Volodymyr Zelensky News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. KYIV, Ukraine—Iryna Tkhoryk knew things were really bad in her cozy, three-room apartment here when frost formed on the inside handle of her balcony door, and she could see her own breath. The 60-year-old pet-store manager now walks around swaddled in several layers topped by a long pink hoodie, wearing four pairs of socks and a hot-water bottle around her neck to cope with temperatures that are at best around 50 degrees Fahrenheit inside and 10 degrees outside.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The fight against Russia in Ukraine is now firmly Europe’s war.The European Union this week signed off on the equivalent of $105 billion in loans to keep Kyiv afloat through the end of next year—but officials warned that it may not be enough.With Russia determined to continue its four-year invasion until it dominates its neighbor, and President Trump pulling back from Europe and focused on the Middle East, Ukraine finds itself reliant on the traditionally gun-shy EU in its war for survival.The confirmation of the loan ahead of a summit in Cyprus on Thursday, long blocked by recently ousted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, marked a fresh sign of resolve and unity in the bloc.“For the first time in years there are no Russians in the room,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on social media, an apparent reference to Orbán, who had warm ties with Moscow but stayed away from the EU summit after recently losing an election. “Huge relief,” Tusk added.The funding decision, which Orban cleared this week following his election defeat, comes at a critical moment for Ukraine, which needs the cash to sustain its economy and its military amid relentless Russian assaults as Moscow seeks to grab more land in its neighbor’s east.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky met in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday to discuss an end to Russia’s war. No concrete plans were drawn up, but both leaders emerged optimistic about their progress.

2014 invasion of Crimea, when the West told Ukrainians to stand down and tacitly accepted Russian control of the peninsula. On the eve of the 2022 full-scale invasion, we prepared to support a long Ukrainian guerilla war against Russian occupation and were cautious about giving the Ukrainian government weapons that we assumed would only fall into Russian hands. As the Kremlin’s tanks crossed the border, we offered President Volodymyr Zelensky an escape route, so he could lead Ukraine’s government in exile.Even after the Ukrainian people showed that they had the will and the strength not to be conquered, we have been collectively hesitant about giving them the tools that they need to win.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. BRUSSELS—Ukraine will be both forced to slash drone production and undermined in negotiations with Washington if European Union leaders fail to back a $105 billion loan to keep Kyiv fighting against Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The EU says Ukraine will run out of cash in the spring.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The U.S. pledged to protect Ukraine from any future Russian attack, U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Trump’s top envoys launched two days of meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders on Sunday as the administration stepped up pressure on Kyiv to put aside its resistance and agree to a peace deal with Russia by year-end. The talks between Ukraine and its Western partners have become a tug of war, even without Russia at the table.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. KYIV, Ukraine—President Volodymyr Zelensky, with the help of his European allies, has carefully crafted a response to President Trump’s peace plan that essentially boils down to: Yes, but… Zelensky is prepared to hold elections, but would need a cease-fire. He says Russia can maintain some involvement in Europe’s largest nuclear plant, which it currently occupies, but Ukraine and the U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Trump dialed up pressure on Ukraine to swiftly accept a U.S.-designed peace plan, hardening his position toward the embattled country and its European backers, who insist U.S. security guarantees are vital to a peace deal.

Vitali Klitschko said the city was under missile attack on Sunday with explosions in the Ukrainian capital, two days after a Russian missile killed 18 people in President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown. Klitschko said paramedics had been sent to two districts in Kyiv, while the Ukrainian air force said missiles had entered the northern Chernihiv region. «Explosions in the capital. Air defence is in operation,» Klitschko said on Telegram. «The missile attack on Kyiv continues. Stay in shelters!» He added that three people were injured so far, and said there was reported wreckage falling in two non-residential sites.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. BACK IN THE White House, President Donald Trump says that he will end the war in Ukraine—although not in a day, as he used to promise. But there is a problem: Vladimir Putin appears to be in no hurry to make concessions and accept a deal that is not on his terms.

