For me, the most telling statement of the day was from Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov. He took part in the St Petersburg talks. Ushakov said that Steve Witkoff had told President Putin about the discussions in Oslo and (as Witkoff viewed them) “new approaches from the Europeans …

Russia is “ready in principle” to resume talks with the US and Ukraine on ending the conflict, Vladimir Putin’s top aide has said. Yuriy Ushakov was speaking after Putin met US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in the Russian city of St Petersburg. Kyiv has been pressing Moscow …

Last Friday, Trump went further, waiving wide-ranging sanctions on Russia just two days before they were due to take effect. Trump said the sanctions contained in the Graham Act (named after the former South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, a vocal supporter of Ukraine who died in July) would hinder his …

Witkoff is expected to be joined by video-link by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and by several European representatives, including Finnish President Alexander Stubb and officials from the UK, Poland, France and Germany, as well as the EU and Nato. It is not yet clear whether Witkoff will travel on to …

As the days and weeks passed since Nathan went missing, the enormity of the situation became increasingly clear. The family discovered he had recorded a goodbye video at the start of his military service, which he sent to his wife to be passed on to his mother in the event …

Ukrainians have died because Kyiv is still not receiving reliable US warnings of incoming Russian attacks, according to a key adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov told the BBC that lives had been lost because there had not been time to warn citizens about ballistic missile strikes, saying: …

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina has announced the end of her marriage with French former tennis player Gaël Monfils, citing the emotional impact of the war in her country. The 32-year-old, who is ranked number six in the world, wrote in a heartfelt post on Instagram about the effect the …

Cities and towns across France have seen rioting, looting and vandalism over the weekend as protesters took to the streets. It follows disorder last month when students began protesting over school conditions. The protests became broader and represented other concerns some French people have about issues in the country. French …

An Austrian Airlines flight from Israel to Austria has been forced to divert to Bulgaria after a reported bomb threat. The Airbus A320 plane was travelling from Tel Aviv to Vienna on Sunday night but made an emergency landing in Sofia, where passengers were evacuated, the Bulgarian transport ministry said …

“You will get a file… from me or a colleague… with the proposed target. The file will contain [the target’s] photo, his data, his details, date of birth, age, and a description of him. There’ll be information on his car, if he has one. When you go to the target, …

The boss of one of Ukraine’s biggest steel companies has called on the European Union to drop import restrictions on products made from the country, arguing it has been “bundled together” in measures aimed a curbing cheap imports from the likes of China. Yuriy Ryzhenkov, chief executive of Metinvest, told …

A historic town hall in the French city of Limoges has been damaged in an apparent arson attack following a day of nationwide protests on Saturday. Dramatic footage shared online shows the 19th-century building engulfed in flames, with the spire of its clock tower later collapsing. On Sunday, stunned residents …

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for “calm and order” after a major day of protests turned into rioting and looting on Saturday, and as some disorder continued in Paris on Sunday. In a national address from the Élysée Palace, he warned those who had taken part not to “escalate”, …

A clock tower spire has collapsed in a ball of flames in the French city of Limoges amid nationwide protests. The local prefecture said the town hall was “largely lost” in a blaze started deliberately. Fire crews were still battling the blaze late into the night, while eyewitnesses captured the …

The latest protests have seriously tarnished Rama’s carefully cultivated image as a charming leader, steering his country towards prosperity. Parallel to the protests, a series of investigations by the special prosecution service also threaten his rule. Set up under EU and US pressure in 2019, the prosecutors recently arrested the …

Pope Leo XIV will be discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday afternoon, just four days after an operation to remove a cancerous growth from his lung. The Vatican said the Pope will give the traditional Angelus prayer and blessing to a crowd in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, as …

That party’s leader, former general Roberto Vannacci, is openly sympathetic to Russia and opposes aiding Ukraine, arguing that Europe is wasting its money as Russia’s military “continues to advance” on the ground. At a recent event in Tuscany, he described himself as “neither pro-Putin nor pro-Russian” but “pro-Italian”. Crosetto brushed …

It is a trial that has gripped Germany, with a wealthy heiress in the dock for months and a case that triggered the country’s biggest espionage scandal in recent history. Christina Block, heir to a popular chain of steakhouses, is accused of ordering an Israeli security firm to carry out …

US President Donald Trump has denied limiting Ukraine’s access to Starlink’s sister internet network Starshield after it restricted drone speed, hampering Kyiv’s ability to protect itself from Russian attacks. “I wasn’t me and I don’t think it was [Starlink owner] Elon [Musk],” Trump said, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky …

He is fixed on the live stream as a Ukrainian snare swoops in, hovers for a few seconds and drops a net on to the drone, dragging it from the sky. This Russian drone was for reconnaissance, but if it had locked on to the soldiers, another drone carrying explosives …