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US president Donald Trump has claimed that Russia's war on Ukraine was close to being settled and that ending it might involve all of Europe.
Trump said he met privately with Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House as first lady, Melania Trump, hosted representatives from Kyiv and Moscow.
"It's going to be a big agreement, and it's going to involve more than Ukraine ... I could even say it might involve all of Europe. It's going to be a big, beautiful agreement, and everyone's going to be thrilled," Trump said.
A US delegation is scheduled to mediate talks in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November between representatives from Russia and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, UK prime minister Andy Burnham has said Putin will not be invited to next year’s G20 summit. It marks a break with Trump after his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said in September that Washington had invited Putin to the G20 meeting in Miami in December.
Meloni warns Europe risks irrelevance in Ukraine peace talks
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said Europe risked becoming irrelevant in any Ukraine peace negotiations unless it ends competing diplomatic initiatives and agrees on a single representative empowered to speak on its behalf.
In a letter to EU Council president Antonio Costa, Meloni said the proliferation of different negotiating formats is making Europe less credible and giving the impression it is proceeding in "random order".
Meloni added that she is not seeking a place at the negotiating table for herself or Italy, but Rome will not accept commitments being negotiated without an EU mandate.
“All this is making us look utterly lacking in credibility in handling one of the most complicated dossiers our nations are facing,” she said.
Costa wrote back that he agreed, “Europe needs to act with coherence, unity and determination”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 November 2026 05:00
Russia bombards power station near Ukraine's Sumy
Russian Aerospace Forces have bombarded a power station near the Ukrainian city of Sumy and a military brigade in the Zaporizhzhia region using a FAB-3000 aerial bomb, Russian newswires quoted the defence ministry as saying on Friday.
Rituparna Chatterjee6 November 2026 04:49
Trump teases ‘big agreement’ after meeting Putin envoy but not with Ukrainian officials
President Donald Trump confirmed holding talks with Vladimir Putin’s envoy at the White House on Thursday, but did not meet visiting Ukrainian officials.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump acknowledged his conversation with Kirill Dmitriev. "I can’t tell you what I discussed," Trump said.
Asked if he had met Ukrainian representatives, Trump said he had not.
Officials from both countries were at the White House for an occasion honouring Melania Trump’s work brokering a ceasefire in Oleshky.
More here.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 November 2026 04:30
Iran's security chief meets Russia's Putin
Russian president Vladimir Putin met Iranian top security official Mohsen Rezaei at the Kremlin, Iran's state media reported, after Iranian negotiators met with mediators to discuss proposals to end hostilities with the US.
Rezaei delivered a message from Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei to Putin, state media said. Putin's office also said the two met at the Kremlin.
“Important regional issues were discussed with Mr Putin, and significant conversations took place regarding the post-war period and regional security arrangements," Rezaei said after the meeting, referring to the war between Iran and the US.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 November 2026 04:00
Russian captain among 2 crew found guilty by Finnish court of damaging Baltic cables
A Finnish court on Thursday convicted the captain and another crew member of a cargo ship of damaging undersea telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea late last year.
The Helsinki District Court found the two guilty of aggravated sabotage and gave them prison sentences. The captain was sentenced to three years and six months, and the boatswain to two years and 10 months. National broadcaster Yle reported that the captain is Russian and the boatswain Azerbaijani.
The court also ordered them to pay compensation for the costs of examining and repairing the cables.
Maira Butt6 November 2026 03:00
In pictures: Aftermath of drone strike in Donetsk
Maira Butt6 November 2026 02:00
Iain Duncan Smith: The road to Taiwan runs through Kyiv
Russia could not have continued fighting in Ukraine today had China not been actively involved in the war, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has said.
“I was at a conference in Warsaw the other day, and I complained because there was next to nothing said or debated about China. It was all about Russia. I understand that.
“But as long as we leave China out of the debate, we have surrendered completely to the real threat that we face,” he said on the sidelines of Annual Summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
He added: “I have said to the Americans on many occasions in Washington: the road to Taiwan runs through Kyiv. If we forget that, then we will have lost Taiwan because they will see us as weak.”
Maira Butt6 November 2026 01:00
Watch: Zelensky calls Russian strike on school ‘insane’ as death toll reaches 40
Maira Butt6 November 2026 00:01
Zelensky in Spain for Ibero-American summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Spain for talks on boosting Kyiv's air defences and top-level meetings during the Ibero-American summit, the Ukrainian president said on the Telegram messaging app.
Zelensky, shown online being greeted as he stepped off his aircraft, also said he planned to speak with US officials in the run-up to planned three-way talks in Abu Dhabi next week, which will include Russia.
"Over these coming days, contacts with the American side are also planned," Zelensky wrote. "We're coordinating with our partners to achieve concrete results on security issues and the next steps toward peace."
Maira Butt5 November 2026 23:00
Trump meets with Putin envoy and says 'beautiful agreement' with Ukraine could be close
Donald Trump met with Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev on Thursday and believes a “big, beautiful agreement” with Ukraine could be close.
He suggested that war could soon be over, but said bringing it to an end might involve all of Europe.
The president told reporters at the White House: “It's going to be an agreement. It's going to be a big agreement, and it's going to involve more than Ukraine... I could even say it might involve all of Europe.
“It's going to be a big, beautiful agreement, and everyone's going to be thrilled,” Trump said.
Harriette Boucher5 November 2026 22:06