Ukraine

UPDATED: U.S. and UK pulling diplomats and families out of Ukraine, EU to leave diplomats’ families in Ukraine for now

LONDON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Britain has started to withdraw diplomatic staff from the embassy in Ukraine, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent said on Monday. The European Union does not plan…

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Pope calls for world day of “prayer for peace” over Ukraine crisis

VATICAN CITY, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called for an international day of "prayer for peace" on January 26 to stop the Ukraine crisis from worsening, saying…

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Russian ships, tanks and troops on the move to Ukraine

Russia has sent troops more than 4,000 miles to Ukraine’s borders and announced sweeping naval drills as Moscow expands its preparations for a potential attack on Ukraine as negotiations appear…

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UPDATED: UK claim on future puppet leader has to be taken seriously – Ukraine adviser

KYIV, Jan 23 (Reuters) - British accusations that Russia was planning to install a puppet government in Ukraine need to be taken seriously and underscore that the West must now…

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Spain’s foreign minister says Europeans are ‘united’ on Ukraine crisis

MADRID, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Spain's foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Friday that Europeans have a united position on the crisis over the Russian military build-up on the…

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Ukraine says Russia recruiting mercenaries, sending weapons to eastern Ukraine

KYIV, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military intelligence said on Friday that Russia was actively recruiting mercenaries and sending them for intensive training in separatist-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine. It…

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UPDATED: Europe threatens ‘massive’ sanctions if Russia attacks Ukraine

BERLIN, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The European Union threatened "massive" economic sanctions if Moscow attacks Ukraine, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rallied allies on Thursday ahead of last-ditch…

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Ukraine reports sharp increase in COVID-19 cases

KYIV, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The number of new coronavirus infections in Ukraine has more than doubled over the past three days and reached 18,479 cases as of Jan. 20,…

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UPDATED: Ukraine brushes off Biden comments, welcomes West’s coordinated response on Russia

KYIV, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine does not see comments by U.S. President Joe Biden, when he said Russia could carry a lower cost for an "incursion" rather than an…

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U.S. clears Baltic states to send U.S.-made weapons to Ukraine

The U.S. State Department has cleared Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to send U.S.-made missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, three sources familiar with the decision said, as President Joe Biden…

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Russia can attack Ukraine at ‘very short notice’, Blinken warns on visit to Kyiv

KYIV, Jan 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday in a whistle-stop diplomatic push to defuse tensions with Moscow over Ukraine, warning that…

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Canada mulls weapons supplies to Kyiv

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly condemned Russia massing troops near Ukraine's borders on Tuesday and said Ottawa would take a decision at the appropriate time on supplying military hardware to…

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Britain says it is supplying anti-tank weapons to Ukraine

Britain said on Monday it was supplying Ukraine with anti-tank weapons to help it defend itself from a potential invasion, during a stand-off with Russia which has massed troops near…

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Former Ukrainian president lands in Kyiv to face treason case

KYIV, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine’s former President Petro Poroshenko landed in Kyiv on Monday to face treason charges in a case he says was trumped up by allies of…

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Microsoft says it observed destructive malware in systems belonging to several Ukraine govt agencies

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said in a blog post on Saturday it observed destructive malware in systems belonging to several Ukrainian government agencies and organisations that work closely…

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Canada urges avoiding non-essential travel to Ukraine due to ‘Russian aggression’

(Reuters) - The Canadian government is urging its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Ukraine, in a new advisory citing "Russian aggression." Moscow has stationed more than 100,000 troops near…

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UK says Russia trying to justify an invasion of Ukraine

LONDON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - British foreign minister Liz Truss said on Saturday that Russia is waging a disinformation campaign to destabilise and justify an invasion of Ukraine. "Russia must…

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‘Keep the defender guessing’: Russia’s military options on Ukraine

Russia's deployment of tens of thousands of troops to the north, east and south of Ukraine is fuelling fears in Kyiv and Western capitals that Moscow is planning a new…

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How Russian is Ukraine? (Clue: not as much as Vladimir Putin insists)

A political pamphlet published in 1762 described a conversation between “Great Russia” and “Little Russia”. In the exchange, the latter refused to be simply reduced to part of Great Russia…

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Ukraine suspects group linked to Belarus intelligence over cyberattack

KYIV, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Kyiv believes a hacker group linked to Belarusian intelligence carried out a cyberattack that hit Ukrainian government websites this week and used malware similar to…

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Ukraine crisis: what next after a week of talks and tension?

