Russia

Ruto nominates Frank Ole Kibelekenya as Kenya’s ambassador to Denmark, names deputies to Somalia, Russia and Tanzania President William Ruto has nominated Kosiom Frank Ole Kibelekenya to serve as Kenya’s ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark and named senior diplomats to postings in Somalia, Russia and Tanzania in a shake-up of the Foreign Service aimed at strengthening the country’s representation abroad. The changes, communicated through Presidential Notification of Action No. IV of 2026 and announced Friday, will go before…

GENEVA — The United States called for three-way talks with Russia and China to set new limits on nuclear weapons after the New START treaty expired, erasing the last binding cap on U.S.-Russian strategic arsenals and reviving fears of a new arms race. Thomas DiNanno, the under secretary of state for arms control, told the U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that the now-lapsed pact had “fundamental flaws,” citing what he called serial Russian violations, the growth of global stockpiles and weaknesses in the treaty’s…

Russia said there had been “progress” in talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi as Kyiv accused Moscow of launching a “massive” overnight drone attack on railway infrastructure in the country’s north, underscoring the gulf between diplomatic messaging and battlefield realities nearly four years into the war. Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian negotiator, told state media that discussions in the United Arab Emirates were advancing. “There is definitely progress, things are moving forward in a good, positive direction,” he said on the second…

Ukraine, Russia open Abu Dhabi talks as strikes batter energy grid ABU DHABI — Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States were set to gather in the Emirati capital on Tuesday, seeking to advance talks on how to end the four-year war as a wave of Russian missile and drone attacks pounded Ukraine’s energy grid in subfreezing temperatures. The meeting, scheduled to run through Wednesday after a postponement last weekend over what the Kremlin called scheduling issues, comes amid grim omens for diplomacy. Europe’s…

Russian missile and drone strikes hammered Kyiv, Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities early Tuesday, injuring at least four people and igniting new fires at energy facilities as a deep freeze gripped the country, officials said. The barrage came on the eve of planned trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates involving envoys from Kyiv, Moscow and Washington on efforts to halt the war. Air raid alerts sounded after midnight in the capital, where night temperatures fell below minus 20 C. Witnesses reported loud explosions as…

Zelensky announces Feb. 4–5 Abu Dhabi talks with U.S., Russian envoys as strikes hit Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday’s two-day talks among U.S., Russian and Ukrainian envoys will open in Abu Dhabi, describing the latest bid to halt the Ukraine war as Russian strikes again hit civilians and critical infrastructure. “The dates for the next trilateral meetings have been set — February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi,” Zelensky wrote on X. “Ukraine is ready for a substantive discussion, and we are interested…

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said he held “productive and constructive” talks Friday in Florida with Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a meeting that comes on the eve of a new round of Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi backed by Washington. “Today in Florida, the Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev held productive and constructive meetings as part of the U.S. mediation effort toward advancing a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict,” Witkoff posted on X, adding, “We are encouraged by this meeting that Russia is…

The Kremlin said U.S.-brokered trilateral talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in the United Arab Emirates over the weekend were held in a “constructive spirit,” but cautioned that no early breakthrough should be expected as core territorial disputes remain unresolved. “It would be a mistake to expect any significant results from the initial contacts,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, calling the opening exchanges positive while adding there was “significant work ahead.” He underscored that…

In less than a fortnight, President Donald Trump’s push to annex Greenland has done what Moscow long struggled to achieve: drive a wedge between the United States and its European allies in NATO. As Europe recoiled, Russia watched—and encouraged—the rift, framing the controversy as proof that the post–Cold War transatlantic order is fracturing under its own contradictions. Moscow’s messaging has been blunt and opportunistic. Russian state media has amplified the notion that the alliance is wobbling, while Foreign Minister…

ABU DHABI — Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in the United Arab Emirates on Friday for a second day of talks on a plan backed by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the almost four-year war, even as Russian strikes left thousands in Kyiv without heat amid sub-zero temperatures. The UAE Foreign Ministry said the meetings in Abu Dhabi were scheduled to last two days and were “part of ongoing efforts to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis.” The first known direct contact…