Free Republic

President Donald Trump joined world leaders for a signing ceremony in Switzerland on Jan. 22 for his "Board of Peace." Trump suggested during the presentation that a peace settlement connected to Russia's war in Ukraine was "coming very soon." Ukrainian officials did not immediately return a request for comment on Trump's assertion. The declaration came shortly before Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks in Davos on the sidelines of an international summit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that Europe is too reliant on the US for its security, as he questioned the response from NATO if Russia was to invade another European nation. “Europe needs united armed forces, forces that can truly defend Europe today,” he said during his speech in Davos. “Europe relies only on that belief that if danger comes, NATO will act, but no one has really seen the alliance in action.” He questioned who would respond if Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Lithuania or strike Poland. “Right now NATO exists thanks to the belief that the...

Collecting snow for water at home; sleeping in gloves, coats and hats; heating bricks on gas stoves for warmth; erecting tents indoors - Kyiv residents are doing everything they can to survive the coldest, darkest winter of the war. "When there is no electricity, there is no heating: it means the apartment freezes," said ​Anton Rybikov, father of three-year-old David and two-year-old Matvii, speaking to Reuters in their home, where he and his wife Marina have stocked up on backup batteries and sleeping bags. The 39-year-old military ‌chaplain said one of his sons recently contracted pneumonia after temperatures in the...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia’s latest drone and missile attacks had left more than one million consumers without electricity in Kyiv, with thousands of apartment blocks also losing heating during freezing winter temperatures. In a rare wartime admission, Zelenskyy criticised the performance of Ukraine’s air force against Russian Shahed drones, despite the availability of Western-supplied interceptors and F-16 fighter jets. Moscow has escalated strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, while Kyiv has urged Western allies to urgently deliver air defense missiles and military support.

Ukrainian President Zelensky is planning to travel to Davos on Thursday for a meeting with President Trump, according to a Ukrainian official. Split screen: Zelensky plans to meet Trump in the Alps soon before White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner head to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both meetings will focus on Trump's peace plan for Ukraine.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday canceled his planned appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and stayed in Kyiv as Russian strikes crippled the country’s energy grid — leaving tens of thousands without heat in the dead of winter. “Undoubtedly, I choose Ukraine in this case, rather than the economic forum,” Zelensky said, explaining his decision to remain in the war-scarred capital. The choice came amid “large-scale brownouts” in Kyiv and other cities, the Ukrainian president said, following a fresh Russian attack on critical infrastructure. “In the capital alone, more than 5,600 apartment buildings are without heat...

ALERT: In a bombshell revelation, top White House officials disclosed that the United States is finalizing a staggering $700 billion cash offer to buy Greenland outright from Denmark, plus $100,000 lump-sum payments to each of its ~57,000 residents—totaling nearly $706 billion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday he was worried US President Donald Trump's push to take Greenland could be diverting attention from Russia's invasion, now approaching its four-year mark. "I'm worried about any loss of focus during a full-scale war," Zelensky told reporters. He added, however, that the dispute surrounding the autonomous Danish island and Ukraine should not be seen as "interchangeable".

<p>French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that his country has now overtaken the US as the main provider of intelligence to Ukraine.</p><p>"Where Ukraine was overwhelmingly dependent on American intelligence capacity, a year ago, two-thirds is today provided by France. Two-thirds," Macron said in a New Year's speech to the French military.</p>

Ukraine is enduring one of the harshest winters in its modern history as relentless Russian strikes cripple the country’s energy infrastructure, leaving millions without reliable heat or electricity. With nighttime temperatures in Kyiv dropping below -20C, rolling blackouts and heating outages have become a daily reality—even in the capital. Speaking to News in Depth on TVP World, Marta Shokalo, editor-in-chief of BBC News Ukraine, described conditions as unprecedented. “We never, ever had winters like this,” she said, noting that many families are leaving Kyiv temporarily as apartments struggle to stay above freezing. While some Ukrainians have relocated to western cities...

