SERGEY LAVROV

Tensions between Russia and the West are aggravating talks about the future of one of the United Nations’ biggest and most perilous peacekeeping operations, the force sent to help Mali contend with a decade-long Islamic extremist insurgency.

Russian hostilities in Ukraine are preventing grain from leaving the “breadbasket of the world.”.

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO - THURSDAY, 16 JUNE 2022, 19:47 Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that Russia was satisfied with Ukraine's negotiating position in late March "as a basis for work.

Day after day, Russia is pounding the Donbas region of Ukraine with relentless artillery and air raids, making slow but steady progress to seize the industrial heartland of its neighbor.

Russia Ukraine War The gutted remains of cars lie along a road during heavy fighting at the front line in Severodonetsk, Luhansk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Oleksandr Ratushniak) (Oleksandr Ratushniak)PODGORICA, Montenegro — Montenegro's prime minister says he has spoken on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and expressed readiness to visit Kyiv. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said earlier that every day 60-100 Ukrainian servicemen die on the frontline and some 500 sustain wounds. ___BRUSSELS — Senior members of the European Union’s parliament are urging EU leaders to make Ukraine and neighboring Moldova official candidates for joining the 27-nation bloc. The official opinion will be weighed by EU leaders at a June 23-24 summit in Brussels.

Two British citizens and a Moroccan have been sentenced to death by pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine for fighting on Ukraine’s side.

Turkey Venezuela Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, right, reviews a military honour guard with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a welcome ceremony, in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Turkey and Venezuela have deepened their ties in recent years, with trade rising to nearly $850 million, according to Erdogan. Venezuela’s gold trade with Turkey has risen as U.S. sanctions have cut off other sources of income for Caracas. Erdogan told a news conference with Maduro that Turkey was against the “one-sided” sanctions on Venezuela. Erdogan was the first Turkish president to visit Venezuela in 2018 while Maduro has traveled to Turkey on several occasions.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has been welcomed in the Turkish capital one the same day as the foreign minister of Russia, a key ally of the ostracized Latin American regime, was also visiting the city.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was welcomed in the Turkish capital on Wednesday just as the foreign minister of Russia, a key ally of the ostracized Latin American regime, was also visiting the city. Maduro is on a Eurasian tour after being rebuffed by Washington, which decided not to invite him to the Summit of the Americas. Turkey is one of a handful of places around the world – Russia and Iran are other friendly states – where Maduro is welcome amid U.S. sanctions on his country.

But Russia demanded that the Black Sea be demined and Turkey said allowing the Ukraine exports should be accompanied by easing Western sanctions against Russia. The two allies appeared eager to dictate the terms of Ukraine's exports — which have been strongly affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine — and cement further control over the Black Sea. Russia has urged Ukraine to remove mines from the area near the Black Sea port of Odesa to allow safe grain exports. The head of Ukraine's grain traders group has also scoffed at Turkey’s effort to negotiate a deal with Russia to allow Ukrainian grain exports to resume, saying that Ankara is not powerful enough to act as a guarantor against Russia. “Turkey doesn’t have enough power in the Black Sea to guarantee security of cargo and Ukrainian ports,” Ukrainian Grain Union chief Serhiy Ivashchenko said Wednesday.

Turkey Russia Ukraine War Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu shake hands at the end of a joint news conference in Ankara, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. A Turkish minister said the move should also be accompanied by the easing of Western sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine's government was not represented at the Ankara meeting but has expressed concerns that removing mines from its ports to facilitate grain exports could allow Russia to attack its southern coast. He added that after they are loaded with grain, Russia would help escort the ships to international waters. It has criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but hasn't joined international sanctions against Russia.

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office says Russian troops have changed their tactics in the battle for Sievierodonetsk.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson managed to narrowly win a no-confidence vote from his own Conservative Party, but the result dealt a heavy blow to his authority.

The talks scheduled for Wednesday aim to unlock an estimated 22 million tons of grains sitting in silos in Ukraine.

