Wagner chief stands in captured salt mine as Russia captures strategic Soledar town
The battle for Soledar has been one of the bloodiest of the war, reports Asian Lite News
Russian military has claimed that it has captured the Ukrainian salt-mine town of Soledar after a long battle.
“The capture of Soledar was made possible by the constant bombardment of the enemy by assault and army aviation, missile forces and artillery of a grouping of Russian forces,” Russia’s Defence Ministry said in a statement on Friday. However, Ukrainian officials said the fight for Soledar was still going on and accused Russia of “information noise”.
The victory would allow Russian troops to push on to the nearby city of Bakhmut, and cut off the Ukrainian forces there, a spokesman was quoted as saying by BBC.
The battle for Soledar has been one of the bloodiest of the war.
(Photo: Instagram/Zelensky)
The town is relatively small, with a pre-war population of just 10,000, and its strategic significance is debatable. But if it is confirmed that Russian forces have seized control of it, then there will likely be a big sigh of relief in the Kremlin, BBC reported.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, during his nightly address from Kiev on Friday, said that the battle in the region continued to rage, but avoided any reference to Russia’s claims of control over Soledar.
“Although the enemy has concentrated its greatest forces in this direction, our troops – the Armed Forces of Ukraine, all defence and security forces – are defending the state,” the Ukrainian President said.
US State Department spokesperson said India and US share a commitment to upholding a rules-based international order that respects territorial integrity and sovereignty, reports Arul Louis
India may be among countries that can have a role in diplomacy to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine even though New Delhi and Washington may not see eye-to-eye on policy issues, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
“We do believe that countries like India, countries that have a relationship with Russia and with Ukraine may be in a position to help bring about dialogue and diplomacy that could one day put an end to this war,” Price said on Friday while briefing foreign correspondents.
“We have been in regular, close contact with India regarding what we can do to hold Russia accountable and to impose additional costs on Russia for its war.”
Downplaying the differences between the two countries, he said: “We may not always share precisely the same policy approaches, but we both share a commitment to upholding a rules-based international order that respects territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
India has abstained on votes at the UN condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine bringing to the fore the differences with US, even as the two countries have been developing closer ties.
Price cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly telling Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in September 2022, “I know that today’s era is not an era of war” and noted that it was echoed in the joint statement of the summit of the leaders of the G20 group of major industrialised and emerging economies that India heads.
“We’ve heard that comment at the UN as well. We do welcome India’s support for the people of Ukraine. India has provided humanitarian assistance and calls by India for an immediate end to Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine,” the spokesman noted.
The commitment to rule of law and to territorial integrity of nations “is at the heart of our global strategic partnership with India”, Price said.
“It is at the heart of what we seek to do with the Quad, with the other bilateral and multilateral work we do with our Indian partners.”
India, with the US is a member of the Quad with Australia and Japan, and Washington and the US are developing another four-nation group, I2U2, with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
While speaking of the possible diplomatic role for India in helping end the Ukraine war, Price did not see it as a near-term possibility.
It may be possible “I say ‘one day’ and I put this in the conditional because there is one country that, of course, has demonstrated no willingness to put an end to this war, to end the brutal aggression, and that, of course, is Russia”, he said.
“Even in the context of recent discussions, we took note of the Kremlin’s statement that the Kremlin is willing to engage in dialogue but only if the new territorial realities are recognised.
“That is a clear a sign as any that Moscow has no genuine appetite to engage in dialogue and diplomacy that will lead to a just and durable peace,” Price added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.(photo:instagram)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met visiting US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan in Kiev to discuss further American support for the war-torn nation.
During their meeting on Friday, Zelensky and Sullivan talked about US assistance for Ukraine in the defence sector, and the ways to increase Kiev’s capabilities to protect critical infrastructure, reports Xinhua news agency citing a statement issued by the President’s office as saying.
They also discussed financial and humanitarian support for Ukraine and strengthening sanctions against Russia in the wake of Moscow’s ongoing war against Kiev, the statement said.
The President also presented the NSA with the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise of the II degree on “behalf of the entire Ukrainian people for strengthening interstate cooperation, supporting state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
“I’m grateful to the Advisor for supporting our country in a difficult time for us,” Zelensky said in a social media post.
Earlier in the day, Sullivan met Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, and held a conversation via video call with Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny.
The NSA was briefed on the operational situation at the front and the key needs of the Ukrainian army, in particular regarding airspace protection.
Why India's exports to Europe could see a big jump following Ukraine war
Despite increasing headwinds, Outbound shipment of iron and steel, machinery and equipment could top the chart as the EU has started to scout for new markets.
India’s exports to Europe are expected to rise in the short to medium term after the latter’s trade with Russia is in question following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite increasing headwinds, Outbound shipment of iron and steel, machinery and equipment could top the chart as the EU has started to scout for new markets.
Until February this year, Russia was one of the main trade partners of the European Union. In 2021, Moscow was the EU’s fifth largest trade partner, representing 5.8 per cent of the region’s total trade in goods with the world.
Besides oil and gas, EU’s imports from Russia comprised wood, iron and steel, fertiliser, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, pearl, and precious stones among other items.
