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Politics

Exclusive: Trump's push for a Ukraine energy truce runs into a Putin problem
Politics

Exclusive: Trump's push for a Ukraine energy truce runs into a Putin problem

by Tim Zadorozhnyy

U.S. President Donald Trump privately doubts that Russian President Vladimir Putin will agree to an energy ceasefire with Ukraine before winter, people familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent. The doubts come as Washington presses both Kyiv and Moscow to halt attacks on each other's energy infrastructure, one of the key issues in recent peace talks. Trump has publicly pushed Ukraine to stop striking Russian energy facilities, while Moscow has yet to signal that it is ready to accept

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Trump's Ukraine-Russia peace gambit begins to unravel. Again

U.S. President Donald Trump's latest push for peace between Ukraine and Russia is facing growing uncertainty, with few in Kyiv believing it can deliver a breakthrough — or even bring the three sides together for talks, the Kyiv Independent can reveal. The latest effort began in early September, when Trump's envoys traveled to Kyiv and Moscow seeking progress before the U.S. midterm elections. The trips produced one tangible outcome: an agreement in principle to hold a trilateral meeting betwee

What does Russia's rising military budget say about its plans for the war?

The Russian government began the month by submitting a three-year budget plan to parliament, proposing yet another increase in funding for its war against Ukraine. On the surface, the planned increase looks substantial. Russia's overall military budget is set to rise to around 17 trillion rubles (approximately $200 billion) in 2027, up from 12 trillion rubles in 2026 — a 27% increase in nominal spending. When combined with spending on law enforcement, another heavy budget line, expenditures on

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