Page 8 - Latest Updates on Ukraine peace talks

Ukrainian troops near the front doubt Russia pact will bring lasting peace

Moving between damp basements and muddy dugouts to fend off constant Russian attacks in the nearly 4-year-old war, exhausted Ukrainian soldiers say their motivation is fortified by knowing they're fighting for higher cause: the defense of their homeland. But as negotiators try to hammer out a peace deal, the troops also believe that Russia remains determined to conquer Ukraine either now, or with a fresh army in a few years' time no matter what kind of agreement is reached. And they also say Kyiv must maintain a sizable military to protect the now-800-mile (nearly 1,300-kilometer) front line. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are now the main barrier between peaceful civilian life of Ukrainians and our bad neighbour, said a 40-year-old artillery gunner who spoke to The Associated Press near the border between the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. He identified himself only by his call sign of Kelt," in keeping with military protocol, and on condition his exact location is not ...

US peace plan 'looks better' with revisions but work continues: Zelenskyy

Ukraine's president spoke optimistically about the progress of revising the Trump administration's peace plan, saying "it looks better" and the work will continue during talks on how to end Russia's nearly four-year war. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke after meeting with France's president on Monday, the latest in discussions aimed at brokering the terms for a potential ceasefire in the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday. Witkoff's role came under scrutiny last week following a report that he coached Putin's foreign affairs adviser on how Russia's leader should pitch to Trump on the Ukraine peace plan. Zelenskyy's visit to Paris followed Sunday's meeting between Ukrainian and US officials, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as productive. The two sides have worked to revise the proposed US-authored .

Europeans rally round Ukraine as Donald Trump envoy heads to Moscow

Macron told reporters that only Ukraine could decide on its territories in peace negotiations with Russia

What to know about this week's diplomatic efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war

Diplomats face an uphill battle to reconcile Russian and Ukrainian red lines as a renewed US-led push to end the war gathers steam, with Ukrainian officials attending talks in the US over the weekend and Washington officials expected in Moscow early this week. US President Donald Trump's peace plan became public last month, sparking alarm that it was too favourable to Moscow. It was revised some following talks in Geneva between the US and Ukraine a week ago. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the revised plan could be workable. Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a possible basis for a future peace agreement. Trump said Sunday there's a good chance we can make a deal. Still, officials on both sides indicated a long road ahead as key sticking points over whether Kyiv should cede land to Moscow and how to ensure Ukraine's future security appear unresolved. A look at where things stand and what to expect this week: US holds talks with Kyiv then Moscow Trump .

Global arms producers' revenue up 5.9% to record level in 2024: Report

The world's biggest weapons-producing companies saw a 5.9% increase in revenue from sales of arms and military services last year as demand was fed by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as countries' rising military spending, according to a report released Monday. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, said the revenues of the 100 largest arms makers grew to USD 679 billion in 2024, the highest figure it has recorded. The bulk of the increase was down to companies based in Europe and the United States, but there were increases around the world except in Asia and Oceania, where problems in the Chinese arms industry led to a slight fall. Thirty of the 39 US companies in the top 100 including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics posted increases. Their combined revenue was up 3.8% at USD 334 billion. But SIPRI noted that widespread delays and budget overruns continue to plague development and production in major US-led programmes, includi

Want to stop people getting killed: Trump as Ukrainian, US officials meet

Ukraine has got some difficult problems. We have a corruption situation going on, which is not helpful. There is a good chance to make a deal, said Trump

US, Ukraine talks on Russia productive, but much work yet to be done: Rubio

US and Ukrainian officials completed roughly four hours of talks Sunday aimed at finding an endgame to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters afterward that the session was productive but work remains in the search for a peace deal. It's not just about the terms that ends fighting, Rubio said. It's about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity. ... I think we built on that today, but there's more work to be done." The high-level negotiations in Florida came days before President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will be in Moscow to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Rubio, Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, represented the American side in the talks, held at a sensitive time as Ukraine continues to push back against Russian forces that invaded in 2022 while dealing with a domestic corruption scandal. Diplomats have focused on revisions to a proposed US-authored plan that was developed in

Rubio, Witkoff to meet Ukrainian negotiators as Trump pushes to broker deal

Top Trump administration officials are meeting Ukrainian negotiators in Florida this weekend, pushing to broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine and setting the stage for key talks planned this week in Moscow with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, were expected to sit down with a Ukrainian delegation to further hash out the details of a proposed peace framework talks that come at a sensitive moment for Ukraine as it continues to push back against Russian forces that invaded the country in 2022. On Friday, just before the Florida sit-down, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, who up until that point had been the country's lead negotiator in talks with the US. The announcement came after Yermak's home was searched by anti-corruption investigators. Zelenskyy's government has been roiled by ...

