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Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, said that oil companies will face repercussions if they import Russian diesel, comments that come shortly after President Trump announced a diesel deal with Moscow. In a Monday letter addressed to energy companies, Raskin said oil companies are going to “be held accountable”...

Zelenskyy says ballistic missiles hit crowded areas with no military facilities nearby; truce comes amid reports of growing humanitarian crisis. What we know on day 1,707 Russian strikes on Kyiv killed one person and wounded eight , with mayor Vitali Klitschko saying medical facilities and an intensive care unit had been damaged in the late Monday attack. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a ballistic missile attack had struck the grounds of a university campus in the Ukrainian capital. “The missiles hit very crowded areas, and there is not a single military facility nearby. This was a strike directly on the city, on its infrastructure,” he said on social media. The strikes on Kyiv came hours before a truce in the ravaged Russian-occupied city of Oleshky was due to start , after months of reports that residents faced dire food, water and medicine shortages . The truce, aimed at allowing humanitarian aid into Oleshky, was to begin at 3am local time (0100 GMT). No end date for the truce has been provided. The city in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region has been caught in the crosshairs of fighting between the two sides since 2022, when it was seized by Russian forces. Neither Russia, Ukraine nor the US has said who would monitor the truce, or given details about the humanitarian operation set to accompany it. The Russian defence ministry said on Friday it would halt fire in the “Kherson sector” for the duration of the ceasefire. Ukraine has accused Russia of blocking residents from leaving, a charge Moscow has denied. Before the latest strikes on Kyiv, Zelenskyy highlighted ​Ukraine was still waiting for US defence secretary Pete Hegseth to sign off on critical missile supplies . “We have been waiting for nearly a month for Mr Hegseth to sign off on missiles for Patriots and NASAMS. I instructed our team to raise this with the ⁠American side once again,” he said on X. Romania said on Monday that a network “coordinated” from Russia was involved in starting a fire near an arms factory . The fire broke out on 14 September near an arms factory in the central city of Brasov and two Belarusians and a Ukrainian – residents in EU countries – were involved, authorities said. Two of them were “tracked down and remanded in custody in Germany while they were preparing to commit similar offences”, the office for organised crime said. The third is at large in Poland, it added. Russia’s embassy in Bucharest could not immediately be reached for comment but Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations. The attack in Brasov is the latest in a string of similar incidents in Europe , with Nato and the EU grappling with what they say is a “hybrid” campaign of sabotage and interference by the Kremlin aimed at undercutting Western support for Kyiv. Over the past three weeks, at ​least eight cargo ​ships have been hit off the coast of Nato members Romania and Bulgaria. Some 34 sailors are reported dead or missing. Ukraine’s military has begun using specialised aerial rescue drones to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield , carrying two stranded troops to safety near the Russian border in the first such operations. The newly developed StarGate drone, a six-rotor aircraft fitted with an enclosed evacuation capsule, was used in two separate missions over the past week, the 475th Separate Assault Regiment, an elite unit, said on Monday. Developed by Ukrainian technology company SkyFall, the drone is intended to reduce rescue times from hours to minutes, reaching hard-to-access combat zones currently served by unmanned ground vehicles. Continue reading...

China and Russia are tightening their grip on Arctic shipping routes, turning the rapidly warming region into a new geopolitical battleground with Europe.

{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Dems could probe Russian diesel importers Democrats and outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) are telling banks and ports that Congress may investigate imports of Russian diesel after President Trump said the U.S. would import the fuel. © Stephanie Scarbrough, Associated Press In letters...

Mayor Ihor Terekhov said there were three strikes from Russia on the city district.

Europe’s five biggest defense powers vowed to stand behind Ukraine in its fight against Russia, even as the US offers Moscow a financial lifeline and presses Kyiv to make a deal.

Democrats and outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) are telling banks and ports that Congress may investigate imports of Russian diesel after President Trump said the U.S. would import the fuel. In letters to major banks and several U.S. port authorities, the lawmakers wrote that “any importation of Russian diesel into the U.S. raises significant...

Imagine how Russia would fare against 32 Ukraines.

