KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky will be in Brussels on Thursday to convince European partners to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, despite Washington pressuring EU countries against the plan, a Ukrainian official told AFP. The European Union has laid out a plan to use the frozen assets to harness 90 billion euros ($105 billion) for a loan to help Ukraine repel Moscow&#39;s forces, with the money to be paid back by any eventual Russian reparations to Ukraine. &quot;The US administration is pressuring European countries to abandon the idea of using Russian assets to support Ukraine,&quot; a senior Ukrainian official said Wednesday. The plan has the strong backing of many member states, including Germany, but has drawn opposition from others, including Belgium -- home to international deposit organisation Euroclear, which holds most of the assets -- whose leaders fear Russian reprisals. The Ukrainian official said that seven countries so far opposed the plan. Zelensky &quot;is going to Brussels to motivate European countries to adopt this decision&quot; and tap the frozen assets, the source said. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has been in the spotlight over his opposition to using Russian assets for Ukraine, but there had been speculation that US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration was also weighing in on the debate. Washington appears to view the assets as a key bargaining chip and has looked to tempt Moscow to play ball by dangling the prospect it could get back some of the cash. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP on Wednesday that the Europeans were &quot;quietly asking us to intervene on this matter as they do not want to be publicly against it&quot;. &quot;They are afraid of the long-term damage it will do to long-term investments in their system and the credibility of their institutions,&quot; they added. A previous version of Trump&#39;s plan to end the war also provided for Washington to use some frozen Russian assets for a US-led reconstruction of the war-torn country. Around 200 billion euros in Russian central bank assets were frozen over Moscow&#39;s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said: &quot;Both the Ukrainians and the Russians have clearly stated positions regarding the frozen assets, and our only role is to facilitate a back-and-forth that can ultimately result in a deal.&quot;

Europe

President Zelensky seeks EU support to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, despite reported US pressure opposing the plan over fears of retaliation, investment risks, and use of assets as leverage

US 'pressuring' EU not to use frozen Russian assets for Kyiv: senior Ukraine official

BERLIN: US President Donald Trump said Monday that a deal to end Russia&#39;s war in Ukraine was closer than ever, as European leaders proposed a &quot;multinational force&quot; to enforce a potential peace accord. The upbeat remarks came as key powers met in Berlin with Ukraine&#39;s President Volodymyr Zelensky to push forward efforts to end the war -- although Russia had yet to react to the latest proposals. &quot;I think we&#39;re closer now than we have ever been,&quot; Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that he had &quot;very long and very good talks&quot; with Zelensky and others, including the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and NATO. The European leaders, in a joint statement at the Berlin talks, proposed a force as part of US-backed &quot;robust security guarantees&quot; aimed at guaranteeing that Russia would not violate an agreement to end the war, which started with Moscow&#39;s 2022 full-scale invasion. Zelensky said earlier that