Ukraine
8 briefs
Putin Wants to Talk. Ukraine Has Heard This Before.
Russia is proposing direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 15 with no preconditions. The last time that happened, Kyiv drafted a deal and then dropped it under Western pressure. Putin is betting the circumstances are different now.
Zelenskyy Says Washington Has No Time for Ukraine
Russia launched 659 aerial targets at Ukraine on April 16 while the diplomats who are supposed to be negotiating Ukraine's peace deal were in Muscat talking to Iran.
Europe Is Trying to Win a War the US Stopped Funding
Zelenskyy rejected a 'NATO-light' deal in Berlin, signed 10 defense agreements with Germany, and now expects a $105 billion EU loan after Orban's election loss. The market says there's still only a 10.5% chance of a ceasefire by June 30.
Orban Falls
Hungary's Peter Magyar wins a two-thirds supermajority. The man JD Vance flew to Budapest to help is out after 16 years.
The Truce That Never Was
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a 32-hour Easter ceasefire. Ukraine counted 2,299 violations. The ceasefire expired with both sides accusing each other and Trump's peace plan no closer than before.
32 Hours of Nothing
Putin announced a ceasefire for Orthodox Easter. Ukraine accepted. The war did not.
Putin's Easter Ceasefire Is a Trap, and Both Sides Know It
A 32-hour pause that neither side believes in, brokered by no one, enforced by nothing, is not a step toward peace. It is a rehearsal for blaming the other side.
Zelensky Is Using the Iran Deal as a Mirror. Russia Doesn't Like What It Sees.
Ukraine's president publicly praised the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and immediately demanded Russia accept the same framework. It is the most sophisticated diplomatic move Zelensky has made in two years, and it works whether or not Russia agrees.