8 d. ago Archbishop who met with Putin admits he made a mistake by not calling for end to Ukraine war

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA leaders slammed the archbishop’s meeting with Putin as ‘a betrayal of the Gospel of Christ’

Politics

1 week ago Trump again mulls Russia sanctions as Ukraine peace remains elusive one week after Alaska summit

Russia’s foreign minister says no meeting planned between Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr ZelenskyyDonald Trump renewed a threat to impose sanctions on Russia if there was no progress toward a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, as Moscow said there remained “no meeting planned” between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.“I’m going to make a decision as to what we do and it’s going to be a very important decision, and that’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both, or we do nothing and say it’s your fight,” Trump said, showing apparent frustration at Moscow a week after his meeting with Putin in Alaska. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Europe’s show of unity at the White House is a plus for Ukraine, but peace is still a distant dream | Andrey Kurkov

As Russian drones and missiles continue to rain down death, the prospect of a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting seems unlikelyIt was night in Ukraine when President Trump met President Putin in Alaska – a night during which Russia shelled only frontline Ukrainian cities. People in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro and even Kharkiv could sleep, but they did not. They were waiting for news from Alaska. I was also awake and watching the news feed, aware that this meeting would lead to nothing, or worse, something bad for Ukraine. But in difficult, seemingly hopeless situations, human nature is prone to desperate optimism. In the middle ages, people often hoped for a miracle, forgetting about the logic of events. So, the night of 15 August was a night of hope for a miracle, which, of course, did not happen.Unlike on the eve of the Alaska meeting, in Ukraine, there was no particular tension in the buildup to the meeting of European leaders at the White House on Monday, despite images of a hugely powerful ...

Events

1 week ago Vladimir Putin launches hypersonic attack in worst raid since Alaska summit

Russia hit Ukraine with one of its heaviest missile and drone of the war so far, forcing NATO to scramble fighter jets just days after Vladimir Putin travelled to meet Donald Trump in Alaska

Politics

1 week ago Russian forces seen donning U.S. flags as experts say 'Trump has rewarded Putin'

Geopolitical analysts say "Alaska [meeting] has emboldened Putin" as images show Russian vehicles wave the U.S. flag

Politics

2 w. ago There is no ‘Trump Doctrine’ in foreign policy. Just chaos | Sidney Blumenthal

The recent summit meeting in Alaska between Trump and Putin was nothing short of a theater of the absurdAll the elaborate efforts of the European allies to prevent Donald Trump from prostrating himself before Vladimir Putin came to naught at their summit meeting in Alaska. Flattering, coddling and petting the big baby appeared to have been in vain. Before the 15 August summit, the Europeans persuaded Trump to impose new sanctions if Putin would not agree to a ceasefire, which would serve as a prerequisite for any negotiations. But Trump willfully tossed policy like a stuffed animal out of the window of “the Beast,” the presidential car as he eagerly invited Putin to join him for a triumphant chariot ride.The Europeans scrambled once again, trying to get the addled Trump back on the page he was on before the summit. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sped to Washington to confer with Trump to try to pick up the pieces. At their last encounter, Trump jibed: “You don’t have any ...

Events

2 w. ago Trump sees bump in approval rating after meeting with Russia’s Putin

President enjoys uptick in support after meeting Vladimir Putin in Alaska for talks on ending Ukraine war

Politics

2 w. ago Can Europe’s leaders drag Trump’s Ukraine policy back on track? – Today in Focus Extra podcast

The Guardian’s senior international correspondent Julian Borger on why a ‘dream team’ of Europe’s leaders will flank Zelensky today as he travels to Washington. Can they convince Trump to listen to the Ukrainian president?Last week, the US president, Donald Trump, flew to Anchorage, Alaska, to meet the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. All guns blazing, Trump promised there would be consequences if he did not get the ceasefire he had come for. But after spending three hours in the subartic chill with Putin, a former KGB handler, he seemed to change. He said he agreed with Putin that a long-term peace settlement was more urgent than a ceasefire, and ruled out Ukraine joining Nato.Europe’s key leaders have responded by ripping up their schedules and insisting on joining Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he travels to Washington for his own meeting with Trump, the Guardian’s senior international correspondent Julian Borger explains. Helen Pidd asks what hope this “dream team” of leaders has of c...

