U.S. officials are continuing to criticize Russia's actions in Georgia, with Defense Secretary Robert Gates warning that Moscow's behavior in the coming days could shape its future relations with Washington.

Speaking at the Pentagon, Gates said all military-to-military activities with Moscow will be examined, and changes made, depending on Russian actions in the days ahead.

"Russia's behavior over the past week has called into question the entire premise of that dialogue and has profound implications for our security relationship going forward, both bilaterally and with NATO," he said. "If Russia does not step back from its aggressive posture and actions in Georgia, the U.S.-Russian relationship could be adversely affected for years to come."

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has held talks in France to discuss the uneasy cease-fire that halted fighting between Russia and Georgia, where she will travel next for talks with the Georgian president.

The French-brokered cease-fire calls for Georgian and Russian forces to withdraw to the positions they held before fighting broke out a little over a week ago.

Rice's arrival in France was accompanied by reports that Russian troops remained active within Georgia in what Moscow said was part of a peacekeeping operation.

Russian troop numbers in central Georgian city of Gori had increased, according to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, and an RFE/RL correspondent reported hearing an explosion on a mountain near Gori.

Standing beside French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Rice said there must be no question about the territorial integrity of Georgia.

"The Russian president has said that their military operations have halted. We would hope that he will be true to his word and that those operations will halt," Rice said. "And we will work very hard to see if we can bring an end to this crisis. It is long overdue, too many innocent people have died."

Intelligence Operations

In western Georgia, there were reports that Russian forces had entered the Black Sea port town of Poti, a key oil terminal.

The deputy head of the Russian armed forces' General Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, said at a Moscow press conference that Russian peacekeepers were carrying out intelligence operations in Poti.

Russian commanders have said their purpose now is to demilitarize conflict areas and assure security for residents following looting.

But late Thursday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili told foreign reporters that a column of more than 100 Russian tanks and other vehicles was moving from western Georgia toward the country's second-largest city, Kutaisi, nearer the center of the country.

"I appeal for help -- for many people it's too late -- but I appeal [for] the help of every civilized person in the world to stop this uncivilized, barbarian, inhuman, treacherous, absolutely outrageous behavior, and to save innocent lives," he said.

RFE/RL Georgian Service correspondent Koba Liklikadze, reporting from Gori, says he witnessed heavily armed gunmen in a car with North Ossetian number plates stealing two cars belonging to Georgia's independent Imedi television and an unidentified U.S. organization. The incident took place, Liklikadze reports, directly in front of Russian soldiers in armored vehicles and tanks.

Earlier today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier today dismissed reports that Russian forces had entered Gori and Senaki, a strategically important city on the direct rail link from Tbilisi to Poti.

"Our troops are outside the towns of Gori and Senaki. They did not enter those towns," Lavrov said. "They moved to those areas only because Georgians troops took positions there to fire on South Ossetia."

Steady Stream

The developments unfolded as the first planeload of U.S. aid arrived in Tbilisi, signaling the start of what Washington says will be a steady stream of humanitarian aid into the country following days of intense fighting.

The first U.S. military plane bringing aid to Georgia landed in Tbilisi overnight, with U.S. officials promising many more to follow.

Nogovitsyn expressed concern at the type of cargos being flown in.

"Why not lift the curtain on what is being delivered [by U.S. airplanes to Georgia]?" Nogovitsyn said. "Although [Georgian President Mikheil] Saakashvili asked the [international] community for humanitarian aid, quite understandably, what is going on there? We, Russians, are deeply concerned about it."

The military airlift is to be complemented by U.S. naval ships delivering aid to Georgian ports in the days to come.

Washington's Support

On the eve of her trip to France and Georgia, Rice made clear Washington's support for Georgia.

"The United States has made very clear that it is standing by the democratically elected government of Georgia," Rice said. "This is a small neighbor of Russia. It is a country that has made considerable progress in terms of its economy. It is still trying to secure its democratic institutions, and we've worked with Georgia on that. But if anyone had any doubts about our support for Georgia, you only have to look at the fact that it's a Millennium Challenge country, which is one of the most important designations that the United States can make, that we believe in the future of that country."

U.S. and EU officials have throughout the week called for respect for Georgia's territorial integrity, but Russia has been calling for Georgia's separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be allowed to determine their own futures.

Meeting In Moscow

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev spoke to reporters after meeting in Moscow with the leaders of the breakaway provinces, South Ossetia's Eduard Kokoity and Abkhazia's Sergei Bagapsh.

"We will support any decision that the people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia will make in accordance with the UN Charter, the 1966 international conventions, and the Helsinki Act on Security and Cooperation in Europe," Medvedev said. "We will not only support these decisions but will guarantee them both in the Caucasus and throughout the world."

Kokoity said at the press conference that "we will achieve independence" in accordance with international law.

Bagapsh, standing alongside his counterpart, said, "As for our independence, as for our movement toward this goal, no other force will stop us. We have set this goal and we will move toward this goal together. As for the ways [to achieve this goal], we will find them."

Ordinary Georgians are still reeling from the shock of the brief conflict, which began over the separatist region of South Ossetia but escalated into a Russian push into the Georgian heartland and fighting in another separatist region, Abkhazia.

"This is a nightmare, some kind of a bad dream from which one has to wake up," said Keren Esebua, a resident of the western Georgian town of Zugdidi, which also was occupied by Russian forces.

"There is immense aggression directed against absolutely innocent people. We are living under occupation," Esebua told RFE/RL's Georgian Service. "I am from Sukhumi. First [Russia] kicked me out from my home there [in the early 1990's]. Now they are also expelling us from our land. Georgia has been through the same thing twice – and no one knows for what."

'The President Has Asked Us'

Georgians from other parts of the country have rushed to help those who were caught up in the fighting.

"I brought food -- some milk, cheese and eggs. I'll leave it all here, so that it's distributed among the displaced," said Jondi Kalandadze as he brought food to refugees who had gathered at a registration center in Tbilisi. "The president has asked us [to help these people], as well as the prime minister. I'm a Georgian man. I have a little farm. Why else do I need any of it if I don't help my fellow Georgians?"

The United Nations estimates that more than 100,000 people have been displaced in South Ossetia and in Georgia proper due to the conflict. The estimate is based on numbers supplied by the Russian and Georgian governments and has yet to be independently confirmed by international agencies.

The hard-line Taliban rulers of Afghanistan have “suspended” the holding of chess matches in the country, citing "religious considerations" and claiming it represents a form of “gambling.”

A Taliban official on May 11 said a decision will be made on the possible resumption of chess under the auspices of country’s sports department, but no time frame was given.

Since returning to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban rulers have imposed a series of restrictions on sports and other cultural events.

They have also regularly been assailed by the world community for more-serious human rights violation, including the oppression of women and girls.

Women and girls are banned from sports in Afghanistan, and bodybuilding athletes are not allowed to show their thighs to judges and spectators during competitions.

