international mystery. On top of that, the new EU sanctions targeted Russia's banking sector, with the aim of limiting the Kremlin's ability to raise funds or carry out financial transactions. Two Chinese banks were added to the list. The EU has slapped several rounds of sanctions on Russia since Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine in February 24, 2022. More than 2,400 officials and 'entities' — often government agencies, banks, companies or organizations — have been hit with asset freezes and travel bans. But each round of sanctions is getting harder to agree, as measures targeting Russia bite the economies of the 27 member nations. Slovakia held up the latest package over concerns about proposals to stop Russian gas supplies, which it relies on. The last raft of EU sanctions, imposed on May 20, targeted almost 200 ships in Russia's sanction-busting shadow fleet of tankers. Friday's measures added more than 100 more ships to the list.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
The EU targets Russia's energy revenue and shadow fleet with new sanctions over the war on Ukraine
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union approved on Friday a new raft of sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine, including a lower oil price cap, a ban on transactions with Nord Stream gas pipelines, and the targeting of more shadow fleet ships, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. 'The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war,' Kallas said in a statement. Kallas said the EU move amounts to 'one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date' linked to the war, which is now in its fourth year. It comes as European countries start to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine to help the country better defend itself. The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, had proposed to lower the oil price cap from $60 to $45, which is lower than the market price to target Russia's vast energy revenues. The EU had hoped to get major international powers in the Group of Seven countries involved in the price cap to broaden the impact, but conflict in the Middle East pushed up oil prices and the Trump administration could not be brought onboard. In 2023, Ukraine's Western allies limited sales of Russian oil to $60 per barrel but the price cap was largely symbolic as most of Moscow's crude — its main moneymaker — cost less than that. Still, the cap was there in case oil prices rose. Oil income is the linchpin of Russia's economy, allowing President Vladimir Putin to pour money into the armed forces without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse. The EU has also targeted the Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany to prevent Putin from generating any revenue from them in future, notably by discouraging would-be investors. Russian energy giant Rosneft's refinery in India was hit as well. The pipelines were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany but are not in operation. They were targeted by sabotage in 2022, but the source of the underwater explosions has remained a major international mystery. On top of that, the new EU sanctions targeted Russia's banking sector, with the aim of limiting the Kremlin's ability to raise funds or carry out financial transactions. Two Chinese banks were added to the list. The EU has slapped several rounds of sanctions on Russia since Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine in February 24, 2022. More than 2,400 officials and 'entities' — often government agencies, banks, companies or organizations — have been hit with asset freezes and travel bans. But each round of sanctions is getting harder to agree, as measures targeting Russia bite the economies of the 27 member nations. Slovakia held up the latest package over concerns about proposals to stop Russian gas supplies, which it relies on. The last raft of EU sanctions, imposed on May 20, targeted almost 200 ships in Russia's sanction-busting shadow fleet of tankers. Friday's measures added more than 100 more ships to the list.
