Author: Anadolu Agency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces are containing 64,000 Russian soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region, preventing them from attacking other parts of the front line. “We are holding a large number of troops, 64,000 Russians in the Kursk direction. This is a very serious group that could otherwise spread out and attack us from different directions,” Zelensky told reporters Friday evening, praising Ukrainian troops operating in the area. Zelensky also rejected reports that Ukrainian units operating in Kursk are surrounded, saying: “There is no encirclement of our group in Kursk Oblast.” Ukrainian forces have maintained a limited presence on…

Global trade could shrink by 1% in 2025 due to reciprocal tariffs of 10%-50% imposed by the US on products imported from many of its trading partners, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has projected. In a statement released Thursday, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala expressed concerns that these tariffs, along with other trade restrictions introduced earlier this year, could lead to a significant slowdown in global merchandise trade. “While the situation is rapidly evolving, our initial estimates suggest that these measures, coupled with those introduced since the beginning of the year, could lead to an overall contraction of around 1% in…

A US judge on Thursday said there is a “fair likelihood” that the Trump administration could be held in contempt for violating his March order to turn around two planes carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, said local media. On March 15, District of Columbia Federal Chief District Judge James Boasberg blocked the deportation flights of more than 200 alleged Tren de Aragua gang members who were detained under the Trump administration’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a rarely used law. The deported men had no chance to challenge allegations that they were gang members. Since…

Russian President Vladimir Putin supports a ceasefire in Ukraine, but numerous factors must be addressed before taking this step, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. In a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov talked about media reports, claiming that advisers to US President Donald Trump advised him not to call Putin until Moscow agreed to a complete ceasefire. Peskov dismissed the reports, saying: “A lot of different fakes, rumors, conjectures, and outright lies are being published in the media.” “President Putin supported the idea of a ceasefire. At the same time, he noted that many nuances must be understood before…

An earthquake of 6.9 magnitude struck off Papua New Guinea early Saturday local time, the US Geological Survey said. The depth of the earthquake was recorded at 10 kilometers (6 miles), the USGS said in a brief statement, adding the quake was occurred at 06:04 am, Saturday local time (2004GMT, Friday), some 194 km (121 miles) from Kimbe town. There were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties.

The death toll from a Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has risen to 16, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration, said on Friday. “Currently, there are more than 40 victims of an enemy attack in Kryvyi Rih,” Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also condemned the attack, saying: “A Russian missile struck an ordinary city. Just a street. A residential area. Preliminary information says it was a ballistic missile strike.” He said emergency crews were continuing search and rescue efforts, and at least five buildings had been damaged. “There are…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday announced the launch of a new trilateral cooperation format involving the military leaderships of Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and France, highlighting a significant step toward deeper strategic coordination. “Regarding the meeting with our colleagues from France and Britain… At first, our military worked deeply, very thoroughly; our commander-in-chief Syrsky worked; Palisa Pavlo also worked; and Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov also worked… They worked for quite a long time,” Zelensky said during a press briefing as quoted by Interfax-Ukraine. “This is not the first meeting, but it seems to me that such…

The new tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump’s administration will not affect Ukraine’s economy or its military aid supply, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday. Talking to the media in Kyiv, Zelenskyy emphasized that the volume of weapon deliveries will not be affected. “The volume of arms supply is not influenced by this; that’s the first thing,” he said. He added that Ukraine’s trade turnover with the US remains “very small,” currently standing at $3.5-3.8 billion. “We understand what tariffs existed before on our metallurgy; there was a 25% tariff even earlier. Then, after the full-scale war began,…

The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that there is “a lot that has to happen” in the coming weeks to reach a cease-fire in Ukraine and that negotiations will not continue forever. “We’re closer to peace simply because we’re talking to both sides, but we’re not closer to peace because we have a deal on our hands to end this conflict, but we’re going to know soon enough,” Marco Rubio said at a news conference in Brussels. When asked about his timeline to see progress on a ceasefire, he said: “We’re talking weeks.” “There is a…

Arms support to Ukraine will bring more destruction, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said on Friday. Arguing that many European leaders are wrong to think that pouring more weapons to Ukraine would force peace through strength, he said: “It is clear that this will not happen, and that it will lead to more destruction, more casualties, more distancing from peace and the loss of even more territory by Ukraine,” during in his address at the meeting of Aqaba Process for the Balkans Forum in Sofia, according to state-run BTA news agency. Radev warned that regional conflicts can swiftly escalate to global…