Russia warns it may reject US-Ukraine peace plan if it fails to uphold Alaska summit 'understandings'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested Moscow could reject the White House’s latest Ukraine peace deal framework if it doesn’t uphold the "spirit and letter" of the understandings reached at the August Alaska summit between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Lavrov said at a news conference Tuesday that Russia is awaiting the updated version of the Trump administration’s latest peace plan aimed at ending the nearly four-year war.

He warned that if the terms of the "key understandings" are "extinguished" then the situation would become "fundamentally different."

Russia has maintained its maximalist demands in negotiations, insisting Ukraine be barred from joining NATO and required to give up the rest of the Donbas as part of any peace deal.

RUSSIA BOMBARDS KYIV, KILLING AT LEAST 6, AS TRUMP PEACE PLAN MOVES FORWARD

John Hardie, the deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Russia Program, told Fox News Digital Moscow's intransigence over the past 10 months has been the main obstacle to Trump’s diplomatic efforts.

"The United States has really shot itself in the foot by kind of flip-flopping between strategies. One month you're trying to pressure the Russians and saying they're the obstacle in peace. The next minute you're trying to, you know, force their terms on Kyiv," said Hardie. 

"What we really need is sustained military support for Ukraine and economic pressure on Russia, and Putin has to realize that neither the Ukrainian military nor Western, especially U.S., resolve, are going to falter."

Former CIA station chief Dan Hoffman told "The Brian Kilmeade Show" Tuesday he remains skeptical about an end to the war, arguing the United States lacks the leverage to compel Moscow to halt its invasion.

NATO JETS SCRAMBLED AMID RUSSIA'S LARGEST DRONE ATTACK ON UKRAINE

"Vladimir Putin, his strategic objective has always been to overthrow the democratically elected government of Ukraine. He’ll engage in negotiations, but he does it to ensure that he’s asserting the primacy of Russia in his self-designated sphere of influence," said Hoffman. "I just don’t see any evidence that Russia is going to pause in their relentless attacks on Ukraine."

Ukraine agreed Tuesday to a peace deal to end the war with Russia, but some details still need to be finalized, a U.S. official told Fox News.

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi Monday and Tuesday to discuss the framework for a Ukraine peace deal. The U.S. official said a Ukrainian delegation was also in Abu Dhabi and in contact with Driscoll and his team.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/hsoDTq9

Ukraine agrees to peace deal, US official says

Ukraine has agreed to a peace deal that would see an end to the war with Russia, a U.S. official told Fox News.

Some minor details of the agreement are still to be sorted out, the official said.

RUSSIAN ATTACK ON UKRAINE LEAVES 25 DEAD IN TERNOPIL AFTER MASSIVE OVERNIGHT STRIKES

Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert, a spokesman for U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, had told Fox News that Driscoll and his team met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the framework for a Ukraine peace deal.

"The talks are going well and we remain optimistic. Secretary Driscoll is closely synchronized with the White House and the U.S. interagency as these talks progress," said Tolbert.

SOME EUROPEAN LEADERS WARY OF US APPROACH TO UKRAINE PEACE TALKS AS UK, FRANCE PLAN NEW MEETING

A U.S. official told Fox News that the Ukrainian delegation was also in Abu Dhabi and was in contact with Driscoll and his team.

The diplomatic flurry over the weekend followed the leak of the 28-point peace plan to Axios, which many European leaders and U.S. lawmakers viewed as largely favorable to Russia.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said on X that the initial proposal by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was a "surrender document for Ukraine that would have left it at the mercy of Russia for decades to come." 

He said the latest version, developed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s involvement and input from Ukrainian and European officials, was a better plan.

"We must stand on [the] side of freedom & rule of law," Bacon wrote.

Ukraine's decision to agree to the deal came hours after Russia launched an overnight attack on Kyiv that killed at least six people and injured 13, 

The strikes on residential buildings and civilian infrastructure came as U.S. and Ukrainian officials met over the weekend in Geneva to discuss the 28-point peace plan being pushed by the Trump administration to end the nearly four-year war.

Ukraine's Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov cited the talks in Geneva in addressing his country's agreement to major parts of a peace plan.