talks with Trump&#39;s envoys were &quot;not easy&quot; but brought &quot;progress&quot; on the question of security guarantees. He met for a second day with Trump&#39;s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president&#39;s son-in-law Jared Kushner for talks aimed at ending the war, building on a proposal initially put forward by Trump. Zelensky hailed new security guarantees offered by Washington but also said differences remained on the question of what territories Ukraine would have to cede to Russia. &quot;There has been sufficient dialogue on the territory, and I think that, frankly speaking, we still have different positions,&quot; Zelensky told reporters. - US security guarantees -An upbeat German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the talks had created the &quot;chance for a real peace process&quot; and praised the US for offering &quot;substantial&quot; security guarantees. The European statement -- whose signatories included the leaders of Britain, France and Germany -- also outlined what it said were other points of agreement between the European leaders and US officials. Ukraine&#39;s military should continue receiving extensive support and maintain a peacetime strength of 800,000 troops, it said. Peace would also be maintained by a &quot;US-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism&quot; that would identify violations and &quot;provide early warning of any future attack&quot;. US officials warned Ukraine must accept the deal, which they said would provide security guarantees in line with NATO&#39;s Article Five -- which calls an attack on one ally an attack on all. &quot;The basis of that agreement is basically to have really, really strong guarantees -- Article Five-like -- also a very, very strong deterrence&quot; in the size of Ukraine&#39;s military, a US official said on condition of anonymity. &quot;Those guarantees will not be on the table forever. Those guarantees are on the table right now if there&#39;s a conclusion that&#39;s reached in a good way,&quot; he said. Trump has previously ruled out a formal entry of Ukraine into NATO and sided with Russia in calling Kyiv&#39;s aspirations to the alliance a reason for the full-scale invasion by Moscow. Merz said &quot;substantial legal and material security guarantees&quot; from the United States were &quot;truly remarkable&quot; and &quot;a very important step forward&quot;. - &#39;Criminal attack&#39; -Zelensky said of the talks with the US side that &quot;these conversations are not always easy&quot; but that it had been &quot;a productive conversation&quot;. An official briefed on the US-Ukrainian talks earlier told AFP that US negotiators still want Ukraine to cede control of the eastern Donbas -- made up of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Moscow controls almost all of Lugansk and about 80 percent of the Donetsk region, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War. Russian President Vladimir Putin &quot;wants territory&quot;, said the official, adding that the United States was demanding that Ukraine &quot;withdraw&quot; from the regions and that Kyiv was refusing. One of the US officials acknowledged that there was no agreement on territory. Trump has called it inevitable that Ukraine would need to surrender territory to Russia, an outcome unacceptable to Zelensky. Russia, meanwhile, has signalled it will insist on its core demands, including on territory and on Ukraine never joining NATO. Moscow has previously objected to any European-led force in Ukraine to police a peace agreement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia was expecting the United States to &quot;provide us with the concept that is being discussed in Berlin today&quot;.

US President Donald Trump said a Ukraine peace deal was closer than ever as European leaders proposed a multinational force and security guarantees, while Kyiv and Washington acknowledged progress but divisions over territory remained

Trump says Ukraine deal close, Europe proposes peace force

WASHINGTON: With a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal holding, President Donald Trump says he&#39;s now turning his attention to bringing Russia&#39;s war on Ukraine to an end and is weighing providing Kyiv long-range weaponry as he looks to prod Moscow to the negotiating table. Ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza was central to Trump&#39;s 2024 reelection pitch, in which he persistently pilloried President Joe Biden for his handling of the conflicts. Yet, like his predecessor, Trump also has been stymied by President Vladimir Putin as he&#39;s unsuccessfully pressed the Russian leader to hold direct talks with Ukraine&#39;s Volodymyr Zelensky to end the war that is nearing its fourth year. But fresh off the Gaza ceasefire, Trump is showing new confidence that he can finally make headway on ending the Russian invasion. He&#39;s also signaling that he&#39;s ready to step up pressure on Putin if he doesn&#39;t come to the table soon. Glitzy dinner&ldquo;Interestingly, we made progress today, because of what&#39;s happened in the Middle East,&quot; Trump said of the Russia-Ukraine war on Wednesday evening as he welcomed supporters of his White House ballroom project to a glitzy dinner. Earlier this week in Jerusalem, in a speech to the Knesset, Trump predicted the truce in Gaza would lay the groundwork for the US to help Israel and many of its Middle East neighbors normalize relations. But Trump also made clear his top foreign policy priority now is ending the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II. &lsquo;We have to get Russia done&rsquo;&ldquo;First we have to get Russia done,&rdquo; Trump said, turning to his special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has also served as his administration&#39;s chief interlocutor with Putin. &ldquo;We gotta get that one done. If you don&rsquo;t mind, Steve, let&rsquo;s focus on Russia first. All right?&rdquo; Trump is set to host Zelensky for talks on Friday, their fourth face-to-face meeting this year. Tomahawks for UkraineAhead of the meeting, Trump has said he&#39;s weighing selling Kyiv long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, which would allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory &mdash; if Putin doesn&#39;t settle the war soon. Zelensky, who has long sought the weapons system, said it would help Ukraine put the sort of pressure on Russia needed to get Putin to engage in peace talks. Putin has made clear that providing Ukraine with Tomahawks would cross a red line and further damage relations between Moscow and Washington. But Trump has been undeterred.&nbsp;&ldquo;He&#39;d like to have Tomahawks,&rdquo; Trump said of Zelensky on Tuesday. &ldquo;We have a lot of Tomahawks.&rdquo; &lsquo;Years to supply and train&rsquo;&nbsp;Agreeing to sell Ukraine Tomahawks would be a splashy move, said Mark Montgomery, an analyst at the conservative Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington. But it could take years to supply and train Kyiv on the Tomahawk system. Montgomery said Ukraine could be better served in the near term with a surge of Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) missiles and Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS. The US already approved the sale of up to 3,350 ERAMs to Kyiv earlier this year. The Tomahawk, with a range of about 995 miles (1,600 kilometers), would allow Ukraine to strike far deeper in Russian territory than either the ERAM (about 285 miles, or 460 km) or ATACMS (about 186 miles, or 300 kilometers). &ldquo;To provide Tomahawks is as much a political decision as it is a military decision,&rdquo; Montgomery said. &ldquo;The ERAM is shorter range, but this can help them put pressure on Russia operationally, on their logistics, the command and control, and its force disbursement within several hundred kilometers of the front line. It can be very effective.&rdquo; New Russia sanctionsZelensky is expected to reiterate his plea to Trump to hit Russia&#39;s economy with further sanctions, something the Republican, to date, has appeared reluctant to do. Congress has weighed legislation that would lead to tougher sanctions on Moscow, but Trump has largely focused his attention on pressuring NATO members and other allies to cut off their purchases of Russian oil, the engine fueling Moscow&#39;s war machine. To that end, Trump said Wednesday that India, which became one of Russia&#39;s biggest crude buyers after the Ukraine invasion, had agreed to stop buying oil from Moscow. Waiting for Trump&rsquo;s blessing is legislation in the Senate that would impose steep tariffs on countries that purchase Russia&rsquo;s oil, gas, uranium, and other exports in an attempt to cripple Moscow economically. Though the president hasn&rsquo;t formally endorsed it &mdash; and Republican leaders do not plan to move forward without his support &mdash; the White House has shown, behind the scenes, more interest in the bill in recent weeks.

Trump has made clear his top foreign policy priority now is ending the largest armed conflict in Europe since WWII; Trump is set to host Zelensky for talks Friday.

