The US and Ukraine hit last-minute hurdles on Wednesday as they were on the verge of signing a framework deal on exploiting Ukraine’s minerals. The agreement they had been due to sign after marathon negotiations said the US and Ukraine – through developing Kyiv’s natural resources and creating a joint investment fund – would “seek … Read more
Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a surprise one-day ceasefire in Ukraine for Easter on Saturday, but Kyiv said attacks continued, Mr Putin could not be trusted and Moscow should instead accept a 30-day truce Kyiv had agreed to last month. Mr Putin’s unilateral move followed Washington’s announcement that it would abandon peace talks within days … Read more
Canada’s ruling Liberal party was facing a humiliating loss in upcoming elections. Then came Donald Trump. Party leadership contenders vied to display strength against the US president, his tariffs and his desire to take over Canada – and Liberals’ poll ratings began surging. Under new prime minister Mark Carney, with the slogan “Canada strong”, the … Read more
Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a US-brokered halt to hostilities in the Black Sea, but the warring neighbours warned that Washington must play a key role to ensure the deal does not collapse. The White House said on Tuesday that three days of talks in Saudi Arabia had yielded commitments from Ukraine and Russia … Read more
US and Russian officials held talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday aimed at making progress towards a broad ceasefire in Ukraine, with Washington eyeing a separate Black Sea maritime ceasefire deal before securing a wider agreement. The talks, which followed US negotiations with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, come as US president Donald Trump … Read more
The Kremlin said on Friday that Russian president Vladimir Putin had sent US president Donald Trump a message about his proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine via Mr Trump’s special envoy and that there were grounds for “cautious optimism.” Mr Putin held late night talks in Moscow with Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s envoy, to discuss … Read more
So Micheál Martin entered into the lion’s den and emerged, if not quite unscathed, then at least alive and kicking. Through 50 minutes or so of a rambling, rolling press “spray” (as the Americans call it) in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Martin sat beside Donald Trump as the US president rollicked through familiar themes … Read more
Suddenly the ball is in Russia’s court. The flow of United States intelligence and military aid to Ukraine is to resume – and the Kremlin is being asked to agree to a 30-day ceasefire that Kyiv has already told the Americans it will sign up to. It is a dizzying turnaround from the Oval Office … Read more
Ukraine has agreed to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire in the conflict with Russia during talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia, the countries said in a joint statement. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said he would now take the offer to the Russians, and that the ball is now in Moscow’s court. The … Read more
EU leaders were told that a peace deal for Ukraine could come in phases with a pause in conflict operations first followed by a ceasefire, then prisoner exchanges and security guarantees, during a teleconference this morning. The conference was called to enable French president Emmanuel Macron to debrief fellow leaders following his meeting with Donald … Read more