KYIV:&nbsp;A temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for Orthodox Easter is set to begin on Saturday afternoon, as US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war falter. The Kremlin said it had ordered a temporary truce from Saturday at 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) until the end of Sunday, a 32-hour period. Russia&#39;s Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and army chief Valery Gerasimov have been instructed to &ldquo;cease hostilities in all directions during this period,&rdquo; the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/russian-envoy-in-us-for-economy-talks-kremlin" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kremlin</a> said. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/qatar-ukraine-sign-deal-on-countering-missiles-drones-qatari-defense-ministry" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukrainian</a> President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv had &ldquo;repeatedly stated&rdquo; it was ready for a ceasefire over Easter, and was willing to reciprocate. The temporary ceasefire came as US-led talks on ending the four-year-old conflict have been derailed by the US-Israel war on Iran. The two sides also held a ceasefire for the Orthodox Easter last year. Authorities in Ukraine&#39;s central region of Poltava, and Sumy, a region in the north east, reported overnight Friday that one person had been killed and around 15 others wounded in two separate attacks, just hours before the ceasefire was set to begin. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 128 drones against the country overnight Thursday. Slowdown in Russian military operations&nbsp;Several rounds of US-led talks have failed to bring the warring sides closer to an agreement and Washington&#39;s attention is now focused on Iran. The negotiations have become deadlocked, with Moscow demanding territorial and political concessions that Zelensky has ruled out as tantamount to capitulation. The Kremlin&#39;s spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russia had discussed the ceasefire with Ukraine or the United States in advance and said it was not linked to negotiations to end the war.&nbsp;Deadliest since WW IIThe war has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee their homes, making it Europe&#39;s deadliest conflict since World War II. Over the past few years, fighting on the front has come to a near standstill.&nbsp; Russia has made small territorial gains at a high cost. But Kyiv recently managed to push back in the southeast and Russian advances have been slowing since late 2025, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Apart from Ukrainian counter-attacks, analysts attributed the slowdown to Russia being banned from using SpaceX&#39;s Starlink satellites and Moscow&#39;s own efforts to block the Telegram messaging app. The situation is, however, unfavorable for Ukraine in the Donetsk region, towards the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, according to the ISW. Moscow occupies just more than 19% of Ukraine, most of which was seized during the first weeks of the conflict.

Europe

The Kremlin says it has ordered a temporary truce from Saturday at 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) until the end of Sunday, a 32-hour period.

Russia and Ukraine set to begin Easter truce

Web Desk

KYIV: Ukraine and Saudi Arabia have signed an air defence agreement during President Volodymyr Zelensky&#39;s visit to the kingdom facing Iranian drone attacks, two senior officials told AFP on Friday. Kyiv has sought to leverage its expertise in downing Russian drones to help Gulf nations, which are being attacked with the same kind of Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia fires on Ukraine. &quot;The point of the agreement is that Ukraine will support them in developing all the necessary components of air defence, which they currently lack,&quot; one official said of the document which, according to another was signed on Thursday. Both spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity. Kyiv has been using a mix of cheap drone interceptors, electronic jamming tools and anti-aircraft guns to down Russian drones fired at its cities on a nightly basis for four years. It touts its anti-drone defences as the best in the world. Ukraine has proposed swapping its interceptors for vastly more expensive air-defence missiles that Gulf countries are using to down Iranian drones. Ukraine says it needs more of them to fend off Russian missile attacks. The deal signed between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia &quot;is not only about interceptors as such, but about building a system, integrating it with other air defence components, Ukrainian experience in its use, AI, and all the other elements of data analysis needed to counter Shaheds and other drones,&quot; one of the officials said. Zelensky confirmed on social media that both countries had &quot;reached an important arrangement&quot; on defence cooperation and that he had met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit. &quot;We are ready to share our expertise and systems with Saudi Arabia,&quot; Zelensky said, adding: &quot;Saudi Arabia also has capabilities that are of interest to Ukraine, and this cooperation can be mutually beneficial.&quot; He did not disclose what exactly has been agreed as part of the deal. Zelensky also met with Ukrainian anti-drone experts that have been deployed to the country since US and Israel launched strikes on Iran that spurred retaliatory drone and missile attacks from Tehran. &quot;Even in such a short time, Ukrainian experts were able to share extensive expertise,&quot; Zelensky said. &quot;Ukraine&#39;s expertise is unique, and recognised as such, and that is why everyone is so interested in our technologies and experience.&quot;

