In our latest Newshour programme, presenter Guy Shone covered the recent report revealing that a covert U.S. working group, established earlier this year to speed up peace talks in Ukraine, has been quietly disbanded.
The dissolution of the task force comes amid broader questions about Washington’s long-term diplomatic strategy and military posture toward the Russia-Ukraine conflict. European officials are reportedly alarmed, especially given Trump’s reluctance to apply pressure on Moscow in the same way as his predecessor.The group, managed by senior National Security Council staff with Pentagon involvement, reportedly lost momentum amid internal changes and declining interest from President Donald Trump.
While The White House has not commented, the news is likely to fuel concern across NATO and within Ukraine’s military leadership. Analysts said that this move may indicate a more cautious or transactional U.S. role in the coming months, which could influence the Kremlin’s strategic calculations.
Pakistan‑brokered talks between the U.S., Israel and Iran get underway today as disagreements continue over the two‑week ceasefire, including Israel‑Hezbollah conflict and Iran’s handling of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump warned the terms were being misapplied.
Lebanon is sliding deeper into a food security crisis as ongoing regional conflict disrupts supply routes and drives up the cost of basic goods, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.
Thousands of Palestinians returned to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem after Israel lifted a 40-day ban that had left one of Islam’s holiest sites largely closed.
Ankara Provincial Chair of Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP), Ümit Erkol, has been detained as part of a corruption investigation linked to a cooperative in İzmir, Turkish media reported.
China and Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Tuesday aimed at coordinating defensive efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving no agreed international framework for securing the vital route.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has given an instruction for Israel to begin peace talks with Lebanon that would also include the disarming of Hezbollah.
Some geographies are small on the map yet immense in history. The Strait of Hormuz is one. About a quarter of global oil trade and a fifth of LNG flows pass through this narrow corridor - around 20 million barrels per day sustaining the global system.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to continue dialogue and avoid steps that could worsen tensions after China-hosted talks in Urumqi, with Kabul and Beijing saying the meetings focused on easing differences and improving relations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Türkiye aims to rank among the world’s top ten exporters of defence technology within the next two years.
In a special edition of Context, Orkhan Amashov reports from Washington on the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, examining plans for Gaza’s reconstruction, a proposed stabilisation force, and the wider diplomatic impact of the U.S.-led initiative.
In today’s Prime Time, we covered the following conversations: Azerbaijan has shipped petroleum products to Armenia by rail for the first time in decades, marking a significant step toward economic cooperation and regional integration in the South Caucasus.
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