A burst of East-West diplomacy this week produced no breakthrough on the Ukraine crisis and tensions are arguably higher than before, with Ukraine suffering a massive cyberattack and Russia rehearsing…

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Canadian foreign minister to visit Ukraine, vows to deter Russian aggression

OTTAWA, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly will visit Kyiv next week to reaffirm support for Ukrainian sovereignty and reinforce efforts to deter "aggressive actions" by Russia,…

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U.S. warns Russia could be prepping for war, looking for pretext to invade Ukraine

The United States said it feared Russia was preparing a pretext to invade Ukraine if diplomacy fails to meet its objectives, after a massive cyberattack splashed Ukrainian government websites with…

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UPDATED: Ukraine suffers massive cyber attack, NATO to sign deal on closer cyber cooperation with Ukraine

BRUSSELS, Jan 14 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg strongly condemned on Friday the cyberattacks on the Ukrainian government and said the western military alliance would sign an agreement on…

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UPDATED: Russia says talks on Ukraine crisis at “dead end”, threatens action, experts putting military options to Putin

VIENNA/MOSCOW, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday it was hitting a dead end in its efforts to persuade the West to bar Ukraine from joining NATO and roll…

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Russia holds tank drills near Ukraine

Russia staged live-fire exercises with troops and tanks near the Ukrainian border on Tuesday while sounding a downbeat note over the prospects for talks with the United States that Washington…

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Germany’s chancellor must show leadership on Russia – Ukraine envoy

Germany's new Chancellor Olaf Scholz must show more leadership in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and take bold steps to force the Kremlin to the negotiating table rather than…

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Ukraine ready to take decisions to end war at new four-way summit: president

Ukraine is ready to take the necessary decisions to end the war in its eastern Donbass region at a new summit of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany, Ukrainian President…

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No reason to fear escalation against Ukraine -Russia

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Monday said after talks with American representatives in Geneva that Moscow saw no reason for conflict over Ukraine. "We have explained to our…

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Prospects dim as U.S., Russia start tense talks over Ukraine crisis

GENEVA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - With diplomats publicly pessimistic, the United States and Russia are set to begin fragile negotiations in Geneva on Monday that Washington hopes can avert the…

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Ukraine offers booster COVID-19 shots to all adults

Ukraine is now offering booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all adults as the Omicron variant is spreading and is likely to lead to a spike in coronavirus infections next…

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Biden tells Ukraine that U.S. will ‘respond decisively’ if Russia further invades

U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy the United States and its allies will "respond decisively" if Russia further invades Ukraine, the White House said in…

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‘Keep the defender guessing’: Russia’s military options on Ukraine

Russia's deployment of tens of thousands of troops to the north, east and south of Ukraine is fuelling fears in Kyiv and Western capitals that Moscow is planning a new…

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Factbox: How rebel-held regions of eastern Ukraine have grown closer to Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow has cultivated close ties with pro-Russian rebels controlling swathes of the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine but denies being a party to their seven-year war with…

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More than 10,000 Russian troops returning to bases after drills near Ukraine

More than 10,000 Russian troops have been returning to their permanent bases after month-long drills near Ukraine, Interfax news agency reported, citing the Russian military. Interfax said the drills were…

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Photo Story: Christmas in Kiev

Ukrainians walk around the main Christmas Tree in front of the Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine. The tree of 31 meters features more than ten thousand Christmas tree decorations.…

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‘No walkover’: Ukraine could extract high price for any Russian attack

Ukraine's armed forces are heavily outnumbered and outgunned by Russia's but could put up a level of resistance that would force Russian President Vladimir Putin to pay a price of…

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Russian mercenaries deploy to eastern Ukraine