Ukraine and Saudi Arabia have signed a defence cooperation deal focused on air defence, with Kyiv offering anti-drone expertise developed against Russian attacks as Riyadh faces Iranian drone threats, in a partnership Zelensky said could benefit both countries.

Ukraine, Saudi signed air defence deal: senior officials to AFP

KYIV:&nbsp;Russia fired scores of missiles and drones at targets across Ukraine on Sunday, crashing into energy and rail infrastructure and residential buildings, just two days before the fourth anniversary of Russia&#39;s invasion. AFP journalists in <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/kremlin-confirms-ukraine-war-talks-this-week-in-abu-dhabi" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kyiv</a> heard a series of blasts starting at around 4:00 am (0200 GMT), shortly after an air raid alert was issued, with the air force later widening the alert nationwide citing the threat of missiles. Energy sector&nbsp;&quot;Moscow continues to invest in strikes more than in diplomacy,&quot; <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-envoy-witkoff-says-meaningful-progress-made-in-ukraine-war-talks" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukrainian</a>&nbsp;President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the attack on social media, saying that <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ukraine-war-talks-to-resume-in-geneva-with-no-sign-of-progress" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russia </a>launched about 50 missiles and 300 drones overnight.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2025485107826483440&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=5b164ab87910bb4f5fc8d41b93805f9ff7d5a429&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 873px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2025485107826483440"></iframe></div></div>&quot;The main target of the attack was the energy sector. Ordinary residential buildings were also damaged, and there is damage to the railway.&quot; One killed, dozens wounded&nbsp;One man was killed and a dozen more people were wounded, among them four children, in and around Kyiv, Ukraine&#39;s national police said. AFP saw rescuers sifting through debris of a largely destroyed two-storey house in Sofiivska Borshchagivka in the Kyiv region. Temperatures had plunged to nearly -10C when the capital was struck, with emergency services deployed across the city. The Ukrainian capital, regularly targeted by Russian missile and drone attacks since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, has faced waves of overnight strikes in recent weeks as Moscow has intensified its winter assaults. The Russian army said it had carried out a mass strike targeting facilities used by Ukraine&#39;s military, saying all targets were hit, in a standard comment for such attacks. Authorities in Russia&#39;s western Belgorod region said one man died after a Ukrainian drone strike. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Act of terrorism&#39;&nbsp;</h2>The bombardment, which included ballistic and cruise missiles, prompted heightened vigilance across Ukraine, all the way to the western border. Ukraine&#39;s energy ministry said consumers in six eastern and southeastern regions were without power after the strikes. Poland&#39;s Operational Command said early Sunday it was scrambling jets after detecting &quot;long‑range aviation of the Russian Federation conducting strikes on the territory of Ukraine&quot;. In a separate attack, an explosion rocked a store in central Lviv, a western city near the Polish border far from the front line that is largely spared the worst of the conflict. Explosions ripped through a central shopping street at around midnight, killing a policewoman and wounding 25 people after officers responded to a reported break‑in. Hours later, law enforcement said it had detained a Ukrainian woman suspected in carrying out the bomb attack, without providing any further details and saying that an investigation was ongoing. &quot;This is clearly an act of terrorism,&quot; mayor Andriy Sadovyi said of the night-time assault. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&lsquo;Definitely not losing&rsquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>Ukraine will mark four years since Russia&#39;s assault on Feb. 24, 2022, a war that has shattered towns, uprooted millions and killed large numbers on both sides. Moscow occupies close to a fifth of Ukrainian territory and continues to grind forward, especially in the eastern Donbas region, despite heavy losses and repeated Ukrainian strikes on logistics. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP on Friday that Ukraine was &quot;definitely not losing&quot; the war and that victory remained the goal. US push to end the warHe said Ukrainian forces had clawed back about 300 square kilometers (116 square miles) of territory in recent counter‑attacks, gains AFP could not immediately verify. If confirmed, they would be Kyiv&#39;s most significant advances since 2023. The United States is pushing both sides to end the war, brokering several rounds of talks in recent weeks without a clear breakthrough.

One man killed and a dozen more people wounded, among them four children, in and around Kyiv, Ukraine's national police say.

Russian missile barrage hits energy, railways across Ukraine

BRUSSELS: EU leaders gather in Brussels Thursday for a make-or-break summit on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine -- with key player Belgium under pressure to drop its opposition. The 27-nation bloc is scrambling to strengthen Kyiv&#39;s hand as Russia&rsquo;s war drags towards the four-year mark and US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end the fighting. Officials have insisted the talks will last as long as it takes to hammer out an agreement, saying both Ukraine&#39;s survival and Europe&#39;s credibility are at stake. &ldquo;If we do not succeed in this, then the European Union&#39;s ability to act will be severely damaged for years,&rdquo; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned this week. &ldquo;We will show the world that we are incapable of standing together and acting at such a crucial moment in our history.&rdquo; Extra 135 billion eurosThe EU estimates that Ukraine, whose president, Volodymyr Zelensky, will join the meeting, needs an extra 135 billion euros ($159 billion) to stay afloat over the next two years, with the cash crunch set to start in April. In a bid to plug the yawning gap, the European Commission, the EU&#39;s executive, has put forward a plan to tap some 210 billion euros of Russian central bank assets frozen in the bloc. The scheme &mdash; which would initially provide Kyiv with 90 billion euros over two years &mdash; involves an untested financial switcheroo in which the funds are lent to the EU, which then loans them to Ukraine. Kyiv would then only pay back the &ldquo;reparations loan&rdquo; once the Kremlin coughs up for all the damage it has wrought. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Belgium blocking&nbsp;</h2>Belgium, where the international deposit organization Euroclear holds the vast bulk of the funds, has been firmly opposed, citing fears it could face crippling financial and legal reprisals from Moscow. Russia has already fired a shot across the bows by announcing it was suing Euroclear. Belgium&rsquo;s outspoken prime minister Bart De Wever will be in the spotlight as his EU counterparts -- most of whom back the plan -- try to cajole him to accept. EU officials say they have gone out of their way to allay Belgian concerns and that multiple layers of protection, including guarantees from other member states, mean the risks are minimal. But so far Flemish nationalist De Wever has only dug in further, insisting that any guarantees must be unlimited and assets frozen in other countries should be used too. In theory, other EU countries could override Belgium and ram the initiative through with a weighted majority, but that would be a nuclear option that few see as likely for now. &ldquo;These are complex decisions that cannot be forced,&rdquo; said Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, who could offer key political cover for Belgium. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Plan B? &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</h2>The commission has floated a potential fallback plan of the EU raising the money itself to lend to Ukraine. But officials say that scheme has been shelved as it requires unanimous approval from the EU&rsquo;s 27 leaders, and Hungary has ruled it out. De Wever nonetheless looks set to try to revive that idea, and other countries may be open to his arguments. &ldquo;It is on the shelf, not in the bin,&rdquo; said one EU diplomat, speaking like others on condition of anonymity. &ldquo;But we are focused now on the reparations loan.&rdquo; Bubbling close to the surface of the EU&rsquo;s discussion are the US efforts to forge a deal to end the war. Ukraine has said Washington was &ldquo;pressuring&rdquo; the EU not to use the assets, as they view them as a vital bargaining chip in winning over Russia. But EU officials deny that and say that, if anything, the push for peace has spurred the efforts to tap the Russian funds. Given that Ukraine has only months before the shortfalls bite, diplomats and officials insist leaders will find a way to keep funds flowing -- even if this week yields only a loose deal with details to be hammered out later. &ldquo;We need to find a solution,&rdquo; said a second EU diplomat. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d be surprised if they break up on Saturday or Sunday without a decision.&rdquo;

The 27-nation bloc is scrambling to strengthen Kyiv's hand as Russia’s war drags toward the four-year mark and US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end the fighting.

