51 h. ago Putin persists, Trump dithers – and a just peace for Ukraine still seems a long way off | Olga Chyzh

The US president could embrace the role of peacemaker, or become the patsy who restored Russia’s imperial standingThe past few weeks have seen a flurry of activity billed as progress in the Russia-Ukraine peace process. Yet for Ukrainians, the reality remains unchanged: airstrikes still thunder across their cities, homes still burn, lives are still lost. Against this grim backdrop, the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, has seemed more than content to bask in the literal red-carpet treatment afforded by the president of the United States.Donald Trump, who has anointed himself mediator of this war, has nearly exhausted the lexicon of contradiction. Some days he proclaims that he alone can end this war. Then he insists that peace talks should be left to the two parties. At times he boasts that Putin “respects” him; at others, he castigates Putin for “going absolutely crazy”. This month, Trump vacillated between putting US troops on the table and ruling it out. Now he is reportedly consid...

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62 h. ago Trump suggests Putin and Zelensky 'may have to fight longer' before talks can happen as he casts doubt on peace progress

Trump conducted high stakes meetings with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he seeks to restore peace to the region.

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3 d. ago NATO scrambles warplanes as Putin launches another night of terror on Ukraine with attacks by 537 drones and 45 missiles

The bombardment of 537 drones and 45 missiles unleashed by Russian forces caused yet more death and destruction as civilians and energy and rail facilities were targeted.

Events

3 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: US says strikes ‘cast doubt’ on Russia’s ‘desire for peace’ as Dnipropetrovsk attacked

US diplomat John Kelley tells UN security council Washington could impose sanctions on Moscow if war continues. What we know on day 1,283Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region came under a “massive attack” early on Saturday, the region’s governor said, reporting strikes in Dnipro and Pavlograd. “The region is under a massive attack. Explosions are being heard,” Sergiy Lysak wrote on Telegram, warning residents to take cover. He said overnight Russian strikes killed two people in Dnipropetrovsk, which had been largely spared from intense fighting since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Kyiv acknowledged on Tuesday that Russian troops had entered the region.The United States has warned Russia to move toward peace and meet with Ukraine or face possible sanctions at an emergency meeting of the UN security council called on Friday after missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least 23 people overnight on Thursday. US diplomat John Kelley told the meeting the strikes “cast doubt on the seriousness of Ru...

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4 d. ago EU accuses Putin of undermining peace talks after deadly strikes on Kyiv

All member states except Hungary back statement saying Russian ‘war crimes’ only increase EU support for UkraineEurope live – latest updatesEuropean leaders have accused Vladimir Putin of undermining peace talks, after Russian missile strikes on Kyiv this week killed at least 23 people and damaged diplomatic buildings, including EU and British Council offices.A day of mourning was observed in Kyiv on Friday, after the Russian air attack the day before that killed 23 people, including at least four children. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said eight people were still missing and 53 had been injured. “When instead of diplomacy, Russia chooses ballistics the world must respond accordingly,” he said, urging western allies to impose further sanctions. Continue reading...

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4 d. ago Peace efforts in limbo as Ukraine's capital mourns 23 dead after Russian attack

Officials say the death toll in a major Russian missile and drone strike on the Ukrainian capital has risen to 23, including four children

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5 d. ago Russia’s devastating attack on Kyiv proves Trump’s Ukraine peace plans have failed. It is time for Europe to show leadership

Starmer and EU leaders may express outrage but they need to take more drastic action to help Ukraine beat Putin, writes World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley

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6 d. ago Russian forces break into another region of Ukraine with peace efforts stuck

A Ukrainian military official says Russia’s invading forces have broken into an eighth region of Ukraine, seeking to capture more ground in their three-year war of attrition as U.S.-led peace efforts struggle to gain traction

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6 d. ago Hero Ukrainian soldier has his throat cut and is buried alive by Russian torturers before crawling to safety for FIVE DAYS as he describes comrades being castrated and having eyes gouged out

The 33-year-old National Guard serviceman, identified only as Vladislav, was captured earlier this month near the city of Pokrovsk after Russian forces overran his unit's position.

