'We're forcing everyone away,' Trump says on Russia sanctions
"So what we're doing with sanctions is we're forcing everyone away from us. So I don't love sanctions," Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said.
Peace Negotiations
Orban urged EU to restore diplomatic relations with Russia in letter to Michel, Bild reports
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the EU should restore diplomatic relations with Russia, listing it as one of the conclusions of his supposed "peace mission," Bild reported on July 16, citing Orban's letter it had obtained.
Trump will demand Ukraine hold peace talks with Russia if elected, Orban claims
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban claimed that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump "has detailed and well-founded plans for (a peace plan)."
European Commission snubs Hungary's presidency over Orban's rogue diplomacy
"In light of recent developments marking the start of the Hungarian Presidency, the President (Ursula von der Leyen) has decided that the European Commission will be represented at senior civil servant level only during informal meetings of the Council," said von der Leyen's spokesperson Eric Mamer.
Orban pitches 'peace proposal' to EU after Kyiv, Moscow trips
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban presented Budapest's proposal on how achieve peace in Ukraine in a letter sent to European leaders, a Hungarian government official said in an interview published on July 15.
44% of Ukrainians believe it's time to start official peace talks with Russia, survey finds
At the same time, a majority of respondents were also opposed to the current ceasefire conditions laid out by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which would entail the complete Ukrainian withdrawal from the four regions that are partially occupied by Russia.
Orban discusses 'ways to make peace' with Trump in Florida
"We discussed ways to make peace. The good news of the day: he’s going to solve it," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on X.
Russia says it won't attend Ukraine's second peace summit
Kyiv said it aims to invite a Russian representative to the second conference to present a peace plan based on President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace formula and international input. No official invitation has been sent so far.
Orban lays out Putin's views on war in leaked letter to European Council
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban summarized his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow while echoing the Kremlin's stances on its war against Ukraine in a letter obtained by Politico and published on July 9.
Zelensky repudiates Orban, says 'only strong alliances' can be mediators between Russia, Ukraine
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on July 5, just days after meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
Orban calls China 'key power' in achieving peace in Ukraine on Beijing visit
Viktor Orban, whose country took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU earlier in the month, called the visit to Beijing a third step in his "peace mission."
Turkey proposes 'peace platform' to end war in Ukraine
"A peace platform that will prevent deepening polarization, has high participation and representation, and prioritizes diplomacy should be established," he said.
Hungary cancels visit by German FM Baerbock after criticism of Orban's Moscow visit
Hungary canceled German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's planned visit to Budapest, Germany's Foreign Office said on July 5, after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's trip to Moscow.
'We cannot have Minsk III' – Stoltenberg on prospects for peace in Ukraine
Speaking ahead of a NATO Summit in Washington next week, Stoltenberg was asked if the alliance would support Ukraine and reject pressure to force Kyiv to accept territorial concessions and non-membership of NATO as a condition for a ceasefire.
Orban says Kyiv and Moscow's positions on peace 'are very far apart'
The insight came to him during a trip to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, just days after meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
Putin believes Trump is 'sincere' about ending war
Speaking from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "we take (former President Donald Trump's declared intention to end the war) completely seriously."
Orban's Kyiv, Moscow trips test boundaries of EU presidency, expert says
Viktor Orban's steps show that he is "playing a different game and using the vacuum while the compositions of these (EU) institutions are changing" after the European elections, said Pavel Havlicek, a research fellow at the Association for International Affairs.
Putin claims Istanbul peace plan draft still 'on table' for talks between Russia and Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on July 4 that the alleged peace plan proposal drafted during negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow in 2022 in Istanbul, could be the basis for a "settlement" of a Russia's full-scale war, the Kremlin-controlled TASS news agency wrote.
Erdogan offers to mediate peace talks, Kremlin rules out the idea
At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Turkey could help mediate an end to the war.
'Reality will be very different' – Ukrainian MP dismisses Trump's NATO, peace plan 'rhetoric'
Oleksandr Merezhko highlighted the catastrophic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which Trump has repeatedly used to criticize President Joe Biden, saying he is "haunted" by the idea of being held responsible for a similar geopolitical disaster.
Trump reportedly considering making deal with Putin to block Ukraine's NATO accession, officials tell Politico
One of the sources told Politico that former President Donald Trump "would be open to something foreclosing NATO expansion and not going back to the 1991 borders for Ukraine."
Ukrainian optimism about war clashes with European skepticism in new poll
A new public opinion survey has revealed a widening gulf between Ukrainian hopes of a battlefield victory against Russia and European resignation that the war will only end with a negotiated settlement. Conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), the poll found that while support for Ukraine and
Zelensky dismissed Orban's ceasefire proposal, Kyiv says
Kyiv previously rejected a temporary break to hostilities, saying it would only provide a window of opportunity for Russia to regroup its forces.
Black Sea grain deal provides potential model for talks with Russia, Zelensky says
Ukraine does not envisage direct negotiations with Russia but could use the model of a tripartite agreement similar to the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the U.N. and Turkey in 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer published on June 30.
Kingdom of Tonga joins global peace summit communique, Zelensky says
The Kingdom of Tonga has become the ninth participant to sign the joint communique following the first global peace summit.
Top Trump advisors prepare plan for US to halt military aid to Ukraine unless it agrees to peace talks
Retired General Keith Kellogg and Fred Fleitz, who previously served on the National Security Council in the Trump administration, said the proposed ceasefire would freeze the frontlines in their current position.
Opinion: The Putin-Kim pact is an opportunity for the West
June has been a busy month for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a speech at Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he outlined his terms for peace negotiations with Ukraine and proposed establishing an alternative international security system in collaboration with China. A week later, during a two-day visit to
Ukraine This Week: Russians leaving Kharkiv Oblast and peace summit takeaways
The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur explains the top stories in Ukraine this week, from Russia’s stalled campaign in Kharkiv Oblast to Ukraine’s Global Summit.
Negotiations needed to end war in Ukraine but Putin 'cannot be trusted,' says Mark Milley
Vladimir Putin on June 14 said Moscow would only cease fire and enter peace talks if Ukraine withdraws from the four Ukrainian regions claimed – but not fully controlled – by the Kremlin.
Zelensky: Two more countries sign global peace summit communique
"We see growing global support for the Peace Formula, meaning the support for the UN Charter, which we want to restore to full force," Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
Ukraine wants to hold another peace summit by end of year, official says
Ukraine wants to hold a second global peace summit before the end of 2024, Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of the Presidential Office, said in an interview with Interfax Ukraine on June 21.
Strategic battlefield defeat would be end of Russia's statehood, Putin claims
"Then the question arises: why should we be afraid? Isn’t it better to go to the end?" Vladimir Putin said at a press conference at the end of his state visit to Vietnam.
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