44 h. ago What would Russia’s peace deal demands really mean for Ukraine? – visualised

Trump on Monday again failed to persuade Putin to accept a ceasefire in Ukraine as a first step toward a peace deal. But what might a deal even look like, and what would it mean for the Ukrainian people?One of the few explicit peace proposals is a US outline reportedly seen by Reuters last month. It asks Ukraine to accept de jure recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and de facto recognition of its occupation of large parts of several oblasts in the country’s east. On Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Russia is demanding Ukrainian troops abandon five oblasts as a precondition not for peace, but for a ceasefire and the opening of negotiations.Before the war, those oblasts were home to about 11 million Ukrainians. To put that into context, we visualised some broadly comparable populated areas in three European countries and one US state, in each case starting from the north-east corner. The shaded areas represent populations of about 11 million French, British, Italian ...

Economics

63 h. ago European unity against Putin in peril if Trump moves to ease sanctions

EU’s hopes of US increasing pressure on Kremlin have been dashed, and Hungary could yet make situation worseEuropean leaders – who have promised to impose “massive” new sanctions on Russia after Vladimir Putin’s rejection of a ceasefire in Ukraine – face the prospect of having to introduce their planned expansion of economic restrictions on the Russian war economy without the United States.European hopes that Donald Trump might increase the pressure on the Kremlin were dashed after the US president’s two-hour inconclusive phone call with Putin on Monday. Trump did not follow through on previous threats to introduce “large-scale” sanctions on Russia if there was no ceasefire, but instead extolled the prospect of restarting trade with Moscow. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Zelenskyy says Russia ‘trying to buy time to continue war’ – Ukraine war live

Ukrainian president posts on social media after Putin refuses to agree to a ceasefire in phone call with TrumpTrump and Putin hold phone call but Kremlin refuses ceasefireHere’s more of what Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram today.“It is obvious that Russia is trying to buy time to continue the war and occupation,” he said.We have no doubt that the war must end at the negotiating table. There must be clear and realistic proposals on the table. Ukraine is ready for any effective negotiation formats. And if Russia continues to put forward unrealistic conditions and undermine possible results, there must be tough consequences. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Zelenskyy urges more pressure on Russia after no ceasefire agreed in Trump

Ukrainian president says ‘pressure on Russia will push it toward real peace’Trump and Putin hold phone call but Kremlin refuses ceasefireEU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Tuesday called for the United States to take “strong action” against Russia if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.“America said that if Russia doesn’t agree on an unconditional ceasefire, then there are going to be consequences. So we want to see those consequences, also from the US side,” Kallas said at a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels.Putin is clearly playing for time, unfortunately we have to say Putin is not really interested in peace. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Trump’s calls with Putin are worth nothing – no matter how much the US president enjoys them

Donald Trump claims his two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin went ‘very well’, but it is the Russian president who calls the shots, writes Sam Kiley, The Independent’s world affairs editor

Politics

4 d. ago At least 50 Venezuelans sent to El Salvador prison entered US legally, report finds – US politics live

Libertarian thinktank says ‘dozens of legal immigrants were stripped of their status and imprisoned in El Salvador’At least 50 migrants sent to El Salvador prison entered US legally, report findsJD Vance extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican on Monday ahead of a flurry of US-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Associated Press reports. Vance gave the first American pope a letter from Donald Trump and the first lady inviting him. The Chicago-born pope took the letter and put it on his desk and was heard saying “at some point”, in the video footage of the meeting provided by Vatican Media. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also gave the Augustinian pope a copy of two of St Augustine’s most seminal works, The City of God and On Christian Doctrine, the vice-president’s office said. Another gift: A Chicago Bears T-shirt with Leo’s name on it. “As you can probably imag...

Events

4 d. ago Senate Democratic leader introduces bill that would ban Trump’s Qatar

In attempt to stop Donald Trump accepting $400m plane from Qatar, Chuck Schumer launches legislation that would ban US from using foreign aircraft as president’s official planeJD Vance extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican on Monday ahead of a flurry of US-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Associated Press reports. Vance gave the first American pope a letter from Donald Trump and the first lady inviting him. The Chicago-born pope took the letter and put it on his desk and was heard saying “at some point”, in the video footage of the meeting provided by Vatican Media. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also gave the Augustinian pope a copy of two of St Augustine’s most seminal works, The City of God and On Christian Doctrine, the vice-president’s office said. Another gift: A Chicago Bears T-shirt with Leo’s name on it. “As you can probably imagine, people in the ...

