Page 2 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

Russian strike on Ukraine kills 11, traps others in damaged buildings

Russia attacked Ukraine with a barrage of missiles and drones overnight Tuesday, killing at least 11 people, injuring dozens and trapping others, authorities said. At least four people were killed in Kyiv and 58 people were injured, including three children, Ukraine's state emergency service said in a statement on Telegram. Residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were damaged in eight of Kyiv's districts. Attacks were also reported elsewhere across Ukraine. In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, at least six people were killed and 36 others injured after Russian strikes hit the city of Dnipro, according to the emergency service. A second attack as first responders arrived at the scene killed one rescuer. A two-story residential building and part of a four-story apartment block were damaged, with people trapped beneath the rubble of the larger building. The boom of explosions echoed through most of the night and into the early morning. Kyiv had been bracing for anothe

French Navy, backed by UK, intercepts sanctioned Russian oil tanker: Macron

The French Navy, with support from the United Kingdom, has intercepted an oil tanker under international sanctions that was travelling from Russia, the latest effort by nations that support Ukraine to target Russian oil exports helping to finance President Vladimir Putin's war. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the interception in a post Monday on X, saying the Tagor was boarded on Sunday in the Atlantic. The post included a video showing a person rappelling from a helicopter onto a ship. "It is unacceptable that boats skirt international sanctions, violate the law of the sea and finance the war that Russia has been waging for more than 4 years against Ukraine," Macron wrote. "These ships, that don't respect the most elementary rules of maritime navigation, are also a threat to the environment and everyone's security." Oil revenue is a key part of Russia's economy, allowing Putin to pour money into the war effort against Ukraine without worsening inflation for everyday peo

'Russian spies aggressively seeking Western technology as sanctions bite'

Russia's intelligence agencies have grown more aggressive in their efforts to steal Western technology and defense secrets as sanctions squeeze the country's wartime economy, three senior European intelligence officials told The Associated Press. Moscow's agents are building fake companies, recruiting middlemen and deploying cyber spies and hackers who are gathering information that could also be used to attack key infrastructure, they said. Four years of international sanctions have hampered Moscow's ability to procure machinery, technology and research from Europe, while the grinding war in Ukraine has taxed key industries and pushed the country toward a potential financial crisis. "They really know what they need," and are putting "serious effort" into acquiring advanced machine tools, factory equipment, research and dual-use technology, said Christoffer Wedelin, deputy head of operations at the Swedish Security Service. Russia seeks high-end research, defense technology and ...

Russian drone targeting Ukraine crashes into apartment block in Romania

A Russian drone that was part of an overnight attack on Ukraine and then went astray slammed into an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people in the NATO member country, Romanian authorities said, adding to concerns that the war could spread across the alliance's borders. The Russian drone was tracked by radar in Romanian airspace and crashed onto the roof of the building in the city of Galati, Romania's Defence Ministry said in a statement. The impact was followed by a fire. The two people suffered minor injuries, and several others were evacuated. The Romanian military scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a helicopter that were authorised to engage targets, and alert messages were sent to residents of the affected areas. But the aircraft didn't engage or shoot at the drone to bring it down. Romania asked NATO for a faster transfer of anti-drone capabilities to its military, the Foreign Ministry said, calling the drone's flight a serious violation of international

UN adds Israeli, Russian forces to blacklist for sexual violence cases

An annual United Nations report documenting sexual violence in conflicts worldwide has included Israeli forces for the first time since the review began more than 15 years ago for their treatment of Palestinian detainees. Israel denies the accusations. The 35-page report -- shared by the Israeli mission to the UN late on Thursday ahead of its expected release on Friday -- blacklists 77 government and non-government parties in a dozen countries suspected of committing or being responsible for sexual violence in conflicts around the world. It says the number of cases rose sharply in 2025 from 2024. Russian armed and security forces were also blacklisted for the first time this year for sexual violence against prisoners of war and civilians detained during the war in Ukraine. The list for 2025 includes Israel's armed and security forces as well as Hamas militants, who were previously blacklisted after their attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza. Both Israe

