Tag: vladimir putin

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Zelensky to follow up on China’s peace proposals

President Volodymyr Zelensky is also planning to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, reports Asian Lite News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he plans to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to follow up on Beijing’s proposals on ending the ongoing war.

In a 12-point paper released by the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Friday as the war marked a year, China said that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis,adding that it “will continue to play a constructive role in this regard”.

The paper called for a resumption of peace talks between the two warring sides, an end to unilateral sanctions, and stressed its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.

“All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually de-escalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire,” it added.

In response, Zelenksy said that China’s proposal signalled that it was involved in the search for peace.

“I really want to believe that China will not supply weapons to Russia,” the BBC quoted the President as saying.

President Putin meets with Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Wang Yi. (Photo by Anton Novoderezhkin, TASS)

He liked the fact that China started talking about Ukraine, and considers this to be “very good”. But the question remained on what lies behind those words, what actions will follow them, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.

The President also positively reacted to the People’s Republic of China respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

In general, according to the President, the fact that China’s so-called “peace plan” includes respect for international territorial law and “certain security things” already makes it possible to work with this country.

“Our task is to bring everyone together to isolate someone,” he added.

Meanwhile, Russia hailed the proposals, saying “we share Beijing’s views”.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Beijing was considering supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia – a claim strongly denied by Beijing. On Friday, American media again reported that the Chinese government was considering sending drones and artillery shells to Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits recaptured city of Izyum.(Photo: Instagram)

Asked about the Chinese plan, US President Joe Biden told ABC News on Friday: “(Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s applauding it, so how could it be any good?

“I’ve seen nothing in the plan that would indicate that there is something that would be beneficial to anyone other than Russia.”

The development comes following China’s Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi’s visit to Moscow, where he met President Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday.

After the talks, Wang was quoted by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency as saying that Beijing was willing to “deepen political trust” and “strengthen strategic coordination” with Moscow.

ALSO READ: Russia, Ukraine hold rivaling moments of silence at UNSC

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Putin likely to attend G20 Summit in India

PM Modi in a bilateral meeting with the President of Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir Putin, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16, 2022.

Russia’s G20 Sherpa said she is hopeful that the President Putin will attend the Summit next year, however, it is up to him to take the final call, reports Asian Lite News

Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to participate in the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023, Russia’s G20 (Sherpa) Svetlana Lukash has stated.

“I hope that, of course, [Russia’s president] will go [to the G20 Summit]. But this, in any case, is up to him to decide. Now, when the next summit is one year ahead, I cannot give an answer to such a question. The way I see it, that there are all chances for this,” Lukash told Russian state news agency TASS on Friday. Lukash recalled that the meeting of the G20 leaders in New Delhi, as the Indian organizers had announced, was scheduled for September 9-10, 2023.

India took over the G20 presidency from Indonesia on December 1. Putin had skipped the G20 Summit in Indonesia. In all during its G20 presidency, India intends to hold about 200 events across the country.

Lukash said that she is hopeful that the Russian President will attend the Summit next year, however, it is up to him to take the final call, she added.

The Russian G20 Sherpa said that she is hopeful that her country nation won’t miss a single event and emphasised the significance of Russia’s attendance in order to take a stand and express its opinions.

Russia’s G20 (Sherpa) Svetlana Lukash during first Sherpa meeting in Udaipur, Rajasthan

“I hope that we will not miss a single event – be it a meeting of a working group or a seminar, or a conference. It is important for Russia to participate in any event to demonstrate its position, express its views, and see the best practices that partners from other countries have,” Lukash was quoted as saying by TASS.

The first G20 Sherpa meeting under India’s Presidency kicked off in Udaipur on December 5 where Lukash said that digital transformation and innovations are key drivers of growth and development. She further said, “Hence proposed by #G20India as cross-cutting topics at all the G20 working tracks.”

During the G20 Sherpa meeting held in Udaipur, Russian G20 Sherpa Svetlana Lukash lauded India and Indian Sherpa Amitabh Kant for putting ‘Women-led development’ as one of the group’s key priorities.

Taking to Twitter, Lukash said, “Grateful to #G20India and @amitabhk87 for putting ‘Women-led development’ as one of the key priorities of G20. Women are catalysers of positive transformations!”

Russia’s G20 (Sherpa) Svetlana Lukash with G20 India Team.

In a series of tweets, Lukash said, “So inspired by meeting with highly professional and charming experts of #G20India Team! G20 is destined to succeed with their committed hearts and creative minds!”

The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies. Last month, Indonesia handed over the G20 presidency to India in the presence of PM Modi at the Bali summit for the coming year. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Lavrov: NATO trying to drag India into anti-Russian alliance

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UAE President to visit Russia

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will pay a visit to Russia on Tuesday, during which he will meet with President Vladimir Putin.

During his visit, Sheikh Mohamed will discuss with President Putin the friendly relations between the UAE and Russia along with a number of regional and international issues and developments of common interest, state news agency WAM reported.

UAE top Arab destination for Russian investments

Last week, Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the UAE Federal National Council (FNC), discussed with the Russian Federation Council Speaker, Valentina Matvienko, ways of enhancing cooperation between the two friendly countries, especially in the parliamentary field, in line with the support these relations enjoy from the leadership and governments of the two countries.

During the meeting ,which took place on the sidelines of the 8th G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, the two sides acknowledged the role of parliamentary diplomacy in serving state policies and strengthening international security and peace. They commended the mission of the eight-member IPU Task Force for the peaceful resolution of the crisis in Ukraine, led by MP Dr. Ali Al Nuaimi of the United Arab Emirates.

Saqr Ghobash stressed the importance of strengthening and continuity of communication, coordination and strategic parliamentary dialogue between the two sides, and unifying positions, visions and orientations on various issues of common interest in various regional and international parliamentary forums, especially in the Inter-Parliamentary Union, with the importance of exchanging experiences, knowledge and parliamentary practices.

For her part, Valentina Matvienko stressed the need for parliamentary relations keeping pace with the strategic partnership relations between the two countries, and the development they are witnessing at various economic, commercial, cultural, energy and technology levels.

The UAE is the first Arab destination for Russian investments and is the largest Arab investor in Russia, she noted.

ALSO READ: ‘UAE rebuilding bridges for regional, global stability’

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Russia preparing society for possible use of nukes: Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.(photo: https://www.instagram.com/zelenskiy_official/)

President Zelensky stressed that action against Russia threats was needed now, as it posed a “risk for the whole planet”, reports Asian Lite News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that Russian officials have started “preparing the society” for the possible use of nuclear weapons, but also added that “they are not ready to do it”.

In an interview with the BBC at the President’s Office in Kiev, Zelensky said on Friday: “They begin to prepare their society. That’s very dangerous.

“They are not ready to do it, to use it. But they begin to communicate. They don’t know whether they’ll use or not use it. I think it’s dangerous to even speak about it.”

“What we see is that Russia’s people in power like life and thus I think the risk of using nuclear weapons is not that definite as some experts say, because they understand that there is no turning back after using it, not only the history of their country, but themselves as personalities.”

During the interview, the President also denied having called for strikes on Russia, claiming that an earlier remark had been “mistranslated”.

“After that translation, they (the Russians) did things their way, the way that’s useful to them, and began to retranslate it in other directions,” he told the BBC

“You must use preventive kicks,” Zelensky said, referring to sanctions, “not attacks”.

He further stressed that action against Russia threats was needed now, as it posed a “risk for the whole planet”.

Moscow, he claimed, had “made a step already” by occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest nuclear station which President Vladimir Putin is trying to turn into Russian property.

“The world can stop urgently the actions of Russian occupiers,” Zelensky told the BBC.

“The world can implement the sanction package in such cases and do everything to make them leave the nuclear power plant.”

Zelensky also said that Putin is not afraid of a possible nuclear strike but of his community, and his people.

“Because only those people are capable of replacing him now, to take away his power and give it to someone else,” he explained.

Asked whether Putin could survive in an eventual Ukrainian win in the war, the Ukrainian leader said: “I don’t care.”

