MOSCOW: Russia on Tuesday claimed a new military success in Ukraine ahead of the second anniversary of its offensive, while President Vladimir Putin mocked what he called Kyiv’s “flight” from the frontline town of Avdiivka.
The eastern Ukraine front has been frozen for months, but Moscow has been bolstered by its capture of Avdiivka last week, as well as a wrangled US Congress blocking military aid to Kyiv.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russian forces have reclaimed Krynky, a Ukrainian bridgehead on the Moscow-occupied side of the Dnipro river.
“I confirm that Krynky has been cleared,” Shoigu told Putin in a televised meeting.
Ukraine said last year that it had established positions around the tiny east bank village, crossing into the Russian-occupied side of the river.
Shoigu told state media earlier that Russian forces were “on the banks of the river in Krynky.”
During the meeting, Putin said the Ukrainian army had chaotically fled Avdiivka. Kyiv said it withdrew from the eastern stronghold to save soldiers’ lives.
“The Ukrainian armed forces issued an order to withdraw their armed forces when they were already on the move,” Putin said, calling the retreat a “chaotic flight.”
Moscow has tried to capture Avdiivka, a symbol of Ukrainian resistance since 2014, for months.
Russia says reclaimed Ukraine bridgehead on Dnipro’s left bank
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Russia says reclaimed Ukraine bridgehead on Dnipro’s left bank
- Moscow has been bolstered by its capture of Avdiivka last week
- “I confirm that Krynky has been cleared,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Putin
EU to suspend 93 billion euro retaliatory trade package against US for 6 months
- “With the removal of the tariff threat by the US we can now return to the important business,” Gill said
- The Commission will soon make a proposal “to roll over our suspended countermeasures”
BRUSSELS: The European Commission said on Friday it would propose suspending for another six months an EU package of retaliatory trade measures against the US worth 93 billion euros ($109.19 billion) that would otherwise kick in on February 7.
The package, prepared in the first half of last year when the European Union was negotiating a trade deal with the United States, was put on hold for six months when Brussels and Washington agreed on a joint statement on trade in August 2025.
US President Donald Trump’s threat last week to impose new tariffs on eight European countries over Washington’s push to acquire Greenland had made the retaliatory package a handy tool for the EU to use had Trump followed through on his threat.
“With the removal of the tariff threat by the US we can now return to the important business of implementing the joint EU-US statement,” Commission spokesman Olof Gill said.
The Commission will soon make a proposal “to roll over our suspended countermeasures, which are set to expire on February 7,” Gill said, adding the measures would be suspended for a further six months.
“Just to make absolutely clear — the measures would remain suspended, but if we need them at any point in the future, they can be unsuspended,” Gill said.
