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How Putin uses USSR's victory in WWII to rally support for war in Ukraine

Hardly any other country marks the end of World War II with the same fanfare and fervour as Russia, for which the victory over Nazi Germany 80 years ago remains a source of immense pride and a defining moment of history. Victory Day, celebrated on May 9, is Russia's most important secular holiday, reflecting its wartime sacrifice. But it's also used by the Kremlin to bolster patriotism and regain the superpower prestige it lost when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. President Vladimir Putin, who has ruled Russia for 25 of those 80 years, has turned Victory Day into a key pillar of his tenure and has tried to use it to justify his 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine. He has also sought to underline the failure of Western efforts to isolate Moscow by inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders to the festivities, which this year have been overshadowed by reports of Ukrainian drone attacks targetting Moscow and severe disruptions at the capital's airports, as well as cellphone

Ukrainian drones hit Moscow as foreign leaders gather for Red Square parade

Attacks by Ukrainian long-range drones caused flight disruption at Moscow's main airports for a third straight day on Wednesday as Russia prepared to receive the Chinese president and other foreign leaders for the annual Victory Day military parade in Red Square. Russian flag carrier Aeroflot on Wednesday morning cancelled more than 100 flights to and from Moscow. More than 140 Aeroflot flights also were delayed because of what officials described as the Ukrainian drone threat and amid heightened security measures around the Victory Day events. Russian air defenses repelled an attack by nine drones close to the Russian capital, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in the early hours of Wednesday. In the evening, Sobyanin reported thwarting 15 more drones targeting Moscow, as flights were restricted in Moscow's airports once again. Though Ukrainian drones have targeted Moscow in the past, the sustained attacks appeared designed to disrupt preparations for the 80th anniversary celebratio

Russian missile-and-drones attack kills 2 people in Ukraine's capital

Russia launched a missile and a barrage of drones targeting the Ukrainian capital before dawn on Wednesday, leaving at least two people dead, Ukrainian officials said. Eight people were also wounded in the attack, including four children, the Kyiv City Military Administration said in a post on Telegram. The attack came ahead of a planned unilateral 72-hour ceasefire in the more than three-year war announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin to coincide with celebrations in Moscow marking Victory Day in World War II. Ukraine has unsuccessfully sought a longer and immediate truce. The Kremlin said the truce, ordered on humanitarian grounds, would start on Thursday and last through Saturday to mark Moscow's defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. At least one ballistic missile and 28 Russian drones were recorded in the airspace of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the administration said. Air Defence forces shot down the missile and 11 drones. A five-story residential building in the ...

Ukraine set to sign major minerals deal with US amid ceasefire talks

Ukraine is set to sign a major rare earth minerals deal with the US, amid ongoing ceasefire talks as both sides push for faster negotiations and a potential ceasefire

Trump urges Ukraine, Russia to meet, says they are 'close to deal'

President Donald Trump on Friday called for Ukraine and Russia to meet for "very high-level talks", saying they are "very close to a deal" on ending the bloody three-year war. Trump posted on his Truth Social site shortly after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis' funeral that it was a "good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine". His envoy, Steve Witkoff, had made a visit to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. "They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to finish it off," Trump wrote. "Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war!" Trump's announcement followed him saying in an interview published on Friday that "Crimea will stay with Russia", the latest example of how he has been pressuring Ukraine to make concessions to end the war while the country remains under siege. He also earlier ..

Russia ready to reach a deal with US on Ukraine war, says Sergey Lavrov

Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov's remark comes after Russia launched a deadly barrage of attacks in Ukraine's capital city Kyiv that killed 12 people and left more than 70 injured

US may recognise Russian control of Crimea under proposed peace deal

The potential concession is the latest signal that President Donald Trump is eager to cement a ceasefire deal

US may 'move on' from Russia-Ukraine peace talks if no progress soon: Rubio

The Trump administration has spent weeks trying to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, but so far those efforts have not ended the ongoing conflict

US State Dept closes office that flags disinformation from Russia, China

The State Department has shut down its office that sought to deal with misinformation and disinformation that Russia, China and Iran have been accused of spreading. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Wednesday that he had closed what had been known as the Global Engagement Center because it had taken actions to restrict freedom of speech in the United States and elsewhere. The centre has been a frequent target of criticism from conservatives for calling out media and online reports that it said are biased or untruthful. At times, it has identified US websites and social media accounts that it argued were amplifying misinformation, particularly related to the Russia-Ukraine war. It is the responsibility of every government official to continuously work to preserve and protect the freedom for Americans to exercise their free speech, Rubio said, charging that the office worked "to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving. Rub

Ukraine war wouldn't have happened if 2020 election wasn't rigged: Trump

Earlier in March, Trump had also criticised Biden's handling of the Russia-Ukraine war, suggesting that under Biden, Russia attempted to take control of all of Ukraine

Kremlin says no quick fix as Trump pushes for Ukraine war progress

Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said he wants to end the bloodbath of the three-year war in Ukraine

Ukraine talks going 'ok', but it's time to 'put up or shut up', says Trump

Trump has shown signs of losing patience and has spoken of imposing secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if he feels Moscow is dragging its feet on a deal

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.

Senate confirms Elbridge Colby as Pentagon policy chief despite GOP split

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Elbridge Colby to be the top policy adviser at the Pentagon, overcoming concerns that he has downplayed threats from Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. The vote was 54-45, with Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky as the only Republican voting against him. Three Democrats voted for Colby. In a statement, McConnell said Colby's long public record suggests a willingness to discount the complexity of the challenges facing America, the critical value of our allies and partners. And McConnell said Colby's confirmation encourages isolationist perversions of peace through strength to continue apace at the highest levels of administration policymaking. Vice President JD Vance criticized McConnell in an X post, saying that the senator's no vote - like so much of the last few years of his career - is one of the great acts of political pettiness I've ever seen. Vance spoke at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing early last month to

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

Putin links US' Greenland push to history, vows to protect Arctic interests

Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said US President Donald Trump's push for control over Greenland wasn't surprising given the longtime US interest in the mineral-rich territory. Speaking at a policy forum in the Artic port of Murmansk, Putin noted that the United States first considered plans to win control over Greenland in the 19th century, and then offered to buy it from Denmark after World War II. "It can look surprising only at first glance and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current US administration. It's obvious that the United States will continue to systematically advance its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic," Putin said. Trump irked much of Europe by suggesting that the United States should in some form control the self-governing, mineral-rich territory of Denmark, a US ally and NATO member. As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America,

US seeks control over Ukraine investments, sidelining European allies

If accepted, the partnership agreement would bestow enormous power on the US to control investments into Ukraine in projects including roads and railways, ports, mines, oil and gas

Zelenskyy calls on US to sanction Russia after fresh drone strikes

Moscow said Ukraine had tried to attack a gas storage facility in Russian-occupied Crimea and energy infrastructure in Russia's Kursk and Bryansk regions. It did not report any damage