Russian mercenaries have deployed to separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine in recent weeks to bolster defences against Ukrainian government forces as tensions between Moscow and the West rise, four sources have told…

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Putin says Russia doesn’t want conflict but needs ‘immediate’ guarantees

MOSCOW, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Russia wants to avoid conflict with Ukraine and the West, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, but needs an "immediate" response from the United States…

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Russia is not readying military invasion of Ukraine, Russian envoy tells paper

BERLIN, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Russia is not preparing a military invasion of Ukraine, its ambassador to the European Union was quoted as saying on Thursday, after Moscow unnerved the…

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Russia to hold paratrooper drills near Ukrainian border

MOSCOW, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Russian paratroopers will hold drills near the Ukrainian border this week, the Interfax news agency quoted Russia's defence ministry as saying on Thursday,…

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Prosecutors start closing arguments in Dutch murder trial over downed MH17 flight

Dutch prosecutors on Monday began their closing arguments in the trial of suspects in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine and said the victims "didn't stand a…

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Former Ukrainian president Poroshenko facing treason charges

Ukrainian authorities placed former president Petro Poroshenko under formal investigation for high treason on Monday, accusing him of links to financing separatist forces in the eastern Donbass region. Officials said…

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Ukraine reports its first case of Omicron coronavirus variant

KYIV, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Ukraine has detected its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said on Saturday. The infected person recently returned to Ukraine…

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Russia demands NATO roll back from East Europe and stay out of Ukraine

Russia said it wanted a legally binding guarantee that NATO would give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine, part of a wish list of security guarantees it…

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EXPLAINER-Why is Russia’s Putin so focused on Ukraine?

Ukraine has become the main flashpoint in Russia's relations with the West after a build-up of tens of thousands of Russian troops near its border and a series of tough…

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Italy’s Draghi says EU must ask Russia to reduce tensions with Ukraine

ROME, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The European Union must ask Russia to urgently reduce tensions with Ukraine when EU leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi…

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Ukraine allows foreign forces to join planned 2022 military drills

Ukraine's parliament approved on Tuesday a draft law that allows foreign troops to take part in military exercises on the territory of the former Soviet republic in 2022, a move…

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UPDATED: Russia says it may be forced to deploy intermediate nuclear missiles in Europe

MOSCOW, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it may be forced to deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe in response to what it sees as NATO's plans to…

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Pope calls for ‘serious international dialogue’ to defuse Ukraine tensions

VATICAN CITY, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, in his first comments on the tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine, called on Sunday for serious international dialogue to…

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UK considering all options if Russia invades Ukraine – Foreign minister

LIVERPOOL, England, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Britain is considering all options on how to respond if Russia invades Ukraine, foreign minister Liz Truss said on Sunday, highlighting that it has…

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G7 ministers present united front against Russia over Ukraine crisis

LIVERPOOL, England, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The world's wealthiest democracies on Saturday sought to present a united front against Russian aggression toward Ukraine as Britain hosted a meeting of foreign…

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Russia and Ukraine trade blame as ceasefire push breaks down

Ukraine and Russia blamed each other after a push to agree a new ceasefire in eastern Ukraine broke down late on Thursday as tensions over a Russian troop buildup near its southern neighbour persisted. Ukraine said Moscow…

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EU to avoid membership talk at summit with eastern states, draft says

BRUSSELS, Dec 9 (Reuters) - A European Union summit with the bloc's eastern neighbours will confirm support for Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine in their bid to move closer to the…

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Biden says U.S. will not put troops in Ukraine, as tensions with Russia ease

U.S. President Joe Biden said that putting American troops on the ground in Ukraine to deter a potential Russian invasion was "not on the table," as tension between Moscow and…

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Belarus laments repeated violations of airspace by Ukrainian aircraft

The Belarusian defence ministry said it had summoned Ukraine's military attaché to protest against what it called repeated violations of Belarus' airspace by Ukrainian aircraft. Relations between the two countries…

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Biden and Putin set to talk about Ukraine in video call on Tuesday

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a video call on Tuesday, with the two leaders set to discuss the tense situation in Ukraine. "Biden will…

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