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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated Donald Trump after he declared US election victory and urged the Republican to keep supporting Kyiv.
With concerns rising that support for Ukraine could diminish under a potential second Trump administration, Zelensky was optimistic about the future of US-Ukraine relations.
In a statement, he praised Trump’s “peace through strength” philosophy, calling it the kind of approach that could help bring about a just peace for Ukraine.
The presidential candidate previously pinned the blame for the conflict on Zelensky and Biden during an interview.
He has previously asserted that if he had still been in the White House, the war never would have started.
Meanwhile, Ukraine reported “small-scale” clashes with North Korean troops in Kursk, marking their first battlefield confrontation with Kim Jong-un’s soldiers, Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov said.
Zelensky has said “the first battles with North Korean soldiers open a new page of instability in the world” as the war in Europe inches closer to its 1000-days mark.
The US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments say up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops are being sent by Pyongyang to the war under a pact with Moscow.
Badly prepared and unhealthy, North Korean troops are Putin’s cannon fodder
The G7, involving some of the world’s richest nations, have made clear that they believe the reports of thousands of North Korean troops being used to bolster Russian forces in Ukraine show Vladimir Putin’s “desperation” to compensate for losses on the frontline.
Putin’s forces are believed to be losing hundreds of troops a day, with Ukrainian estimates going as high as 1,200 to 1,500, so the more than 10,000 troops South Korea believes are in Russia would last two weeks or so at that rate.
“In the big picture, even 12,000 soldiers don’t affect the general situation of the war significantly,” says Emil Kastehelmi, who runs the Black Bird Group, which tracks the war in Ukraine.
The troops are already under fire, being shelled in the Russian border region of Kursk, according to Kyiv. That is the area where Ukrainian troops have held territory, having started a daring raid in August.
Salma Ouaguira6 November 2024 09:00
What does North Korea stand to gain from sending troops to Russia?
It is clear what Vladimir Putin gains from thousands of North Korean troops joining Russia’s prolonged war in Ukraine.
But the motivation behind Kim Jong-un sending young and inexperienced soldiers into a battle that will enter its third winter this year is less apparent.
Read the full analysis below:
Salma Ouaguira6 November 2024 08:43
Zelensky congratulates Trump on US election lead
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated Donald Trump on his expected victory in the US presidential election, hoping for a “strong bipartisan support” his country in its fight against Russia.
It comes after concerns were voiced among Ukraine’s allies that US support for Ukraine could wane under a Trump presidency.
Mr Zelensky said: “I appreciate president Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.
“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership.
“We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States. We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations.
“Ukraine, as one of Europe’s strongest military powers, is committed to ensuring long-term peace and security in Europe and the transatlantic community with the support of our allies.
“I am looking forward to personally congratulating President Trump and discussing ways to strengthen Ukraine’s strategic partnership with the United States.”
Salma Ouaguira6 November 2024 08:24
Russian upper house of parliament ratifies North Korea partnership treaty
The upper house of Russia’s parliament, the Federation Council, has voted in favour of ratifying a treaty of partnership between Russia and North Korea.
Last month, Russian lawmakers in the lower house ratified the treaty of mutual defence with North Korea by voting 397-0 to endorse the “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty which obliges Russia and North Korea to immediately provide military assistance using “all means” if either is attacked.
Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed the treaty, which includes a mutual defence clause, during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June.
Russia and North Korea have deepened cooperation since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, with South Korea, Ukraine and the United States saying North Korean troops are on the ground in Russia and preparing to deploy in support of Russia.
Moscow has neither denied not confirmed that.
Arpan Rai6 November 2024 08:10
Ukraine claims to have shot down 71% of Russian drones
Russia has launched 4,300 Shahed-type attack drones and other drones on Ukraine over the past three months, Ukraine has said.
Kyiv claims their air defence destroyed 71% of them but 5% made direct hits.
In addition, the Air Force’s daily reports mark some of them as “disappeared from radar”, which means some of the drones were either subject to countermeasures by electronic warfare units or failed to reach their targets
Barney Davis6 November 2024 07:30
North Korean troops clashed with Ukrainian forces in Kursk
North Korean troops engaged in clashes against Ukrainian forces that are fighting in the Russian Kursk region, the New York Times reported late last night, citing an unnamed senior US official and an unnamed senior Ukrainian official.
The engagement was limited and likely meant to probe the Ukrainian lines for weaknesses, the Ukrainian official said. The Ukrainian official added that the North Korean troops fought together with Russia’s 810 Separate Naval Infantry Brigade.
The US official told the newspaper that a significant number of North Korean troops were killed.
The office of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian defence ministry, the Russian defence ministry, the Pentagon and the US Department of State have not issued a comment on the report.
Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the first clash, describing it as a “small-scale” skirmish, had taken place between Ukrainian and North Korean troops.
“Yes, I think so. It is (an) engagement,” Mr Umerov told South Korea’s KBS television in an interview broadcast yesterday, when asked if a clash had occurred. He said the engagement was small for now, but more are expected as the number of North Koreans deployed grows.
Ukrainian troops launched an incursion into Russia’s border Kursk region on 6 August, taking a number of settlements under control in the first such deployment onto the Russian territory since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.
Arpan Rai6 November 2024 06:34
Ukraine destroys 38 Russian drones overnight
Ukraine’s air defence units destroyed 38 Russian drones overnight, its air force said this morning.
Another 22 Russian drones were lost over the Ukrainian territory and its airspace, the air force said on Telegram, without providing further details.
The air force has said before that lost drones are usually intercepted by electronic warfare. The air force also said that Russia launched two missiles on the southern Odesa region late last night.
Arpan Rai6 November 2024 06:22
Who does Putin actually want to win the election? As a Russian American, I know the answer
It’s not only the American public holding its breath in anticipation as the vote projections for the Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump presidential contest roll in. Russian president Vladimir Putin is among those watching closely, with much at stake in the outcome.
The Kremlin seems undecided about whom it would prefer to see as the next US president. Putin clearly understands that, regardless of who occupies the Oval Office, the US stance toward Russia is likely to remain unfriendly. In fact, some animosity between Trump and the Kremlin has been playing out over the past few months.
Regardless of who wins, the Kremlin has reportedly developed two alternative plans for resolving the military conflict with Ukraine — one in the event that Trump wins and another for if Harris becomes president.
Svetlana Satchkova writes:
Arpan Rai6 November 2024 06:05
In pictures: Life in Kyiv, Ukraine
Tom Watling6 November 2024 06:00
Nato chief warns of ‘deeply dangerous’ moment for world
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has called North Korea’s troops fighting in Europe a “turning point”, warning the world of a “deeply dangerous” moment.
“This dangerous expansion of the conflict escalates the war and demonstrates that our security is not regional, it is global,” he wrote for Politico.
“These deepening military and economic ties between a reckless Russia and an emboldened North Korea don’t just threaten Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security, they are deeply dangerous for global security,” the Nato chief said.
Calling the Russian invasion ill-judged, Mr Rutte said: “On every front, Putin is failing to achieve his strategic objectives through this illegal and ill-judged war of aggression. While we seek a just and lasting end to the conflict, he’s only prolonging and expanding it.
“President Vladimir Putin’s litany of failures since starting this senseless war has only made Russia more reliant on its authoritarian friends in Asia: China, Iran and North Korea,” he said.
Arpan Rai6 November 2024 05:21
