Russian forces are working to establish a buffer zone along the country's border with Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, following his return from the Kursk region in southern Russia.

Russian forces in Ukraine have made only small territorial gains this year amid steady resistance from Kyiv’s military, undercutting President Vladimir Putin’s assertions that his army has gained the upper hand in the war.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a press briefing following phone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 19, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday he had spoken by telephone to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte,

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are set to meet for peace talks in Turkey on Friday. But, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, nor US President Donald Trump, will be there following days of confusion.

Russia and Ukraine have no direct peace talks scheduled, the Kremlin said Thursday, nearly a week after their first face-to-face session since shortly after Moscow's invasion in 2022 and days after U.

President Trump has again signaled that the United States may retreat from Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations. After a two-hour-long phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump called the war a “European situation,