Ukraine to buy 20 new Gripen jets, Sweden to donate older jets sooner

Ukraine's air force is made up of a mixture of ‌Soviet-made and western aircraft. Gripen is seen as a cost-efficient alternative to fighters like the more advanced American F-

Zelenskyy asks Trump for more US air defence aid against Russian attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written to US President Donald Trump and Congress asking for more American-made air defence ammunition to counter intensifying Russian ballistic missile attacks, Kyiv said Wednesday. Meanwhile, Russian lawmakers have backed a draft bill to have bank employees join the fight against Ukraine's long-range drones that strike deep inside Russia - with trained bank staff shooting down the unmanned aircraft. The steps came after a recent escalation in aerial attacks by both sides in the more than four-year war that followed Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbor. Neither side has been able to make much progress on the 1,250-km front line. Also on Wednesday, Anne Keast-Butler, head of UK's intelligence agency GCHQ, asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "going backwards on the battlefield". New data shows that "almost half a million Russian soldiers have now been killed since the conflict began," she added. Ukraine has pounded Russ

Rubio speaks to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov; discuss Ukraine, Iran

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and exchanged views on the Russia-Ukraine war and the situation in Iran, the Department of State spokesperson said here. "The parties exchanged views on the Russia-Ukraine war, bilateral relations, and the situation in Iran," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement on Monday. He said the request for the call was made by the Russian foreign minister. A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said that Lavrov conveyed Russia's decision to launch strikes on sites in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military. Lavrov said the "systematic and consistent strikes" were in "in response to the continuing terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime against the peaceful population and civilian sites on Russian territory". Lavrov also drew Rubio's attention to the Russian Foreign Ministry's statement which recommended that the US, along with other countries with diplomatic missions in Kiev, ensure the ..

Missile and drone strikes kill 8 in Russia, Ukraine amid escalation

The strikes follow one of the heaviest Russian bombardments of ‌Kyiv since the start of the four-year war, ​after Moscow vowed on Saturday to retaliate

Russia strikes Kyiv with massive missile and drone attack, killing one

Explosions reverberated through the city shortly after 1 a.m. (2200 GMT Saturday), shortly after Ukraine's air force had warned on its Telegram channel that Russia might launch an intermediate missile

Ukraine launches drone attack on Moscow; Indian among four killed

An Indian worker was killed and three others were injured in a drone attack in the Moscow region, the Indian embassy in Russia said Sunday. Russian media reported that three people were killed and another six suffered injuries in the Moscow region in the Ukrainian drone attack on Saturday night. It did not identify the nationalities of the deceased. The incident comes amid escalating hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine carried out overnight attacks targeting several installations in the Moscow region. "One Indian worker has lost his life and three others have been injured in a drone attack in Moscow region earlier today. Embassy officials have visited the location and met the injured workers in the hospital," the Indian Embassy in Russia said on 'X'. "The Embassy condoles the loss of life and is working with the company management and local authorities to provide necessary assistance to the workers," it said, even though it did not disclose the identities of the deceas

Ukraine links Kyiv attack to Xi-Trump summit, seeks pressure on Russia

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha tied an overnight attack on Kyiv to the Xi-Trump summit, saying the assault proved Russia was a threat to international security. "At the very time when leaders of the most powerful countries are meeting in Beijing, and the world hopes for peace, predictability and cooperation, Putin launched hundreds of drones, ballistic and cruise missiles at the capital of Ukraine," Sybiha said on Telegram. He said there should be "no illusions" about ending the Russian war on Ukraine. "Only pressure on Moscow can make him stop," Sybiha said of Putin, adding that US and Chinese leaders had sufficient leverage to compel Russia to end the conflict.

Russia fires 800 drones at Ukraine despite recent talk of possible peace

Russia fired at least 800 drones in a massive daytime barrage on about 20 regions of Ukraine on Wednesday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens, including children, in one of the longest attacks by Moscow in the 4-year-old war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The attack began in midmorning and lasted for hours in the capital of Kyiv, the western city of Lviv near Poland, and the port of Odesa on the Black Sea, among other population centers, Zelanskyy said on the Telegram messaging app. "Our soldiers are defending Ukraine, but Russia's obvious goal is to overload air defences," Zelenskyy said, as the bombardment stretched into the late afternoon. He cautioned that a cruise and ballistic missile attack could follow the drone barrage. It was "one of the longest, massive Russian attacks against Ukraine," he said on social media. It also rattled neighbours. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said his new government has summoned the Russian ambassador over a drone atta

How Russia's liquid-fuel RS-28 Sarmat ICBM differs from other missiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the missile would be placed on combat duty later this year

Putin says Ukraine war nearing end, cites Nato expansion as root cause

He blamed "globalist" Western leaders, saying they promised Nato would not expand eastward after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, but then tried to draw Ukraine into the European Union's orbit

Putin marks Victory Day with scaled-down parade after Ukraine ceasefire

The parade passed off without incident after days of spiraling tensions between Russia and Ukraine until Trump unexpectedly announced the ceasefire late Friday

What Russia's Victory Day celebrations reveal about Putin, war in Ukraine

Tensions are high as Russia prepares to celebrate its most important secular holiday Saturday. Fears in Moscow about security during the war with Ukraine have forced officials to scale back the annual celebrations, and signs of domestic discontent are casting a shadow over President Vladimir Putin's Red Square events. A unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine that Russia announced for Friday and Saturday quickly unravelled. Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for the continued fighting, just as they did when Ukraine's own unilateral ceasefire swiftly collapsed earlier in the week. The accusations reflect the deep-seated lack of trust between the two sides more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour. That has thwarted US-led diplomatic efforts to find a peace settlement. Ukraine's new drone and missile technology has helped it hit deep inside Russia frequently and accurately in recent months, especially major oil facilities. Meanwhile, rumblings of unhappiness w

Russia, Ukraine agree to 3-day ceasefire and prisoner swap, says Trump

President Donald Trump has said that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners, adding that such a halt to hostilities could be the "beginning of the end" of the long war between them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign affairs adviser, both confirmed the agreement. "I asked and, President Putin agreed. President Zelenskyy agreed -- both readily," Trump said on Friday as he departed the White House to attend a dinner at his Virginia golf club. " And we have a little period of time where they're not going to be killing people. That's very good " Trump earlier Friday had announced on social media that the ceasefire would run Saturday through Monday. Saturday is Victory Day in Russia, a holiday that commemorates the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. "I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11t

Russia snubs Ukraine's unilateral ceasefire, fires dozens of drones

Russia fired dozens of drones at Ukraine in nighttime attacks, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, disregarding a unilateral ceasefire announced by Kyiv that began at midnight. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukraine hadn't abided by its own ceasefire, saying that air defenses shot down 53 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula and the Black Sea between Tuesday evening and dawn Wednesday. There had been no official sign from Moscow that it would heed Kyiv's ceasefire, and there was little hope for a pause in hostilities as the war stretches into its fifth year following Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbor. US-led diplomatic efforts to stop the war over the past year have come to nothing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had announced the move after Russia said it would hold its own unilateral ceasefire over two days later this week while it marks the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The ...

Russia declares Victory Day truce; Ukraine to cease fire two days earlier

Russia's Defence Ministry declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, but it threatened to strike back at Kyiv if it tries to disrupt the Victory Day festivities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in response said his country would observe a truce beginning at 12 am on Wednesday and respond in kind to Russia's actions from that moment on. He did not put an end date on the truce. The announcements on Monday come as Russia prepares to celebrate its most important secular holiday with a traditional military parade on Moscow's Red Square pared down due to what officials say are concerns over possible Ukrainian attacks. Ukraine has been launching drone attacks deep inside Russia to counter its more than 4-year-old invasion. They also follow a familiar pattern of previous attempts to secure ceasefires - most recently around Orthodox Easter - that had little to no impact. The Defence .