Citizens want greater democracy, while tourists seek out Soviet-era nostalgia, but could Russia’s war on Ukraine be the ultimate decider of country’s fate? Europe live – latest updates In the heart of Tbilisi’s Armenian quarter, Avlabari Square is where crowds gather for the “Saturday March”. Every weekend, protesters head towards the Bridge of Love, reach Freedom Square and march towards parliament, chanting slogans against Irakli Kobakhidze’s government. Demonstrators in Tblisi take part in the Saturday March, when pro-European parties and movements march through the historic centre to protest against the policies of the ruling Georgian Dream party, which critics accuse of being pro-Russian. Continue reading...

I watched Tucker Carlson, a man whose show I once never missed, sit in Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg’s home and insist that Russia’s economy is bigger than Britain’s. When the former British Cabinet minister told him Russia’s GDP is smaller, Carlson replied that GDP is not the only measure of an economy, as one analysis of […]

House and Senate Democrats vowing to probe President Donald Trump’s deal to import Russian diesel to the US are asking banks and ports to preserve records related to issue, saying they anticipate further Congressional oversight.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is warning that President Trump’s efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine by “coddling” Russian President Vladimir Putin and limiting assistance to Kyiv is “certain to fail.” McConnell, who had been largely quiet on the issue of the war after Ukraine lost full access to the satellite-based Starshield network,...

Lessons Russia has learned during its long attempt to destroy Ukraine's energy infrastructure may be turned against NATO. NATO is unprepared.

Top Democrats poised for powerful roles next year are demanding that major banks and ports preserve any records they have tied to potential imports or other deals involving Russian diesel . Why it matters: Probing President Trump's agreement with Moscow will be a priority if Democrats regain control of either or both chambers of Congress. The new demand shows that inquiries will extend beyond the White House and into C-suites. Driving the news: "[A]ny importation of Russian diesel into the U.S. raises significant legal questions and may be subject to legal action, as well as congressional investigations," a new letter obtained by Axios states. It's signed by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). They're in line to lead the powerful Foreign Relations, Banking, Finance and Judiciary Committees, respectively, if Democrats regain the Senate. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.), who's in line for the Foreign Affairs Committee gavel if House control changes, also signed. It's led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the top Foreign Relations Democrat who is not seeking reelection. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is also retiring, signed as well. State of play: The Wall Street recipients of Saturday's letter are J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, Citi, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. The same letter went to port authorities for the ports of Houston, Beaumont, and Corpus Christi, Texas, and New York/New Jersey. Catch up quick: Earlier this month Trump claimed an agreement to bring escalating Russian exports to global and U.S. markets, and the Treasury Department waived sanctions to help enable it. Friction point: The lawmakers and other critics say it runs afoul of a bipartisan 2022 law barring imports of Russian oil, gas, and petroleum products. "The potential arrangement to import Russian diesel also raises significant national security concerns, given that it would finance Russia's brutal and illegal war against Ukraine," the letter states. Yes, but: The Treasury Department has repeatedly claimed the agreement is legal. The big picture: The new letter urges the banks and ports not to enable "purchase, transportation, importation, unloading, storage, financing, or distribution" of Russian diesel in the U.S. It also goes further, urging the parties not to facilitate any transactions for Russian diesel to other markets under the recent sanctions waiver. Zoom in: Citing "anticipation of further congressional oversight," it calls on recipients to preserve a wide range of potential records and communications related to "proposed or actual" transactions. Think contracts, shipping documents, vessel records and plenty more. The demand extends to any communications with suppliers, intermediaries and U.S. government officials. The lawmakers want confirmation by Wednesday that records are being preserved, plus details of any potential or actual Russian diesel transition. What we're watching: It's unclear how much Russian diesel, if any, will reach U.S. shores. Reports Friday in S&P Global , Reuters and elsewhere identify a tanker that initially signaled a New York destination, while the shipping intelligence firm TankerTrackers on Friday said three tankers had signaled U.S. destinations. But ships' planned destinations frequently change for one reason or another. Sign up here for Axios' Future of Energy newsletter.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told state-affiliated media on Sunday that preparations are underway for a trilateral summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Russia's FSB security service has thwarted a planned Ukrainian drone attack from inside Russia on a key element of Moscow's air defense system and on an electricity facility, the FSB said on Monday, saying it had arrested two men involved in the plot.