Turkey Russia Ukraine FILE - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov listens to questions during a news conference following a tripartite meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, in Antalya, Turkey, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Turkey would facilitate and protect the transport of the grain in the Black Sea, Turkish officials have said. A top Russian official said Tuesday that Ukraine needs to remove sea mines near its Black Sea port of Odesa to allow grain exports to resume. He added that after they are loaded with grain, Russia would help escort the ships to international waters. Lavrov's plane was able to fly directly to Turkey over the Black Sea.

Russia and Turkey say they support a safe corridor in the Black Sea to export Ukrainian grain to global markets.

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency says Russia has so far turned over the bodies of 210 Ukrainian fighters killed in the battle for Mariupol.

Ukraine’s president says Russian forces intend to capture Zaporizhzhia, a large city in the country’s southeast.

(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) (Uncredited)KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s president is asking for a secure corridor for Ukrainian vessels to be able to ship out grain and prevent food shortages in Africa and Asia. “It is important for us that there is a security corridor ... that the fleet of this or that country ensures the shipping of the grain,” Zelenskyy said. ”That’s why we can’t do without the ports.”The issue of blocked grain will be on the agenda on Wednesday during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Turkey. Two of the men, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, were members of regular Ukrainian military units in Mariupol. Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov derided Di Maio’s peace plan, which had been relayed to the United Nations.

(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) (Uncredited)ROME — Russia’s ambassador in Rome has been summoned to the Italian foreign ministry, following anti-Italy remarks by Russian government officials. The foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday that Ambassador Sergey Razov was summoned on instructions on Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and “in concert” with the office of Italian Premier Mario Draghi. Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov derided Di Maio’s peace plan, which had been relayed to the United Nations. The foreign ministry statement said Secretary General Ettore Francesco Sequi “firmly rejects accusations of amorality” aimed at some heads of Italian institutions and media. The fight in Ukraine is about honoring these veterans of World War II,” he said.

Serbia Russia FILE - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, speaks with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic after a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021. Serbia says that a planned visit Monday, June 6, 2022 by Russia’s foreign minister to the Balkan country will not take place. Vucic expressed “dissatisfaction” over the “circumstances” that prevented the visit and added that "despite all, Serbia will preserve independence and autonomy in political decision-making." Many in Serbia view the fellow-Slavic nation as a close ally and Moscow has backed Serbia in its effort to retain its claim on Kosovo. The Russian foreign minister said the West has trampled on the principle of a free choice of foreign policy partners.

Serbia Russia Ukraine War People attend a protest against Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, June 6, 2022. Lavrov canceled a trip to Serbia after Serbia's neighboring countries reportedly closed their airspace to his plane. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) (Darko Vojinovic)BELGRADE, Serbia — (AP) — Serbia on Monday confirmed that a planned visit by Russia's foreign minister to the Balkan country will not take place. Analyst Slobodan Stupar described Lavrov's attempted visit to Belgrade as a “show” that would have been used by Moscow to further vilify the West. “I believe the Russians invited themselves” to Serbia, Stupar told The Associated Press.

Serbia says that a planned visit by Russia’s foreign minister to the Balkan country will not take place

Serbia and Russia say a planned visit by Russia’s foreign minister to the Balkan country will not take place.

Russia has begun turning over the bodies of Ukrainian fighters killed at the Azovstal steelworks, the fortress-like plant in the destroyed city of Mariupol.

President Joe Biden has decided to travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks and is expected to meet with the kingdom’s once-shunned crown prince.

Ukrainian forces in the country’s east are locked in a grinding battle as they try to prevent significant Russian advances before the arrival of advanced rockets and anti-aircraft weapons pledged by Western nations.

President Joe Biden is leaning towards making a visit to Saudi Arabia — a trip that would likely bring him face-to-face with the Saudi crown prince he once shunned as a killer.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has always been fond of macho displays of personal virility and strength. Just months into his first term as the nation’s leader, he served as the co-pilot of a fighter jet that landed in Grozny, the Chechen capital that had been devastated under his direction. He has been photographed riding a horse without a shirt and hunting, also shirtless.

