War in Ukraine

Aug. 22 (UPI) — Russian spy planes entered U.S. air space near Alaska twice in the past three days, said North American Aerospace Defense Command, though it said the incidents weren’t out of the ordinary.

In separate incidents on Wednesday and Thursday, Russian IL-20 COOT surveillance and reconnaissance planes flew into the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone, prompting NORAD’s response, according to a statement. Neither plane flew into U.S. or Canadian airspace.

On Wednesday, NORAD launched a pair of F-16 Fighting Falcons and a KC-135 Stratotanker for refueling as they identified and monitored the Russian plane.

On the following day, NORAD again sent up two F-16s and a KC-135, along with an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft to intercept and monitor the Russian IL-20. Both planes flew into the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone.

The Alaskan ADIZ, like other such zones, is a defined area of international airspace beginning at the edge of sovereign airspace around the state that requires any aircraft entering into it to be identified for national security reasons.

“This Russian activity in the Alaskan [airspace] occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat,” NORAD said about both incidents.

The timing and type of aircraft involved draw special attention. These intercepts happened less than a week after a meeting between Trump and Putin, in which the war in Ukraine was the central topic. The Russian flights are seen by U.S. defense officials as routine but underscore continued military posturing near American airspace.

While the U.S. Air Force frequently monitors Russian Tu-95 bomber flights in the area, the use of an Il-20, equipped for electronic intelligence gathering, is rarer, Newsweek reported.

“NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars and fighter aircraft to detect and track aircraft and inform appropriate actions. NORAD remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America,” NORAD said in a press release.

“An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security,” the release said.

Last month, NORAD intercepted two Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers and Su-35 Flanker fighter jets that were escorting them when they strayed into the ADIZ for some three hours.

Aug. 19 (UPI) — A Russian national living in New Jersey has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years for his role in helping the Kremlin illegally acquire ammunition and sensitive dual-use electronics, the Justice Department said.

U.S. District Judge Hector Gonzalez sentenced Vadim Yermolenko, who is in his mid-40s, in a Brooklyn courtroom Monday to 30 months in prison for his role in the international procurement and money laundering scheme.

“The defendant lied to banks, facilitated the illegal export of ammunition and sensitive technology and evaded income taxes, all as part of a global procurement and money laundering network operated on behalf of the Russian Government,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella of the Eastern District of New York said in a statement.

“Today’s sentence should send a message to all who would consider abusing the financial system to commit crimes on behalf of foreign nations: This office will find you, prosecute you and, if you are convicted, seek a significant prison sentence.”

Yermolenko pleaded guilty to several conspiracy charges, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud and to defraud the United States.

Prosecutors said Yermolenko was connected to Serniya Engineering and Sertal LLC, Moscow-based procurement companies under the direction of Russian intelligence services that also operated shell companies and bank accounts in the United States and worldwide.

Serniya, as well as other companies and individuals involved in the scheme, were sanctioned by a handful of countries amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, including the United States.

Yermolenko was accused of working with co-conspirators to unlawfully purchase and then export U.S.-controlled electronic components, some of which are used in the development of nuclear and hypersonic weapons.

He admitted to establishing several shell companies and bank accounts for the scheme in the United States. Prosecutors said more than $12 million passed through accounts under his control that he failed to report to the Internal Revenue Service.

Co-conspirator Nikolaos Bogonikolos was previously sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges in the scheme. A second co-defendant, Alexey Brayman, is awaiting sentencing. He has also pleaded guilty.

“Through a sophisticated network of shell companies and bank accounts, Yermolenko laundered more than $12 million and purchased highly sensitive military equipment for Russia — aiding Russia’s military and intelligence agencies in violation of U.S. laws,” IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Harry Chavis said.

“Yermolenko’s greed and misplaced foreign allegiance created a potential threat to our national security and law enforcement’s collaboration on this case ensures that our communities are safe from this potential vulnerability.”

Aug. 18 (UPI) — President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday during a White House meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and said he will arrange a bilateral meeting between the two, within the next two weeks.

The call came during Monday’s negotiations between Zelensky, Trump and European leaders, who had gathered to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump said the future meeting would be followed by a trilateral meeting, involving the United States. On Monday night, the White House posted an Oval Office photo of Trump on the phone with Putin, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance looked on.

Trump said Vance, Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff would be involved in coordinating the meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he “had a very good meeting with distinguished guests,” which included Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as much of the European delegation and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

“I called President Putin and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky,” Trump said. “After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a war that has been going on for almost four years.”

Trump met with Zelensky earlier Monday afternoon to signal that the United States would provide Ukraine with “very good protection.”

“The security guarantees would be provided by the various European countries, with a coordination with the United States of America,” Trump said. “Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine.”