"Chess in sharia [Islamic law] is considered a means of gambling," sports directorate spokesman Atal Mashwani was quoted by AFP as saying.

"There are religious considerations regarding the sport of chess," he said.

He also cited concerns with the national Chess Federation, which he said had "some issues on the leadership level."

"Until these considerations are addressed, the sport of chess is suspended in Afghanistan," he added.

AFP also quoted Azizullah Gulzada, owner of a Kabul cafe, who has hosted informal chess competitions in recent years, as rejecting the suggestion that gambling took place and said chess was allowed in other Muslim-majority countries.

"Young people don't have a lot of activities these days, so many came here," he told AFP.

"They would have a cup of tea and challenge their friends to a game of chess."

With reporting by AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is ready to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Istanbul on May 15, but he insisted a cease-fire backed by his European allies begin on May 12, although Moscow has so far ignored that call.

“Starting tomorrow, we await a cease-fire,” Zelenskyy said on May 11 on social media. “This proposal is on the table.”

“A full and unconditional cease-fire -- one that lasts long enough to provide a necessary foundation for diplomacy -- could significantly bring peace closer. Ukraine has long proposed this, our partners are proposing it, and the whole world is calling for it.

“We await a clear response from Russia.”

Zelenskyy said Kyiv has “absolutely no problem engaging in negotiations, and we are ready for any format.”

“I will be in Turkey this Thursday, May 15, and I expect Putin to come to Turkey as well,” the Ukrainian leader added.

The potential for the May 12 cease-fire -- to which Russia has not agreed -- or the May 15 talks in Istanbul remained uncertain as of late May 11.

Zelenskyy's comments follow remarks by US President Donald Trump -- who appeared to ignore calls by Kyiv and leading European allies for a cease-fire -- that demanded Ukraine "immediately" hold direct talks with Russia to end the war.

Trump made that demand after Putin proposed the direct talks with Kyiv in Turkey.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump noted that Putin "doesn't want to have" a cease-fire agreement with Ukraine and instead wants direct talks to "negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath."

“Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump added. “At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!”

The US president said he was with Putin,” urging Kyiv to accept the meeting invitation, adding, "Have the meeting now."

Trump’s demand that Ukraine drop its precondition for a cease-fire and go straight into negotiations with Russia came just hours after his Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, backed Kyiv’s call for a cease-fire.

"As President Trump has repeatedly said, stop the killing!!" he said on X. "An unconditional 30-day cease-fire first and, during it, move into comprehensive peace discussions. Not the other way around."

Speaking to Russian pro-Kremlin media, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on May 11 dismissed Kyiv's calls -- backed by its allies -- for Russia to pause the war, saying that Kyiv must have misread the Russian leader's message.

"Putin made it clear in his statement," she said. "First talks about the root causes, and then we can perhaps talk about a cease-fire."

Zelenskyy's presidential adviser Andriy Yermak responded on Telegram to Putin's call for talks by saying: "First, a 30-day ceasefire -- then everything else."

"Russia must not disguise its desire to continue the war behind rhetorical constructions," he said. "A cease-fire is the first step toward ending the war, and it will demonstrate Russia’s willingness to stop the killings."

Later on May 11, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Putin in a phone call that his country is ready to host negotiations for a cease-fire and permanent peace between Russia and Ukraine.

In a separate phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Erdogan said "a historic turning point" had been reached toward ending the war.

Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelenskyy, and British and Polish prime ministers Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk announced the proposal for a cease-fire beginning on May 12 after a meeting in Kyiv on May 10.

They warned Moscow that it would face "massive" new sanctions if it balked at the proposed truce. They said they had spoken to Trump by phone following the talks.

Macron, speaking from the Polish border town of Przemysl on his return from Kyiv, described Putin’s offer of direct talks as “a first step, but not enough,” adding that “an unconditional cease-fire is not preceded by negotiations.”

Merz struck a similar note, calling the proposal “a good sign” but “far from sufficient.”

“First, the weapons must be silenced, then the discussions can begin,” he said in a statement.

Before their visit to Ukraine, Macron and the other European leaders promised they would "stand in Kyiv in solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s barbaric and illegal full-scale invasion," now well into its fourth year.

Speaking to RFE/RL after Putin's comments on May 11, John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the Russian leader was continuing "to attempt to walk the line between placating President Trump and still refusing a cease-fire absent significant Ukrainian and Western concessions."

"Putin essentially proposed that Russia and Ukraine pick up where they left off with the 2022 Istanbul negotiations, where Moscow sought to impose harsh peace terms,” he said, adding that the US president has a decision to make.

“Will he continue to allow Putin to 'tap him along,' or will he follow through on his threat to turn the economic screws on Russia?” he said.

Trump ran for president on a promise to end the war quickly. In an interview with NBC News that aired on May 4, he expressed hope a peace deal could still be reached while also suggesting his patience with both Ukraine and Russia was limited.

In early May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said if there isn't a real breakthrough on the war in Ukraine in the near future, Trump will have to decide how much more time to dedicate to the negotiation process.

With reporting by AFP

Pakistan and India both declared victory in a recent flare-up of violence as a US-mediated cease-fire appeared to largely hold on May 11, with the nuclear-armed neighbors stepping back from a potential full-scale war over the disputed Kashmir region.

Islamabad and New Delhi 10 agreed to an immediate cessation of hostilities, US President Donald Trump and officials from both South Asian countries said on May 10, after a series of tit-for-tat military strikes that claimed dozens of lives.

"After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence."

India and Pakistan regularly come close to igniting a catastrophic full-scale war in the tense South Asian region, usually related to the disputed Kashmir region, which is split into Indian- and Pakistani-controlled areas but claim din full by both.

In apparent efforts to reassure their domestic populations, both sides claimed victory in the latest outbreak of violence.

On May 11, New Delhi offered a tally of its claimed success during the flare-up in violence, saying its military strikes into Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan earlier in the week killed more than 100 militants.

Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, director general of Indian military operations, claimed that among those killed were prominent militant leaders.

“We achieved total surprise,” Ghai told a New Delhi news conference, describing Pakistan’s response as “erratic and rattled.”

Meanwhile, Pakistani Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif told a news briefing that Islamabad’s forces on May 10 hit 26 Indian military installations in response to missile strikes launched by New Delhi.

Earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the nation for its "victory" over India, while at the same time expressing desires for meaningful dialogue with India and for resolution of all issues dividing the bitter rivals.

"This is a victory not just for the armed forces, but for the whole nation," Sharif said.

Despite talk of the cease-fire, India and Pakistan accused each other of violations in the following hours, although reports of such actions were rare late on May 11.

International leaders welcomed the cease-fire breakthrough.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the governments of India and Pakistan had agreed "to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site."

