Live: Putin decrees a 3-day truce as Trump seeks 'permanent' ceasefire in Ukraine

War in Ukraine: Putin orders unexpected 3-day truce

The announcement came as the United States scaled up efforts to broker an end to the three-year conflict, warning this week would be "critical" for determining whether peace was possible. France 24's Angela Diffley tells us more....

Putin orders three-day truce in May but Ukraine asks 'Why wait?'

Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 28 ordered a truce with Ukraine on May 8-10 to coincide with Moscow's World War II commemorations, drawing ire from Ukraine which demanded Moscow pause hostilities immediately....

Rearming France: The race is on

Faced with American uncertainty surrounding the war in Ukraine and the future of NATO, Europe is looking to wean itself off US defence. France has promised to ramp up spending, putting its industry into overdrive, but what are the financial and recruitment issues? From the factory floor to AI engin...

Russia declares a 72-hour ceasefire to mark Victory Day in World War II

Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 28 declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire next week in Ukraine to mark Victory Day in World War II as the U.S. presses for a deal to end the 3-year-old war. Kyiv insisted on a longer and immediate truce. Professor of International Politics at the Clinton I...

Canada election: Is the US-Canada relationship the main focus for voters?

Canadians began voting on April 28 for a new government to confront annexation threats from the United States and deal directly with President Donald Trump, whose trade war has defined the campaign. Our guest Tari Ajadi is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at McGill University, he tells u...

🔴 Putin orders unexpected three-day ceasefire on May 8-10

Russia says claims over annexed Ukraine regions key to peace

Russia said on April 28 it was ready to negotiate directly with Ukraine, but that recognition of its claims over five Ukrainian regions including Crimea were "imperative" to resolving the conflict....

Canada's election: How Trump's trade war is impacting voters in key province of Ontario

The duel between the Liberals and Conservatives in Canada's federal election this Monday is shaping up to be a close one. Led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, the Liberals were struggling at the beginning of January but are now in leading in the polls ahead of Pierre Poilièvre's Conservatives, again...

Global military spending rises to level not seen since Cold War

Defence expenditure rose by 9.4 percent worldwide in 2024 amid wars in Ukraine and Gaza, with researchers warning that rising military budgets will mean less funding for social welfare and humanitarian aid. Also in this edition: France aims to merge or eliminate one third of its government agencies...

War in Ukraine: North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia's Kursk

North Korea confirmed for the first time on April 28 it had deployed troops to Russia, with state news agency KCNA reporting Pyongyang's soldiers helped Moscow reclaim territory under Ukrainian control in the Russian border region of Kursk....

North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia as Putin hails 'heroes'

North Korea confirmed for the first time on April 28 that it had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine under orders from leader Kim Jong Un and that it had helped regain control of Russian territory occupied by Ukraine. France 24's correspondent Yena Lee tells us more....

Trump thinks Ukraine's Zelensky is ready to concede Crimea to Russia

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he believed Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky was prepared to cede Crimea to Russia as part of a ceasefire deal, as truce talks entered what Washington called a critical phase. Trump urged Vladimir Putin to "stop shooting" and agree to end the war sparked by Ru...

North Korea confirms deployment of troops to Russia's Kursk region

North Korea on Monday confirmed for the first time it has sent troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence officials said last year Pyongyang dispatched around 10,000 to 12,000 troops, but North Korea had previously neither confirmed nor denied t...

Global military spending hits record $2.7 trillion in 2024, sharpest rise since Cold War

Worldwide military expenditure surged to $2.7 trillion in 2024, marking the sharpest annual increase since the Cold War, driven by escalating conflicts and geopolitical tensions, SIPRI reported Monday. Europe and the Middle East saw the steepest rises, with some European nations posting "unpreceden...

Russia launches nearly 150 drones in massive attack on Ukraine overnight

Russia launched a massive attack of nearly 150 drones over Ukraine from Saturday into Sunday, according to Ukraine’s armed forces. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he doubts Putin wants to end the three-year war in Ukraine. Catherine Viette tells us more....

