Vladimir Putin

German football federation removes honorary membership from former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder

The German football federation (DFB) removed honorary membership from former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Friday over his refusal to cut ties to Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The 77-year-old Schroeder…

Read More Here

The Ukrainian crisis roundup

Here's what you need to know about the Ukraine crisis so far: March 11 (Reuters) - Russian forces bearing down on Kyiv are regrouping northwest of the Ukrainian capital, satellite pictures showed,…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Putin sees “certain positive shifts” in talks with Ukraine

March 11 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday some progress had been made in Moscow's talks with Ukraine, while the Kremlin said the conflict would end when the West…

Read More Here

UPDATED – UK sanctions Russian lawmakers who supported Ukraine breakaway regions

LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - Britain announced asset freezes and travel bans on 386 members of the Russian Duma, its lower house of parliament, who voted for the independence of two breakaway regions in…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Putin says Russia to use Middle East volunteer fighters against Ukraine

LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the green light on Friday for up to 16,000 volunteers from the Middle East to be deployed alongside Russian-backed rebels…

Read More Here

Biden to call for an end of normal trade with Russia, Putin says Russia will emerge stronger

LVIV, Ukraine, March 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday will call for an end of normal trade relations with Russia and clear the way for increased tariffs on Russian…

Read More Here

The Ukrainian crisis roundup

Here's what you need to know about the Ukraine crisis so far: HEADLINES March 10 (Reuters) - Russia's war in Ukraine entered its third week on Thursday with its key stated objectives…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU leaders to offer stronger bonds, deeper partnership to Ukraine -draft

VERSAILLES, France, March 10 (Reuters) - European Union leaders will offer to strengthen the bloc's bonds with Ukraine and deepen its partnership as the European Commission assesses if Kyiv is ready to…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Germany’s Scholz, France’s Macron demand ceasefire in Putin call

BERLIN, March 10 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron demanded an immediate ceasefire in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said a German government official. Macron…

Read More Here

Vladimir Putin points to history to justify his Ukraine invasion, regardless of reality

Vladimir Putin’s interest in history is well known. He has accused Poland of starting the Second World War. He maintains that the Soviet Union liberated the western world from Nazism…

Read More Here

Factbox: The chain of command for potential Russian nuclear strikes

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his nation's nuclear forces should be put on high alert, raising fears that Russia's invasion of Ukraine could lead to nuclear escalation. Here is…

Read More Here

Dramatic Zelenskiy call prompted EU move to provide arms

Early on Saturday morning, some 48 hours after Russian military forces had pushed into his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy put in a call from Kyiv to Brussels with a…

Read More Here

UPDATED: France’s Macron tells Putin he is concerned about looming attack on Odessa

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end Russia's military operations in Ukraine and to ensure the protection and security of Ukraine's nuclear sites, said an official…

Read More Here

The Ukrainian crisis roundup

Here's what you need to know about the Ukraine crisis so far: HEADLINES A second attempt to establish a humanitarian corridor out of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol failed.…

Read More Here

Kyiv digs in for battle as fighting flares in areas nearby

KYIV, March 6 (Reuters) - Ukrainian soldiers bolstered defences around Kyiv on Sunday, digging trenches, blocking roads and liaising with civil defence units as Russian forces bombarded the surrounding areas and attacked…

Read More Here

Bennett says Israel will try to mediate on Ukraine even if prospect slim

JERUSALEM, March 6 (Reuters) - Israel will continue trying to mediate between Russia and Ukraine even if success seems unlikely, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday after returning from surprise talks…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Ukraine president says Russian rockets have destroyed Vinnytsia airport

LVIV, Ukraine March 6 (Reuters) - LVIV, Ukraine March 6 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian rockets had completely destroyed the civilian airport of the central-western region capital of Vinnytsia on…

Read More Here

Pro-Russia demonstrations in Belgrade as Serbia treads ever finer line between East and West

Thousands of Serbs waving Russian flags and carrying pictures of President Vladimir Putin marched through Belgrade to the Russian embassy, in a rare show of public support for Moscow after…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Ukraine health centres have been attacked, WHO chief says

GENEVA, March 6 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization has confirmed "several" attacks on health care centres in Ukraine and is investigating others, the agency's chief said on Sunday. The attacks caused…

Read More Here

Russia, without evidence, says Ukraine making nuclear “dirty bomb”

March 6 (Reuters) - Russian media cited an unnamed source on Sunday as saying that Ukraine was close to building a plutonium-based "dirty bomb" nuclear weapon, although the source cited no evidence.…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Israel’s Bennett, returned from Moscow, speaks again to Ukraine’s Zelenskiy as Russian assault enters 11th day

JERUSALEM, March 6 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday, their third conversation in two days, a Bennett spokesperson said, without giving further details.…

Read More Here

Banning Russia from world events will help to alienate Putin

by - Mike Duignan - A world fair is currently being held in Dubai, with delegations from 192 countries celebrating and promoting their nation’s place in the global community. Among…

Read More Here

Putin likens Western sanctions to war as Russian assault traps Ukrainian civilians

LVIV/KYIV, Ukraine, March 5 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Western sanctions were akin to war on Saturday as his forces pressed on with their assault on Ukraine, where planned civilian…

Read More Here

FACTBOX-European and U.S. companies mobilise to help Ukrainians fleeing war

Companies across Europe and North America have begun offering aid to Ukrainian authorities and people fleeing war following Russia's invasion, as over a million leave their homes and head to…

Read More Here

EU to bar more Russian banks from SWIFT – Irish foreign minister

DUBLIN, March 4 (Reuters) - The next round of European Union sanctions will exclude more Russian banks from the SWIFT system and likely ban Russian ships from entering ports as well as…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Putin says Russia’s neighbours should not escalate tensions

MOSCOW, March 4 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin urged Russia's neighbours on Friday not to escalate tensions, eight days after Moscow sent its forces into Ukraine. "There are no bad intentions towards…

Read More Here

We don’t seek conflict with Russia but we are ready for it, U.S. says

BRUSSELS, March 4 (Reuters) - NATO will defend all its allies and territory against a Russian attack, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday, as he arrived for a meeting…

Read More Here

UPDATED – UK dockers refuse to unload tanker of Russian gas – union

LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - Dockers in Britain have refused to unload a tanker of Russian gas, forcing it to dock elsewhere, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the TUC union said on…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Ukraine calls for accountability for Russian ‘war crimes’ ICC advance team has left to work in Ukraine war crimes probe

GENEVA, March 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine's first deputy foreign minister said on Thursday that Russian troops were carrying out acts tantamount to war crimes in her country and called for perpetrators to…

Read More Here

U.S. preparing expanded sanctions against Russian elite, families -Washington Post

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - The United States is preparing to expand sanctions on Russian oligarchs, their companies and family members over Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, The Washington Post reported on…

Read More Here

UPDATED: More than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians killed during Russian invasion – Ukrainian emergency service

LVIV, Ukraine, March 2 (Reuters) - The Russian invasion of Ukraine has killed more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians and destroyed hundreds of structures including transport facilities, hospitals, kindergartens and homes, Ukraine's emergency…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Boeing, Exxon, Apple join Western firms spurning Russia over Ukraine

March 2 (Reuters) - Boeing suspended maintenance and technical support for Russian airlines and U.S. energy firm Exxon Mobil said it would exit Russia, joining a growing list of Western companies spurning…

Read More Here

Canada to refer ICC to probe alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine

GENEVA, (Reuters) - Canada has decided to refer the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to probe alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by Russian forces in Ukraine,…

Read More Here

UK says Putin nuclear remarks aimed to distract from Ukraine troubles

LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear deterrent alert is rhetoric designed to distract from the invasion of Ukraine and not linked practical steps to increase readiness…

Read More Here

Putin orders Russian troops to Ukraine after recognising breakaway regions

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognising them as independent on Monday, accelerating a crisis the West…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Macron makes ‘last chance’ phone call with Putin

French President Emmanuel Macron had a phone conversation with Russia's Vladimir Putin on Sunday in a “last ditch” diplomatic bid to avert an invasion of Ukraine as US President Joe Biden…

Read More Here

Italian and Spanish firms vie to claim credit for Putin’s table

When presidents Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron faced each other at either end of an improbably long, white table last week, the image became a metaphor for the fraught negotiations…

Read More Here

Putin launches nuclear drills as U.S. says Russia poised to invade Ukraine

DONETSK, Ukraine/MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's President Vladimir Putin launched exercises by strategic nuclear missile forces on Saturday and Washington said Russian troops massed near Ukraine's border were "poised to strike". As…

Read More Here

Putin is ‘enjoying himself’ with military build-up, Estonian premier says

Estonia's prime minister said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is enjoying the international attention generated by Russia's massive military drills on Ukraine's borders and is looking for a successful war…

Read More Here

Putin to oversee nuclear drills during standoff over Ukraine

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin will oversee exercises by Russia's nuclear forces on Saturday involving the launch of ballistic and cruise missiles, the defence ministry said, in its latest show of strength…

Read More Here

Why Putin is so preoccupied with Ukraine and why he has chosen to bring the crisis to a head now

Ukraine has become the main flashpoint in Moscow's relations with the West, with Russian troops massed near its border and NATO's forces on standby in case Russia attacks its neighbour.…

Read More Here

In Moscow, Macron found a different, tougher Putin

PARIS (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin spent much of his marathon talks with France's Emmanuel Macron this week on the Ukraine crisis reciting grievances that date back to the…

Read More Here

Putin, Xi to discuss European security amid Ukraine standoff – Kremlin

MOSCOW, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Russian and Chinese presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will spend a "lot of time" discussing security in Europe and the set of demands Moscow…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Putin stresses energy ties in address to Italy’s business elite

MILAN/MOSCOW, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of ties between Russia's energy industry and Italy as he addressed Italian business leaders in a video-conference on…

Read More Here

Putin, after Kazakh unrest, says Russian-led bloc will stymie any coups

NUR-SULTAN, Jan 10 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that unrest in Kazakhstan had been exploited by destructive internal and external forces, and that the Russian-led CSTO military…

Read More Here

‘Serious’ talk between Biden and Putin sets stage for diplomacy

WILMINGTON, Del./MOSCOW, Dec 30 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday exchanged warnings over Ukraine but conveyed some optimism that diplomatic talks in January…

Read More Here

‘Erasing history’: Russia closes top rights group, capping year of crackdowns

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court ordered the country's oldest human rights group to disband on Tuesday for breaking a law requiring it to act as "a foreign agent", capping…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

Putin: we don’t want conflict over Ukraine

Russia wants to avoid conflict with Ukraine and the West, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. "This is not our (preferred) choice, we do not want this," Putin said at…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

Putin rues Soviet collapse as demise of ‘historical Russia’

President Vladimir Putin has lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago as the demise of what he called "historical Russia" and said the economic crisis that followed…

Read More Here

Putin says he wants talks with the West to guarantee NATO won’t expand east

MOSCOW, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he wanted to hold talks with Western countries to obtain guarantees that NATO will not expand eastward. He…

Read More Here

Putin says West, not Belarus, root cause of migrant crisis on border

MOSCOW, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Western countries, rather than Belarus, were ultimately responsible for a migrant crisis on the Belarus-Poland border, pointing…

Read More Here

Merkel asks Putin to press Belarus over “instrumentalisation of migrants”

BERLIN, Nov 10 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone that Belarus's "instrumentalisation of migrants" was inhumane and unacceptable and asked him to press…

Read More Here

Biden, Putin may meet for talks in person in early 2022

MOSCOW, Nov 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet for talks in person in early 2022 and speak by video conference before the…

Read More Here

Putin to deliver recorded COP26 message, no live video link

MOSCOW, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver a recorded message to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, the Kremlin said on Monday, but there are no…

Read More Here

Putin says Western military backing of Ukraine threatens Russia

President Vladimir Putin warned that the Western-backed military development of Ukraine posed a serious threat to Russia, two days after the U.S. defense secretary staged a show of support for…

Read More Here