Politics

4 d. ago Trump makes sensational Pope announcement on Ukraine peace talks after 'excellent' two

President Donald Trump gave an upbeat readout of his Monday call with Vladimir Putin about ending the brutal war in Ukraine - even urging Russia and Ukraine to use the Pope as a mediator.

Politics

4 d. ago Trump and Putin hold phone call but Kremlin refuses Ukraine ceasefire

Trump describes call as ‘excellent,’ despite Putin’s lack of support for ceasefire that US said was primary objectiveTrump says Russia-Ukraine ceasefire discussions to start immediately but Kremlin denies timeline for talks – liveVladimir Putin and Donald Trump have held a rare phone call, which the US leader described as “excellent,” but the Kremlin refused to agree to a ceasefire in the war with Ukraine, despite pressure from Washington and European allies.Speaking to reporters in Sochi after the two-hour conversation on Monday, Putin described the call as “very meaningful and frank,” and said he was prepared to work with Ukraine on drafting a memorandum for future peace talks. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Putin addresses Russia Ukraine ceasefire hopes after phone call with Trump

Vladimir Putin has said Russia is ready to work towards ending the fighting in Ukraine, following his two-hour phone call with Donald Trump.

Politics

4 d. ago Trump says Russia and Ukraine will 'immediately' begin ceasefire talks after two

Putin made no mention of an immediate ceasefire amid growing pressure from the White House

Politics

4 d. ago Russian propagandists say 'Trump only wants a crown' and brag Putin ‘outplayed everyone’

US President Donald Trump is set for a key phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, as he attempts to secure a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict

Politics

4 d. ago Trump to speak to Putin and Zelenskyy about Ukraine ceasefire – US politics live

Unclear what US president can achieve after direct talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without conclusionTwo high-profile Catholics, Pope Leo XIV and US vice-president JD Vance, were meeting Monday ahead of a flurry of US-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine, AP reported.Vance’s motorcade was seen entering Vatican City just after 7.30am Vance, a Catholic convert, had led the US delegation to the formal Mass opening the pontificate of the first American pope. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Donald Trump 'has got to get on the phone' with Putin as Ukraine ceasefire in doubt

Donald Trump is set to hold separate phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday in a bid to secure a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine

Politics

6 d. ago Trump to talk to Putin on Monday about Ukraine ceasefire proposal and trade

In social media posts, president also slammed Walmart for price increases and spread anti-Clinton conspiracy theoriesDonald Trump has said that he will speak to both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an effort to stop what he called the “bloodbath” war in Ukraine, in a barrage of new social media posts that included baseless conspiracy theories and a demand that Walmart not raise prices for customers because of tariffs he has imposed.Trump, posting on his Truth Social account on Saturday, wrote that he will speak to Putin on Monday morning. “THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE ‘BLOODBATH’ THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK, AND TRADE,” Trump wrote, in his customary all-capitalized prose. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Trump to hold new peace talks with Putin and Zelensky as president vows to 'stop the bloodbath'

Donald Trump says he'll speak with Putin on Monday to stop the Ukraine "bloodbath," claiming over 5,000 soldiers are dying weekly - and hopes to broker a ceasefire.

Politics

6 d. ago Donald Trump confirms time he'll speak to Vladimir Putin for Ukraine ceasefire talks

The US President announced on Truth Social that he has a time set for a call with the Russian hardman - saying "hopefully" a ceasefire will follow

Politics

6 d. ago Ukraine war latest: Trump insists ceasefire will take place after calls with Putin and Zelensky on Monday

Trump says ‘hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war ... will end'

Politics

7 d. ago Russia and Ukraine agree prisoner swap but peace talks fail to make progress

Apart from agreeing to swap 1,000 prisoners each, Moscow sticks to maximalist demands in IstanbulRussia and Ukraine have agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange but failed to reach a breakthrough during their first direct peace talks since 2022, held in Istanbul without either Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Sitting down under pressure from the US president, Donald Trump, Ukraine had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire before the talks. Moscow rejected this, appearing to stick to its maximalist demands, including sweeping restrictions on Ukrainian sovereignty. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Zelenskyy calls for immediate, unconditional ceasefire as Russia and Ukraine officials meet for first direct peace talks since 2022 – live

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine meet in Istanbul for the first direct talks between the two nations since 2022Zelenskyy sends team for peace talks but warns Russia ‘not serious enough’Reuters is reporting that several vehicles have arrived at Dolmabahçe palace in Istanbul, where we are anticipating trilateral talks between Turkey, Ukraine and the US and then between Turkey, Russia and Ukraine.An air alert has sounded in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. Continue reading...

Politics