A Ukrainian journalist is released from Russian custody in occupied Crimea
Ukrainian Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko was released Sunday after more than four years in Russian custody in Crimea, according to RFE/RL.
Yesypenko was arrested and jailed on March 10, 2021, in Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, on suspicion of gathering intelligence for Ukraine, a charge he denied.
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Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Putin condemns U.S. strikes on Iran as unprovoked and unjustified
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday condemned the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran ahead of a meeting with Iran's top diplomat, describing the strikes as 'absolutely unprovoked,' but he has so far stopped short of any more concrete measures to assist Russia's regional ally. The U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran have underscored Putin's declining capacity to influence events in the Middle East — once a key plank of his foreign policy — with the fall of the Assad regime in Syria last year, Moscow's cooler relations with Israel and Putin's failed effort to convince President Donald Trump that he could be a mediator in the Iran crisis.
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
U.S.-Iran Live: Putin Condemns US Strike As Iran Threatens 'Gambler' Trump
June 23, 6.30 a.m. EDT Russian President condemned the U.S. military's strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, calling it an 'absolutely unprovoked act of aggression against Iran; it has no basis or justification,' after meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow. The latest remarks from Putin is a shift from the more muted initial response to the strikes on its ally by Moscow, as it remains entangled in its own conflict in Ukraine. 'For our part, we are making efforts to assist the Iranian people,' the Russian president added, although it is unclear what kind of support would Moscow be willing provide Iran. June 23, 5 a.m. EDT At an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors, the UN agency's chief Rafael Grossi said the US strikes likely caused 'very significant damage' to Iran's underground Fordow nuclear site. 'Given the explosive payload utilized, and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,' Grossi said. Grossi said Iran told the IAEA that 'there was no increase off-site radiation levels' at any of the three plants struck by U.S. forces. 4 a.m. EDT Beijing has emerged as one of the more vocal international critics of the U.S. strikes on Iran, with its foreign ministry saying the move 'seriously violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and escalates tensions in the Middle East.' China's ambassador to the UN, Fu Cong, told state media that 'Iran is harmed, but also harmed is U.S. credibility — as a country and as a party to any international negotiations.' Fu added: 'China is deeply concerned about the risk of the situation getting out of parties to the conflict, Israel in particular, should immediately cease fire to prevent a spiraling escalation and to resolutely avoid the spillover of the war.' 3 a.m. EDT Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and told reporters that his country has 'shared concerns, worries, and adversaries with Russia.' Speaking about the strikes Araghchi said, the U.S. and Israeli actions 'have serious consequences and create problems not only for Iran, but also for the region, for the international community, and for international law.' 2 a.m. EDT Iranian military officials warned that the U.S. strikes will be met with a 'decisive response,' as the country's army chief, Major General Amir Hatami, accused America of 'committing crimes' against the Iranian state. In a separate televised statement, an Iranian military spokesperson addressed the U.S. President directly and said: 'Gambler Trump, you can start this war, but we will be the ones who end it.' June 22, 11 p.m. EDT The U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center issued an advisory on Sunday, warning that the U.S. strikes on Iran were a 'significant regional development, escalating concerns for the maritime industry operating in the Arabian Gulf and adjacent waters.' The center said 'the maritime threat level remains ELEVATED' and recent events create 'ongoing uncertainty in the maritime domain,' however, U.S.-associated vessels 'have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz without interruption, which is a positive sign for the immediate future.' 10:30 p.m. EDT According to NBC News, Iran sent a message to President Donald Trump through an intermediary during last week's G7 summit, warning that it would activate sleeper-cells to carry out terror attacks inside the U.S. 10 p.m. EDT In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Donald Trump claimed Iran's nuclear sites sustained 'Monumental Damage' from the U.S. strikes, citing satellite images. The president added: 'Obliteration is an accurate biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!' 