Ukraine says Russia has prevented the export of 22 million tons of its grain and is fueling a global food crisis. The U.N. says African countries imported 44% of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine between 2018 and 2020. He also wants Turkey to be part of an Istanbul-based “control center” including Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations to find a way to end the war. A readout of that call from Erdogan’s office referred to an “observation mechanism” involving Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the U.N. No further details were given. ___POKROVSK, Ukraine — Across eastern Ukraine, hospitals in cities and towns near the front lines of Russia’s war are increasingly coming under pressure.

Russian troops pushed deeper into a key eastern Ukrainian city, fighting street by street with Kyiv’s forces in a battle that the mayor of Sievierodonetsk said has left his city in ruins.

Kateryna Tyshchenko - Sunday, 29 May 2022, 22:54 Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, has said that Russia's absolute priority in the war against Ukraine is to capture Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts; he added that people who live in other Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine will have to "decide their future" themselves.

The Kremlin’s top diplomat on Friday accused the West of waging “total war” and promoting “the culture of canceling Russia,” in blistering remarks that underscore how Moscow continues to see the war in Ukraine as an existential struggle to remake the geopolitical order as opposed to a mere territorial conflict.

Boris Bondarev, who was Russia's diplomat to the UN in Geneva, slammed the war in Ukraine, as well as his former boss and oligarchs.

A veteran Russian diplomat to the U.N. Office at Geneva says he handed in his resignation before sending out a scathing letter to foreign colleagues inveighing against the “aggressive war unleashed” by President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he accepted an apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin for controversial remarks about the Holocaust made by Moscow’s top diplomat

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he accepted an apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin for controversial remarks about the Holocaust made by Moscow’s top diplomat.

The invasion of Ukraine means fewer Russian tanks and other military hardware will rumble through Red Square on Monday, when the country marks its victory in World War II.

The Kremlin deepened its unusual rift over World War II history with Israel on Tuesday by endorsing falsehood-riddled comments made by Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov about the supposed collaboration of Jews during the Holocaust with their own Nazi killers.

Russia Ukraine War People with children sit in a bus during an evacuation of civilians in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Johnson said Ukraine had “exploded the myth of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s invincibility,” and expressed confidence Ukraine would win the war. ___LVIV, Ukraine — The British military says it believes the Russian military is now “significantly weaker” after suffering losses in its war on Ukraine. It said: “Russia’s military is now significantly weaker, both materially and conceptually, as a result of its invasion of Ukraine. Yet on Friday, a Russian military plane violated Swedish and Danish airspace.

Israel has voiced support for Ukraine after Russia launched its invasion, but has refrained from directly criticizing the Kremlin and joined the Western effort to sanction Russian oligarchs.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cited an often-debunked claim about Hitler's ancestry. Here's where that story comes from.

Russia Ukraine War People arrive at a reception center for displaced people in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Monday, May 2, 2022. Lavrov was interviewed Sunday evening for a program on the private Mediaset network, owned by former Premier Silvio Berlusconi, a long-time friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities say the Russian military again has struck a strategic bridge in the country’s southwest. Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov told The Associated Press that the redeployment of forces from Mariupol to the frontline in the east reflect their failure to make any gains there. The Russian military is still struggling to uproot the last remaining Ukrainian pocket of resistance at the giant Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol.

Russia Ukraine War People arrive at a reception center for displaced people in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Monday, May 2, 2022. Lavrov was interviewed Sunday evening for a program on the private Mediaset network, owned by former Premier Silvio Berlusconi, a long-time friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. ___LVIV, Ukraine — U.S. diplomats have made a day trip back into Ukraine amid that country’s grinding war with Russia. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities say the Russian military again has struck a strategic bridge in the country’s southwest. ___KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian military says that Russia has redeployed some of its forces from the port of Mariupol to join its offensive in the east.

"This is an unforgivable and outrageous statement and a terrible historic mistake and we expect an apology," Israel's foreign minister said.

"This is an unforgivable and outrageous statement and a terrible historic mistake and we expect an apology," Israel's foreign minister said.

Israel said the comments by Russia's foreign minister, which suggested Jews were to blame for their own murder in the Holocaust, were "unforgiveable."

Israeli officials are calling for an apology after Sergey Lavrov said the Hitler "had Jewish origins." It's the strongest condemnation of Russia by Israel since the war in Ukraine began in February.