‘We have to get Russia done’: President Trump  

COPENHAGEN: Ukraine&#39;s President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Europe on Thursday that recent drone incursions showed Russia was looking to &quot;escalate&quot; its aggression, as he offered his country&#39;s war-honed expertise to help counter the threat. The warning came at a summit of European leaders from just under 50 countries, who converged on a conference centre in Copenhagen under tight security after mystery drone flights rattled Denmark last month. The drone sightings in Denmark and high-profile aerial incursions by Moscow in Estonia and Poland have heightened fears that Russia&#39;s assault on Ukraine could spill over Europe&#39;s borders. &lsquo;Never just about Ukraine&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;The recent drone incidents across Europe are a clear sign that Russia still feels bold enough to escalate this war,&quot; Zelensky said. &quot;It was never just about Ukraine; Russia has always aimed to break the West and Europe.&quot; Russian President Vladimir Putin waived the accusations, but said Russia was &quot;closely monitoring the rising militarisation of Europe&quot;, adding that Moscow&#39;s response will be timely and &quot;significant.&quot; Putin accused Europe of stoking &quot;hysteria&quot; to excuse rising military spending, and said Russia did not pose a threat. &lsquo;Just calm down&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;Just calm down,&quot; Putin said. European leaders are keen to work with Ukraine&#39;s war-tested expertise as they seek to bolster their own defenses, and are discussing plans for a &quot;drone wall.&quot; &quot;If the Russians dare to launch drones against Poland, or violate the airspace of northern European countries, it means this can happen anywhere,&quot; Zelensky said. &quot;We are ready to share this experience with our partners.&quot; French President Emmanuel Macron said Western countries should be willing to take a tougher line when confronted by Russian drones, to sow doubt in the Kremlin. &lsquo;Big risk&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s very important to have a clear message. Drones which would violate our territories are just taking a big risk. They can be destroyed, full stop,&quot; Macron said. Romanian Prime Minister Nicosur Dan, whose country has seen Russian drones crossing over from Ukraine, warned that his forces would shoot down the next one to violate their airspace. As Russia&#39;s full-scale war on Ukraine drags on through a fourth year, Europe is scrambling to keep up pressure on Moscow and secure funding for Kyiv. Macron said it was key to step up efforts to counter the so-called shadow fleet of ageing oil tankers to &quot;kill&quot; the business model Russia uses to circumvent restrictions on exporting its oil. &lsquo;Shadow fleet&rsquo;&quot;It is extremely important to increase the pressure on this shadow fleet, because it will clearly reduce the capacity to finance this war effort,&quot; said Macron -- pointing at France&#39;s move this week to hold a blacklisted tanker linked to Russia. In a bid to ensure Ukraine has the necessary financing, the European Union is exploring a proposal to utilize frozen Russian assets to fund a new 140-billion-euro ($ 165 billion) loan. Proponents argue that the move is necessary to help Ukraine address budget shortfalls &mdash; and that Russia, not European taxpayers, should ultimately bear the cost. Belgian reservations&nbsp;But Belgium, where the vast majority of frozen assets are held, has deep reservations over the plan, which some leaders fear could spook other investors or draw Russian retaliation. &quot;We&#39;re going to move to uncharted waters. This is very, very risky,&quot; Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said. He insisted he wanted clear commitments from all EU leaders that they would share the potential liability with Belgium to shield it from any Russian retribution. EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that it was clear the risk should not fall solely on Belgium&#39;s shoulders and that she would &quot;intensify&quot; talks on the proposal.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has warned Europe that recent drone incursions signal Russia’s intent to escalate the war beyond Ukraine. European leaders discuss bolstering defenses, sharing Ukrainian expertise, and utilizing frozen Russian assets to support Kyiv.

Zelensky: Russia looking to 'escalate' war in Europe

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been off the grid for seven straight days, warning of the potential threat of a &quot;critical&quot; situation. He said one of the backup diesel generators used to maintain operations had &quot;malfunctioned&quot; and the blackout posed &quot;a threat to everyone&quot;. Europe&rsquo;s largest&nbsp;It is the longest outage at Zaporizhzhia since Russia invaded and seized the nuclear plant, Europe&#39;s largest. &quot;It has been seven days now. There has never been anything like this before,&quot; Zelensky said in his daily address, adding: &quot;The situation is critical.&quot; Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a potentially devastating nuclear disaster by attacking the site and traded blame over the latest blackout. &quot;Due to Russian attacks, the plant has been cut off from its power supply and the electricity grid. It is being supplied with electricity from diesel generators,&quot; Zelensky said. Russia said last week the power plant -- which it took control of in the first weeks of the war in 2022 -- has been receiving backup power supply since an attack it attributed to Ukraine. &lsquo;Obstructing the repair&rsquo;Zelensky accused Moscow of &quot;obstructing the repair&quot; of power lines through airstrikes, saying &quot;this is a threat to absolutely everyone.&quot; The plant&#39;s six reactors, which before the war produced around a fifth of Ukraine&#39;s electricity, were shut down after Moscow took over. But the plant needs power to maintain cooling and safety systems, which prevent reactors from melting -- a danger that could set off a nuclear incident. Since the start of the war, Zaporizhzhia has seen multiple safety threats, including frequent nearby shelling, repeated power cuts and staff shortages. Located near the city of Energodar along the Dnieper river, the power plant is close to the front line.

