Saudi-hosted talks bring US and Ukraine together for peace efforts
In this episode of W News, presented by Leigh-Ann Gerrans, we bring you the latest from the talks in Saudi Arabia between US and Ukrainian officials, part of ongoing efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Guests:
Anna Borshchevskaya - Russia expert
Dasha Chernyshova - Correspondent in Moscow
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Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Russian strikes kill one in southern Ukraine
Russia airstrikes killed one person and wounded two others in Ukraine's southern region of Kherson, local officials said Thursday. One person was killed in a strike on the village of Tavriyske, the region's governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram. Guided bombs hit a residential building, wounding another man, aged 34, Kherson's military administration said. And in the Korabelny district overnight Russian bombing wounded a woman in her 70s, Kherson council reported on Telegram. Russian strikes target Ukrainian towns and cities on a daily basis, while Moscow's troops have for weeks been edging forward in the northeast Sumy region. On the diplomatic front, talks are stalled despite pressure from the United States. Kyiv has accused Moscow of deliberately sabotaging a peace deal in order to prolong its full-scale offensive and to seize more territory. Russia occupies around a fifth of Ukraine and claims to have annexed four Ukrainian regions as its own since launching its invasion in 2022 -- in addition to Crimea, which it captured in 2014. On Wednesday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an accord with the Council of Europe to set up a special tribunal to try top officials over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun and his counterparts applaud following a group photo, before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao, Shandong province, China June 26, 2025. (Reuters)
China hosted defense ministers from Iran and Russia for a meeting in its eastern seaside city of Qingdao on Thursday against the backdrop of conflict in the Middle East and a summit of NATO countries in Europe that agreed to boost military spending. Beijing has long sought to present the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a counterweight to Western-led power blocs and has pushed to strengthen collaboration between its member countries in politics, security, trade and science. The Qingdao meeting of the organization's top defense officials comes as a fledgling ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds after 12 days of fighting between the arch-foes. It is also being held the day after a summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leaders in The Hague, where members agreed to ramp up their defense spending to satisfy US President Donald Trump. Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun framed Thursday's meeting of officials in Qingdao, home to a major Chinese naval base, as a counterweight to a world in 'chaos and instability.' 'As momentous changes of the century accelerate, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise,' Dong said as he welcomed defense chiefs from Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus and elsewhere on Wednesday, according to state news agency Xinhua. 'Hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts severely undermine the international order,' he warned. He urged his counterparts to 'take more robust actions to jointly safeguard the environment for peaceful development.' Meeting Dong on the sidelines of the summit, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov hailed ties between the two countries as being 'at an unprecedentedly high level.' 'Friendly relations between our countries maintain upward dynamics of development in all directions,' he said. China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in Russia's war with Ukraine, although Western governments say its close ties have given Moscow crucial economic and diplomatic support.
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Arab News
Ukraine, European rights body sign accord for tribunal on Russian aggression
Ukraine and the Council of Europe human rights body signed an agreement on Wednesday forming the basis for a special tribunal intended to bring to justice senior Russian officials for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset signed the accord in the French city of Strasbourg at the Council's headquarters. 'This is truly a very important step. Every war criminal must know there will be justice and that includes Russia. We are now boosting the legal work in a serious way,' Zelensky told the ceremony. 'There is still a long road ahead. Today's agreement is just the beginning. We must take real steps to make it work. It will take strong political and legal cooperation to make sure every Russian war criminal faces justice, including (President Vladimir) Putin.' Ukraine has demanded the creation of such a body since Russia's February 2022 invasion, accusing Russian troops of committing thousands of war crimes. It is also intent on prosecuting Russians for orchestrating the invasion. The 46-member Council of Europe, set up after World War Two to uphold human rights and the rule of law, approved the tribunal in May, saying it was intended to be complementary to the International Criminal Court and fill legal gaps in prosecutions. The ICC has issued an arrest warrant against Putin, accusing him of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.
