97 m. ago Trump’s Russia sanctions refusal leaves Europe with few options but to wait

Frustration is growing amid increasing signs US could wash its hands of Ukraine, but some observers counsel patienceGen Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump’s somewhat estranged special envoy on Ukraine, is said by some US diplomats to like to joke that the president did indeed say he would solve the Ukraine crisis in 24 hours, he just never specified which 24 hours.Dark humour may be all that is left to Europeans as they absorb not just Trump’s refusal to impose the promised “bone-crushing sanctions” over Russia’s rejection of a 30-day ceasefire but also the increasing signs that the administration will wash its hands of Ukraine and instead focus on forging a new economic partnership with Russia. Continue reading...

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15 h. ago Trump’s involvement in Ukraine peace talks ‘giving Putin more power’, Yulia Navalnaya says

Widow of the late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny said Trump speaking to Putin “like they’re equal” is making him more powerful

Politics

20 h. ago Trump hints at 'something big' coming in Ukraine and reveals 'major prisoner swap' between Russia and Kyiv believed to involve 1,000 from each side

Donald Trump has hinted at 'something big' coming in Ukraine and revealed that Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to hand over 1,000 prisoners of war from both sides. 

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23 h. ago Trump hints at 'something big' coming in Ukraine and reveals 'major prisoner swap' between Russia and Kyiv believed to involve 1,000 from each side

Donald Trump has hinted at 'something big' coming in Ukraine and revealed that Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to hand over 1,000 prisoners of war from both sides. 

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23 h. ago Ukrainian official says major prisoner swap with Russia is underway

A senior Ukrainian officials says an exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine from their more than three-year war is underway

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44 h. ago Trump 'told Zelensky that Ukraine and Russia will need to reach a peace deal themselves' after his bombshell phone call with Putin in clearest sign yet he is ready to walk away from ceasefire talks

US president Donald Trump has reportedly told Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders they would have to find a solution to the invasion of Ukraine themselves. 

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57 h. ago Canada is talking to the US about joining its ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense system, Carney says

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government is talking to the U.S. about joining President Donald Trump’s future Golden Dome missile defense program

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65 h. ago The Guardian view on Russia sanctions: a brittle economy is Putin’s weakness | Editorial

Ukraine’s allies must dial up sanctions to expose the fragility of the Kremlin’s strategy for perpetual warDonald Trump’s pledge to end the war in Ukraine on the first day of his second term as US president was a sign of his unsuitability as a peace broker. A clearer sign was his apparent sympathy with Vladimir Putin. Mr Trump’s tone regarding the Russian president has cooled somewhat on the discovery that the conflict cannot be frozen by White House diktat. There are hints of recognition that the peace process is failing because the Kremlin is cynically playing for time. Sadly, any such insight hasn’t evolved into outrage at the criminal aggression that started the war in the first place.Accounts of a telephone call between the two leaders earlier this week indicate no increase in American pressure on Russia. Mr Trump’s impatience with the whole issue seems likelier to result in him walking away. Mr Putin relishes that prospect.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this ar...

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2 d. ago Donald Trump's Golden Dome will spark dangerous retaliation from Russia

Donald Trump unveiled concepts for his £400 billion Golden Dome missile defence program at the White House, which he hopes will be "fully operational" before the end of his term in 2029

Politics

3 d. ago How Trump's $175billion Golden Dome missile defence can make US 'invulnerable' to nukes from China, Russia, or North Korea

Such a defence programme is 'long overdue' and 'absolutely necessary' amid growing threats from China, North Korea and Russia, experts have warned.

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3 d. ago Trump unveils plans for $175 billion ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence system

The US President expects the programme will be ‘fully operational’ by 2029 to counter threats from Russia and China

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3 d. ago Vatican peace talks and a threatened ‘red line’ – what comes after the Trump

Volodymyr Zelensky accuses the Kremlin of trying to ‘buy time’ as Vladimir Putin agrees to work towards a memorandum with Kyiv, but no 30-day ceasefire

Politics

3 d. ago With little progress after phone calls and talks, Ukraine's allies hit Russia with new sanctions

Kyiv’s European allies have slapped new sanctions on Moscow, a day after a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to produce a breakthrough on ending the 3-year-old war in Ukraine

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3 d. ago Donald Trump branded 'desperate' after making surprising statement about Russia

Donald Trump has been branded 'desperate' for a Nobel Peace Prize after issuing a surprising statement on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, following a phone call with Vladimir Putin

Politics

3 d. ago UK and Europe target Russia with major sanctions after Putin

Sanctions are aimed at entities supporting Russia’s military machine after call failed to deliver meaningful concessionsWar in Ukraine – live updatesThe UK and Europe have announced major sanctions against Russia as it became clear that Monday’s call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had failed to deliver any meaningful concessions from Moscow.The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accused Russia of “trying to buy time in order to continue its war and occupation”. Continue reading...

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4 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...

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4 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...

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4 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 'Humiliated' Trump will let Putin off the hook on Ukraine to get Russia trade deal, says Ben Wallace

The Former Defence Secretary made the prediction after a two-hour phone call between the US president and Russian leader

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...

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