Ukraine can once again hope for US intelligence information

According to US President Donald Trump, the USA is close to providing Ukraine with intelligence and reconnaissance information on Russian military actions again. The suspension of information exchange with Ukraine is "as good as" over, Trump said on board Air Force One.

With regard to the negotiations with Ukrainian envoys earlier this week in Saudi Arabia on conditions for an end to the fighting, he said: "I believe we will make great progress this week." The findings of the US secret services and US reconnaissance are crucial for the Ukrainian air defense in order to be able to fend off missile attacks, for example. The USA had suspended the information after a scandal between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj in the White House. Trump also stated that his government was also considering a series of measures against Russia. (rtr)

Rubio leaves for Saudi Arabia for new Ukraine talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has left for Saudi Arabia for new talks on Ukraine. He left the Homestead Air Base in Miami, Florida, on Sunday at 8 p.m. (local time, 1 a.m. CET). According to his spokeswoman, during the three-day talks in Jeddah, Rubio will explore how "the president's goal of ending the war between Russia and Ukraine can be advanced." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had already announced that he would also be in Saudi Arabia. He announced a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman on Monday. After that, his team will stay on site to meet with the US delegation, it was said on Thursday from Kyiv. It was initially unclear whether Zelensky, like Rubio, will take part in the talks between his country and the USA.

According to US sources, the delegations from the USA and Ukraine want to discuss a ceasefire with Russia. The meeting will discuss "the framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire," said US envoy Steve Witkoff, who is also taking part in the talks. (afp)

Joint naval exercise of China, Russia and Iran

Russian and Chinese warships have arrived in Iranian waters for a joint naval exercise. According to the Iranian military, Russia is participating with two destroyers and a supply ship, while China is sending a destroyer and a supply ship. Iran, with its navy and the Revolutionary Guard, is providing a total of ten ships. According to the Tasnim news agency, the main part of the exercise will begin near the coastal city of Chabahar on Tuesday.

According to state media, military observers from Asia and the region, including Azerbaijan, South Africa, Oman, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka, are also taking part in the naval exercise entitled "Sea Belt Security 2025". According to the Chinese Ministry of Defense, the exercise will include training in attacking targets at sea, arrests and joint rescue operations. The aim is to deepen trust between the armies of the participating countries, it said. (dpa)

Warehouse in southern Russia in flames after drone attack

According to the authorities, a warehouse in the southern Russian region of Samara went up in flames after a Ukrainian drone attack. There were no injuries, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations announced on Telegram. The Ministry of Defense announced that Russian air defense destroyed three drones over the Samara region. The Ukrainian military, in turn, stated on Telegram that Russia deployed 176 drones in the direction of Ukraine during the night. 130 of them were shot down, 42 did not reach their target, probably due to electronic warfare countermeasures. What happened to the remaining four drones was not announced. (rtr)

Russian soldiers advance encirclement at Kursk

According to pro-Russian military bloggers, Russian soldiers are advancing in the Kursk region as part of a major encirclement operation. The aim is to force thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in western Russia to flee or surrender, writes war blogger Two Majors. Russian forces are advancing on the so-called "cauldron" in Kursk from at least seven directions. Blogger Yuri Podolyaka writes that he is having difficulty keeping up with events because the Russian advance is so fast and Ukrainian units are trapped in several pockets in Kursk. Russian forces recaptured three more settlements in Kursk on Sunday after special forces sneaked kilometers through a gas pipeline near the town of Sudzha in a surprise attack on Ukrainian forces. (rtr)

USA wants to explore Ukraine's willingness to compromise

The US wants to find out what concessions Ukraine is prepared to make at a meeting with a Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. "You can't say: 'I want peace' and at the same time: 'I refuse to compromise,'" said a US official about the upcoming talks. "If they are only interested in the 2014 or 2022 borders, that tells us something," said the Washington insider, who wishes to remain anonymous. (rtr)