EU holds crunch summit on Russian asset plan for Ukraine

WASHINGTON: With a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal holding, President Donald Trump says he&#39;s now turning his attention to bringing Russia&#39;s war on Ukraine to an end and is weighing providing Kyiv long-range weaponry as he looks to prod Moscow to the negotiating table. Ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza was central to Trump&#39;s 2024 reelection pitch, in which he persistently pilloried President Joe Biden for his handling of the conflicts. Yet, like his predecessor, Trump also has been stymied by President Vladimir Putin as he&#39;s unsuccessfully pressed the Russian leader to hold direct talks with Ukraine&#39;s Volodymyr Zelensky to end the war that is nearing its fourth year. But fresh off the Gaza ceasefire, Trump is showing new confidence that he can finally make headway on ending the Russian invasion. He&#39;s also signaling that he&#39;s ready to step up pressure on Putin if he doesn&#39;t come to the table soon. Glitzy dinner&ldquo;Interestingly, we made progress today, because of what&#39;s happened in the Middle East,&quot; Trump said of the Russia-Ukraine war on Wednesday evening as he welcomed supporters of his White House ballroom project to a glitzy dinner. Earlier this week in Jerusalem, in a speech to the Knesset, Trump predicted the truce in Gaza would lay the groundwork for the US to help Israel and many of its Middle East neighbors normalize relations. But Trump also made clear his top foreign policy priority now is ending the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II. &lsquo;We have to get Russia done&rsquo;&ldquo;First we have to get Russia done,&rdquo; Trump said, turning to his special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has also served as his administration&#39;s chief interlocutor with Putin. &ldquo;We gotta get that one done. If you don&rsquo;t mind, Steve, let&rsquo;s focus on Russia first. All right?&rdquo; Trump is set to host Zelensky for talks on Friday, their fourth face-to-face meeting this year. Tomahawks for UkraineAhead of the meeting, Trump has said he&#39;s weighing selling Kyiv long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, which would allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory &mdash; if Putin doesn&#39;t settle the war soon. Zelensky, who has long sought the weapons system, said it would help Ukraine put the sort of pressure on Russia needed to get Putin to engage in peace talks. Putin has made clear that providing Ukraine with Tomahawks would cross a red line and further damage relations between Moscow and Washington. But Trump has been undeterred.&nbsp;&ldquo;He&#39;d like to have Tomahawks,&rdquo; Trump said of Zelensky on Tuesday. &ldquo;We have a lot of Tomahawks.&rdquo; &lsquo;Years to supply and train&rsquo;&nbsp;Agreeing to sell Ukraine Tomahawks would be a splashy move, said Mark Montgomery, an analyst at the conservative Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington. But it could take years to supply and train Kyiv on the Tomahawk system. Montgomery said Ukraine could be better served in the near term with a surge of Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) missiles and Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS. The US already approved the sale of up to 3,350 ERAMs to Kyiv earlier this year. The Tomahawk, with a range of about 995 miles (1,600 kilometers), would allow Ukraine to strike far deeper in Russian territory than either the ERAM (about 285 miles, or 460 km) or ATACMS (about 186 miles, or 300 kilometers). &ldquo;To provide Tomahawks is as much a political decision as it is a military decision,&rdquo; Montgomery said. &ldquo;The ERAM is shorter range, but this can help them put pressure on Russia operationally, on their logistics, the command and control, and its force disbursement within several hundred kilometers of the front line. It can be very effective.&rdquo; New Russia sanctionsZelensky is expected to reiterate his plea to Trump to hit Russia&#39;s economy with further sanctions, something the Republican, to date, has appeared reluctant to do. Congress has weighed legislation that would lead to tougher sanctions on Moscow, but Trump has largely focused his attention on pressuring NATO members and other allies to cut off their purchases of Russian oil, the engine fueling Moscow&#39;s war machine. To that end, Trump said Wednesday that India, which became one of Russia&#39;s biggest crude buyers after the Ukraine invasion, had agreed to stop buying oil from Moscow. Waiting for Trump&rsquo;s blessing is legislation in the Senate that would impose steep tariffs on countries that purchase Russia&rsquo;s oil, gas, uranium, and other exports in an attempt to cripple Moscow economically. Though the president hasn&rsquo;t formally endorsed it &mdash; and Republican leaders do not plan to move forward without his support &mdash; the White House has shown, behind the scenes, more interest in the bill in recent weeks.

