Latest news with #Zelenskiy
AsiaOne
6 hours ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Zelenskiy appoints new commander of Ukraine's land forces, World News
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday (June 19) appointed Hennadiy Shapovalov as commander of Ukraine's land forces, replacing a commander who resigned over a Russian strike on a training area. Shapovalov, whose appointment was announced in a presidential decree, had previously acted as a liaison at a Nato coordination centre in Germany. Before that, he had served as commander of the forces of the Operational Command South. Zelenskiy, speaking later in his nightly video address, said Shapovalov's experience in working with Nato would be put to good use in introducing changes in Ukraine's forces. "All this useful experience of this coordination and all the real combat experience of our soldiers must be applied now within Ukraine's land forces," he said. "Changes are needed and this is an imperative." Shapovalov takes over as head of land forces from Mykhailo Drapatyi, who tendered his resignation this month after a deadly Russian strike on a training camp in southeastern Ukraine. Zelenskiy reassigned Drapatyi to the post of commander of the joint forces as part of a military shakeup. [[nid:719245]]
The Advertiser
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Zelenskiy calls for more pressure on Russia
A Russian missile strike on a nine-story Kyiv apartment building is a sign that more pressure must be applied on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, as Moscow intensifies attacks in the war. The drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Tuesday, the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killed 28 people across the city and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Zelenskiy, along with the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 people who died there after a direct hit by a missile brought down the structure. "This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to "feel the real cost of the war." Tuesday's attack on Kyiv was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskiy called one of the biggest bombardments of the war, which began on February 24, 2022. As Russia proceeds with a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1000km front line, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies. Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn away world attention from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Moscow. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. Yet on Wednesday, Putin denied that his military had struck such targets, saying that attacks were "against military industries, not residential quarters." Putin told senior news leaders of international news agencies in St Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelenskiy, but repeated his accusation that the Ukrainian leader had lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies. "We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement," Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers. A new round of such exchanges took place in Ukraine's Chernihiv region on Thursday, involving the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention. The exchange was confirmed by Russia's defence ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen at an exchange area in Belarus after being released in the prisoner swap. Commenting on the exchange, Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram: "We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one." Many of the exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent over three years in captivity, with a large number captured during the defence of the now Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in 2022, according to the KSHPPV, which added that preparations for another prisoner exchange are ongoing. A Russian missile strike on a nine-story Kyiv apartment building is a sign that more pressure must be applied on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, as Moscow intensifies attacks in the war. The drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Tuesday, the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killed 28 people across the city and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Zelenskiy, along with the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 people who died there after a direct hit by a missile brought down the structure. "This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to "feel the real cost of the war." Tuesday's attack on Kyiv was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskiy called one of the biggest bombardments of the war, which began on February 24, 2022. As Russia proceeds with a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1000km front line, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies. Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn away world attention from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Moscow. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. Yet on Wednesday, Putin denied that his military had struck such targets, saying that attacks were "against military industries, not residential quarters." Putin told senior news leaders of international news agencies in St Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelenskiy, but repeated his accusation that the Ukrainian leader had lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies. "We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement," Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers. A new round of such exchanges took place in Ukraine's Chernihiv region on Thursday, involving the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention. The exchange was confirmed by Russia's defence ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen at an exchange area in Belarus after being released in the prisoner swap. Commenting on the exchange, Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram: "We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one." Many of the exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent over three years in captivity, with a large number captured during the defence of the now Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in 2022, according to the KSHPPV, which added that preparations for another prisoner exchange are ongoing. A Russian missile strike on a nine-story Kyiv apartment building is a sign that more pressure must be applied on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, as Moscow intensifies attacks in the war. The drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Tuesday, the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killed 28 people across the city and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Zelenskiy, along with the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 people who died there after a direct hit by a missile brought down the structure. "This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to "feel the real cost of the war." Tuesday's attack on Kyiv was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskiy called one of the biggest bombardments of the war, which began on February 24, 2022. As Russia proceeds with a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1000km front line, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies. Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn away world attention from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Moscow. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. Yet on Wednesday, Putin denied that his military had struck such targets, saying that attacks were "against military industries, not residential quarters." Putin told senior news leaders of international news agencies in St Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelenskiy, but repeated his accusation that the Ukrainian leader had lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies. "We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement," Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers. A new round of such exchanges took place in Ukraine's Chernihiv region on Thursday, involving the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention. The exchange was confirmed by Russia's defence ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen at an exchange area in Belarus after being released in the prisoner swap. Commenting on the exchange, Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram: "We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one." Many of the exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent over three years in captivity, with a large number captured during the defence of the now Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in 2022, according to the KSHPPV, which added that preparations for another prisoner exchange are ongoing. A Russian missile strike on a nine-story Kyiv apartment building is a sign that more pressure must be applied on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, as Moscow intensifies attacks in the war. The drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Tuesday, the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killed 28 people across the city and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Zelenskiy, along with the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 people who died there after a direct hit by a missile brought down the structure. "This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to "feel the real cost of the war." Tuesday's attack on Kyiv was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskiy called one of the biggest bombardments of the war, which began on February 24, 2022. As Russia proceeds with a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1000km front line, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies. Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn away world attention from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Moscow. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. Yet on Wednesday, Putin denied that his military had struck such targets, saying that attacks were "against military industries, not residential quarters." Putin told senior news leaders of international news agencies in St Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelenskiy, but repeated his accusation that the Ukrainian leader had lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies. "We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement," Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers. A new round of such exchanges took place in Ukraine's Chernihiv region on Thursday, involving the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention. The exchange was confirmed by Russia's defence ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen at an exchange area in Belarus after being released in the prisoner swap. Commenting on the exchange, Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram: "We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one." Many of the exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent over three years in captivity, with a large number captured during the defence of the now Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in 2022, according to the KSHPPV, which added that preparations for another prisoner exchange are ongoing.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's Zelenskiy: Russia's defence of Iran shows need to tighten sanctions
(Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Russia's defence of Iran's authorities underscored the need for intensified sanctions against Moscow. Zelenskiy said Russia's deployment of Iranian-designed Shahed drones and North Korean munitions was proof that Kyiv's allies were applying insufficient pressure against Moscow. "Now Russia is trying to save the Iranian nuclear programme. There cannot be any other possible explanation for their public signals and their non-public activity on this," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "When one of their accomplices loses their capability to export war, Russia is weakened and tries to interfere. This is so cynical and proves time and again that aggressive regimes cannot be allowed to unite and become partners." When Russia deploys weaponry from Tehran and Pyongyang, he said, "it is a clear sign that global solidarity and global pressure are not strong enough." Russia signed a strategic partnership with Iran this year. Moscow has denounced Israeli strikes against Iran and offered to mediate. A Russian deputy foreign minister said Moscow was urging Washington to refrain from direct involvement. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the conflict between Israel and Iran had exposed Russian hypocrisy, with Moscow defending Iran's nuclear programme and condemning strikes against Tehran while "ruthlessly" attacking Ukraine. "The only rational conclusion is that Russia cannot be trusted in any situation, and it is always part of the problem rather than the solution," Sybiha wrote in English on X. Zelenskiy has accused Russia of refusing diplomatic approaches and rejecting an unconditional ceasefire in the war, which has lasted more than three years. In his address, he said he was "very much counting on" U.S. President Donald Trump to consider tougher sanctions and boost diplomatic efforts to end the war. Trump has so far ruled out calls to intensify sanctions against Moscow. Zelenskiy also expressed willingness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, though he said the Kremlin leader had stayed on beyond the constitutional limit of his office. That comment was a reference to Russian accusations that Zelenskiy had remained in office without agreeing, under provisions of martial law in Ukraine, to hold an election.
Reuters
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Ukraine's Zelenskiy: Russia's defence of Iran shows need to tighten sanctions
June 19 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Russia's defence of Iran's authorities underscored the need for intensified sanctions against Moscow. Zelenskiy said Russia's deployment of Iranian-designed Shahed drones and North Korean munitions was proof that Kyiv's allies were applying insufficient pressure against Moscow. "Now Russia is trying to save the Iranian nuclear programme. There cannot be any other possible explanation for their public signals and their non-public activity on this," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "When one of their accomplices loses their capability to export war, Russia is weakened and tries to interfere. This is so cynical and proves time and again that aggressive regimes cannot be allowed to unite and become partners." When Russia deploys weaponry from Tehran and Pyongyang, he said, "it is a clear sign that global solidarity and global pressure are not strong enough." Russia signed a strategic partnership with Iran this year. Moscow has denounced Israeli strikes against Iran and offered to mediate. A Russian deputy foreign minister said Moscow was urging Washington to refrain from direct involvement. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the conflict between Israel and Iran had exposed Russian hypocrisy, with Moscow defending Iran's nuclear programme and condemning strikes against Tehran while "ruthlessly" attacking Ukraine. "The only rational conclusion is that Russia cannot be trusted in any situation, and it is always part of the problem rather than the solution," Sybiha wrote in English on X. Zelenskiy has accused Russia of refusing diplomatic approaches and rejecting an unconditional ceasefire in the war, which has lasted more than three years. In his address, he said he was "very much counting on" U.S. President Donald Trump to consider tougher sanctions and boost diplomatic efforts to end the war. Trump has so far ruled out calls to intensify sanctions against Moscow. Zelenskiy also expressed willingness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, though he said the Kremlin leader had stayed on beyond the constitutional limit of his office. That comment was a reference to Russian accusations that Zelenskiy had remained in office without agreeing, under provisions of martial law in Ukraine, to hold an election.
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Zelenskiy calls for more pressure on Russia
A Russian missile strike on a nine-story Kyiv apartment building is a sign that more pressure must be applied on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, as Moscow intensifies attacks in the war. The drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Tuesday, the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killed 28 people across the city and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Zelenskiy, along with the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 people who died there after a direct hit by a missile brought down the structure. "This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to "feel the real cost of the war." Tuesday's attack on Kyiv was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskiy called one of the biggest bombardments of the war, which began on February 24, 2022. As Russia proceeds with a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1000km front line, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies. Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn away world attention from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Moscow. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. Yet on Wednesday, Putin denied that his military had struck such targets, saying that attacks were "against military industries, not residential quarters." Putin told senior news leaders of international news agencies in St Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelenskiy, but repeated his accusation that the Ukrainian leader had lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies. "We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement," Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers. A new round of such exchanges took place in Ukraine's Chernihiv region on Thursday, involving the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention. The exchange was confirmed by Russia's defence ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen at an exchange area in Belarus after being released in the prisoner swap. Commenting on the exchange, Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram: "We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one." Many of the exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent over three years in captivity, with a large number captured during the defence of the now Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in 2022, according to the KSHPPV, which added that preparations for another prisoner exchange are ongoing.
