https://www.scmp.com/rss/524512/feed The latest news and updates on Rustem Umerov, appointed Ukraine’s Defence Minister in September 2023, he brings a robust background in finance, telecommunications, and investment. Previously a Member of Parliament and Head of the State Property Fund, Umerov is a prominent Crimean Tatar activist known for his negotiation skills and anti-corruption efforts. His responsibilities include reforming defence procurement, enhancing international partnerships, and aligning Ukraine’s military with NATO... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he and US President Donald Trump agreed that the next session of trilateral talks in March on a war settlement should lead to a meeting of the countries’ leaders. Zelensky, speaking after a phone conversation with Trump, said the three-sided talks with Russia and the United States would take place early next month. US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also took part in the ‌phone call. “We expect this meeting to create an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344656/zelensky-speaks-trump-says-talks-should-lead-leaders-meeting-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344656/zelensky-speaks-trump-says-talks-should-lead-leaders-meeting-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:44:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukrainian and Russian negotiators concluded a second day of US-mediated talks in Geneva on Wednesday, though neither side signalled they were any closer to ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. The talks wrapped up after just two hours, much shorter than the six hours of meetings on Tuesday, according to the head of Russia’s delegation. Neither side elaborated on what they discussed or whether they had agreed on anything, but both signalled the discussions had been tricky. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343925/ukraine-russia-talks-geneva-wrap-2-hours-no-sign-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343925/ukraine-russia-talks-geneva-wrap-2-hours-no-sign-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:04:57 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian and Russian officials wrapped up a “productive” first day of ‌new US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi, Kyiv’s lead negotiator said on Wednesday, as fighting in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II raged on. The ‍two-day trilateral meetings come after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had exploited a US-backed energy truce last week to stockpile munitions, attacking Ukraine with a record number of ballistic missiles on Tuesday. “The work was substantive and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342428/ukraine-and-russia-wrap-productive-first-day-us-backed-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342428/ukraine-and-russia-wrap-productive-first-day-us-backed-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 17:24:41 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met ‌in Abu Dhabi on Friday to tackle the vital issue of territory, with no sign of a compromise, as Russian air strikes plunged Ukraine into its worst ‍energy crisis of the nearly four-year war. Kyiv is under mounting US pressure to reach a peace deal in the war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Moscow demanding Kyiv cede its entire eastern industrial area of Donbas before it stops fighting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341073/russia-and-ukraine-sit-tense-talks-thorny-territorial-issue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341073/russia-and-ukraine-sit-tense-talks-thorny-territorial-issue?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:02:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukraine’s top negotiator Rustem Umerov said ‍on Sunday that talks with US officials on a resolution of the nearly four-year-old war with Russia would continue at the World Economic Forum opening this week in the Swiss resort of Davos. Umerov, writing on Telegram, said two days of talks in Florida with a US team ⁠including envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, had focused on security guarantees and a post-war recovery plan for Ukraine. He gave no indication... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340352/kyiv-says-held-substantive-talks-us-discussions-continue-davos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340352/kyiv-says-held-substantive-talks-us-discussions-continue-davos?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 20:49:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russian officials on Thursday said a Ukrainian drone strike killed 24 people and wounded at least 50 more as they celebrated the New Year in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region, as tensions between the two nations continue to spike despite diplomats hailing productive peace talks. Three drones struck a cafe and hotel in the resort town of Khorly on the Black Sea coast, the region’s Moscow-installed leader, Vladimir Saldo, said in a statement on Telegram. He said that one of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338424/russia-claims-24-killed-ukrainian-drone-strike-occupied-kherson-despite-peace-progress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338424/russia-claims-24-killed-ukrainian-drone-strike-occupied-kherson-despite-peace-progress?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 12:30:40 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday promised not to force Ukraine into any agreement to end Russia’s invasion as European allies joined fresh talks in Miami. The weekend talks come as Russian President Vladimir Putin in an annual news conference vowed to press ahead with his military offensive in Ukraine, hailing battlefield gains nearly four years into his war. US President Donald Trump’s envoys have pressed a plan in which the United States would offer security guarantees to Ukraine,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337141/rubio-says-wont-force-deal-ukraine-europeans-join-miami-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337141/rubio-says-wont-force-deal-ukraine-europeans-join-miami-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 22:17:39 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s trip to China this week signals a mutual desire to resume high-level dialogue amid mounting economic and geopolitical tensions, according to analysts. But they cautioned that the visit, which could lay the groundwork for a trip by Chancellor Friedrich Merz early next year, should be viewed as pragmatic management of a complex “systemic rivalry”, rather than a major reset in Beijing’s relations with Berlin or Brussels. For Germany, securing access to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335502/why-top-german-diplomats-china-trip-aims-manage-rivalry-wont-reset-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335502/why-top-german-diplomats-china-trip-aims-manage-rivalry-wont-reset-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 10:00:35 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he and his negotiators who are discussing a US-led plan for Ukraine had a “very substantive and constructive” call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. “Ukraine is committed to continuing to work honestly with the American side to bring about real peace,” Zelensky said on Telegram as the third day of the talks were to be held in Florida. “We agreed on the next steps and the format of the talks with America,” he added. Zelensky, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3335482/ukraines-zelensky-holds-very-substantive-call-trump-envoys-witkoff-and-kushner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3335482/ukraines-zelensky-holds-very-substantive-call-trump-envoys-witkoff-and-kushner?