World News by Wild Rose

European Union member countries ⁠have agreed a ⁠deal to release €6.6 billion (US$7.5 billion) in EU funds linked to military aid for Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday. The money will ‌come from the European Peace Facility, a fund used by EU members to finance military aid to countries outside the bloc. It also refunds EU governments for military aid they have provided. Of the released funds, €900 million will ⁠go to the EU’s military assistance mission for Ukraine and...

President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelensky that he had made a "final decision" to grant Kyiv the licence to produce Patriot air defence missiles, the Ukrainian leader said Friday. The assurance came during the last meeting between the two leaders, Zelensky said, capping a period of uncertainty after a series of reversals on the issue.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ‘not playing ball’ when it comes to progress on Ukraine peace talks. He also argued that Europeans are ‘prepared’ for Russian hybrid attacks.  Rutte spoke with Bloomberg’s Annmarie Hordern on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. (Source: Bloomberg)

Second day of UN General Assembly kicks off with speeches from world leaders, including from Syria, Iran and Ukraine.

New York, Sept. 22 (Jiji Press)--Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy apparently expressed hope for military support from Japan during his first face-to-face meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in New York on Tuesday. In their 20-minute meeting, Takaichi conveyed her country's commitment to continue supporting Ukraine, still battling Russia's invasion, in cooperation with...

Ukraine leader says Kyiv is ready to stop strikes on Russian facilities if Moscow halts attacks on its energy system.

French President Emmanuel Macron says the “coalition of the willing" will not back down in its support of Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron used his last address before the UN General Assembly as France's leader to urge the world's nations to stand alongside the United Nations in the face of a resurgent "law of the jungle". Macron also called for a moratorium on strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure in the Russia-Ukraine war and an "open-source" model for frontier AI independent of China and the US.

Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman both have close ties to President Putin, and Kyiv said the move sent Moscow the wrong signals.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva renewed his backing on Tuesday for a peace initiative he launched with China to end the war in Ukraine, using his opening speech at the UN General Assembly to take thinly veiled aim at the United States over tariffs, military pressure and access to critical minerals. Speaking in New York just days before Brazilians vote in a tight presidential race, Lula described the war between Russia and Ukraine as a five-year humanitarian drama that “continues to...

Ukrainians aged between one and five were taken from childcare institutions and put up for adoption, court hears.

The AfD has a far different vision on support for Ukraine, foreign aid and Russia than the governing coalition.

US President Donald Trump's first meeting with a foreign leader on the sidelines of the UN general assembly was with French President Emmanuel Macron. The French president said that the talks, which focused on Ukraine and the Middle East, were "quite constructive". Macron has been trying to convince Trump to take a harder line on Putin and support the sovereignty of Ukraine. Click on the video for more details. 

Victory of United Russia party strengthens Putin's hand even as the war with Ukraine grows more unpopular.

Russia is set to extend a ban on most diesel exports beyond the end of September as Ukraine continues to attack its refineries, according to people familiar with the matter. Russia enacted the ban in July as a wave of Ukrainian strikes against its refineries dragged oil-processing rates to multiyear lows. This comes as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he’ll meet President Donald Trump during the UN General Assembly week in New York as the embattled Ukrainian leader looks to shore up support to defend against stepped up Russian attacks. Zelenskyy said in a post on X that he had an “important conversation” with Trump and said their upcoming meeting could “change a lot.” Heather Conley, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former deputy assistant Secretary of State speaks with Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz on Balance of Power. (Source: Bloomberg)

Vladimir Putin will likely use the result to claim most Russians back the so-called special military operation in Ukraine, writes the BBC's Steve Rosenberg.

New US law imposes harsh measures on Russia, aims to weaken the Kremlin's war funding and push for Ukraine negotiations.

The bill is named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch advocate of aid for Ukraine.

Russians on Friday began three days of voting in the country’s first wartime parliamentary election, which features virtually no opposition and is all but certain to secure the Kremlin’s political dominance. France 24's Douglas Herbert takes a closer look.

French President Emmanuel Macron is meeting leaders of France’s political parties at the Elysée on Friday for talks on the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and the consequences for the country’s security and energy amid soaring fuel prices.

Voting got ⁠underway on Friday in a tightly controlled three-day parliamentary election in Russia which President Vladimir Putin has framed as a barometer of support for Russia's war in Ukraine. It is the first parliamentary election since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, and most anti-war candidates have been excluded from the ballot.

Polls opened in Russia's Far East on Friday as the country began three days of voting for its parliamentary election, the first since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin's main party, United Russia, is poised to keep its grip on power alongside other parties aligned with President Vladimir Putin, as the only party that criticised the war was removed from the ballot. 

The bill marks the first time in more than two years the US Congress has passed legislation supporting Ukraine

Russia has begun early voting in its parliamentary elections in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, with armed personnel accompanying election officials and voters.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine was ready to de-escalate the war with Russia if its rival did the same, after US President Donald Trump announced that the foes had agreed to end strikes on energy targets. With international oil prices climbing again, Trump had at the weekend berated Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, blaming them for causing a shortage in diesel fuel. In one of his surprise social media posts, the US leader announced on Monday that “Ukraine has...

Trump blames Ukraine’s attacks for global diesel shortage, linking the crisis to Russia's war rather than US actions.

Tokyo, Sept. 14 (Jiji Press)--Eisuke Mori, speaker of Japan's House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the country's parliament, on Monday visited Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, the secretariat of the Lower House said the same day. During his stay through Tuesday, Mori plans to meet with Ukrainian government and parliamentary officials to express Japan's solidarity with Ukraine. It ...

The US president says Ukraine's attacks on Russian diesel infrastructure are contributing to global fuel shortages.

BRICS leaders gathered in New Delhi for the final day of the summit amid divisions over the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

Mr. Guterres, in Delhi for BRICS Summit, commends India’s efforts at mediation between Russia and Ukraine, clarifies map controversy