In a post on X on May 10, Rubio said he and Vice President JD Vance had been in contact with senior Indian and Pakistani officials over the previous 48 hours.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the cease-fire agreement a "positive step" and "hopes the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, longstanding issues between the two countries," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Trump has said he is ready to work to resolve the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan and to help boost the economies of both nations.

"While not even discussed, I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great Nations," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"Additionally, I will work with you both to see if, after a 'thousand years,' a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir. God Bless the leadership of India and Pakistan on a job well done!!!”

The cease-fire follows weeks of escalating violence that began after a deadly April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 civilians, most of them Hindu tourists. India blamed Pakistan-based militants for the assault -- a claim Islamabad denies. The incident triggered a series of strikes, including reported missile and drone attacks, cross-border shelling, and cyberattacks.

India and Pakistan, which gained independence from Britain in 1947, fought full-scale wars in 1948, 1965, and 1971, and a limited conflict in 1999. The central issue remains the Kashmir Valley, which India regards as its Atoot Ang -- integral part -- while Pakistan sees it as the “unfinished agenda of partition” of the subcontinent.

Kashmir is divided between three nuclear-armed neighbors, with India controlling about 45 percent, Pakistan about 35 percent, and China -- following a brief war with India in 1962 -- the remaining 20 percent.

Tens of thousands fled Indian-controlled Kashmir during the recent drone attacks and shelling by Pakistani forces.

Some have begun to return, although many remain hesitant, given the history of violence in the region.

“We will go back only after complete calm prevails,” Basharat Ahmed, who lives in Poonch district, was quoted by AP as saying. “It doesn’t take much time for the two countries to start fighting on the border.”

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, AP, Reuters, and the BBC

A US-mediated cease-fire between India and Pakistan is largely holding, despite both sides accusing the other of violating the truce just hours after it was signed -- a truce aimed at halting the latest surge in violence over the disputed Kashmir region.

India and Pakistan had agreed to an immediate cessation of hostilities, US President Donald Trump and officials from both South Asian countries said on May 10, after the biggest flare-up of fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors in years sparked fears of a full-scale war.

"After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence."

The announcement was subsequently confirmed by Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who wrote on X that the South Asian archrivals "have agreed to a cease-fire with immediate effect."

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a news conference that a senior Pakistani military official called his Indian counterpart in the afternoon and they agreed "that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, air, and sea with effect from 1700 hours IST (13:30 CET)."

Despite talk of the cease-fire, India and Pakistan accused each other of violations in the following hours.

Misri said Islamabad had been repeatedly breaching the agreement, and explosions were heard in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to the BBC.

"For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding we arrived at earlier this evening," Misri said, adding that Indian forces have been "given instructions to deal strongly with violations.”

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry accused India of its own violations and said Pakistani forces "are handling the situation with responsibility and restraint."`1

But the situation appeared to have calmed later on May 11, with reports indicating that the cease-fire was largely holding.

In the northern town of Kupwara, in Indian-administered Kashmir near the Line of Control -- the de facto border with the Pakistan-controlled part of the contested region -- residents expressed cautious relief.

"We are happy to see this," local resident Anas Khan told Reuters. "This is a good thing. Nobody wants war. No solution could be found with war. It is only through dialogue."

Another resident, Nazram Ali, described the toll of the past few days.

"We were facing a lot of troubles due to the cross-border shelling," they said. "From children to the elderly, everyone stayed indoors during the day and moved to different villages during the night due to the firing. We are very happy that there is a cease-fire."

International leaders have also welcomed the breakthrough.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the governments of India and Pakistan had agreed "to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site."

In a post on X on May 10, Rubio said he and Vice President JD Vance had been in contact with senior Indian and Pakistani officials over the previous 48 hours.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the cease-fire agreement a "positive step" and "hopes the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, longstanding issues between the two countries," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

The cease-fire follows weeks of escalating violence that began after a deadly April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 civilians, most of them Hindu tourists. India blamed Pakistan-based militants for the assault -- a claim Islamabad denies. The incident triggered a series of strikes, including reported missile and drone attacks, cross-border shelling, and cyberattacks.

India and Pakistan, which gained independence from Britain in 1947, fought full-scale wars in 1948, 1965, and 1971, and a limited conflict in 1999. The central issue remains the Kashmir Valley, which India regards as its Atoot Ang -- integral part -- while Pakistan sees it as the “unfinished agenda of partition” of the subcontinent.

Kashmir is divided between three nuclear-armed neighbors, with India controlling about 45 percent, Pakistan about 35 percent, and China -- following a brief war with India in 1962 -- the remaining 20 percent.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, AP, Reuters, and the BBC

The fourth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States has ended in Muscat, with Tehran suggesting a new round will be scheduled by Omani mediators.

Iranian Foreign Minister spokesman Esmail Baqaei wrote on X that the talks on May 11 were "difficult but useful" to help "better understand each other's positions and to find reasonable and realistic ways" to resolve differences.

"Next round will be coordinated and announced by Oman," he wrote.

There were no immediate comments from the White House or the State Department on the talks, but US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had suggested earlier that the outcome of the Oman talks could decide whether diplomacy continues or collapses.

Deep divisions have emerged over red lines in the past several weeks that threaten to derail the negotiations.

Witkoff, who is Washington's chief negotiator, stated in an interview ahead of the talks that Washington's position is "no enrichment," meaning Iran must dismantle its nuclear program, including key facilities at Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.

"If Sunday’s discussions do not yield positive results, we will have to explore alternative approaches," Witkoff warned, strongly implying that a lack of progress in Oman could end the current negotiation track.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who serves as Tehran’s top negotiator, has said enrichment is "nonnegotiable" and rejected the possibility of dismantling the nuclear program.

Speaking ahead of the talks in Oman, Araqchi said a deal can be reached with the United States if Washington’s goal is to ensure that Tehran does not acquire nuclear weapons.

“But if the goal of the negotiations is to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, I state clearly that Iran will not back down from any of its rights,” he added.

Speaking ahead of the talks in Oman, Araqchi said a deal can be reached with the United States if Washington’s goal is to ensure that Tehran does not acquire nuclear weapons.

“But if the goal of the negotiations is to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, I state clearly that Iran will not back down from any of its rights,” he added.

US President Donald Trump has warned of the possibility of military action if diplomatic efforts collapse, with Israel likely taking part in strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iran has vowed to respond to any attack and has been showcasing its military capabilities in recent weeks, including the unveiling of a new missile and underground drone base.

Meanwhile, the United States in March deployed at least six B-2 bombers to Diego Garcia, a joint US-British military base on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. Last month, the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier was dispatched to join the USS Harry S. Truman, which is already stationed in the region.

US President Donald Trump has demanded that Ukraine should "immediately" hold direct talks with Russia to end the war, ignoring Kyiv's call for a cease-fire before any negotiations.

Trump made the demand on May 11 after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed direct talks with Kyiv in Turkey after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, backed by European allies, called for a quick 30-day cease-fire.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump noted that Putin "doesn't want to have" a cease-fire agreement with Ukraine and instead wants direct talks to "negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath."

“Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump added. “At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!”

The US president said he was with Putin,” urging Kyiv to accept the meeting invitation, adding, "Have the meeting now".

Posting on Telegram after Trump’s comments, Zelenskyy reiterated his call for a “complete and lasting” cease-fire to “provide the necessary basis for diplomacy.”

“There is no point in prolonging the killings,” Zelenskyy wrote. “And I will expect Putin on Thursday [May 15] in Turkey. Personally.”

Trump’s demand that Ukraine drop its precondition for a cease-fire and go straight into negotiations with Russia comes just hours after his Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, backed Kyiv’s call for a cease-fire.

"As President Trump has repeatedly said, stop the killing!!" he said on X. "An unconditional 30-day cease-fire first and, during it, move into comprehensive peace discussions. Not the other way around."

During a middle-of-the-night press briefing in Moscow on May 11, Putin ignored the cease-fire call in the Ukraine war and instead offered to hold direct peace talks with Kyiv, possibly in Istanbul on May 15, “without preconditions.”

Speaking to Russian pro-Kremlin media, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed Kyiv's calls -- backed by its allies -- for Russia to pause the war, saying that Kyiv must have misread the Russian leader's message. "Putin made it clear in his statement," she said. "First talks about the root causes, and then we can perhaps talk about a cease-fire."

Zelenskyy's presidential adviser Andriy Yermak responded on Telegram to Putin's call for talks by saying: "First, a 30-day ceasefire -- then everything else."

"Russia must not disguise its desire to continue the war behind rhetorical constructions," he said. "A cease-fire is the first step toward ending the war, and it will demonstrate Russia’s willingness to stop the killings."

Later on May 11, Erdogan told Putin in a phone call that Ankara is ready to host negotiations for a cease-fire and permanent peace between Russia and Ukraine, the Turkish president's office said.

In a separate phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Erdogan said "a historic turning point" had been reached toward ending the war.

Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelenskyy, and British and Polish prime ministers Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk announced the proposal for a cease-fire beginning on May 12 after a meeting in Kyiv on May 10.

They warned Moscow that it would face "massive" new sanctions if it balked at the proposed truce. They said they had spoken to Trump by phone following the talks.

Macron, speaking from the Polish border town of Przemysl on his return from Kyiv, described Putin’s offer of direct talks as “a first step, but not enough,” adding that “an unconditional cease-fire is not preceded by negotiations.”

Merz struck a similar note, calling the proposal “a good sign” but “far from sufficient.”

“First, the weapons must be silenced, then the discussions can begin,” he said in a statement.

Before their visit to Ukraine, Macron and the other European leaders promised they would "stand in Kyiv in solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s barbaric and illegal full-scale invasion," now well into its fourth year.

In a statement published on the British government website, they reiterated their support for Trump’s call for an agreement to end the war and urged Russia “to stop obstructing efforts to secure a lasting peace.”

Speaking to RFE/RL after Putin's comments on May 11, John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the Russian leader was continuing "to attempt to walk the line between placating President Trump and still refusing a cease-fire absent significant Ukrainian and Western concessions."

"Putin essentially proposed that Russia and Ukraine pick up where they left off with the 2022 Istanbul negotiations, where Moscow sought to impose harsh peace terms,” he said, adding that the US president has a decision to make.

“Will he continue to allow Putin to 'tap him along,' or will he follow through on his threat to turn the economic screws on Russia?” he said.

With reporting by AFP

KYIV -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ignored a call for quick 30-day cease-fire in the Ukraine war and instead offered to hold direct peace talks with Kyiv, possibly in Istanbul on May 15, “without preconditions.”

Speaking to reporters at a middle-of-the-night briefing in Moscow on May 11, Putin offered to “restart” peace talks that were held by Russia and Ukraine in April 2022 -- which was weeks after Russia's full-scale invasion if its western neighbor began on February 24.

"We are determined to have serious negotiations. Their purpose is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict...and establish a long-term, lasting peace in the historical perspective," said Putin, who has often used such phrases to reject Ukraine's desires to join NATO and his insistence that Kyiv remain neutral.

Putin said he would soon speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to seek his help to facilitate the talks in Istanbul.

"We do not exclude that, during these talks, we will be able to agree on some new cease-fire," Putin added.

Shortly after Putin made his remarks, authorities in Kyiv said Russian forces had launched an air attack on the Ukrainian capital.

The local military administration said drones had been launched at Kyiv and that air defenses had responded. Some targets were shot down but no infrastructure was hit.

Authorities said a summer house was struck in the city's suburban Brovary district and that one man was being treated for shock. Five private residences were also damaged in the Obukhiv district.

Putin began his comments at 1:38 a.m. in the Kremlin by hailing Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations marking the end of World War II before moving on to remarks about the Ukraine war.

Hours after Putin's early morning briefing, US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social account that it was a "potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!"

"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end," he added. "It will be a whole new, and much better, WORLD. I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine or European leaders.

Hours earlier in Kyiv, the leaders of Germany, France, Poland, and Britain joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in pressing for an unconditional 30-day cease-fire in Russia's war against Ukraine, warning Moscow that it would face "massive" new sanctions if balked at the proposed truce.

The leaders said they had agreed that the cease-fire should begin on May 12.

Putin did not directly mention the call for a cease-fire by the European leaders in his early morning remarks.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelenskyy, and British and Polish prime ministers Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk announced the proposal after a meeting in Kyiv on May 10. They spoke to Trump by phone following the talks.

"So all of us here together with the US are calling Putin out. If he is serious about peace, then he has a chance to show it," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a news conference. "No more ifs and buts, no more conditions and delays."

"If he turns his back on peace, we will respond. Working with President Trump, with all our partners, we will ramp up sanctions and increase our military aid for Ukraine's defense," said Starmer, who also stated that the plan calls for the cease-fire to begin on May 12.

The New York Times quoted an unidentified senior US official as saying Trump supported the Europeans' proposal for new sanctions if a cease-fire were not in place by May 12.

Macron said: "We have just now...decided to support a cease-fire which will begin [May 12], without any preconditions."

Before the visit, the four European leaders promised they would "stand in Kyiv in solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s barbaric and illegal full-scale invasion," now well into its fourth year.

In a statement published on the British government website, they reiterated their support for Trump’s call for an agreement to end the war and urged Russia “to stop obstructing efforts to secure a lasting peace.”

In his Kremlin comments, Putin continually accused Kyiv of breaking previous cease-fire agreements, including one the Russian president had called for on May 8-10 surrounding Russia’s Victory Day celebrations marking the end of World War II.

Despite the Kremlin call for that three-day cease-fire, Russia continued to carry out attacks on Ukrainian forces and civilian infrastructure. Kyiv said it would respect the cease-fire only if Russia did, but also said it sought a longer truce, one of at least 30 days.

