Russia

Russia refuses to drop its demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the eastern Donbas, hardening a core territorial red line hours before three-way talks with Ukraine and the United States in the United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said territory remains the decisive issue and will be on the table in Abu Dhabi, where the delegations are expected to hold the first direct public negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow over a plan pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the nearly four-year war.…

Irish citizen with dual Russian nationality detained in Russia over phone messages, wife says An Irish citizen with dual Russian nationality has been detained in Russia since August after authorities found messages on his phone that expressed anti-Russian sentiment, according to his Ukrainian wife, who is appealing to the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs for help. Daria Petrenko, who fled Ukraine at the start of the war and now lives in Claregalway, Co Galway, said her husband, 49-year-old Dmitri Simbaev, was stopped…

Russia warns Western troops deployed to Ukraine would be “legitimate combat targets,” escalating tensions after the U.K. and France announced plans to deploy a multinational force in the event of a cease-fire. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said “militaristic declarations” by a coalition of pro-Ukraine governments were becoming increasingly dangerous. It said any Western “military units, military facilities, depots and other infrastructure on Ukrainian territory will be classified as foreign intervention,…

Russia pounds Ukraine with overnight strikes, killing two near Kyiv on eve of Paris peace summit Russia launched overnight airstrikes across Ukraine early Monday, killing two people in the Kyiv region and triggering nationwide air raid alerts hours before European leaders gather in Paris to discuss a potential peace framework, Ukrainian authorities said. Sirens sounded shortly after midnight as Ukrainian air defenses engaged multiple incoming targets, the military said. In Kyiv, a private medical facility caught fire…

Russia plans nuclear power plant on the moon by 2036 as space powers race to build permanent bases Russia plans to build a nuclear power plant on the moon by 2036 to supply energy for its lunar program and a joint Russian-Chinese research station, accelerating a new phase of competition over the earth’s only natural satellite. Roscosmos, the state space corporation, said it has signed a contract with aerospace firm Lavochkin Association to develop the project, which would support rovers, a lunar observatory and the…

Russia launched an early morning air attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s military said, days after a U.S.-led round of peace talks in Miami concluded without a clear breakthrough. The Kyiv military administration said on Telegram that “air defence forces are working to eliminate the threat in the sky over the capital,” urging residents to remain in shelters until authorities issue an all-clear. Officials did not immediately report casualties or damage, and the full scale of the assault was not immediately known. The strike came hours…

Zelensky says only U.S. can push Russia toward peace as Miami talks open; Odesa oil terminal hit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United States is the only power capable of persuading Russia to end the war, as diplomats converged on Miami for fresh talks that could reshape the format of negotiations. “I believe that such strength exists in the United States and in President (Donald) Trump. And I believe that we should not be looking for alternatives to the United States. All alternatives are under question as…

EU sanctions on Russia should remain in place as long as Moscow occupies Ukrainian territory, Ireland’s Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne said, as European leaders weigh a contentious “Reparations Loan” and a new international body launches in The Hague to process war-damage claims against Russia. “The entire basis of our support for Ukraine and our position against Russia and our actions against Russia is that has breached international law,” Byrne told reporters in Brussels ahead of a ministerial meeting.…

North Korea has acknowledged deploying troops to Russia’s Kursk region to clear land mines, with leader Kim Jong Un praising an engineering regiment for “mass heroism” during a ceremony in Pyongyang, according to state media. The remarks, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), mark a rare public admission by Pyongyang about the dangerous frontline duties assigned to its soldiers in Russia as the war in Ukraine nears its fourth year. KCNA said Kim hailed the unit’s return and awarded state honors to fallen soldiers…

For the sixth time this year, U.S. President Donald Trump sent his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow — this time accompanied by Jared Kushner — and once again returned with cordial meetings but no breakthrough on a cease-fire or an enduring peace settlement for Ukraine. The repeat mission underscores a familiar pattern: U.S. interlocutors sit down with senior Russian officials, describe the talks as constructive, and leave with little to show except the prospect of more discussions. “Compromises have not been found…