Macron called the U.S. commitment for Ukrainian security guarantees the “first and most important” outcome of Monday’s talks.

“Today, it was agreed that we will work with the United States of America on the content of these security guarantees and the cooperation that each party is prepared to provide,” Macron said, adding that any meeting would have to take place under a cease-fire.

“Call it a truce or a cease-fire, but we cannot hold discussions under bombs,” Macron added.

Trump told Zelensky at the start of the meeting: “I have a feeling you and President Putin are going to work something out. Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made by President Zelensky and by the people of Ukraine working also together in agreement with President Putin. And I just think that very good things are going to come of it.”

By the end of the day, Zelensky told reporters he is ready for “any format” of a meeting with Putin and said he would also participate in a trilateral meeting if there is progress in the first one.

“I believe unconditionally we should meet and think about the further development of this path of the war,” he said.

Zelensky told reporters that the security guarantees included plans for Ukraine to purchase $90 billion in American weapons through European funding.

Zelensky also said he and Trump had a long discussion about a map in the Oval Office, showing Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine. Rutte said Ukrainian territory was not discussed during the broader Monday meetings.

Zelensky arrived around 1 p.m. EDT on Monday along with several EU leaders. Trump and Zelensky sat in the Oval Office, mirroring their meeting earlier this year.

This time, they avoided the dramatic shouting match from six months ago in the same space.

During the February exchange, Trump and Vance accused Zelensky of being “disrespectful” toward the United States and the Trump administration.

Zelensky was much more complimentary during Monday’s meeting, immediately thanking Trump for his efforts to stop Russia’s war.

Vance, who was in the Oval Office, said nothing this time.

The meeting came after Trump’s summit with Putin on Friday in Alaska.

European Council leaders are scheduled to meet via videoconference Tuesday to discuss the meeting. The council’s president, Antonio Costa, called the conference, he announced on X Monday.

“I have convened a video conference of the members of the European Council for tomorrow at 1 p.m. CEST, for a debriefing of today’s meetings in Washington, D.C., about Ukraine,” Costa wrote. “Together with the U.S., the EU will continue working towards a lasting peace that safeguards Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.”

European leaders, including Rutte, Starmer, Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, accompanied Zelensky to Washington for the talks.

Aug. 18 (UPI) — President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet Monday in the White House.

Zelensky said he expects to discuss “key issues” at the meeting. It comes after Trump’s Friday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

European leaders began arriving at noon Monday, and Trump is expected to greet Zelensky at 1 p.m. with a meeting soon after.

European Council leaders are scheduled to meet via videoconference Tuesday to discuss the meeting. EC President Antonio Costa called the conference, he announced on X Monday.

“I have convened a video conference of the members of the European Council for tomorrow at 1 p.m. CEST, for a debriefing of today’s meetings in Washington, D.C., about Ukraine,” Costa wrote. “Together with the U.S., the EU will continue working towards a lasting peace that safeguards Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.”

European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are scheduled to accompany Zelensky to Washington Monday for the talk.

In a brief on Truth Social, Trump said Zelensky “can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.”

“Remember how it started,” Trump said. “No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE.”

Aug. 14 (UPI) — U.S. President Donald Trump said his goal is to save Ukrainian and Russian lives during Friday’s peace summit that will be held at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska.

The high-level meeting was announced last week, and it is hoped that it will lead to an end to the war in Ukraine.

“We’re going to see what happens with our meeting,” Trump said when a reporter asked if the United States might offer Russia access to rare-earth minerals as an incentive to end the war in Ukraine.

The meeting “is going to be very important for Russia and very important for us only in that we are going to save a lot of lives,” Trump said during a Thursday afternoon press conference at the White House.

He said the United States is being paid in full for military equipment obtained by Ukraine through NATO.

“We’re not spending any money anymore,” the president said. “[President Joe] Biden gave them $350 billion, [and] we got nothing for it.”

He said a rare-earth minerals deal with Ukraine will help the United States recoup its costs for helping Ukraine in its defense against Russia, which invaded the nation in February 2022.

“What I’m really doing this for is to save thousands of soldiers a week,” Trump said. “Last week they lost 7,251 people, mostly Russian and Ukrainian soldiers.”

Friday’s summit won’t be the most important meeting to end the Ukraine war, he added.

A second meeting that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be the most important, Trump said.

Putin on Thursday announced his intentions for Friday’s Alaska summit.

The Trump administration “has been making what I consider to be fairly vigorous and sincere efforts to halt hostilities, resolve the crisis and reach agreements that serve the interests of all parties involved in this conflict,” Putin said in an address to “colleagues.”

“The aim is to establish long-term conditions for peace not only between our countries but also in Europe and indeed globally,” Putin added,” especially if we proceed to subsequent stages involving agreements on strategic offensive arms control.”