Trump ran for president on a promise to end the war quickly. In an interview with NBC News that aired on May 4, he expressed hope a peace deal could still be reached while also suggesting his patience with both Ukraine and Russia was limited.

“There will be a time when I will say, ‘OK, keep going. Keep being stupid and keep fighting,’” he said.

In early May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said if there isn't a real breakthrough on the war in Ukraine in the near future, Trump will have to decide how much more time to dedicate to the negotiation process.

Many analysts have said Putin is not interested in a quick cease-fire because the Russian leader believes he is winning the war and that time is on his side, encouraging him to drag out cease-fire talks rather than reject them outright so as not to anger Trump.

Putin, during his remarks on May 11, also hailed the presence of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine, saying they helped fight Kyiv’s forces that had made a stunning incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.

Unable to secure a decisive victory, Moscow has turned elsewhere for men and materiel to continue the war -- most notably, North Korea.

Late in 2024, around 11,000 North Korean troops were deployed to fight alongside Russian troops, mainly in the Kursk border region, which Ukraine invaded last summer, embarrassing the Kremlin. Russian commanders have credited the troops with success in mostly pushing Ukraine’s forces out of Kursk.

Putin also referred to talks conducted in Istanbul in late March 2022, shortly after Russia realized its blitz attack on Ukraine was stalling. Kyiv left the talks after being handed an ultimatum, which to this day Moscow is presenting as Ukraine's blunder and unwillingness to talk.

With reporting by AFP

KYIV -- The leaders of Germany, France, Poland, and Britain joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in pressing for an unconditional 30-day cease-fire in Russia's war against Ukraine, warning Moscow it would face "massive" new sanctions if President Vladimir Putin balks at the proposed truce.

Zelenskyy and his foreign minister said the leaders agreed the cease-fire should start on May 12.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelenskyy, and British and Polish prime ministers Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk announced the proposal after a meeting in Kyiv on May 10. They spoke to US President Donald Trump by phone following the talks.

"So all of us here together with the US are calling Putin out. If he is serious about peace, then he has a chance to show it," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a news conference. "No more ifs and buts, no more conditions and delays."

"If he turns his back on peace, we will respond. Working with President Trump, with all our partners, we will ramp up sanctions and increase our military aid for Ukraine's defense," said Starmer, who also stated that the plan calls for the cease-fire to begin on May 12.

The New York Times quoted an unidentified senior U.S. official as saying Trump supported the Europeans' proposal for new sanctions if a cease-fire were not in place by May 12.

Macron said: "We have just now...decided to support a cease-fire which will begin [May 12], without any preconditions."

Before the visit, the four European leaders promised they would "stand in Kyiv in solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s barbaric and illegal full-scale invasion," now well into its fourth year.

In a statement published on the British government website, they reiterated their support for Trump’s call for an agreement to end the war and urged Russia “to stop obstructing efforts to secure a lasting peace.”

As the meeting progressed, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said that Kyiv "and all allies are ready for a full unconditional cease-fire on land, air, and at sea for at least 30 days starting already on Monday," May 12.

"If Russia agrees and effective monitoring is ensured, a durable ceasefire and confidence-building measures can pave the way to peace negotiations," Sybiha wrote in a post on X.

"A comprehensive (air, land, sea, infrastructure) cease fire for 30 days will start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II," Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, wrote on X.

Macron, Merz, Starmer, and Tusk also declared their readiness to support peace talks, discuss the technical implementation of a cease-fire, and help prepare for a comprehensive peace agreement.

"We are clear the bloodshed must end," they said. "Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognized borders for generations to come."

The visiting European leaders were in Kyiv to participate in a "coalition of the willing" summit, announced earlier by Zelenskyy, bringing together countries committed to sustaining military and political support for Ukraine.

The coalition includes Great Britain, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Ukraine.

On May 8, following a call with Zelenskyy, Trump renewed his call for an unconditional 30-day cease-fire and warned that failure to reach such an agreement would result in further sanctions from Washington and its allies.

Russia had earlier declared a separate, three-day cease-fire from May 8 to 10 to coincide with its Victory Day commemorations. Zelenskyy dismissed it as a "theatrical production," and Kyiv accused Moscow of violating it hundreds of times. Russia also accused Ukraine of launching attacks during the three-day period.

That three-day cease-fire officially ended at midnight on May 10 heading into May 11.

In March, Ukraine agreed to a US proposal for an extendable 30-day cease-fire. Russia effectively rejected it, saying it agreed in principle but attaching numerous conditions that Putin called "nuances."

Speaking to ABC News on May 10, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin would reject a longer cease-fire if Ukraine’s Western allies continue supplying it with weapons during that time.

He hinted that Russia would continue to seek to place conditions on a cease-fire agreement before accepting it, saying that when Trump proposed a 30-day truce n March "it was supported by Putin with the reservation that it is very difficult to discuss this in detail if no answers are found to a large number of nuances."

Peskov also claimed Kyiv is not ready for negotiations, but suggested Trump could play a key role in persuading the Ukrainian leadership to enter talks.

He told CNN that Russia will "consider" the idea of a cease-fire. "Generally speaking, Putin supports the idea, but there are many questions about it," Peskov added.

Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels on May 10 that any cease-fire “must be implemented without preconditions” and warned that Moscow would face tougher sanctions if it breached an agreement.

Peskov said on a state TV program aired earlier in the day that it was "pointless to frighten" Moscow with new sanctions, saying Russians "are already used to sanctions, and we can even imagine what we will do after these sanctions are announced and how we will minimize their consequences."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service, Reuters, and dpa

India and Pakistan agreed to an immediate cease-fire, US President Donald Trump and officials from both South Asian countries said, after the biggest flare-up of fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors in years sparked fears of a full-scale war.

"After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on May 10. "Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence."

The announcement was subsequently confirmed by Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who wrote on X that the South Asian archrivals "have agreed to a cease-fire with immediate effect."

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a news conference that a senior Pakistani military official called his Indian counterpart in the afternoon and they agreed "that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, air, and sea with effect from 1700 hours IST (13:30 CET)."

Despite talk of the cease-fire, both sides accused the other of violations in the following hours.

Misri accused Islamabad of repeatedly violating the agreement, and explosions were heard in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to the BBC.

"For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding we arrived at earlier this evening," Misri said, adding that Indian forces have been "given instructions to deal strongly with violations.”

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry accused India of its own violations and said Pakistani forces "are handling the situation with responsibility and restraint."

Still, Pakistan and India both said they remained “committed” to the cease-fire agreement.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the governments of India and Pakistan had also agreed "to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site." In a post on X, Rubio said he and Vice President JD Vance had been in contact with senior Indian and Pakistani officials over the previous 48 hours.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the cease-fire agreement a "positive step" and "hopes the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, longstanding issues between the two countries," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Earlier, Islamabad and New Delhi both suggested they would halt their fiercest fighting in years if the other side did the same, but they continued to trade attacks on May 10 and tension persisted.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told the BBC that if India steps back, Islamabad will reciprocate. He spoke after India said it was committed to non-escalation if Pakistan responded in kind.

