Ukrainian officials have left for Geneva, Switzerland, where another round of negotiations aimed at ending the war with Russia is set to take place. On the way to Geneva. The next round of negotiations is ahead. Along the way, we will discuss the lessons of our history with our colleagues, seek the right conclusions, Ukraine's Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov posted on his Telegram channel on Monday,
The United States has given Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to reach an agreement to end the nearly four-year war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. The Americans are proposing the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer and will probably put pressure on the parties precisely according to this schedule, Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Friday, in comments embargoed until Saturday.
Joint mechanism will be used to de-escalate militarily, and may pave the road for an eventual security agreement. Israel and Syria have agreed to set up a joint mechanism to be used for sharing intelligence and coordinating military de-escalation under United States supervision, according to a statement released by the three countries. The dedicated communication cell, as Tuesday's statement describes the mechanism, will also facilitate diplomatic engagement and commercial opportunities.
"Today we have succeeded where so many others have failed," US President Donald Trump declared jubilantly as the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed a peace agreement earlier this month which, according to White House calculations, marked the eighth war ended singlehandedly by the US leader. However, across the Atlantic, the term "peace" remains elusive in many parts of the African continent, including the DRC.
Behind the scenes: White House envoy Steve Witkoff is hosting the meeting. Mossad spy chief David Barnea will represent Israel and a senior Qatari official will also join, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Flashback: On Sep. 9, Israeli jets conducted an unprecedented strike against Hamas leaders in Doha. Hamas' top leaders survived, but a Qatari security guard was killed.
On Tuesday, Hamas militants emerged from a tunnel and fired at Israeli troops, killing one, according to the IDF. The Israelis declared that a violation of the ceasefire and launched massive airstrikes that killed more than 100 Palestinians, among them women and children, before resuming the ceasefire. Hamas claimed it didn't order that attack and had lost contact with militants who were left behind in the IDF-controlled areas.
Sadly, but with a certain sense of inevitability, every day since then has shown the precarious nature of that ceasefire. The past weekend brought the biggest test to this brittle absence of war, rather than any real sense of peace. Allegation and counter-allegation of ceasefire breaches were swiftly exchanged as a deeply war-weary people in Gaza suffered profoundly yet again.
I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,
But Trump has also grown tired of Netanyahu's unwillingness to stop a war that Trump himself wants credit for bringing to a close. Last week, in Washington, Trump pressured Netanyahu into accepting a deal that would trade the approximately twenty remaining Israeli hostages for some two thousand Palestinians currently held in Israeli jails, and call for Hamas fighters to disarm in exchange for amnesty.