9:30 p.m. EDT Earlier on Sunday, the president raised the prospect of regime change in Iran, despite other officials in his administration insisting that the U.S. was not seeking such a thing. In a post, Trump wrote 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' A short while later, Trump wrote that the B-2 bomber pilots who struck Iran 'have just landed, safely, in Missouri.' 12 p.m. EDT Iran launched about 40 missiles at targets in Israel, the Associated Press confirmed, injuring 23 people, while the Israeli Air Force struck targets in four cities across Iran, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a statement on X, dropping munitions on targets including command centers and missile strikes killed at least seven members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and two conscripts, The New York Times reported, citing Iranian state-affiliated media. 10 a.m. EDT Vice President JD Vance told 'Meet the Press' the U.S. was 'not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear program,' adding the U.S. has 'no interest in boots on the ground.' 'I certainly empathize with Americans who are exhausted after 25 years of foreign entanglements in the Middle East,' Vance said, adding 'I understand the concern, but the difference is that back then we had dumb presidents, and now we have a president that actually knows how to accomplish America's national security objectives,' taking an apparent swipe at former President George W. Bush, whom Trump has blasted for years over his handling of the invasion of Iraq. Vance also responded to criticism from members of Congress who condemned the administration for making the strike without seeking congressional approval, insisting that 'the idea that this was outside of presidential authority, I think any real, serious, legal person would tell you that's not true.' 8 a.m. EDT 'This mission was not, and has not been about regime change,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference, calling the strike a 'precision operation.' Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine announced the mission's codename was 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' which involved strikes with massive ordnance penetrator bombs, Tomahawk missiles and a decoy operation. Caine said the military was unaware of any shots fired at the U.S. bombers on the way into Iran or on the way out after dropping their payloads. June 21, 10 p.m. EDT Trump addressed the nation in a brief speech from the White House, claiming that 'the strikes were a spectacular military success.' He warned Iran against retaliating, saying the U.S. was prepared to strike more targets should that happen. 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,' Trump said. June 21, 7:50 p.m. EDT Trump in a Truth Social post announced the U.S. struck the 'Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan' nuclear sites in Iran, noting 'A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.' The strike was conducted by seven B2 Spirit bombers that took off from an Air Force base in Missouri overnight, Hegseth and Caine said Sunday. One of those bombers dropped two massive ordnance penetrators on a nuclear facility in Fordo at 2:10 a.m. local time, Caine said—the first of 14 bombs dropped across Iran. Additionally, a submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at the nuclear facility in Esfahan around 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Caine said. Caine added the operation also involved launching more bombers to the Pacific as a decoy, which he called an 'effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders.' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the U.S. operation an 'outrageous, grave, and unprecedented violation of the fundamental principles of the charter of the United Nations and international law.' Araghchi condemned Trump for what he called 'abusing our commitment to diplomacy' and 'deceiv[ing] his own voters' after campaigning to end 'forever wars' in the Middle East. The U.N. Security Council scheduled a 3 p.m. EDT emergency meeting at the behest of the Iranian government, the Associated Press reported Sunday morning. 'American deterrence is back,' Hegseth said. 'We will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened.' The escalation in the Middle East began on June 13 after Israel launched a surprise campaign of airstrikes at key Iranian nuclear facilities, initially killing at least 78 people. Iran responded by launching volleys of missiles at Israeli targets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The two adversaries continued to exchange strikes over the course of the week, but the U.S. initially stayed out of the conflict. On Thursday, Trump abruptly announced he would make a decision about joining Israel's war against the Middle Eastern nation within two weeks, urging Iran to make a deal. The U.S. and Iran had spent weeks attempting to negotiate a new nuclear deal in Oman, but the talks were suspended after the Israeli campaign began.