Israel Russia Ukraine FILE - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a joint news conference with Eritrea Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed following their talks in Moscow, Russia, April 27, 2022. Israel, which summoned the Russian ambassador in response, said the remarks blamed Jews for their own murder in the Holocaust. (Yuri Kochetkov/Pool Photo via AP, File) (Yuri Kochetkov)TEL AVIV, Israel — (AP) — Israel on Monday lashed out at Russia over “unforgivable” comments by its foreign minister about Nazism and antisemitism — including claims that Adolf Hitler was Jewish. Israel, which summoned the Russian ambassador in response, said the remarks blamed Jews for their own murder in the Holocaust. While it has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine and expressed support for its people, Israel has been measured in its criticism of Russia.

Israel has summoned the Russian ambassador over comments made by the Russian foreign minister about Nazism and antisemitism

Israel has summoned the Russian ambassador over comments made by the Russian foreign minister about Nazism and antisemitism.

Russian news agency TASS is reporting that Russia's Defense Ministry says more than 1 million people have been taken to Russia from Ukraine in the past two months.

An operation to evacuate civilians from a steel plant in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol is under way.

Citizens are "begging to get saved" from a steel plant that has become Mariupol's last defense stronghold.

Russia Ukraine War Destroyed houses are photographed in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. Ukraine is also facing fuel shortages as Russia destroys its fuel infrastructure and blocks its ports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday night. Macron assured Zelenskyy in their hourlong conversation Saturday that “military material” and humanitarian assistance would keep flowing to Ukraine, the Elysee said. ___LVIV, Ukraine — Russia’s foreign minister says Moscow has evacuated over 1 million people from Ukraine since the war there began. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to destroy the Donbas and all who live there.

Russia Ukraine War Destroyed houses are photographed in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. Ukraine is one of the world's major grain producers and the Russian invasion has curtailed exports, pushing up world grain prices and raising concerns about severe grain shortages in importing countries. Ukraine is also facing fuel shortages as Russia destroys its fuel infrastructure and blocks its ports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday night. ___LVIV, Ukraine — Russia’s foreign minister says Moscow has evacuated over 1 million people from Ukraine since the war there began. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to destroy the Donbas and all who live there.

Russia Ukraine War Destroyed houses are photographed in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. Macron assured Zelenskyy in their hourlong conversation Saturday that “military material” and humanitarian assistance would keep flowing to Ukraine, the Elysee said. During his first term, Macron held numerous conversations with both Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin since Russia’s invasion Feb. 24. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to destroy the Donbas and all who live there. He said the cities and towns of the Donbas will survive only if Ukraine remains standing.

Russia Ukraine War A dog rides in the back of a car as people fleeing the village of Ruska Lozova arrive at a screening point in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 29, 2022. Macron assured Zelenskyy in their hourlong conversation Saturday that “military material” and humanitarian assistance would keep flowing to Ukraine, the Elysee said. During his first term, Macron held numerous conversations with both Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin since Russia’s invasion Feb. 24. However, analysts believe Russian forces that failed to take Kyiv at the start of the war have been redeployed without the time needed to properly rearm and restaff. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to destroy the Donbas and all who live there.

Citizens are "begging to get saved" from a steel plant that has become Mariupol's last defense stronghold.

LVIV, Ukraine — Russia’s foreign minister says Moscow has evacuated over 1 million people from Ukraine since the war there began. The comments Saturday by Sergey Lavrov in an interview with Chinese state news agency Xinhua come as Ukraine has accused Moscow of forcefully sending Ukrainians out of the country. He said the U.S. believes the Russians are “at least several days behind where they wanted to be” as they try to encircle Ukrainian troops in the east. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to destroy the Donbas and all who live there. As an interviewer at Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV tried to ask Lavrov about U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ proposals for humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians, Lavrov cut him off.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Russian troops not to fight in Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces are fighting village by village to hold back a Russian advance in their country's east, while the United Nations works to broker a civilian evacuation from the ruins of the city of Mariupol.