The summit will be held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage and starts at 11:30 a.m. ADT, according to Putin aide Yury Ushakov.

Near the military base, “a memorial cemetery holds the remains of nine Soviet pilots, two military personnel and two civilians who perished between 1942 and 1945 while ferrying aircraft from the United States to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease program,” Ushakov said.

“Thus, the meeting will unfold near a site of profound historical importance — one that underscores the wartime camaraderie between our nations,” he said.

The summit will start with a one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin with interpreters present, followed by a delegation format that extends into a working lunch.

Each delegation will have five members, in addition to Trump and Putin, and the two presidents will hold a joint press conference afterward.

Ahead of Friday’s summit, Zelensky met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Prime Minister’s Office at 10 Downing Street in London.

The meeting was to show the United Kingdom’s support of Ukraine after Zelensky was not invited to Friday’s Alaska summit.

Aug. 14 (UPI) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street on Thursday to maintain the momentum of a European push to influence a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The high-profile meeting between the British and Ukrainian leaders, reported by the BBC, Sky News and The Telegraph, was described as a carefully choreographed display of support timed for just hours before the historic U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska, which Zelensky was left out of.

Neither man commented nor provided any details of their discussion when the pair emerged from No. 10 after around 60 minutes.

The London talks came as the Kremlin confirmed “resolving the Ukraine crisis” would be the main focus of the summit and that the delegation headed by Putin would include top aide Yuri Ushakov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Russian sovereign wealth fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev.

Co-chairing a meeting of European leaders, Zelensky and Trump on Wednesday, Starmer said a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine was a “viable” outcome from what he called Friday’s “hugely important” meeting, but stressed Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” must be defended and international borders “must not be changed by force”.

“As I’ve said personally to President Trump for the three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on, we haven’t got anywhere near a prospect of actually a viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire,” said Starmer.

“And now we do have that chance, because of the work the president has put in.”

However, Starmer said any cease-fire would have to be lasting and therefore needed “robust and credible security guarantees” and that European allies had established “this Coalition of the Willing” to back a post-war Ukraine militarily, with troops if necessary, to preempt Russia from breaking any peace agreement.

The bloc backed Zelensky’s demand that no decisions be made without Ukraine at the table.

Trump emerged from the meeting to put Putin on notice he would face “severe consequences” if he did not agree to a cease-fire when the pair meet in Anchorage on Friday. Trump said that, provided the meeting went well, he would also seek a second meeting between Putin and Zelensky to hammer out the details of a peace deal.

Aug. 13 (UPI) — Ahead of President Donald Trump‘s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the European Union will have a call with him Wednesday to remind him that he shouldn’t negotiate without Ukraine.

The call on Wednesday, organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, will include Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders who are friendly with Trump, like Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Zelensky will be in Berlin for the meeting, his office said on Wednesday, and is expected to later brief reporters with Merz.

At the Friday meeting in Alaska, Trump will meet with Putin to try to end the war with Ukraine. But Zelensky hasn’t been invited.

“We cannot accept that territorial issues between Russia and America are discussed or even decided over the heads of Europeans, over the heads of Ukrainians,” Merz said in a TV interview Sunday. “I assume that the American government sees it the same way. That is why there is this close coordination.”

Merz, a center-right politician, has heavily courted Trump since taking office in May. He has tried to impress upon Trump that if the United States were to boldly intervene on behalf of Ukraine, it could drive Putin into a cease-fire and peace talks.

Trump’s recent frustration with Russia’s repeated bombing of Ukraine has made him more receptive to Merz’s pleas. But this week, he told reporters he wanted to see what Putin had on his mind, and if he could broker “a deal,” which could include swaps of land held by Ukraine and Russia.

But peace on bad terms for Putin might encourage him to send troops to another neighbor and threaten Europe.

“It’s really a concern that Putin might feel emboldened,” Anna Sauerbrey, foreign editor for Germany’s Die Zeit newspaper, told The New York Times. “Not to go for Berlin, of course, but to cause some unrest in other Baltic countries, other European countries.”

Europe’s leaders seemed optimistic that Trump will hear their pleas and take Europe’s needs into consideration.

The EU on Tuesday demanded that the Ukrainian people should determine their own future and that no peace deal with Russia could be decided without Ukraine at the table. Hungary disavowed itself from the calls.

Leaders of 26 of 27 European Union nations said in a statement that viable negotiations must be within the framework of a cease-fire or easing of hostilities and warned of the threat the war posed to European and international security.

There appears to be “more of an understanding from the Americans that you can’t just go for land swaps which would somehow give a prize to Russia,” said one European Union official, who was granted anonymity by the Washington Post. But, the official said, “it’s clear that there are sort of discrepancies, and as we’ve seen it in the U.S. system by now, you have one man who will decide.”