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
What to expect in the upcoming NATO summit: Trump, spending, Ukraine, Iran
The NATO summit will be held at The Hague in the Netherlands from June 24-25 and a range of defensive issues are expected to be addressed, including expanding national spending commitments, aid to Ukraine, emerging threats from Iran and relations with the U.S. under President Donald Trump. This will be the president's first transatlantic summit since returning to the White House in January, and all eyes are on Trump, who has not shied away from explosive moments with U.S. allies, including at previous NATO summits. Following Saturday's attack by the U.S. against Iran's nuclear facilities, the Islamic Republic of Iran is expected to become one of the leading issues. Here's what's on the agenda: In a statement released one week ahead of the summit, NATO said the "Heads of State and Government are expected to agree [to] a new defense investment plan" after months of speculation the alliance could increase its spending commitments from 2% of a nation's GDP to 5%. The notion was first pushed by Trump after he won the election, and despite the sticker shock of what that could mean for not only the eight nations not yet hitting the 2% commitment, but also the U.S. which currently spends 3.38%, many European leaders got on board. Fox News Digital has not been able to confirm if NATO will increase its commitment to 5%, and some sources with knowledge of the discussions have suggested that figure could be closer to 3.5% over a period of up to 10 years. On Friday, it was announced that Spain was given an opt-out of paying 5%, instead, it will pay 2.1%, according to a report in the Associated Press. "The real focus will be the new defense spending target," Peter Rough, senior fellow and director for the Center on Europe and Eurasia with the Hudson Institute, told Fox News Digital. "5% of gross domestic product as a top-line number – however, only 3.5% must be devoted to hard defense. "And 1.5% can count toward adjacent categories, like cybersecurity or infrastructure for military mobility," he explained ahead of his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding the NATO summit. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has been an ardent supporter of increasing defense spending, particularly as Europe continues to face its greatest threat since World War II. Earlier this month, ahead of a NATO ministerial meeting that served as a walk-up to the NATO summit, Rutte said leaders "will strengthen our deterrence and defense by agreeing ambitious new capability targets." He has detailed missile defense, long-range strike capabilities and deterrence as chief priorities, which comes not only as Russia continues its aggressive war in Ukraine, but as threats levied by a nuclearly ambitious Iran also escalate. The issue of defending Ukraine is once again expected to be a top agenda item and has been a driving force in motivating the NATO alliance to drastically increase spending, which nations under the alliance first did following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, given Trump's consistent push for increased NATO defensive spending, his threats to withdraw troops from Europe and his insistence that Kyiv not be allowed to join the 32-member alliance, Ukraine's defense may not play as big of a front-and-center role this year. "There won't be nearly as much focus on Ukraine as during the past few summits," argued Rough. "The White House is laser-focused on the defense investment pledge, and none of the other allies want to rock the boat." While nations like France, the UK and Germany have taken more direct leadership positions and ardently pledged their continued support for Ukraine, they have also toed the line when it comes to managing transatlantic relationships with Washington under Trump. "I'd expect a short, concise summit declaration with some mention of Ukraine but none of the ornate language that characterized past communiqués," Rough added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend portions of the summit's activities, like the opening dinner, though he is not yet confirmed to attend any official NATO meetings. Reporting suggested Trump could take issue with having Zelenskyy at a NATO event amid seemingly stalled ceasefire negotiations with Russia – which have begun to take a backseat amid the strife between Israel and Iran. Trump has not held back at previous NATO summits when it came to the conflict over Russia, including in 2018 when he openly clashed with then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel when he accused Berlin of being "totally controlled by Russia" and claimed it was a "bad thing for NATO." With the U.S. launching Operation Midnight Hammer against three of Iran's nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan on Saturday, Iran is set to be one of the main topics for discussions by the NATO members as tensions with the regime in Tehran rise. Additionally, Russia continues to pose the greatest threat to Europe, not only as its war ambitions continue in Ukraine, but as intelligence agencies increasingly warn that "Russia's postwar focus will be on NATO." Rough, in his testimony to the Senate, pointed to findings by Germany's Federal Intelligence Agency that said earlier this month that "We see that NATO's collective defense promise is to be tested…We are very sure, and we have intelligence evidence to back this up, that Ukraine is only one step on Russia's path towards the West." Danish intelligence issued similar warnings earlier this year and said that should it find the right opportunity, Russia could launch hostile operations against a neighboring nation within six months of regrouping after a ceasefire in Ukraine. Rutte highlighted the severity of the direct threat Russia poses and said earlier this month during a trip to the UK that if nations do not take seriously the need to invest in the 5% defense spending push, then "you better learn to speak Russian." The alliances Moscow has cemented during its war in Ukraine have also brought to the forefront a very real threat to the West as China, North Korea and Iran have all played a major role in fueling Russia's war machine. China, while it claims neutrality in the war, has staunchly supplied Russia with electronic components critical to modern warfare. Iran has supplied drones and technical know-how, while North Korea has not only provided munitions and military equipment, but boots on the ground for the war. While China and Russia have repeatedly committed their partnership as united against the West, North Korea has become increasingly emboldened and been provided technical know-how for missile development in exchange for its support, which poses a significant threat to not only partners in the East, but Western interests. Rough warned that "Russian President Vladimir Putin remains implacably opposed to the U.S.-European partnership, which he seeks to undermine at every opportunity." Additionally, Rough, citing U.S. military officials in Europe, said it would be a mistake to remove U.S. troops from Europe amid these increasingly united threats against the West. Troop agreements, collective defense and U.S. involvement in deterring Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are all expected to be a major point of discussion.
