47+ min ago (756+ words) Idrees Ali and Pavel Polityuk Tuesday, 25 November 2025 06:37 AM EST U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has held unannounced talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi as part of an intense new push by President Donald Trump's administration to end the war in Ukraine and more meetings were expected Tuesday. The talks come as U.S. and Ukrainian officials sought to narrow the gaps between them over a peace plan, with core issues still unresolved and Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on the Kremlin's terms. The exact nature of the talks in Abu Dhabi, which were confirmed to Reuters by a U.S. official, were not immediately clear, and it was not known who was in the Russian delegation. The U.S. official added that Driscoll, who has emerged as a point man for U.S. diplomatic efforts, was also expected to meet Ukrainian officials while…...

47+ min ago (756+ words) Idrees Ali and Pavel Polityuk Tuesday, 25 November 2025 06:37 AM EST U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has held unannounced talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi as part of an intense new push by President Donald Trump's administration to end the war in Ukraine and more meetings were expected Tuesday. The talks come as U.S. and Ukrainian officials sought to narrow the gaps between them over a peace plan, with core issues still unresolved and Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on the Kremlin's terms. The exact nature of the talks in Abu Dhabi, which were confirmed to Reuters by a U.S. official, were not immediately clear, and it was not known who was in the Russian delegation. The U.S. official added that Driscoll, who has emerged as a point man for U.S. diplomatic efforts, was also expected to meet Ukrainian officials while…...

47+ min ago (756+ words) Idrees Ali and Pavel Polityuk Tuesday, 25 November 2025 06:37 AM EST U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has held unannounced talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi as part of an intense new push by President Donald Trump's administration to end the war in Ukraine and more meetings were expected Tuesday. The talks come as U.S. and Ukrainian officials sought to narrow the gaps between them over a peace plan, with core issues still unresolved and Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on the Kremlin's terms. The exact nature of the talks in Abu Dhabi, which were confirmed to Reuters by a U.S. official, were not immediately clear, and it was not known who was in the Russian delegation. The U.S. official added that Driscoll, who has emerged as a point man for U.S. diplomatic efforts, was also expected to meet Ukrainian officials while…...

1+ hour, 25+ min ago (217+ words) A peace-at-any-price deal in Ukraine would be a catastrophe for us and the rest of the Free World. President Trump deserves praise for doggedly pursuing peace in all parts of the world, with some stunning successes. However, the biggest, most important and unresolved conflict is the bloody war in Ukraine. The danger is in pushing a plan that would lead to Russia's ultimate subjugation of Ukraine. This would have horrific consequences not only in Europe but also in Asia and elsewhere. Beijing will feel free to pursue its ongoing efforts to establish de facto control of the South China Sea, a critical waterway for international commerce, and to institute a modern version of the old tribute system when other states kowtowed to China. Countries will increasingly feel the need to bow to Beijing's wishes, since they couldn't count on the…...

1+ hour, 53+ min ago (756+ words) Idrees Ali and Pavel Polityuk Tuesday, 25 November 2025 06:37 AM EST U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has held unannounced talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi as part of an intense new push by President Donald Trump's administration to end the war in Ukraine and more meetings were expected Tuesday. The talks come as U.S. and Ukrainian officials sought to narrow the gaps between them over a peace plan, with core issues still unresolved and Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on the Kremlin's terms. The exact nature of the talks in Abu Dhabi, which were confirmed to Reuters by a U.S. official, were not immediately clear, and it was not known who was in the Russian delegation. The U.S. official added that Driscoll, who has emerged as a point man for U.S. diplomatic efforts, was also expected to meet Ukrainian officials while…...

2+ hour, 23+ min ago (445+ words) SAM McNEIL Tuesday, 25 November 2025 06:01 AM EST EU lawmakers are due to hold a vote on a 1.5-billion euro ($1.7 billion) program, with 300 million euros ($345 million) slated for the Ukraine Support Instrument. Ukraine's defense industry "needs us," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France, without mentioning the ongoing peace negotiations to end the war. "But we need Ukraine's defense innovations even more," He said that allowing Ukrainian access to the EU's Defence Investment Program "makes it possible to procure defense equipment in, with and for Ukraine." EU defense spending is expected to total around 392 billion euros (more than $450 billion) this year, almost double the amount of four years ago, before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The Trump administration has signaled that it's prioritizing U.S. security on its own domestic borders and in Asia. It has…...

4+ hour, 40+ min ago (398+ words) The UK military continues monitoring and shadowing Russian 'research vessels' as well as naval ships off Britain's waters which are widely understood to be Russian Navy intelligence collection ships. In the latest development, British media reported Sunday that the Royal Navy recently intercepted two Russian naval vessels as they passed through the English Channel, according to a statement by the UK Defense Ministry. The ships have been identified as the corvette Stoikiy and the tanker Yelnya, the former which is part of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. The Royal Navy's patrol vessel HMS Severn was dispatched to shadow the Russian vessels as they moved west through the Dover Strait - which is the northwest part of the channel just before entering the North Sea. BBC and CNN have indicated that for part of the shadow mission, monitoring of the Russian ships was…...

7+ hour, 20+ min ago (366+ words) Russia hawks could spoil diplomacy and doom Ukrainians. President Donald Trump has magicked up some unexpected momentum in Russia'Ukraine peace talks by proposing a 28-point settlement to the war. You might think Ukraine's Western supporters would welcome the chance for peace, considering how dreadfully the war is going for Ukrainians. You might be wrong. If that's right, then the Thomas Friedmans of the world'the people insisting that Trump's plan surrenders Ukraine's freedom, so Zelensky cannot possibly accept it'are acting as peace-spoilers, not democracy-defenders." They are reducing the political cover the White House is providing Zelensky to "reluctantly" make a deal. Unwittingly (I hope), they are raising the pressure on Zelensky to continue a war that Ukraine is losing, and on Trump to insert poison pills into the agreement that Moscow cannot accept. They just might succeed. As always, the ones…...

7+ hour, 21+ min ago (971+ words) Trump's proposal for peace in Ukraine has been met with an overwhelming condemnation from the world's neocons. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson'reemerges from the shadows'whenever he hears word that a war may be winding down. He played an instrumental role in persuading Zelensky not to negotiate a peace treaty with Russia when it was [] Trump's proposal for peace in Ukraine has been met with an overwhelming condemnation from the world's neocons. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson [reemerges from the shadows]reemerges from the shadows whenever he hears word that a war may be winding down. He played an instrumental role in persuading Zelensky not to negotiate a peace treaty with Russia when it was apparent that Ukraine could not easily win, and now, Johnson is urging Ukraine to continue the war. "Imagine that you are Vladimir V. Putin and…...

7+ hour, 22+ min ago (835+ words) Concerns about Russia and uncertainty over American commitment are pushing Berlin to rethink compulsory military service. Germany's new coalition agreed earlier this month on a military service plan that, starting in 2026, would require all 18-year-old German men to complete a survey indicating whether they are willing and able to serve in the armed forces. Beginning in 2027, Germany will also require those surveyed to undergo a medical screening to evaluate their fitness for service. According to the governing parties, the aim is to first increase the number of voluntary soldiers. If the survey and benefits increases fail to draw enough voluntary enlistments, the Bundestag may implement a form of lottery-based compulsory service for young German men." Lawmakers are expected to vote on the legislation in December." This move is the latest step in a broader European shift toward rearmament that has…...