Trump expects signing of mineral agreement

US President Donald Trump assumes that Ukraine will sign an agreement on mineral resources. "They will sign the minerals agreement, but I want them to want peace... They have not shown that to the extent they should," he said. Ukraine is demanding security guarantees as part of the agreement. US President Donald Trump wants the mineral resources in exchange for aid that Ukraine received from the US under the previous US President Joe Biden. (rtr)

Poland's President: NATO must decide on European troops in Ukraine

In the debate about sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine, Poland's President Andrzej Duda has called for NATO to be involved. "Such a decision must be made within the framework of NATO," Duda said on Sunday on the French broadcaster LCI. The Polish president, who is close to both US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky, said this was a "very important" and far-reaching decision. (afp)

Demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate sends a signal for Ukraine

At the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, numerous people demonstrated for more solidarity with Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. According to a police estimate, up to 1,500 participants came at the peak, but the organizers spoke of thousands. The "Stand with Ukraine" demonstration went largely without disruption, a police spokesman said. The rally in the evening was called for by an alliance around the campaign organization Campact and the Ukraine solidarity association Vitsche.

Signs read things like "Stop Putin" or "No Peace Under Occupation". Some carried Ukrainian flags. Speakers included Green Party leader Katharina Dröge and CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter. "I bow to the people of Ukraine, I bow to your strength," said Dröge. "Your confidence is our mission." Kiesewetter stressed: "No army in the world is as strong as the Ukrainian one. Let us support this army." (dpa)

Almost 200 million euros: France prepares new military aid for Ukraine

According to Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, France is preparing new military aid for Ukraine in the amount of 195 million euros. The aid package will be financed from the interest on frozen Russian assets, Lecornu told the Sunday newspaper Tribune Dimanche . The money will be used, among other things, to buy guided bombs to arm the French Mirage fighter jets delivered to Kyiv. France delivered the first Mirage 2000 multi-purpose aircraft to Ukraine in February. Ukrainian pilots had previously been trained on the aircraft in France for several months. The suspension of US military aid is a "serious blow" for Ukraine, said Lecornu in the interview. Ukraine could "hold out for a while," but the US delivery stop must not last, warned the minister. (afp)

Russia: Three more villages in Kursk border region recaptured from Ukraine

Russia says it has recaptured three more villages in the border region of Kursk from the Ukrainian army. These are the villages of Malaya Loknia, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye and Kosiza, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday in Moscow. On Saturday, the ministry had already announced the recapture of the villages of Viktorovka, Nikolayevka and Staraya Sorochina. Last summer, Ukraine launched an offensive in the Russian region of Kursk near the border. Russia says it has now managed to bring two thirds of the areas initially occupied by Ukraine back under its control. (afp)

Ukrainian troops near Kursk without supplies

According to media reports, the Ukrainian units in the Kursk region of western Russia, which they occupy, have found themselves in a difficult situation. As Ukrainian television reported, citing soldiers, Russian soldiers have blocked the supply lines for the Ukrainian troops on the front line. After Russian units advanced near Sumy in eastern Ukraine, they controlled all supply routes there. According to the Ukrainian soldiers, the Russian military is using drones there whose frequencies cannot be jammed. Since these drones patrol the supply routes day and night and are on a "free hunt", supplying the front-line troops is becoming increasingly difficult.

According to media reports, the situation of the Ukrainian soldiers fighting near Kursk has worsened considerably in recent days. According to the Unian agency, around 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers were threatened with encirclement after a Russian advance. There was no official statement from the General Staff in Kyiv on this. The Ukrainian armed forces advanced into Russian territory in a surprise attack near Kursk last summer. Russian troops have been trying to recapture lost territory ever since. (dpa)

Trump: Maybe Ukraine won't survive anyway

US President Donald Trump has once again caused controversy with a statement about Ukraine. In an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked whether he felt comfortable with the fact that he had stopped aid to the country and that Ukraine might not survive. The Republican replied: "Well, it might not survive anyway." Referring to Russia's war of aggression against its neighbors, Trump continued that it always takes two to make a conflict. "And now we're in this mess." (dpa)