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Vladimir Putin is invoking the memory of the Cuban Missile Crisis by moving “nuclear-capable” warships to Cuba in a move intended to provoke the United States, a think tank warned.
Four Russian vessels will make a port call to Havana between 12 and 17 June before stopping off in Venezuela later in the month, according to Cuban and US officials.
The Admiral Gorshkov frigate, the Kazan nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine, the Academic Pashin replenishment oiler, and the Nikolai Chiker rescue tug will all be part of the visit, the US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War.
The Admiral Gorshkov is capable of carrying Zircon hypersonic missiles, which the Kremlin has touted as being able to carry a nuclear warhead. There is no suggestion the ship will be equipped with nuclear weapons during the visit.
In 1962, former Russian premier Nikita Khrushchev moved nuclear missiles to Havana which led to an intense stand off between Moscow and Washington.
Meanwhile, Putin has threatened to retaliate against Western countries that are allowing Ukraine to hit Russia with their long-range missiles.
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Graffiti with images and messages referencing Ukraine appear on Paris buildings near Parliament
Unusual spray-painted images and messages with references to Ukraine appeared on the streets of Paris on Friday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US president Joe Biden in the French capital.
It was unclear who sprayed the graffiti that has appeared on several buildings in central Paris near the Parliament complex and various government ministries.
Some depicted coffins with stenciled signs in French that say “A French soldier in Ukraine.” Others include a sign that says in Ukrainian “Return the elections back to Ukrainians.”
Graffiti with images and messages referencing Ukraine appear on Paris buildings near Parliament
Unusual spray-painted images and messages with references to Ukraine have appeared on the streets of Paris as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Joe Biden in the French capital
Alexander Butler8 June 2024 00:01
Ukraine is in a race against time to steel itself for a Russian summer assault. Western help needs to speed up
Speaking in Normandy at the commemoration of 80th anniversary of D-Day, Joe Biden declared that the US and the West is committed to unwavering support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, and robust resistance to Vladimir Putin “a tyrant bent on domination”.
The US president went on to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris to assure him that $225 million (£176m) in weapons supply is on its way.
It was their first meeting since December when the Ukrainian leader visited Washington during a Congressional impasse over a $60 billion arms package for Kyiv.
The bill in Congress, held up at the time by Republican opposition, has been passed, easing trepidation that Ukraine would face defeat this year without that lifeline.
Importantly, the Biden administration, after prolonged hesitation, has belatedly allowed Ukraine to use American weapons, chiefly ATACAMs missiles, to strike targets inside Russia -- as long as its not in Moscow and the Kremlin.
Read more here:
Ukraine is in a race against time to steel itself for a Russian summer assault
Leaders like Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron used D-Day celebrations to underline their support for Kyiv, writes Kim Sengupta, but the West is struggling to find the production capacity for the shells and missiles the country desperately needs
Alexander Butler7 June 2024 23:00
Putin’s forces killed his brother. He takes revenge using hundreds of suicide drones to blow Russian troops up
The Ukraine politician avenging his brother’s death with hi-tech ‘suicide drones’
Askold Krushelnycky visits the concealed base of the ‘Barney Unit’ in eastern Ukraine. Created by Stepan Barna in the wake of the death on the front line of his older brother Oleh, its drone operators claim to have achieved more than 100 kills
Alexander Butler7 June 2024 22:00
Why African nations are turning to Russia
Russia‘s top diplomat pledged help and military assistance while on a whirlwind tour of several countries in Africa‘s sub-Saharan region of Sahel this week, as Moscow seeks to grow its influence in the restive, mineral-rich section of the continent.
Russia is emerging as the security partner of choice for a growing number of African governments in the region, displacing traditional allies like France and the United States.
Sergey Lavrov, who has made several trips to Africa in recent years, this week stopped in Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso and Chad.
Why African nations are turning to Russia
Russia has taken advantage of political unrest and discontent in coup-hit nations
Alexander Butler7 June 2024 21:00
‘There is more to do’ to avoid repeat of Second World War, warns army chief
There is “every possibility” that a conflict on the scale of the Second World War could embroil Europe in the coming years, the outgoing head of the British army has claimed.