Trump's break from long-standing tradition in U.S.-Russia relations was real, but it should not have been entirely surprising.

Much has been said about how Ukraine should treat Russian prisoners of war. Less attention has been paid to the emotional struggle for the Ukrainians tasked with that work.

Moscow is turning to poorer countries after Kenya and South Africa issued warnings, according to a Ukrainian report seen by Bloomberg.

Ukraine will not discuss limits to its armed forces or enforced neutrality at November meeting, president says. What we know on day 1,706 A trilateral meeting between Kyiv, Washington and Moscow will take place in November aiming to restart stalled Russia-Ukraine peace talks, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said . “We are ready to talk. If it’s a territorial issue, it must be addressed at a leadership level. Other issues fall within the remit of the technical groups. All this can therefore be discussed in November,” the Ukrainian president said on Sunday in an interview. Zelenskyy also renewed his push ⁠for a meeting between him and Vladimir Putin, believing that Putin is the only person ​in Russia who can make major decisions to end ​the war. Zelenskyy says that at the trilateral talks, Ukraine will not discuss limits to its armed forces, or enforced postwar neutrality . Kyiv has long sought entry into Nato despite the reticence of some members. Meanwhile, US warnings about imminent ⁠Russian ballistic missile strikes, critical to Ukraine’s air defences, have been fully restored , according to Zelenskyy. He told Ukraine’s ⁠TSN television channel that SpaceX’s ​Starshield satellite internet had been working at speeds of up to 420km/h since early on Saturday, after a meeting with the US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo. Starshield was throttled earlier in October amid diplomatic pressure on Kyiv from Washington. The US has been trying to pressure Ukraine to suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries , which it says push energy prices higher. However, Zelenskyy has repeatedly said Kyiv will only stop the strikes if Moscow stops hitting Ukraine’s power infrastructure, or if the US allows Ukraine to use of Starshield ‌over Russia to detect launch places of its ballistic missiles, or if it supplies Ukraine with Patriot missiles. Zelenskyy on Sunday said Russia had launched nearly 2,300 drones targeting Ukrainian cities over the past week , renewing his call on western allies to speed up deliveries of interceptors. “This week alone, Russia has launched about 1,600 guided bombs, 48 missiles of various types, including ballistic missiles, and almost 2,300 strike drones at Ukraine,” he wrote in an online post. Russia’s defence ⁠ministry said on ⁠Sunday ​its drones had struck a ⁠cargo vessel bound for the Black Sea port of ⁠Chornomorsk in an overnight ​attack ‌and another cargo ‌vessel en route to the ‌port of Odesa during the day. The ministry said the vessels were being used to supply the Ukrainian army. Russian ‌forces also hit a logistics centre, a ​distribution centre and a logistics terminal in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv overnight. Reuters could not confirm the reports. A Ukrainian drone attack overnight on the Russian border city ⁠of Belgorod killed ⁠three people ​and injured 13, local authorities said on Sunday , while ⁠a separate drone strike later in the day killed another person. The overnight attack on Belgorod ​damaged 30 apartment buildings, regional governor ⁠Alexander Shuvayev said. The presidential election in Bulgaria on Sunday ended inconclusively, with the next head of state to be picked in a runoff. In a surprisingly strong performance, the candidate of the pro-western reformist opposition, Andrey Gyurov, will face the incumbent leftist president, Iliana Yotova. Iotova opposes military aid to Ukraine and favours dialogue with Russia, while Gyurov has often expressed firm support for Kyiv . The vote was held amid security concerns after a series of drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea . Continue reading...

Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) on Sunday called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "murderer" and urged that the U.S. not make any deals with Russia. ABC News's "This Week" host Jonathan Karl asked Hinson, a Senate candidate and a staunch supporter of Ukraine, what she made of U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff's remark to Putin last...

Trump officials push the idea of a U.S.-Russia-China joint candidate.

Europe’s five biggest defense spenders are set to warn that Russia represents the most acute and long-term threat to the continent’s security as they pledge unflagging support for Ukraine.

If the U.S. pulls back from NATO, that could dramatically increase the chances Vladimir Putin launches atomic attacks to reconquer territories once part of Soviet Russia.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, an adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin and former ambassador to the U.S., said on Sunday that upcoming talks between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia should include more of Europe.