The headmaster of Chicago’s tony Latin School will resign less than two weeks after it was revealed that students were rehearsing Nazi marching themes for the second year in a row. Dr. Thomas Hagerman revealed his plans to leave his job in a Jan. 14 email to the Latin School community which cited health issues as the reason for his exit. “This decision comes after a great deal of thoughtful deliberation. I have been repeatedly reminded about the importance of attending more intentionally to my health and overall sustainability,” Hagerman wrote*** The surprise resignation comes two weeks after middle schoolers...

President Zelensky has called Ukraine's air defence supplies "insufficient", having revealed several systems were "without missiles" until Friday morning. "I can say this openly because today I have those missiles," the president said, adding that Ukraine had received a "substantial package" earlier in the day. His comments follow days of intense Russian bombardment of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leaving thousands of people without heating and electricity during a bitterly cold winter. Schools in Kyiv will shut until February, the capital's mayor has announced, as the city continues to face severe energy shortages amid temperatures which have dropped as low as -19C....

KYIV, Jan 16 (Reuters) - A majority of Ukrainians would strongly oppose withdrawing troops from the part of the eastern Donetsk region still controlled by Kyiv in exchange for European and U.S. security guarantees, a poll released on Friday indicated. Ukraine, wary of unmet commitments in the past, is pushing for legally binding security guarantees to prevent any future Russian aggression.

As allies met in Paris to firm up security guarantees for Ukraine, the presence of peace envoys sent by Donald Trump offered hope that the US was still listening to the EU despite the president's threats to annex Greenland. "We have largely finished the security protocols," said Steve Witkoff, one of the two emissaries, as he stood alongside the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Ukraine at the presidential palace in Paris. "This is important so that when this war ends, it ends forever," he said. Even as France and the UK inked their resolve to deploy troops to...

Spain has signed off on a contract to produce and supply Ukraine with a Lanza LTR-25 long-range tactical radar, along with logistics support, the Spanish government press service said Wednesday, January 14. The agreement covers manufacturing and delivery of the Lanza LTR-25. The move is aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses and will remain in effect through the end of 2026.... Spain previously announced €615 million in aid to Ukraine for weapons procurement and air-defense systems financing. Spain will also provide Ukraine with 40 IRIS-T air-defense missiles.

U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters that Ukraine - not Russia - is holding up a potential peace deal, rhetoric that stands in marked contrast to that of European allies, who have consistently argued Moscow has little interest in ending its war in Ukraine. In an exclusive interview in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to wrap up his nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskiy, the U.S. president said, was more reticent. "I think he's ready to make a deal," Trump said of the Russian president. "I think Ukraine is less ready to...

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has continued for as long as Nazi Germany’s war against the Soviet Union, with Moscow failing to achieve any decisive gains over more than three years. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew the comparison in his evening address on January 11. “We are not dragging out time, unlike Russia. They have dragged things out enough, to be honest. Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has now lasted as long as Nazi Germany’s war against the Soviet Union,” Zelenskyy said. He noted that, as of January 11, the war has entered its 1,418th day and said Russia had...

It is now up to Russia to show it is interested in peace, after Kyiv and its allies agreed on a peace plan and security guarantees that would take effect following a ceasefire, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said. Speaking to reporters, she said the peace plan was the 20-point proposal that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump at the end of last year. She added that, alongside the plan, there were substantial, robust, and well-defined security guarantees for Kyiv from the United States and Europe. "Now, Russia has to show...

The British government said on Sunday that it will develop a new deep-strike ballistic missile for Ukraine to support the country's war efforts against Russia. Under the project, named Nightfall, the British government said it has launched a competition to rapidly develop ground-launched ballistic missiles that could carry a 200 kg (440 lb) warhead over a range of more than 500 km (310 miles).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reported severe conditions across multiple regions following intensified Russian strikes on critical infrastructure. According to his shared X statement on January 11, he confirmed that attacks have disrupted electricity, heating, and water supplies during freezing winter temperatures. He detailed a significant escalation in the volume and variety of Russian weapons used over the course of one week. Additionally, he stated that Russia launched almost 1,100 attack drones, more than 890 guided aerial bombs, and over 50 missiles. These included ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile.