Vladimir Putin has poured cold water on Volodymyr Zelensky's push for a personal meeting, saying there is "no point" in a face-to-face summit until negotiators first put a peace deal on the table. Speaking at Russia's flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg, Putin dismissed the idea of an immediate encounter with the Ukrainian president, one day after Zelensky issued an open later urging such talks. "I see no point in meeting. It only makes sense for the Ukrainian side to stop the advance of our armed forces. That's it.…

Ukrainian drones hit an oil terminal and a naval base in St Petersburg just hours before President Vladimir Putin was due to open his flagship economic forum, in a strike aimed at puncturing the Kremlin’s image and underscoring the exposure of Russia’s major cities. The assault on St Petersburg, Mr Putin’s home city and host of his own glitzy version of ‘Davos’ — an annual showcase meant to lure foreign investors — came as both sides intensified attacks in a war now more than four years old, with no clear end in sight.…

Andriy Yermak rejected corruption claims against him as “unfounded” after appearing in court, pushing back publicly as the high-profile case deepens scrutiny of Ukraine’s political elite. Once President Volodymyr Zelensky’s closest aide, Mr Yermak stepped down in November 2025 after investigators searched his home in a far-reaching corruption inquiry that sent shockwaves through the country as it continued to fight a full-scale war. “The notice of suspicion is unfounded,” Mr Yermak, 54, wrote on Telegram after the hearing,…

President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned countries friendly with Moscow against sending representatives to Russia’s 9 May World War II Victory Day parade, as the Kremlin intensified threats of a strike on Kyiv that same day. Russia has unilaterally announced a ceasefire in its war on Ukraine from 8 to 10 May, yet the Russian military has simultaneously urged people to leave Kyiv amid the prospect of what it described as a retaliatory attack. "We have also received messages from some states close to Russia, saying that their…

Volodymyr Zelensky has denounced the loosening of restrictions on Russian oil, warning that revenue from those sales feeds Moscow’s war machine just as Washington moves to ease pressure on energy markets rattled by the conflict in the Middle East. "Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war" and is used for devastating strikes on Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said in a post on X. Without naming the United States directly, the Ukrainian president’s remarks came after President Donald Trump's administration on Friday…

With a key Russian oil route still crippled by wartime strikes, Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine expects to restore enough of the damaged pipeline to resume operations to Hungary and Slovakia before April is out. "As for the oil pipeline, as we promised, it will be repaired by the end of April - not completely, but enough for it to function," Mr Zelensky told reporters in Berlin. The pipeline’s condition had become a flashpoint in Mr Zelensky’s fraught relationship with Hungary's outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as the…

With a ceasefire now taking hold between the United States and Iran, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pressing for Washington to restore full energy sanctions on Russia, arguing that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz removes the rationale for easing pressure on Moscow’s oil exports. "Now a ceasefire is beginning in the Middle East and the Gulf. And I am waiting for sanctions on Russian oil to be fully reimposed, as they were before," Mr Zelensky said. Last month, the United States relaxed some sanctions on…

With the war’s economic shockwaves still rippling through energy markets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Russia to agree to a reciprocal pause in strikes on energy infrastructure, arguing that such a move could help calm pressure on global oil prices. Mr Zelensky told reporters that Kyiv was prepared to mirror any such step if Moscow stopped targeting Ukraine’s energy network. "If Russia is ready to stop hitting Ukrainian energy facilities, we will not respond against their energy sector," he said. He…

Trump says Zelensky is obstacle to Russia deal, calls Putin ‘cooperative’ in Politico interview President Donald Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is the obstacle to a settlement with Russia and described Russian President Vladimir Putin as cooperative, sharpening his pressure on Kyiv as the war grinds on. “Zelensky, he has to get on the ball, and he has to get a deal done,” Trump said in an interview with Politico. Returning to language he used during a tense White House meeting a year ago — when he and Vice…

Ukraine says U.S.-brokered talks with Russia have not been canceled despite weekend strikes on Iran that President Volodymyr Zelensky linked to the United States and Israel, though Kyiv is weighing a change of venue from Abu Dhabi to Turkey or Switzerland. Zelensky told reporters the meeting, tentatively set for March 5-6 in the United Arab Emirates capital, remains on the calendar but may be relocated “due to the ongoing hostilities.” He added, “If there are difficulties with Abu Dhabi because of missiles and drones, then I…