Russia Says It Advances Near Chasiv Yar in Eastern Ukraine 

A Ukrainian tank of the 17th Tank Brigade fires at Russian positions in Chasiv Yar, the site of fierce battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (AP)
A Ukrainian tank of the 17th Tank Brigade fires at Russian positions in Chasiv Yar, the site of fierce battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (AP)
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Russia Says It Advances Near Chasiv Yar in Eastern Ukraine 

A Ukrainian tank of the 17th Tank Brigade fires at Russian positions in Chasiv Yar, the site of fierce battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (AP)
A Ukrainian tank of the 17th Tank Brigade fires at Russian positions in Chasiv Yar, the site of fierce battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (AP)

Russia said on Sunday its forces had advanced towards the town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine and seized control of the settlement of Bohdanivka, as Kyiv said it urgently needed promised US support to fend off a full-scale offensive.

"Units of the Southern grouping group of forces have fully liberated the settlement of Bohdanivka ... and have improved the situation along the front line," Russia's defense ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

Control of Bohdanivka, located just to the west of the Russian-held city of Bakhmut, has been in doubt for some time.

The village lies some 5 kilometers (3 miles) east of Chasiv Yar, a heavily fortified hilltop town and forward artillery base for the Ukrainian army, providing protection for some of the area's largest cities including Kramatorsk and Slaviansk.

The Russian report could not be independently verified and there was no comment from Ukraine regarding Bohdanivka.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, in its daily report, mentioned Bohdanivka as one of a series of villages where it said Ukrainian forces repelled 13 enemy attacks. But it gave no specific details.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his daily video address that he held talks on Sunday with army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov about Chasiv Yar and other hot spots on the frontline.

In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press", aired on Sunday, Zelenskiy urged Washington, where the US House of Representatives has approved a $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, to quickly turn the bill into law and proceed with the transfer of weapons ahead of an anticipated Russian offensive.

"We are preparing (for an offensive)," Zelenskiy said, reiterating Syrskyi's warning that Russia aims to capture the Chasiv Yar by May 9, one of Russia's largest public holidays and which marks Moscow's victory over Nazi forces in World War II.

"I hope we will be able to stay, and the weapons will come on time, and we will repel the enemy, and then we'll break the plans of the Russian Federation with regards to this full-scale offensive."

Ukraine says it expects Russia to launch a broad offensive in spring and summer after capturing the town of Avdiivka, east of Chasiv Yar, during the winter.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry denied last week that Russia had captured all of Bohdanivka, while acknowledging it had lost some positions in the village in eastern Donetsk region.



China Promises Latin America ‘Trustworthy’ Ties as Trump Lays Out Demands 

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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China Promises Latin America ‘Trustworthy’ Ties as Trump Lays Out Demands 

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)

China will always be Latin America's "trustworthy" friend and partner, its foreign minister told his Bolivian counterpart, as Beijing looks to improve its foothold in a region historically under the US sphere of influence.

"Latin America is the home of the Latin American people, and is not any country's 'backyard,'" Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a meeting at the United Nations on Tuesday, according to a statement from his ministry.

China wants to "continuously elevate the China-Bolivia strategic partnership", Wang told Bolivia's Foreign minister Celinda Sosa.

Bolivia, which established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1985, is among many countries in South America that have bonded economically with China through debt and investment.

The resource-rich country owes China, the world's biggest bilateral lender, over $1.7 billion according to World Bank data.

Chinese firms have invested a further $6 billion, statistics from the American Enterprise Institute think tank show, mostly in Bolivia's metals, energy and transport sectors.

US foreign direct investment in Bolivia stands at around $430 million, US State Department data shows, predominantly in the oil and gas and manufacturing sectors.

The US and China look set to go toe-to-toe in Central and South America over US President Donald Trump's second term, with Chinese investments in the region, particularly in energy and infrastructure, challenging US influence.

Trump took little time in taking Panama to task over the Central American state's ties to China after taking office, dispatching Secretary of State Marco Rubio with a message to end China's influence over the Panama Canal or face US action.

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino later said his country would not renew its membership of Chinese President Xi Jinping's flagship Belt and Road Initiative, to Beijing's chagrin.

Trump had refused to rule out the use of military force to take back the Panama Canal in the run up to Rubio's visit.

"China supports Latin American countries in defending their sovereignty, independence and national dignity," Wang said.

He also congratulated Bolivia on becoming a member of BRICS, a group of developing nations founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China to rival a Western-dominated world order. The group has since grown to also include South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump has repeatedly warned the BRICS not to challenge the dominance of "the mighty US dollar," and threatened members with a 100% tariff "if they want to play games with the dollar."

But Brazil last week joined the ranks of Latin American states to back down to one of Trump's demands - nixing plans to advance a common currency while it holds the BRICS presidency, lest it trigger a backlash from Trump.

China, Brazil's largest export market, buys almost $70 billion more from Latin America's biggest economy than the US does, according to UN COMTRADE data, but still does not want to put the $37 billion worth of goods it does sell to the American market on the line.

Trump has not held back on threatening to up-end trade ties with the region while China looks to cultivate deeper strategic partnerships with individual Latin American nations, offering the region an alternative pole of economic support.

He has also threatened Mexico and Colombia with punitive trade remedies if they did not take stronger action to curb illegal immigration into the US.

Mexico agreed to reinforce its northern border with 10,000 National Guard members to stem the flow of illegal migrants and drugs.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro backed down from a decision to turn away US military planes carrying deported migrants, pulling it back from back from the brink of a trade war with its biggest export market.