Ukraine

Ukraine's foreign minister called Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov a "war criminal" Thursday as they both attended an international summit in Malta, the latter's first visit to an EU member since the 2022 invasion. … Summit host Ian Borg, Malta's foreign minister, opened proceedings Thursday with a call for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine.

Russia’s army on Thursday launched a massive attack on Ukraine’s energy sector, forcing emergency power outages as temperatures dropped to freezing across the country.

Russia is deploying Chinese and Iranian combat drones in its full-scale war against Ukraine. It is also fielding North Korean soldiers and ballistic missiles. Soon, Russia might send Yemeni fighters into battle, according to reporting from the Financial Times newspaper.

Warning comes as President Vladimir Putin lowers threshold for using Russia nuclear arsenal in move decried as ‘irresponsible’ by the West.

The Council today adopted a decision extending the mandate of the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) for a further two years, until 15 November 2026, with a budget allocation of nearly €409 million for the period from 14 November 2024 to 15 November 2026. … In line with today’s decision, EUMAM Ukraine will cooperate with NATO, in particular the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), and exchange information with the latter in a transparent, reciprocal and inclusive manner.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Thursday that the major arms exporter is "not ruling out" breaking from its policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict by supplying arms to Ukraine, after recent reports suggesting North Korean troops could be preparing to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine.  

North Korea will stand by Russia until its victory in Ukraine, Pyongyang’s foreign minister said in Moscow Friday, as the United States warned thousands of North Korean troops could be sent to combat in the Ukraine conflict in the coming days.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has reiterated his call on Ukraine's allies to allow Ukraine to use advanced Western weapons to hit deeper inside Russia in the aftermath of a Russian strike on Kharkiv that left three people dead and at least 36 wounded.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that his country’s on-going invasion of Ukraine violates the United Nations Charter and international law. Their meeting took place on Thursday, in Kazan, Russia, the venue for the 16th BRICS Summit.

The United States said for the first time on Wednesday that it had seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, a move that could mark a significant escalation in Russia's war against its neighbor.