Dar made similar remarks to the country's Geo News outlet, but he warned that “our response will follow” if India launches any strikes.

The comments came after Pakistan said it launched a military operation against India after accusing it of firing missiles at three Pakistani air bases late on May 9, another escalation.

Pakistani security sources told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that the operation is codenamed Bunyanun Marsoos, an Arabic word taken from a verse in the Koran meaning a strong pillar.

Reports said Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called an urgent meeting of the National Command Authority, which deals with the country's nuclear arms policy, among other functions. But Defense Minister Khwaja Asif said later on May 10 that no meeting had taken place.

Pakistan's Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) said a depot used to store India’s Brahmos missiles had been destroyed. The military said attacks on several other locations, including the Pathankot Airfield and Udhampur Air Force Station, had also taken place. Pakistan also said it fired Fatah 1 missiles on the two Indian air bases.

The Indian Army called Pakistan's actions unacceptable.

"Pakistan’s blatant escalation with drone strikes and other munitions continues along our western borders. In one such incident, today at approximately 5 a.m., Multiple enemy armed drones were spotted flying over Khasa Cantt, Amritsar," the army said on X. "The hostile drones were instantly engaged and destroyed by our air defense units."

The fresh attacks started hours after Saudi Arabia's foreign minister left Pakistan. Adel Al-Jubeir was in Islamabad to meet with Sharif, according to a statement. He visited India before landing in Islamabad on May 9 for talks with Pakistani leaders.

Pakistani security sources also claimed that a simultaneous cyberattack had been launched and electrical power in several cities had been cut.

The security sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, added that the Pakistani side has decided that if India launched more attacks, they would hit the highways in India.

Pakistan said earlier that missiles, apparently fired by India, had fallen at different locations in Pakistan.

One of the missiles hit the Noor Khan Air Noor Khan Airbase Base in Rawalpindi city. The air base is where the military has its headquarters and is less than 30 kilometers from key buildings, including the Presidential House, the House of Parliament, and the prime minister’s house, in the Pakistani capital city of Islamabad.

Fahim Ahmad, a resident of Rawalpindi city, who lives near the Noor Khan Air Base, told Radio Mashaal, he saw an object blasted out of the air and drop near the air base.

Ahmad said alarm sirens went off, heightening fears of a large escalation just days after Indian air strikes claimed multiple lives in Pakistan, prompting Sharif to vow retaliation.

Speaking at a hastily arranged news conference soon after the missiles were fired on Pakistan late on May 9, the director-general of the ISPR, Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif, said an attack by India to target the Noor Khan Air Base had been foiled.

Two other missiles were fired at two other air bases -- Murid Air Base and Shorkot Air |Base -- he said. Sharif claimed that India also fired some missiles in Afghanistan.

An explosion was reported in the city of Peshawar in the early hours of May 10, according to Radio Mashaal correspondent Wasim Sajjad.

“We were awakened by the sound of an explosion around 3 a.m. (local time), which was followed by firing from the ground,” Sajjad said. “We saw lights going from the ground toward the sky with sounds of firing that continued for nearly an hour.”

The explosion drew people out of their houses and apartments into the dark night, said Sajjad.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals have soared since an attack at a popular tourist site in India-controlled Kashmir killed 26 civilians, mostly Hindu Indian tourists, on April 22. New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for backing the assault, an accusation Islamabad rejects.

Azaz Seyed, author and journalist, told Radio Mashaal that the world is not taking interest in stopping a looming full-fledged conflict between India and Pakistan.

The Group of Seven leading industrialized countries on May 9 urged both India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and called on them to engage in direct dialogue.

The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, and the European Union said they "strongly condemn" a deadly attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir on April 22 and "urge maximum restraint from both India and Pakistan."

Indian and Pakistani forces on May 7 exchanged artillery fire after Indian air strikes claimed multiple lives. Both sides reported several fatalities in the shelling. Pakistan also claimed to have shot down several Indian jets.

Indian forces on May 6 hit targets across Pakistani-administered Kashmir and Pakistan’s Punjab Province.

India said it carried out “precision strikes” against “terrorists” following the attack in Indian-administered Kashmir two weeks ago that killed 26 Hindu tourists.

India had earlier said that two of three suspects in that attack were Pakistani nationals but had not detailed any evidence. Pakistan denied that it had anything to do with the killings.

India and Pakistan, which gained independence from Britain in 1947, fought full-scale wars in 1948, 1965, and 1971, and a limited conflict in 1999. The central issue remains the Kashmir Valley, which India regards as its Atoot Ang -- integral part -- while Pakistan sees it as the “unfinished agenda of partition” of the subcontinent.

Kashmir is divided between three nuclear-armed neighbors, with India controlling about 45 percent, Pakistan about 35 percent, and China -- following a brief war with India in 1962 -- the remaining 20 percent.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Ukraine's EU allies on May 9 endorsed the creation of a new international court to prosecute Russia's top leaders over Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The special tribunal would target senior Russian leaders for the crime of aggression to cover the countless war crimes Ukraine accuses Russian forces of committing since the start of the war in 2022.

EU foreign ministers gathered in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv announced their support for the international court on the same day Russia commemorated the end of World War II with a military parade in Moscow.

European efforts to create the tribunal appear to have sped up since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House and began pushing for a rapid end to the war, raising fears that Russian leaders could escape justice.

"There is no space for impunity. Russia's aggression cannot go unpunished and therefore establishing this tribunal is extremely important," EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague has already issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and another Russian official for the forced deportation of children and strikes on Ukraine's energy targets.

But Russia is not a member of the ICC, so it cannot prosecute Putin and other senior leaders for the decision to launch the invasion. Ukrainian and European leaders came up with the special tribunal as an alternative way to hold Russian leaders to account.

"This tribunal is being set up to pass appropriate sentences in the future," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said in Lviv on May 9.

He added Kyiv wanted the "inevitable punishment for all," including the "president of Russia, the prime minister of Russia, and the foreign minister of Russia."

Similar special tribunals were established after World War II, the Balkan wars, and the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Since early in the conflict, Kyiv has been pushing for the creation of a special tribunal that goes beyond prosecuting war crimes that Ukraine alleged Russian forces committed, including bombing civilian infrastructure, killing civilians, rape, taking hostages, and torture.

“If we want true justice, we should not look for excuses and should not refer to the shortcomings of the current international law but make bold decisions that will correct those shortcomings that unfortunately exist in international law,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a visit to the Netherlands in 2023.

The legal framework for the tribunal was agreed on by leaders in February. It will be funded by the countries who back it, known as the Core Group, including the Netherlands, Japan and Canada.

