56 h. ago ‘Every day there is shelling’: Ukrainian border town torn between hope and despair

Mayor of Bilopillya, where nine people were killed in strike on bus, says Russia has shown it does not care about talksEven before the Russian strike on a shuttle bus travelling from his frontline town at the weekend, the mayor of Bilopillya, Yuri Zarko, was very sceptical that Vladimir Putin’s agreement to direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul would lead to peace.The strike, which killed nine people including five over 60, only confirmed his conviction that talks to end the war were going nowhere and Ukraine had a challenging time ahead. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. 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 Putin visited the Kursk region for the first time since Russia said it expelled Ukrainian forces

Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the Kursk region for the first time since Russia said it expelled Ukrainian forces from the area in April

Politics

4 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

Events

4 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

4 d. ago Vladimir Putin flaunts £1,000 Swiss smart watch as he ditches Russia's own brands

Russian President Vladimir Putin has seemingly turned his back on his own decree over buying Russian-made products, having gone and spaffed a lot of cash on a Swiss smart watch

Economics

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...

Events

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...

Events

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

5 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

5 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

5 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

5 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

6 d. ago Vladimir Putin 'thinks Russia is winning in Ukraine because his generals are lying to him'

Russia has suffered around a million casualties since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Putin is not being given a full picture, western sources believe

Politics

6 d. ago ‘We will pay a huge price’: Ukraine fears war could drag on for years

Kyiv officials believe Moscow is not interested in peace despite talks in Istanbul and Trump’s interventionUkrainian officials believe a largely stalemated war of attrition with Russia is likely to continue for several more years, despite international efforts pushed by Donald Trump to end the fighting.After the inconclusive breakup of the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul on Friday, and despite the US president’s planned calls with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they see no evidence that Moscow is serious about peace. Continue reading...

Economics

6 d. ago Russia launches one of biggest drone attacks on Ukraine since start of war, killing at least 1

Russia overnight into Sunday launched one of its most intense drone attacks on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022

Events

7 d. ago Russia spy warning over claims Vladimir Putin's agents are 'disguised as lost tourists'

Vladimir Putin's Russian spies are posing as lost tourists as a spy agency warned citizens to keep an eye out for Kremlin agents lurking in their own neighbourhoods

Events

8 d. ago PM speaks to Trump, Zelensky and European allies to ‘align’ response to Russia

It came as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met face to face for the first time since Moscow’s invasion.

Politics

9 d. ago Watch live: Zelensky holds press conference after Putin shuns Russia Ukraine peace talks in Turkey

Watch live as Volodymyr Zelensky holds a press conference after Vladimir Putin shuned Russia Ukraine peace talks in Turkey on Thursday (15 May).

Politics

9 d. ago Malaysian PM raises downing of MH17 with Putin as captain’s son calls for justice

Vladimir Putin dismisses claims Russia was reluctant to cooperate in the investigation with ‘impartial’ bodies

Politics