7 h. ago Zelenskyy warns against rewarding Russian aggression after ‘intense and focused’ peace talks – Europe live

Ukrainian president speaks in Dutch parliament ahead of crucial EU meeting on use of frozen Russian assetsCommenting on Berlin talks, Zelenskyy says he held “really intensive” talks with US counterparts in Germany, “working in a great detail on documents that could stop the war and guarantee security.”But he says “every single detail matters,” adding that nothing in the proposed peace deal should be allowed to “become a reward for Russia’s aggression.”I truly hope that the next time I address your parliament it will be with gratitude for a peace that has been achieved. Continue reading...

Events

21 h. ago European leaders propose ‘multinational force’ and hail ‘significant progress’ on Ukraine talks – Europe live

Statement suggests force to ‘provide robust support’ and enforce a potential peace deal in UkraineSeparately, the commission’s deputy chief spokesperson Olof Gill has just confirmed that commission president Ursula von der Leyen will attend the Berlin talks this evening.Not a surprise at all, but good to have it formally confirmed. Continue reading...

Politics

22 h. ago European leaders gather for crunch meeting on Ukraine as Zelenskyy says US talks were ‘not easy’ – Europe live

No details on any tangible compromises between US and Ukraine, with Zelenskyy ruling out territorial concessionsSeparately, the commission’s deputy chief spokesperson Olof Gill has just confirmed that commission president Ursula von der Leyen will attend the Berlin talks this evening.Not a surprise at all, but good to have it formally confirmed. Continue reading...

Politics

36 h. ago Assad family live in Russian luxury as Bashar ‘brushes up on ophthalmology’

Family friend, sources in Russia and Syria, and leaked data help give rare insight into life of dictator’s reclusive householdIn 2011, a group of teenage boys spray-painted a warning on to a wall in their school playground: “It’s your turn, Doctor.” The graffiti was a thinly veiled threat that Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, a London-trained ophthalmologist, would be next in the line of Arab dictators toppled by the then raging Arab spring.It took 14 years, during which 620,000 were killed and nearly 14 million displaced, but eventually the doctor’s turn came and Assad was deposed, fleeing to Moscow in the middle of the night. Continue reading...

Society

4 d. ago Belgian PM meets Starmer in London as debate continues on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine – Europe live

Bart De Wever will also discuss migration, security and economy ahead of coalition of the willing meeting and EU summit next weekRussia’s central bank said it was suing the Belgium-based Euroclear financial group, which holds Moscow’s frozen international reserves, as the EU moves closer to using the funds to support Ukraine, AFP reported.The bank said it was filing “a lawsuit against Euroclear in the Moscow Arbitration Court” due to what it called “the illegal actions” of the institution. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago A year after fall of Assad, a divided Syria struggles to escape cycle of violence

While country’s return to global stage has filled many Syrians with pride, domestically old grievances threaten efforts to rebuild the stateLying in bed recovering after his latest surgery, Ayman Ali retells the story of Syria’s revolution through his wounds. His right eye, lost in an attack on a rebel observation post he was manning in 2012, is covered by yellow medical tape. Propped against the wall is a cane he uses to walk, after a rocket attack in 2014 left him with a limp.For 14 years, Ali dreamed of freedom and of justice. A year after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, he has his freedom but not his justice. The man he was dreaming of holding accountable – a member of his extended family who was a part of an Assad militia – had already fled the country by the time Ali returned to his home in Damascus. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago How Russian drones targeting civilians are turning one Ukrainian city into a 'human safari'

Ukrainians in the southern city of Kherson live in constant fear of Russian drone attacks

Events

3 w. ago US optimistic over Ukraine peace deal talks but ‘a few delicate details’ remain

Ukrainian official cites ‘common understanding’, but no sign territorial concessions or security guarantees are agreedEurope live – latest updatesDiscussions involving US, Russian and Ukrainian officials are taking place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the latest step in the Trump administration’s attempts to push through a peace deal to end the conflict in Ukraine.The White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, put an optimistic spin on the talks, claiming the US had made “tremendous progress” on finding a resolution. There were “a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details” that needed to be ironed out which would require further talks, she said in a post on X. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago EU imposes sanctions on Russian prison officials responsible for death of Ukrainian journalist

Viktoriia Roshchyna died aged 27 after a year in extrajudicial detention at a jail notorious for tortureEurope live – latest updatesThe European Union has imposed sanctions against Russian prison officials responsible for the death of the Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna.Roshchyna was reporting on Russia’s systematic policy of extrajudicial detention and torture in occupied parts of Ukraine, before falling victim to it herself. She died at the age of 27 last year after more than a year in Russian captivity. Her body was returned earlier this year with some of the internal organs missing. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Zelenskyy to meet US army secretary after American and Russian officials draft plan to end war – Europe live

The draft plan, reportedly developed by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev, would force draconian measures on UkraineIn the last hour, Ukraine said it had received from Russia the remains of 1,000 people that Moscow said were killed Ukrainian soldiers, in the latest repatriation – a rare area of cooperation between the warring sides, AFP reported.“Today, repatriation measures took place. 1000 bodies, claimed by the Russian side to belong to Ukrainian servicemen, were returned to Ukraine,” Kyiv’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on social media. Continue reading...

Society

3 w. ago Ukraine’s PM hosts US army secretary after American and Russian officials draft plan to end war – Europe live

The draft plan, reportedly developed by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev, would force draconian measures on UkraineIn the last hour, Ukraine said it had received from Russia the remains of 1,000 people that Moscow said were killed Ukrainian soldiers, in the latest repatriation – a rare area of cooperation between the warring sides, AFP reported.“Today, repatriation measures took place. 1000 bodies, claimed by the Russian side to belong to Ukrainian servicemen, were returned to Ukraine,” Kyiv’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on social media. Continue reading...

Society

3 w. ago Poland detains several people in connection with rail sabotage as foreign minister condemns Russian ‘state terrorism’ – Europe live

Radosław Sikorski says Poland will respond to the weekend’s incidents ‘not only diplomatically’, and will withdraw consent for last Russian consulate in the countryThe Dutch economy minister said he had moved to take effective control of Nexperia to ensure Europe was not locked out of chip production “in an emergency”.He said the decision to lift the legal move to prevent Nexperia from moving intellectual property and physical assets from its European factory in Hamburg and its corporate headquarters in Nijmegen was the “right step” after consultation with the European Commission and others.“The Netherlands has considered it the right moment to take a constructive step by suspending the order under the Goods Availability Act, in close consultation with European and international partners. The Netherlands will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with the Chinese authorities in the period ahead.” Continue reading...

Politics