Page 11 - Us Russia

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

Zelenskyy says ceasefire accords brokered by US take immediate effect

The Ukrainian leader cautioned that the agreements did not set out a course of action if Russia broke them and that he would appeal directly to the US president if that happened

One injured, houses damaged by Russian airstrike in Kyiv region: Ukraine

Late on Sunday, in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Russia's attack injured a 54-year-old woman and damaged windows of multi-story and residential buildings, the region's administration said

Legalise immigration status or leave Russia by Sept 10: Putin to Ukrainians

The orders apply to Ukrainian passport holders from four partially occupied regions -- Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, regions Russia claims to have annexed

Trump to sign mineral deal with Ukraine, hopes for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

Referring to his recent phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump expressed hope for an end to the ongoing conflict

Trump-Putin plan Saudi meet: What's next for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire?

Ukraine and Russia immediately exchanged attacks following a 30-day ceasefire talk between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump

Zelenskyy, Putin agree to limited ceasefire, implementation still ongoing

Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle to a limited ceasefire after President Donald Trump spoke with the countries' leaders this week, though it remains to be seen when it might take effect and what possible targets would be off limits to attack. The tentative deal to partially rein in the grinding war came after Russian President Vladimir Putin rebuffed Trump's push for a full 30-day ceasefire. The difficulty in getting the combatants to agree not to target one another's energy infrastructure highlights the challenges Trump will face in trying to fulfill his campaign pledge to quickly end to the war. After a roughly hourlong call with Trump on Wednesday that both leaders said went well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that technical talks in Saudi Arabia this weekend would seek to resolve what types of infrastructure would be protected under the agreement. But it was immediately clear that the three parties had different views about what the pact entailed, .

Trump wary of China-Russia ties, aims to improve US relations with both

Trump's embrace of Russia has been seen by some analysts as an attempt to split Moscow from Beijing, in a so-called reverse Nixon

Trump's talk of dividing assets prompts concern before his call with Putin

Kyiv and its European allies are worried that Trump will try to force them into a deal on Russia's terms, leaving Ukraine weakened and vulnerable to the Kremlin in the future

Trump, Putin to discuss Russia-Ukraine war this week, says US envoy

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to speak this week as the US tries to broker a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff. It would be the second publicised call between the two leaders since Trump began his second term in January. Trump and Putin spoke in February and agreed to start high-level talks over ending the war in Ukraine. I think the two presidents are going to have a really good and positive discussion this week, Witkoff said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. Witkoff this week met with Putin in Russia for talks aimed at ending the country's invasion of Ukraine and said he expects to see a deal soon. The president uses the timeframe weeks and I don't disagree with him. I am really hopeful that we are going to see some real progress here, Witkoff said. When Witkoff appeared later Sunday on CBS' Face the Nation, he again spoke about a prospective Putin-Trump call but did not offer specific

Had productive talks with Putin, war in Ukraine could end: Donald Trump

Trump said that he "strongly requested" Putin to spare the lives of thousands of Ukrainian troops, or else it would be a "horrible massacre"

US envoy to relay Putin's Ukraine ceasefire stance to Trump: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss details of the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Ukraine, asking him to convey Moscow's thoughts to Washington, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday. Putin asked Witkoff late Thursday to give additional messages to US President Donald Trump, Peskov told reporters, after the Russian leader said at a news conference that he supported a truce in principle but set out a host of details that need to be clarified before it is agreed. Ukraine, under severe military pressure on parts of the front line three years after Russia's full-scale invasion, has already endorsed the proposal. Russia's army has gained battlefield momentum, and analysts say Putin likely will be reluctant to rush into a ceasefire while he feels he has an advantage. The Russian army, backed by North Korean troops, are now close to completely driving Ukrainian forces from their foothold in Russia's Kursk border regio

Russia leans on cryptocurrencies for oil trade to evade western sanctions

Russia's move comes after Venezuela accelerated its use of digital currency in crude and fuel exports after Washington reimposed sanctions