Phil Goff, New Zealand's former High Commissioner to the UK, sacked for publicly questioning US President Donald Trump's understanding of history, has defended his comments. Goff stated his comments were prompted by the US President's «disgraceful bullying» of Ukraine and its president Volodymyr Zelensky, and the «untruthful statements» made by the Trump administration about Russia’s invasion. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters moved quickly to dismiss Goff, stating his position had become “untenable.” Goff, however, maintains he has no regrets and believes his actions will be viewed favorably in the future. Goff made the first comments about Trump during a live-streamed Q&A event with Finland Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on March 4. Referring to Winston Churchill’s 1938 speech to the House of Commons following the Munich Agreement, asking Valtonen, “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?” This question, according to Goff, arose from the “dismay” shared within the diplomatic community in London regarding Trump's stance on Ukraine. “As one untruthful statement followed another like something out of an Orwell novel, I increasingly felt that the lies needed to be called out," he had said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Trump’s pursuit of breakneck diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine is colliding with Moscow and Kyiv’s go-slow approach. Russia is putting sticks in the wheels of Trump’s cease-fire drive, playing for time as it presses its gains on the battlefield and pushes for maximum concessions in negotiations.

Trump said Sunday he was «very angry, pissed off» with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, NBC reported, marking a sharp change of tone as Washington seeks to end the war in Ukraine. NBC's Kristen Welker said Trump had called her to express his anger over Putin questioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's future as a leader — something that Trump himself has done. Welker, on her NBC show «Meet The Press» on Sunday, quoted directly from an early-morning telephone conversation with the president. Trump said that «if Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia's fault» then he would impose «secondary tariffs on all oil coming out of Russia.» Welker said Trump told her «I was very angry, pissed off» when Putin started making comments about Zelensky's credibility and talking about new leadership in Ukraine.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. KYIV : The Trump administration expects Ukraine to quickly sign a new agreement that gives Washington broad power over its ally’s economy. The problem is that Ukraine almost certainly can’t accept the terms.

News reports indicate that Putin is struggling with serious health issues such as cancer and Parkinson's, as evidenced by shaking limbs and puffy features. The Kremlin persists in denying everything.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The U.S. said it had agreed with Russia to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea.

Ukraine has signalled support for a U.S.-proposed pause in attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. The agreement, backed by Washington and Moscow, follows a call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, made it clear that Kyiv needed more details before making a final decision. «After we get the details from the U.S. president, from the U.S. side, we will give our answer,» Zelensky said in an online briefing. He added that Ukraine would honour the agreement as long as Moscow also adhered to it. «Our side will maintain it,» he stated, but stressed that the U.S. should act as «guarantors of control over the implementation.»

According to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, the top diplomats «agreed to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia.» The statement gave no details on when the next round of US-Russia talks, which are being hosted by Saudi Arabia, would begin. Rubio also updated Lavrov on military activity in the Middle East, where US forces carried out deadly strikes Saturday against Huthi rebel targets in Yemen, the statement said. Despite recent tensions between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, Kyiv has agreed in principle to a US-brokered 30-day unconditional ceasefire if Moscow halts its attacks in eastern Ukraine.

Russia said Friday it expected Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump would discuss a US-proposed ceasefire in Ukraine, but that US envoy Steve Witkoff needed to relay Putin's thoughts to the American president first. Witkoff met the Russian president late Thursday to lay out the details of the US plan, which Ukraine agreed to on Tuesday. «When Mr Witkoff brings all the information to President Trump, we will determine the timing of a conversation (between Trump and Putin),» Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. «There is an understanding on all sides that such a conversation is needed. There are reasons to be cautiously optimistic,» Peskov added. «There is still much to be done, but the president has nevertheless identified with President Trump's position.»

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Russia said its forces were in the final stages of ousting Ukraine’s army from the Kursk region, where Kyiv had taken Russian territory that it had hoped to use as a bargaining chip in peace negotiations. The Russian military said Thursday it had retaken Sudzha, the biggest town held by Ukraine in the Kursk region, after recapturing a string of villages in recent days.