Trump told reporters Monday that “It’s not up to me to make a deal,” echoing what Europe is saying, that Ukraine must be part of the negotiations.

“I guess everyone’s afraid Putin will play Trump’s ego again like he has in the past,” said a second European official to the Washington Post. “Who knows, maybe he comes there with another noble-sounding offer or maybe they give [Trump] some state award.”

Aug. 12 (UPI) — Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said Tuesday her district should become a state as National Guard troops arrived in the capital.

“It’s times like these when America needs to know that DC should be the 51st state,” Bowser said in an X post, which also contained a clip of her being interviewed on the “Breakfast Club” iHeartMedia radio program.

“We think this action kind of plays into his narrative on cities, about using force, about being tough on crime” Bowser said in regard to President Donald Trump‘s reasons for sending the national guard into the capital and placing city police under federal control.

Despite crime being generally down throughout the district, about 800 soldiers have been stationed in the district after being activated by the U.S. Army on Monday to assist with law enforcement, and Bowser has pledged to work “side by side” with the federal government as Trump’s directive rolls out.

Trump put forth a memorandum Monday titled “Restoring Law and Order in the District of Columbia,” in which he stated that “As President of the United States and Commander in Chief of the District of Columbia National Guard, it is my solemn duty to protect law-abiding citizens from the destructive forces of criminal activity.”

He then mentioned recent high-profile crimes as the impetus behind his decision to mobilize the District of Columbia National Guard and order them to “address the epidemic of crime in our Nation’s capital.”

Trump said in the directive that the mobilization will continue until he determines that “conditions of law and order have been restored in the District of Columbia.”

However, despite that open-ended statement, the troops have already been notified their deployment will last until Sept. 25.

According to the district’s Metropolitan Police Department crime statistics, the level of every categorized offense committed there has dropped since last year, except motor vehicle theft which has a flat change rate of 0%.

Aug. 9 (UPI) — U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with Ukrainian officials and others to discuss ending the war when Russia attacked its neighbor in February 2022.

Ukraine Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak and Ukraine Defense Secretary Rustem Umerov joined Lammy and Vance on Saturday to discuss matters in Ukraine and its defensive war with Russia.

“The U.K.’s support for Ukraine remains ironclad as we continue working toward a just and lasting peace,” Lammy said Saturday in a post on X.

The meeting occurred at Lammy’s official residence in Kent, England, where Vance is staying with his family through the weekend.

Yermak and Umerov were invited to join Lammy and Vance on short notice and ahead of Friday’s scheduled summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also might join the meeting with Trump and Putin, but he has not been invited as of Saturday evening.

Officials from the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and NATO also attended Saturday’s meeting at Lammy’s official residence, the BBC reported.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not join the meeting, but he talked with Zelensky by phone before it occurred.

Starmer and Zelensky agreed the meeting at Lammy’s residence is an important prelude to Friday’s scheduled summit in Alaska, Starmer’s office said in a news release.

Zelensky afterward told Ukrainians Putin is the only one standing in the way of ending the war.

“His only card is the ability to kill, and he is trying to sell the cessation of killings at the highest possible price,” Zelensky said during a national address.

He also dismissed the notion of a cease-fire instead of ending the war.

“What is needed is not a pause in the killings but a real, lasting peace,” Zelensky said.

He said Trump supports an immediate cessation of hostilities and said the United States has the “leverage and determination” to make it happen via sanctions against Russia.

Putin “fears sanctions and is doing everything to bail on them,” Zelensky said.

“He wants to exchange a pause in the war, in the killings, for the legalization of the occupation of our land,” Zelensky told Ukrainians.

“We will not allow this second attempt to partition Ukraine.”

Aug. 9 (UPI) — President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to meet Friday in Alaska and might invite Russian President Volodymyr Zelensky to join them.

It will be the first in-person meeting between Trump and Putin since the G20 summit in Japan in 2019 during Trump’s first term.

Zelensky initially was not invited, a source told The Washington Post, but Trump is considering inviting him, NBC News and The Hill reported on Saturday.

Putin on Thursday said he opposed meeting with Zelensky, saying “for this to happen, certain conditions must be created. Unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions.”

Trump announced the meeting on Friday night on Truth Social.

“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska,” Trump posted.

The presidents also considered meeting in the United Arab Emirates and Rome.

Because the United States does not recognize the International Criminal Court, it does not have to abide by a warrant issued in 2023 for Putin’s arrest on allegations he was involved in the abduction of children from Ukraine during the war. Had the meeting been held in Rome, there were concerns officials would attempt to arrest Putin.

On chances for a deal, Trump told reporters this week that he thinks “we have a shot at” achieving a deal and refused to call the meeting a last chance.

“I don’t like using the term ‘last chance,” he said.