ALSO READ: Key bridge linking Crimea to Russia hit by huge blast

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Putin’s nuclear threat must be taken seriously: EU

Vladimir Putin

Josep Borrell told the media that Putin’s assertion he was not bluffing had to be taken seriously, reports Asian Lite News

The EU must not ignore Vladimir Putin’s threats that he could use nuclear weapons in the conflict in Ukraine, the bloc’s foreign policy chief has said, as per a media report.

Josep Borrell told the media that Putin’s assertion he was not bluffing had to be taken seriously.

His remarks come as Russia begins a partial mobilisation and moves to annex four regions of Ukraine.

Putin has faced setbacks on the battlefield, with his forces pushed back by a Ukrainian counter-offensive.

Josep Borrell, The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

“Certainly it’s a dangerous moment because the Russian army has been pushed into a corner, and Putin’s reaction – threatening using nuclear arms – it’s very bad,” Borrell said.

Seven months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, analysts agree that President Putin’s forces are on the back foot, but he said a “diplomatic solution” must be reached, one that “preserves the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.

“Otherwise, we can finish the war, but we will not have peace, and we will have another war,” he said, BBC reported.

Putin said his country had “various weapons of destruction” and would “use all the means available to us,” adding: “I’m not bluffing”.

At the same time, the President announced the call-up of 300,000 Russians who have done compulsory military service, sparking protests and reports of people fleeing the country to avoid being sent to the front line.

Borrell dismissed concerns that the EU’s arms supplies were running low, and said it must continue providing military support to Ukraine, as well as applying economic sanctions against President Putin and his allies and conducting diplomatic activity.

Russian President Vladimir Putin with Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu. (Photo: Twitter@mod_russia)

He admitted that the rising cost of energy prices caused by the conflict was a matter of concern.

“People in my country tell me the price of the gas means we cannot continue working, we cannot continue making my business run,” the Spanish politician said, adding he had heard similar concerns from leaders from Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.

ALSO READ: ‘We won’t rest until Ukraine defeats Russia’

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Russia expands list of ‘unfriendly countries’

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Twitter@KremlinRussia_E)

Russia has expanded its list of “unfriendly countries” to include Greece, Denmark, Slovenia, Croatia and Slovakia, the Russian government has announced.

The blacklisted countries are subject to a quota or even a complete ban when their embassies, consulates and government bodies in Russia want to hire local employees, Xinhua news agency reported.

Now Greece has a limit of 34 people, Denmark 20, Slovakia 16, while Slovenia and Croatia will not be able to hire employees in their diplomatic missions and consular offices, the Russian government said in a statement on Friday.

“Naturally, being included in the list of unfriendly countries entails a decrease in the level of contacts (with Russia),” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily briefing commenting on the government decision.

He did not rule out that the affected countries may face other consequences in addition to the restrictions on the recruitment of personnel.

Russia, Ukraine sign grain deal

Russia and Ukraine separately signed a deal in Istanbul with Turkiye and the United Nations to resume grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to international markets via the Black Sea.

The deal was first signed by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar and the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and later by Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov with the other two sides, Xinhua news agency reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Twitter@KremlinRussia_E)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also attended the ceremony.

The first round of negotiations among military delegations of Turkiye, Russia, and Ukraine, and the United Nations representatives concluded last week with an agreement on the basic principles of the shipment process through the Black Sea. The sides also agreed to establish a coordination center in Istanbul to conduct and control the shipment process.

According to the state-run Anadolu agency, the deal will allow approximately 20 million tons of grain waiting at the ports in Ukraine to be shipped to the world via the Black Sea.

ALSO READ: EU to tighten sanctions on Russia

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Putin warns Germany, France against pumping Ukraine with weapons

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Twitter@KremlinRussia_E)

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned his European colleagues that pumping Ukraine with Western weapons carries the risks of destabilization, reports Asian Lite News

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a conversation with French and German leaders Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, pointed out the danger of pumping Ukraine with Western weapons. He warned European colleagues that this carries the risks of destabilization.

“The Russian President also sharpened the issue of the dangerous nature of the ongoing pumping of Ukraine with Western weapons, warning in this regard of the risks of further destabilization of the situation and aggravation of the humanitarian crisis,” the Kremlin’s press service said, RT reported.

