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Pope Leo XIV urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to take a meaningful step in favor of peace during a phone call Wednesday that focused on the ongoing war in Ukraine and the worsening humanitarian situation. The conversation, described by the Vatican as “frank and focused on the urgency of dialogue,” saw the Pope appeal directly for a gesture from Moscow that could help reduce tensions and create the conditions for further diplomatic engagement. According to Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, the Pontiff underlined the “importance of dialogue to create positive contacts between the parties and seek...

Moscow’s top security official, Sergei Shoigu, arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday, where he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for talks, APA reports citing Russian media. Shoigu, who is the Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, arrived on orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the state-run TASS news agency reported, with RIA Novosti saying it expected current affairs, “including the situation surrounding Ukraine,” to be on the agenda. Wednesday's visit is Shoigu's second to Pyongyang in less than three months.

A meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul aimed at paving the way for a potential ceasefire is expected to take place at 10:00 GMT, or 1 p.m. local time, at the Ciragan Palace, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said on Sunday. Ukraine's delegation to a second round of peace talks will include its defense minister, deputy foreign minister, as well as several military and intelligence officials, according to an executive order by President Volodymyr Zelensky published on Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that Ukraine will attend a meeting in Istanbul on Monday proposed by Russia. "I outlined (Ukraine's) positions ahead of the meeting in Istanbul on Monday," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram after meeting with his officials. He added that the Ukrainian delegation would once again be headed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

Former United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned US President Donald Trump on Saturday against recognizing Crimea as Russian territory, claiming that would be "a mistake of epic proportions." "I get the frustration … I'm not naive about what’s physically possible in this moment, but that doesn’t mean one should go and say, ‘and we are giving up for all time," Pompeo, who served as the top US diplomat during Trump's first term, stated at the Black Sea Security Forum in Odessa. "This is one of the things I hope to communicate," he added.

Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has urged Washington’s chief negotiator with Moscow, Steve Witkoff, to consult European leaders before placing trust in Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Witkoff has been part of U.S. delegations leading talks with Moscow and Kyiv since February, after Trump tasked members of his administration to help negotiate an end to Russia’s three-year war in Ukraine. However, he has faced criticism from Kyiv for peddling Russian narratives, including a suggestion to hand over four partially occupied eastern Ukrainian regions to Moscow. In March, Witkoff said that Putin has no intention to “take all of...

United States President Donald Trump commented on Friday that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, are both "stubborn." "I have known [Putin] very well. I have gone through a lot of things with him ... [But] I have gotten to see things that I was very surprised at: rockets being shot into cities like Kiev, during a negotiation that I felt was maybe very close to ending. We were gonna solve a problem, and then, all of a sudden, rockets got shot into a couple of cities," the US head of state said during a...

The Senate will likely start moving next week on a bill to place strong sanctions on Russia because it is not moving forward toward agreeing to a ceasefire in Ukraine, Sen. Lindsey Graham, the legislation's sponsor, said Friday. "Enough of talking," the South Carolina Republican told reporters while visiting Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv, reports Bloomberg News. "I would expect next week that the Senate will start moving the sanctions bill ... there are House members that are ready to move and you will see congressional action." The sanctions bill, according to a draft seen by Bloomberg, includes a 500%...

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Friday dismissed the idea of Turkey or any other country acting as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine during the proposed negotiations in Istanbul on June 2. Zakharova thanked Turkey for its hospitality and for creating a negotiating platform, noting that the first round of discussions was held in "comfortable conditions." Kiev has not yet confirmed its participation in the new round of talks, although Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said the negotiations must "yield results." Additionally, the country's President Vladimir Zelensky said Moscow had not sent a peace memorandum to Kiev, despite...

President Donald Trump has had a simple and bold plan to win the peace in the brutal war between Russia and Ukraine. In my opinion, Trump knew getting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians to negotiate was never going to be the problem. But Russian President Vladimir Putin would be. So Trump seemingly castigated the Ukrainians at the very same time he extended a very welcoming hand to Putin, a nonthreatening and nonjudgmental one at that. Trump's maneuver was a brilliant one, including a peace deal that would start with both sides agreeing to an immediate ceasefire. As expected, Zelenskyy...