"We appreciate the productive and constructive meetings held in Geneva between the Ukrainian and U.S. delegations, as well as President Trump’s steadfast efforts to end the war," Umerov wrote on X. "Our delegations reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva. We now count on the support of our European partners in our further steps."

Umerov added that his country looks forward to Zelenskyy visiting the U.S. "at the earliest suitable date" in order "to complete final steps and make a deal with President Trump."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/1UC73uq

Temple staff stunned to hear knocking from inside coffin brought in for cremation

A 65-year-old Thai woman believed to be dead stunned temple staff in Bangkok when they heard a faint knocking from inside her coffin after her brother brought her in for cremation.

Pairat Soodthoop, general and financial affairs manager at the Wat Rat Prakhong Tham temple, told The Associated Press on Monday that he was discussing cremation with the woman’s brother when they heard the noise coming from inside the coffin.

"I was a bit surprised, so I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled," he said. "I saw her opening her eyes slightly and knocking on the side of the coffin. She must have been knocking for quite some time."

The Buddhist temple in Nonthaburi province, outside Bangkok, posted a Facebook video showing a woman in a white coffin in the back of a pickup truck moving her arms and head, leaving staff stunned.

WOMAN STARTS KNOCKING INSIDE COFFIN DURING HER WAKE: 'GAVE US ALL A FRIGHT'

Pairat said the woman’s brother had driven her from Phitsanulok province to be cremated.

Pairat said the brother explained that his sister had been bedridden for about two years before her health declined and she appeared to stop breathing two days earlier. Believing she was dead, he placed her in a coffin and made the 300-mile trip to a Bangkok hospital, where she had wished to donate her organs.

MAN IN INDIA REGAINS CONSCIOUSNESS BEFORE HIS CREMATION ON FUNERAL PYRE: REPORTS

The hospital, however, refused to accept the woman without an official death certificate, Pairat said. The brother then turned to the temple on Sunday, which offers free cremations, but was also turned away for lacking the document.

While Pairat was explaining how to obtain the certificate, they heard knocking from the coffin. Staff opened it, confirmed she was alive and sent her to a nearby hospital.

The abbot later said the temple would cover her medical expenses, according to Pairat.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/rfQ9lET

Greta Thunberg fined, banned from Venice after Extinction Rebellion dyes Grand Canal green

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been slapped with a 48-hour ban from entering Venice, Italy after joining Extinction Rebellion protesters in dyeing the Grand Canal bright green, according to reports.

The Swedish activist, 22, was also fined $172 along with roughly 35 other demonstrators involved in the action, per The Telegraph.

GRETA THUNBERG SLAMMED FOR USING IMAGE OF STARVED ISRAELI HOSTAGE TO SHOW PALESTINIANS SUFFERING IN GAZA

Extinction Rebellion said the dye used was a fluorescent, non-toxic tracer commonly employed in environmental studies, such as tracking water flows or monitoring leaks. The group reportedly insisted the dye posed no ecological threat.

The group also argued the stunt was designed to "draw attention to the massive effects of climate collapse," and claimed that Venice is among Europe’s most vulnerable cities due to rising sea levels and increasingly frequent flooding.

GRETA THUNBERG'S ALLEGED JAIL COMPLAINTS CALLED 'BRAZEN LIES' BY ISRAELI GOVERNMENT

Thunberg's protest took place just as the COP30 United Nations climate conference ended in Brazil, with Extinction Rebellion coordinating actions in ten Italian cities. 

These included dyeing fountains in Genoa and Padova and turning rivers green in Turin, Bologna and Taranto.

FLARING CLIMATE PROTESTS BECOMING MORE CONFRONTATIONAL AS FREE SPEECH TESTED GLOBALLY

Their banner "Stop Ecocide" also hung from the iconic Rialto Bridge in Venice, while a silent flash-mob of protesters dressed in red veils moved through dense tourist crowds.

Veneto Province Gov. Luca Zaia said Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion's stunt was "a gesture that risks having consequences for the environment."

Zaia also criticized the action as "a disrespectful act towards our city, its history and its fragility."

Extinction Rebellion had also criticized the Italian government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for resisting stronger climate measures at the Brazilian COP30 event.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/P4yQjFe

Some European leaders wary of US approach to Ukraine peace talks as UK, France plan new meeting

A U.S. proposal to end the war in Ukraine has opened some disagreement with key European allies, with Paris, Berlin and Helsinki signaling they will not be sidelined during talks in Geneva.