Russia Turkey Syria FILE - Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova gestures as she attends Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's annual roundup news conference in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. Turkey had warned Russia in advance before moving to bar Russian planes from flying to Syria over its territory, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday, April 28, 2022. Zakharova, said that Turkey had asked Russia more than a month ago not to send Syria-bound planes over its territory. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File) (Alexander Zemlianichenko)MOSCOW — (AP) — Turkey had warned Russia in advance before moving to bar Russian planes from flying to Syria over its territory, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said that Turkey had asked Russia more than a month ago not to send Syria-bound planes over its territory.

Russia cut off natural gas to NATO members Poland and Bulgaria and threatened to do the same to other countries, using its most essential export as an attempt to punish and divide the West for its united support of Ukraine.

A roundup of key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

(Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP) (Maxim Shipenkov)KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials say the Russian military has hit a strategic bridge linking the southern Odesa region with neighboring Romania. The Russian attack follows a series of strikes on key railway facilities in Ukraine unleashed by the Russian military on Monday. __KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials were reporting more civilian deaths in various parts of eastern Ukraine as Russian forces stepped up attacks on Tuesday. Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said three people died after Russian shells hit a residential building in the city of Popasna, which Russian forces have been trying to capture. ___LVIV, Ukraine — The British Defense Ministry says Russian forces have taken the Ukrainian city of Kreminna.

(Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP) (Maxim Shipenkov)WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s government says it is imposing sanctions on 50 Russian entities and individuals over Russia's war against Ukraine. Kantor recently resigned as head of the European Jewish Congress after Britain imposed sanctions on him over his alleged ties to the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin. __KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials were reporting more civilian deaths in various parts of eastern Ukraine as Russian forces stepped up attacks on Tuesday. Russian forces fired several missiles targeting one of the factories in the city of Zaporizhzhia, they said. ___ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to direct talks with his Ukrainian counterpart.

Russia UN Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, right, welcomes U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the talks in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP) (Maxim Shipenkov)STOCKHOLM — Sweden's foreign minister has decried as “unjustified and disproportionate” a decision by Russian authorities to expel several Swedish diplomats. Russian forces fired several missiles targeting one of the factories in the city of Zaporizhzhia, they said. ___MOSCOW — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a cease-fire in Ukraine at his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. ___MARIUPOL, Ukraine — Officials in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol say a new mass grave has been identified north of the city.

(Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP) (Maxim Shipenkov)KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials were reporting more civilian deaths in various parts of eastern Ukraine as Russian forces stepped up attacks on Tuesday. Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said three people died after Russian shells hit a residential building in the city of Popasna, which Russian forces have been trying to capture. Russian forces fired several missiles targeting one of the factories in the city of Zaporizhzhia, they said. ___LVIV, Ukraine — The British Defense Ministry says Russian forces have taken the Ukrainian city of Kreminna. ___MARIUPOL, Ukraine — Officials in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol say a new mass grave has been identified north of the city.

Guterres is visiting Moscow and is then scheduled to visit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, this week. The exodus has exceeded the worst-case predictions of the Geneva-based agency, which it has called the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces have repelled six attacks in the past 24 hours in the two regions that comprise the Donbas, Ukraine’s industrial heartland, the General Staff said in its Tuesday morning update. ___LVIV, Ukraine — The British Defense Ministry says Russian forces have taken the Ukrainian city of Kreminna. ___MARIUPOL, Ukraine — Officials in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol say a new mass grave has been identified north of the city.

U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said Tuesday that Russian forces were “giving away whatever advantage they may have won” by launching an offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region before enough troops were assembled. Russia bases about 1,500 troops there nominally as peacekeepers, but concerns are high that the forces could be used to invade Ukraine. A senior Russian military official, Rustam Minnekayev, said last week that Russian forces aim to take full control of southern Ukraine, saying such a move would open the way to Transnistria. ___LVIV, Ukraine — The British Defense Ministry says Russian forces have taken the Ukrainian city of Kreminna. ___MARIUPOL, Ukraine — Officials in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol say a new mass grave has been identified north of the city.

A Ukrainian presidential office advisor says Russian forces have tried to storm a steel plant that is the last defense stronghold in the strategic port city of Mariupol.