Putin also announced Moscow’s readiness to facilitate the search for options for the unhindered export of grain.

It is noted that the Russian leader explained the reasons for the difficulties with food supplies, which were the result of the erroneous economic policy of Western countries.

“For its part, Russia is ready to help find options for the unhindered export of grain, including the export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports,” the Kremlin said.

Earlier, Putin, in a conversation with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, noted that Russia is ready to help overcome the food crisis through the export of grain and fertilizers, but for this it is necessary to remove politically motivated restrictions imposed by Western countries.

ALSO READ: Trump urges Biden admin to prioritise school security funding over Ukraine aid

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Ukraine claims coup to oust Putin already underway

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Twitter@KremlinRussia_E)

Major General Kyrylo Budanov said he believed a turning point in the conflict will come later this summer and will eventually see Putin ousted from office

‘Ukraine’s spy chief has claimed that a coup to remove Russian President Vladimir Putin is “already underway” and that Moscow would lose the war by the end of this year.

Major General Kyrylo Budanov said he believed a turning point in the conflict will come later this summer and will eventually see Putin ousted from office, the Daily Mail reported.

“The breaking point will be in the second part of August,” General Budanov told Sky News.

“Most of the active combat will have finished by the end of this year. It will eventually lead to the change of leadership of the Russian Federation. This process has already been launched.

“As a result, we will renew Ukrainian power in all our territories,” he added.

It was also claimed by an unnamed Russian oligarch that Putin is “very ill with blood cancer”, the Daily Mail reported.

The oligarch, who has close ties to the Kremlin, claimed a number of the health problems Putin is believed to be suffering from are linked to him having blood cancer.

General Budanov’s comments are the most upbeat assessment given by any Ukrainian official since the war began on February 24.

But the Ukrainian head of military intelligence was one of the few top officials to correctly predict Russian troops and tanks would pour over the war-torn nation’s borders to try to seize its territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with the Defence Ministry leadership and defence industry heads. (Photo: Twitter@KremlinRussia_E)

However, in a rebuke to Russia’s claims of military prowess, he branded Moscow’s army “a horde of people with weapons”, adding that “this highly publicised Russian power is a myth”.

General Budanov also claimed Putin is in a “very bad psychological and physical condition”, saying that he is suffering from cancer and other illnesses, the Daily Mail reported.

His health has been the subject of speculation this year, with his face becoming visibly puffy from what has been described as steroid use to treat one of his conditions.

ALSO READ: Putin humiliating himself on the world stage, says Truss

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Putin plans ‘all-out war’ on Ukraine ‘within days’

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.

ALSO READ: China’s ‘low profile strategy’ in Russia-Ukraine war

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Biden calls Putin ‘a butcher’

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden (Xinhua/IANS)

After initially looking to downplay a personal rivalry between himself and Putin, Biden has ramped up his rhetoric against Putin over the last 10 days, reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden on Saturday called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “butcher” after meeting refugees in Warsaw, Poland, in an intense criticism of the Russian leader’s actions in Ukraine that have seen millions of refugees flee to the neighbouring countries, CNN reported.

During his visit, Biden was asked by reporters what seeing the Ukrainian refugees at Stadion Narodowy made him think of as he deals with Putin every day.

Biden responded: “He’s a butcher”, CNN reported.

After initially looking to downplay a personal rivalry between himself and Putin, Biden has ramped up his rhetoric against Putin over the last 10 days.

Last week, Biden for the first time called Putin a “war criminal” and then later referred to him as a “murderous dictator, a pure thug who is waging an immoral war against the people of Ukraine”.

He has also called the Russian invasion of Ukraine “inhumane”, CNN reported.

Biden’s new insults further narrow the window of opportunity for improving Russian-American relations. This was stated by the press secretary of Putin, Dmitry Peskov, RT reported.

“Of course, such personal insults narrow the window of opportunity for our bilateral relations under the current administration of the US. We must be aware of this,” he was quoted as saying.

Peskov noted that the leader of the state must remain sober.

ALSO READ: Ukraine War Hits Regional Equations