Ukraine: Russia hits apartments and dorm, killing civilians
March 22, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia stepped up its missile and drone attacks against Ukraine on Wednesday, killing students and other civilians, in a violent follow-up to dueling high-level diplomatic missions aimed at bringing peace after 13 months of war.
Slovakia offered US helicopters for giving jets to Ukraine
March 22, 2023 GMTBRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — The United States has offered Slovakia 12 new military helicopters as compensation for the MiG-29 fighter jets the European country is giving to Ukraine, Slovakia's defense minister said Wednesday.
Ukrainian soldiers near finish of Patriot missile training
March 22, 2023 GMTFORT SILL, Okla. (AP) — Several large, 12-wheeled military vehicles carrying mobile missile launchers rumbled across the southwest Oklahoma prairie on Tuesday as part of a training exercise at the Fort Sill Army Post.
Ukraine, Russia trade claims after blast rocks Crimean town
March 21, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian and Ukrainian officials gave conflicting accounts Tuesday of what appeared to be a brazen attack on Russian cruise missiles transported by train in the occupied Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula.
US speeds up Abrams tank delivery to Ukraine war zone
March 21, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is speeding up its delivery of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, opting to send a refurbished older model that can be ready faster, with the aim of getting the 70-ton battle powerhouses to the war zone by the fall, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Japan’s PM offers Ukraine support as China’s Xi backs Russia
March 21, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit Tuesday to Kyiv, engaging in dueling diplomacy with Asian rival President Xi Jinping of China, who met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to promote Beijing's peace proposal for Ukraine that Western nations have all but dismissed as a non-starter.
Putin welcomes China’s Xi to Kremlin amid Ukraine fighting
March 20, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin warmly welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on Monday, sending a powerful message to Western leaders that their efforts to isolate Moscow over the fighting in Ukraine have fallen short.
Russia’s Putin makes surprise trip to occupied Mariupol
March 19, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the occupied port city of Mariupol, his first trip to Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed in September and a show of defiance after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest on war crimes charges.
Russia, Ukraine extend grain deal to aid world’s poor
March 18, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An unprecedented wartime deal that allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices are pushing more people into poverty was extended just before its expiration date, officials said Saturday.
How Moscow grabs Ukrainian kids and makes them Russians
March 17, 2023 GMTOlga Lopatkina paced around her basement in circles like a trapped animal. For more than a week, the Ukrainian mother had heard nothing from her six adopted children stranded in Mariupol, and she was going out of her mind with worry.
China’s Xi to meet Putin as Beijing seeks bolder global role
March 17, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow next week, offering a major diplomatic boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day the International Criminal Court announced it wants to put the Russian leader on trial for alleged war crimes.
US and Russia ratchet up rhetoric over downing of drone
March 15, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and the United States ratcheted up their confrontational rhetoric Wednesday over a U.S.
Ukraine vows to hold on to Bakhmut despite Russian onslaught
March 15, 2023 GMTBAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops on Wednesday defended positions in Bakhmut in eastern Ukrain e amid a relentless push by Russian forces to capture a city that has been turned into a wasteland by seven months of fighting.
Neighbors Bulgaria, Romania sign agreement to boost ties
March 15, 2023 GMTSOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian President Rumen Radev held talks Wednesday with his visiting Romanian counterpart as the two neighbors and NATO allies signed a cooperation agreement to boost bilateral ties amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
US says Russian warplane hits American drone over Black Sea
March 15, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian fighter jet struck the propeller of a U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday in a “brazen violation of international law,” causing American forces to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicle, the U.S.
AP PHOTOS: Objects of war become new normal in Kyiv
March 14, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — There are sandbags around the statues and anti-tank obstacles by the side of the streets, trenches in the nearby forests and land mine warnings in the woods. Signs painted on walls point to the nearest shelter, while air raid sirens occasionally wail across the city, which still sometimes comes under missile attack.
