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CTV News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Ukrainian troops have little hope for peace as Trump's deadline for Russia arrives
Ukrainian servicemen of the 148th artillery brigade load ammunition into a M777 howitzer before firing towards Russian positions at the frontline in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) DNIPROPETROVSK, Ukraine — Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield expressed little hope for a diplomatic solution to the war with Russia, as U.S. President Donald Trump's Friday deadline for the Kremlin to stop the killing arrived and he eyed a possible summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict. Trump, exasperated that Putin didn't heed his calls to stop bombing Ukrainian cities, almost two weeks ago moved up his ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia, as well as introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil, if no Kremlin moves towards a settlement were forthcoming. It was unclear what steps Trump intended to take Friday. Trump's efforts to pressure Putin into stopping the fighting have so far delivered no progress. Russia's bigger army is slowly advancing deeper into Ukraine at great cost in troops and armor while it relentlessly bombards Ukrainian cities. Russia and Ukraine are far apart on their terms for peace. Ukrainian forces are locked in intense battles along the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line that snakes from northeast to southeast Ukraine. The Pokrovsk city area of the eastern Donetsk region is taking the brunt of punishment as Russia looks to break out from there into the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region. Ukraine has significant manpower shortages. Intense fighting is also taking place in Ukraine's northern Sumy border region, where Ukrainian forces are engaging Russian soldiers to prevent reinforcements being sent from there to Donetsk. In the Pokrovsk area, a commander said he believes Moscow isn't interested in peace. 'It is impossible to negotiate with them. The only option is to defeat them,' Buda, the Spartan Brigade commander, told The Associated Press. He used only his call sign, in keeping with the rules of the Ukrainian military. 'I would like them to agree and for all this to stop, but Russia will not agree to that; it does not want to negotiate. So the only option is to defeat them,' he said. In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, a howitzer commander using the call sign Warsaw, said troops are determined to thwart Russia's invasion. 'We are on our land, we have no way out,' he said. 'So we stand our ground, we have no choice.' Trump said Thursday that he would meet with Putin even if the Russian leader will not meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That has stoked fears in Europe that Ukraine could be sidelined in efforts to stop the continent's biggest conflict since World War II. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said in an assessment Thursday that 'Putin remains uninterested in ending his war and is attempting to extract bilateral concessions from the United States without meaningfully engaging in a peace process.' 'Putin continues to believe that time is on Russia's side and that Russia can outlast Ukraine and the West,' it said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday that Europe should take the lead in efforts to end the conflict. Orbán said the leaders of Germany and France should go to Moscow 'to negotiate on behalf of Europe.' Otherwise, 'we will be sidelined in managing the security issues of our own continent,' Orbán told Hungary's state broadcaster. Orbán, who is a harsh critic of the European Union to which his country belongs, said Europe's concerns that a Trump-Putin summit might not address the continent's interests meant it should seize the diplomatic initiative. 'This war cannot be ended on the front line, no solution can be concluded on the battlefield,' he said. 'This war must be ended by diplomats, politicians, leaders at the negotiating table.' ___ Vasilisa Stepanenko, The Associated Press Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
More Ukrainians now want a negotiated end to the war with Russia, new Gallup poll shows
WASHINGTON (AP) — After more than three years of war, Ukrainians are increasingly eager for a settlement that ends the fight against Russia's invasion, according to a new Gallup poll published Thursday — although only about a quarter of Ukrainians surveyed expect the guns to fall silent within the next 12 months. The enthusiasm for a negotiated deal is a sharp reversal from 2022 — the year the war began — when Gallup found that about three-quarters of Ukrainians wanted to keep fighting until victory. Now only about one-quarter hold that view, with support for continuing the war declining steadily across all regions and demographic groups. The findings were based on samples of 1,000 or more respondents ages 15 and older living in Ukraine. Some territories under entrenched Russian control, representing about 10% of the population, were excluded from surveys conducted after 2022 due to lack of access. Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia's relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations. On the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line snaking from northeast to southeast Ukraine, where tens of thousands of troops on both sides have died, Russia's bigger army is slowly capturing more land. The poll came out on the eve of U.S. President Donald Trump's Friday deadline for Russia to stop the killing or face heavy economic sanctions. In the new Gallup survey, conducted in early July, about 7 in 10 Ukrainians say their country should seek to negotiate a settlement as soon as possible. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month renewed his offer to meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin, but his overture was rebuffed as Russia sticks to its demands, and the sides remain far apart. Most Ukrainians do not expect a lasting peace anytime soon, the poll found. Only about one-quarter say it's 'very' or 'somewhat' likely that active fighting will end within the next 12 months, while about 7 in 10 think it's 'somewhat' or 'very' unlikely that active fighting will be over in the next year. Approval of U.S. falls, approval of Germany rises Ukrainian views of the American government have cratered over the past few years, while positive views of Germany's leadership have risen, according to Gallup. Three years ago, about two-thirds of Ukrainians approved of U.S. leadership. That's since fallen to 16% in the latest poll, reflecting new tensions between the two countries since Trump took office in January. But although the dip from last year was substantial — approval of U.S. leadership was 40% in 2024 — positive views of U.S. leadership were already dropping before Trump took office, perhaps related to the antipathy that prominent Republican politicians showed toward billions of dollars in U.S. support for Ukraine. Germany has grown more popular among Ukrainians over the past few years, rising to 63% approval in the new poll. Hope for NATO, EU acceptance has fallen Ukrainians are much less optimistic that their country will be accepted into NATO or the European Union in the next decade than they were just a few years ago. In the new poll, about one-third of Ukrainians expect that Ukraine will be accepted into NATO within the next 10 years, while about one-quarter think it will take at least 10 years, and one-third believe it will never happen. That's down from 2022, when about two-thirds of Ukrainians thought acceptance into NATO would happen in the coming decade and only about 1 in 10 thought it would never happen. Hope for acceptance into the EU is higher but has also fallen. About half, 52%, of Ukrainians now expect to be part of the EU within the next decade, down from 73% in 2022. ___ Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
More Ukrainians now want a negotiated end to the war with Russia, new Gallup poll shows
WASHINGTON (AP) — After more than three years of war, Ukrainians are increasingly eager for a settlement that ends the fight against Russia's invasion, according to a new Gallup poll published Thursday — although only about a quarter of Ukrainians surveyed expect the guns to fall silent within the next 12 months. The enthusiasm for a negotiated deal is a sharp reversal from 2022 — the year the war began — when Gallup found that about three-quarters of Ukrainians wanted to keep fighting until victory. Now only about one-quarter hold that view, with support for continuing the war declining steadily across all regions and demographic groups. The findings were based on samples of 1,000 or more respondents ages 15 and older living in Ukraine. Some territories under entrenched Russian control, representing about 10% of the population, were excluded from surveys conducted after 2022 due to lack of access. Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia's relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations. On the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line snaking from northeast to southeast Ukraine, where tens of thousands of troops on both sides have died, Russia's bigger army is slowly capturing more land. The poll came out on the eve of U.S. President Donald Trump's Friday deadline for Russia to stop the killing or face heavy economic sanctions. In the new Gallup survey, conducted in early July, about 7 in 10 Ukrainians say their country should seek to negotiate a settlement as soon as possible. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month renewed his offer to meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin, but his overture was rebuffed as Russia sticks to its demands, and the sides remain far apart. Most Ukrainians do not expect a lasting peace anytime soon, the poll found. Only about one-quarter say it's 'very' or 'somewhat' likely that active fighting will end within the next 12 months, while about 7 in 10 think it's 'somewhat' or 'very' unlikely that active fighting will be over in the next year. Approval of U.S. falls, approval of Germany rises Ukrainian views of the American government have cratered over the past few years, while positive views of Germany's leadership have risen, according to Gallup. Three years ago, about two-thirds of Ukrainians approved of U.S. leadership. That's since fallen to 16% in the latest poll, reflecting new tensions between the two countries since Trump took office in January. But although the dip from last year was substantial — approval of U.S. leadership was 40% in 2024 — positive views of U.S. leadership were already dropping before Trump took office, perhaps related to the antipathy that prominent Republican politicians showed toward billions of dollars in U.S. support for Ukraine. Germany has grown more popular among Ukrainians over the past few years, rising to 63% approval in the new poll. Hope for NATO, EU acceptance has fallen Ukrainians are much less optimistic that their country will be accepted into NATO or the European Union in the next decade than they were just a few years ago. In the new poll, about one-third of Ukrainians expect that Ukraine will be accepted into NATO within the next 10 years, while about one-quarter think it will take at least 10 years, and one-third believe it will never happen. That's down from 2022, when about two-thirds of Ukrainians thought acceptance into NATO would happen in the coming decade and only about 1 in 10 thought it would never happen. Hope for acceptance into the EU is higher but has also fallen. About half, 52%, of Ukrainians now expect to be part of the EU within the next decade, down from 73% in 2022. ___ Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at
Le Figaro
3 days ago
- Politics
- Le Figaro
Under the Shadow of Drones: Life in Sumy, Ukraine, Amid Fear of Bombing and Occupation
