Sasha Vakulina
Ukraine
Allies to push for the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia
The return of the forcefully deported Ukrainian children “is a subject at the top of all lists,” Donald Trump said, adding that the US and Europe will work together with Ukraine and the rest of the world “to hopefully bringing them home to their families".
Ukraine
Trump tells Zelenskyy US will be part of Ukraine security guarantees
Just a handful of days after his summit with Vladimir Putin, the US president told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine would receive substantial security guarantees as part of the future deal. However, Trump did not specify what it is that Ukraine will be asked to give in exchange.
World News
Russia can't seize all of Donetsk unless Ukraine withdraws, ISW says
The Russian president allegedly told Donald Trump that he wants all of Ukraine’s Donbas region as part of any deal to put an end to the war. More than 10 years into Moscow's relentless assaults in eastern Ukraine, Russia still does not control all of the Donbas.
Ukraine
Pushing Kyiv to give up land 'will force Ukrainians to the streets'
The US president said that a possible deal to end Russia’s war against Ukraine would include certain “land swapping”. But for the Ukrainian society, this is an impossible step, seen not as a compromise but rather a capitulation, neither Trump nor even Zelenskyy can force them into.
World News
Trump: Zelenskyy and European leaders to meet with Putin after Alaska
US President Donald Trump said he expects his meeting with Vladimir Putin to go well, but added that what will be even more important is the second meeting after the Alaska summit, where the presidents of Ukraine and Russia will be joined by Trump and possibly by some European leaders.
Ukraine
Trump-Putin Alaska summit: What we know about the upcoming meeting
The Kremlin released the detailed agenda for Vladimir Putin’s Friday meeting with Donald Trump as the US president is expected to push the Russian leader to agree to a ceasefire in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. What will Putin bring to the talks?
World News
'Putin is bluffing,' Zelenskyy says as Europe pushes for ceasefire
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s European partners are pushing Donald Trump to prioritise a ceasefire at his upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Since they won't be there, Kyiv and its allies are trying to make their voices heard.
Ukraine
Russian forces reportedly breach Ukrainian defences in eastern Donetsk
Russian forces have intensified their push in eastern Ukraine, pushing towards the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk highway in Ukraine's Donetsk region, as Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns that Russia is redeploying its troops in preparation for a new offensive.
World News
Zelenskyy warns Trump not to trust Putin before Alaska meeting
It took Ukraine’s president time and effort to not only repair his diplomatic relations with the Trump administration, but also to prove that no one wants the end of Russia’s all-out war more than Ukraine does. Can he now convince Trump not to trust Putin?
USA
Azerbaijan and Armenia sign peace agreement after decades of conflict
After almost four decades of a bloody conflict that until recently had no end in sight, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a peace agreement in the presence of the US President Donald Trump. Notably absent in this historic moment is Russia, which no longer plays a central role in the South Caucasus.
Ukraine
Putin will meet Trump, but will he meet Zelenskyy?
The presidents of the US and Russia have agreed to meet in the "coming days", the Kremlin said, adding that the venue has also been decided. Will the meeting also include Ukraine’s president Zelenskyy, and what does it mean for Trump’s ceasefire deadline for Moscow?
World News
Historic Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement might be signed in the US
Donald Trump is hosting the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington this week for a summit which could advance a much-anticipated peace agreement between the two. The meeting would send a strong signal to Moscow regarding the two countries' commitment to finding a solution without Russia.
World News
Armenia and Azerbaijan move closer to peace, pushing Russia out
Leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet in Abu Dhabi to finalise the peace agreement and forge a future side by side after nearly four decades of conflict. What was previously seen as an impossible peace became a reality after Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine.