Category World News

Following discussions with European and US officials in Paris, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the biggest challenge facing Ukraine’s ongoing negotiations over a US plan to end the war is still to be solved.

At a joint news conference on Monday, Zelenskyy, who spoke alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, stated that Ukraine’s top priorities include protecting its sovereignty, security guarantees, and preventing concessions that would allow Russia to continue to control Ukrainian land.

He urged partners to avoid any results that “rewards the war it]Russia started,” noting that “the territorial issue is our biggest challenge.

As part of an intensifying diplomatic campaign to end the war, which Russia launched with its full-scale invasion in February 2022, officials from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom called on to meet in Paris.

According to Zelenskyy, the meeting also looked at the content of the discussions between Ukrainian and American officials the day before in the United States, noting that more meetings are being planned throughout Europe.

In the event that a resolution to end the war is reached, Macron reiterated that “Ukraine must be the one who determines its own territorial boundaries.” He also said that further discussions are planned between Washington and European allies regarding potential security guarantees for Ukraine.

Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, also stressed the importance of a path to peace between Europe and the US. She praised Zelenskyy’s “consistently constructive approach” in a statement and expressed hope that Russia will “offer its own concrete contribution” to upcoming discussions.

diplomatic angst is exacerbated by territorial issues.

As Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, prepare for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the territorial issue is likely to be the most contentious point in the negotiations.

After those discussions, Zelenskyy has stated that he intends to speak with Trump. However, Ukrainian officials have already informed the US that Kyiv won’t accept a territory-ceded settlement.

Rustem Umerov, Zelenskyy’s adviser, told Al Jazeera Arabic, “We told the American side that it is unacceptable for Russia to continue its occupation of our territory and then demand that we grant it legitimacy.” The granting of our territory implies that any party can impose itself on another party’s sovereignty by using force to do so.

Security guarantees are still a delicate topic of discussion, according to Umerov, who stated that “we are seeking security for both Europe and Ukraine.” He added that if Russia actually engages, negotiations will be “extremely difficult,” and Moscow still thinks that “continuing the war is less expensive than ending it” is true.

Hashem Ahelbarra, a journalist from Brussels, reported on the report that “land swaps must be made between the Ukrainian people” and that no significant concessions must be made to Russia.

A draft US plan was leaked to the press in the middle of November, which raised questions in Ukraine and among its allies in Europe, who claimed the draft plan was in stark favor of Moscow.

Without making any mention of a cap on Russia, the plan proposed to limit Ukraine’s army to 600 000 men. Additionally, it forbade Kyiv from ever joining NATO, and it had plans for Moscow to maintain Ukrainian territory.

Dnipro was hit by Russian strikes.

Ukraine was the victim of yet another deadly attack earlier on Monday as diplomatic efforts grew. Russian missiles were used in the city of Dnipro on Tuesday, according to local officials, killing at least four people.

According to Vladyslav Haivanenko, the acting head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, injuries have increased to 43, according to Interfax. Ten people were reported to be seriously ill, according to him. An administrative building, several businesses, four educational facilities, several high-rise buildings, two service stations, and more than 50 vehicles were all damaged by the strike.

Before the war, Dnipro, which is located 62 kilometers away from the front line and where nearly one million people lived, was frequently targeted by Russian bombardments.

The settlement of Klynove in Ukraine’s Donetsk region was “liberated,” according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, claiming that it had advanced deeply into Ukrainian positions. These assertions have been refuted by the Ukrainian army.

In the past 24 hours, Ukraine reported that it had lost about 1,415 soldiers across the front. In the same time, Kyiv reported that it had killed 1, 060 Russian soldiers, one tank, six armored vehicles, 14 artillery systems, 239 drones, and 71 other vehicles.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s pardon request to President Isaac Herzog has received mixed reviews.

Pope Leo has urged “coexistence” in a region blighted by violence on the second day of his visit to Lebanon, gathering clerics from across the religious spectrum on both sides of a fractious line of separation.

Leo said Lebanon’s situation demonstrated that “fear, distrust, and prejudice do not have the final word” as demonstrated by standing in Martyrs’ Square on Monday, a site that once stood as the “green line” between Muslim west and Christian east Beirut during the civil war of 1975-1990.

The people of Lebanon, who practice various religions, serve as a powerful reminder that unity, reconciliation, and peace are possible, he said, in a time when coexistence can seem like a distant dream.

“May every bell toll, every adhan, every prayer call all come together into one soaring hymn,” he said while referring to the Muslim call to prayer in Arabic.

Martyrs’ Square, the site of a monument to the fallen for Lebanon’s independence, has long been a focal point for demonstrations calling for political change.

The location, according to Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, showed the contrast between the image of interfaith unity amid Lebanon’s vested interests, according to Zeina Khodr, who was based in Beirut.

Religious leaders gathered under one roof appear to be speaking with one voice, but she remarked, “This is a deeply divided country.

“Viva il Papa!”

Leo made a stop in Turkiye on Sunday as part of his first overseas trip as pope, which included a visit to Lebanon. At the presidential palace, he addressed diplomats and officials to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the only Christian leader in the Arab world.

Prior to heading to Harissa, a hillside shrine overlooking the Mediterranean, the US pontiff made a visit to the tomb of St. Charbel, a Catholic saint revered throughout the area. As he arrived beneath the massive statue of the Virgin Mary, crowds yelled “Viva il Papa.”

Later, about 15, 000 young people gathered outside the Maronite Catholic headquarters to hear the 70-year-old pontiff speak.

He told them, “There is hope in you, a gift that we adults seem to have lost.” You have more time to plan, accomplish goals, and dream big.

About 30% of the population lives in Lebanon, where one of the Middle East’s largest Christian communities is represented by Shia and Sunni communities as well as Alawite and Druze minorities. Leaders from communities that have experienced violence in neighboring Syria were among those who attended Monday’s interfaith gathering, which included representatives from all major sects.

The pope was thanked for his visit, but Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, the Supreme Shia Islamic Council’s deputy, warned that the nation still posed serious wounds as a result of Israel’s continued attacks, according to local media.

Over the next few days, an Israeli escalation is looming.

The nation is still mired in a larger regional conflict as the pope delivered his message of unity. On October 8, 2023, Israel was first attacked by rockets from Israel’s Gaza-based government, and the group claims that the attacks were part of an act of solidarity.

After Israel’s major uprising in the country in September 2024, the Lebanese armed group was later severely damaged.

Hezbollah has only ever responded to Israeli attacks since a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon in November 2024. However, Israel has continued its cross-border bombings in Lebanon, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 300 people, including 127 civilians, according to the UN.

Leo, according to Al Jazeera’s Khodr, had previously called for dialogue, but he opted not to directly comment on the conflict.

Many people think that the pope’s presence is the only way to stop Israeli threats, and that, once he leaves, the world will change and there may be a new reality, she said.

There is a great deal of concern about renewed conflict and the possibility that Israel will launch more attacks.

The visit was heavily impacted by Lebanon’s political paroxysm and economic collapse. In late 2019, millions of people fell into poverty as a result of decades of state mismanagement.

Around one million Syrian and Palestinian refugees are still being sheltered in the nation.

Researchers claim Wang Fuk Court’s subpar fire-resistant netting, which was installed across multiple floors, failed safety tests, which may explain how the deadly high-rise fire spread so quickly. 151 people have been killed while 13 have been detained as a result of mourning.