Trump has made clear his top foreign policy priority now is ending the largest armed conflict in Europe since WWII; Trump is set to host Zelensky for talks Friday.

‘We have to get Russia done’: President Trump  

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he will go to Washington this week to see US President Donald Trump, to discuss air defenses and how to put more pressure on Russia. Zelensky said he would join a Ukrainian delegation there holding talks with US politicians and companies, and he hoped to have his meeting with Trump on Friday. Trump confirmed what would be the Ukrainian leader&#39;s third visit to the White House since January when a reporter asked if he plans to host Zelensky on Friday. &quot;I think so, yeah,&quot; the US president said during a brief fuel stop as he travelled back to Washington from the Middle East. Zelensky highlighted that he had two phone calls with Trump over the weekend, during which they discussed the &quot;challenges&quot; Ukraine faces as Russian strikes target the country&#39;s energy infrastructure, and the situation on the battlefield. &quot;We discussed some sensitive issues. That conversation was not enough, even though it was substantive,&quot; the Ukrainian leader said, as he hosted a visit to Kyiv by the EU&#39;s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas. He said the Ukrainian delegation, which has already left for the United States, included Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko as well as the heads of his presidential office and of the national security council, and diplomatic representatives. When Zelensky joins them, he said he planned to have more meetings, including with US military companies, senators and congressmen. &quot;The main topics are air defense and our possibilities... to pressure Russia,&quot; he said.

Americas

Ukrainian president says plans to have more meetings, including with US military companies, senators, and congressmen.

Zelensky to visit Trump in Washington this week

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Donald Trump to broker peace in Ukraine like in &quot;the Middle East&quot; during a phone call Saturday, saying if Trump could stop one war, &quot;others can be stopped as well&quot;. The call came a day after Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine&#39;s energy grid, knocking out power to parts of the capital Kyiv and nine other Ukrainian regions. Diplomatic efforts to end Russia&#39;s invasion of Ukraine have slowed in recent months, in part because global attention has shifted to Israel&#39;s two-year war with Palestinian group Hamas, Kyiv says. Trump, who announced the first phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, met Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks in August but failed to extract any kind of peace deal. &quot;I had a call with US President Donald Trump. A very positive and productive one,&quot; Zelensky said on Facebook, congratulating Trump for his &quot;outstanding&quot; ceasefire plan in the Middle East. &quot;If a war can be stopped in one region, then surely other wars can be stopped as well, including the Russian war,&quot; Zelensky added, calling for Trump to pressure the Kremlin into negotiations. Relations between the two leaders have warmed dramatically since February, when they sparred during a now infamous televised meeting at the White House. Trump has since grown more hostile towards Moscow while expressing sympathy for Ukraine. In September, he wrote on Truth Social that Kyiv should try to &quot;take back&quot; all its occupied territory with Europe&#39;s and NATO&#39;s help. US First Lady Melania Trump said Friday she had secured the release of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia after establishing an extraordinary back channel of communication with Putin. Strikes cut powerRussian attacks on Ukraine killed at least five people on Saturday and cut power to parts of Ukraine&#39;s southern Odesa region, according to Ukrainian officials. Two of the people died inside a church in Kostyantynivka when it was hit by a strike, according to local authorities. In Russia&#39;s border region of Belgorod, a truck driver was killed by a Ukrainian strike, according to local officials. Moscow has targeted Ukraine&#39;s energy grid each winter since it invaded in 2022, cutting power and heating to millions of households and disrupting water supply in what Kyiv says is a brazen war crime. Russia denies targeting civilians and says Ukraine uses the energy sites to power its military sector. Ukrainian drone attacks meanwhile killed two people in Russia, according to regional officials. Both countries have accused each other of frustrating progress towards a peace deal in recent months. Russia blames Kyiv and its European allies for the impasse, accusing them of undermining peace negotiations with Washington. Ukraine and Europe accuse Russia of playing for time so it can seize more Ukrainian territory. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a &quot;special military operation&quot; to demilitarise the country and prevent the expansion of NATO. Kyiv and its European allies say the war is an illegal land grab that has resulted in tens of thousands of civilian and military casualties and widespread destruction. Millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes since 2022, while Russia now occupies around a fifth of Ukrainian territory -- much of it ravaged by fighting.

