Ukraine's military has reportedly paused its strikes on Russian oil refineries until after the US midterms, following weeks of pressure from Donald Trump.
uncertain
military → pause → Trump
The pause could last deeper into November, sources told the Wall St Journal, and comes despite the fact that Russia continues to target energy and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
uncertain
Russia → last → Ukraine
Ukrainian strikes targeting Russia's oil infrastructure have in part contributed to a sharp downturn in relations between Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, with the former blaming them for diesel prices hitting record highs.
Earlier, a Russian drone attack killed 14 people at the main railway station in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, hitting a platform crowded with people boarding a train, officials said.
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officials → target → train
And both Russia and Ukraine said on Thursday that demining operations around the Russian-held town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine had been completed and that an operation to bring aid and allow residents to leave was ready to begin.
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residents → say → aid
Efforts have been underway for several weeks to organise a relief operation for the acutely deprived town's residents, which Russian forces seized soon after Moscow's February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbour.
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forces → organise → neighbour
Ukraine pauses strikes on Russian refineries after pressure from Trump – reports
Ukraine has halted its strikes on Russian oil refineries after pressure from US president Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the operations.
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Journal → pause → operations
Ukrainian units carrying out long-range strikes were told in mid-October that the campaign against refineries was effectively on hold once missions already in motion were completed, the Journal reported.
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Journal → carry → motion
The unofficial pause is expected to last until after the US midterm elections and potentially deeper into November, it added.
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it → expect → November
Russia has meanwhile stepped up attacks on Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure.
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Russia → step → energy
The news of a pause comes amid renewed efforts to revive US-backed peace talks to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two.
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news → come → War
Relations between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky have taken a sharp downward turn in recent weeks, with Trump growing increasingly frustrated over Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure as diesel prices hit record highs.
Ukraine had refused to halt the strikes, saying its long-range drone campaign is its only viable response to years of Russian bombardment.
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campaign → take → bombardment
That prompted Trump to announce a deal to buy diesel from Moscow and waive sanctions on Moscow authorised by a bill he signed into law in September.
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he → prompt → September
Russia, Ukraine say Oleshky demining operations complete, humanitarian operation to proceed
Russia and Ukraine said on Thursday that demining operations around the Russian-held town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine had been completed and that an operation to bring aid and allow residents to leave was ready to begin.
Efforts have been underway for several weeks to organise a relief operation for the acutely deprived town's residents, which Russian forces seized soon after Moscow's February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbour.
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forces → say → neighbour
Both sides have praised US first lady Melania Trump for helping broker a truce in a town where at least one resident who escaped said those remaining feared death by starvation.
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those → praise → starvation
"Demining operations of routes have been completed for the humanitarian mission in Oleshky," the two sides said in virtually identical statements issued by Yana Lantratova, Russia's human rights commissioner, and Dmytro Lubinets, her Ukrainian counterpart.
"
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sides → demine → Lantratova
The convoy would head for the district hospital and residents wishing to leave would be permitted to go within a specific time frame.
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residents → head → frame
Aid packages would then be distributed, the statements said.
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statements → distribute → ?
The operation aims to address a crisis in a town marooned inside a war zone since 2022.
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operation → aim → 2022
But it is also part of a diplomatic dance where both sides want to show US President Donald Trump that they back his peace efforts, albeit for different reasons.
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they → want → reasons
Lantratova, Russian human rights commissioner, said she was taking four journalists from the conservative US outlet Newsmax to the area.
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she → say → area
Lubinets made no reference to specific reporters.
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Lubinets → make → reporters
Aid mission set to enter Oleshky as a localized Russia-Ukraine truce holds for a third day
Humanitarian aid is poised to roll into the stricken city of Oleshky, negotiators said Thursday, as a localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine stretched into a third day and military units cleared landmines.
Moscow and Kyiv have observed the truce in and around the devastated southern Ukrainian city since Tuesday, but remain otherwise locked in the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion more than four years ago.
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that → set → invasion
Previous ceasefire talks either failed or the truces quickly fell apart.
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truces → fail → ?
“Demining of the designated routes has been completed, and the humanitarian convoy has been assembled and is ready,” ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, who heads Ukraine's negotiating team, said Thursday.
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who → designate → team
He said aid deliveries were due to begin Friday.
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deliveries → say → ?
Elsewhere, deadly attacks continued and Ukraine's central bank warned that damage to industrial targets could push the country into a recession.
uncertain
damage → continue → recession
The planned six-day ceasefire around Russian-occupied Oleshky has brought a rare and welcome stillness for civilians in the nearby city of Kherson, which is held by Ukraine and has also been wracked by the war.
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which → plan → war
Russian and Ukrainian officials head to Oleshky for aid delivery
Both sides thanked Melania Trump for what the White House called her help in brokering the ceasefire so food and medical supplies can be delivered to about 2,000 people trapped in Oleshky.
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food → head → Oleshky
Pope Leo XIV also pressed for a truce.
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XIV → press → truce
In focus: Trump, Susie Wiles and a curious Russian connection
Russia to extend diesel export ban, use quotas to fulfil US deal, sources say
Russia will extend its diesel export ban until the end of the year while allowing some companies to ship fuel under a quota system to meet its new export commitment to the US, two people familiar with the discussions told Reuters.
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people → extend → Reuters
Moscow and Washington agreed a diesel supply deal after Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump spoke by phone earlier this month.
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Putin → agree → phone
The energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine announced alongside the agreement has allowed Moscow to increase fuel production.
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Moscow → announce → production
At the same time, fuel shortages earlier this year have prompted the government to maintain tight controls on oil product exports.
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shortages → prompt → exports
Recap: Zelensky hails £10billion Ukraine support from Andy Burnham
President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed an additional £10billion support package from the UK to Ukraine after discussions with Andy Burnham.
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Zelensky → hail → Burnham
The £10billion was announced on Wednesday by chancellor John Healey, who offered the economic and military support in the Budget.
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who → announce → Budget
In full: Putin says Russia is ‘ready for war’ with Europe in chilling threat
Reeves urges EU to seize Russian assets to pay for Ukraine's defence
Former UK chancellor Rachel Reeves hsa said her country and the European Union must work together to seize €210bn of Russian assets to support Ukraine this winter.
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country → say → Ukraine
In an article for The Times, Reeves, with the former German defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the former French minister for Europe Nathalie Loiseau and the former Canadian deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland, said that taking the frozen Russian assets would ensure Kyiv’s defence into 2029.
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taking → say → 2029
Putin says Russia is ‘ready for war’ with Europe in chilling threat
Vladimir Putin said Russia is prepared for a potential war with Europe, though it does not want one.
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it → say → one
The Russian president said his country supports any steps aimed at restoring relations with European countries, as he commented on his phone call with the leaders of Norway and Finland.
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he → say → Norway
But in a chilling threat, he said that if tensions were to escalate too far, there would be no winners.
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tensions → say → threat
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