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 17:20:42 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he expected to discuss “key issues” with Donald Trump as the American-led push to end Russia’s war on Ukraine accelerated, with the US president’s envoy heading to Moscow. Ukraine’s negotiator Rustem Umerov said “significant progress” had been achieved in two days of talks with US officials on Trump’s plan to end the war, even though more work was needed on “challenging” issues. The comments came as US envoy Steve Witkoff was due to meet... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334825/zelensky-says-not-fair-exclude-europe-ukraine-reconstruction-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334825/zelensky-says-not-fair-exclude-europe-ukraine-reconstruction-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 23:54:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters Diplomats faced an uphill battle to reconcile Russian and Ukrainian positions as a renewed US-led push to end the more than three-year war gathered steam, with Ukrainian officials attending talks in the US over the weekend and a Washington official expected in Moscow this week. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with a Ukrainian delegation led by a new chief negotiator in Florida, his home state, for talks that he said were meant to create a pathway for Ukraine to remain sovereign and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334697/officials-express-optimism-us-and-ukraine-try-work-out-peace-deal-florida?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334697/officials-express-optimism-us-and-ukraine-try-work-out-peace-deal-florida?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 18:29:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Russian drone attack has killed one person and wounded 11 on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, the regional governor said on Sunday. Mykola Kalashnyk, the Kyiv regional governor, reported “another enemy drone attack” and said rescuers were evacuating residents of a high-rise building and firefighting was ongoing. “Unfortunately, as a result of the enemy attack on Vyshgorod, one person was killed and 11 were wounded. Among them is one child,” Kalashnyk wrote on social media. The latest... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334649/russian-drone-attack-kills-1-near-kyiv-ukraines-zelensky-seeks-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334649/russian-drone-attack-kills-1-near-kyiv-ukraines-zelensky-seeks-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 01:49:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukraine and the US will soon meet in Switzerland to discuss Washington’s plan for ending the war with Russia, which currently heeds some of Russia’s hardline demands, Kyiv said on Saturday. US President Donald Trump gave Ukraine less than a week to approve the 28-point plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, which would see the invaded country ceding territory, cutting its army and pledging to never join Nato. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s European allies, who were not included in drafting the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333805/ukraine-us-meet-switzerland-over-trumps-plan-end-war-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333805/ukraine-us-meet-switzerland-over-trumps-plan-end-war-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 13:35:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Ukraine faced losing its dignity and freedom or Washington’s support over a US peace plan that endorses key Russian demands and which Donald Trump said Kyiv should agree to by Thursday. The US president told Fox News Radio he believed next Thursday was an appropriate deadline for Kyiv to accept the plan. In a solemn address to the nation which he delivered in the street outside his office, a location he uses only rarely for major addresses,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3333762/trump-wants-ukraine-accept-peace-deal-russia-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3333762/trump-wants-ukraine-accept-peace-deal-russia-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 17:53:59 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ukraine is working to resume prisoner exchanges with Russia that could bring home 1,200 Ukrainian prisoners, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday, a day after his national security chief announced progress in negotiations. “We are … counting on the resumption of POW exchanges,” Zelensky wrote on social media. “Many meetings, negotiations and calls are currently taking place to ensure this.” Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said on Saturday he held... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332980/ukraine-seeks-bring-home-1200-prisoners-russia-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332980/ukraine-seeks-bring-home-1200-prisoners-russia-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 09:02:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia and Ukraine will hold new peace talks on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday, a follow-up to two earlier rounds that made little progress on ending their war. The talks will be held in Istanbul, a Turkish government spokesperson said, the same venue as previous negotiations which failed to make any breakthroughs in May and June. While US President Donald Trump has increased the pressure by giving Russia 50 days to agree to a deal or face sanctions, Zelensky spoke... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3319095/new-ukraine-russia-talks-set-wednesday-istanbul-zelensky-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3319095/new-ukraine-russia-talks-set-wednesday-istanbul-zelensky-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 05:47:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months, hours before Britain and Germany chaired a meeting on Monday to discuss US President Donald Trump’s plans for Nato allies to provide Ukraine with weapons. The drone and missile attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The deadly assault underscored the urgency of Ukraine’s need for further Western military aid,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3319070/russia-launches-major-aerial-attack-kyiv-hours-talks-support-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3319070/russia-launches-major-aerial-attack-kyiv-hours-talks-support-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 23:34:07 +0000