Jau kelis mėnesius Rusijoje netilo kalbos, kad po rugsėjo mėnesį vykusių Rusijos Valstybės Dūmos rinkimų nauja mobilizacijos banga šalyje yra beveik neišvengiama. Tačiau aktyvistai pastebėjo, kad dabar gyventojų baimė dėl naujos mobilizacijos šiek tiek nuslopo.

Popiežiui Leonui XIV po praėjusią savaitę atliktos operacijos, kurios metu iš plaučių buvo pašalintas vėžinis auglys, tolesnio gydymo neprireiks, trečiadienį paskelbtame pranešime nurodė jo gydytojai.

The announcement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin met US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.

Russia's President Putin does not feel under pressure right now to end the war.

The economic figures released on Wednesday show the constraints for John Healey as he puts the finishing touches to his Budget.

Inflation accelerated to 3.5% from 3.1% in the year to September, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

BRUSSELS — There is a growing realization among European governments that they may soon need to nominate someone to face Russian leader Vladimir Putin in direct talks on a peace deal for Ukraine.  The main problem is deciding who should take on such a hazardous task. The question gained urgency this week after U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Russia to offer Putin a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an effort to press for a ceasefire.  “President Putin disregards the European Union as an authority,” Czech President Petr Pavel said Tuesday in an interview with the Axel Springer Global Reporters’ Network, of which POLITICO is a part. “He doesn’t want to talk to Ursula von der Leyen, he doesn’t talk to Kaja Kallas. He stopped talking to other European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron.” He added that the EU should “identify a person or a group of people who would speak for Europe. Not necessarily representatives of the EU or NATO, but simply leaders who would be given a mandate by the others to negotiate.” Czech President Petr Pavel speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on September 23, 2026. | Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images In recent days, Trump has dismayed Ukraine and its European allies by talking over their heads with Putin and appearing increasingly willing to take Russia’s side in the almost five-year war.  That has reignited debate in Brussels and beyond about the need for Europe to have its own direct line to the Kremlin to safeguard the region’s interests and bolster Ukraine’s ability to resist a lopsided deal.  “Much as it sticks in the craw, I do think a channel of some kind to Putin would be a good thing to have,” said David Lidington, a distinguished fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. “I am not optimistic that it would achieve anything much in the short term, but to have a channel which can then be used as and when an opportunity arises is not a bad thing.” Diplomats and officials disagree on who would be the best person to represent Europe. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, has negotiated directly with Trump on trade, while the president of the European Council, António Costa, has previously opened a line of communication with the Kremlin through his office. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas is another potential player who speaks for European interests as a whole.  But the Brussels bubble needs to accept that a deal with Putin and Trump won’t be dictated by EU protocols, in the view of a diplomat from a European Union country who, like others in this article, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. “We cannot show up with two or three people all speaking on behalf of the EU,” the diplomat said. “The choice of who ends up representing the EU will be based on what would provide the most value, not personal power struggles or narcissistic preferences.” Will Stubb step up? One name outside the EU’s machinery that is gaining attention is Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland. Two key factors count in his favor: He has arguably the best relationship with Trump among EU leaders, and Finland has long experience of dealing with Russia — the two countries share a 1,300 kilometer border and have been at war in the past. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb delivers a joint press conference after a meeting on the situation in Ukraine on October 20, 2026 in Oslo. | Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images “Stubb is of interest because of Finnish knowledge of and traditional dialogue with Russia,” the diplomat said. “They know more than anyone on our side [about] what it takes to feel secure in such a situation.” A second EU diplomat noted that Stubb was “the only person who has come forward so far” to show high-level political leadership, and could serve as a European envoy at a future peace summit. Stubb was in Norway with Zelenskyy and Witkoff on Tuesday for negotiations ahead of the U.S. envoy’s visit to Russia to meet Putin.  Also attending the gathering in Oslo was von der Leyen’s most senior aide, Bjoern Seibert, who has joined meetings of national security advisers as part of the Coalition of the Willing to support Ukraine. A third European diplomat said it was vital that the EU itself be represented in the talks, instead of a small grouping of powerful countries such as Germany, France and the U.K. That means both Seibert and Pedro Lourtie, the top aide to Costa, must have seats at the table during preparatory talks, the diplomat said, and that EU member countries must be properly updated on progress. Calling Costa According to a fourth EU diplomat, European leaders asked Costa at last week’s summit in Brussels whether it might be time for him to talk to Putin. “Costa said, no, he’s not going to talk to Putin now,” they said. “But Costa should start talking to Putin if we want to play a role in the negotiations. By not speaking, we are playing into the hands of our opponents.” The fourth diplomat said Costa would be a better choice than von der Leyen or Kallas, who are both seen as too invested in the Ukrainian side to represent the EU effectively at leader level. Kallas in particular has been outspoken in her criticism of Trump. “Costa comes across as more of an honest broker,” they summarized. The European Commission insists the EU is already present at the peace talks, flagging Seibert’s presence in Oslo on Tuesday. “The main aim [in Oslo] was to explore if the parameters are there for a possible move to trilateral or even multilateral talks with Ukraine and Russia present at the same table,” European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho told reporters on Wednesday.  She said the talks had focused on territory, security and post-war prosperity for Ukraine; Witkoff is expected to debrief Ukraine and the Europeans after his trip to meet Putin. “What is very important is that we are sitting at the table, that we are able to present our position, and that we can engage in what is a shared objective to put an end to this horrific war,” she added.  Gerardo Fortuna and Paul Ronzheimer contributed to this report.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is “in principle” ready for Moscow to resume talks with Washington and Kyiv, the Kremlin said Wednesday. During a meeting in St. Petersburg with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Putin said Moscow is ready to restart trilateral negotiations in November, Yuri Ushakov, a senior Putin aide, told reporters. Ushakov added that the “conflict in Ukraine is coming to an end,” and said trilateral talks “may take place in Abu Dhabi.” Witkoff confirmed on X that discussions “will continue with trilateral talks between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine at the technical level.” His visit was the latest in a new round of U.S. attempts to bring Moscow to the negotiating table to end its war against Ukraine. The special envoy also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo on Tuesday, subsequently announcing a proposal for a three-way leaders’ negotiation. There have been several rounds of talks between the U.S. and Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The most recent discussions stalled in February when the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran. Previous negotiations were largely political theater and failed to yield any broader breakthrough on halting hostilities, prisoner-of-war exchanges or a truce regarding strikes on energy infrastructure. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported Moscow proposed a potential high-level summit with China and the U.S. to negotiate a deal on ending the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday, footage emerged of Witkoff praising Putin during their face-to-face talks in St. Petersburg, after the Russians released a U.S. prisoner from captivity.

Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander recalls a visit to Ramallah that challenged his fears about visiting Palestinian cities.

Havana says Washington is threatening countries with retaliation if they refuse to vote against condemning its embargo.

Steve Witkoff discusses resumption of peace dialogue with Russian president followed by US-China-Russia meeting next month

Concession could help the two sides finalise a ‘reset’ deal at a summit next month

A mental health evaluation has delayed two court appearances for Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, wanted by British police over the killings of his wife and two daughters.

A Tunisian court has sentenced ten environmental activists over a protest against pollution linked to a major phosphate-processing plant in the southern coastal city of Gabes.