ceasefire

Ukraine Peace Talks: What are Kyiv and Moscow's Positions?

Delegations from Kyiv and Moscow are holding on Monday a second round of direct talks on the possibility of ending the war in Ukraine, triggered by Russia's February 2022 invasion. The two sides are set to present their visions of what a peace settlement could look like at the negotiations, which will be presided over by Turkish Foreign Minister ...

Israel Threatens Hamas With ‘Annihilation' as Trump Says Gaza Ceasefire Close

Israel on Friday said Hamas must accept a hostage deal in Gaza or "be annihilated", as US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire agreement was "very close". It came amid dire conditions on the ground, with the United Nations warning that Gaza's entire population was at risk of famine. Defense Minister Israel ...

Turkey Proposes to Host Trump-Putin-Zelensky Meeting

Turkey on Friday proposed to host a meeting between the American, Russian and Ukrainian presidents in an effort to advance toward an end of the three years of war in Ukraine. NATO member Turkey, which has strove to maintain relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, has become a key mediator amid US President Donald Trump's push for a deal to end the ...

Hamas Says Israel-Approved US Truce Plan Falls Short

The White House said Thursday Israel had "signed off" on a new Gaza ceasefire proposal submitted to Hamas, but the Palestinian militant group said the deal failed to satisfy its demands. Negotiations to end more than 19 months of war have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in Gaza in March after a ...

Witkoff’s Fragile Path to Peace: Hostages, Truce and Ultimatum

Steve Witkoff, special envoy to US President Donald Trump, has unveiled a new framework aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza. The proposal, delivered to Israeli officials overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, outlines a 60-day truce that would begin with Hamas releasing ten living hostages and the return of 18 bodies, to be carried out in two ...

Abbas Visit Ends Cairo Pact’s Legacy, Joint Statement Set for Action

President Mahmoud Abbas’ recent visit to Lebanon is unlike any before it, neither in symbolism nor substance. Local and regional dynamics have been upended. What held true before September 2024 and even during the turbulent months that followed in Lebanon and Syria, no longer applies in 2025. Abbas in Beirut: A Break from the Past This visit ...

Drones Hit Ukraine as Zelensky Awaits Putin Reply on Talks

Russia fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine overnight, Kyiv said Monday as it awaits the Kremlin's response to Volodymyr Zelensky's call for a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin this week. Ukraine and its allies urged Moscow to agree to a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday, but Putin came back with a counter-proposal for ...

Hamas Says will Release US-Israeli Hostage Monday

Hamas's armed wing said it would release on Monday a US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza since October 2023, even as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of an "intensification" of fighting in the war-ravaged territory. The Palestinian militant group on Sunday said it would release US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, ahead of a visit by ...

UK Hosts European Ministers for Ukraine Talks after Ceasefire Ultimatum

The UK will on Monday host European ministers for "critical" talks on "repelling Russian aggression", two days after Ukraine's allies demanded that Moscow accept a ceasefire. Representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the EU will join Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London for a meeting of the so-called "Weimar+" group. The ...

Hamas to Release US-Israeli Hostage Edan Alexander

Hamas said it would release a US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza as the group revealed it was engaged in direct talks with the United States towards a ceasefire in the war-battered territory. "Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a dual US national, will be released as part of efforts towards a ceasefire" and the reopening of aid crossings, the ...

Ukraine: London, Paris, and Nordic Countries Support a 30-Day Ceasefire

The UK, France and a group of northern European nations said Friday they supported a US proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. "We need a ceasefire, an unconditional ceasefire, first," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) ...