Russia pushes second meeting in Istanbul, Ukraine tells Moscow to pony up ceasefire terms first. Russian President Vladimir Putin has amassed some 50,000 troops on Ukraine’s northern border despite a united push by the U.S. and Ukraine to get Moscow to enter into "meaningful" ceasefire negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday warned that Putin is preparing a massive summer offensive in a move to push Ukraine’s troops out of Russia’s Kursk region, and to launch a new invasion into Ukraine’s Sumy region – a mere 200 miles from the capital city of Kyiv. Zelenskyy reiterated this week that he...

Vladimir Putin is demanding urgent potato imports from Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, while he delays supplying the ally with promised notorious Oreshnik horror missiles. Putin has made the shameful admission that he has run out of spuds - one of his country’s leading food staples - amid economic meltdown during his war with Ukraine. It now appears Belarus will not get the lethal missiles until after Lukashenko supplies Putin with new exports of potatoes which have spiralled in prices in Russia. The Minsk tyrant has even cancelled sanctions against imports from the EU to stock up to supply Russia. -snip-...

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko called on Wednesday for the country to produce more potatoes in the face of a large shortage of the key crop and rising demand from neighbouring Russia. "We have to grow enough so that it suffices for us and for Russia," Lukashenko said during a meeting with regional officials in Minsk, state news agency BelTA reported. The potato has in the past been seen as a symbol of Lukashenko's rule of the country, which is heavily dependant on agriculture. He was once head of a state-run collective farm, or sovkhoz. Food shortages have arisen recently in...

The Kremlin has not yet disclosed what conditions it will propose for a ceasefire with Ukraine, nor whether those terms will appear in a draft memorandum, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. Peskov noted that there is no need to publicly discuss the contents of the draft documents, News.Az reports, citing TASS. "We won’t publicly discuss the contents of the draft documents that [the parties] are supposed to exchange. The reason is because talks should always be held behind closed doors rather than in public," the Kremlin spokesman added.

Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to Vladimir Putin after accusing him of deliberately drawing out the fragile peace process in Ukraine. The US president was asked whether he thought it was "disrespectful" of his Russian counterpart to accuse him of being overly emotional. A reporter questioned: "Do you believe the Russians are being disrespectful when they say that your criticisms of Putin are simply an emotional response? And do you still believe that Putin actually wants to end the war? Mr Trump responded: "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks. Within two...

United States President Donald Trump admitted on Wednesday that he "can't tell" if his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin truly wants to end his country's ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. Speaking at the White House amid the Swearing-In for the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Trump said that "I'll let you know in two weeks" after more negotiations have taken place. He also complimented US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff for "doing a phenomenal job" mediating the talks between Russia and Ukraine and for "dealing with him [Putin] very strongly." Asked about his...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a statement on Wednesday that the Russian delegation led by President Vladimir Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky is ready to present a memorandum to Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul. "The Russian side, as agreed, promptly developed a corresponding memorandum, which sets out our position on all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis. Our delegation is ready to present this memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation and provide the necessary explanations during the second round of resumed direct negotiations in Istanbul next Monday, June 2," the Russian diplomat stated.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that United States President Donald Trump wants a "speedy" settlement to the conflict in Ukraine after being asked about Trump's comments that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "playing with fire." "It is clear that the American side, which is making considerable efforts for peaceful regulation, and President Trump personally, want a speedy settlement. And we repeat once again and are grateful for the mediation efforts of President Trump personally," Peskov said. "There is definitely a huge number of nuances in the context of what is to be discussed, which cannot be sacrificed. And...

President Donald Trump's social media attacks on Vladimir Putin have prompted derision and a warning from Russian state media. Trump took to Truth Social to condemn Putin following last weekend's Russian missile and drone barrage on Ukraine which he followed up with a post that said the Russian leader is "playing with fire." But the state-run propaganda outlet RT said Trump changes his opinion frequently, while a Russian state television anchor warned that the U.S. president should keep in mind that Moscow can "destroy the world several times over."

US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Keith Kellogg, on Wednesday scolded a top Russian official for stoking fears of World War Three after Trump warned President Vladimir Putin was “playing with fire” over Ukraine. -snip- US envoy Kellogg quoted Medvedev’s post and said it reckless. “Stoking fears of WW III is an unfortunate, reckless comment... and unfitting of a world power,” 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.”