Kremlin confirms UK-Russia call but dialogue failed
The Kremlin said there had been contact between Britain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, and Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov but that the dialogue did not work out.
The Financial Times reported that Powell had tried to open up a back channel to the Kremlin because Britain and its European allies feared the administration of US president Donald Trump could sideline their interests over Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Britain had shown no desire to listen to Russia’s position on the Ukraine conflict.
“There were indeed contacts,” Peskov said. “A dialogue took place, but it did not continue.”
He did not say when the conversation took place.
“During this contact there was an acute desire of the interlocutor to talk about the position of the Europeans and there was a lack of any intention or desire to listen to our position,” Peskov said.
“Given the impossibility of exchanging views, the mutual dialogue has not developed,” he said.
Arpan Rai13 November 2025 05:18
Two Ukrainian ministers quit over £76m corruption scandal
Two Ukrainian ministers have resigned from their positions in the Kyiv government after a £76m energy sector corruption scandal linked to a key ally of president Volodymyr Zelensky broke out.
Justice minister German Galushchenko and the energy minister Svitlana Hrynchuk quit yesterday after Mr Zelensky called for their dismissal.
The president said that he supported anti-graft agencies in their investigation into energy sector corruption.
“First of all, there should be maximum transparency in the energy sector, in all processes absolutely,” Zelensky said in a video address. “It is very difficult for everyone in Ukraine now. It is absolutely abnormal that there are still some schemes in the energy sector,” he said.
Justice minister Galushchenko earlier said on Facebook he supported his suspension as “a civilised and appropriate scenario” and vowed to defend himself, without sharing more details of the probe.
Arpan Rai13 November 2025 05:08
Lavrov hopes Washington will take no steps to escalate Ukraine war
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said he hoped Washington would take no actions liable to escalate the Ukraine conflict.
Lavrov said US president Donald Trump had long advocated dialogue with Russia, had sought to fully understand the Russian position on Ukraine and “demonstrated a commitment to finding a sustainable peaceful solution”.
“We are counting on common sense and that the maintaining of that position will prevail in Washington and that they will refrain from actions that could escalate the conflict to a new level,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency TASS.
The Russian minister did not acknowledge Moscow’s role in increasingly attacking Ukraine in its winter offensive.
Lavrov’s comments were originally part of an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera. Tass said the Italian daily had declined to publish the interview.
Lavrov said Trump had acknowledged that one of the reasons behind Russia’s actions was enlargement of the Nato alliance and the deployment of its infrastructure close to its border.
“In essence, that is what Russian president Vladimir Putin and Russia have been warning about for the last 20 years,” Lavrov was quoted as saying.
Arpan Rai13 November 2025 04:58
Putin’s troops spreading resources in bid to capture Pokrovsk
The Institute for the Study of War said Russia’s siege of Pokrovsk, where it has deployed elite drone operators and “spetsnaz” special forces soldiers, has been slow-moving because its military commanders are spreading their resources widely.
Russia is pursuing several offensive operations across the theater simultaneously and is having difficulty extending logistical operations, the Washington-based think tank said late Tuesday.
Russia’s corrosive war of attrition has been costly in terms of casualties and armour, however, and Ukraine has held it to incremental battlefield gains.
Arpan Rai13 November 2025 04:34
Ukraine corruption scandal ‘extremely unfortunate,’ EU’s Kallas says
The energy corruption scandal in Ukraine was “extremely unfortunate” and it was important that Kyiv takes it seriously, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called for the dismissal of two cabinet ministers on Wednesday amid a probe into an alleged $100m corruption scheme that has fuelled fresh public anger at the country’s government.
“They are acting very forcefully. There is no room for corruption, especially now. I mean, it is literally the people’s money that should go to the front lines,” Kallas said on the sidelines of a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers in Canada.
“I think what is very important that they really proceed with this very fast and take it very seriously,” she added.
Arpan Rai13 November 2025 04:17
Russia’s Lukoil gains buyers ahead of US sanctions deadline
The foreign assets of Russian oil major Lukoil are attracting potential bidders from Egypt to Kazakhstan as time runs out to clear deals before US authorities enforce sanctions.
The US has hit Lukoil with sanctions as part of its effort to bring the Kremlin to peace talks over Ukraine, and has already blocked Lukoil’s attempt to sell foreign assets to trader Gunvor ahead of the 21 November sanctions deadline.
The sanctions have also already disrupted Lukoil’s operations in Iraq, at pump stations in Finland and a refinery in Bulgaria.
As its empire creaks, governments and partners are hoping to snap up its foreign assets on the cheap.
Washington late last month hit Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s two biggest oil companies, with sanctions in a move underlining Washington’s intent to squeeze Russia financially and force it towards a peace deal that would end the war on Ukraine.
Arpan Rai13 November 2025 03:58
Canada pushes forth with support for Ukraine at G7
Canada has led the momentum on calling for measures to support Ukraine and weaken Russia’s war on the country as the G7 nations met in Niagara-on-the-Lake, near the US border.
The G7 ministers said in a joint statement at the conclusion of the two-day gathering that they are increasing the economic costs to Russia and exploring measures against those who finance Russia’s war efforts.
Canada announced more sanctions against Russia, including targeting those involved in the development and deployment of drones, and Britain, a day earlier, pledged money for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“We are doing whatever is necessary to support Ukraine,” Canadian foreign minister Anita Anand said.
The foreign ministers of the G7 met with Ukraine’s foreign minister yesterday as Kyiv tries to fend off Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across the country. Andriy Sybiha said Ukraine needs the support of its partners to survive what will be a “very difficult, very tough winter.”
“We have to move forward to pressure Russia, to raise the price for the aggression, for Russia, for (Russian president Vladimir) Putin, to end this war,” Sybiha said.
Canadian foreign minister Anita Anand gives some remarks before posing for the family photo during the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting at the White Oaks Resort in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario (AFP)
Arpan Rai13 November 2025 03:50
Ukrainian forces fighting grueling battles in Zaporizhzhia
The Russian army overran three settlements in the southern Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, Kyiv’s top military commander said in the latest battlefield update yesterday, as Moscow’s forces expand their efforts to capture more Ukrainian territory.
Dense fog enabled Russian troops to infiltrate Ukrainian positions in Zaporizhzhia, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on the messaging app Telegram, adding that Ukrainian units are locked in “grueling battles” to repel the Russian thrust.
He noted, however, that the fiercest battles are still in the besieged Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, in the eastern Donetsk region, where close to half of all front-line clashes took place over the previous 24 hours.
The cities of Kupiansk and Lyman in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region have also recently witnessed an uptick in combat.
Arpan Rai13 November 2025 03:40
Watch: Russian troops roll into Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in ‘Mad Max-style’Russian troops roll into Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in ‘Mad Max-style’
Arpan Rai13 November 2025 03:20
Zelensky calls for dismissal of ministers amid corruption probe
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for the dismissal of Ukraine’s justice and energy ministers, saying that he supported anti-graft agencies in their investigation into energy sector corruption.
“First of all, there should be maximum transparency in the energy sector, in all processes absolutely,” Zelensky said in a video address.
“It is very difficult for everyone in Ukraine now. It is absolutely abnormal that there are still some schemes in the energy sector.”
Justice minister German Galushchenko earlier said on Facebook he supported his suspension as “a civilised and appropriate scenario” and vowed to defend himself, without sharing more details of the probe.
Tom Barnes13 November 2025 02:45