Ukrainian President Zelensky warned the situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is "critical" after a weeklong blackout. A backup generator failed, raising fears of a nuclear incident due to disrupted cooling systems.

Zelensky warns situation 'critical' as nuclear plant off grid for a week

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: A massive Russian drone and missile attack against Ukraine lasting 12 hours into Sunday killed at least four people in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old girl, Ukrainian authorities said, according to AFP. Neighboring Poland scrambled jets to secure its airspace in the wake of the barrage, after NATO accused Moscow of being behind a series of violations of the defense alliance&#39;s airspace. Diplomatic efforts to stop the war have faltered and Russia has vowed to press on with the offensive that it launched in February 2022. &lsquo;Harshest pressure&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;Moscow wants to continue fighting and killing and deserves only the harshest pressure from the world,&quot; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said following the strikes. Zelenksy, in a post on X, stated: &ldquo;the Baltic Sea and other seas must be closed to Russian tankers &ndash; at the very least to the shadow fleet.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed responsive-video"><div class="video-wrapper aspect-video"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1972361330809024837&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=d3ade6c48ceca5e188b506c9e54b963a0a704a89&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1972361330809024837"></iframe></div></div></div>&ldquo;We also count on strong steps from the United States,&rdquo; he added. Following the aerial barrage, Zelensky held a round of calls with allies, including NATO chief Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, AFP reported. Russia said it had only hit military targets during the attack. Ukraine&#39;s foreign ministry said that apart from residential buildings, a cardiology centre and a kindergarten had been among the buildings hit across the country. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Scores of wounded&nbsp;</h2>The Ukrainian military said the country had been targeted by 595 drones and 48 missiles, most of which were shot down by air defenses. But 31 drones and five missiles got through. Zelensky said that energy sites were hit, accusing Russia of wanting to cause massive blackouts across Ukraine. Ukrainian intelligence indicated that Russian oil tankers had been used as platforms to launch and guide the attack drones, he added. The Ukrainian leader vowed his country would target Russia&#39;s ability to fund the war and force Moscow to the negotiating table. As well as the four people killed in Kyiv, the authorities said scores of people had been wounded across the Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Cherkasy, and Mykolaiv regions. Ivan Fedrorov, the governor of Zaporizhzhia, where a big nuclear plant is under Russian control, said the main city of the region had been hit &quot;at least four times&quot; and 42 people had been wounded. Zelensky posted photos of residential buildings in flames, with emergency services putting out fires and rescuing people from shattered buildings. More victims could be uncovered in the debris, rescuers said. AFP reporters saw rescuers using heavy machinery to clear rubble from near-destroyed buildings. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Poland scrambles jets </h2>Poland&#39;s armed forces said on X that Warsaw had scrambled fighter jets in its airspace and put ground-based air-defense systems on high alert. In recent weeks, several European countries have accused Russia of violating their airspace with drones and fighter jets, in what NATO sees as a test of its resolve. Russia has denied that it is responsible for the incursions or that it plans to attack any NATO nation. In an address at the UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday, Moscow&#39;s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that &quot;any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response&quot;. Kyiv and Moscow also said on Saturday that the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant -- Europe&#39;s largest -- had been off the grid for four days, stoking fears of a potential nuclear incident, AFP reported. Two civilians injured&nbsp;Belgorod Region in western Russia is facing serious water and energy supply shortages following what its governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, has described as Ukrainian strikes targeting local infrastructure, Russia Today reported on Sunday. At least two civilians have been injured in a Ukrainian missile strike on Belgorod, according to Gladkov.

A 12-hour Russian drone and missile assault on Ukraine killed four in Kyiv, injured scores nationwide, and damaged infrastructure. Poland scrambles jets; Zelensky urges stronger global action, citing threats to energy and civilian sites.

