News

• May 21, 2025

  Putin Makes Surprise Visit To Russia's Kursk Region Amid Accusations of Stalling Peace Talks

  President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the Kursk region, his first since Russian troops pushed out Ukrainian troops who had been occupying parts of the region since launching an incursion last year.

• May 21, 2025

  Explosion Near School Bus in Balochistan Kills 5, Including 3 Children

  At least five people, including three children, were killed and 35 others injured when an explosion occurred near a school bus in Balochistan Province, a vast mineral-rich province in southwestern Pakistan that has been the scene of a simmering separatist insurgency for nearly a quarter-century.

• May 20, 2025

  RFE/RL Journalist Alleges Torture, Fabricated Charges Amid Azerbaijan's Media Crackdown

  Prosecutors in Azerbaijan on May 20 asked a court to sentence journalist Farid Mehralizada to 12 years on smuggling charges that he says are politically motivated and tied directly to his critical reporting for RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, known locally as Azadliq Radiosu.

• May 20, 2025

  EU, UK Target 'Warmonger' Putin And Russia's 'Shadow Fleet' With New Sanctions

  The European Union and the United Kingdom have imposed a new batch of sanctions targeting dozens of ships considered to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" that help Moscow avoid restrictions placed on it over the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.

• May 20, 2025

  Donald, Vladimir, And A 2-Hour Phone Call: Did Putin Get The Better Of Trump?

  A two-hour-plus call was an eyebrow-raising shift in both substance and tone from Donald Trump: there was no demand for Vladimir Putin to sign onto an immediate cease-fire. And the White House was pulling back from its efforts to halt the fighting.

• May 20, 2025

  Khamenei Says US Making 'Big Mistake' In Demanding Nuclear Enrichment Ban

  Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has cast doubt over ongoing negotiations with the United States on Iran's nuclear program, saying Washington is making a "big mistake" in demanding a full ban on uranium enrichment inside the Middle Eastern country.

• May 20, 2025

  Putin 'Not Interested At All' In Ukraine Cease-Fire, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Tells RFE/RL

  Lithuanian FM Kestutis Budrys tells RFE/RL that Putin isn’t serious about a Ukraine cease-fire, urging tougher sanctions.

• May 19, 2025

  French Intelligence Rejects Durov Allegation Of Romanian Election Meddling

  Russian-born Pavel Durov said French intelligence asked him to ban Romanian right-wing comments on the Telegram messaging app he founded ahead of the weekend runoff presidential election in the Balkan country, an accusation the Directorate General for External Security (DGSE) rejected.

• May 19, 2025

  As US Pushes For Zero Enrichment, Iran Insists It Won't Give Up Nuclear Program

  US special envoy Steve Witkoff declared on that the Donald Trump administration’s “red line” in the nuclear talks with Iran is Tehran’s ability to enrich uranium at any level, prompting Iran to say it will continue enrichment “with or without a deal.”

• May 19, 2025

  Amnesty International Defiant In Face Of Russian Designation As 'Undesirable Organization'

  Amnesty International pledged to redouble its efforts to expose human rights violations in Russia after Moscow labeled the group an "undesirable organization," effectively outlawing it and making it punishable under Russian law to have any association with it.

• May 19, 2025

  British Charging Of Iranians In UK Ramps Up Diplomatic Spat With Tehran

  Iran’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the British charge d’affaires in Tehran after the United Kingdom charged three Iranians with aiding a foreign spy agency to carry out activities on British territory as relations between the two countries continue to deteriorate.

• May 19, 2025

  Trump Says Moscow, Kyiv To 'Immediately' Begin Direct Talks Following Call with Putin

  US President Donald Trump has begun a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin as part of a renewed push by the White House to cement a cease-fire to halt shooting in the Ukraine war.

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