The origins of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia can be traced back to the formation of the Kievan Rus, a powerful medieval state that emerged in the 9th century. The Kievan Rus, with its capital in Kyiv, is often considered a cultural and historical progenitor of both modern Ukraine and Russia.

Ukraine was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1922. During Soviet rule, Ukraine was a crucial republic within the USSR, contributing significantly to its economy and culture. However, the relationship was fraught with tension, notably during the Holodomor, a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that caused millions of deaths.

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to Ukraine declaring its independence on August 24, 1991. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in Ukrainian history as the nation sought to establish its sovereignty and democratic governance.

In November 2013, President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to suspend an association agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia sparked massive protests in Ukraine, known as the Euromaidan movement. These protests culminated in February 2014, when Yanukovych was ousted from power.

In the wake of Yanukovych’s ousting, Russia swiftly moved to annex Crimea in March 2014. The annexation followed a controversial referendum in which the majority of Crimean voters allegedly supported joining Russia. However, this move was condemned by Ukraine and the international community as illegal and illegitimate.

Simultaneously, pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine declared independence, leading to an armed conflict with Ukrainian forces. The war in Donbas has been marked by fierce fighting, significant casualties, and displacement of civilians.

Tensions simmered for years, culminating in a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, 2022. This invasion followed months of military buildup along the Ukrainian border and was characterized by rapid and aggressive military actions.

The international community, led by Western nations, responded with severe economic sanctions against Russia and substantial military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. NATO strengthened its presence in Eastern Europe, and Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership, reflecting the broader geopolitical ramifications of the conflict.

The war has created a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions of Ukrainians displaced from their homes. Cities and infrastructure have been devastated, leading to widespread suffering and a significant need for international humanitarian assistance.

The conflict has reshaped global alliances and impacted international relations. Diplomatic efforts to end the war have faced significant challenges, and the future remains uncertain. The resolve of the Ukrainian people and the international community’s support play crucial roles in shaping the conflict’s trajectory.

At the heart of the conflict are deep-seated issues of national identity, sovereignty, and ethnic divisions. Ukraine’s efforts to assert its independence and align with Western institutions clash with Russia’s desire to maintain influence over its neighboring states. This struggle has highlighted internal divisions within Ukraine, particularly between Ukrainian-speaking and Russian-speaking populations.

Rishi Sunak has delivered a speech outside Number 10 after losing the election to Sir Keir Starmer. Here it is in full.

“Good morning. I will shortly be seeing His Majesty the King to offer my resignation as prime minister.

“To the country, I would like to say first and foremost I am sorry. I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United Kingdom must change and yours is the only judgement that matters.

“I have heard your anger; your disappointment and I take responsibility for this loss.

“To all the Conservative candidates and campaigners who work tirelessly but without success, I am sorry that we could not deliver what your efforts deserved. It pains me to think how many good colleagues who contributed so much to their communities and our country, will now no longer sit in the House of Commons. I thank them for their hard work and their service.

“Following this result, I will step down as party leader. Not immediately, but once the formal arrangements for selecting my successor are in place. It is important that after 14 years in government, the Conservative party rebuilds, but also, it takes up its crucial role in opposition professionally and effectively.

“When I first stood here as your prime minister, I told you the most important task I had was to return stability to our economy. Inflation is back to target, mortgage rates are falling, and growth has returned.

READ ALSO:Keir Starmer’s Labour wins UK general election

“We have enhanced our standing in the world, rebuilding relations with allies, leading global efforts to support Ukraine and becoming the home of a new generation of transformative technologies.

“And our United Kingdom is stronger too with the Windsor framework, devolution restored in Northern Ireland and our union strengthened.

“I am proud of those achievements.

“I believe this country is safer, stronger and more secure than it was 20 months ago, and it is more prosperous, fairer and resilient than it was in 2010.

“Whilst he has been my political opponent, Sir Keir Starmer will shortly become our prime minister.

“In this job, his successes will be all of our successes and I wish him and his family well.

“Whatever our disagreements in this campaign, he is a decent public-spirited man who I respect.

