Page 4 - Ukraine

Progress in US-led peace talks 'quite solid', says Ukrainian Prez Zelenskyy

Initial drafts of US proposals for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia meet many of Kyiv's demands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, although he suggested that neither side in the almost four-year war is likely to get everything it wants in talks on reaching a settlement. Overall, it looks quite solid at this stage, the Ukrainian leader said of recent talks with US officials who are trying to steer the neighbouring countries toward compromises. There are some things we are probably not ready for, and I'm sure there are things the Russians are not ready for either, Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv. US President Donald Trump has for months been pushing for a peace agreement. However, the negotiations have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv. But US envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday he held productive and constructive talks in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives. Zelenskyy said that nearly 90% of Ukraine's demands have been .

Ukraine deploys low-cost interceptor drones to counter Russia's air attacks

The icy ground crackling under their feet, members of an elite Ukrainian drone-hunting team set up for a long night. Antennas and sensors are clipped to a light stand. Monitors and controls are pulled from hard cases, and a game-changing new weapon is readied for deployment. The Sting, shaped like a flying thermos, is one of Ukraine's new homegrown interceptors. The unit's commander says the interceptors can effectively counter Russia's fast-evolving suicide drones, which are now flying faster and at higher altitudes. Every destroyed target is something that did not hit our homes, our families, our power plants, said the officer, known only by the call sign Loi, in line with Ukrainian military protocol. The enemy does not sleep, and neither do we. Nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities and power infrastructure have forced Kyiv to rewrite the air defense rule book and develop cut-price drone killers costing as little as $1,000. Interceptors went from prototype to mass production in j

8 killed, dozens wounded in Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa port

Eight people were killed and 27 wounded in a Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa, southern Ukraine, late on Friday, Ukraine's Emergency Service said on Saturday morning. Some of the wounded were on a bus at the epicentre of the overnight strike, the service said in a Telegram post. Trucks caught fire in the parking lot, and cars were also damaged. The port was struck with ballistic missiles, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region. Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces hit a Russian warship and other facilities with drones, Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on Saturday. The nighttime attack on Friday hit the Russian warship Okhotnik, according to the statement posted to the Telegram messaging app. The ship was patrolling in the Caspian Sea near an oil and gas production platform. The extent of the damage is still being clarified, the statement added. A drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea was also hit. The facility is .

Russian President offers no compromise on Ukraine, says EU 'robbery' failed

Putin set out the Kremlin's stance on the war in the opening moments of his annual end-of-year press conference, a marathon event that typically runs for some four hours

EU leaders agree to $106 bn loan to Ukraine for 2026-2027 amid peace hopes

EU leaders were under intense pressure to agree to the massive loan for Ukraine at the make-or-break summit after months of talks failed to break the deadlock over the contentious plan

EU leaders meet to discuss agreement on massive loan package for Ukraine

European Union leaders are gathering Thursday for a summit aimed at agreeing on a massive loan to cover Ukraine's military and other financial needs for the next two years. The leaders will also discuss migration, the bloc's enlargement policy, trade and economies, but working out how to fund most of the 137 billion euros (USD 160 billion) the International Monetary Fund says war-ravaged Ukraine needs is top priority. It is up to us to choose how we fund Ukraine's fight. We know the urgency. It is acute. We all feel it. We all see it," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU lawmakers on the eve of the summit. European Council President Antonio Costa, who is chairing Thursday's meeting in Brussels, has vowed to keep leaders negotiating until an agreement is reached, even if it takes days. Many leaders will press for tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian assets held in Europe to be used to meet Ukraine's economic and military needs. Such a decision has neve

EU to indefinitely freeze Russian assets, removing obstacle to Ukraine loan

The loan would be paid back by Ukraine only when Russia pays Kyiv war damages, making the loan effectively a grant that advances future Russian reparations payments

Ukraine claims drone strikes in Caspian as Zelenskyy seeks European support

US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning that the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict risks escalating into a global conflict, cautioning 'things like this end up in third world wars'

Ukraine not losing, Russia advancing at just 1.5-4.5 km per month: General

Past performance is no guarantee of the future, but at its current pace Russia would have to fight on for years to take what Putin wants gifted to him

Trump shows willingness to support Ukraine's security in peace deal

Earlier Thursday, Zelenskyy floated the prospect of allowing Ukrainians to vote on whether to hand the Donbas region to Russia

Trump delivers 'strong words' on Ukraine in call with European leaders

Recently, Trump has advanced a peace initiative that would see Ukraine relinquish the entire Donbas region to Russia in exchange for undefined US security commitments

Trump questions Ukraine's poll timeline, tells Zelenskyy to be realistic

US President Donald Trump intensified criticism of Kyiv on Wednesday, saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "has to be realistic" about the war and questioning when Ukraine intends to hold its next elections.Trump's comments followed his separate phone conversations with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, discussions he said focused on Ukraine "in pretty strong terms." According to him, European leaders are seeking a joint meeting with both the United States and Ukraine as early as this weekend."They would like to have a meeting this weekend with both of us, and we'll make a determination depending on what they come back with," Trump told reporters.His remarks come after several days of urging Zelenskyy to consider a peace proposal aimed at bringing an end to the conflict that began with Russia's invasion in 2022.Speaking during a Q & A session, Trump suggested that Kyiv may have to reassess its expectations as the war continues."I think he has to be ..

