In touch with India, China & Brazil over Ukraine conflict, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday named India among the three countries he is constantly in touch with over the Ukraine conflict and said they were sincerely making efforts to resolve it, state-owned TASS reported.

Reporting on his remarks at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, US media outlet Politico reported him as also saying, “If there is a desire of Ukraine to carry on with the negotiations, I can do that.”

Putin named China, India and Brazil as potential mediators and repeated his view that an initial agreement reached in the first weeks of the war at talks in Istanbul, which was never implemented, could serve as a basis for talks.

“We respect our friends and partners, who, I believe, sincerely seek to resolve all issues surrounding this conflict, primarily China, Brazil and India. I constantly keep in touch with our colleagues on this issue,” Putin said.

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said India could help in establishing a dialogue on Ukraine. — PTI & Reuters

Russia backs Kamala: Putin

Russia wants Kamala Harris to win the US presidential election, Vladimir Putin said in a teasing comment that cited her “infectious” laugh as a reason to prefer her over Donald Trump. Putin made the ironic remark a day after the US charged two Russian media executives over an alleged scheme to influence the election.

Ukraine gets new foreign minister

Kyiv: Ukraine's parliament approved the appointment of a new foreign minister on Thursday, two lawmakers said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought to breathe fresh life into his administration with the war against Russia poised for what could be a pivotal phase. Andrii Sybiha, a former ambassador to Turkey, is the country's new chief diplomat. He replaced Dmytro Kuleba. Zelenskyy wants to replace almost a dozen top officials since Russia's full-scale invasion in early 2022. AP