This audio is created with AI assistance North Korean missiles used by Russia in attacks on Ukraine since December have become more accurate, Reuters reported on Feb. 6, citing sources familiar with the matter. Analysts believe North Korea is using the battlefield as a testing ground for its missile technology, enhancing its weapons for future use. North Korea has supplied Russia with artillery ammunition, ballistic missiles, and soldiers since the start of the full-scale invasion.

This audio is created with AI assistance • Ukraine should receive nuclear weapons if NATO entry is delayed, Zelensky says • Over 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed since start of war, Zelensky says Ukraine brought back 150 Ukrainian service members from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Feb. 5, marking the latest prisoner exchange between Kyiv and Moscow.

This audio is created with AI assistance Russia's continued attacks against Ukraine's power grid heighten the risk of a nuclear accident, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned during his visit to Kyiv on Feb. 4. Grossi is visiting Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian officials regarding nuclear safety in wartime before heading to Moscow to discuss the situation with Russian authorities. The visit marks his 11th mission to Kyiv since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion.

This audio is created with AI assistance The United States is urging Ukraine to hold elections, possibly by the end of the year, particularly if a truce with Russia is reached in the coming months, according to President Donald Trump's top Ukraine official. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told Reuters that presidential and parliamentary elections, suspended since the all-out war began, "need to be done." He argued that most democratic nations hold elections during wartime and that doing so would strengthen Ukraine’s democracy. "That’s the beauty...

This audio is created with AI assistance Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for national intelligence director, fielded questions about her record on foreign affairs and past statements about Russia during her Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 30. Gabbard has previously repeated Kremlin talking points justifying the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if Biden Admin/NATO had simply acknowledged Russia's legitimate security concerns," she wrote on X at the start of the invasion.

This audio is created with AI assistance In its latest round of sanctions, the European Union (EU) is proposing to introduce a phased ban of Russian aluminium, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 28 citing unnamed sources. The bloc, which covers 8% of its annual aluminium needs by Russian imports, plans to allow for the import of 275,000 metric tons of aluminium under a quota system for one more year before banning it entirely, the outlet reported. The sanctions will also cut off more Russian banks from the SWIFT banking system, and...

This audio is created with AI assistance An Australian volunteer soldier fighting for Ukraine who was reported to have been executed by Russian forces after being taken prisoner is alive, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Jan. 29. "The Australian government has received confirmation from Russia that Oscar Jenkins is alive and in custody," she said in comments reported by The Guardian.

This audio is created with AI assistance Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko appeared set to win a seventh term in office on Jan. 26 in an election widely dismissed by the West and opposition groups as a sham. Lukashenko has reportedly secured 86.82% of the vote, according to preliminary results announced by the country’s Central Election Commission on Monday. The 70-year-old leader, who has ruled since 1994, faced no real competition, as key opposition figures are either imprisoned or living in exile following years of political repression. Lukashenko's 2020 re-election, widely...

This audio is created with AI assistance An underwater fiber-optic cable belonging to the Latvian State Radio and Television Broadcasting Center (LVRTC) was significantly damaged on Jan. 26, reportedly due to external impact, according to LVRTC representative Vineta Sprugaine. The cable connected the Latvian town of Ventspils to Sweden's Gotland island and was located within Sweden's exclusive economic zone, the statement said.

This audio is created with AI assistance U.S. diplomats are urgently seeking an exemption for Ukraine-related programs from a 90-day foreign aid freeze imposed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to documents reviewed by the Financial Times (FT) and sources familiar with the situation. The sweeping directive, which took immediate effect, also includes "stop work" orders on existing projects. Senior diplomats in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs requested a full waiver to exclude U.S.