Trump has floated the idea that a peace deal with Ukraine may require the European nation to give up territory — something Zelensky and many European leaders oppose.

“You’re looking at territory that’s been fought over for 3½ years with — you know, a lot of Russians have died, a lot of Ukrainians have died,” Trump said. “There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”

Ukraine currently controls around 4 square miles of Russian land in the western Kursk region, while Russia has one-fifth of Ukraine’s sovereign territory — including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Enerhodar, which is the largest generating station in Europe.

Ukraine had also seized around 500 square miles in August 2024 but later retreated.

Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and four other regions in eastern Ukraine — Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — and Putin has proposed Crimea be formally recognized as Russian sovereign territory.

“We’re looking at that, but we’re actually looking to get some back and some swapping. It’s complicated. It’s actually nothing easy, [and] it’s very complicated. But we’re going to get some back, and we’re going to get some switched. There will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,” Trump told reporters when asked if Ukraine will need to give up territory in a peace deal.

Trump also said that the self-imposed deadline for Putin to agree to a cease-fire or face “secondary sanctions” against nations that buy oil from Russia would “be up to him. We’re going to see what he has to say — it’s up to him.”

On Wednesday, he signed an executive order that doubled the tariff against India to 50% over the Asian nation’s imports of Russian oil. The order followed a 50-day ultimatum Trump gave to Putin to reach a truce with Ukraine, and later moved the deadline up to 10 days.

After a three-hour meeting with Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, Putin said told Witkoff that he would agree to a cease-fire if Ukraine withdrew from the Donbas region.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Putin for the first time provided “concrete examples of the kinds of things that Russia would ask for in order to end the war.”

On Saturday, Zelensky reiterated his opposition to giving up land.

“Ukrainians are defending their own. Even those who are with Russia know that it is doing evil. Of course, we will not give Russia awards for what it has done. The Ukrainian people deserve peace. But all partners must understand what a worthy peace is. This war must be ended, and Russia must end it. Russia started it and is dragging it out, not listening to any deadlines, and this is the problem, not something else,” he said in Ukrainian in a video posted on Instagram.

He also “Ukraine is ready for real decisions that can bring peace. Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not achieve anything,” Zelensky added in a post on X.

Zelensky also said he spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday and he was “grateful for his support.”

He said they both see the danger of “Russia’s plan to reduce everything to a discussion of the impossible.”

The meeting between Trump and Putin was confirmed by Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin official.

“The economic interests of our countries intersect in Alaska and the Arctic, and there are prospects for implementing large-scale, mutually beneficial projects,” he told reporters, according to state-run TASS. “But, of course, the presidents themselves will undoubtedly focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.”

Saturday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance will attend a summit of national security advisers in Britain that includes Ukraine and other European allies.

Aug. 8 (UPI) — President Donald Trump‘s deadline for Russia to end its ongoing war in Ukraine or face stiffer U.S. economic sanctions arrived Friday.

Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had been pushing for trilateral negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Moscow announced Thursday that Putin and Trump would hold a meeting about cease-fire talks in the coming days.

“It’s gonna be up to him (Putin),” Trump responded Thursday when asked about the looming deadline.

“We’re going to see what he has to say. It’s gonna be up to him. Very disappointed.”

There was no official word from Washington as Trump’s deadline arrived Friday.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow this week and has met with Putin. Officials have described those talks as constructive, while Trump this week called them “highly-productive.”

Russian and U.S. negotiators were reportedly close to a deal, Bloomberg News reported Friday, citing sources close to the matter.

The deal would reportedly allow Russia to keep the territory it has gained thus far since it invaded Ukraine in February of 2022.

Last month, Trump announced he would enact “severe tariffs” if Russia failed to reach a peace deal with Ukraine within 50 days. Those sanctions were to encompass 100% secondary tariffs on countries doing business with Moscow, including those buying Russian oil.

Weeks later, Trump said he would shorten that 50-day window to reach a deal.

“I want to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made,” Trump told reporters at the time.

Trump this week imposed new tariffs on India in response to that country’s continued purchases of oil from Moscow.

Aug. 7 (UPI) — The Kremlin announced Thursday that a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump will be held in the coming days, as the American leader has been pushing for trilateral cease-fire talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

Yuri Ushakov, foreign affairs advisor to Putin, made the announcement to reporters, stating a venue has also been decided upon, in principle, for the Trump-Putin summit, but that it will be announced later, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported.

The meeting will mark the first face-to-face conversation between the world leaders since they spoke on the sidelines of a G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, in 2019. The pair also held a summit in Helsinki in 2018.

Since then, their conversations have been via telephone or through envoys.

On Wednesday, Trump said he was working to schedule a trilateral meeting between himself, Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, had met with Putin on Wednesday, and Trump described their meeting as “highly productive” in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“Great progress made,” the U.S. leader said.

