Latest news with #RustemUmerov
Russia Today
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia ready to hand over 3,000 more bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers
Russia is ready to transfer the remains of 3,000 more Ukrainian soldiers if Kiev agrees to accept them, Moscow's chief negotiator for the Ukraine conflict, Vladimir Medinsky, has said. He also rejected Kiev's claim that the body of a Russian soldier was among the remains handed over to Ukraine during a previous exchange. Moscow has repatriated a total of 6,060 sets of remains, while Kiev returned the bodies of 79 slain Russian soldiers. The exchange was agreed upon during the latest round of direct talks, hosted by Türkiye earlier this month. Medinsky's Ukrainian counterpart, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, suggested at the time that Kiev would hand over an equal number of fallen Russian troops. The handover was jeopardized after Kiev reportedly refused to accept the first transfer, on June 7. Ukrainian officials blamed Russia for being too hasty, though the exchange proceeded the following day and more were carried over the past week. 'About 3,000 [bodies] are ready for transfer, if the [Ukrainian authorities] are willing to accept them,' Medinsky stated on Friday. 'Our military is ready to hand them over so that their families can finally identify and give them a Christian burial,' he added. He also responded to Kiev's claims that Moscow had included a Russian soldier's body among the Ukrainian remains. Medinsky pointed out that that transfer occurred during a February exchange – something that Kiev had already confirmed – and noted that Moscow is aware of the situation and 'is looking into it.' Earlier this week, Ukraine's Interior Minister Igor Klimenko accused Russia of 'deliberately complicating' the identification process, claiming that some of the remains handed over in a recent exchange had been labeled as Russian. Medinsky dismissed the allegations – amplified by Western media – as propaganda, and likened the move to Nazi Germany's misinformation tactics. 'I would ask our Ukrainian negotiating partners to restrain their Western propagandists, so they don't make fools of themselves,' he said. In April, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky stated in an interview that Ukraine had lost up to 100,000 troops since the conflict escalated in 2022. Russian Defense Ministry estimates suggest that Kiev's losses are much higher. On Friday, President Vladimir Putin described the Ukrainian army's losses as 'catastrophic' and that it suffered more than 76,000 casualties in Russia's Kursk Region alone.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Ukraine says it held talks with US on supporting defence projects under joint fund
FILE PHOTO: Flags of Ukraine and U.S. are pictured during a meeting between the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov at the Pentagon, in Washington, U.S., August 30, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril/ File Photo Ukraine says it held talks with US on supporting defence projects under joint fund KYIV - Senior Ukrainian officials spoke with their U.S. counterparts about the possibility of supporting defence projects in Ukraine under a joint investment fund set up last month, Kyiv's first deputy prime minister said on Wednesday. Kyiv is aiming to shore up support from Washington, which has been its top military backer, as it seeks to end its grinding war with Russia, now in its fourth year. Yulia Svyrydenko said the discussions included U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and took place during the G7 summit in Canada. "Talks focused on expanding the fund's mandate to support defense sector projects inside Ukraine," she wrote on social media platform X. The two countries established a joint reconstruction fund as part of a deal allowing U.S. access to Ukrainian minerals, which Kyiv hopes will pave the way for more support against Russia's full-scale invasion. Svyrydenko did not specify the nature of the defence projects. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has previously asked the U.S. for a licence to produce critical Patriot air-defence systems used to shoot down ballistic missiles. He has also said Kyiv is willing to purchase weapons from the United States, which under the Trump administration has not announced any new arms packages for Ukraine. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Kyiv receives another 1,245 bodies in handover deal with Moscow
©Reuters Today at 21:30 Ukraine received another 1,245 bodies of its soldiers killed in the war with Russia yesterday in the final stage of the repatriation of remains agreed at talks in Istanbul, Ukrainian officials said. 'Today marks the final stage of the repatriation of fallen soldiers,' Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov said.
Observer
5 days ago
- Politics
- Observer
1,245 bodies returned from Russia, says Kyiv
KYIV: Russia has returned 1,245 bodies to Ukraine, Kyiv said on Monday, the final stage of a deal to repatriate more than 6,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers agreed at peace talks this month. Russia and Ukraine reached a deal on a large-scale exchange of prisoners and bodies of killed soldiers, the only visible result from two rounds of direct talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul. "Another 1,245 bodies returned to Ukraine — repatriation part of Istanbul agreements has been completed," the government agency coordinating the repatriation said. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said on Facebook that Kyiv has received more than 6,000 bodies in total over the past week. The Russian defence ministry gave a slightly different figure of 1,248 for the number of bodies returned in the final stage of the accord — three more than Kyiv said it had received. Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko on Monday accused Russia of "deliberately complicating the identification process". "Bodies are returned in an extremely mutilated state, parts of (the same) bodies are in different bags," Klymenko said on Telegram. — AFP
DW
5 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Ukraine says repatriation of fallen soldiers complete – DW – 06/16/2025
Kyiv says the last stage of the return of bodies of Ukrainians by Russia is over, with more than 6,000 now repatriated. Meanwhile, Ukraine's president has made his first trip of the war to non-NATO member Austria. Ukraine on Monday said it had received the remains of 1,245 soldiers killed in the war with Russia, marking the final stage of a large-scale repatriation agreement reached earlier this month during peace talks in Istanbul. The deal represents one of the largest such exchanges since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. What has Kyiv said about the return of bodies? Defence Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the completion of the returns. "Today marks the final stage of the repatriation of fallen soldiers," he said. Since last week, when the implementation of the Istanbul agreements began, we have managed to bring back over 6,000 bodies." Both countries have previously coordinated limited exchanges of prisoners and remains, but the Istanbul agreement marks a rare instance of cooperation on such a scale amid ongoing hostilities. Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko on Monday accused Russia of deliberately hindering the identification of fallen soldiers by returning bodies in severely mutilated condition. Russia faces huge losses in its war against Ukraine To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "Bodies are returned in an extremely mutilated state, parts of [the same] bodies are in different bags," Klymenko said in a post on Telegram. He also claimed that Ukraine had received the remains of Russian soldiers mixed with those of Ukrainians during earlier stages of the repatriation process last week. Russia's defense ministry confirmed the handover, stating it had "fulfilled the agreement." Moscow also said it was prepared to return an additional 2,239 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen, in a move beyond what had been agreed in Istanbul. Russia reported receiving the remains of 51 dead Russian soldiers in the latest exchange, bringing the total returned by Ukraine to 78. Zelenskyy makes first trip of war to Austria Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Austria on Monday, where he was welcomed with military honors by President Alexander Van der Bellen. Zelenskyy and his wife Olena met Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen Image: Heinz-Peter Bader/AP Photo/picture alliance After talks and a joint press conference with Van der Bellen, Zelenskyy was expected to meet Chancellor Christian Stocker. The occasion marks Zelenskyy's first visit to Austria since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While not a NATO member and officially militarily neutral, Austria does not claim political neutrality and, according to its Foreign Ministry, has provided around €300 million ($347 million) in bilateral financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and neighboring countries. The visit drew criticism from Austria's far-right Freedom Party, known for its pro-Russian stance, which accused Zelenskyy of violating the country's neutrality. After his stop in Vienna, Zelenskyy is scheduled to travel to the G7 summit in Canada where he is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump. Edited by Jenipher Camino Gonzalez
