Page 40 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

US envoy to Ukraine Bridget Brink to step down as peace talks uncertain

The US ambassador to Ukraine is stepping down from her post after nearly three years in Kyiv amid uncertainty over the Trump administration's attempts to broker a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The State Department said Thursday that Bridget Brink will be leaving her post in the near future, although it was not immediately clear exactly when she would depart. Brink assumed the post under former President Joe Biden's administration and has been a staunch advocate for US military assistance to Ukraine. Her resignation had been expected for some time, especially considering the Trump administration's premium on rapprochement with Russia and ending the war. Ambassador Brink is stepping down, the department said. She's been the ambassador in Kyiv for three years that's a long time in a war zone. And frankly, the war has gone on for far too long. The real issue is whether the Russians and Ukrainians are ready to do what's necessary to end this war, it said.

Defence chiefs from 30 nations to attend Nato talks on future Ukraine force

Britain and France are convening a meeting of defence ministers from around 30 countries on Thursday to press ahead with plans to deploy troops to Ukraine to police any future peace agreement with Russia. The meeting at NATO headquarters the first between defence ministers representing the so-called coalition of the willing comes after a visit to Kyiv last week by senior British and French military officers. It's expected to work on fleshing out an agreement reached at an earlier meeting between leaders. As usual with coalition gatherings, the United States will not take part, but the success of the coalition's operation hinges on US backup with airpower or other military assistance. However, the Trump administration has made no public commitment that it will do so. Amid that uncertainty and US warnings that Europe must take care of its own security and that of Ukraine in future, the force is seen as a first test of the continent's willingness to defend itself and its interests.

Beijing denies claims of Chinese troops fighting with Russia in Ukraine

Ukraine's claim that significant numbers of Chinese nationals are fighting alongside Russia's invading army is totally unfounded, a Beijing official said on Wednesday. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Tuesday that the Ukrainian military had captured two Chinese men fighting alongside the Russian army in the eastern Donetsk region and had information that significantly more are with Russian forces. It was the first time that Ukraine had made such a claim about Chinese fighters on its soil amid Russia's almost three-year invasion. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in Beijing that China has played a constructive role in politically resolving the Ukraine crisis. Lin told a daily news briefing Wednesday that the Chinese government always asks Chinese citizens to stay away from conflict zones, avoid getting involved in any form of armed conflict, and especially refrain from participating in any party's military operations. His comments appeared to indi

Ukraine to discuss minerals deal with US as Russia delays ceasefire talks

Trump has argued that the agreement, which would grant the US preferential access to valuable resources, is essential for Ukraine's post-war security and reconstruction

1 killed in Russian attack on Kyiv as toll from earlier strike hits 20

One person was killed Sunday as Russian air strikes hit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, while the death toll from Friday's deadly attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih continued to rise. The Kyiv victim was found close to the strike's epicentre of the attack in the city's Darnytskyi district, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. A further three people were injured in the strike, which sparked fires in several nonresidential areas, damaging cars and buildings. In a statement on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the intensifying Russian attacks showed that there is still insufficient international pressure on Moscow. He said Russia has launched more than 1,460 guided aerial bombs, nearly 670 attack drones and more than 30 missiles at Ukraine in the past week alone. These attacks are (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's response to all international diplomatic efforts. Each of our partners the United States, all of Europe, the entire world has seen that ..

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Thousands of Ukrainians still held by Russia with uncertain hope of release

When she heard her front door open almost two years ago, Kostiantyn Zinovkin's mother thought her son had returned home because he forgot something. Instead, men in balaclavas burst into the apartment in Melitopol, a southern Ukrainian city occupied by Russian forces. They said Zinovkin was detained for a minor infraction and would be released soon. They used his key to enter, said his wife, Liusiena, and searched the flat so thoroughly that they tore it apart into molecules. But Zinovkin wasn't released. Weeks after his May 2023 arrest, the Russians told his mother he was plotting a terrorist attack. He's now standing trial on charges his family calls absurd. Zinovkin is one of thousands of civilians in Russian captivity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insists their release, along with prisoners of war, will be an important step toward ending the 3-year-old war. So far, it hasn't appeared high on the agenda in U.S. talks with Moscow and Kyiv. While politicians discuss ..