Trump has been seeking a cease-fire since his inauguration in January. During his campaign, the American leader repeatedly said he could end the war within 24 hours of returning to office.

Amid his second term, the United States, once Ukraine’s most ardent supporter, drastically shifted its policies, stating Kyiv would have to give up land to Russia in a cease-fire while pulling back on its military commitments to the besieged ally, demanding that others, especially Europe, it’s largest backer, due more.

However, Trump’s tone has changed slightly as the war has dragged on, and he has begun to direct his ire at Putin for the lack of a cease-fire agreement. Early last month, he lifted a pause he had placed on U.S. military aid transfers to Ukraine.

The announcement of the agreement comes a day after The New York Times reported that Trump intends to meet with Putin next week, followed by a meeting with him, Putin and Zelensky sometime after that.

Zelensky has been vocal about his willingness for cease-fire talks, and early Thursday said on X that a meeting between the world leaders “can lead to a truly lasting peace.”

“We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that finding real solutions can be truly effective at the level of leaders,” he said in the statement.

“Ukraine has never wanted war and will work toward peace as productively as possible. The main thing is for Russia, which started this war, to take real steps to end its aggression.”

The war between Ukraine and Russia began with a Kremlin invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Russia also annexed Crimea in February 2014.

Aug. 6 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said he will work to schedule a trilateral meeting soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump announced his intent to meet with the leaders of the warring nations as early as next week after special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin on Wednesday.

“Steve Witkoff just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “Great progress was made.”

Witkoff and Putin met ahead of Friday’s Trump-imposed deadline for a cease-fire in Ukraine.

Trump said he apprised some of the nation’s allies in Europe of the meeting’s content.

“Everyone agrees this war must come to a close,” he said, “and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come.”

The president also said he would meet with Putin as early as next week and afterward wants to meet with Putin and Zelensky at the same time, The New York Times reported.

Trump and Zelensky spoke by phone after the Witkoff-Putin meeting and said “it seems Russia is more inclined toward [a] cease-fire,” as reported by CNN.

Putin called the meeting “constructive and useful,” Russian state media outlet TASS reported.

“Putin conveyed some signals to the United States on the Ukrainian issue,” the Kremlin told state-controlled RIA Novosti.

Witkoff and Putin met for about three hours after Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on nations that buy oil from Russia if a cease-fire isn’t declared by Friday.

He also announced a 25% tariff on India for buying and reselling “massive amounts of Russian oil” and intends to increase the tariff to 50% in three weeks, The Washington Post reported.

Trump says such trade with Russia funds its war against Ukraine, which Russia started on Feb. 24, 2022.

Aug. 6 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday raised tariffs on goods imported from India to 50% in response to the country’s continued purchase of Russian oil.

“I find that the Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,” President Donald Trump said in an executive order.

“Accordingly, and as consistent with applicable law, articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25%,” the executive order said.

This adds to the previous 25% tariffs set to take effect Thursday. The new tax will begin in 21 days.

The India tariff is now one of the highest on all of the United States’ trading partners, and it’s the latest sign that Trump is honoring his threat on countries that buy oil from Russia. The tariff is meant to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to encourage him to work toward a peace agreement with Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Trump said he would raise the tariff on India “very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they’re buying Russian oil, they’re fueling the war machine.”

“And if they’re going to do that, then I’m not going to be happy,” Trump said on CNBC’s Squawk Box.

In response to Trump’s Monday threat, India accused the United States, and the European Union, of hypocrisy, saying they began importing from Russia “because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict.”

“India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer. They are a necessity compelled by global market situation,” India’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “However, it is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion.”

It said the targeting of India was “unjustified and unreasonable.”

“Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.”

Trump has long seen tariffs as a tool to right trade deficits and as a bargaining tool. He has also started to use it as a punitive measure to retaliate against countries for taking actions he disagrees with.

Aug. 5 (UPI) — U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened India with increased tariffs over its purchase of Russian oil amid Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

The American president issued his threat Monday in a statement published on his Truth Social media platform, accusing Delhi of not only buying “massive amounts” of Russian oil, but selling much of it on the open market for “big profits.”

“They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA,” Trump said.

Trump has long seen tariffs as a tool to right trade deficits and as a bargaining tool. He has also started to use it as a punitive measure to retaliate against countries for taking actions he disagrees with.

Last week, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on India as he imposed tariffs against dozens of nations.

On Friday, the American president was asked about the situation, and said that he’s heard India was to discontinue buying Russian crude.

“That’s what I heard. I don’t know if that’s right or not, but that’s a good step,” he said to a question about the percentage of tariffs he was considering imposing on the ally.

“We’ll see what happens.

Over the weekend, India refuted the claims, stating it was not altering its policies.