Asia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Donald Trump to mediate peace with Russia after major strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid, praising Trump’s Middle East ceasefire plan and calling for similar efforts to end the Ukraine war

Zelensky urges Trump to end Ukraine war like in 'the Middle East'

Reuters

Twenty-three Ukrainian children and adolescents have been brought out of Russian-occupied areas of the country to territory under Kyiv&#39;s control, President Volodymyr Zelensky&#39;s chief of staff said on Thursday. Andriy Yermak, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the rescue was carried out under the president&#39;s &quot;Bring Kids Back UA&quot; programme aimed at bringing to safe areas children deported to Russia or confined to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. Yermak said those returning included two sisters who refused a demand to attend Russian schools made by Russia-installed authorities who had threatened to remove the girls from their mother&#39;s care. Refusal to attend Russian school&nbsp;Another teenage boy similarly refused to attend Russian school and one child and her mother were refused permission to leave occupied areas as one of their relatives was serving in the Ukrainian military. Ukraine says Russia has illegally deported or forcibly displaced more than 19,500 children to Russia and Belarus in violation of the Geneva Conventions. Research by Yale&#39;s School of Public Health suggested in September that the number could be closer to 35,000. Russia denies it has deported children from Ukraine, saying it has taken action to ensure they are safe from wartime hostilities.

Official says those returning included two sisters who refused a demand to attend Russian schools made by Russia-installed authorities; Ukraine says Russia has illegally deported or forcibly displaced more than 19,500 children to Russia.

Twenty-three children rescued from Russian-occupied areas: Ukrainian official 

KYIV: The Ukrainian capital was plunged into darkness early on Friday by what the air force called a &quot;massive attack,&quot; as Russia pummeled Kyiv&#39;s infrastructure, cutting off water and energy supplies. The Kremlin has escalated aerial attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities and rail systems over recent weeks, mirroring similar campaigns launched over the previous three winters that left people without heating in frigid temperatures. AFP journalists in Kyiv heard several powerful explosions on Friday and experienced blackouts at their homes across different districts of the city. &quot;The capital of the country is under an enemy ballistic missile attack and a massive attack by the enemy strike drones,&quot; the Ukrainian air force said, urging people in Kyiv to remain in shelters. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Russian forces had targeted &quot;critical infrastructure&quot; and wounded at least nine people, five of whom were taken to hospital. &quot;The left bank of the capital is without electricity. There are also problems with water supply,&quot; Klitschko posted on Telegram. Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk said Russian forces were &quot;inflicting a massive strike&quot; on the grid. &quot;Energy workers are taking all necessary measures to minimize the negative consequences,&quot; Grynchuk wrote on Facebook. &quot;As soon as security conditions allow, energy workers will begin clarifying the consequences of the attack and restoration work,&quot; she said. Fearing an incoming hypersonic Kinzhal missile &mdash; which are harder to detect and intercept &mdash; Ukraine put the entire country on alert on Friday. Russia also hit the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia with at least seven overnight drone strikes, killing a seven-year-old and wounding at least three people, according to Ivan Fedorov, the head of the regional military administration. &#39;Create chaos&#39;&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Moscow was seeking to &quot;create chaos and apply psychological pressure&quot; through crippling energy facilities and railways. According to Zelensky, Russian attacks this year have already strained Ukrainian gas infrastructure, and more strikes could force his country to ramp up imports. Ukraine has also stepped up its drone and missile strikes on Russian territory, a tactic that Zelensky said was showing &quot;results&quot; and pushing up fuel prices in Russia. A Ukrainian hit on a power station in the Russian border region of Belgorod also caused power outages. Russia accused Ukraine on Thursday of rupturing a now-defunct pipeline near the frontline used to transport ammonia into Ukraine for export, releasing toxic gas. It posted a video showing what appeared to be clouds of a chemical compound spewing from a source in the ground. Authorities in Ukraine&#39;s eastern Donetsk region said the incident did not present a &quot;menace to the lives of people&quot; living nearby. Frontline evacuations&nbsp;Citing a recent uptick in Russian drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities ordered the evacuation of children and their guardians from Kramatorsk, the largest civilian hub in the Donetsk region still under Kyiv&#39;s control. In Sloviansk, another Donbas city under Ukrainian control, the mayor recently advised children and elderly people to leave, citing incessant attacks on the energy system. Ukrainian authorities said Russia is increasingly deploying small, cheap first-person-view drones that have dramatically changed the character of fighting across the sprawling front line over recent months. A Ukrainian delegation led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is expected to visit the United States early next week to discuss, among other topics, energy and air defense under intensifying Russian strikes. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington and NATO allies were &quot;stepping up the pressure&quot; to end the war in Ukraine, though his attempts to negotiate with Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin have so far failed to achieve a ceasefire. Trump hosted Putin in Alaska in August, after which Russia&#39;s attacks on Ukraine escalated. Russia said this week that momentum toward a peace deal had largely vanished.