Russian missile strike on Ukraine's Kyiv injures 3, sparks multiple fires

All of Ukraine was under air alerts after the country's air force warned of an attack including on regions bordering Poland

Death toll in Russian missile strike in central Ukraine reaches 18

The death toll from a Russian missile strike in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has risen to 18, including nine children, regional governor Serhii Lysak said Saturday. A further 61 people were injured in Friday's attack, ranging from a 3-month-old baby to elderly residents. Forty remain hospitalised, including two children in critical condition and 17 in serious condition. There can never be forgiveness for this, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city's defence council. Eternal memory to the victims. Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The missile struck an area right next to residential buildings hitting a playground and ordinary streets, Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. Local authorities said the strike damaged about 20 apartment buildings, more than 30 vehicles, an educational building and a restaurant. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed Friday that it had carried out a high-precision missile strike with a high explosive warhead on a

Trump's new tariffs target dozens; but why is Russia off the hook?

Despite this exemption, trade between the US and Russia remains higher than with countries like Mauritius and Brunei, which were included on President Trump's list

Russia, Ukraine accuse each other of violating terms of energy truce

Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Russia was breaking the energy truce and called on the US to boost sanctions against Moscow, as Trump has threatened to do

Putin's investment envoy Dmitriev may visit Washington for talks with US

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked by reporters if Dmitriev would be visiting Washington for talks with Trump administration officials

Zelenskyy says Russia has committed over 183,000 war crimes in Ukraine

Russia did not immediately comment after business hours on Zelenskyy's remarks, but has previously denied its soldiers have committed atrocities

Here's why Giorgia Meloni's Nato-light Ukraine plan is worth trying

The cleverness of Meloni's proposal lies in the way it would test to destruction Putin's rationale for his invasion of a sovereign neighbour

Trump warns of 'big, big problems' for Zelenskyy if he exits mineral deal

Donald Trump has warned Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy of 'big, big problems' if he withdraws from a mineral deal granting the US access to Ukraine's resources

Trump finds fault with Putin, Zelenskyy as he pushes for deal to end war

President Donald Trump lashed out at both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, expressing frustration with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders as he struggles to forge a truce to end the war. Although Trump insisted to reporters that we're making a lot of progress, he acknowledged that there's tremendous hatred between the two men, a fresh indication that negotiations may not produce the swift conclusion that he promised during the campaign. Trump began voicing his criticisms in an early morning interview with NBC News while he was at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida. He said he was angry, pissed off that Putin questioned Zelenskyy's credibility. The Russian leader recently said that Zelenskyy lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal and suggested that Ukraine needed external governance. Trump said he would consider adding new sanctions on Russia, which already faces steep financial penalties, and using tariffs to undermine its oil exports. The Republican presid

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US President Trump threatens 25-50% secondary tariff on Russian oil

The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar jumped to more than 1,000 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country's second-largest city. The country's military-led government said in a statement that 1,002 people have now been found dead and another 2,376 injured, with 30 others missing. The statement suggested the numbers could still rise, saying detailed figures are still being collected. Myanmar, also known as Burma, is in the throes of a prolonged and bloody civil war, which is already responsible for a massive humanitarian crisis. It makes movement around the country both difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts and raising fears that the death toll could still rise precipitously. The earthquake struck midday Friday with an epicentre not far from Mandalay, followed by several aftershocks including one measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude. It sent buildings in many

2 killed, dozens injured in drone attack on Kharkiv as Trump slams Putin

Russian drones hit a military hospital, shopping center and apartment blocks in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, killing two people and wounding dozens, while US President Donald Trump voiced anger at Russian President Vladimir Putin for comments he made about the leader of Ukraine. Ukraine's General Staff denounced the deliberate, targeted shelling of the military hospital late Saturday. Among the casualties were service members who were undergoing treatment, it said. Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said those killed were a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman. Ukraine's air force reported that Russia fired 111 exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Sunday. It said 65 of them were intercepted and another 35 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that over the past week most regions of Ukraine came under Russian attack. Writing on X, he said 1,310 Russian guided aerial bombs

2 people killed, dozens wounded in Russian attack on Ukraine's Kharkiv

Russian drones hit a military hospital, shopping centre, apartment blocks and other buildings in Kharkiv late Saturday, killing two people and wounding 30 others, Ukrainian officials said. Regional Gov Oleh Syniehubov said that a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman were killed in the attack on Ukraine's second-largest city. Ukraine's General Staff denounced the deliberate, targeted shelling of the military hospital. Among the casualties were servicemen who were undergoing treatment, it said. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia fired 111 exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Sunday. It said 65 of them were intercepted and another 35 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. Russia's Ministry of Defence, meanwhile, said its air defense systems shot down six Ukrainian drones. According to Ukrainian government and military analysts, Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks to maximi