Ukraine ready for elections within months if security is ensured: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian officials were expected to hand their latest peace proposals to United States negotiators Wednesday, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also said Ukraine would be ready for elections within three months if partners can guarantee a safe vote during wartime and if its electoral law can be altered. Zelenskyy was responding to comments by US President Donald Trump in which he questioned Ukraine's democracy and suggested the Ukrainian leader was using the war as an excuse not to hold an election. Zelenskyy told reporters late Tuesday that he is ready for an election but would need help from the US and possibly Europe to ensure security for a vote to happen. He suggested that Ukraine could be ready to hold balloting in 60 to 90 days if that proviso is met. To hold elections, two issues must be addressed: primarily, security how to conduct them, how to do it under strikes, under missile attacks; and a question regarding our military how they would vote, Zelenskyy .

Zelenskyy refuses to cede land to Russia as he rallies European support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Rome on Tuesday as he continued to rally European support for Ukraine while resisting the US pressure for a painful compromise with Russia. On Monday, Zelenskyy held talks in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to strengthen Ukraine's hand amid mounting impatience from US President Donald Trump. The Ukrainian president arrived at Castel Gandolfo, a papal residence outside Rome, for a meeting with Pope Leo XIV and is to have talks with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later. Answering reporters' questions in a WhatsApp chat late Monday, Zelenskyy reaffirmed his firm refusal to cede any territory, saying that we clearly don't want to give up anything, even as "the Americans are looking for a compromise today, I will be honest. Undoubtedly, Russia insists that we give up territories, he said. According to the law, we don't have such a right. According to ...

No accord yet on Ukraine's east in US talks: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Zelenskiy said his country needed unity between its main allies to secure an agreement

As sea drones push Russia back, Ukraine plans more advanced attacks

The commander of sea-drone operations for Ukraine's military intelligence agency says more complex strikes against Russian forces are expected next year, after Kyiv's uncrewed fleet succeeded in curbing the movements of Russia's once-dominant Black Sea navy. In an interview with The Associated Press, the head of the specialised maritime drone unit, Group 13, said Ukraine's attacks have forced Russia to adapt, limiting opportunities for major Black Sea strikes seen earlier in the war. Today, we've likely reached a plateau, said the officer, who is identified only by the call sign 13th under Ukrainian military protocol. We are effectively limiting the enemy's movements, but those dramatic, high-profile strikes we saw earlier haven't happened for quite some time. That's because the enemy has adapted. Last month, Ukrainian officials said sea-attack drones were used in strikes against vessels in Russia's sanctions-evading shadow fleet of oil tankers. The commander declined to comment on

Russian strikes kill 4 in Ukraine as Kremlin praises US security strategy

Russia on Sunday welcomed the Trump administration's new national security strategy in comments by the Kremlin spokesman published by Russia's Tass news agency. Dmitry Peskov said the updated strategic document was largely in line with Moscow's vision. "There are statements there against confrontation and in favour of dialogue and building good relations," he said, adding that Russia hopes this would lead to "further constructive cooperation with Washington on the Ukrainian settlement". The document released Friday by the White House said the US wants to improve its relationship with Russia after years of Moscow being treated as a global pariah and that ending the war is a core US interest to "reestablish strategic stability with Russia". The spokesman's comments came as Russian missile, drone and shelling attacks overnight and Sunday killed at least four people in Ukraine, after US and Ukrainian officials wrapped up a third day of talks aimed at ending the war. A man was killed i

Russia unleashes massive drone, missile attack on Ukraine as talks continue

Russia unleashed a major missile and drone barrage on Ukraine overnight into Saturday, after US and Ukrainian officials said they'll meet on Saturday for a third day of talks aimed at ending the nearly 4-year-old war. Russia used 653 drones and 51 missiles in the wide-reaching attack, which triggered air raid alerts across the country and came as Ukraine marked Armed Forces Day, the country's air force said Saturday morning. Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralised 585 drones and 30 missiles, the air force said, adding that 29 locations were struck. At least eight people were wounded in the attacks, Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said. Among these, at least three people were wounded in the Kyiv region, according to local officials. Drone sightings were reported as far west as Ukraine's Lviv region. Russia carried out a massive missile-drone attack on power stations and other energy infrastructure in several Ukrainian regions, Ukraine's national energy opera

US, Ukraine officials report progress on creating postwar security plan

President Donald Trump's advisers and Ukrainian officials said Friday they'll meet for a third day of talks after making progress on creating a security framework for postwar Ukraine and are urging Russia to commit to peace. The officials, who met for a second day in Florida on Friday, issued a joint statement that offered broad brushstrokes about the progress they say that's been made as Trump pushes Kyiv and Moscow to agree to a US-mediated proposal to end nearly four years of war. "Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia's readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings," the statement said. "Parties also separately reviewed the future prosperity agenda which aims to support Ukraine's post-war reconstruction, joint USUkraine economic initiatives, and long-term recovery projects." US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's talks in Florida with

Putin calls US talks on Ukraine war 'useful' but also 'difficult work'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his five-hour talks with US envoys on ending the war in Ukraine were necessary and useful but also difficult work, with some of the proposals unacceptable to the Kremlin. Putin's remarks to a private news channel came ahead of his visit to New Delhi on Thursday. The Russian leader's comments come as US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are set to meet with Ukraine's lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, on Thursday in Miami for further talks, according to a senior Trump administration official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The high-stakes talks are part of Trump's renewed push to end the nearly four-year war. The peace effort has recently gathered steam, even though reconciling Russia's and Ukraine's red lines still appears to be an uphill battle. Trump said Wednesday that Witkoff and Kushner came away from their marathon session with Putin in the ..