With the announcement that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been chosen as the new pope and leader of the Catholic Church, Ukrainians are wondering what the surprise appointment of the American-born pontiff will mean for their country. Past comments made by the new pope, who has taken the name Pope Leo XIV, quickly surfaced to form an idea of his views on immigration, gay rights, climate change, and the current U.S. administration. But with no similar public record of statements on Russia’s

The signing of a long-awaited minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine has come after months of tense negotiations as Kyiv worked on resetting its tumultuous relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. The key deal, inked on April 30, creates an investment fund and grants the U.S. special access to new projects developing Ukraine’s natural resources, such as oil and gas, lithium, graphite, and rare earth elements. Trump, who has been looking to secure a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow,

After the deadliest attack on Kyiv since last summer killed 13 civilians, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to lose patience with Russia, posting on social media, “Vladimir, Stop! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the peace deal done!” Trump repeated a number he’s cited in the past to push for a quick resolution of the war in Ukraine, without evidence to back up his statement. Although his figure is far higher than public estimates, a lack of official data to counter his claims mea

U.S. President Donald Trump's promise to negotiate peace in Ukraine within his first 100 days in office collided with reality by April 30 — a slew of Russian missile and drone attacks during this time have spiked civilian death tolls, and a peace deal with Moscow that is still out of reach. "There is no point in negotiating," Maria Rumiantseva told the Kyiv Independent on April 24 after a missile strike on Kyiv killed her neighbor and stranded her and her family in a wrecked apartment. "(Russi

As U.S. officials continue to push for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, five Ukrainian territories have emerged as a central focus — and sticking point — in the negotiations. “This peace deal is about these so-called five territories,” U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said in comments to Fox News on April 14, understood to be the Ukrainian regions of Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk. Russia illegally declared ownership over Crimea in 2014 and over the other four regio

Zaporizhzhia — During what would usually be evening rush hour in Zaporizhzhia, cars move easily through main streets that were once choked with traffic. As the shadows grow longer, soldiers calmly remove camouflage netting from the air defense weapons they’ll man against Russia’s deadly attacks until the sun rises the next morning. Though the region’s capital city is less crowded than it once was, the sidewalks are still active with residents who have no plans to leave. Young couples push strol

It's late in the second period of game four of the Ukrainian national hockey championship on April 2, and the upstart Kyiv Capitals, only in its second season, leads against established Hockey Club (HC) Kremenchuk and its star-studded roster. The Capitals captain, Serhii Chernenko, steals the puck and sends it behind the net to his teammate, a second before Kremenchuk forward Vladyslav Braha slams him against the boards. The ref blows his whistle, but it’s not for a penalty. An air raid alert

He's been "pissed off," "not happy," and "very angry," but so far, U.S. President Donald Trump is yet to take any concrete action to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a full ceasefire. Trump has multiple forms of leverage he could use against the Kremlin — increasing military aid to Ukraine, strengthening the enforcement of existing sanctions, or imposing additional tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil. So far, Trump has used none of it, and aside from a few angry stateme

After three days of separate intensive discussions with the United States, Russia and Ukraine left the latest round of ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia with agreements to declare a limited ceasefire in the Black Sea and to halt strikes against energy facilities. While lauded by the White House as progress in U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to bring a swift end to Russia's full-scale invasion, it's still a long way from a full ceasefire and an end to the fighting. Who has agreed to a full

On March 18, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had stopped a significant Ukrainian ground assault from entering Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, a claim that Ukraine swiftly denied as a propaganda effort.

Throughout Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, repeated and escalating warnings of the potential for a wider war have only raised fears in the Baltic states that they could be next in the crosshairs of the Kremlin. Talk about a potential Russian invasion is "very common at parties, gatherings, lunch breaks, water cooler talk," Gabija Stasiukyne, a 32-year-old fintech professional living in Vilnius, Lithuania, told the Kyiv Independent. "It’s everywhere. The conversation inevitably turns i

As a U.S. delegation in Moscow worked to hammer out a ceasefire agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader responded by demanding extensive concessions in exchange for a ceasefire deal in Ukraine. So far, Trump has made harsh demands on Ukraine while avoiding putting similar pressure on Russia. Now, attention turns back to Trump as to whether he will continue his trend of appeasement or double down and force Russia to accept a deal. Speaking at a press conference on Ma

After Ukrainian and U.S. officials met in Saudi Arabia for peace deal talks to end the war with Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on March 12 that potential "territorial concessions" from Ukraine were part of the discussion. Since U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January and opened talks with the goal of ending the war quickly, members of his administration have repeatedly expressed that Ukraine will need to drop its long-standing demand that any end to the war

Since Russia began its full-scale invasion more than three years ago, the demands on social services have multiplied. Millions are internally displaced, the number of people with disabilities has risen by 10%, and more than 13,000 children have been orphaned. Populations who were already vulnerable are often hit harder by the burdens of war. At the same time, it has become difficult to provide services in large swathes of the country because of Russian strikes and fighting. The government is fa

U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalating pressure on Ukraine over the past week has shocked the global community as he pushes for a quick end to Russia’s full-scale invasion. The news on March 3 that the U.S. would suspend all military aid to Ukraine sparked fears in Ukraine and joy inside Russia that the U.S. was abandoning its long-standing ally and siding with Moscow. While a halt in aid could be calamitous for Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion that has now ca