A senior European diplomat told Fox News Digital that Europe would not accept a U.S.-driven agreement without full European involvement. "No negotiations about Ukraine without Ukrainians. No negotiations about Europe’s security without Europeans," the diplomat said.

Some of the European concerns came a day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the U.S. and Ukraine made "substantial" headway on an "updated and refined peace framework." He called it "the most productive day we have had," acknowledged unresolved issues, and said matters involving the EU and NATO would proceed on a "separate track." Negotiators from the U.S., Ukraine and major European states are expected to continue discussions throughout the week.

US AND RUSSIA DRAFT PEACE PLAN FOR UKRAINE REQUIRING MAJOR CONCESSIONS FROM KYIV

The European official called the American plan "a basis that requires further work," adding that "the first of these conditions must be the implementation of a ceasefire along the line of contact." According to the diplomat, France and the United Kingdom will convene a Coalition of Volunteers meeting on Tuesday to coordinate Europe’s position.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned at the Group of 20 summit in South Africa over the weekend that Europe cannot be cut out of any settlement. "Wars cannot be ended by major powers over the heads of the countries affected," he said, adding, "We are still quite a way from a good outcome for everyone."

French President Emmanuel Macron echoed those concerns on the sidelines of the summit, saying the U.S. plan "has not been negotiated with the Europeans," even though it contains "many provisions that concern Europeans directly." He pointed to proposed limits on Ukraine’s military capacity, calling them "limitations on the size of the Ukrainian army — in other words, on its own sovereignty."

"It is positive in the sense that it proposes a path to peace and acknowledges important elements regarding sovereignty, security guarantees, and other issues. But it is only a basis for work that needs to resume, just as we did last summer, because this plan has not been negotiated with the Europeans," Macron told reporters.

TRUMP, ZELENSKYY AGREE ON CRUCIAL ASPECT TO END UKRAINE WAR: 'GOOD COMPROMISE'

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb wrote on X on Monday that NATO will assert control over issues in their remit: "It is clear that Europe and NATO decide on matters concerning them."

Amid the friction, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told "Fox & Friends" on Monday the U.S. effort still contained constructive elements, saying "some elements had to be changed, but there was also good stuff in the plan." In the interview, Rutte told Brian Kilmeade that President Trump’s team is "working extremely hard to get this war solved," with the goal of "a durable and lasting peace in Ukraine, a sovereign nation."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reinforced Kyiv’s red lines in an address to Sweden’s parliament on Monday, "The aggressor must pay fully for the war he started," rejecting territorial concessions. "Putin wants legal recognition for what he has stolen… That is the main problem," Zelenskyy said.

Moscow dismissed emerging European ideas as "not constructive," according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, according to Reuters.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/bjUhzDl

US-backed aid group ends Gaza mission after defying Hamas threats, UN criticism

EXCLUSIVE: The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announced on Monday, after the delivery of more than 187 million free meals to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip without Hamas stealing their aid, that it will shift its work to other aid organizations.

The GHF launched its operation on May 26 to ensure meals reached the Gazan population and to prevent Hamas terrorists from looting goods. According to GHF, it "provided more than 1.1 million packs of ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF) for malnourished children."

GHF Executive Director John Acree said, "From the outset, GHF’s goal was to meet an urgent need, prove that a new approach could succeed where others had failed, and ultimately hand off that success to the broader international community. With the creation of the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) and a rejuvenated engagement of the international humanitarian community, GHF believes that moment has now arrived," he said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

GAZA HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE US-BACKED AID GROUP

Acree continued, "GHF has been in talks with CMCC and international organizations now for weeks about the way forward, and it's clear they will be adopting and expanding the model GHF piloted. As a result, we are winding down our operations as we have succeeded in our mission of showing there's a better way to deliver aid to Gazans.

"From our very first day of operations, our mission was singular: feed civilians in desperate need. We built a new model that worked, saved lives and restored dignity to civilians in Gaza. Our dedicated and compassionate team, including former U.S. service members, humanitarians, local Gazan workers and other partners like Samaritan’s Purse, risked their lives to feed the people in Gaza amidst an active war conflict," he said.

