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Washington Post
2 hours ago
- General
- Washington Post
Hamas responds to U.S. ceasefire plan for Gaza
Hamas on Saturday said it had responded to a U.S. ceasefire proposal, saying in a brief statement that the group sought a permanent ceasefire, 'a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip' and guarantees around the provision of aid to the enclave. Hamas's statement also alludes to a prisoner exchange: 10 living Israeli prisoners as well as 18 bodies to be swapped for an undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners. Further details around Hamas's counter-proposal were not immediately available.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Ukraine submits ceasefire plan, but Russia responds with escalation
Ukraine and Russia exchanged 1,000 prisoners of war each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, their largest exchange in the three-year war, following a Russian proposal made during talks in Istanbul on May 16. But any confidence built by that gesture may have been dissipated by Russia's launching of its largest long-range aerial attacks against Ukrainian civilians during the same three days. Russia launched more than 900 kamikaze drones and 92 missiles, killing at least 16 civilians. Those attacks followed days of Ukrainian strikes on Russian military infrastructure in Russia's Tula, Alabuga and Tatarstan regions, in which it used at least 800 drones. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Tuesday that Germany might supply Ukraine with the 1,000km- (620-mile)-range Taurus missiles it has asked for at any time, without warning Russia, strengthening Ukraine's ability to devastate Russian military factories. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would impose no range limits on the weapons supplied to Ukraine. And on Wednesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Berlin, Merz announced that Germany would help Kyiv to develop long-range missiles of its own. The Kremlin has reacted with alarm. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, 'If such decisions are made, they will absolutely go against our aspirations to reach a political settlement.' Russia requested a UN Security Council meeting 'in connection with the actions of European states trying to prevent a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis'. Yet even before the announcements by Germany, the prospect of any 'peaceful settlement' had been dealt a blow by the drone and missile exchanges between Moscow and Kyiv. Unlike Ukraine's, Russia's drones landed in cities, lighting up the skyline with exploding apartment buildings. Ukrainian defenders managed to down 82 percent of the drones, which is lower than their usual rate. Military intelligence sources told The Economist that Russia was flying its drones at an altitude of more than 2km (1.3 miles), out of the range of mobile heavy machinegun units, and had adapted the drones to use Ukraine's own internet signal for navigation, immunising them from electronic interference. Russia also pressed on with its ground assaults in eastern Ukraine, and claimed to have captured six settlements in the regions of Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk. Russia also expanded a salient near the town of Pokrovsk, its main target this year, in preparation for a wider ground offensive. 'There is currently no indication that they are seriously considering peace or diplomacy. On the contrary, there is ample evidence that they are preparing new offensive operations. Russia is counting on a prolonged war,' Zelenskyy said in his Monday evening address. Even United States President Donald Trump got angry with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, a man he openly admires. 'Something has happened to him,' Trump wrote on his social media platform, referring to Putin. 'He has gone absolutely CRAZY!' Trump told reporters, 'We're in the middle of talking and he's shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities.' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov belittled the US president's reaction, speaking of the 'emotional overstrain of everyone'. Ukraine has nonetheless stayed the diplomatic course, submitting a memorandum detailing its conditions for a ceasefire on May 27, fulfilling another Russian proposal. A reciprocal memorandum that Russia is meant to submit had not yet been reported received in Kyiv or Washington by Thursday morning. Pope Leo XIV had offered the Vatican as a venue for the next round of talks that are to follow this exchange of memorandums, but Lavrov thought it 'somewhat inelegant when two Orthodox countries would use a Catholic venue to discuss the root causes of the crisis', preferring to return to Istanbul. Russia has insisted on a conditional ceasefire that addresses 'the root causes underlying this conflict and how they must be excised like a malignant tumour'. Russia considers Ukraine's break with the Moscow Patriarchate and the creation of an autocephalous church in Kyiv to be one of those 'root causes' of the conflict. Another is the use of the Russian language. Ukraine is a largely bilingual country, but in 2019, it passed a law obliging public servants to use Ukrainian. It did not ban Russian, but Russia calls that discriminatory. 