2 h. ago US and Russia peace plan: Six things you need to know ahead of talks on Ukraine

US special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Moscow next week after US officials met with Ukrainian counterparts to discuss a heavily-criticised plan put forward by Donald Trump

Politics

12 h. ago Putin refuses to budge on demand for Ukrainian territory ahead of talks with US in Moscow

Russian president says peace plan proposed by US could form the ‘basis’ of an agreement to end conflict but will not give up maximalist demands

Politics

20 h. ago Putin sees US peace plan as a starting point as he warns Ukraine's army to withdraw

Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged U.S. proposals to end the war in Ukraine as a starting point for talks

Events

43 h. ago Von der Leyen warns against ‘carving up’ of Ukraine amid crunch US

Commission president says undermining of sovereign European nation would ‘open the doors for more wars’The European Commission president has warned against “the unilateral carving up of a sovereign European nation” as Europe scrambles to assert influence over the US’s attempt to end the war in Ukraine.Speaking to European lawmakers in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen said Russia showed “no signs of true willingness to end the conflict” and continued to operate in a mindset unchanged since the days of Yalta – the much-criticised and misunderstood 1945 summit to settle the postwar order. Continue reading...

Events

45 h. ago Putin trying to negotiate an end to Ukraine war as he cannot win it on battlefield, says EU’s Kallas – Europe live

EU’s foreign policy chief says ‘there’s one aggressor and one victim’ in conflict amid US push to end the warIn case you missed it, US president Donald Trump defended his peace envoy Steve Witkoff overnight after Bloomberg reported that he allegedly advised Putin’s aide Ushakov on how to speak with Trump and conduct the talks.Trump did not appear too bothered by it, though. Continue reading...

Events

46 h. ago Russia welcomes ‘aspects’ of new US plan to end Ukraine war – Europe live

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov says other parts of plan, which has not been published, ‘require special discussions among experts’In case you missed it, US president Donald Trump defended his peace envoy Steve Witkoff overnight after Bloomberg reported that he allegedly advised Putin’s aide Ushakov on how to speak with Trump and conduct the talks.Trump did not appear too bothered by it, though. Continue reading...

Events

47 h. ago EU chief warns against ‘unilateral carving up of nation’ with Ukraine deal – Europe live

Comments by Ursula von der Leyen come as Europe scrambles to respond to US efforts to end the warIn case you missed it, US president Donald Trump defended his peace envoy Steve Witkoff overnight after Bloomberg reported that he allegedly advised Putin’s aide Ushakov on how to speak with Trump and conduct the talks.Trump did not appear too bothered by it, though. Continue reading...

Events

50 h. ago Ukraine hopes to ride Trump’s carousel of chaos into a peace deal – but Putin is still in charge

The latest round of talks about peace may be drifting Ukraine’s way but Russia is still very active behind the scenes, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley

Politics

52 h. ago How Trump’s ‘drone guy’ has become key figure in Ukraine peace talks

His charm offensive has caused Trump to include the Iraq War veteran in more talks

Politics

61 h. ago US to send envoy to Moscow to discuss proposals to end Ukraine war

Despite recent efforts and White House optimism, recent negotiations have failed to secure a breakthrough on key issuesDonald Trump said he would send special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss developing proposals to end the Ukraine war, but despite White House optimism there was little sign of progress on core sticking points.The US president said negotiations had left “only a few remaining points of disagreement” but there was no breakthrough on the issues of territorial control and security guarantees and he dampened expectations of immediate peace summits. Continue reading...

Events

62 h. ago Trump sends top envoy to Russia to finalise US peace plan for Ukraine

President’s comments come as Moscow signals it could reject proposal that differs from Alaska talks

Politics

65 h. ago Ukraine and US agree ‘essence’ of peace deal as Trump says ‘we’re getting very close’

But any deal would still require agreement from Russia

Politics

65 h. ago Ukraine and US edge towards peace deal as Trump says ‘We’re getting very close’

Kyiv has said it supports “the essence” of a peace plan while stressing there were still issues to address

Politics

65 h. ago Ukraine has shown the US a viable peace deal – but can Trump shake off Putin’s influence?

The latest round of talks about peace may be drifting Ukraine’s way but it’s a carousel of chaos, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley

Politics

66 h. ago Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready to move forward with US plan and discuss ‘sensitive points’ with Trump

Ukrainian leader says that talks should also include European allies; Trump says deal is closeUS optimistic over Ukraine peace deal talks but ‘a few delicate details’ remainIn other EU related news, a top European court on Tuesday ruled that an EU nation had to recognise a gay marriage recorded in another member state, after a complaint by two Poles married in Germany.The couple, one of whom also has German nationality, were living there and married in Berlin in 2018, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).The spouses in question, as EU citizens, enjoy the freedom to move and reside within the territory of the member states and the right to lead a normal family life when exercising that freedom and upon returning to their member state of origin.“Sweden’s defence needs to be strengthened against threats such as robots, drones and helicopters. The best way to guarantee peace and freedom is to invest in defence. The orders also contribute to growth, jobs and security of supply. It also imp...

Politics

67 h. ago Ukraine talks ‘moving in positive direction’ in allied meeting, PM says

The Prime Minister said Ukraine had ‘proposed some constructive changes’.

Politics

68 h. 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

2 d. ago Ukraine ‘supports essence of peace deal’ following Geneva talks, Ukrainian official reportedly says

Official tells Reuters news agency sensitive issues still to be discussed between Zelenskyy and TrumpIn other EU related news, a top European court on Tuesday ruled that an EU nation had to recognise a gay marriage recorded in another member state, after a complaint by two Poles married in Germany.The couple, one of whom also has German nationality, were living there and married in Berlin in 2018, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).The spouses in question, as EU citizens, enjoy the freedom to move and reside within the territory of the member states and the right to lead a normal family life when exercising that freedom and upon returning to their member state of origin.“Sweden’s defence needs to be strengthened against threats such as robots, drones and helicopters. The best way to guarantee peace and freedom is to invest in defence. The orders also contribute to growth, jobs and security of supply. It also improves the possibilities of increasing production capacity in the defence...

Politics

3 d. ago Russia signals it could reject modified US peace plan for Ukraine

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov suggests Moscow would walk away from proposal that differs substantially from Alaska talks

Politics

3 d. ago US & Russia meet for ‘secret talks’ over Trump’s peace plan as Putin unleashes brutal strikes on Ukraine killing 6

WASHINGTON has held secret, high-stakes talks with Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi as Donald Trump’s team races to lock down a reworked peace plan. It comes as Vladimir Putin unleashed one of his most brutal overnight strikes in weeks, killing at least six people. Donald Trump stoked expectations on Monday, hinting that the breakthrough...

Events