Russian shelling hits Ukrainian town; Bakhmut battle rages
March 5, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian shelling destroyed homes and killed one person in northern Ukraine's Kharkiv province, the region's governor said Sunday, while fighting raged in the fiercely contested eastern city of Bakhmut.
Ukraine: Mourners commemorate 8 men killed in Bucha
March 4, 2023 GMTBUCHA, Ukraine (AP) — Clutching flowers and wiping away tears, relatives, neighbors and friends of eight men executed by Russian forces during the occupation of the Ukrainian town of Bucha gathered Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the deaths.
Why purported cross-border attack ups ante in Ukraine war
March 3, 2023 GMTRussia has declared that saboteurs from Ukraine crossed into its territory and attacked border villages, a raid that fueled fears of an escalation in the war as it has dragged into a second year.
A day after Thursday’s purported attack, details of what happened remain scarce and conflicting theories about possible perpetrators and their goals are still swirling.
Two Americans arrested on charges of selling tech to Russia
March 3, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday arrested two Kansas men on allegations that the pair illegally exported aviation-related technology to Russia and provided repair services for the equipment.
US to send more ammo, folding armored bridges to Ukraine
March 3, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is expected to announce a new package of military aid for Ukraine Friday, including —for the first time — eight armored vehicles that can launch bridges and allow troops to cross rivers or other gaps, U.S.
Kremlin accuses Ukrainian saboteurs of attack inside Russia
March 2, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Kremlin on Thursday accused Ukrainian saboteurs of crossing into western Russia and firing on villagers. Ukraine denied the claim and warned that Moscow could use the allegations to justify stepping up its own attacks in the ongoing war.
G20 talks end in India with no consensus on Ukraine war
March 2, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of 20 industrialized and developing nations ended their contentious meeting in New Delhi on Thursday with no consensus on the Ukraine war, India’s foreign minister said, as discussions of the war and China's widening global influence dominated much of the talks.
War, anger cloud Ukrainian athletes’ path to Paris Olympics
March 2, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian diver Stanislav Oliferchyk proudly bears the name of his late grandfather, who died in brutalized Mariupol.
At G-20, high expectations for India as rising global power
March 2, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — With the foreign ministers of the Group of 20 leading economies meeting Thursday in New Delhi, host India is promoting itself as a rising superpower while leveraging its position on the global stage to bridge the gap between the West and Russia.
East-West showdown looms at G-20 FMs meeting in India
March 2, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — Fractured East-West relations over Russia’s war in Ukraine and increasing concerns about China’s global aspirations are set to dominate what is expected to be a highly contentious meeting of foreign ministers from the world’s largest industrialized and developing nations this week in India.
Ukraine official: Forces may pull out of key city of Bakhmut
March 1, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian military might pull troops back from the key stronghold of Bakhmut, an adviser to Ukraine's president said Wednesday in remarks that suggested Russia could capture the city that has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
Blinken wraps up Central Asia tour before G20 talks in India
March 1, 2023 GMTU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a brief tour of Central Asia in Uzbekistan on Wednesday before heading to India for what is expected to be a contentious Ukraine-dominated meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20.
Blinken warns Central Asia of dangers from war in Ukraine
March 1, 2023 GMTThe Biden administration on Tuesday pledged to support the independence of the five Central Asian nations, in a not-so-subtle warning to the former Soviet states that Russia’s value as a partner has been badly compromised by its year-old war against Ukraine.
Drones fly deep inside Russia; Putin orders border tightened
March 1, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Drones that the Kremlin said were launched by Ukraine flew deep inside Russian territory, including one that got within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of Moscow, signaling breaches in Russian defenses as President Vladimir Putin ordered stepped-up protection at the border.
UN report: Uranium particles enriched to 83.7% found in Iran
March 1, 2023 GMTVIENNA (AP) — Inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog found uranium particles enriched up to 83.7% in Iran's underground Fordo nuclear site, a report seen Tuesday by The Associated Press said.