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6 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russian troops inside Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine says

Fighting under way, Ukrainian military confirms, in central oblast that is not part of Russia’s illegal annexation. What we know on day 1,281Ukraine acknowledged for the first time on Tuesday that Russia’s army had entered the Dnipropetrovsk region, a central administrative area previously spared from intense fighting. “Yes, they have entered, and fighting is ongoing as of now,” said Viktor Tregubov, a spokesperson for Ukrainian forces in Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city. Russian forces have slowly gained ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and southern Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.Separately, Ukraine’s military general staff rejected Moscow’s claims to have fully captured the villages of Zaporizke and Novogeorgiivka just inside Dnipropetrovsk oblast. But battlefield monitor DeepState, which has close ties to Ukraine’s military, said on Tuesday that Russia had “occupied” them and was “consolidating its positions [a...

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7 d. ago Russia being ‘disrespectful’ to Ukraine peace process, Downing Street says

Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said Vladimir Putin and others were stalling peace talks and having ‘unrealistic’ asks.

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7 d. ago Dropped by drones and scattered by rockets: how Ukraine became one of the most heavily mined countries in the world

Unexploded devices delivered by Russian bombardments litter the landscape, killing hundreds of people and forcing residents to avoid roads, parks and forestsIn north-east Ukraine, less than 50km from the Russian border, lies the city of Shostka. In the first months of the full-scale invasion it was blockaded, and ever since has faced constant shelling and drone strikes from the Russian army.But if and when the attacks stop, there will be an invisible danger that will linger for much longer: unexploded devices. Ukraine is now one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, with about a quarter of its territory – an area larger than England – contaminated with explosives. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Police arrest LA burglary crew suspected in nearly 100 break

Los Angeles law enforcement agencies have arrested a burglary crew linked to nearly 100 break-ins across the region

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7 d. ago Why another 2 MILLION Russians will have to die for Putin to save face in Ukraine: The horrifying numbers of a never

The claim comes as US President Donald Trump pushes Ukraine to accept a peace deal on Moscow's terms, warning that otherwise Kyiv risks losing the war.

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8 d. ago Norway's leader is the latest to visit Ukraine as Trump weighs peace options

Norway’s prime minister says his country's multibillion-dollar military and civilian support for Ukraine’s fight to defeat Russia’s invasion will stretch into next year

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9 d. ago Russia accuses Ukraine of strike on nuclear plant in wave of drone attacks

Moscow says operating capacity of reactor at Kursk site reduced by 50% as Kyiv celebrates independence dayMoscow has accused Kyiv of launching dozens of drone attacks, including one that sparked a fire at a nuclear power plant, as Ukrainians marked 34 years since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union.The drone attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant in western Russia, 37 miles (60km) from the border with Ukraine, caused damage to an auxiliary transformer and forced a 50% reduction in the operating capacity of a reactor, Russian authorities said. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the alleged attack. Continue reading...

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9 d. ago ‘Doesn’t feel like peace to me’: Ukrainians in the UK fear war will never end after Trump

‘Unless Ukraine is given real security guarantees, the war will resume,’ warn citizens who fled the country when Russia invaded

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9 d. ago Moscow blames Ukraine drone attack for nuclear power plant fire

Despite talk of peace by Russia and Ukraine, the war is continuing along the 2,000 km front line

Events

9 d. ago Pentagon has blocked Ukraine from striking deep inside Russia – report

Wall Street Journal says move is part of Trump administration’s effort to get Putin into peace talksUS defense officials have blocked Ukraine from using US-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia since late spring as part of a Trump administration effort to get Vladimir Putin to engage in peace talks , according to a report on Saturday.The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon has blocked Ukraine from using US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems, or Atacms. Continue reading...

Events

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...

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