live U.S. pressure on Iran intensifies as sanctions and blockade take hold
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, acc...
Talks aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia are set to continue in Berlin this weekend, with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and senior European leaders, a U.S. official said.
Witkoff, who has led White House efforts to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow, is expected to discuss the latest version of a proposed peace agreement.
He is also due to hold talks on Sunday and Monday with counterparts from France, Britain and Germany.
The Wall Street Journal reported that UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to take part.
Washington’s decision to send Witkoff underlines growing urgency to narrow remaining differences with Kyiv over the plan’s terms.
On Thursday (11 December), the White House said President Donald Trump would only dispatch a representative if he believed sufficient progress could be made.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is also expected to take part in the meetings.
Confirmation of the Witkoff–Zelenskyy meeting comes days after Ukraine submitted a revised version of a 20-point peace plan to the United States. The proposals, first floated in late November, have since prompted intensified diplomatic activity.
Territory in eastern Ukraine remains the most contentious issue. Kyiv has refused to cede land it says has been illegally occupied, while Moscow insists it will take full control of the Donbas region by force unless Ukraine withdraws.
Zelenskyy has expressed scepticism about the White House’s latest proposal on the territorial question, which would see Ukrainian forces pull back and the area designated a “special economic zone”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The U.S. has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites as Tehran retaliated against U.S. positions across the region, while Iranian officials said at least five people were killed and dozens wounded at a wedding near Sirik.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas says the bloc will tighten enforcement of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. EU foreign ministers were meeting in Ireland following renewed Russian strikes on cities across Ukraine.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy says envoys from the United States will be visiting Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate an end to the conflict.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 4th of September, covering the latest developments.
The Trump administration pressured U.S. space companies not to attend a high-profile space summit in Paris organised by French President Emmanuel Macron, prompting a last-minute reshuffle and the cancellation of some planned announcements, according to sources familiar with the matter.
A Russian court on Thursday imposed restrictions on Lida Moniava, the founder of a children’s hospice, who is accused of spreading false information about the Russian military’s actions in Ukraine.
China’s state-owned shipping giant COSCO has used concealed equipment aboard some of its vessels to collect intelligence on military communications near the coastlines of countries including the U.S., according to two senior Trump administration officials.
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