The United States backed the projected under former President Joe Biden, but the Trump administration does not support the initiative. Kallas said she hoped Washington would "sooner rather than later join."

Putin earlier on May 9 evoked Soviet victory over Nazi Germany to rally the country round his three-year offensive at a military parade in Moscow in front of key allies, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"We are not reacting to this," the state TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. Russia has denied Ukraine’s accusations of war crimes.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP

The younger brother of imprisoned Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Ihar Losik was detained in April and remains in jail in his native Belarus on extremism charges related to Russia's war against Ukraine, according to a rights group and RFE/RL sources.

Mikita Losik, 25, was detained in mid-April, the Country For Life foundation said in a Telegram post. Sources who spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity for security reasons in the tightly controlled country said he was detained in the northeastern city of Orsha.

Mikita Losik is accused of "assisting extremist activity" for allegedly sending photographs of the movement of Russian military equipment in 2022 to Belaruski Hayun, a defunct independent Telegram channel that monitored military activity, sources said. He is jailed in Vitsebsk, also in the northeast.

The head of Belaruski Hayun announced its closure in February, saying Belarusian authorities had hacked into a database and gained access to information about contributors.

Several people have since been detained on extremism charges in connection with photos and video of Russian military force that were sent to the channel in the spring of 2022, around the time Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. Belarus is Russia's military ally, and authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use its territory as a staging area for the invasion.

Ihar Losik, 32, was arrested in June 2020 and sentenced in December 2021 for "organizing mass riots, taking part in mass disorder, inciting social hatred," and several other charges that remain unclear. Losik, RFE/RL, and Western governments say the charges are politically motivated.

Ihar Losik has not been heard from in about two years aside from a being paraded before a camera on a Belarusian state TV propaganda program that accused jailed RFE/RL journalists of "trying to set Belarus on fire."

In 2020, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest the result of a presidential election, which was widely considered by international observers to be rigged. The security forces responded with a brutal crackdown, arresting over 30,000 people, many of whom reported torture and ill-treatment while in custody.

The crackdown has pushed most opposition politicians to leave Belarus fearing for their safety and freedom. Many Western governments have refused to recognize the results of the 2020 election and do not consider Lukashenka to be the country's legitimate leader.

Darya Losik, Ihar's wife, was sentenced to two years in prison in January 2023 on a charge of facilitating extremist activity. She was released in an amnesty last July.

KYIV -- Ukraine's main security agency said it uncovered a Hungarian-run spy network that was seeking sensitive information about military defenses and public opinion in the western Zakarpattya region, which borders Hungary and has a substantial ethnic-Hungarian population.

Hungary responded by expelling two Ukrainian diplomats it said were considered spies, prompting Ukraine to expel two Hungarian diplomats in return and increasing tensions between the neighboring countries whose governments are at odds over Russia's war against Ukraine.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on May 9 that it had arrested two suspected agents in Zakarpattya -- often known in English as Transcarpathia -- and claimed it had identified their handler as an employee of Hungarian military intelligence. This is the first time Ukraine has found a Hungarian spy network working to undermine the country's security, the SBU said.

The SBU posted video footage showing camouflage-clad officers muscling a man out of a building and into a vehicle, his hands cuffed behind his back.

The announcement comes amid tension between Ukraine and Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban has maintained warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and opposed sanctions against the Kremlin imposed by the European Union in response to Moscow's war on Ukraine. Hungary has been far less supportive of Kyiv's defensive efforts than most other European Union and NATO nations, and Orban opposes EU membership for Ukraine.

The development also plays into a complex situation in Zakarpattya, where Kremlin critics say Russia has sought to spark tension between ethnic Hungarians and the Ukrainian authorities.

Hours after the SBU announcement, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Hungary expelled two diplomats from the Ukrainian Embassy in Budapest who were considered to be undercover spies. In a video posted on Facebook, he said a notification about the expulsions was handed to the Ukrainian ambassador at the Foreign Ministry.

Asked earlier in the day about the Ukrainian statement, Szijjarto told ATV television that Hungary had received no official notice about the case from Ukraine and that for now, "this should be classified as propaganda that should be treated with caution."

"[In] addition to the physical war [in Ukraine], there is also a propaganda war taking place," Szijjarto said. "It is clear that anti-Hungarian propaganda is often used in Ukraine, anti-Hungarian propaganda that in many cases has turned out to have no basis whatsoever."

The Hungarian prime minister's office and Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to RFE/RL's requests for comment.

Later in the day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Ukraine is also expelling two Hungarian diplomats, who now have 48 hours to leave the country.

"We are acting in response to Hungary's actions, based on the principle of reciprocity and our national interests," Sybiha added on his X.

The alleged network's goals were "the collection of information about the military defenses of the Zakarpattya Oblast, a search for vulnerable spots in the ground and air defenses of the region, and also the study of the sociopolitical views of local residents," including how they might react "if Hungarian forces enter the region," the SBU said in a statement.

The SBU said one of the suspects was a 40-year-old former soldier from Zakarpattya's Berehove district -- the population hub for Ukraine's ethnic Hungarian minority of roughly 100,000 people -- whom it said was recruited and placed in a "sleeper" mode in 2021, then "activated" by the alleged handler in September 2024.

The SBU claimed it has documentary evidence that the suspect was gathering information about the location of Ukrainian air-defense systems and other military capabilities.

The other detained suspect, a woman, is a former member of Ukraine's Security and Defense Forces who resigned from her unit earlier this year, it said.

The suspects have not been named.

Viktor Yahun, a former SBU deputy head who left the agency in 2015, said the accusations were a grave matter in wartime.

"The presence of agents had been recorded before, they were simply left alone because there was no directive to expose them," Yahun told RFE/RL. "But now the situation has critically changed. We're dealing with military intelligence. This is a serious matter, and the information this structure gathers can be of strategic importance to us. It can be used to make certain strategic decisions."

Vitaliy Dyachuk, an analyst at the Institute for Central European Strategy in Uzhhorod, Zakarpattya's capital, suggested the situation should be handled with care and that heightened tension could play into Russia's hands.

"The tense relationship between Ukraine and Hungary is an ideal [touchstone]for the activation of forces seeking to further destabilize the situation. This is especially true when it comes to sensitive topics like alleged preconditions for another military incursion, the presence of armed forces, and ethnic communities in a region like Zakarpattya," Dyachuk told RFE/RL.

"Before taking any concrete steps, I believe it is worth waiting for a full analysis of the situation. There have already been incidents in Zakarpattya involving arson attacks on Hungarian institutions and other provocations. However, in the end, the trail led to the aggressor state -- Russia. Russia is, in fact, the only major beneficiary of instability in Europe."

