Russia said to pull troops from Syria to bolster forces in Ukraine
Russia has begun the process of withdrawing some of its troops in Syria to help bolster its forces in Ukraine, the Moscow Times reported.
UK
Biden announces additional $150 million in Ukrainian military aid
President Joe Biden on Friday announced another round of military aid to Ukraine to help the Eastern European nation combat an ongoing invasion by Russia.
EU Debates Oil Embargo As Ukraine War Escalates
Frustrated over the escalating Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union’s leadership announced a new plan to penalize Russia financially. It wants a total ban on oil imports from Russia by the end of the year, but several EU member states objected.
Israel says Putin apologized over FM’s Hitler blood remarks
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he accepted an apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday for controversial remarks about the Holocaust made by Moscow‘s top diplomat.
Has Pentagon depleted own stocks by sending Javelin missiles to Ukraine?
The United States has delivered so many Javelin tank-buster missiles to Ukraine that the Pentagon’s own stocks have dwindled perilously, according to defense insiders.
US intelligence helped Ukraine target Russian generals
Intelligence provided by the United States has helped the Ukrainian military target several Russian generals since Moscow’s invasion, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
EU Proposes Toughest Sanctions Yet As Russia Steps Up Offensive In Eastern Ukraine
The European Union on May 4 unveiled a proposal to ban Russian oil imports by the end of the year as Russian forces intensified their assault in on a steel plant in the southeastern port city of Mariupol that Ukrainian forces continue to defend.
Pope Francis Seeks Talks With Russia’s Putin On Ukraine War
Pope Francis said Tuesday he wants to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to help end Europe’s worst conflict since World War Two. “I am not going to [Ukraine’s capital] Kyiv for now. I feel that I must not go,” the leader of the Catholic Church told Italy’s daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Ukraine intelligence says Russia’s war may end in September
Russia may be looking to conclude its war in Ukraine within four months’ time, according to Kyiv’s Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, which said Tuesday it believes September is Moscow’s intended deadline.
North Korea preparing nuclear test for first time in years, intelligence officials say
Western intelligence officials say North Korea is preparing to conduct a nuclear weapons test for the first time in over four years. Renewed tensions on the peninsula prompted China’s atomic envoy to meet his South Korean counterpart in Seoul on Tuesday calling the situation “severe.”
Russia Attacks Steel Plant After Some Evacuations
Russia’s military resumed attacking a steel plant in Ukraine’s bombed-out city of Mariupol with terrified civilians and soldiers trapped inside after some escaped.
Israel Furious As Russia Minister Said Hitler had Jewish Roots
Israel on Monday demanded an apology from Russia after its top diplomat suggested that Germany’s wartime leader Adolf Hitler had Jewish roots.
Iran Nuclear Deal Said Near Death, but West Not Ready to Pull Plug
Western officials have largely lost hope the Iran nuclear deal can be resurrected, sources familiar with the matter said, forcing them to weigh how to limit Iran’s atomic program even as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has divided the big powers.
EU Ministers Discuss Russian Oil Embargo As Germany Signals Shift In Position
European Union ministers have met in Brussels to discuss a response to Russia cutting gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria and plans for a possible oil embargo to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine.
Ukraine President Seeks Evacuations From Mariupol As Battles Rage
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 100 people trapped in a steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol were evacuated as deadly clashes raged in the east. He spoke after meeting with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who pledged humanitarian and security assistance amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Putin’s Future Uncertain Amid Health Scare
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly nominated a hardline security official to replace him while he has cancer surgery.
US and UK held talks regarding China’s threat to Taiwan
The United States has held high-level talks with the UK over how they can co-operate more closely to reduce the chances of war with China over Taiwan and to explore conflict contingency plans for the first time, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the situation.
EU leans towards Russian oil ban by year-end, diplomats say
The European Union is leaning toward a ban on imports of Russian oil by the end of the year, two EU diplomats said, after talks between the European Commission and EU member states this weekend.
Preacher Graham In Ukraine As Christians Sing Of Hope
Footage has emerged of Ukrainian Christians singing in their wartorn land that “because He lives, we can face tomorrow.”
Pro-Russia, Pro-Ukraine Protest In Budapest
A tense calm returned to the streets of Hungary’s capital late Saturday after rival protests were held about the ongoing Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine.