Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s 2nd largest city, kills 7

KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, killed seven people overnight, including three children, Kharkiv region governor Oleh Syniehubov reported Saturday. He said at least 10 drones were launched at Kharkiv, eight of which were shot down. Civilian infrastructure in the Nemyshlyan district of the city was hit, causing … Read more

Some of what Putin told Tucker Carlson missed the bigger picture. This fills in the gaps

Russian President Vladimir Putin sat down in the Kremlin for a two-hour interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, pushing his views on the justification for the nearly 2-year-old war in Ukraine, the prospects of peace talks, and other issues. He also touched on the arrest of Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist for The … Read more

Conflict in the Middle East is affecting a key energy lifeline for Europe. How big is the risk?

FRANKFURT, Germany — Missiles and drones are flying in the Red Sea, disrupting one of the world’s key trade arteries and a chokepoint for energy shipments headed for Europe. Attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over Israel’s war with Hamas are posing a new threat to the future of energy supplies to the 27-country European Union, … Read more

UN nuclear chief says security is still fragile at Ukraine’s Russian-occupied nuclear power plant

KYIV, Ukraine — Security at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains fragile amid worrying recent staff cuts enacted by Russian authorities occupying the facility, which is one of the 10 biggest atomic power plants in the world, the United Nations nuclear watchdog chief said Tuesday. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, who is in … Read more

France’s foreign ministry has summoned Russia’s ambassador over French aid workers killed in Ukraine

PARIS — The French government summoned Russia’s ambassador for talks Monday over the killing of two French citizens working for nongovernmental organizations in Ukraine, and promised sustained support for the Ukrainian military in its effort to push back Russian forces. The humanitarian workers were killed in Russian strikes on Thursday near a front line of … Read more

A Russian cosmonaut sets a new record for the most time in space

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has broken the world record for the most cumulative time spent in space, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos reported Sunday. The 59-year-old has now spent more than 878 days and 12 hours in space, surpassing fellow Russian Gennady Padalka, who set the previous record of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes, and … Read more

The EU is providing Ukraine with $54 billion. How will the money be spent?

EU leaders on Thursday sealed a deal to provide Ukraine with 50 billion euros ($54 million) to shore up its war-ravaged economy after Hungary dropped weeks of threats to veto the measure. The aid package — about two-thirds loans and one-third grants to be paid out over a four-year period — is not intended to … Read more

Europe’s farmers are struggling, but some sympathetic consumers have difficulty affording their food

BOUSSY-SAINT-ANTOINE, France — Truck driver Jeremy Donf understands French farmers are struggling and he wants to support local food producers. But like many consumers, buying French produced food isn’t always an option. Farmer protests across Europe this week have highlighted how farmers and households are both hurting these days because of multiple factors, including persistent … Read more

US lawmakers call on Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán to immediately approve Sweden’s NATO membership

BUDAPEST, Hungary — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers are urging Hungary to immediately ratify Sweden’s application to join NATO, saying patience with the Central European country is “wearing thin” as it continues to delay its approval for the Nordic nation. Hungary is the only country in the 31-nation military alliance that hasn’t yet backed … Read more

Ukraine says Russia is refusing to turn over the bodies of plane crash victims

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia has refused Ukrainian requests to hand over the bodies of scores of prisoners of war whom the Kremlin claims were killed in the downing of a Russian military transport plane by Kyiv’s forces, a Ukrainian intelligence official said. Andrii Yusov, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence, in televised remarks late Thursday … Read more