“He and his family deserve the very best of our understanding as they make the huge transition to their new lives behind this door, and as he grapples with this most demanding of jobs in this increasingly unstable world.

“I would like to thank my colleagues, my Cabinet, the Civil Service, especially here in Downing Street. The team at Chequers, my staff, CCHQ. But most all I would like to express my gratitude to my wife Akshata and our beautiful daughters. I can never thank them enough for the sacrifices they have made, so that I might serve our country.

“One of the most remarkable things about Britain is how unremarkable it is that two generations after my grandparents came here with little, I could become prime minister and that I could watch my two young daughters light Diwali candles on the steps of Downing Street.

“We must hold true to that idea of who we are.

“That vison of kindness, decency and tolerance that has always been the British way.

“This is a difficult day at the end of a number of difficult days, but I leave this job honoured to have been your prime minister.

“This is the best country in the world, and it is thanks entirely to you, the British people, the true source of all our achievements, our strengths and our greatness.

Thank you.”

VIDEO CREDIT: GUARDIAN UK

President Bola Tinubu on Friday congratulated the leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, following his victory in the United Kingdom (UK) general election.

READ ALSO: Keir Starmer’s Labour wins UK general election

Starmer emerged as the UK’s first Labour Prime Minister since 2010 after the party had a landslide victory in the general election.

President Tinubu in a statement signed by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, extended his warm congratulations to Sir Starmer and his party.

“As a former leader of the opposition in Nigeria, President Tinubu especially notes the determination and courage the incoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom demonstrated throughout his years in the opposition and as the leader of the Labour Party,” Ngelale said.

“The President states that the party’s ability to reform, mobilise, and position itself for victory after 14 years clearly affirms the leadership qualities of Sir Starmer.”

Tinubu has also congratulated the citizens and the government of the United Kingdom, describing them as an abiding model of democracy and Nigeria’s long-standing partner.

Ngelale added that the President looks forward to deepening relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom in mutual areas of interest and strengthening democratic institutions.

He said Tinubu is also desirous of building a safer and more prosperous future for the people of both countries.

Keir Starmer on Friday will become Britain’s new prime minister, as his centre-left opposition Labour party swept to a landslide general election victory, ending 14 years of right-wing Conservative rule.

“The Labour Party has won this general election, and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory,” a sombre-looking Rishi Sunak said after he was re-elected to his seat.

“Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner with goodwill on all sides,” the Tory leader added, calling the results “sobering” and saying he took responsibility for the defeat.

At a triumphant party rally in central London, Starmer, 61, told cheering activists that “change begins here” and promised a “decade of national renewal”, putting “country first, party second”.

But he cautioned that change would not come overnight, even as Labour snatched a swathe of Tory seats around the country, including from nine Cabinet members, and former prime minister Liz Truss.

Truss’s disastrous 49-day tenure effectively sealed the Tories’ fate with the public two years ago, when her unfunded tax cuts spooked markets and crashed the pound.

She had been facing a campaign to oust her by grassroots activists — dubbed “the Turnip Taliban” — in her rural constituency and lost by just 630 votes.

• -‘Keir we go’ –
  Labour raced past the 326 seats needed to secure an overall majority in the 650-seat parliament at 0400 GMT, with the final result expected later on Friday morning.

An exit poll for UK broadcasters published after polls closed at 2100 GMT on Thursday put Labour on course for a return to power for the first time since 2010, with 410 seats and a 170-seat majority.

The Tories would only get 131 seats in the House of Commons — a record low — with the right-wing vote apparently spliced by Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party.

In another boost for the centrists, the smaller opposition Liberal Democrats ousted the Scottish National Party as the third-biggest party.

The results buck a rightward trend among Britain’s closest Western allies, with the far right in France eyeing power and Donald Trump looking set for a return in the United States.

British newspapers all focused on Labour’s impending return to power for the first time since Gordon Brown was ousted by David Cameron in 2010.

“Keir We Go,” headlined the Labour-supporting Daily Mirror.

“Britain sees red,” said The Sun, the influential Rupert Murdoch tabloid, which swung behind Labour for the first time since 2005.