Massive Russian drone and missile attack kills four in Kyiv

ISLAMABAD: The top US diplomat Marco Rubio issued a blunt call to his Russian counterpart to halt the &quot;killing&quot; in Ukraine Wednesday, as Washington&#39;s stance on Moscow hardens, AFP reported. Rubio &quot;reiterated President (Donald) Trump&#39;s call for the killing to stop and the need for Moscow to take meaningful steps toward a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war,&quot; State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. Lavrov fired back and &quot;stressed the unacceptability of the schemes promoted by Kyiv and some European capitals aimed at prolonging the conflict,&quot; according to a readout of their conversation supplied by the Russian side. Unexpected turn&nbsp;Rubio&#39;s comments came after President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Trump following the US president&#39;s unexpected turn against Russia Tuesday, in which he suggested that Kyiv could not only win the war and re-take its territory -- but could even expand it. But the Ukrainian leader cast doubt Wednesday on NATO&#39;s ability to guarantee Kyiv&#39;s security. &quot;Because international institutions are too weak, this madness continues. Even being part of the long-standing military alliance doesn&#39;t automatically mean you are safe,&quot; Zelensky told the UN General Assembly. &lsquo;Good meeting&rsquo;Zelensky said he had a &quot;good meeting&quot; with Trump, who has ruled out NATO membership for Kyiv and berated the Ukrainian leader at a February encounter at the White House before warming to him. &quot;Of course we are doing everything to make sure Europe truly helps and of course, we count on the United States,&quot; Zelensky said. Trump&#39;s suggestion Tuesday that Kyiv could win, with support from the European Union and NATO, marked an extraordinary shift after months of saying Ukraine would not get back swaths of territory taken by Russia, AFP reported. Trump said Ukraine could regain all its land and suggested, without elaborating, that Kyiv could &quot;maybe even go further than that!&quot; In a social media post on White House X handle, President Trump said &ldquo;Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act.&rdquo;&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970564074850123952&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=0694ba007bfe0945f9eda993896e78df390988cc&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 686px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1970564074850123952">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&ldquo;In any event, I wish both Countries well. We will continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them. Good luck to all!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&#39;Big fat missiles&#39;&nbsp;The US leader&#39;s comments marked his latest in a series of policy switches on Ukraine, including a sudden pivot to peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin early this year that stunned allies, AFP reported. Zelensky, in his speech at the UN, appealed: &ldquo;Be the force that acts. Act together. Unite at last to stop Russia&rsquo;s war. We know how to guarantee security. What we need now is a strong push &ndash; to force Russia toward peace.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970614234179674386&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=0694ba007bfe0945f9eda993896e78df390988cc&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 456px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1970614234179674386"></iframe></div></div>Zelensky warned Wednesday that Europe could not afford to lose strategically located Moldova to Russian influence and let it follow Belarus and Georgia into Moscow&#39;s orbit, AFP reported. Moldova, a former Soviet republic, goes to the polls on Sunday with pro-EU President Maia Sandu facing a barrage of deepfake videos and other disinformation linked to Russia. Zelensky also sounded the alarm over the development of autonomous drones and unmanned aerial vehicles capable of shooting down other drones and targeting critical infrastructure. &lsquo;Friends and weapons&rsquo;&quot;We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history, because this time it includes artificial intelligence,&quot; he said, adding that the only real security guarantees are &quot;friends and weapons.&quot; &quot;If the world can&#39;t respond even to all threats, and if there is no strong platform for international security, will there be any peace left on earth?&quot; The wartime leader, who has a packed itinerary of meetings with world leaders while in New York for the UN&#39;s signature diplomatic week, stressed that Ukraine had been forced to ramp up its military production. &quot;Ukraine doesn&#39;t have the big fat missiles dictators love to show off in parades, but we do have drones that can fly up to 2,000, 3,000 kilometers. &quot;We had no choice but to build them to protect our right to life.&quot;

Americas

US Secretary Marco Rubio urged Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine, echoing Trump’s surprising shift supporting Kyiv's victory. Zelensky, citing weak global institutions, urged unified action to resist Russia and defend democracy.

Articles tagged with "Zelensky"