Russia Ukraine war

The Florida governor, and expected presidential contender, has pivoted on the war in Ukraine, saying he was mischaracterized when he claimed it was all a ...

[in a statement](https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1635442071073955841?s=20) to Tucker Carlson, who is among the most outspoken and influential critics of US support for Ukraine. There’s a lot of ethnic Russians there.” He added he doesn’t believe there is “a sufficient interest for us to escalate more involvement”—seemingly softening his [previous statement](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/03/ron-desantis-donald-trump-ukraine-aid) blasting Joe Biden’s administration for giving Ukraine what DeSantis called a “blank check” in support of its fight against Russia. [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2023/03/22/desantis-brands-putin-a-war-criminal-who-should-be-held-accountable-for-ukraine-invasion/). This is not a territorial dispute. “China calls this a territorial dispute. “What I’m referring to is where the fighting is going on now, which is that eastern border region, Donbas, and then Crimea, and you have a situation where Russia has had that,” DeSantis said, referring to the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea. [Talks About It All](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/03/gisele-bundchen-cover-story?itm_content=footer-recirc&itm_campaign=more-great-stories-032223) [Is Trump Going to Prison?](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/03/donald-trump-indictment-explainer?itm_content=footer-recirc&itm_campaign=more-great-stories-032223)And Answers to Your Other Burning Questions [Inside Ron DeSantis’s Plan](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/03/desantis-antivax-florida-trump?itm_content=footer-recirc&itm_campaign=more-great-stories-032223)to Ride Anti-vaxxism to the White House [Exploited Child Star?](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/03/awards-insider-little-gold-men-brooke-shields-pretty-baby?itm_content=footer-recirc&itm_campaign=more-great-stories-032223)The Truth Isn’t Nearly That Simple [What Is Cinema?](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/what-is-cinema?itm_content=footer-recirc&itm_campaign=more-great-stories-032223)Rian Johnson, Halle Berry, and More Share Their Inspiration He went on to argue that his earlier statement on the war in Ukraine was misconstrued. “I do think that he should be held accountable,” DeSantis, who many anticipate will announce a presidential bid, told Piers Morgan in a Fox Nation interview set to air Thursday. [“Bimbo Summit”](https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2023/03/paris-hilton-memoir-excerpt?itm_content=footer-recirc&itm_campaign=more-great-stories-032223)in Her New Memoir [accused](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3900370-trump-on-desantis-whatever-i-want-he-wants/) him of just “following what I am saying,” a point Nikki Haley, another Republican presidential hopeful, [seconded](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nikki-haley-dings-desantis-trump-us-aid-ukraine-2024-gop-presidential-sweepstakes), calling the two an “echo” of one another.

Florida Gov. DeSantis had echoed Putin by calling the Ukraine war a "territorial dispute."

They invaded Crimea and took that in 2014 — that was wrong.” “Because if you will not do it, you will have no NATO.” The Florida governor, seen as a top rival to former President [Donald Trump](https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump) for the 2024 GOP nomination, said that defending Ukraine wasn’t a national security priority for the U.S., and he downplayed the Russian invasion. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has endorsed Trump’s 2024 campaign, told Fox News that DeSantis “is basically taking the Chinese position when it comes to Russia’s invasion.” So, that’s some difficult fighting, and that’s what I was referring to, and so it wasn’t that I thought Russia had a right to that, and so if I should have made that more clear, I could have done it.” “What I’m referring to is where the fighting is going on now, which is that eastern border region Donbas, and then Crimea, and you have a situation where Russia has had that.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) offered a harsh rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him a “war criminal” days after earlier comments about the ...

Zelenskiy asks EU leaders for more long-range weapons; Medvedev says Moscow's relations with the west are at an all-time low.

The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has reversed his position on Ukraine, after facing widespread criticism for calling the Russian invasion a “territorial dispute”. Asked whether the threat of a nuclear conflict has eased, he said: “No, it hasn’t decreased, it has grown. Calling it a reminder of “the darkest times in our history,” she said only 300 have been returned so far. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy secretary of Russia’s security council, said Moscow’s relations with the west have hit an all-time low. The EU leaders held talks on Thursday with UN chief António Guterres, focused on global food security and sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Speaking to an EU summit via video link, the Ukrainian president recounted the “devastating” scenes he had witnessed close to the frontlines, where fighting has been fiercest.