In response to Trump’s threat on Monday, India accused the United States, and the European Union, of hypocrisy, saying they began importing from Russia “because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict.”

“India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer. They are a necessity compelled by global market situation,” India’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “However, it is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion.”

It said the targeting of India was both “unjustified and unreasonable.”

“Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.”

Aug. 2 (UPI) — Four Ukrainians have been detained in an investigation of “large-scale” governmental corruption, the nation’s two anti-corruption agencies said Saturday.

A member of parliament, two current and former officials, and a member of the National Guard military were involved, according to the nation’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.

They allegedly were involved in a plot to take funds appropriated for drones and electronic warfare in 2024 and 2025, NABU posted on Telegram. They also acquired and distributed “unlawful benefits on an especially large scale,” the agency said.

On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law passed unanimously by the parliament that restores the independence of the two agencies. One week earlier, the parliament had passed the law and Zelensky signed it that essentially ends their independence.

The former law sparked large protests and international rebuke, the Kyiv Independent reported.

In his daily video address, he said the schemes were “absolutely immoral.”

“I am grateful to the anti-corruption agencies for their work,” Zelensky posted on X. “There can only be zero tolerance for corruption, clear teamwork in uncovering it, and ultimately, a fair sentence. It is important that anti-corruption institutions operate independently, and the law passed on Thursday guarantees them all the tools necessary for a real fight against corruption.”

Detained were Oleksii Kuznetsov, a member of Zelensky’s Servant of the People party; Serhii Haidai, a former Luhansk governor; Andrii Yurchenko, head of Luhansk Oblast’s Rubizhne district and the guard member.

Kuznetsov will be dismissed from the Servant of the People in the parliament during the investigation, party leader David Arakhimia said.

In one scheme, they are accused of inflating a state contract for the purchase of electronic warfare with officials receiving a kickback of 30% of the conteact in exchange for inflating the price.

They were also involved in a similar way in state contracts for drones. A military unit signed a $239,000 contract with a producer with an overpaymernt of $80,000, the agencies said.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko announced the National Guard was implementing “systemic safeguards” to prevent power abuse.

“We are building a system in which honest service is protected, and there will be inevitable responsibility for violations,” Klymenko posted on Telegram.

Ukraine has been purchasing drones and weapons from other nations since Russia invaded the nation in February 2022.

Aug. 1 (UPI) — Comments made by Russian Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday spurred President Donald Trump to reposition two U.S. nuclear submarines to deter any military threats.

Medvedev in a social media post suggested Trump should be wary of Russia’s automatic nuclear strike capabilities and suggested the president watch “The Walking Dead” television series, The New York Times reported.

Trump called Medvedev’s comments “highly provocative” and viewed them as a potential threat against the United States.

“I have ordered two nuclear submarines in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Friday.

“Words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences,” Trump continued. “I hope that this will not be one of those instances.”

Medvedev formerly was Russia’s president from May 7, 2008, to May 7, 2012, and is the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.

Trump told reporters, “We just have to be very careful,” as he was leaving the White House on Friday, ABC News reported.

“A threat was made by the former president of Russia,” he said, “and we’re going to protect our people.”

Trump and his administration did not say when and where the submarines are being deployed or their military capabilities.

A White House official told ABC News the president was engaging in “strategic ambiguity” in the matter.

Medvedev earlier this week criticized Trump for reducing to 10 days the president’s ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin to show progress toward ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10,” Medvedev said in a social media post, as reported by The Guardian.

“He should remember two things,” Medvedev said. “Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran,” and “each new ultimatum is a threat and a step toward war” between the United States and Russia.

Medvedev cautioned Trump, “Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe [Biden] road!”

Trump has accused Putin of stalling efforts to reach a cease-fire with Ukraine.

The president said he could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours while he was campaigning last year.

Putin on Friday said he wanted a “lasting and stable peace” in Ukraine, but did not respond to Trump’s ultimatum, according to The Guardian.

Aug. 1 (UPI) — The Elon Musk-owned social media platform X said Friday that Britain’s newly-enacted Online Safety Act “seriously” is on the cusp of violating free speech masked as the fight to protect kids from explicit online content.

“Many are now concerned that a plan ostensibly intended to keep children safe is at risk of seriously infringing on the public’s right to free expression,” the Global Government affairs wing of the Bastrop, Texas-headquartered X said Friday.

Britain’s Online Safety Act created a new set of legal duties by which tech companies must abide.

It mandated they evaluate the potential of users encountering illegal Internet content and children being exposed to online harm, which included a required safety assessment.

“When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of ‘online safety,'” the letter stated.

The British parliament passed it in September 2023 in the quest to improve online safety for young people.

X argues the British people may not of been aware of the “trade-off” when London passed the bill.