Danilov said a nighttime helicopter delivery brought weapons to Mariupol’s steel mill, the last stronghold of Ukrainian forces in the city. The parliaments of Latvia and Estonia on Thursday adopted a statement on Russia’s war crimes and genocide in Ukraine. But Ukrainian troops must raise white flags in determined areas around the plant before evacuations can begin, the ministry said. Diplomats from other European nations have returned to Kyiv since Russian troops withdrew from the capital region to focus on eastern Ukraine. ___BERLIN — The U.N. human rights chief says that international humanitarian law appears to have been “tossed aside” in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

UNITED NATIONS — (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week to make an urgent, face-to-face plea for peace in Ukraine, the world body said Friday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Guterres is due to meet Tuesday with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and that Putin will also host the U.N. chief. U.N. spokesperson Eri Kaneko said discussions about a similar Guterres visit to Ukraine are under way. Guterres asked Tuesday to meet with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in their respective capitals. Ukraine quickly welcomed the idea, but it hadn't been disclosed before Friday whether Russia would accept.

The United Nations says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week to make an urgent, face-to-face plea for peace in Ukraine

The United Nations says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans to meet separately with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine next week to make an urgent plea for peace.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Friday promised to ramp up “the scale of missile attacks” on Kyiv in response to Ukraine’s “diversions on the Russian territory.”.

President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are set to speak virtually on Monday.

President Joe Biden has asked India’s Narendra Modi not to accelerate the buying of Russian oil as the U.S. and other nations try to cut off Moscow’s energy income following the invasion of Ukraine.

India's neutral stance in the war has raised concerns in Washington and earned praise from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Ukrainian authorities say a missile hit a train station where thousands of Ukrainians had gathered.

The United Nations’ humanitarian chief says he is not optimistic about securing a ceasefire to halt the fighting in Ukraine.

The Biden administration has newly targeted Vladimir Putin’s adult daughters in the sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is appealing to NATO to provide his war-torn country with weapons to help avoid further atrocities like those reported in the town of Bucha this week.

The United States and allies are again escalating sanctions against Russia after evidence that Russian troops murdered Ukrainian civilians in a town near Kyiv.

The mayor of the besieged port city of Mariupol has put the number of civilians killed there at more than 5,000.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told the U.N. Security Council that the Russian military must be brought to justice immediately for war crimes.

Ukrainian authorities at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant say Russian forces have left the damaged plant.

Russia has sought to justify its assault on Ukraine with allegations of foreign encroachment near its borders.

In talks between Russia and Ukrainian towards a possible cease-fire after three weeks of intense fighting, negotiators are exploring prospects of a future “neutrality” for Ukraine, a former Soviet republic that had been moving closer to NATO in hopes of membership — to Moscow’s chagrin.

Rescuers are searching for survivors in the ruins of a theater ripped apart by Russian airstrikes in the besieged city of Mariupol, while ferocious Russian bombardment killed dozens in a northern city over the past day, according to the local governor.

As the war in Ukraine rages on, diplomats trying to salvage the languishing 2015 Iran nuclear deal have been forging ahead with negotiations.

The United Nations’ top court has ordered Russia to stop hostilities in Ukraine, granting measures requested by Kyiv, although many are skeptical that Russia will comply.

Russian forces are raining fire on Kyiv and other major cities, with Ukrainian authorities saying an airstrike destroyed a theater where hundreds of people were sheltering in Mariupol.

As Russia intensifies its assault on Ukraine, it is getting a helping hand from China in spreading inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims that the U.S. is financing biological weapons labs in Ukraine.

Negotiations aimed at restoring Iran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers have gone on what its European hosts describe as “a pause.”.

Russia's airstrike on a children's and maternity hospital in Ukraine is stirring memories of the Kremlin's past aerial campaigns waged in Chechnya and Syria.

President Joe Biden is expected to announce Friday that the U.S., along with the European Union and the Group of Seven countries, will move to revoke “most favored nation” trade status for Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Iran’s state-run news agency says the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has launched a second reconnaissance satellite into space.

A top Iranian official says his country is seeking “creative ways” to restore its nuclear deal with world powers after Russia’s foreign minister linked sanctions on Moscow over its war on Ukraine to the ongoing negotiations.