Ukraine is recovering from a barrage of missile and drone strikes unleashed on the country Wednesday after China's Xi Jinping left Moscow following talks.

She added that "in my visit to Kyiv a month ago, Ukrainian officials told me firsthand about the critical impact of our work." "We have degraded the Kremlin's ability to replace more than 9,000 pieces of heavy military equipment that it has lost on the battlefield. Ukraine said earlier this week the town could soon become a "second Bakhmut," according to Reuters. A declaration of war on the Russian Federation," Medvedev said in an interview with Russian journalists, according to Reuters. As long as our country needs us, we are fighting on the territory of Ukraine." Prigozhin has been involved in a very public dispute with Russia's Ministry of Defense for months after criticizing its military strategy in Ukraine. Just like with every city and village that suffered because of the occupiers." Workers in the region are now busy restoring power and the water supply. Guterres also discussed the ramifications of Russia's assault on Ukraine. "Taking into account the security and defense interests of all member states, the European Council welcomes the agreement ... In the past, they have suggested the war Depleted uranium is a byproduct of the uranium enrichment process needed to create nuclear weapons.

Russia launched another round of deadly strikes across Ukraine as fighting intensifies in the town of Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region.

Trudeau, the longest-serving leader in the G7, has been an ally to Biden in providing military and financial assistance to the country during the Kremlin's invasion. For Biden, who last traveled to Ottawa shortly after Trump was elected in 2016, the visit will also mark a moment to underscore close ties and the critical role Canada has played in the Western alliance that has supported Ukraine since Russia's invasion more than a year ago. Biden's visit includes a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, an address to the nation's parliament in Ottawa, and a cozy reception at an elaborate gala dinner.

The Florida governor and expected Republican presidential candidate had been criticized for calling the Russian invasion a 'territorial dispute'

In a recent Monmouth University poll, the two men received 80% of support — 44% for Trump and 36% for DeSantis — when prospective GOP voters were asked whom they support for the party’s presidential nomination. “I think he’s hostile to the United States, but I think the thing that we’ve seen is he doesn’t have the conventional capability to realize his ambitions. “ ‘What I’m referring to is where the fighting is going on now, which is that eastern border region Donbas, and then Crimea, and you have a situation where Russia has had that. DeSantis’ comments were reminiscent of those of the late John McCain, who was a Republican senator and presidential candidate. “If we will not have enough weapons, that means we will be weak. Both former President Donald Trump and DeSantis have expressed doubts about whether it is in U.S. “If they occupy us, they will be on the borders of Moldova and they will occupy Moldova. But the idea that I think somehow Russia was justified [in invading] — that’s nonsense.” And they don’t have nuclear weapons. They invaded Crimea and took that in 2014 — that was wrong. There’s a lot of ethnic Russians there.’” Obviously, Russia invaded [last year] — that was wrong.

Russian forces are increasingly using drones in aerial battles over the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut, but the threat of fighter jets and helico.

Russian drones attacked Ukrainian cities and missiles blasted an apartment block, but a months-long ground assault on the eastern town of Bakhmut could be stalling in the face of fierce resistance, according to Ukrainian and British military experts. Prince William made a surprise visit to Poland on Wednesday that underscored Britain’s support for a nation on the front line of efforts to help refugees displaced by Russia's war in Ukraine and to assist the Ukrainian military in fighting off the invasion. The heir to the throne met with British and Polish troops in Rzeszow, a city of 200,000 people in southeastern Poland that has become a hub for shipments of military and humanitarian aid bound for Ukraine. "Ukrainian forces have more or less stabilised the situation in Bakhmut -- and Russian forces are unable to do anything," military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said in a YouTube presentation. "Nuclear safety at the ZNPP remains in a precarious state," Grossi said in a statement on Wednesday. "In places, Russia has made gains of up to several kilometres," the military intelligence said in an update, adding that Russian commanders are likely trying to expand a security zone and are also seeking to recapture the logistic hub of Kupiansk in Kharkiv. The fast-track procedure was adopted during a meeting of foreign and defence ministers earlier this week, and leaders gathered at a summit in Brussels on Thursday will give it a political blessing, according to several senior EU diplomats. A senior Ukrainian military commander vowed Thursday a counter-attack against Russian forces near the town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the stage for the longest battle of Moscow's invasion. Guterres' participation in the EU summit comes days after the renewal of a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey on the safe export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea that is seen as crucial to overcoming a global food crisis. Russian forces are increasingly using drones in aerial battles over the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut, but the threat of fighter jets and helicopters remains and more Western weapons are needed to counter them, Ukrainian soldiers said. Russian forces have left the town of Nova Kakhovka in southern Kherson region, the Ukrainian military's General Staff said on Thursday, but a Russian-installed official in the region denied the troops had left. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday told European leaders that "delays" sending fighter jets and long-range missiles could extend the war, after he paid a visit to the frontline southern region of Kherson.

Talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on Beijing's plan to end the war... as Moscow's offensive stalls around ...

Savukynas says Russian disinformation in Lithuania ramped up in the second half of 2021 and was probably linked to Russia’s preparations to invade Ukraine. This is the call for the process. It was an informational preparation and justification for the aggression that was to come. And in this situation, I think the document that the Chinese present is not a peace plan. Everybody should understand that the key to peace is definitely not in Washington, Kyiv, or even Beijing. And this is a direct message I want to deliver to you from them: we have a lack of ammunition. And this is a fact that Ukraine's armed forces of Ukraine demonstrated since the year 2014. We wouldn't have the crimes in this horrific video, and we would have none of the killing and the harm. We had a great negotiation while Putin tried to encircle Kyiv, while he fought for the Kharkiv region, during the operation in Kherson. Because Putin understands only one language, and this language is a language of strength. I'm proud that my team and I created the Armed forces of Ukraine. If we didn't have the aggression, we would have none of the crimes against humanity or war crimes.

It's not just that Ron DeSantis keeps taking contradictory positions on Russia's war in Ukraine. He's also showing that he can be bullied into shifting.

After getting slammed by many prominent voices in his own party, DeSantis adopted a qualitatively different position, that seemed to contradict everything he’d said a week earlier, suggesting he’s willing to cave under pressure. Indeed, for those wondering whether DeSantis is really ready for prime time, the fact that he’s struggled with this straightforward issue reinforces doubts that he is not. After having downplayed Russia’s war against Ukraine as a “territorial dispute” in remarks to Fox News, Florida Gov. As the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential field takes shape, it’d be a mistake to think each of the candidates are in lock step on every issue. “I think he is a war criminal,” DeSantis told Piers Morgan in an interview published Wednesday in the New York Post, adding: “I do think that he should be held accountable.” [publicly denounced](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/problems-ron-desantis-flawed-foreign-policy-vision-rcna71617) the idea of a “blank-check policy” toward Ukraine, which the governor insisted was “not acceptable.”

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 394th day, we take a look at the main developments.

Zelenskyy told EU leaders that “delays” in sending fighter jets and long-range missiles would extend the war. Hungary signed and ratified the Rome Statute that created the ICC but Hungarian officials said the Rome Statute had not been built into the Hungarian legal system, so there was no basis on which to arrest Putin. [Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 393](/news/2023/3/23/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-393?traffic_source=KeepReading) [Russian forces appear to lose steam as Ukraine prepares offensive](/news/2023/3/23/russian-forces-lose-steam-as-ukraine-prepares-counteroffensive?traffic_source=KeepReading) [Zelenskyy calls on EU to give jets, missiles or expect a long war](/news/2023/3/24/zelenskyy-pleads-with-eu-for-jets-missiles-or-expect-a-long-war?traffic_source=KeepReading)

After drawing criticism from fellow Republicans, the potential 2024 US presidential candidate said Russia's invasion was 'wrong' and Vladimir Putin was a ...

Masha, 12, is now in a children's home after Russian authorities placed her father under house arrest.

"Return Masha to her father!" The images there remind me of the patriotic wall I saw in the centre of town. "The Russian authorities want everyone to toe the line. "Everything in the flat reminds him of her. The Yefremov Juvenile Affairs Commission is taking legal action to officially restrict Alexei's parental rights. The family's problems only began after the girl drew that picture." They should have invited Masha, too, and spoken to her," Vladimir says. Under the rules of his house arrest Alexei is only permitted contact with his lawyer, the investigator and the penitentiary service. To the left is a Ukrainian flag with the words "Glory to Ukraine"; on the right, the Russian tricolour and the inscription "No to war!" "And they told him that he was bringing up his daughter in a bad way." Giant photographs of masked Russian soldiers with guns and supersized letters Z and V - symbols of the country's so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine. His daughter Masha has - for now - been sent to a children's home.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky expressed optimism that cooperation with European allies could bring a victory by the end of the year, but he warned there were ...

