Ukraine

Rubio, Witkoff feud over Russia-Ukraine peace terms, blame lack of communication - report

Witkoff did not communicate his travel plans to Rubio or other State Department officials. This lack of communication was perceived by sources as an attempt to negotiate with Ukraine independently.

|ByLARA SUKSTER MOSHEYOF
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C), alongside White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (L) and Jared Kushner (R), attend a meeting with Ukrainian officials headed by Rustem Umerov in Hallandale Beach, Florida on November 30, 2025.
An aerial view shows the oil tanker named Boracay (also called Pushpa), a vessel being investigated by French authorities and suspected of belonging to the so-called "shadow fleet" involved in the Russian oil trade, off the coast of the western France port of Saint-Nazaire, France, October 2, 2025

Oil’s geopolitical premium vanished in 2025 and may not return - opinion

Oil futures in 2025 have oscillated within a relatively narrow range, with the high coming in January before the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries began production increases.

|ByRON BOUSSO/REUTERS
A Ukrainian sea drone approaches to strike the Dashan, a tanker part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet", in the Black Sea, December 10, 2025, in this picture obtained from a video. S

Ukraine hits Russian 'Shadow Fleet' tanker in Mediterranean with drones

The Ukrainian official did not say how the drones reached the ship, but said the operation involved "multi-stage" measures.

|ByREUTERS
Mourners gather for the funeral for 10-year-old Matilda at Chevra Kadisha Memorial Hall after the shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday, in Sydney, Australia, December 18, 2025.

‘The most Australian name’: Matilda, the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach attack

“I named her Matilda because she was our firstborn in Australia. And I thought that Matilda was the most Australian name that could ever exist,” said father Michael.

|ByGRACE GILSON/JTA

EU leaders agree on joint borrowing to fund Ukraine, set aside plan to use Russian frozen assets

The leaders also gave the European Commission a mandate to continue work on a so-called reparations loan based on Russian immobilized assets, but that option proved unworkable for now.

DECEMBER 19, 2025ByREUTERS
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa as they attend a European Union leaders' summit in Brussels, Belgium, December 18, 2025.

Russia jails man for 22 years for blowing up trains in Siberia at Ukraine's behest

A Russian military court jailed a Belarusian man for 22 years over two 2023 bomb attacks on freight trains in Siberia that Moscow says were ordered by Ukraine’s intelligence services.

DECEMBER 18, 2025ByREUTERS
Belarusian citizen Sergei Yeremeyev, who is accused of carrying out an act of terrorism and of planting explosives on two freight trains in Russia's Buryatia region on the orders of Ukraine's intelligence services in 2023, attends a court hearing in Chita, Russia.

Putin vows to expand Ukraine buffer zone, achieve war goals by any means

Putin warned that Russia would push forward militarily in Ukraine if diplomacy does not bring results, while asserting progress on all fronts.

DECEMBER 17, 2025ByREUTERS
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Kazbek Kokov, head of the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria, in Moscow, Russia December 16, 2025.

Drone Dystopia: War-torn Ukrainian towns exist as shells of themselves amid Russian assualt

War-torn Dnipro looks like it is straight out of a dystopian movie after Russian drones have pockmarked its landscape.

DECEMBER 16, 2025ByMICHAEL STARR
Communal workers clean an area near an apartment building damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine November 23, 2025.

‘These are sights of Holocaust’: Hundreds of burned holy books buried in Ukraine

A burial ceremony for hundreds of burned holy books was held on Wednesday at the ancient synagogue of the Sadygora Hasidic order in the city of Chernivtsi, which was set on fire two weeks ago.

DECEMBER 16, 2025ByYOAV ETIEL
The ancient synagogue of the Sadygora Hasidic order in the city of Chernivtsi, which was set on fire two weeks ago.

Ukrainian Jews celebrate Hanukkah under Russian fire

President Volodymyr Zelensky was scheduled to attend the Kyiv ceremony but traveled abroad at the last minute for discussions with US representatives on peace negotiations.

DECEMBER 15, 2025ByMICHAEL STARR
Ukrainian Jews light Hanukkah candles

UK MI6 spy chief warns of 'aggressive' Russia threat in first speech

Blaise Metreweli said Russia posed an "aggressive, expansionist, and revisionist" threat that still sought to subjugate Ukraine and harass NATO members.

DECEMBER 15, 2025ByREUTERS
The new head of Britain's MI6, Blaise Metreweli, makes her first public speech in London, December 15, 2025.

Ukraine says Russian drone attack hit civilian Turkish vessel

The navy said the vessel was called the Viva and had 11 Turkish citizens on board. It added that nobody was hurt and the vessel was continuing its journey to Egypt.

DECEMBER 13, 2025ByREUTERS
Turkish-owned Ro Ro ship Cenk T transits the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, August 21, 2024.

From Kyiv to the Golan: The Ukraine-Russia war’s unseen impact on Israel - opinion

The Ukraine war is reshaping Israel’s security, diplomacy, and society, empowering Iran, changing alliances, and redefining the challenges ahead.

DECEMBER 13, 2025ByDAVID BEN-BASAT
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting in Moscow this week. Russia is so consumed by the war with Ukraine that it struggles to maintain its military presence in Syria and turns a blind eye to Iranian activity, says the writer.

Ukraine special forces target Russian vessels in Caspian Sea

Ukraine's special forces, in coordination with local resistance, strike two Russian ships transporting military equipment in the Caspian Sea. The extent of the damage remains unclear.

DECEMBER 12, 2025ByREUTERS
A Ukrainian sea drone shows the Dashan, a tanker part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet", being struck by another sea drone in the Black Sea, December 10, 2025

Kremlin aide Ushakov on US-Ukraine talks: 'We may not like it'

When asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's suggestion that a referendum be held on any territorial concessions, Uri Ushakov responded; ‘the entire Donbas region belongs to Russia.'

DECEMBER 12, 2025ByREUTERS
Russian foreign policy presidential aide Yuri Ushakov waits for a meeting of President Vladimir Putin with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, December 10, 2025.