'Ukraine, which lies beyond the constitutional borders of the Russian Federation, is home to millions of people who speak Russian. It is their native language,' Lavrov said at a news conference on May 23, speaking of Ukrainian territory that is outside the Kremlin's control. 'Leaving them to the junta [government in Kyiv], which has banned them from speaking it… would be a crime,' he said. 'We cannot allow this to happen under any circumstances.' Another 'root cause', according to the Kremlin, is the very existence of the Zelenskyy government. Russia insists Zelenskyy is illegitimate because he has stayed in power beyond his constitutional term, even though the constitution allows him to do so in a time of national crisis, and the Ukrainian parliament has extended his presidency. Zelenskyy himself offered to resign last February, if that meant Russia pulled back its troops and Ukraine were allowed to join NATO. That offer was made to the US, not Russia, and Trump ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine in a peace plan he delivered to Kyiv on April 17. Yet Piotr Lukasiewicz, Poland's charge d'affaires in Ukraine, told the VOX Ukraine conference on May 24 that Poland supports Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU. He said relations had evolved during the three-year war. 'This transformation has led us to a firm conviction that for security reasons, due to economic and political interests, Ukraine should be in the European Union as our partner – political, economic, social. Ukraine should also join NATO. This is our strategic, political, historical and civilizational interest,' Lukasiewicz May 20, during his first visit to Kursk since it was secured from a Ukrainian counter-invasion, Putin held a televised news conference with local officials. One asked him to create a buffer zone in Ukraine's neighbouring Sumy region. 'Sumy must be ours,' he told Putin. The following day, Putin announced that a buffer zone would be created inside Ukraine, an idea he first floated in March last year. A military expert told the Russian state-owned news agency TASS that Russian troops were advancing along a 15km- (9-mile-)wide front in Sumy to establish that buffer zone. Days later, former president and deputy head of Russia's National Security Council Dmitry Medvedev went further. 'If military aid to the [Zelenskyy government] continues, the buffer zone could look like this,' he wrote on his Telegram channel, showing a map with almost all of Ukraine he lashed out against Putin on Sunday, Trump wrote that Russia 'deserves full-scale pressure, everything that can be done to limit their military capability'. But after speaking with Putin on the phone the next day, he refrained from actually attempting to limit that capability through further sanctions, even though the Sunday-to-Monday overnight attacks on Ukraine were bigger and deadlier than the attacks of the day before. He now faces pressure to introduce sanctions if Putin doesn't agree to a ceasefire. 'If nothing shifts, Russia can expect decisive action from the US Senate. Our bill will isolate Russia and turn it into a trading island,' read a statement from Senators Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, and Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina. Meanwhile, Europe is preparing an 18th package of sanctions against Russia. Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told public broadcaster ARD on Sunday that those sanctions would come as a response to Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine's cities. The Reuters news agency exclusively reported last week that Ukraine has asked the EU to place secondary sanctions on those who purchased Russian oil, such as India and China, and Western companies that sell Russia high-tech products through third parties. Ukraine also reportedly asked the EU to take sanctions decisions by majority decision, to prevent Russophilic members from derailing them. EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen has said even Moscow-leaning members of the bloc, such as Hungary and Slovakia, are adopting an EU roadmap to completely boycott Russian energy exports by 2027. He recently gave members of the European parliament a progress report. 'By 2022, half of the coal we imported into the EU was Russian. We've stopped importing it completely. Oil imports dropped from 27 percent to 3 percent. And gas – from 45 percent in 2022 to 13 percent today,' Jorgensen said on May 22, lamenting the fact that the EU still paid Russia 23 billion euros ($26bn) last year for energy. On the day Jorgensen spoke, the European Parliament approved sanctions on Russian and Belarusian agricultural products, as well as a stiff tariff on fertiliser from the two countries that will rise to 430 euros ($484) a tonne over three years.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump warns Putin he is ‘playing with fire' with unprecedented drone bombardment