“We can refer to the Hungarian law and based on that we cannot arrest the Russian President … “The amount of damage and recovery needs currently does not include data on the loss of infrastructure, housing and businesses in the occupied territories,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, referring to areas controlled by Russia's troops. "In such a case, all our weapons will target the Bundestag, the [German] chancellor’s office and so on." And all of a sudden, they make such a move against our head of state," Medvedev said, according to Tass. The majority of damage is concentrated in frontline eastern regions, including Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk. “During the day, they attack with the help of aircraft, artillery and manpower. The updated cost estimate covers damage incurred in the one-year period after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. But what is clear is that if there are no delays or stagnation in our cooperation, that if our joint efforts are resolutely focused on Ukraine's victory, the victory will be gained already this year," Zelensky told a meeting of the European Council. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said the mistake was the result of “incorrect use of available data.” It was critical that its accession path to the European Union not be impeded, he said. Cherevatyi drew a distinction between the battle for Bakhmut and fighting elsewhere. “Thus, more than 10 of these guided bombs attacked targets in the Sumy region.

Ukraine's top ground forces commander, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, said his forces would soon begin a counter offensive after withstanding Russia's brutal ...

The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has reversed his position on Ukraine after facing widespread criticism for calling the Russian invasion a “territorial dispute”. Calling it a reminder of “the darkest times in our history”, she said only 300 had been returned so far. The UN nuclear agency’s chief has said the situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant “remains perilous” after a Russian missile strike disconnected it from the grid. Asked whether the threat of a nuclear conflict had eased, he said: “No, it hasn’t decreased, it has grown. At a Ukrainian-held village west of Soledar, on Bakhmut’s northern outskirts, the intensity of the Russian bombardment noticeably lessened from two days earlier. Volodymyr Zelenskiy has renewed his call for more long-range weapons from western allies on Thursday.Speaking to an EU summit via video link, the Ukrainian president recounted the “devastating” scenes he had witnessed close to the frontlines, where fighting has been fiercest. For me it’s a kind of healing and I am happy to be a part of that community. A slowdown by Russia in Bakhmut could mean it is diverting its troops and resources to other areas. Medvedev made the point that the official inflation figure in Russia is lower than in some European countries, saying: “Feel the difference. Citing the regional energy company, it reports that “emergency crews are working to restore electricity supply, and some consumers have already been reconnected”. At night, Russian troops shelled a “point of invincibility” in Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region. The overnight death toll in Kostyantynivka has risen to five.

Ukraine is preparing a fresh counter-offensive, a leading commander has said, as more than one thousand Russian soldiers were reportedly killed in the past ...

Russia's Wagner mercenaries "are losing considerable strength and are running out of steam," Kyiv's ground forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

Wagner reinforced by regular Russian troops: Russian airborne troops are playing a greater role in the fighting around Bakhmut because of the growing losses of the Wagner private military company, according to the Ukrainian military. Bakhmut residents ...

With the consent of their parents, citizens of Ukraine, they were temporarily sent away from the hostilities - to rest and gain strength," she said. The children were brought home by their parents or a trusted representative. There is an action plan for each child so that they are reunited with family," said Lvova-Belova in a statement on her Telegram channel.

Ex-President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia wants to create demilitarised buffer zones around areas it has annexed, saying it might be necessary to push deeper ...

The Ukrainian stronghold where, despite months of vicious attacks, the Russians have gained just 10 metres.

"There's only the sounds of shells," she says. A piano stands in the corridor and Iryna sits down to play. She describes what has happened to the town as akin to a feeling of "grief". I came in the morning, and he was gone. Russian bombs often add to the mountain of grief. Another Russian shell lands in a nearby neighbourhood, sending a long arc of dirt into the grey sky. The land Col Khoda's men are protecting specifically is the market town of Velyka Novosilka. The enemy "has a completely different goal," he says. The advance ended in catastrophe, with hundreds of Russians dead, dozens of their tanks lost, and an armoured brigade all but annihilated. "When the infantry is being hurt, the tankers are coming. From a nearby village, the patter of automatic gunfire catches the breeze. The six of us run for cover and hit the ground.