Ukrainian delegation to meet Rubio, Witkoff for talks on US peace plan

Presidential advisor Jaresh Kushner will also be present to hold talks with the Ukrainian officials in Florida, emphasising Washington's diplomatic push

Two killed in major Russia night strike on Ukraine; 600K left without power

Ukraine has been negotiating with the United States on the terms of a peace agreement that Washington is seeking to broker between Kyiv and Moscow to end Russia's nearly four-year-long war

Zelenskyy exposed after top aide resigns amid US and Russia pressures

Andriy Yermak's departure, amid a spiraling corruption scandal, comes just as Donald Trump is pushing Ukraine to make concessions to Russia in order to end almost four years of fighting

Hungary's Viktor Orbn to meet Russia's Putin in Moscow for energy talks

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn is visiting Moscow for energy talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a rare step from a European leader while Russia's war grinds on in Ukraine. The trip to Moscow is the second since last year for Orbn, who is widely considered Putin's closest partner among all European Union leaders. In comments to state media before departing for Moscow early Friday, Orbn said the focus of his talks with Putin would be Hungary's continued access to "cheap Russian oil and gas, resources that have come under sanctions by the US government. Hungary remains among the only EU countries to continue importing large quantities of Russian fossil fuels, and has strongly opposed efforts by the bloc to wean its member nations off Russian energy supplies. Earlier this month, Orbn travelled to Washington for a meeting with US President Donald Trump where he succeeded in securing an exemption to sanctions the Trump administration placed on Russian energy companies Luko

Russian drones target civilians, turn Ukrainian city into 'human safari'

When Olena Horlova leaves home or drives through town outside the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, she fears that she's a target. She believes that Russian drones could be waiting on a rooftop, along the road or aiming for her car. To protect herself and her two daughters, the girls stay indoors, and she stays alert sometimes returning home at night along dark roads without headlights so as not to be seen. After living through the occupation, refusing to cooperate with Russian forces and hiding from them, Horlova, like so many other residents, found that even after her town was liberated in 2022, the ordeal didn't end. Kherson was among the first places where Russian forces began using short-range, first-person view, or FPV, drones against civilians. The drones are equipped with livestreaming cameras that let operators see and select their targets in real time. The tactic later spread more than 300 kilometres (185 miles) along the right bank of the Dnipro River, across the ...

US-Ukraine draft plan could form basis for future peace deal, says Putin

US and Ukrainian negotiators held talks on the latest US-backed peace plan in Geneva on Sunday

Russia's frozen assets at the centre of Ukraine peace deal negotiations

Money is as central to Europe's vital support of Ukraine as ammunition and intelligence. Yet, the bloc's most viable funding mechanism involves seizing billions of dollars worth of Russian assets that US President Donald Trump has proposed taking over. The first draft of Trump's 28-point peace plan called for an investment scheme for Ukraine's reconstruction controlled by the US but financed by USD 100 billion in frozen Russian assets matched by another USD 100 billion from the European Union with 50 per cent of profits sent back to Washington. The plan surprised Europeans, who have spent years fiercely debating the fate of Russia's frozen fortune. Those funds are central to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's plan to both maintain pressure on Russia and increase support for Ukraine as mysterious drone incursions and sabotage operations rattle European capitals. "I cannot see any scenario in which the European taxpayers alone will pay the bill," she said Wednesday

Russia denies big concessions to Ukraine after leaked US envoy call: Report

Trump said on Tuesday Witkoff would meet Putin and that Jared Kushner, who helped negotiate the deal that brought about an uneasy ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and the Palestinian

US peace plan for Ukraine drew from Russian document, says report

Speaking to reporters in Geneva this week, Rubio acknowledged receiving "numerous written non-papers and things of this nature," without elaborating.

As Russia pummels Ukraine's energy systems, Kyiv hopes US gas will fill gap

The soil surrounding the gas facility in Ukraine was once pitch-black before it was burned to a rusty red by a massive Russian drone and missile assault. Scattered remnants of Shahed drones littered the reservoir designated for storing tanks of liquefied propane gas. Nearly a month after the October 30 attack, several tanks lay empty and in ruins. It hurts to look at all this (damage) because I saw firsthand (the facility's) establishment, construction and development, said Victor, who has worked there for 28 years and who cannot be named in full for security reasons. But we have, what we have and we must continue to work. The Associated Press gained exclusive access to Naftogaz's gas extraction fields in central Ukraine last week. The AP is the first and only news outlet to be allowed to film and photograph war damage at the facilities. Due to strict security protocols, the AP cannot name the facility or its exact location. Russia has targeted Ukrainian gas extraction this year in

Crude oil slips as Russia-Ukraine peace talks advance; WTI seen below $52

WTI plunged 2.5 per cent over the past five trading sessions to $58.05/bbl, shedding 5.5 per cent in the last month and more than 20 per cent since mid-June highs near $73/bbl

Inside Ukraine peace deal: What US, Russia and Kyiv agree on, and reject

Ukraine, the US and Russia are closer to a peace framework, but key issues like territory, security guarantees and military limits remain unresolved