Vladimir Putin Archives - Defence Monitor

13 May

Putin proposes Andrei Belousov for Defence Minster, replacing Sergei Shoigu

Moscow, May 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov as the new Defense Minister, succeeding Sergei Shoigu, who moves to the role of Russian Security Council Secretary. The 65-year-old Belousov has held various positions, including assistant to the President on economic issues, Minister of Economic Development, Director of the Department of Economics and Finance at the Government Office, and General Director of the Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-term Forecasting, Xinhua news agency reported. In a separate decree, Putin appointed Shoigu, the defence minister since 2012, as the Secretary of the Security Council,…

20 Mar

PM Modi dials Vladimir Putin, congratulates him on poll victory

New Delhi, March 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his landslide victory in the presidential elections on Sunday, and expressed his sincere wishes for the well-being and prosperity of the Russian people. In a "warm and friendly" and "detailed" telephone conversation, the Russian President, in turn, wished PM Modi a successful conduct of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in India. "Both sides noted with satisfaction that mutually beneficial ties in the trade, economic and investment fields, and in the fields of energy and transport are progressively and dynamically developing in line with a…

24 Feb

Vladimir Putin’s war not only threatens Ukraine but also US: Antony Blinken

Washington, Feb 24, US Secretary of state department Antony Blinken has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's war not only threatens Ukraine but also Washington, NATO allies and free open international trade. On the second anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, the US state department in a statement said: "The US has built a coalition of 50 countries, including all NATO members and the G7 in defence of the freedom of a sovereign democratic nation. Together, we will continue to impose costs on Putin's Russia for its actions and ensure accountability for its crimes." Expressing solidarity with Kyiy, the…

12 Sep

Kim Jong-un arrives in Russia for rare summit with Putin

Seoul, Sep 12, In a rare show of strength, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia on Tuesday to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with concerns growing over a possible arms deal between Pyongyang and Moscow, an official at South Korea's Defence Ministry said. The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) confirmed early Tuesday that Kim had left Pyongyang for Russia aboard his bulletproof train on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by leading officials of the regime's ruling party and the armed forces, reports Yonhap News Agency. The KCNA said Kim "left here by his train on…

24 Jul

Vladimir Putin facing tough times ahead (Opinion)

New Delhi, July 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been forced to cancel plans to attend BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, next month, due to fears over war crimes arrest. Moscow feared that Putin might be arrested in South Africa for war crimes if he attends the annual event in Johannesburg. The International Criminal Court (ICC) earlier in 2023 had issued an arrest warrant for Putin over his alleged role in the mass abduction of Ukrainian children. As an ICC signatory nation, South Africa would have been expected to arrest Putin if he entered the country. Putin’s travel plans had put…

17 Jul

Russia has cluster munitions, may retaliate if Ukraine uses them: Putin

Moscow, July 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country has a "sufficient" stockpile of cluster munitions and will consider using them against Ukraine “if they are used against us”. “Russia has a sufficient supply of various types of cluster munitions,” CNN quoted the President as saying during an interview with local Russian media. “If they are used against us, we reserve the right to mirror actions.” Putin's remarks came just days after Ukraine received delivery of American-made cluster munitions from the US. The weapons are particularly dangerous to civilians and non-combatants when fired near populated areas because they scatter…

24 Jun

Russia accuses Wagner chief of mutiny, orders his arrest

Moscow, June 24 (IANS) The Kremlin has ordered the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the Wagner mercenary group, after Russian intelligence accused him of calling for an "armed rebellion". Late Friday night, the Federal Security Service (FSB) urged Wagner mercenaries to "stop the columns" and detain their leader after the latter vowed retaliation over the Russian military allegedly killing a "huge amount" of Wagner fighters during a strike on a camp earlier in the day, reports CNN. Russian state TV also interrupted programming Friday night to report a Defence Ministry statement claiming Prigozhin's comments "did not correspond to reality" and…

23 Jun

Shehbaz to virtually attend SCO India meeting

Islamabad, June 23, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will virtually attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting chaired by India on July 4. "We have received the official invitation from Indian Prime Minister for our Prime Minister for the virtual meeting of Heads of State of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that is due to take place on July 4," The News quoted a spokeswoman at the Foreign Office as saying at a briefing. "Pakistan will be represented at the summit. We will be making an announcement regarding our participation in coming days," she added. Earlier this month, the Centre said that it…

17 Jun

First batch of tactical nuclear weapons moved to Belarus: Putin

Moscow, June 17 (IANS) Russia has already stationed a first batch of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted by a media outlet as saying. Putin made the remarks during his speech at St Petersburg International Economic Forum. He told the forum that they (tactical nuclear weapons) would only be used if Russian territory or state was threatened, the BBC reported. The US government says there is no indication that the Kremlin plans to use nuclear weapons to attack Ukraine. "We don't see any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon," US Secretary of…

12 Jun

Kim Jong-un vows stronger strategic ties with Russia

Seoul, June 12 (IANS) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has voiced his willingness to build closer strategic ties with Russia in his congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's key national holiday, Pyongyang's state media said on Monday. In the message sent on the occasion of Russia Day, Kim said friendly relations between the North and Russia are a "precious strategic asset" and his country will make efforts to ceaselessly develop such cooperative ties, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Russia Day is celebrated on June 12 to mark the adoption of the Declaration of…