Russia-Ukraine war highlights: The fighting between the two countries entered its 74th day with no signs of peace. Thousands of people have been killed in the war, with the latest attack on Azovstal steel work plant.
Updated on May 08, 2022 10:47 PM IST
Russia-Ukraine war live: The fighting between Vladimir Putin’s Russia and Volodymyr Zelensky’s Ukraine is continuing for the 74th straight day, with no signs of peace between the two countries. All women and children were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged Mariupol port city, Kyiv said on Saturday.
US president Joe Biden, UK PM Boris Johnson and other G-7 leaders are set to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky via a video call on Sunday. Ahead of the virtual meeting, the UK announced an aid of $1.3 billion in military assistance to the war-torn nation.
Follow all the updates here:
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May 08, 2022 10:24 PM IST
Russia says it hits U.S.-supplied weapons at railway station in Ukraine
Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday that its high-precision missiles had destroyed weapons and military equipment supplied to Ukrainian forces from the United States and unspecified Western countries at a railway station near the town of Soledar. The ministry also said that it had destroyed six depots storing missile and artillery weapons in the Luhansk, Donetsk and Kharkiv regions while its air defences shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 warplane.
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May 08, 2022 10:02 PM IST
G-7 Leaders Commit to Banning Imports of Oil From Russia
Leaders of the Group of Seven most industrialized countries pledged to ban the import of Russian oil in response to President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
The heads of the leading economies made the commitment after holding a video call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday, the eve of Russia’s May 9 Victory Day, which commemorates Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
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May 08, 2022 09:52 PM IST
Putin will not win his war, says German chancellor Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a televised address to the nation on Sunday May 8, marking the anniversary of the end of World War Two, assured Ukraine of solidarity in its fight against Russia’s invasion. “Putin will not win this war. Ukraine will persevere,” said Scholz. The date takes on special meaning this year as two countries that were once victims of Nazi Germany – Ukraine and Russia – are now at war because Russia unleashed it, he said.
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May 08, 2022 09:21 PM IST
US diplomats return to Kyiv embassy on first visit since invasion
The US top diplomat to Ukraine Kristina Kvien and her team arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, a senior State Department official said, after Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised on a visit last month to reopen the US. embassy in the Ukrainian capital soon, Reuters reported.
The move is the latest step toward the resumption of a full US presence in Kyiv after diplomats began returning to the western city of Lviv last month, having left the country ahead of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion out of security concerns.
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May 08, 2022 08:42 PM IST
Ukraine’s Kuleba discusses how to unblock food exports with Blinken
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Sunday he discussed with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken how to unblock Ukraine’s food exports and ensure global food security.
Ukraine, one of the world’s major grain and oilseeds, used to export most of its cereals through its Black Sea ports, which have been blocked by Russia since the start of Moscow’s invasion on Feb. 24.
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May 08, 2022 08:21 PM IST
Pelosi urges US Cong to approve $33 bln in aid for Ukraine by end of May
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday told CBS that Congress needs to pass by the end of the month a bill that would give Ukraine $33 billion in military and humanitarian aid, Reuters reported.
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May 08, 2022 07:51 PM IST
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau visits Ukrainian town Irpin
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made on Sunday an unannounced visit to the Ukrainian town of Irpin, which had been temporary held by Russian troops, the town’s mayor said on Telegram. “I’ve just had an honor to meet with the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, who came to Irpin to see with his own eyes all the horror which Russian occupiers have caused to our town,” Oleksandr Markushyn said on his Telegram channel.
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May 08, 2022 07:31 PM IST
US First Lady makes unannounced visit to Ukraine, meets Ukrainian counterpart
US First Lady Jill Biden on Sunday made an unannounced visit to Ukraine to show support to the war-torn country in its fight against Russia, Reuters reported. She also met her Ukrainian counterpart Olena Zelenska. “I thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop and this war has been brutal and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine,” she said. Full report
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May 08, 2022 07:07 PM IST
Rock band U2 performs in a subway station in Kyiv| Watch video
Ukraine’s foreign ministry shares video of rock band U2 performing in a subway station in Kyiv.
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May 08, 2022 06:21 PM IST
Zelensky says ‘evil’ returned to Europe on victory anniversary
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that “evil has returned” to Europe, comparing Russia’s invasion to Nazi Germany during an address commemorating World War II.
“Decades after World War II, darkness has returned to Ukraine, and it has become black and white again,” Zelensky said in a video address, in which he was filmed standing in front of destroyed residential buildings.
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May 08, 2022 06:05 PM IST
Hungary Continues to Block EU Oil Sanctions Against Russia
Hungary continued to block a European Union proposal that would ban Russian oil imports, holding up the bloc’s entire package of sanctions meant to target President Vladimir Putin over his war in Ukraine, according to people familiar with the talks, Bloomberg reported.
A meeting of the EU’s 27 ambassadors ended on Sunday without an agreement, with talks expected to resume in the coming days, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions were private.
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May 08, 2022 05:44 PM IST
Ukrainian fighters at besieged Azovstal plant vow to fight till the end
Ukrainian fighters at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in the southeastern port of Mariupol, who are the last holdout against Russian forces in the city, vowed on Sunday to continue their stand as long as they are alive.
“We will continue to fight as long as we are alive to repel the Russian occupiers,” Captain Sviatoslav Palamar, a deputy commander of Ukraine’s Azov Regiment, told an online conference.
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May 08, 2022 05:30 PM IST
Ukraine war overshadows France’s WWII commemorations
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday marked the anniversary of the Allies’ victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, overshadowed this year by the war in Ukraine, AFP reported. Paris’ traditional WWII commemorations began on the Champs-Elysees avenue, with the president laying a wreath at the statue of Charles de Gaulle, the wartime French resistance leader and later founding president of France’s Fifth Republic.
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May 08, 2022 05:01 PM IST
Ukraine battles to hold eastern bastions
Ukrainian forces were braced to defend their final bastion in the devastated port city of Mariupol on Sunday, desperate to deny Russia a symbolic win on the eve of Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations. Shelling and missile strikes have intensified in the build up to the World War II anniversary, and rescuers are hunting for 60 Ukrainian civilians feared killed in the bombing of a village school.
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May 08, 2022 04:35 PM IST
UK pledges more aid to Ukraine as Europe marks VE Day
Britain will provide an extra 1.3 billion pounds (USD 1.6 billion) in military support to Ukraine to help the country defend against Russian forces, officials said Sunday, AP reported. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders from other Group of Seven countries are expected to hold online talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday to discuss the further support.
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May 08, 2022 03:57 PM IST
Jill Biden to Ukrainian mom: Russia war ‘hard to understand’
U.S. first lady Jill Biden gets a hug as she meets Ukrainian refugees and humanitarian workers at a city-run refugee center in Kosice, Slovakia, (REUTERS) US first lady Jill Biden spent Mother’s Day in Slovakia, meeting with Ukrainian mothers who have been displaced by Russia’s war and assuring them that the “hearts of the American people” are behind them. At a bus station in the city of Kosice that is now a 24-hour refugee processing center, Biden found herself in an extended conversation with an emotional Ukrainian woman who said she struggles to explain the war to her three children because she cannot even explain it to herself.
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May 08, 2022 03:39 PM IST
Ukraine troops retreat from Popasna, Luhansk governor confirms
Ukrainian troops retreated from the eastern Ukrainian city of Popasna, the governor of Luhansk region said on Sunday, confirming previous reports that it had been taken, Reuters reported. The head of Russia’s republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, had said on Sunday his troops had taken control of most of Popasna.
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May 08, 2022 02:23 PM IST
Time for Sweden, Finland to join NATO now: Former NATO Secretary-General
Former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says that the time for Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance is now, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is “preoccupied” with Ukraine. “As far as Finland and Sweden are concerned, I think there’s a window of opportunity for [the] two countries to join, exactly now because Putin is preoccupied elsewhere. He can’t do anything about it,” Rasmussen told CNBC on Saturday.
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May 08, 2022 02:00 PM IST
This country, Ukraine’sTiny Neighbor, is suffering economic fallout from war
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has spurred a rush of loans to help tiny Moldova defray the economic hit from the war raging next door. Things are so perilous that the International Monetary Fund is now calling on nations to send cash, Bloomberg reported. Full report
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May 08, 2022 01:14 PM IST
Zelensky marks day of remembrance in Video
Rescue efforts are under way after a Russian air strike on a school in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, with dozens of civilians feared dead. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a video to mark Ukraine’s Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation, Bloomberg reported.
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May 08, 2022 12:13 PM IST
US renews Pak engagement, spoils Russian party
The revival of diplomatic-military ties between US and Pakistan after Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s call to Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari this week was a dampener to serious Russian efforts to cultivate Islamabad during the ousted Imran Niazi regime. Read more
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May 08, 2022 11:12 AM IST
Bombing of school in Ukrainian town kills two, 60 more under debris
Two people have been killed in the Russian bombing of a school in the Ukrainian village of Bilohorivka and 60 who remained under debris are feared dead, Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the Luhansk region, said on Sunday, Reuters reported.
