This is Beirut - Ukraine

Seoul Says 300 North Korean Soldiers Killed Fighting Ukraine

This is Beirut, 13/01 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump North Korea

Around 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and 2,700 wounded while fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine, a South Korean lawmaker said Monday, citing information from Seoul's spy agency. Seoul has previously claimed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent more than 10,000 soldiers as "cannon fodder" to help Moscow fight Kyiv, in return ...

Russia Says it Captured Two Villages in Eastern Ukraine

This is Beirut, 12/01 15:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ukraine

Russia on Sunday claimed the capture of two villages in eastern Ukraine where its forces have been steadily advancing for months. The defense ministry said the southern group of forces had captured the village of Yantarne in the eastern Donetsk region, around 10 kilometres (six miles) southwest of Kurakhove, a key logistics hub that Moscow ...

Macron and Starmer Discuss Ukraine, Middle East at UK Meeting

This is Beirut, 10/01 11:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron Ukraine Donald Trump Kyiv Middle East

French President Emmanuel Macron met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday in Britain, where they discussed the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Starmer welcomed the French head of state to his Chequers country residence northwest of London, and the two leaders "underscored the need for unity in uncertain times", according to ...

Trump Confirms Plans for Meeting with Putin Ahead of Inauguration

This is Beirut, 10/01 10:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Ukraine russia Putin

US President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin wanted to meet and that a rendezvous between the pair was being arranged. He made the statement just a week and a half before taking office, following promises during his campaign to bring peace to Ukraine, which has been under Russian invasion since February ...

Kallas: EU Ready to Lead Ukraine Support 'if US Not willing'

This is Beirut, 09/01 13:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

European Union Ukraine USA Donald Trump

The EU's foreign policy chief on Thursday said that she hopes the United States will keep supporting Ukraine after president-elect Donald Trump takes office and that if not, the EU was ready to take the lead. "I'm really sure that all the other members, and hopefully also the United States, are ready to continue with the support to Ukraine," Kaja ...

Macron: Iran 'Main Strategic and Security Challenge' in Middle East

This is Beirut, 06/01 16:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron France Ukraine Russia Germany Syria

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said Iran was the main strategic and security challenge in the Middle East, citing the acceleration of its nuclear programme and support for Russia's war against Ukraine. "Iran is the main strategic and security challenge for France, the Europeans, the entire region and beyond," Macron said in a speech ...

Blinken Says Ukraine Position in Kursk 'Important' for Negotiations

This is Beirut, 06/01 09:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Ukraine Donald Trump US Secretary of State Kyiv

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Ukraine's position in Russia's Kursk was critical to any future negotiations, as Moscow said Kyiv launched a counterattack in the border region. Blinken said that the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden, which has given Kyiv billions of dollars in security assistance since Russia's ...

Russia Vows Response After Downing ATACMS Missiles Targeting Belgorod

This is Beirut, 04/01 15:33 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ukraine Russia United States

Russia vowed on Saturday to retaliate after it accused Ukraine of firing US-supplied ATACMS missiles at the border region of Belgorod the previous day. Outgoing US President Joe Biden authorised Kyiv to use the long-range weapons against Russia last year, in a move the Kremlin denounced as a grave escalation of the nearly three-year ...

Blinken to Visit South Korea with Eye on Political Crisis

This is Beirut, 04/01 09:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Donald Trump Middle East Ukraine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit South Korea for talks next week, the two countries announced Friday, with Seoul mired in political turmoil as its impeached president resists arrest. Blinken, on what will likely be his last international trip before president-elect Donald Trump's return, will also visit Japan and France, the State ...

Two Killed in Latest Russian, Ukrainian Aerial Attacks

This is Beirut, 03/01 14:51 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Kyiv Ukraine

A Russian drone attack near the Ukrainian capital on Friday killed one person, while a Ukrainian attack on a Russian border village also killed one, local officials in both countries said. Both sides have escalated their attacks through the first weeks of winter, including a Russian strike targeting central Kyiv in the early hours of New ...

Zelensky Hails the End of Russian Gas Transit Through Ukraine

This is Beirut, 01/01 19:41 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Russia Ukraine Oil & Gas

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday hailed the end of Russian gas transit across his country as a significant "defeat" for Moscow amid its near three-year invasion. Flows of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine stopped on Wednesday morning after Zelensky refused to prolong decades of cooperation that had earned billions of ...

In Moscow, Russians Hope for Peace in 2025 but Avoid Talk of Concessions

This is Beirut, 01/01 13:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Russia Ukraine War New Year

Some Russians ushering in the New Year said they wanted the conflict with Ukraine to end in 2025 and for a return of "peace" and "stability". But on the streets of Moscow there was no mention of Russia withdrawing its troops or giving up territory seized during the nearly three-year offensive. "Of course, we would like the country to finally end ...