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Ukraine

Zelenskyy to meet with NATO, European leaders in push to bolster defenses

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet Wednesday with NATO chief Mark Rutte and European leaders in Brussels as Ukraine seeks to bolster its defenses against Russian forces. Zelenskyy on Tuesday cited an urgent need to boost military aid…

VOA interview: US urges Europe to end energy dependency on Russia

The outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden plans in its final weeks to “continue tightening the noose” around Russia’s key energy exports with new sanctions to deprive Moscow of revenue for its war on Ukraine, according to Assistant Secretary…

On NATO’s eastern flank, 2025 brings concerns about alliance’s future

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to end the war in Ukraine quickly is triggering concerns among Russia’s neighbors. In Estonia, some fear a deal to end the war may strengthen Moscow. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina on…

Keith Kellogg as Trump’s Ukraine-Russia envoy: Right man for the mission?

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg to be his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, where Trump has promised to bring a quick end to the war. VOA’s Tatiana Vorozhko looks into Kellogg’s career, his vision…

Ukraine claims credit for killing senior Russian general in Moscow

Ukraine claimed credit Tuesday for the assassination of a senior Russian general on a Moscow street with the remote detonation of a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his apartment building. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of the military’s…

EU sanctions Chinese firms, North Korean minister over Ukraine war

BRUSSELS —  The EU on Monday for the first time imposed fully fledged sanctions, including asset freezes and visa bans, on Chinese firms for supplying Russia’s military for the war on Ukraine. It has also added North Korea’s defense minister…

North Korea involvement in Ukraine marks ‘dangerous expansion’ of conflict, US and allies say

Washington —  Ten countries and the EU called North Korea’s growing involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine a “dangerous expansion” on Monday, in a joint statement released by the United States. Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to reinforce Russia’s…

North Korean forces join Russia’s fight against Ukraine

Pentagon —  North Korean troops are fighting and dying alongside Russian forces as part of Moscow’s war against Ukraine, according to the latest assessment from the Pentagon. “North Korean soldiers have engaged in combat in Kursk with Russians, alongside Russian…

Russian tankers damaged in Kerch Strait were carrying 62,000 barrels of oil products, TASS says

Moscow —  Two Russian tankers that spilled oil into the Kerch Strait after sustaining serious damage during a heavy storm on Sunday were carrying 9,200 metric tons (62,000 barrels) of oil products at the time, the state TASS news agency…

Zelenskyy offers Syria humanitarian grain deliveries

Kyiv, Ukraine —  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Sunday that he would provide Syria with grain and other agricultural products on a humanitarian basis, a week after the fall of Moscow’s ally, President Bashar al-Assad. “Now we can help the…