The second Oval Office meeting in six months between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went off smoothly, in sharp contrast to their disastrous encounter in February.

US President Donald Trump has ditched his call for a ceasefire in Ukraine, backing instead Russian President Vladimir Putin’s push for a permanent peace agreement. That has not stopped some European leaders from pushing for a temporary truce first, even though the US president has seemingly decided one is not necessary.

Russia's illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014 was quick and bloodless, and it sent Moscow's relations with the West into a downward spiral unseen since the Cold War. It also paved the way for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022,

Russia in 2022 annexed the Zaporizhzhia region, along with neighbouring Kherson as well as Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine's east, about seven months after invading its smaller neighbour. "The reason for the power cuts in Zaporizhzhia region is yet another enemy terrorist drone attack on high-voltage equipment,

President Trump describes Ukraine peace talks as 'very good early step' following discussions with Zelenskyy and European leaders on security guarantees.

Trump is celebrating his White House summit as big progress toward peace in Ukraine. Russia is celebrating something else.

Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles against Ukraine on August 19, just hours after President Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Trump and European leaders in Washington to discuss security guarantees.

But, given the pushback he got from the Kremlin, Trump did not have room to promise much more. Last week, after his summit with Putin in Alaska, he had already set aside his main source of leverage over the Russians—the threat of sanctions and tariffs that could weaken Putin’s economy. “We don’t have to think about that right now,” Trump remarked.

Hurtling toward talks between Zelenskyy and Putin, the days of slow-as-you-go diplomacy are clearly over in the age of Trump.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Monday warned NATO leaders against deploying troops in Ukraine as world leaders work to bring about an end to the nearly three-years long

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a press conference following talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani in Moscow, Russia, July 31, 2025. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov//File Photo MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that it was clear at Friday's U.