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May 08, 2022 10:13 AM IST
Ukraine’s Mariupol defenders face final showdown with Russian invaders
Ukraine’s last soldiers in the port city of Mariupol face a brutal final showdown Sunday with besieging Russian forces, who are hoping to deliver a critical win ahead of the country’s victory day, AFP reported.
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May 08, 2022 09:34 AM IST
Ukraine Azovstal steelworks evacuation focuses on wounded, medics
Evacuation efforts will focus on getting the wounded and medics out of Mariupol’s bombed-out Azovstal steelworks after all the women, children and elderly trapped in the plant were brought to safety, said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Reuters reported.
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May 08, 2022 07:56 AM IST
UK to provide 1.3 billion pounds of further military support to Ukraine
Britain said it would provide a further 1.3 billion pounds ($1.60 billion) in military support and aid to Ukraine, making the pledge ahead of a planned video call on Sunday by Group of Seven leaders with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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May 08, 2022 07:32 AM IST
Ukraine evacuates civilians from steel plant under siege
Russian forces fired cruise missiles at the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on Saturday and bombarded a besieged steel mill in Mariupol, hoping to complete their conquest of the port in time for Victory Day celebrations, AP reported.
G7 leaders pledge to cease Russian oil import, impose further economic isolation
- The G7 leaders pledged to continue and elevate their campaign against financial elites and family members “who support Russian President Vladimir Putin in his war effort and squander the resources of the Russian people”.
Published on May 08, 2022 10:45 PM IST
Written by Sharangee Dutta | Edited by Poulomi Ghosh, New Delhi
Sri Lankan crisis: PM Rajapaksa hooted by protesters, asked to resign
Mahinda Rajapaksa, at a special cabinet meeting on Saturday at the President’s House, had agreed to resign from his post as prime minister. Rajapaksa’s decision was based upon president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s request for him to step down following the premier’s inability to curb the deepening economic crisis.
Published on May 08, 2022 10:01 PM IST
US to impose ‘new stiff sanctions’ on Russia, says Ukraine foreign min Kuleba
The minister’s announcement came after he held talks with his American counterpart Antony Blinken, during which the two leaders also discussed ways to ‘unlock Ukraine’s food exports.’
Published on May 08, 2022 09:18 PM IST
Ukraine war: Canadian PM Justin Trudeau makes unannounced visit to Irpin
Before Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, US First Lady Jill Biden made an unannounced visit to Ukraine where she met her Ukrainian counterpart Olena Zelenska.
Published on May 08, 2022 08:19 PM IST
US First Lady makes unannounced visit to Ukraine, meets Ukrainian counterpart
Earlier in the day, US First Lady Jill Biden had celebrated Mother’s Day in Slovakia, interacting with the Ukrainian mothers displaced due to the war. She assured them that the ‘hearts of American people’ are with them.
Published on May 08, 2022 07:29 PM IST
Imran Khan’s cops protected wife’s friend during his stint as Pak PM: Report
According to the Pakistan media report, the police personnel were told to work in three shifts of eight hours each to ensure that Farah Khan’s residence was protected round-the clock. Four cops were deployed per shift, which means that 12 police personnel and three vehicles were dedicated to security.
Published on May 08, 2022 05:26 PM IST
Former NATO chief says Sweden, Finland should apply for membership ‘now’
In an interview to CNBC, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said this is because Russian President Vladimir Putin is ‘preoccupied’ with Ukraine and, therefore, would not be able to do anything about it.
Published on May 08, 2022 02:58 PM IST
Shanghai tightens lockdown to hit zero-Covid goal by late May: Report
Curbs will likely vary across the city’s 16 districts as some have already hit the target, but the people said movement curbs will generally remain until the end of May due to fears of a rebound, despite recently falling case numbers in the country’s worst coronavirus outbreak.
Updated on May 08, 2022 02:03 PM IST
Saudi king admitted to hospital for medical tests
- The report in the official Saudi Press Agency did not provide further details about King Salman’s condition or the nature of the medical examinations. It said that the king, 86, was admitted to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in the Saudi port city of Jiddah.
Published on May 08, 2022 01:59 PM IST
Dictator’s son, rights lawyer vie for Philippine presidency
Aside from the presidency, more than 18,000 government posts will be contested in the elections, including half of the 24-member Senate, more than 300 seats in the House of Representatives, as well as provincial and local offices across the archipelago of more than 109 million Filipinos.
Published on May 08, 2022 01:47 PM IST
Xi Jinping warms up China’s economy, but Covid narrows options
- Two and a half years since the coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan, China is the last major economy still closed off to the world, despite its relatively low death toll.
Published on May 08, 2022 12:36 PM IST