Drone attacks on Russia underline its vulnerability
February 28, 2023 GMTA spate of drone strikes that Russian authorities blamed on Ukraine targeted areas in southern and western Russia, reflecting the Ukrainian military's growing reach.
No evidence of fraud in weapons to Ukraine, watchdog says
February 28, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s inspector general said Tuesday his office has found no evidence yet that any of the billions of dollars in weapons and aid to Ukraine has been lost to corruption or diverted into the wrong hands, but cautioned that those investigations are only in their early stages.
US endorses EU plan to ease Serbia-Kosovo tensions
February 28, 2023 GMTTIRANA, Albania (AP) — The U.S. has high expectations for a European Union-sponsored plan aimed at easing long-standing tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, a senior U.S.
Cyprus’ new president says country on firm Western footing
February 28, 2023 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) —
Cyprus' new president affirmed the island nation's Western foreign policy orientation as a member of the European Union that seeks to further strengthen its bonds with the U.S.
Ukraine’s northeastern front could decide new battle lines
February 28, 2023 GMTKUPIANSK, Ukraine (AP) — A tank carrying Ukrainian infantry speeds toward a target position marked with a metal sheet. The soldiers climb down, hurl grenades and unleash a crackle of machine-gun fire.
Serbia, Kosovo leaders back EU plan, top diplomat says
February 27, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have given tacit approval to a European Union-sponsored plan to end months of political crises and help improve their ties longer-term, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday after chairing talks between them.
Putin bestows friendship award on actor Steven Seagal
February 27, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday bestowed a state decoration on Steven Seagal, the American action-movie actor who also holds Russian citizenship.
The awarding of the Order of Friendship was announced on the Russian government's internet portal.
Yellen visits Ukraine, underscores US economic support
February 27, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Monday her first visit to Ukraine underscored Washington's commitment to continuing its economic support for the country, as the din of air raid sirens echoed across the Ukrainian capital.
UN chief points to ‘massive’ rights violations in Ukraine
February 27, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has triggered “the most massive violations of human rights” in the world today, the head of the United Nations said Monday, as the war pushed into its second year with no end in sight and tens of thousands dead.
Pope to visit Hungary in April, migration and war on agenda
February 27, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis will visit Hungary at the end of April, the Vatican said Monday, in a trip expected to focus on migration to Europe and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The April 28-30 trip to Budapest represents a proper state visit after Francis made a brief, hours-long stopover in 2021 to close out a church conference.
UN chief slams ‘climate-wrecking’ firms at human rights body
February 27, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday stressed the importance of legal challenges against “climate-wrecking corporations" like fossil-fuel producers, ratcheting up his call for the fight against climate change—- this time before the U.N.'s top human rights body.
North Korea holds rare meeting on farming amid food shortage
February 27, 2023 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un opened a major political conference dedicated to agriculture, state media reported Monday, as outside assessments suggest the country is facing a serious shortfall of food.
North Korea holds rare meeting on farming amid food shortage
February 27, 2023 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un opened a major political conference dedicated to agriculture, state media reported Monday, amid outside assessments that suggest the country is facing a serious shortfall of food.
Putin: will ‘take into account’ NATO’s nuclear capability
February 26, 2023 GMTRussian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast Sunday that after Russia suspended its participation in the last arms control agreement with Washington, it would “take into account” the nuclear weapons capabilities not only of the United States but of other NATO countries such as France and Britain.
Ukrainians reflect on anniversary of Russian invasion
February 26, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The anniversary on Friday of Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a somber day for many of the country's 43 million people.
On Ukraine front, civilians cling on as troops repel Russia
February 26, 2023 GMTVUHLEDAR, Ukraine (AP) — The murky water oh so slowly trickles from the filthy drainpipe into her grimy container — the ticking seconds ramping up the risk that Emilia Budskaya could lose life or limb to Russian artillery strikes torturing her front-line town in eastern Ukraine.
CIA director: Putin too confident he can grind down Ukraine
February 26, 2023 GMTWilmington, Del. (AP) — As the war in Ukraine enters its second year, CIA Director William Burns said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being “too confident” in his military's ability to grind Ukraine into submission.