Politics

2 w. ago Zelenskyy’s Oval Office mission: court Trump and secure Ukraine’s future

European allies will join White House meeting days after Putin’s red carpet welcome in Alaska

Events

2 w. ago I used to run the Foreign Office. This is my advice for today’s extraordinary White House meeting

With so much at stake for Europe, the most important thing is to choose a lead speaker. I’d go with Starmer or RutteSimon McDonald was permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, 2015-2020, and is now a crossbench peerLast week’s extraordinary summit meeting in Alaska is being followed today by an even more extraordinary international conference in Washington. None of the participants knew they were going to take part two days ago. In recent decades, diplomacy has been increasingly conducted in ad hoc contact groups – but the group of seven countries (the US, Ukraine, the UK, Germany, Finland, Italy and France) and two international organisations (Nato and the EU) has never met in this way before.Officials will be preparing in the usual way, assembling briefing packs and writing talking points, aiming to please their bosses and, hopefully, allowing them to make the most effective intervention. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago I used to run the Foreign Office. This is my advice for today’s extraordinary White House meeting | Simon McDonald

With so much at stake for Europe, the most important thing is to choose a lead speaker. I’d go with Starmer or RutteSimon McDonald was permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, 2015-2020, and is now a crossbench peerLast week’s extraordinary summit meeting in Alaska is being followed today by an even more extraordinary international conference in Washington. None of the participants knew they were going to take part two days ago. In recent decades, diplomacy has been increasingly conducted in ad hoc contact groups – but the group of seven countries (the US, Ukraine, the UK, Germany, Finland, Italy and France) and two international organisations (Nato and the EU) has never met in this way before.Officials will be preparing in the usual way, assembling briefing packs and writing talking points, aiming to please their bosses and, hopefully, allowing them to make the most effective intervention. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago Trump rules out Ukraine reclaiming Crimea or joining Nato as European leaders gather in Washington

US president’s comments may prove a setback for Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he flies to US for crucial Oval Office meeting in wake of Alaska summitDonald Trump has put pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of Monday’s talks in Washington with European leaders, saying the Ukrainian president could end the war “almost immediately” if he wanted to. The US president also ruled out allowing Ukraine to join Nato or retake Russian-occupied Crimea as part of negotiations with Moscow.Trump posted the remarks on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, hours before he was due to meet European leaders including Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, and Zelenskyy at the Oval Office in a bid to counter a reportedly US-backed plan that would see Ukraine give up territory. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Moment flustered Putin winces as he's bombarded with questions from the free press asking him if he will 'stop killing civilians'

Sat alongside Donald Trump ahead of their meeting in Alaska on Friday, Vladimir Putin looked visibly uncomfortable as he was queried about a possible ceasefire in Ukraine.

Events

2 w. ago Zelenskyy says territorial swaps not possible under Ukrainian constitution ahead of White House meeting – live

Steve Witkoff says Russian president agreed to allow US and European allies to offer Ukraine security guarantee and also unspecified concessions on five Ukrainian regionsGermany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, will also be travelling to Washington tomorrow for the Trump-Zelenskyy talks, according to the federal government.The chancellor’s spokesperson has been quoted by BBC News as having said:The trip will serve as an exchange of information with US President Donald Trump following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.Chancellor Merz will discuss the status of peace efforts with the heads of state and government and underscore Germany’s interest in a swift peace agreement in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago Watch: US fighter jets escort Putin out of Alaska after Trump summit

The Kremlin has released footage of Vladimir Putin being escorted out of Alaska by US fighter jets after his meeting with Donald Trump on Friday (15 Aug).

Politics

2 w. ago Putin ‘immediately’ read Melania Trump’s letter in front of delegates at Alaska summit, report claims

The first lady’s letter addressed the “plight of children in Ukraine and Russia”

Politics

2 w. ago Trump and Zelensky to meet at the White House Monday as fallout from Putin Alaska summit continues. Here’s what to expect

Trump spoke with Zelensky for more than 90 minutes after his Alaska meeting with Putin

Politics

2 w. ago Putin demands full control of Donetsk and Luhansk as condition for ending Ukraine war – live

Putin told Trump he would halt further advances and freeze Ukrainian frontline where Russian forces occupy significant areas, sources sayZelenskyy to meet Trump on Monday after Putin summit briefingUkraine’s president has said he will fly to Washington on Monday to meet Donald Trump following the Alaska summit amid speculation that the US president will ask him to cede territory to end the war.Next week’s meeting will mark the first return to the White House for Volodymyr Zelenskyy since his infamous row with Trump and the vice-president, JD Vance, in the Oval Office in February. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump reportedly backs Ukrainian land concession in peace plan with Putin – live

Putin in return offered ceasefire across Ukraine and written promise to not attack again, according to senior officialsZelenskyy to meet Trump on Monday after Putin summit briefingAt the Alaska summit, Putin demanded Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk as a condition for ending the war, but offered Trump a freeze along the remaining frontline, two sources with direct knowledge of the talks told the Guardian.Although Luhansk is almost entirely under Russian control, Ukraine still holds key parts of Donetsk, including the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk and heavily fortified positions whose defence has cost tens of thousands of lives. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Donald Trump tells Ukraine's president to 'get a deal done' with Vladimir Putin

Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin during a historic meeting with his Russian counterpart in Alaska on Friday in the hopes of reaching an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.

Politics