The first direct Ukraine-Russia talks did not deliver a ceasefire but it did result in the largest prisoner swap of the war. CHERNIHIV REGION, Ukraine — For hours Friday, a crowd of hopefuls stood on the roadside wrapped in blue-and-yellow flags and clutching photos of captured Ukrainian soldiers — their eyes peeled for any sign of buses.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on President Xi Jinping to support a joint US-European push to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine, in his first phone call with the Chinese leader on Friday.

Valery Zaluzhnyi, now Ukraine's ambassador to London, was replaced as top commander in February 2024 after months of reported disagreements between him and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The U.S. National Security Agency says hackers working for Russian military intelligence tried to access the systems of Western technology and logistics companies involved in shipping assistance to Ukraine.

Michelle Heisner, Andrii Moskalyk and Yanshu Zhang of Baker McKenzie discuss the legal framework, details and ongoing issues relating to the U.S.-Ukraine mineral deal.

Trump’s lead envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Steve Witkoff, has had similar moments of confusion. In an interview in March, he could not name the regions over which the war is being fought. “These so-called four regions,” he said, struggling to recall them. “Donbas, Crimea... You know the names.”

A Kremlin spokesman says Russia and Ukraine have no scheduled direct peace talks. The statement Thursday came nearly a week after their first face-to-face meeting since the early weeks of Moscow's invasion in 2022 and days after U.

Russian armed forces are creating a “security buffer zone” along the border between Russia and Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.