The OSA covers more than 130 offenses ranging from harassment and “assisting or encouraging suicide” to terrorism, fraud and “unlawful immigration.” It targets tech entities that span “social media or video-sharing platforms, messaging, gaming and dating apps, forums and file-sharing sites.”

According to the social media platform, the act’s “laudable intentions” were at risk of “being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach.”

“While everyone agrees protecting children is a critical responsibility, it is also clear that an overly rigorous statutory framework layered with a ‘voluntary’ code and heightened police monitoring, oversteps the intended mission,” it continued.

On Friday, a British watchdog group indicated that those fears may be valid.

“The BBC is now reporting that information about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, UK rape gangs, and more is being censored online due to the government’s new Online ‘Safety’ Act,” Silkie Carlo, director of Britain-based Big Brother Watch, posted on X.

“Well done, lads,” she added in jest.

X’s government affairs office says free speech will suffer without a “more balanced, collaborative approach.”

Pornhub and other major pornographic websites had a targeted end of July date to implement its age verification mechanisms in order to comply.

Musk, 54, has characterized himself as a “free speech absolutist.”

The former White House DOGE adviser, for his part, has said the act’s purpose was “suppression of the people” as he tweeted a petition calling for its repeal that got more than 450,000 signatures.

OSA’s deadline required pornographic websites to implement “robust” age-verification methods or face fines close to $20 million or equal to 10% of company proceeds.

In addition to the increased government regulations, X officials also cite Britain’s new “National Internet Intelligence Investigations” team unit company officials say “sets off alarm bells” and will further “intensify scrutiny.”

The social media company said the Internet teams “sole” focus is to monitor social media for “signs of unrest, such as anti-immigrant sentiment, to prevent real-world violence.”

July 28 (UPI) — A cyber attack on Russia’s largest airline on Monday saw dozens of canceled flights after a pro-Ukraine team took responsibility for hacking airline computer systems.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called it “quite alarming” after at least 42 scheduled Aeroflot flights largely domestic in Russia got canceled.

Aeroflot officials gave no specific details or how long it would take to restore its mainframe after officials informed passengers of a “failure” in its tech systems advising service disruptions, but did warn travelers of delays and cancellations.

The airline said its tech teams were “actively working to minimize the impact on flight operations and restore all services to normal as quickly as possible.”

“We kindly ask passengers to monitor real-time updates on airport websites, information displays, and public announcements across the airline’s route network,” the airline said in a statement.

Aeroflot’s cyber-security attack was a direct result of Russia’s full-on invasion of neighboring Ukraine, the hacker group calling itself “Silent Crow” confirmed.

Russia’s prosecutor general’s office also confirmed that Aeroflot’s technological issues were a result of a virtual attack on its computer systems and stated that a criminal investigation is underway.

Silent Crow says it worked with a separate group based in Belarus called “Cyber Partisans BY.”

They pressed unverified claimed of access to flight history data, that it destroyed roughly 7,000 Aeroflot servers, compromised its corporate computer structure and further threatened to released “the personal data of all Russians who have ever flown Aeroflot.”

On its Telegram channel, Silent Crow wrote how for a year, “we were inside their corporate network, methodically developing access, going deep into the very core of the infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, Aeroflot partner air carries Rossiya and Probed have not reported any technological issues.

The cyber attack on Russia’s flag air carrier arrived weeks after another on Australian airline Qantas exposed the data of six million customers. That followed a similar event at the end of June on Hawaiian Airlines by a group FBI officials believe to be young adults and teens living in the United States and Britain.

“Glory to Ukraine! Long live Belarus!” Silent Crow said in a statement.

July 28 (UPI) — NATO aircraft were scrambled Sunday night to respond to a Russian attack on Ukraine, the Polish military said Monday.

“Polish and allied quick reaction aircraft were scrambled, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness,” Poland’s Operational Command of the Armed Forces said in a statement.

“These actions are preventive in nature and are aimed at securing airspace and protecting citizens, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened region.”

A few hours later, it issued a statement that the aircraft had concluded their deployment, adding that “no violations of Polish airspace were observed.”

Swedish fighter jets stationed in Poland were among the aircraft scrambled, it said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement on Telegram on Monday that Russia launched 324 drones and seven missiles overnight, resulting in 311 of the attacks being either shot down or suppressed by electronic warfare.

“There were confirmed impacts of two missiles of various types and 15 strike UAVs at three locations,” it said.

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s Office of the President, said in a statement on X that some of the Russian aerial strikes hit civilian infrastructure, including in the capital Kyiv.

“He wants nothing but war and Ukraine’s defeat,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “But defeat is not an option.”

“Russia and its satellites are also testing NATO’s response,” he added. “Drones entering the airspace of the Baltic states are signals that must not be ignored.”