Réservé aux abonnés The 250,000 residents of Sumy, the Ukrainian town near the Russian border, are caught between intensifying drone attacks and the front line – now only 20 kilometers away, following the Ukrainian retreat from the Kursk region. Located in northern Ukraine, the road from Sumy to Bilopillia undulates between fields of golden wheat under a brilliant blue sky, a vivid picture of the Ukrainian flag. But the closer you get to the Russian border, the rarer the crops become. 'From now on, it's the drones that control the area,' says the mayor, Yuri Zarko, at the wheel of his SUV. Caution dictates that you drive at over 100 km/h, despite the potholes, to attempt to evade the Russian FPV drones — the immersion-piloted machines that strike the region relentlessly. A monument reminds us how dangerous the area is: a month earlier, two soldiers perished when their car was blown up by a kamikaze drone. Suddenly, the mayor's car enters a makeshift tunnel: for dozens of kilometers, white nets — 'originally for harvesting cucumbers,' he says with a smile — protect the road. If the rigged machines try to attack or drop an explosive, they get stuck in the nets. After 14 years as the head of the community of communes bordering Russia…
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Zebra Technologies to Acquire Elo to Accelerate Connected Frontline Experiences
Acquisition will advance vision of digitizing and automating frontline operations and is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings once closed LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. & KNOXVILLE, Tenn., August 05, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), a global leader in digitizing and automating frontline workflows, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Elo Touch Solutions, Inc., an innovator of solutions that engage customers, enhance self-service, and accelerate automation across retail, hospitality, quick service restaurants (QSR), healthcare, and industrial markets for $1.3 billion in cash. With complementary portfolios and similar go-to-market strategies, together, Zebra and Elo will deliver a comprehensive portfolio that meets the evolving needs of their customers in close partnership with leading Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), payment solutions providers (PSPs), value-added resellers (VARs) and distributors. Expanding Portfolio to Accelerate the Connected Frontline Across Industries Zebra's leadership in hardware, software and services for the frontline worker will be augmented by Elo's suite of consumer-facing kiosks, edge computing, payment and touchscreen solutions to deliver a more comprehensive frontline experience. "This acquisition represents the next step in our journey to accelerate the connected frontline, which is a key tenet of our growth strategy," said Bill Burns, Chief Executive Officer, Zebra Technologies. "An increased focus on self-service and consumer-facing workflows will expand our addressable market by approximately $8 billion and create a leading portfolio of solutions that digitize and automate the frontline of business. We look forward to welcoming the Elo team to Zebra and pursuing new growth opportunities together following the closing of the acquisition." Customers across industries are increasingly adopting new solutions enabled by kiosks and interactive touchscreen displays. Elo offers a wide range of industry-tailored solutions which modernize point-of-sale (POS), streamline self-service and payment experiences, automate kitchen and industrial workflows, and optimize production and process management. This acquisition will strengthen Zebra's offerings in self-service use cases and complement its recently launched kiosk solution. Capitalizing on Key Customer Trends in the Modern Store Together with Elo, Zebra will be well positioned to capitalize on trends impacting retail and beyond. The combined business will empower retailers and QSRs to elevate consumer experiences within the AI-powered Modern Store. The planned addition of Elo's portfolio will give Zebra customers and partners more choice and, over time, a more holistic approach to address their emerging use cases. The continued growth of retail media networks and the deployment of new AI-based agents on the frontline are examples of new opportunities that Zebra and Elo can pursue more successfully together. According to Zebra's 17th Annual Global Shopper study, 78% of shoppers said self-checkout options improve their shopping experience. In addition, leading analysts have noted that traditional POS technologies are advancing beyond store-only transactional services to enable an experience-led unified commerce strategy powered by new data streams. Zebra and Elo are well positioned to play an increasingly important role in the transformation of POS and self-checkout moving forward. Enhancing Growth with Complementary Solutions and Global Reach Zebra's global reach, extensive services capabilities, and deep customer relationships will accelerate Elo's expansion into new markets and geographies. "Combining Zebra's market-leading mobility, visibility, and automation solutions with our expertise in consumer-facing workflows will add significant value to our customers and partners," said Craig Witsoe, Chief Executive Officer, Elo. "We are excited about the opportunity to join Zebra and contribute to its growth strategy." Transaction Details Zebra expects to fund the $1.3 billion purchase price with a combination of cash on hand along with financing from its credit facility. The purchase price is subject to customary closing adjustments. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval, and is expected to close in 2025. Elo has annual sales of approximately $400 million with similar annual sales growth (5-7% over a cycle) and EBITDA margin profile as Zebra. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings upon closing and generate an incremental $25 million of annual EBITDA through synergies by year three. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP as legal counsel to Zebra. Moelis & Company LLC is serving as financial advisor and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP as legal counsel to Elo. Crestview Partners has been a majority investor in Elo since 2018. Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results In a separate press release today, Zebra will report its second quarter results. The company will host a webcast to discuss results, outlook, and its planned acquisition of Elo today, Aug. 5, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The webcast can be accessed on Zebra's investor relations website at Zebra Technologies Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements, as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, the statements regarding the company's outlook, the statements regarding the proposed acquisition, regulatory approvals, the expected benefits of (such as accretion to earnings and cost savings through realization of cost and revenue synergies) and strategic initiatives relating to the proposed acquisition, including expansion of Zebra's addressable market and deeper market penetration and the ability to complete the proposed acquisition on the expected timetable or at all. Actual results may differ from those expressed or implied in the company's forward-looking statements. These statements represent estimates only as of the date they were made. Zebra undertakes no obligation, other than as may be required by law, to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or any other reason after the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions and are subject to the risks and uncertainties inherent in Zebra's industry, market conditions, general domestic and international economic conditions, and other factors. These factors include customer acceptance of Zebra's hardware and software products and competitors' product offerings, and the potential effects of technological changes. The continued uncertainty over future global economic conditions, the availability of credit and capital markets volatility may have adverse effects on Zebra, its suppliers and its customers. In addition, a disruption in our ability to obtain products from vendors as a result of supply chain constraints, natural disasters or other circumstances could restrict sales and negatively affect customer relationships. Profits and profitability will be affected by Zebra's ability to control manufacturing and operating costs. Because of its debt, including debt expected to be incurred to finance the purchase price of the proposed acquisition, interest rates and financial market conditions will also have an impact on results. Foreign exchange rates, customs duties and trade policies will have an effect on financial results. The outcome of litigation in which Zebra may be involved, including litigation related to the proposed acquisition, is another factor. The ability of the parties to consummate the proposed acquisition on the expected timetable or at all, whether as a result of litigation related to the proposed acquisition or otherwise, satisfaction or waiver of the conditions precedent to the consummation of the proposed acquisition, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals, diversion of management's time on transaction-related issues that result in disruption to Zebra's current plans and operations, including in the event of litigation related to the proposed acquisition, the impact of announcements relating to the proposed acquisition, including adverse effects on the market price of Zebra's common stock or credit ratings, the success and timeliness of integrating Elo, including Zebra's ability to timely and successfully achieve the anticipated benefits and potential synergies of the proposed acquisition and other unexpected costs resulting from the proposed acquisition could also affect profitability, reported results and the company's competitive position in its industry. These and other factors could have an adverse effect on Zebra's sales, gross profit margins and results of operations and increase the volatility of our financial results. As a result of these and other factors, Zebra can give no assurance that the conditions precedent to the consummation of the proposed acquisition will be satisfied, or that it will close within the anticipated time period or at all, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of the forward-looking statements contained in this release. When used in this release and documents referenced, the words "anticipate," "believe," "outlook," and "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the company or its management or the proposed acquisition, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying these statements. Descriptions of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that could affect the company's future operations and results can be found in Zebra's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. ABOUT ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) provides the solutions to help businesses grow through increased asset visibility, connected frontline workers and intelligent automation. The company operates in more than 100 countries, and our customers include over 80% of the Fortune 500. Designed for the frontline, Zebra's award-winning portfolio includes hardware, software, and services, all backed by our 50+ years of innovation and global partner ecosystem. Follow Zebra on our blog and LinkedIn, visit our newsroom and learn more at ABOUT ELO Elo delivers solutions that connect businesses and customers through purpose-built touchscreens, software, and services—powering more than 35 million installations across 80+ countries. From self-service kiosks and point-of-sale to patient check-in and factory automation, Elo offers a modular platform built on a unified architecture and supported by a global partner network. With screen sizes ranging from handheld to 65 inches and seamless device management via EloView, businesses can deploy, control, and scale with ease. Learn more at ABOUT CRESTVIEW Founded in 2004, Crestview is a New York-based private equity firm focused on the middle market. The firm manages funds with approximately $10 billion of aggregate capital commitments and is led by a group of partners who have complementary experience and backgrounds in private equity, finance, operations and management. Crestview has senior investment professionals focused on sourcing and managing investments in each of the specialty areas of the firm: media, industrials, and financial services. For more information, please visit ZEBRA and the stylised Zebra head are trademarks of Zebra Technologies Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2025 Zebra Technologies Corp. and/or its affiliates. View source version on Contacts InvestorsMichael Steele, CFA, IRCVice President, Investor RelationsPhone: + 1 847 518 6432InvestorRelations@ Media Therese Van RyneSenior Director, External CommunicationsPhone: + 1 847 370