• -Tory future –
  Sunak will tender his resignation to head of state King Charles III, with the monarch then asking Starmer, as the leader of the largest party in parliament, to form a government.

The Tories’ worst previous election result was 156 seats in 1906. Former leader William Hague told Times Radio the projections would be “a catastrophic result in historic terms”.

But Tim Bale, politics professor at Queen Mary, University of London, said it was “not as catastrophic as some were predicting” and the Tories would now need to decide how best to fight back.

Right-wing former interior minister Suella Braverman and Mordaunt, who was leader of the House of Commons, both said the Tories failed because they had not listened to the British people.

But Brexit champion Farage, who finally succeeded in becoming an MP at the eighth time of asking, has made no secret of his aim to take over the party.

“There is a massive gap on the centre-right of British politics and my job is to fill it,” he said after a comfortable win in Clacton, eastern England.

• -To-do list –
  Labour’s resurgence is a stunning turnaround from five years ago, when hard-left former leader Jeremy Corbyn took the party to its worst defeat since 1935 in an election dominated by Brexit.

Starmer took over in early 2020 and set about moving the party back to the centre, making it a more electable proposition and purging infighting and anti-Semitism that lost its support.

Opinion polls have put Labour consistently 20 points ahead of the Tories since Truss’s resignation, giving an air of inevitability about a Labour win — the first since Tony Blair in 2005.

Starmer is facing a daunting to-do list, with economic growth anaemic, public services overstretched and underfunded due to swingeing cuts, and households squeezed financially.

He has also promised a return of political integrity, after a chaotic period of five Tory prime ministers in 14 years, scandal and sleaze.

Around 235 million pounds (298 million dollars) is expected to be withdrawn from ATMs on Thursday as people fit trips to cash machines around casting their general election votes.

This is according to a forecast from UK Cash Access and Cash Machine Network Link reported on Wednesday.

The network expects the total to be lower than it was on Dec. 12, 2019, when the last general election was held.

On that date, which resulted in Boris Johnson returning to Downing Street as Conservative Prime Minister, 322 million pounds were withdrawn.

The Link said that early December tends to be a slightly busier time for cash machine withdrawals.

And on the general election date of June 8, 2017, which led to the then-prime minister Theresa May’s election gamble backfiring as the Conservatives’ Commons majority was erased.

Some 356 million pounds were taken out of ATMs.

On Thursday last week (June 27), 240 million pounds were dispensed from ATMs, according to Link’s figures.

The data is applied only to Link transactions, which are made in situations where a bank customer uses an ATM belonging to another provider.

The vast majority of ATMs across the UK were connected to the Link network.

Link said that the earlier part of the summer tended to see an upswing in cash machine transactions as people got out and about.

However the network often saw a dip in ATM transactions in August, as many UK residents headed off on holidays abroad.

Graham Mott, director of strategy at Link, said.

“Polling day traditionally itself doesn’t seem to make a huge difference to ATM use when compared to a normal Thursday at that time of year; people seem to fit voting around their normal routine.

“Early December is normally slightly busier than either early June or July but the vast majority of the fall in ATM use is due to people now doing less cash overall.

“They are increasingly using cards and their phones to make day-to-day payment transactions.”

In 2023, legislation was passed as part of the Financial Services and Markets Act, to protect access to cash.

A recent survey for Link indicated that nearly 48 per cent of people expected to see a cashless society in their lifetime.

However, according to Link’s data, the average UK adult still withdrew around 1,500 pounds from cash machines last year.

In June, banknotes bearing King Charles III’s portrait started to be issued.

This marked the first time that the sovereign had been changed on the Bank of England’s notes because the late Queen was the first British monarch to be depicted on a note in 1960.

The new banknotes are co-circulating alongside those featuring the late queen.

There are more than 4.6 billion Bank of England notes in circulation, worth around 82 billion pounds.

Mott said that 99.8 per cent of UK high streets had free cash access within 1 kilometre.

“Link will also make sure this is still the case by the time of the next general election, whenever that is.”