Six Russian warships are heading for the Black Sea for naval drills amid escalating tension between the West and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. The Russian defence ministry said the exercises were a planned movement of military resources, according to the Interfax news agency. It came hours after Paris said Vladimir Putin had promised not
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French President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow this afternoon in an attempt to calm tensions on the Ukrainian border. “The priority for me on the Ukrainian question is dialogue with Russia and de-escalation,” Mr Macron told reporters in France. “I’m very worried by the situation on the ground.” At the same time, German
Russia and France have common security concerns in Europe, Vladimir Putin told Emmanuel Macron at the start of their meeting in the Kremlin on Monday. The French president met with his Russian counterpart in an attempt to calm tensions in the region. At the meeting, President Macron said there needs to be a useful response
The cells of Herat’s main prison are crammed full. In each of the cells we go into, there are about 40 men laying jammed up against each other on the floor with some on bunk beds around the edges. We’ve been given exclusive access to one of the Taliban’s jails and we’re escorted by the
Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron have agreed that countries on NATO’s eastern flank must be “fully defended against malicious Russian activity”. That applies “wherever and however it might occur”, the two leaders added. Amid continuing concerns that Russia may invade Ukraine, the British prime minister and French president also “stressed that NATO must be united
A suicide bomber who targeted Kabul airport during an evacuation mission in Afghanistan acted alone, a US investigation has found. The attacker, carrying 20 pounds of explosives packed with ball bearings, blew himself up at Abbey Gate outside the airport on 26 August last year. At the time, the UK, US, and other nations were
A five-year-old boy who spent four days trapped in a 32m (105ft) deep well has died, Morocco’s king has said. Footage from the scene in the north of the country showed workers emerging from a tunnel – dug specifically for the rescue – carrying the child, Rayan Awram, on Saturday evening. An Associated Press reporter
Russia and China have put on a united front as the country’s leaders met in Beijing ahead of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, with the two looking to present themselves as a counterweight to the US and its allies. China said it supported Russia’s demands for security guarantees from the West, as both countries called
US intelligence accusing Russia of planning a fake attack to justify an invasion of Ukraine is “shocking evidence of Moscow’s aggression”, Liz Truss has warned. The foreign secretary tweeted: “This is clear and shocking evidence of Russia’s unprovoked aggression and underhand activity to destabilise Ukraine. “This bellicose intent towards a sovereign democratic country is completely
Revelations by Britain and the US about the threat of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine are “ruining” Moscow’s plans, the Ukrainian deputy defence minister has said. Hanna Maliar said the risk of an attack remained – but that the act of calling out suspected Russian schemes was a way to combat them. “It’s important
Boris Johnson must encourage the EU and Joe Biden to provide aid for Afghanistan to prevent a “needless loss of lives”, Gordon Brown has said. The former prime minister was speaking after viewing a Sky News report from the Taliban-run country, showing “malnourished, horribly weak” children and a toddler who had frozen to death. Multiple
Boris Johnson has told Vladimir Putin of his “deep concern about Russia’s current hostile activity” on the Ukrainian border amid fears Moscow is planning to invade its neighbour. More than 100,000 Russian troops have amassed near the border in a major military build-up. The prime minister spoke to the Russian president in a phone call
As Boris Johnson prepares to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to cool tensions over Ukraine, one of Russia’s top diplomats says he doesn’t trust British diplomacy. Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, told Sky News: “There is always room for diplomacy, but frankly, we don’t trust British diplomacy. I think in
Boris Johnson has urged Russia to “step back” from any military action against Ukraine, pledging that the UK “stands shoulder to shoulder” with Kyiv. During a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the prime minister said a Russian invasion would be a “political and humanitarian disaster” and a “military disaster as well”. A series
On 1 February 2021, Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup. Many democratically elected politicians including the country’s de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and President U Win Myint were detained. Others fled or were forced into hiding. The military regime said concerns of widespread electoral fraud in the 2020 vote was the reason it
A British woman found guilty of lying about being gang-raped in Cyprus has won her appeal to overturn the conviction at the country’s Supreme Court, her lawyers said. The then 19-year-old, from Derby, was given a suspended four-month jail term in 2020 after a judge found her guilty of public mischief following a trial. The
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone starts with a checkpoint and souvenir wagons. You can buy Chernobyl condoms that glow in the dark, keyrings and t-shirts. “Visit Chernobyl, die later” was the slogan on one. We had to set off early through driving snow from Kyiv, but despite the weather, the drive took little more than a
Rafael Nadal has become the most successful man in tennis history by winning the Australian Open and his 21st Grand Slam title. He took on Daniil Medvedev in a gruelling five-hour and 24-minute marathon – the second-longest in the tournament’s history – to clinch the trophy. At the winning moment, Nadal dropped his racket to
The UK is preparing to send a “clear message to the Kremlin” by deploying troops across Europe – as NATO hopes to prevent Russia from “choosing a path of bloodshed and destruction” by invading Ukraine. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered the armed forces to prepare for the major military deployment, which will strengthen Europe’s
Boris Johnson will step up his presence in the Russia-Ukraine crisis by holding a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting the region “in the coming days”. The prime minister will “ramp up deterrence to avoid bloodshed” between the two former Soviet states and is determined to “accelerate diplomatic efforts” during the trip, a