General Sir Patrick Sanders, 58, who will step down in the coming days after two years in post, issued the comments in Portsmouth at an event to commemorate the D-Day operation of 6 June 1944.
Having recently returned from a visit to British troops in Poland, Gen Sanders heralded the progression of the British army but added that there was “more to do” and urged the military to ramp up its readiness for war.
‘There is more to do’ to avoid repeat of WWII, warns army chief
General Sir Patrick Sanders warns ‘preparedness is absolutely critically important’ for the future
Alexander Butler7 June 2024 19:00
At D-Day ceremony, American veteran hugs Ukraine's Zelenskyy and calls him a savior
An American veteran and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared an emotional moment at a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion to liberate France in World War II, each praising the other as a hero.
Retired Staff Sgt. Melvin Hurwitz, 99, and other veterans were introduced to the foreign dignitaries remembering the landings in Normandy on Thursday.
When he met Zelenskyy, Hurwitz kissed the Ukrainian leader’s hand and pulled him in for an extended hug, exclaiming: “Oh, you’re the savior of the people!”
At D-Day ceremony, American veteran hugs Ukraine's Zelenskyy and calls him a savior
An American veteran and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared an emotional moment at a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion to liberate France in World War II
Alexander Butler7 June 2024 18:00
Inside the escape from a Ukraine border village as Putin’s forces closed in: ‘Mummy, when will this war end?’
Nine-year-old Sasha rushed down to the basem*nt as Russian-launched drones buzzed in the sky above him. He was terrified, shivering as he desperately tried to block out the noise of the “Shaheds”, the Iranian-designed drones that have become a deadly feature of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
The boy was living with his mother and five siblings in the village of Zakharivka, just a few miles from the Russian forces advancing across the border into Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. The region has been the scene of intense fighting for weeks.
This was five days after the Russian attack had started in the middle of May. Poor defensive fortifications and severed communication lines, the result of Russian signal jammers, had caught Ukraine’s forces off guard. Moscow’s troops had then pushed rapidly across the border.
Read more here:
Inside the escape from a Ukraine border village as Putin’s forces closed in
A family of refugees now living in the city of Kharkiv recount to Tom Watling the horrifying story of their last-minute evacuation as Russian soldiers approached
Alexander Butler7 June 2024 17:00
Biden announces $225m arms package for Ukraine as he meets with Zelensky in France
The US will soon dispatch an arms and aid package to Ukraine amounting to $225million as Kyiv works to repel renewed Russian attacks, President Joe Biden said on Friday.
Biden announced the new tranche of defense assistance in Paris during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, a day after the Ukrainian president joined the US president and other world leaders for ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
In remarks at the American cemetery in Normandy during the ceremony, Biden had described Ukraine’s fight against Russia as a modern-day analog of the war against Hitler and Nazism while stressing the importance of beating back isolationist sentiment, providing an implicit contrast with his predecessor and likely 2024 election opponent, former president Donald Trump.
Read more here:
Biden announces $225m arms package for Ukraine as he meets with Zelensky in France
‘We’re not going to walk away from you,’ Biden tells Ukrainian leader during one-on-one meeting in Paris
Alexander Butler7 June 2024 16:02
Zimbabwe's Mnangagwa tells Putin that Russia is a reliable ally
Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa said Russia was a consistent ally of his country, and criticised the West for imposing a global order which he said had marginalised the Global South.
Mnangagwa was speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on a stage with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Mr Mnangagwa called “my dear brother”.
Alexander Butler7 June 2024 15:08
Inside the escape from a Ukraine border village as Putin’s forces closed in: ‘Mummy, when will this war end?’
Inside the escape from a Ukraine border village as Putin’s forces closed in
A family of refugees now living in the city of Kharkiv recount to Tom Watling the horrifying story of their last-minute evacuation as Russian soldiers approached
Alexander Butler7 June 2024 14:48
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