CIA chief: China has some doubt on ability to invade Taiwan
February 26, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence shows that China's President Xi Jinping has instructed his country's military to “be ready by 2027" to invade Taiwan though he may be currently harboring doubts about his ability to do so given Russia's experience in its war with Ukraine, CIA Director William Burns said.
Belarus leader and Putin ally Lukashenko to visit China
February 26, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus and a close ally of the Russian leader, will visit Beijing this week, China's Foreign Ministry said, as U.S.
Russia, Iran sending top envoys to UN’s human rights council
February 26, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will help kick off the latest and longest-ever session of the U.N.'s top human rights body on Monday, with Iran's foreign minister, a senior Russian envoy, and the top diplomats of France and Germany among scores of leaders set to take part.
EU slaps sanctions on top Russia officials, banks, trade
February 25, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union agreed Saturday to impose new sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine targeting more officials and organizations accused of supporting the war, spreading propaganda or supplying drones, as well as restricting trade on products that could be used by the armed forces.
Ukraine: Zelenskyy seeks more sanctions, fighting grinds on
February 25, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Fighting is grinding on in Ukraine after the country marked the anniversary of Russia's invasion, with Ukrainian authorities on Saturday reporting dozens of new Russian strikes and attacks on cities in the east and south.
Met Opera marks 1st year of Ukraine war with concert
February 25, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Emily D'Angelo made her point with attire before singing a single note at the Metropolitan Opera’s concert to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 28-year-old Canadian mezzo-soprano walked onto the stage Friday night for the Mozart Requiem wearing a dark skirt covered with white tally marks, like on a school chalkboard: four vertical slashes and a diagonal to close out each set of five.
German leader seeks Indian support for Russia’s isolation
February 25, 2023 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sought assurances Saturday from India that it would support, or at least not block, Western efforts to isolate Russia for waging a devastating war against Ukraine.
G-20 meeting in India ends without consensus on Ukraine war
February 25, 2023 GMTBENGALURU, India (AP) — A meeting of finance chiefs of the Group of 20 leading economies ended on Saturday without a consensus, with Russia and China objecting to the description of the war in Ukraine in a final document.
Refugee-averse Japan welcomes Ukrainians after Russia war
February 25, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Dmytro Remez quietly shows on his laptop before and after photos of buildings, clicking to once elegant offices and hotels that turned into lopsided abandoned rubble.
One crumbling building was right in front of his home in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine.
Japan, other G-7 leaders step up Russia sanctions
February 25, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other Group of Seven leaders adopted a set of additional sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine at an online G-7 summit Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the invasion.
Biden unveils new Ukraine weapons package, Russia sanctions
February 25, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration declared its Ukraine solidarity with fresh action as well as strong words on Friday, piling sweeping new sanctions on Moscow and approving a new $2 billion weapons package to re-arm Kyiv a year after Russia’s invasion.
People across the world gather to mark war anniversary
February 24, 2023 GMTLISBON, Portugal (AP) — World landmarks were lit up in the colors of Ukraine’s national flag as people across the globe threw their support behind the country Friday on the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
As Ukraine marks year of war, leader vows to secure victory
February 24, 2023 GMTRussian delegates defiant at hostile OSCE assembly meeting
February 24, 2023 GMTVIENNA, Austria (AP) — A contentious Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe parliamentary meeting ended Friday with condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — as Russian delegates accused the West of preventing dialogue by arming Kyiv.
Russians mark Ukraine war anniversary with flowers, arrests
February 24, 2023 GMTTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russians in Moscow and other cities brought flowers to Ukrainian poets and held one-person pickets with antiwar slogans Friday to mark the first anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
China issues peace plan; Zelenskyy says he’ll await details
February 24, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — China called for a cease-fire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on Friday, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijing’s involvement -- but said success would depend on actions not words.
