Russo-Ukrainian War

Europe has paid off 90% of its natural gas reserves two months ahead of the November 1 deadline, the European Commission said, in a sign that the Union is “ready for next winter. ” Rising prices have been recorded in recent weeks due to geopolitical risks.

Some are injured, most are very young, and all want to return home: the Russian soldiers captured during the surprise Ukrainian attack in Kursk now hope for a prisoner exchange.

Agence France-Presse managed to speak briefly with several of these prisoners of war at their detention site in the Sumy region of northern Ukraine, under the supervision of Ukrainian officers.

Russia on Monday dismissed the possibility of peace talks with Ukraine, despite Kiev's claims of fresh advances in its offensive into Russian territory.

Ukrainian forces said they thwarted a Russian missile attack on the capital Kiev where air raid sirens sounded before dawn on Sunday.

"This is the third ballistic missile attack on the capital in August with a clear interval of six days between each attack," the Kiev City Military Administration posted on Telegram after the early morning barrage.

Ukrainian servicemen operate a Soviet-made T-72 tank in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on August 12, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin ordered his army on Monday to "dislodge" Ukrainian troops who have entered Russian territory as authorities said over 120,000 people had been evacuated away from the fighting.

Ukrainian servicemen drive Soviet-made T-64 tanks in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on August 11, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia on Monday ordered more evacuations in a region bordering Ukraine as it battled to contain an unprecedented push onto its territory by Kiev forces.

Ukraine pressed on with a major cross-border incursion into Russia, where state media and local officials on Friday reported a fire at a military airfield and "massive" drone attacks hundreds of kilometers from the border.

This handout photograph taken and released by Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on July 29, 2024, shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visiting the command outpost of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the area of Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In a recent speech at a Summer University in Romania, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned of an impending Asian "world order" and criticized the European Union, suggesting it is headed for oblivion. Orban expressed support for Donald Trump's presidential candidacy, stating that Europe has failed to protect its own interests and is blindly following American foreign policy.

Hungary has accused Ukraine of blackmailing both itself and Slovakia by halting oil supplies, according to a statement from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's advisor, Gergely Gulyas. The accusations come in the wake of Ukraine's decision to impose sanctions on Russia's Lukoil, which has disrupted the oil transit through the country.