MOSCOW — Russia and Ukraine on Saturday successfully exchanged 230 prisoners of war following negotiations held with the mediation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “As a result of the negotiation process, 115 Russian servicemen captured in the Kursk region have been returned from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime. In exchange, 115 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred,” the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement. It mentioned that currently, all Russian servicemen are...

KYIV — Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday as he began his visit to Ukraine, the first-ever by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in the history of bilateral relations. The two leaders met at the Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv, where they shared a warm hug and a handshake. In a significant gesture symbolising India’s solidarity with Ukraine, PM Modi kept his hand firmly on Zelensky’s shoulder, emphasising India’s support amid the...

NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a three-day visit to Poland and Ukraine to lay the foundation for stronger bilateral ties with the two nations. He will first arrive in Poland on Wednesday, marking the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister in 45 years. The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries. “My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland...

KYIV — The Ukrainian army has taken control of 92 settlements in western Russia’s Kursk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Ukrainian troops have seized more than 1,250 square km of Russian territory, Zelensky said on social media platform X on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported. “The Russian border area opposite our Sumy region has been mostly cleared of Russian military presence,” the Ukrainian President said. Today, I addressed Ukrainian Ambassadors at a time when the world is shedding its...

MOSCOW — Russia will respond decisively if Poland attempts to intercept Russian missiles over Ukraine, a high-level Russian diplomat said on Monday. Any efforts by Poland to intercept Russia’s long-range weapons over Ukraine would be met with a “concrete and adequate” response, said Oleg Tyapkin, Director of the Third European Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, in an interview with Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency. Also read: Putin appoints first deputy minister for foreign affairs Tyapkin highlighted the risks associated...

NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Ukraine on August 23 on what will be the first visit by an Indian PM to the country since the establishment of bilateral relations in 1992, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday. ​The Prime Minister’s engagements in Kyiv will touch a range of aspects of bilateral ties including political, trade, economic, investments, education, cultural, people-to-people exchanges, humanitarian assistance and others, a statement released by the MEA detailed....

KIEV — Ukraine has taken control of 82 settlements in western Russia’s Kursk region, Oleksandr Syrsky, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said. Since the beginning of their operation in the Kursk region, Ukrainian troops have advanced 35 km along the Russian army’s defence, and controlled more than 1,150 sq km of territory, Syrsky said on Thursday on his official Telegram channel. Since the beginning of Thursday, Ukrainian troops have advanced between 500 metres and 1.5 km further into the...

KYIV — Russia declared the situation in the Kursk region a “federal level” emergency and sent reinforcements there on Friday, four days after hundreds of Ukrainian troops poured over the border in what appeared to be Kyiv’s biggest attack on Russian soil since the war began. Meanwhile, a Russian plane-launched missile slammed into a Ukrainian shopping mall in the middle of the day, killing at least 10 people and wounding 35 others, authorities said. The mall in Kostiantynivka, in the...

BEIJING — Ukraine is ready to hold talks with Russia to end their conflict and achieve a “just and lasting peace”, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, as per Chinese officials. Addressing reporters on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning shared details on the agenda of the top Ukrainian diplomat’s visit to China – the first since the start of the conflict in February 2022 – as well as his discussions with Wang,...

WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced dozens of additional air defence systems for Ukraine to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, a defence alliance of 32 countries of North America and Europe, up from just 12 when it was born after the Second World War in 1949. NATO is also expected to announce an “irreversible” path for Ukraine to join the alliance. The three-day summit is being hosted by the...