Russia says its air defences destroyed or intercepted well over 100 Ukrainian drones far into the night over widely separated areas of Russia, including a swarm of drones repelled while headed for Moscow, officials said early today. The raid forced the closure of two airports serving the Russian capital – Vnukovo and Zhukovsky. Ukraine 's attack came after Russia launched the heaviest drone bombardment of the war so far, launching more than 900 over a three-day period that ended early Monday morning. That attack saw US president Donald Trump brand Vladimir Putin"absolutely crazy", and the Kremlin responded by saying the US president was being "emotional". Earlier, Russia said it had agreed a prisoner exchange with the US involving nine detainees from each side. Putin's foreign minister said the deal was discussed on the phone call between Trump and Putin last week, and he praised the US president as a man "who wants results". Donald Trump grows angrier as Vladimir Putin exposes his impotence As Washington settled in for a typically sleepy Memorial Day following the passage of Donald Trump 's 'big, beautiful bill' in the House, the president fired off one of his trademark furious rants on Truth Social, but the target was a surprise. This time, the target wasn't any of his domestic political foes — like the Democrats who voted in lockstep against the budget package he endorsed, or the handful of Republicans who refused to fall into line. It wasn't even aimed at the various law enforcement figures who have attempted to hold him to account over the years. Sunday evening's rant was aimed squarely at Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite what he called a 'very good relationship' with Putin, Trump in his latest statement on the Ukraine -Russia war blasted the Russian leader as 'absolutely crazy.' Donald Trump grows angrier as Vladimir Putin exposes his impotence Analysis: Russia's latest deadly offensive also did clear damage to Donald Trump's ego, writes John Bowden Arpan Rai28 May 2025 06:58 US snaps at Russia for stoking World War fears: 'Reckless comment' US president Donald Trump's envoy Keith Kellogg has scolded a top Russian official for stoking fears of a Third World War. Mr Trump took to Truth Social and said Vladimir Putin was "playing with fire" and cautioned that "REALLY BAD" things would have happened already to Russia if it was not for Mr Trump himself. "What Vladimir Putin doesn't realise is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened in Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He's playing with fire," Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post yesterday. Responding to Mr Trump, top Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev said: "Regarding Trump's words about Putin 'playing with fire' and 'really bad things' happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing – WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!" Mr Medvedev wrote in a post on X. US envoy Keith Kellogg quoted Mr Medvedev's post and called it reckless. "Stoking fears of WW III is an unfortunate, reckless comment... and unfitting of a world power," Mr Kellogg said on X. "President Trump @POTUS is working to stop this war and end the killing. We await receipt of RU Memorandum (Term Sheet) that you promised a week ago. Cease fire now,' he said. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 06:53 Germany hosts Zelensky today for bilateral talks Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to arrive in Berlin today for talks with German chancellor Friedrich Merz. According to a statement, Mr Merz will receive Mr Zelensky with military honours at the Federal Chancellery at noon (10am GMT). The newly-inducted German chancellor has ramped up the country's efforts to help Ukraine fight back against Russian aggression, aligning his efforts with those of the British and the French governments. On Monday, Mr Merz said his country and other major allies are no longer imposing any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion. It was unclear whether this represented a change in policy. Germany has been the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States since the full-scale war began in February 2022. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 06:29 US says Russia should focus on ending war, not Trump's social media Russia should focus less on president Donald Trump's social media posts and more on ending its war against Ukraine, US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said last night. "If the Russians cared about the nature of how [peace efforts are] proceeding, they would be thinking less about [the president's statements] and more about what they could do – which is in their hands – to stop the carnage and the slaughter that's happening right now," Ms Bruce said in a press briefing. The remarks from the US state department come shortly after the Kremlin blamed Mr Trump's recent remarks on Vladimir Putin on 'emotional overload'. Mr Trump said the Russian president had gone 'absolutely crazy' after the weekend bombardment of Ukraine that killed at least 12 people. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:58 'Ample evidence' Russia preparing fresh offensive despite talk of ceasefire, claims Zelensky After days of unprecedented Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine, involving more than 900 missiles and drones, Mr Zelensky claimed Kyiv had obtained intelligence suggesting Moscow was on the brink of a new push. 'We can see from the information obtained by intelligence and from open-source data that Vladimir Putin and his entourage do not plan to end the war,' the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address on Monday. 'There is currently no indication that they are seriously considering peace or diplomacy. On the contrary, there is ample evidence that they are preparing new offensive operations.' Russian troops have increased their attacks in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region in recent weeks, targeting an area 30 miles long between the two cities of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, analysts tracking the front line have told The Independent. Russia preparing fresh offensive despite talk of ceasefire, claims Zelensky Russia's foreign ministry says it is working on a peace proposal to be sent to Ukraine, but Kyiv suggests Moscow is simultaneously planning a major new offensive Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:50 Russian bots turn on 'clown' Trump after his comments against Putin Russian bots are piling on president Donald Trump, and calling him a 'clown,' after he publicly criticised Russian president Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. Nearly 1,000 posts ridiculing Trump have popped up on the Russian social media platform VKontakte since Sunday, after Trump vented that the Russian leader had gone 'absolutely CRAZY' and was 'needlessly killing a lot of people' in Ukraine. The pro-government accounts have accused Trump of having dementia, Newsweek reported, citing investigative Russian news outlet Agentstvo. Russian bots turn on 'clown' Donald Trump after he rips Putin over war in Ukraine Nearly 1,000 posts ridiculing Trump have popped up on Russian social media since the U.S. President shared critical comments on Putin's war. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:46 Putin's reluctance will prolong Ukraine war, warns Germany's Merz The war in Ukraine is expected to persist due to Russia's reluctance to enter negotiations, Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz said. "Wars typically end because of economic or military exhaustion on one side or on both sides and in this war we are obviously still far from reaching that (situation)", Mr Merz said at a joint press conference with Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo in Turku. "So we may have to prepare for a longer duration," Mr Merz added. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:41 Trump says Putin avoided 'really bad things' — thanks to him Donald Trump has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that he is 'playing with fire' following a barrage of Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine. The U.S. president also suggested Russia has avoided 'really bad things' — thanks to him. 'What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday. 'He's playing with fire!' Trump's latest post draws criticism that he has been 'shielding' Putin, even as he ramps up public criticism of Ukraine war Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:29 Russia accuses Finland of provocation over Baltic Sea drills Russia's foreign ministry has accused Finland of escalating tensions by carrying out pre-organised naval drills, a week after two of Moscow's fighter jets reportedly violated Finnish airspace. Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson, claimed Finland's current naval operations were 'becoming a tool of Nato escalation near Russia's border'. It is not unusual for Moscow to make baseless claims like this. She was referring to Finland's Exercise Narrow Waters 25, the country's annual spring exercise. It was formerly a national exercise but has been developed into an international exercise to include Sweden, Germany and Estonia, following Finland's accession to Nato and the renewed threat posed by Russia. Russia is concurrently conducting naval exercises near the exclave of Kaliningrad further south. Last week, Finland summoned the Russian ambassador after Kremlin warplanes were reported to have crossed into Finnish airspace. It has also been reported that Russia is building a military presence on Finland's border. Arpan Rai28 May 2025 05:12 Russian aerial attacks across Ukraine at record levels Russia has increased its attacks on Ukraine in the past week to weaken Kyiv and "undermine" Western support for the war-hit nation, a think-tank has said. 'Russian forces conducted one of their largest drone and missile strikes of the war against Ukraine on the night of 25 to 26 May after three nights of record strikes,' the Institute for the Study of War said. 'The 25-26 May strike is now the second largest combined strike of the war after Russian forces conducted the largest combined strike on the night of 24-25 May,' it added. Russia is 'may be increasing strikes against Ukraine as part of a cognitive warfare effort to weaken Ukrainian resolve and undermine Western support for Ukraine,' the ISW said. Arpan Rai
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow says US prisoner-swap agreed after Trump hits out at ‘crazy' Putin