After centuries under the control of Hungary and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Zakarpattya became part of Czechoslovakia after World War I before Hungary, allied with Nazi Germany, attempted to reclaim it in 1939. Following Germany's defeat in World War II, Czechoslovakia ceded the territory to the Soviet Union, which made it part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Between 2011 and 2020, the Hungarian government provided at least 115 million euros to Zakarpattya, a 2021 investigation by RFE/RL's Ukrainian investigative unit, Schemes, and a group of Central European journalists established. That amount was roughly 1 1/2 times the size of Zakarpattya's annual budget.

(RFE/RL Ukrainian Service correspondent Iryna Breza reported from Uzhhorod, Ukraine)

Robert Prevost, a long-time missionary in Latin America who was born in the United States, has been elected pope in a surprise move by the Roman Catholic conclave of cardinals.

Prevost, a 69-year-old native of Chicago who became the 267th pontiff and first American to lead the Church, took the name Pope Leo XIV.

"Peace be with you all," he told thousands of pilgrims and onlookers in St. Peter's Square on May 8 in his first public words as leader of a church with some 1.4 billion members worldwide.

He appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica more than an hour after white smoke poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel to indicate that the cardinals had made their choice.

St. Peter's Square erupted in cheers and applause, marking a pivotal moment for the 2,000-year-old institution.

The new pope's influence will extend far beyond religious boundaries as he steps into a role with diplomatic and social weight.

The election took place amid significant geopolitical instability and growing internal divisions within the church -- both seen as key factors in the conclave's outcome.

He spoke to the crowd in Italian and Spanish, but not English, honoring his predecessor, Pope Francis, and Peru, where he served for 20 years as a missionary.

“Greetings...to all of you, and in particular, to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where a faithful people have accompanied their bishop, shared their faith,” he said in Spanish.

Americans in the crowd were stunned and ecstatic. In Washington, US President Donald Trump said it was “such an honor for our country” for the new pope to be American.

“What greater honor can there be?” he said. The president added that “we’re a little bit surprised and we’re happy.”

Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, congratulated Pope Leo, saying on X he's sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians "will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!"

Pope Leo, a member of the Order of St. Augustine, has a reputation for cross-cultural appeal and is widely regarded as a church leader who transcends national boundaries. He became a bishop while serving in Peru and was granted Peruvian citizenship.

Pope Francis was widely seen as a compassionate reformer who prioritized migrants and the environment. He was the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit, and the first non-European pope in more than a millennium.

Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, at the age of 88, after battling double pneumonia.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

A US appeals court issued a ruling that advances efforts by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) to secure congressionally mandated funds it sorely needs to keep operations going in the coming weeks, pausing a decision delivered just hours earlier by a three-judge panel of the same court.

The new ruling, issued late on May 7 by the full 11-judge bench of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, imposed an “administrative stay” on the panel’s decision to put on hold a lower court’s ruling in the case, which pits RFE/RL against its overseer, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

RFE/RL has sued USAGM to release frozen budget funds for the second half of the current fiscal year, from April through September.

On April 29, US District Judge Royce Lamberth granted RFE/RL a temporary restraining order, ruling that Congress "ordained that the monies at issue should be allocated to RFE/RL" and that President Donald Trump signed the budget resolution appropriating those funds. His decision ordered payment to be made to RFE/RL for April, about $12 million.

On May 7, however, the three-judge appeals court panel issued a 2-1 ruling staying Lamberth’s order pending appeal, decreasing RFE/RL’s chances of receiving the April funding anytime soon and putting its already substantially scaled-back operations deeper into jeopardy.

Hours later, though, the full 11-member court responded to an emergency petition from RFE/RL and imposed a pause on the panel’s ruling “pending further order of the court.”

In its decision, which also covered other suits involving USAGM, the court emphasized that the stay was meant to give it “sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency petitions and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of those petitions.”

The ruling, by a 7-4 vote with the court’s four Republican-appointed judges dissenting, means that USAGM must comply with Judge Lamberth’s April 29 order to pay RFE/RL.

While the latest administrative stay is not the court’s final ruling, USAGM can appeal it to the US Supreme Court, which could consider the case or decline to do so.

RFE/RL is a private, independent international news organization whose programs on multiple platforms reach a weekly audience of nearly 50 million people in 23 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nations of Central Asia and the Caucasus.

It has been locked in a legal fight with the USAGM since March 14, when Trump signed an executive order calling for the reduction of USAGM and the broadcasters it oversees – including the Voice of America (VOA), which unlike RFE/RL is a federal entity -- to "the maximum extent consistent with applicable law."

Deprived of funding for April and beyond, RFE/RL has continued to broadcast and publish, but has taken drastic cost-cutting measures to stretch its dwindling savings, including placing hundreds of staffers on furlough and canceling many freelance contracts.

Pakistan and India traded accusations of attacks on May 8, as tensions persisted amid the worst flare-up of fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors in more than 20 years.

Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif, a Pakistani military spokesman, said that a civilian was killed in Sindh Province and four soldiers were wounded in Lahore as a result of Indian drone strikes.

The media wing of the military said that Pakistan shot down 25 drones using a mix of technical and weapons-based countermeasures.

India’s Defense Ministry said it targeted air defense systems in several locations after Pakistan launched a drone-and-missile attack overnight, but did not say whether India's forces used drones.

"Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets...using drones and missiles," the ministry said in a statement. It said the weapons were "neutralized" by India's air defense systems.

The fighting this week follows an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that killed 26 Hindu tourists and that India blamed on Pakistan, which denied it had anything to do with the killings.

India said it carried out “precision strikes” early on May 7 against nine Pakistani sites that were "terrorist infrastructure" from which attacks against it were orchestrated.

Pakistani officials have said that those strikes killed 31 civilians, some of them children.

On May 7, Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif vowed retaliation and an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee concluded with a decision authorizing the country's military to respond.

It said that India had "ignited an inferno in the region.”

There were also deaths and injuries on both sides of the border in heavy exchanges of fire that followed the initial Indian strikes.

India’s Foreign Ministry said on May 8 that 13 civilians were killed and 59 wounded during exchanges of fire across the border on May 7, and the army said an Indian soldier was also killed by shelling. Pakistani officials said six people have been killed near the border in exchanges of fire over the past day.

Since the partition of British India in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three full-scale wars -- in 1948, 1965, and 1971 -- and a limited conflict in 1999 known as the Kargil War.

There have also been several flare-ups in the century that have sparked fears of a full-scale war, including fighting that ensued after a suicide bomber killed 40 Indian security personnel in Indian-administered Kashmir in February 2019.

The partition, along religious lines, triggered one of history’s largest mass migrations, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands in sectarian violence between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs.

This latest escalation in the conflict has sounded alarm bells in Washington, where US President Donald Trump said he has been informed of the situation and hopes the fighting "ends very quickly."

On May 8, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Sharif and stressed the need for India and Pakistan to work closely to deescalate their conflict, the Pakistani prime minister's office said in a statement.

Both the EU and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have also expressed concern about the situation surrounding Kashmir and called for maximum restraint.

With reporting by AP and Reuters