The Dutch government made the move to help individual cases brought by victims’ relatives, the foreign minister said in a letter to Parliament.

A Chechen man shot near Vienna last weekend had spoken publicly of giving Austrian and Ukrainian authorities information about contract killings. He also said there was a price on his head.

Russia’s grievances against what it sees as American bullying and expansion into its own zones of influence have been stacking up for decades.

The International Monetary Fund agreed to lend Ukraine $5 billion over 18 months while stressing the importance of central bank independence. Three weeks later, the central banker quit, citing political pressure.

Environmentalists say illegal logging in the Carpathian Mountains is contributing to flooding. Rising waters forced the partial evacuation of a hospital treating Covid-19 patients.

Status-conscious fast-food joints across Eastern Europe have offered their diners disposable gloves for years. The idea may find a wider audience in the pandemic era.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine won an endorsement for his anti-corruption policies with the approval of a $5 billion lending program from the International Monetary Fund.

Eleven foreign couples, previously barred by coronavirus restrictions, have entered the country to meet their newborns. But births are still outpacing pickups.

The plan is a further blow to America’s weakening European alliances and likely to be welcomed by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

As she endured a difficult recovery from Covid-19, the grandmaster Irina Krush thrived in competition and found familiar support from others in the game.

Former politician Andriy Portnov advised the pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych and had fled Ukraine in 2014

For more background on Portnov, here is his profile as drafted by the US Treasury in 2021, when he was sanctioned on the International Anti-Corruption Day, no less.

Andriy Portnov (Portnov), the former Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration under former President Yanukovych, has cultivated extensive connections to Ukraine’s judicial and law enforcement apparatus through bribery.

Widely known as a court fixer, Portnov was credibly accused of using his influence to buy access and decisions in Ukraine’s courts and undermining reform efforts.

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This blog is closed, please follow developments in our europe blog

• Former Ukrainian presidential aide reportedly shot dead in Madrid

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that no decision had been made on a venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks, responding to a question about whether they could be hosted by the Vatican, reports Reuters.

US president Donald Trump said on Monday “it would be great” for Russia and Ukraine to hold ceasefire talks at the Vatican, saying it would add extra significance to the proceedings.

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Veterans are using sport as a form of rehabilitation from severe injuries and, as one organiser explains: ‘It’s about emotional gain, helping them rediscover this will to live’A little more than four months ago, Konstantyn Moskal arrived at a new position close to Ukraine’s frontline. He had been serving in the army for six years and, as a native of the almost entirely occupied Luhansk region, knew the price of war better than most. It was soon to take a horrifying toll from him. Moskal stepped on a landmine shortly after the rotation and life changed irrevocably. The evacuation procedure went smoothly, in the circumstances, but his lower left leg could not be saved. It was hard not to think dark thoughts after two operations; tougher still given a prosthetic was nowhere on the horizon.Now it is mid-May. Wearing the red, yellow-trimmed shirt of FK Khrestonostsi, Moskal puffs out his cheeks before sitting in the dugout. He props his crutch against the neighbouring seat. The second half of the final is starting and he will take a breather. He smiles at his wife, Alina, who watches from the front row. This time he has remembered to wear his talisman, a metallic cross fastened around his neck, and he tells her it is the ...

Zelenskyy says Putin ‘trying to buy time’ after phone call with Trump; EU lays on further sanctions and more coming up. What we know on day 1,183Pope Leo confirmed to Giorgia Meloni his willingness to host in the Vatican the next round of negotiations to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Italian prime minister said on Tuesday. “Finding in the Holy Father confirmation of the readiness to host the next talks between the parties in the Vatican, the prime minister expressed deep gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for his unceasing commitment to peace,” said a statement from Meloni. Leo, elected two weeks ago, said on 14 May that the Vatican could act as a mediator in global conflicts, without specifically mentioning Russia’s war against Ukraine.Separately the Italian prime minister said she had talks with other European leaders and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over next steps. “It was agreed to maintain close coordination between the partners with a view to a new round of negotiations aimed at a ceasefire and a peace agreement in Ukraine.”Zelenskyy accused Russia of “trying to buy time” to continue the war, a day after the US president, Donald Trump, discussed the war with the Russian ...

Ukrainian president posts on social media after Putin refuses to agree to a ceasefire in phone call with Trump. This live blog is closed

The European Union has adopted new sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, focusing on Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, human rights violations and hybrid threats, the EU’s foreign policy chief said.

Kaja Kallas said in a post on X:

The EU has approved its 17th sanctions package against Russia, targeting nearly 200 shadow fleet ships.

New measures also address hybrid threats and human rights.

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German-Russian dual citizens allegedly spied for Kremlin and planned bomb attacks on buildings and infrastructureWar in Ukraine – live updatesThree German-Russian dual citizens have gone on trial in Munich accused of spying on behalf of the Kremlin and planning attacks on critical military infrastructure and industry.The alleged spies are said to have found codewords for military goods and gathered confidential information about an oil refinery in Bavaria and a US military training area near the town of Grafenwöhr in the east of the state. The men are also said to have made plans to carry out bomb attacks on buildings and infrastructure used to support Ukraine.Russia’s spies: Uncovering Russia’s secret espionage programmes. On 22 May, join Shaun Walker, Christo Grozev and Daniela Richterova as they discuss How is Russia using deep undercover agents, known as “illegals” to infiltrate the West, live at central London, and live streamed globally. Book tickets here or at guardian.live Continue ...

Sanctions are aimed at entities supporting Russia’s military machine after call failed to deliver meaningful concessions

The UK and Europe have announced major sanctions against Russia as it became clear that Monday’s call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had failed to deliver any meaningful concessions from Moscow.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Tuesday accused Russia of “trying to buy time in order to continue its war and occupation” as Putin declined to support the US-proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire already agreed to by Ukraine.

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The Russian leader is a master manipulator. Until he is forced to face reality, there is no hope of ending the bloodshedAfter more than three years of stalled diplomacy, the past few days have brought a flurry of activity in the Russia-Ukraine peace process – sadly none of it with any meaningful progress. The much-anticipated Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul – billed as the first serious negotiations since 2022 – came and went with little more than symbolic fanfare. The subsequent two-hour phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Monday concluded with Trump appearing to withdraw from mediating the peace talks altogether. Once again, the Russian president got what he wanted without even showing up to a meeting that he himself requested.Trump’s statement that “the conditions for [the peace] will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be” sounded like the opposite of his boast last year that only he could end this war, and in a single day at that. Even more jarring was Trump’s emphasis on the economic opportunities that Russia offers – tone-deaf, given the scale of Russian atrocities, and a slap in the face to the US’s European allies.Olga Chyzh researches political violence and ...

This blog has now closed. You can read more of our US politics coverage hereFull report: at least 50 migrants sent to El Salvador prison entered US legally, report findsJD Vance extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican on Monday ahead of a flurry of US-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Associated Press reports. Vance gave the first American pope a letter from Donald Trump and the first lady inviting him. The Chicago-born pope took the letter and put it on his desk and was heard saying “at some point”, in the video footage of the meeting provided by Vatican Media. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also gave the Augustinian pope a copy of two of St Augustine’s most seminal works, The City of God and On Christian Doctrine, the vice-president’s office said. Another gift: A Chicago Bears T-shirt with Leo’s name on it. “As you can probably imagine, people in the United States are extremely excited about you,” Vance told Leo as they exchanged gifts. Leo gave Vance a bronze sculpture with the words in Italian “Peace is a fragile flower”, and a coffee-table sized picture book of the papal ...

Russian president wants ‘memorandum on a possible future peace accord’ with Kyiv; Zelenskyy rejects surrendering land by pulling back troops. What we know on day 1,182European leaders have agreed to increase pressure on Russia through further sanctions after Donald Trump briefed them on his call with Vladimir Putin, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said late on Monday. “Europe will increase the pressure on Moscow through sanctions. This is what we agreed upon with [Trump] after his conversation with Putin,” Merz posted on X, saying “Europe and America are very united on this”. After speaking with Putin, Trump held calls with the leaders of the European Union, France, Italy, Germany and Finland.Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Kyiv and its partners were considering arranging a high-level meeting between Ukraine, Russia, the US, EU countries and Britain. The Ukrainian leader said he hoped the meeting could happen as soon as possible and that it could be hosted by Turkey, the Vatican or Switzerland.Zelensky said US sanctions on Russia had the power to “determine” Moscow’s ability to continue its invasion. “The European package will be there, and it will be strong,” Zelenskyy said. “As ...

University of Reading report says conflicts including war in Ukraine among 12 most pressing threats to pollinator

War zones, microplastics and street lights are among the emerging threats to the bee population, according to scientists.

Bee experts have drawn up a list of the 12 most pressing threats to the pollinator over the next decade, published in a report, Emerging Threats and Opportunities for Conservation of Global Pollinators, by the University of Reading.

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Trump describes call as ‘excellent,’ despite Putin’s lack of support for ceasefire that US said was primary objective

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have held a rare phone call, which the US leader described as “excellent”, but the Kremlin refused to agree to a ceasefire in the war with Ukraine, despite pressure from Washington and European allies.

Speaking to reporters in Sochi after the two-hour conversation on Monday, Putin described the call as “very meaningful and frank” and said he was prepared to work with Ukraine on drafting a memorandum for future peace talks.

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