Mayor says Russian forces targeted 'critical infrastructure', wounded at least nine people; Ukrainian delegation expected to visit US early next week to discuss energy, air defense; Russia also hit southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia with at least seven overnight drone strikes.

'Massive attack' cuts power in Ukrainian capital

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington and NATO allies were &quot;stepping up the pressure&quot; to end the war in Ukraine, after his outreach to Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin failed to achieve a ceasefire. &quot;Yeah, we are stepping up the pressure,&quot; Trump said in the Oval Office during a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb when asked by an AFP reporter if he would increase efforts for a deal. &quot;We&#39;re stepping it up together. We&#39;re all stepping it up. NATO has been great,&quot; he added. Trump this week brokered a peace deal in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, but has said that the war sparked by Russia&#39;s 2022 invasion of Ukraine was proving even harder to solve. Trump hosted Putin in Alaska in August but failed to achieve a breakthrough, and since then Russia&#39;s attacks on Ukraine have escalated. Russia said on Wednesday that momentum towards reaching a peace deal in Ukraine had largely vanished following the meeting. Stubb said he was confident that Trump would be able to push through a deal on Ukraine following the Gaza deal between Israel and Hamas. &quot;I think this one will be the next big one,&quot; Stubb told reporters. Suggests Spain be expelled from NATO&nbsp;While speaking, President Trump suggested that Spain be expelled from NATO over its failure to match the higher defense spending requirement he has engineered. &quot;We had one laggard, it was Spain,&quot; Trump told reporters.&nbsp; &quot;They have no excuse not to do this, but that&#39;s all right. Maybe you should throw them out of NATO frankly.&quot; In June, the 32-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreed to massively boost defense spending over the next decade under pressure from Trump, who at the time threatened to punish Madrid on trade for resisting the new target of five percent of GDP. Spain&#39;s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has insisted Madrid would not need to hit the headline figure. Spain has been one of the lowest-spending NATO countries on defense in relative terms. The US president &mdash; who has repeatedly suggested Washington could withhold protection from European countries unwilling to spend more on defense &mdash; rammed through the commitment to spend 5% of their GDPs on security-related spending in a move seen as key to keeping him engaged with NATO. That headline figure breaks down as 3.5% on core defense spending and 1.5% on a looser range of areas such as infrastructure and cyber security. The new target replaces the alliance&#39;s former military spending goal of 2%, first set back in 2014.

Finnish President Stubb confident Trump will be able to push through a deal on Ukraine; Trump suggests Spain be expelled from NATO. 

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