ukraine

Macron: Iran 'Main Strategic and Security Challenge' in Middle East

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said Iran was the main strategic and security challenge in the Middle East, citing the acceleration of its nuclear programme and support for Russia's war against Ukraine. "Iran is the main strategic and security challenge for France, the Europeans, the entire region and beyond," Macron said in a speech ...

Blinken Says Ukraine Position in Kursk 'Important' for Negotiations

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Ukraine's position in Russia's Kursk was critical to any future negotiations, as Moscow said Kyiv launched a counterattack in the border region. Blinken said that the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden, which has given Kyiv billions of dollars in security assistance since Russia's ...

Russia Vows Response After Downing ATACMS Missiles Targeting Belgorod

Russia vowed on Saturday to retaliate after it accused Ukraine of firing US-supplied ATACMS missiles at the border region of Belgorod the previous day. Outgoing US President Joe Biden authorised Kyiv to use the long-range weapons against Russia last year, in a move the Kremlin denounced as a grave escalation of the nearly three-year ...

Blinken to Visit South Korea with Eye on Political Crisis

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit South Korea for talks next week, the two countries announced Friday, with Seoul mired in political turmoil as its impeached president resists arrest. Blinken, on what will likely be his last international trip before president-elect Donald Trump's return, will also visit Japan and France, the State ...

Two Killed in Latest Russian, Ukrainian Aerial Attacks

A Russian drone attack near the Ukrainian capital on Friday killed one person, while a Ukrainian attack on a Russian border village also killed one, local officials in both countries said. Both sides have escalated their attacks through the first weeks of winter, including a Russian strike targeting central Kyiv in the early hours of New ...

Zelensky Hails the End of Russian Gas Transit Through Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday hailed the end of Russian gas transit across his country as a significant "defeat" for Moscow amid its near three-year invasion. Flows of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine stopped on Wednesday morning after Zelensky refused to prolong decades of cooperation that had earned billions of ...

In Moscow, Russians Hope for Peace in 2025 but Avoid Talk of Concessions

Some Russians ushering in the New Year said they wanted the conflict with Ukraine to end in 2025 and for a return of "peace" and "stability". But on the streets of Moscow there was no mention of Russia withdrawing its troops or giving up territory seized during the nearly three-year offensive. "Of course, we would like the country to finally end ...

Global markets rode AI, interest rate roller coaster in 2024

Despite political upheavals, stock markets and bitcoin smashed records in 2024, fuelled by investor enthusiasm for Artificial Intelligence (AI), falling interest rates, and hopes of tax cuts. Here are five of the most remarkable aspects of 2024 for financial markets: Stock records fall like dominoes Wall Street's three main stock indices blew ...

Zelensky Vows to Fight on "Battlefield" and "Negotiating Table" in 2025

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday vowed that his country would use 2025 to fight for an end to Russia's nearly three-year-long invasion by any means necessary. The Ukrainian leader's address caps a difficult year for the war-battered country, which has been fending off a better-resourced Russian army for nearly three years. "May ...

Russia Gains Nearly 4,000 Square Kilometres in Ukraine in 2024

Russian forces advanced by 3,985 square kilometres (1,539 square miles) in Ukraine in 2024, seven times more than in 2023, according to an AFP analysis of data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Much of the Russian gains came in the autumn, as they took 610 square kilometres in October and 725 square kilometres in November. ...

US Announces $5.9 Billion in Military and Budget Aid for Ukraine

The United States on Monday unveiled almost $6 billion in military and budget aid for Ukraine, as Washington races to provide assistance before Donald Trump takes office next month. The imminent return of Trump, who has repeatedly criticized aid for Ukraine, has cast doubt on American support continuing at similar levels as under outgoing ...

Russia and Ukraine Exchange Over 300 POWs Ahead of New Year's Eve

Russia and Ukraine swapped more than 300 prisoners of war on Monday in an exchange brokered by the United Arab Emirates ahead of New Year's Eve, officials from both countries said. The two sides have exchanged hundreds of captive soldiers since Russia began its military assault on Ukraine in February 2022, in one of the few areas of ...