Trump support for denuclearization talks with Russia, China raises hopes 

white house — Arms control advocates are hoping U.S. President Donald Trump’s fresh words of support for denuclearization will lead to talks with Russia and China on arms reduction. U.S. negotiations with the Russians and Chinese on denuclearization and eventual agreements are “very possible,” according to Trump, who addressed the World Economic Forum a week ago …

Spain well short of NATO defense target, as Trump demands huge additional spending

As U.S. President Donald Trump demands a large increase in defense spending by NATO allies, the spotlight has fallen on Spain, which spends the least on defense of all member states relative to the size of its economy. Spain is the eurozone’s fourth-biggest economy. The country spent an estimated $21.3 billion on defense last year, …

Dick Button, Olympic great and voice of skating, dies at 95

NEW YORK — Dick Button was more than the most accomplished men’s figure skater in history. He was one of his sport’s greatest innovators and promoters. Button, winner of two Olympic gold medals and five consecutive world championships, died Thursday, said his son, Edward, who did not provide a cause. He was 95. As an entrepreneur …

Spain struggles to meet NATO defense target, as Trump demands huge additional spending

Visiting Spain this week, NATO’s secretary-general called for members to boost military spending in the face of the threat from Russia. Spain spends the least on defense relative to the size of its economy. And as Henry Ridgwell reports, US President Donald Trump has singled out Madrid for failing to meet the NATO target. Camera: …

Zelenskyy condemns Russian strike that killed 9 as ‘terrible tragedy’ 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned an early Thursday morning Russian drone strike that killed at least nine people as a “terrible tragedy.” The drone, which struck an apartment building in the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, also injured 13 people, according to regional authorities. “This is a terrible tragedy, a terrible Russian crime. It …

Turkey, Azerbaijan step up efforts to create land corridor through Armenia

Azerbaijan and Turkey are stepping up efforts to secure a land corridor between their countries through Armenia. Until now, Iran, a key ally of Armenia, has backed Yerevan’s opposition to what is known as the Zangezur corridor. With Iran weakened in the region, Ankara and Baku see an opportunity to secure a key strategic goal. …

NATO, EU on high alert as undersea cable attacks escalate in Baltic

As authorities investigate the fourth Baltic Sea cable-cutting incident in recent months, European leaders have expressed concern about the frequency of attacks involving civilian vessels and critical civilian infrastructure. The Vezhen, a Bulgarian-owned vessel, was detained this week in the Baltic Sea, suspected of dragging its anchor across the seafloor, severing a data cable between …

Russian drone attack kills 4 in Sumy, Ukraine says

Ukrainian officials said Thursday a Russian drone attack killed at least four people in the northeastern city of Sumy. The regional state administration in Sumy said a drone hit a high-rise residential building, and that the attack also injured nine people. Ukraine’s military said it shot down 37 of the 81 drones that Russian forces …

Police say at least 30 died in stampede at India’s Maha Kumbh festival

PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA — At least 30 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering early Wednesday, police said, as millions of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred waters during the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India. Police officer Vaibhav Krishna in Prayagraj city said another 60 injured were …

Trump’s push for Greenland shakes up Arctic island’s politics

Nuuk, Greenland — The road south from Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, runs out at the tip of a blizzard-scoured peninsula stretching into the Labrador Sea. Icebergs drift beyond the sea ice toward the open ocean, carved off the glacier some 100 kilometers away at the head of the Nuup Kangerlua fjord. Locals call this spot “the edge …

Russian diplomats make first Syria visit since Assad’s fall

MOSCOW — The first Russian official delegation to visit Syria since the toppling of long-term Moscow ally Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Damascus, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday. The visit comes with Moscow keen to secure the fate of two military bases there and after Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that Moscow had suffered a …

Zelenskyy orders report on US support programs

Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered government officials to report on the U.S. support programs whose funds are “currently suspended” under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. “These are humanitarian programs,” Zelenskyy said in his daily address Tuesday.  Nearly all of them were not channeled through Ukrainian government, he said. Instead, went “directly through our communities, …

Trump wants Greenland, but Greenlanders want independence

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that America needs to take control of Greenland from Denmark for, in his words, “international security.” But as Henry Ridgwell reports from the Arctic island, the global attention is driving a desire among many native Greenlanders to determine their own political future. …

Ukrainians skeptical Trump can end war with Russia on acceptable terms

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised repeatedly to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. But some Ukrainians are skeptical Trump can do anything to make President Vladimir Putin pull back his troops. The problem, as some analysts see it, is that the demands of Ukraine and Russia cannot be reconciled. Lesia Bakalets report …

Serbian prime minister to resign as popular protests persist 

BELGRADE — Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic on Tuesday announced his resignation, becoming the highest ranking official to leave since anti-corruption protests spread across the country.  Belgrade has seen daily anti-government protests since a roof collapsed in November at a railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city, killing 15 people.  Protesters including students, teachers and …

Italian ship carrying migrants picked up offshore reaches Albania

TIRANA, ALBANIA — An Italian navy ship carrying 49 migrants picked up in international waters arrived in Albania on Tuesday, amid a new attempt by Italy to push ahead with a legally contested plan to relocate migrants to the neighboring country. The navy ship Cassiopea with the migrants reached the Albanian port of Shengjin early on …

Ukrainian officials say Russian drone attacks cause injuries in several regions

Russian drone attacks overnight hit multiple Ukrainian regions and injured at least six people, officials said Tuesday. In the Odesa region in southern Ukraine, Governor Oleh Kiper said Russian forces attacked overnight with drones and missiles, injuring at least four people. Debris from drones destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses damaged four apartment buildings and five …