U.N. aid organizations plagued by corruption and alleged support for Hamas terrorism reportedly bristled at the effectiveness of GHF.

Since May, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has faced numerous attacks over its operations, including accusations that hundreds of Gazans were killed and injured at distribution sites. The United Nations and other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) also blasted GHF for what they said was its weaponization of aid. The commissioner-general of UNRWA in July called for an end to GHF, saying it "provides nothing but starvation and gunfire to the people of #Gaza."

In August, a whistleblower confirmed to Fox News Digital that "the IDF is actively helping the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation get food into the hands of civilians while U.N. agencies, including WFP and OCHA, through their unwillingness to coordinate with the IDF, are inhibiting the distribution of such aid."

Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the United Nations secretary general, told Fox News Digital at the time that the whistleblower’s "accusation is delusional."

GHF told Fox News Digital that "it repeatedly offered to help U.N. agencies secure and distribute their aid to meet the need in Gaza while preventing looting and diversion. During its entire four-and-a-half months of operations, not a single GHF aid truck was looted."

AS US-BACKED GROUP DELIVERS 70 MILLION MEALS, UN AND NGOS FIGHT TO DISCREDIT GAZA AID RIVAL

GHF stated that "American-led solutions and compassion work," attributing its success to "the Trump administration’s call for innovation and early confidence in our mission, recognizing that American leadership, clarity of purpose and accountability to results are still the international gold standard."

GHF leaders said they are prepared to revive the mission "if new humanitarian needs are identified and will not dissolve as a registered NGO."

Acree said, "What our team will miss the most are the friendships and camaraderie developed with thousands of Gazans, especially the women and children we served. In early July, as the food security situation in Gaza improved, our operations stabilized, and we experienced a major shift in winning over the trust of aid seekers to the point where our aid sites became local hangout spots for women and children interacting with our team on a daily basis. We will miss them dearly."

Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, resulting in the mass murder of over 1,200 people, including more than 40 Americans. Hamas kidnapped 251 people during the invasion and still holds three dead hostages, according to Israel. Trump’s peace plan for Gaza outlines no role for Hamas in post-war Gaza governance and demands the total disarming of the Iran-backed jihadist terrorist organization.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/z9NvcAl

50 kidnapped Catholic school students in Nigeria escape as some schools ordered to close

Fifty of the 303 students kidnapped from a Nigerian Catholic school on Friday have escaped and are now reunited with their families, officials said Sunday, as schools across Niger remain closed following the attack.

The students, ages 10 to 18, escaped individually between Friday and Saturday, according to the Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state and the school’s proprietor.

A total of 253 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary's School are still being held, Yohanna said, adding: "We were able to ascertain this when we decided to contact and visit some parents."

Officials did not provide further details about how the children escaped or where the remaining students and teachers were being held.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EXPANDS EFFORTS TO STOP CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA WITH AID THREAT

Pope Leo XIV called for the immediate release of the children and school staff, saying at the end of a mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday that he was "deeply saddened" by the incident.

"I feel great sorrow, especially for the many girls and boys who have been abducted and for their anguished families," the pontiff said. "I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release."

No group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack, The Associated Press reported. The outlet added that authorities said tactical squads and local hunters were working to rescue the kidnapped children.

52 CATHOLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA KIDNAPPED BY GUNMEN IN LATEST ATTACK: REPORT

Niger State quickly shut down all schools after Friday’s attack, while the Nigerian government also closed several federal colleges in conflict-prone areas across the region.

The attack at St. Mary’s came just four days after armed men kidnapped 25 girls from a boarding school in Kebbi State, killing at least one staff member. The search for the missing girls is ongoing.

Meanwhile, 38 worshippers kidnapped during a deadly church attack in central Nigeria’s Kwara State have been freed, Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said Sunday. Gunmen had attacked the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku town on Tuesday, killing two and taking others hostage. President Bola Tinubu credited "the efforts of security agencies" for securing their release but offered no further details.

Nigeria has seen a series of attacks on Christians and their institutions, prompting President Donald Trump to declare the West African nation a "country of particular concern." However, the Nigerian government has disputed the U.S.'s claims.

"I’m really angry about it," the president told Fox News Radio on Friday. "What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace."

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Anders Hagstrom, along with The Associated Press contributed to this report.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/vQ1ioZK