Qatari prime minister reports 'a bit of progress' in Gaza ceasefire talks

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, representing Gaza mediator Qatar said on Sunday that there was "a bit of progress" in talks in Doha this week aimed at securing a new truce in the Israel-Hamas war....

Closing ceremony at Pakistan-India border on Independence Day amid Kashmir tensions

Pakistan held a tense Independence Day ceremony at the India border Wednesday, as Prime Minister Imran Khan warned of a possible Indian military attack over Kashmir. Charlotte Lam reports....

Russia claims it has regained full control of Kursk from Ukraine

The Russian army has fully liberated the border Kursk region from Ukrainian control with the help of North Korean soldiers, Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov said on Saturday, admitting their participation in the conflict for the first time. Nicholas Rushworth has this story....

Macron says Ukraine ready for 'unconditional ceasefire' after talks with Zelensky

French President Emmanuel Macron Saturday said Ukraine was ready for an “unconditional ceasefire” following a meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral in Rome. Macron's c...

President Zelensky says discussed 'unconditional ceasefire' in Trump talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media post that he discussed a possible unconditional ceasfire with Russia at a meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Pope's funeral. France24 International Affairs Editor joins us for more....

Trump and Zelensky had a 'productive meeting' just before Pope Francis' funeral

US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky met for approximately 15 minutes at the Vatican and agreed to reconvene later in the day for further discussions, according to a spokesman for Zelensky. During his papacy, Pope Francis prayed for the "martyred Ukrainian people," expressing...

Trump, Zelensky meet one-on-one in Vatican basilica to seek peace in Ukraine

President Donald Trump had a brief "very productive" 15-minute meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Pope Francis's funeral on Saturday, a US official said. The meeting came as Russia claimed that it had made significant territorial gains in Ukraine....

Hamas is open to freeing hostages, five-year truce in Gaza, official says

Hamas would accept a deal to end the Gaza war that would involve the release of all Israeli hostages and a five-year truce, an official from the Palestinian group said on Saturday. A Hamas delegation was scheduled to meet mediators in Cairo later the same day.  ...

Trump urges Ukraine, Russia to meet for 'very high-level' talks, says a deal is near

President Donald Trump on Friday called for Ukraine and Russia to meet for high-level talks, adding that they were "very close to a deal". Trump posted on his Truth Social web site shortly after arriving in Rome late Friday to attend the funeral of Pope Francis that it had been a "good day in talks...

Pope Francis: A life & legacy, “Vladimir, STOP!”, Risk of war between India & Pakistan

The world said goodbye to Pope Francis this week.  Tens of thousands of mourners queued to pay their respects as he lay in state in St Peter’s Basilica over three days of mourning. We discussed his life and legacy, the geopolitics of his papal funeral, and look towards the conclave that will fo...

Russian satellite linked to space weapon programme appears to malfunction in orbit

A mysterious Russian satellite, believed by US officials to support a nuclear anti-satellite weapon programme, is showing signs of erratic spinning in orbit – a potential setback for Moscow's military space ambitions. Known as Cosmos 2553, the satellite’s unusual behaviour, tracked by commerci...

Trade tariffs can't become the 'new normal': French minister-delegate Haddad

We sit down with France's minister-delegate for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, to take stock of diplomacy around Ukraine and the US-EU standoff over trade tariffs. Haddad lived in the US and worked for top think tanks there, including the Atlantic Council and the Hudson Institute. He wrote a book entitle...

Russia blames Ukraine for car bombing that killed top general near Moscow

A senior Russian general was killed in a car bombing near Moscow on Friday, in what local authorities say is the latest targeted assassination linked to the war in Ukraine. Russia accused Ukraine of orchestrating the attack, which came as US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in the Russian capital for ta...

Kremlin says Putin's talk with US envoy was 'constructive'

U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met President Vladimir Putin for three hours in Moscow to discuss the U.S. plan to end the Ukraine war, and the Kremlin said the two sides' positions had moved closer. Story by Elitsa Gadeva....

UN food agency warns food stock in Gaza has run out amid Israeli aid blockade

The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) warned Friday that it has run out of food supplies in Gaza as Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid stretches into its eighth week. The UN says the territory is facing its worst humanitarian crisis since the war began 18 months ago, with community...