)
Putin described the call with the US President as "informative and helpful". He also told Trump that the "root cause of the issue" must be addressed to resolve the war
Trump's remarks followed a failed Istanbul meeting between Russia, Ukraine, NATO and the US; he plans to speak to Putin, Zelenskyy and NATO leaders to seek a 30-day truce
Putin is confident that his forces can break through Ukraine's defenses by the end of the year to take full control of four regions that he has claimed for Russia
The focus of the meeting was on the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with discussions centred on their shared objective of halting the bloodshed in Ukraine
President Donald Trump says he will speak by phone Monday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine. Trump said in a social media post Saturday that the subject will be STOPPING THE 'BLOODBATH. The American president said he also then plans to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and members of NATO. HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A PRODUCTIVE DAY, Trump wrote on his Truth Social site.
Russia overnight into Sunday launched its most intense drone attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022. Russia fired a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys overnight, Ukraine's air force said. Of those, 88 were intercepted and a further 128 lost, likely having been electronically jammed. According to Kyiv regional Gov. Mykola Kalashnyk, one woman was killed in a drone attack on the region and three other people were wounded. The barrage came after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years on Friday failed to yield a ceasefire.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss the outcome of Friday's direct negotiations between delegations of Kiev and Moscow in Istanbul. In the first ever direct talks in three years, Russian and Ukrainian delegation at their meeting lasting less than two hours agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war from each side and draft their respective proposals for a ceasefire to end the fighting which has entered into its fourth year. At Friday's talks, Ukraine demanded a direct meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Vladimir Putin. Marco Rubio welcomed the agreements reached on the exchange of prisoners of war and the intention of each side to prepare its own proposals outlining the conditions necessary for a ceasefire. "He reaffirmed Washington's readiness to continue supporting efforts towards a negotiated settlement, a Russian Foreign Ministry statement posted on its web portal said. From his side, Minister Lavrov ..
Ukranian news website The Kyiv Independent reported, citing the Air Force that the Ukrainian Air Force "lost contact" with an F-16 aircraft during a mission to repel a Russian aerial attack overnight
Since US-brokered talks began in March, Ukraine's strategy has been to convince the Trump administration that Vladimir Putin is unreliable and that Kyiv is serious about peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has few options, analysts and officials say, but to draw US President Donald Trump's ire against Putin, while depending on Europe's united and stalwart support. In the latest round, Zelenskyy not only accepted Putin's offer to hold direct talks in Turkiye, after the US endorsed the idea, but raised the stakes and challenged the Russian leader to a face-to-face. The gesture failed to move Putin and the Istanbul talks were demoted to a technical meeting Friday that failed to yield substantial results on ending the war. The US has expressed frustration with the stalled talks and threatened to withdraw if results aren't achieved. On Friday, Trump told reporters after boarding Air Force One to return to Washington from Abu Dhabi that he may call Putin soon. He and I will me
Today's columnists assess change, and the various forms it takes - from Trump's flip-flops to changing the ideal of what a company should do, to the Indian cricket team's leadership churn
The Ukrainians surely felt a surge of alarm on hearing Trump's latest pronouncement, that peace will only come when he and Putin meet face-to-face
Russia and Ukraine are due to hold their first direct peace talks in three years Friday, gathering in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered negotiations, but officials and observers expect them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than 3-year war. A Ukrainian delegation led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov was due to meet with a low-level Russian team headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. The latest push to end the fighting got off to a rocky start on Thursday, when Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face. Delegations from the two countries also flew to different Turkish cities and put together teams of significantly different diplomatic heft for possible talks. Although expectations for a possible Putin-Zelenskyy meeting were low, the apparent lack of traction in peace efforts frustrated hopes of bold steps being taken in Turkiye toward reaching a settlement. The two sides are far apart in
The leaders of 47 European countries and organisations will gather Friday for a one-day summit in the Albania's capital to discuss security and defense challenges across the continent, with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine at the top of the agenda. The theme of the European Political Community, or EPC, summit in Tirana is New Europe in a new world: unity cooperation joint action. The gathering will also address ways to improve the continent's competitiveness and tackle unauthorised migration. But the EPC will also be a setting for leaders to meet bilaterally, or in small groups, to weigh in on major security issues. The inaugural summit in Prague in 2022 saw the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia holding rare talks in an effort to ease tensions between the longtime adversaries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is among the leaders invited to the event in Tirana. On the eve of the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Zelenskyy to meet face-to-fa
The Istanbul delegation will be led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and will include military and intelligence officials
Donald Trump says no progress will be made in the Russia-Ukraine conflict until he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin directly, casting doubts on imminent peace talks
Trump had earlier suggested that he might attend the talks himself but said Thursday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is already in Turkiye meeting with NATO officials
Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky will lead the Russian delegation, which will be joined by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin
A war next door in Ukraine. Migration pressure at borders. Russian sabotage across the region. Doubts about the US commitment to Europe's security. In Poland's presidential election Sunday, security looms large. So do questions about the country's strength as a democracy and its place in the European Union. One of the new president's most important tasks will be maintaining strong ties with the US, widely seen as essential to the survival of a country in an increasingly volatile neighbourhood. A crowded field, a likely runoff Voters in this Central European nation of 38 million people will cast ballots to replace conservative incumbent Andrzej Duda, whose second and final five-year term ends in August. With 13 candidates, a decisive first-round victory is unlikely. Some have appeared unserious or extreme, expressing openly pro-Putin or antisemitic views. A televised debate this week dragged on for nearly four hours. There are calls to raise the threshold to qualify for the race. A
The talks have taken place in the warring capitals of Moscow and Kyiv, from Washington and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to countries across Europe. Now, all eyes are finally turning to Istanbul to seek an end to Russia's three-year-old, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed restarting direct peace talks Thursday with Ukraine in the Turkish city that straddles Asia and Europe. And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy challenged the Kremlin leader to meet in Turkey in person. What will unfold remains unclear. The Kremlin has refused to confirm who's going to Turkey and whether it will include Putin. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Zelenskyy will only sit down with the Russian leader. Zelenskyy said Tuesday that if Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war. What's known about the possible talks: How did the idea of talks in Turkey arise? On Saturday, Zelenskyy hosted French President
President Putin, who has questioned Zelenskiy's legitimacy, has not said whether he will take part