“For Indian exporters, opportunities could further open up. With sanctions against Russia post its Ukraine invasion, Europe is already facing a crisis like situation..though the continent’s imports from Russia has not come to a halt, EU will eventually look for newer markets for non energy products,” Ajay Sahai, director general and CEO, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) told India Narrative.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the Eastern Economic Forum plenary session in Vladivostok, Russia on Sept. 7, 2022. (Kremlin press release/IANS)
The EU is already India’s second largest trading partner after the US. Talks for a free trade agreement between India and the EU have also been revived this year. The negotiations were kicked off in 2007 but were suspended in 2013.
India’s bilateral trade with the EU amounted to $116.36 billion in 2021-22 — a growth of 43.5 per cent despite uncertainty in the global economic scenario.
While India’s exports during the April-September period increased by 15.54 per cent to touch $229.05 billion, global uncertainties have also had an impact. In September, the country’s outbound shipment stood at $32.62 billion in September against $33.81 billion in the same month last year. Trade deficit also widened to $26.72 billion, according to preliminary official data.
The strengthening of the US dollar — the American currency is at its highest level since 2000 — has led to tumbling of most currencies of the world. To contain domestic inflation, the US Federal Reserve has been hiking interest rates.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Council, Charles Michel and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen
The dollar has appreciated 13 per cent against the Euro. Against the emerging market economies, it has risen 6 per cent since the start of this year. A sharp strengthening of the dollar in a matter of months has sizable macroeconomic implications for almost all countries, given the dominance of the dollar in international trade and finance, a blog jointly written by International Monetary Fund’s First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath and Economic Counsellor and Director of Research Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas pointed out.
“Countries must preserve vital foreign reserves to deal with potentially worse outflows and turmoil in the future. Those that are able should reinstate swap lines with advanced-economy central banks,” the blog read.
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President Volodymyr Zelensky did not want to hear that Russia was preparing to invade Ukraine after inputs were collected by the US intelligence, US President Joe Biden said in a startling revelation.
“Nothing like this has happened since World War II. I know a lot of people thought I was maybe exaggerating. But I knew we had data to sustain he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) was going to go in, off the border,” President Biden was quoted as saying in reports at a Democratic fundraiser in Washington.
“There was no doubt,” Biden said. “And Zelensky didn’t want to hear it.”
Although President Zelensky has inspired people with his leadership during the war, his preparation for the invasion — or lack thereof — has remained a controversial issue, AP reported.
Ahead of the start of the invasion, which Russia still calls a “special military operation”, on February 24, the US-led West had repeatedly warned about the military build up near the Ukraine border.
The Western leaders have repeatedly urged Putin for a de-escalation in tensions. However, the Russian President launched a surprise offensive, triggering shock worldwide.
Earlier on Friday, Kyiv expressed concerns that the West may lost interest if the conflict lingers, “The fatigue is growing, people want some kind of outcome (that is beneficial) for themselves, and we want (another) outcome for ourselves,” Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the country is losing upto 200 troops a day while fighting on the front line with Russian forces.
According to the aide Mykhaylo Podolyak, hundreds of Ukrainian troops are under relentless bombardment as Russian forces attempt to take control of the whole of th eastern Donbas region, the BBC reported on Friday.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo: Instagram)
While reiterating that Ukraine still requires Western artillery, he said: “The Russian forces have thrown pretty much everything non-nuclear at the front and that includes heavy artillery, multiple rocket launch systems and aviation.”
Podolyak added that the “complete lack of parity” between the two rival armies was the reason for Ukraine’s heavy casualty rate.
“Our demands for artillery are not just some kind of whim, but an objective need when it comes to the situation on the battlefield,” the BBC quoted the aide as saying, who went on to add that Kiev needs 150-300 rocket launch systems to match Russia, which is a much higher number than it has received so far.
He also stressed that peace talks between Kiev and Moscow can resume if Russia surrendered the territory it has gained since it launched the invasion on February 24.
Meanwhile, Russian forces have concentrated their assault on the eastern city of Severodonetsk.
On Wednesday, President Zelensky said “the fate of the Donbas is being decided there” and officials said it has been reduced to rubble by intense Russian artillery and missile barrages.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with the Defence Ministry leadership and defence industry heads. (Photo: Twitter@KremlinRussia_E)
Britain’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that Putin might use Russia’s victory day parade on May 9 to announce the mass mobilisation of his reserves for a final push in Ukraine, reports Asian Lite News
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to declare an “all-out war” on Ukraine “within days” to enable Moscow to launch a general mobilisation of the population, according to Russian sources and Western officials.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what Putin called a “special military operation” to “demilitarise and de-nazify” Ukraine and barred the use of the word “war”, thinking it would be over in a few weeks, The Daily Mail reported.
However, army chiefs, frustrated that the invasion has now stretched into the third week, have called on the President to declare war which would enable a mass mobilisation of Russian troops and an escalation in the conflict.
Britain’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that Putin might use Russia’s victory day parade on May 9 to announce the mass mobilisation of his reserves for a final push in Ukraine.
It comes as former NATO chief Richard Sherriff warned the West must “gear itself up” for a “worst case scenario” war with Russia in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Twitter@KremlinRussia_E)
A Russian military source told the Telepgraph: “The military are outraged that the blitz on Kiev has failed. People in the army are seeking payback for failures of the past and they want to go further in Ukraine.”
Earlier this week, the Russian military was said to be furious that Putin had downsized the invasion of Ukraine and called for a new escalation of the conflict.