The US and Russia have agreed to a prisoner exchange, the Kremlin has claimed, as Moscow's foreign minister heaped praise on Donald Trump as a man 'who wants results' after the US president blasted Vladimir Putin's attacks on Ukraine. Sergey Lavrov told a press conference Washington and Moscow had agreed on a prisoner swap after Trump and Putin spoke of exchanging nine people from each side during their phone call last week, according to NBC. Moscow claimed the diplomatic development after Trump branded Putin 'absolutely crazy' for a record-breaking drone attack on Ukraine, and the Kremlin said the US president was being "emotional". Mr Trump issued some of his sharpest criticism of Mr Putin after Russia fired 355 drones and nine missiles at Ukraine — the largest aerial attack of the more than three-year war. He added that if the Russian leader tried to conquer all of Ukraine, it would 'lead to the downfall of Russia ' as he warned of further sanctions. On Tuesday Lavrov grovelled to Trump as a man "who wants results." "He sees some of the Europeans are working to sabotage his efforts [on peace]... of course, he gets emotional, and, of course, as someone who does not like anything to stand in the way of his noble goals, he looks at it a certain way,' Lavrov said, according to Russian news outlet Tass.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin and Trump negotiate prisoner exchange, says Russia
The US and Russia are negotiating a prisoner exchange, the Kremlin has said, while criticising European leaders over the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Washington and Moscow were continuing discussions on a prisoner swap after Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke of exchanging nine people from each side during their phone call last week, according to Reuters. Moscow's claimed diplomatic development comes after Trump called Putin 'absolutely crazy' for a record-breaking drone attack on Ukraine, and the Kremlin said the US president was being "emotional". Mr Trump issued some of his sharpest criticism of Mr Putin after Russia fired 355 drones and nine missiles at Ukraine — the largest aerial attack of the more than three year war. He added that if the Russian leader tried to conquer all of Ukraine, it would 'lead to the downfall of Russia ' as he warned of further sanctions. German chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier said Ukraine was no longer restricted from carrying out 'long-range' strikes against Russia with weapons supplied by its Western allies, before Berlin clarified that decision had been made some months before. The news prompted Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov to accuse European leaders of keeping a decision 'made quite some time ago' under wraps. Donald Trump grows angrier as Vladimir Putin exposes his impotence As Washington settled in for a typically sleepy Memorial Day following the passage of Donald Trump 's 'big, beautiful bill' in the House, the president fired off one of his trademark furious rants on Truth Social, but the target was a surprise. This time, the target wasn't any of his domestic political foes — like the Democrats who voted in lockstep against the budget package he endorsed, or the handful of Republicans who refused to fall into line. It wasn't even aimed at the various law enforcement figures who have attempted to hold him to account over the years. Donald Trump grows angrier as Vladimir Putin exposes his impotence Analysis: Russia's latest deadly offensive also did clear damage to Donald Trump's ego, writes John Bowden Tom Watling27 May 2025 13:03 Trump urged to punish Russia after lashing out at Putin over record drone strikes on Ukraine Donald Trump has been urged to impose major sanctions on Russia after the US president described Vladimir Putin as having 'gone absolutely crazy' following a barrage of Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine. French president Emmanuel Macron urged Mr Trump to turn his words into action, while Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that the time for dialogue was over, called on the US leader to implement 'increased sanctions' against Russia. Trump urged to punish Russia after lashing out at Putin over deadly drone strikes Donald Trump condemned both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Moscow launched hundreds of drones at Ukrainian civilians Tom Watling27 May 2025 12:40 Mapped: Russia's advance in eastern Ukraine Russian forces are advancing at their fastest rate this year in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, according to the latest analysis. The attacks appear to be concentrated along a 30-mile line from the city of Pokrovsk to Kostiantynivka. You can read more about that further down our blog. Below is a map showing this attack. Tom Watling Russia-backed group hacked into networks of police and Nato, say Dutch authorities A previously unknown Russian hacking group was behind attacks last year on the networks of the Dutch police, Nato and several European countries, Dutch intelligence agencies said on Tuesday. The group, nicknamed Laundry Bear by the security agencies, was most likely supported by the Russian state, the Dutch General Intelligence Agency and Military Agency said in a joint letter to parliament. 'The cyberattacks against Dutch institutions are part of a larger international cyber threat posed by the hacker group,' they said in a statement detailing the findings of their probe into the incidents. The group operated under the radar until it was discovered conducting a hacking operation in September 2024 in which it successfully gained access to the confidential details of Dutch police officials, it said. Laundry Bear also conducted cyber-espionage against companies that produce high-end technologies that Russia has difficulty accessing due to Western sanctions over the Ukraine war, it said. 'The investigation also reveals that Laundry Bear has been responsible for cyber operations against Western governments and other institutions since at least 2024,' the statement added. It said the group had sought to get hold of information related to 'the procurement and production of military equipment by Western governments and Western arms deliveries to Ukraine'. Tom Watling27 May 2025 11:48 'Ample evidence' Russia preparing fresh offensive despite talk of ceasefire, claims Zelensky After a weekend of unprecedented Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine, involving more than 900 missiles and drones, Zelensky claimed Kyiv had obtained intelligence suggesting Moscow was on the brink of a new push. 'We can see from the information obtained by intelligence and from open-source data that Putin and his entourage do not plan to end the war,' the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address on Monday. Russia preparing fresh offensive despite talk of ceasefire, claims Zelensky Russia's foreign ministry says it is working on a peace proposal to be sent to Ukraine, but Kyiv suggests Moscow is simultaneously planning a major new offensive Tom Watling27 May 2025 11:23 Kremlin takes aim at claims US could sanction Russia The Kremlin has taken aim at claims that Donald Trump could sanction Russia following Moscow's massive onslaught of aerial attacks against Ukraine over the weekend. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that media reports suggesting that the United States may impose new sanctions against Russia were part of a campaign aimed at disrupting peace talks over Ukraine. Russia's defence ministry, meanwhile, said that Ukraine, backed by certain European countries, had taken a host of 'provocative steps' aimed at wrecking Russian-initiated direct peace talks, the Interfax news agency reported. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and his chief advisor, Andriy Yermak, have both made public calls for Trump to sanction Russia after Moscow fired more than 900 drones at Ukraine over the weekend. European leaders have continually called for Trump to sanction Russia and accused Putin of obstructing peace. Speaking on Sunday evening after several of the attacks on Ukraine, Trump said Putin was 'needlessly killing' civilians and had 'gone absolutely crazy'. It has since been reported that he is considering sanctions against Russia, although this would not be the first time Trump has considered such action without following through. Tom Watling27 May 2025 10:52 Yermak: Russia's stalling must be punished Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's chief advisor has urged the country's backers to punish Russia for 'stalling' peace talks. Andriy Yermak, who has led Ukraine's peace delegation in recent talks in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, says Russia is engaged in a 'typical delay tactic aimed at avoiding responsibility for killings and trying to escape tougher sanctions'. 'It's time to end this endless waiting — Russia must face more sanctions,' he wrote on X. Tom Watling27 May 2025 10:32 Emergency workers battle fires in northeast Ukraine Emergency workers in Ukraine's northeast region of Kharkiv have been pictured battling fires following another Russian drone attack overnight. The pictures below, shared by Ukraine's state emergency services, show 'a large-scale fire at a civilian enterprise in the village of Vasyshcheve, Kharkiv region'. The state emergency service said the fire covered an area of 7,500 square metres. Tom Watling27 May 2025 10:13 Germany's Merz anticipates prolonged Ukraine war due to Russia's reluctance for talks Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that the war in Ukraine is expected to persist due to Russia's reluctance to enter negotiations. 'Wars typically end because of economic or military exhaustion on one side or on both sides and in this war we are obviously still far from reaching that (situation),' Merz said at a joint press conference with Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo in Turku. 'So we may have to prepare for a longer duration,' Merz added. Tom Watling27 May 2025 09:58 China denies Ukrainian reports on military supplies to Russia China has never provided lethal weapons to any parties to the conflict in Ukraine and strictly controls dual-use items, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday in response to Ukrainian reports of Chinese supplies to Russian military plants. 'The Ukrainian side knows this full well, and China firmly opposes groundless accusations and political manipulation,' ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press conference. Tom Watling27 May 2025 09:31