Russia, Ukraine face off at UN with rival tributes to dead
February 24, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and Ukraine faced off at the U.N. Security Council on Friday on the first anniversary of their war, with their confrontation even extending to dueling moments of silence for the dead.
‘Never saw such hell’: Russian soldiers in Ukraine call home
February 24, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — One Russian soldier tells his mother that the young Ukrainians dead from his first firefight looked just like him. Another explains to his wife that he's drunk because alcohol makes it easier to kill civilians.
Inquiry issues damning report into Dutch gas drilling
February 24, 2023 GMTTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch parliamentary inquiry released a damning report Friday into the government's handling of lucrative natural gas extraction that caused a string of earthquakes in the northern province of Groningen, saying that authorities put profits before people.
Ukraine tensions flare at G-20 finance meetings in India
February 24, 2023 GMTBENGALURU, India (AP) — Tensions over Russia’s war on Ukraine flared Friday at meetings of financial chiefs of the Group of 20 leading economies, where geopolitics affected the atmosphere if not the agenda of the gathering in the Indian technology hub of Bengaluru.
‘People’s court’ endorses Putin indictment for aggression
February 24, 2023 GMTTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A “people’s court” without legal powers has confirmed an indictment against Russian President Vladimir Putin for the crime of aggression in Ukraine and called for his arrest.
Joy amid sorrow: 1st birthdays muted for Ukrainian parents
February 24, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Anastasiia Morhun knew having a baby would change her life. She prepared rigorously, read up about newborns and daydreamed about the kind of parents she and her husband would be.
What is China’s peace proposal for Ukraine War?
February 24, 2023 GMTTAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — One year into Russia's war against Ukraine, China is offering a 12-point proposal to end the fighting.
The proposal follows China's recent announcement that it is trying to act as mediator in the war that has re-energized Western alliances viewed by Beijing and Moscow as rivals.
The calculus of war: Tallying Ukraine toll an elusive task
February 24, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — Quantifying the toll of Russia's war in Ukraine remains an elusive goal a year into the conflict.
UN approves resolution calling for Russia to leave Ukraine
February 24, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution Thursday that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces, sending a strong message on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion that Moscow's aggression must stop.
Ukraine: Drone footage shows scale of Bakhmut’s destruction
February 23, 2023 GMTBAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP) — Amid the smoking ruins, a lone dog pads in the snow, surely unaware — or perhaps too hungry to care — that death rains down regularly from the skies on the remnants of this Ukrainian city that Russia is pounding into rubble.
Hungary to send delegation to Sweden, Finland over NATO bids
February 23, 2023 GMTBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary plans to send a delegation to Sweden and Finland to resolve “political disputes” that have raised doubts among some Hungarian lawmakers of whether to support the two Nordic nations' applications to join NATO, a senior Hungarian lawmaker said Thursday.
Putin, Afghans among top gift givers to Bidens in 2021
February 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Russia’s president and the deposed leader of Afghanistan were among the top gift givers to President Joe Biden and his family in 2021, according to federal documents published on Thursday.
China’s global influence worries U.S. majority: AP-NORC poll
February 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Just 40% of U.S. adults approve of how President Joe Biden is handling relations with China, a new poll shows, with a majority anxious about Beijing's influence as the White House finds its agenda increasingly shaped by global rivalries.
Ukraine shuns OSCE gathering in Vienna over Russian presence
February 23, 2023 GMTVIENNA (AP) — A meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's parliamentary assembly got underway Thursday without the Ukrainian delegation, which described the presence of Russian lawmakers as “an affront.”
Moldovan president in Romania to boost ties amid Ukraine war
February 23, 2023 GMTBUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis discussed energy, economic and security issues in Bucharest Thursday with his visiting Moldovan counterpart, as the two neighbors seek to boost ties amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Yellen affirms push for stronger Russia sanctions at G-20
February 23, 2023 GMTBENGALURU, India (AP) — The U.S. wants to see tougher and more effectively enforced sanctions against Russia and additional support for Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday during meetings of the Group of 20 leading economies in the Indian technology hub of Bengaluru.