You do not hear much from Russian civilians in international media as Russia’s government restricts foreign reporters working in the country. For VOA, Genia Dulot met with some Russian tourists visiting the Indian Ocean republic of Maldives to hear what they think about international sanctions and U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
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U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a “pause” Monday to military aid shipments to Ukraine with immediate effect, which his administration said was aimed at forcing all sides to peace talks. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, European leaders have said it is vital to continue weapons shipments to Kyiv — but there are doubts over how long Ukraine can keep on fighting. Anna Chernikova contributed.
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Paris — With Washington’s sudden pause on military aid to Ukraine as a backdrop, worried European Union leaders meet in Brussels Thursday to discuss steps to beef up EU defenses against Russia.

“The question is no longer whether Europe’s security is threatened in a very real way, or whether Europe should shoulder more of its responsibility for its own security,” said European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen ahead of the summit, as she outlined a multi-pronged $840 billion defense financing plan for the 27-member bloc.

“The real question in front of us,” she said, “is whether Europe is prepared to act as decisively as the situation dictates — and whether Europe is ready and able to act with speed and ambition that is needed.”

That message has been resonating across multiple emergency summits that gathered European leaders fearful of possible U.S. disengagement, and has resulted in new European defense spending commitments, after years of Washington demands to take on more of the burden.

But EU members also face steep challenges as they move to rearm, from sometimes shaky governments and economies, to skeptical populations and a surging far right that is often more favorable toward Russia.

Especially concerning for many is the Trump administration’s possible pivot from a longstanding transatlantic alliance.

“It raises very big issues for the future of the European Union — and I think people in Europe are very aware of this,” said Ian Lesser, who heads the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund policy institute. “Is Europe going to address these challenges, whether it’s on trade or defense — in a collective way? Or are countries, member states, going to go their own way?”

Sense of urgency

For many EU leaders, today’s message is unity. During a summit in London, EU countries and non-member Britain agreed to develop their own peace plan for Ukraine to present to Washington. France and Britain also backed a “coalition of the willing” sending troops to Ukraine to enforce any peace deal.

French President Emmanuel Macron — who has long called for a more militarily autonomous Europe — has also suggested extending France’s nuclear deterrence to other European countries.

“The sense of urgency is finally catching up with European leaders but it’s not sufficient at the moment,” said Olena Prokopenko, a senior German Marshall Fund fellow. “We see different levels of understanding of the level of threat that Europe is facing at the moment.”

“I see some degree of — I don’t want to say panic — but really alarmed Europeans who realize they need to stick together as much as possible,” said Elie Tenenbaum, director of security studies at the French Institute for International Relations in Paris.

Still, he added, Europe faces a daunting task. “If the Europeans want to step up and make up for the loss of American aid to Ukraine, it needs to happen now,” Tenenbaum said. “They need to put the money on the table, they need to pass on the orders to the defense industry.”

Beyond Ukraine, the Brussels-based Bruegel policy institute estimates Europe would need 300,000 more troops and hundreds of billions more dollars to deter possible Russian aggression without the United States.

Europe is “lacking ammunition, we’re lacking replacement parts, we’re lacking readiness,” Tenenbaum said.

Former French ambassador Michel Duclos, however, points to Europe’s assets. “Yes, we are not in a good situation,” said Duclos, now an analyst at the Montaigne Institute research group in Paris. “But at the same time, in demographic terms, in economic terms, we could be much stronger than Russia, if we are able to put our act together in defense terms.”

Pushback

Europe’s new security ambitions are already facing pushback. France’s powerful far-right National Rally party, for one, has rejected France including Europe in its nuclear deterrence capability, and leader Marine Le Pen describes an independent European defense as “illusory.”

Hungary’s Viktor Orban, noted for his friendly Kremlin ties, has called on Europe to instead enter direct talks to bring about a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.  

Many European economies are struggling, while public support for Ukraine is fading in some countries. A pair of recent polls, for instance, shows that while two-thirds of French citizens believe Europe should continue supporting Kyiv, three-quarters don’t want French boots on the ground — except to enforce a possible peace.

“So far, European leaders have been trying to be more reassuring than alarming,” says analyst Tenenbaum, of the message many are sending their populations. “But if they want to justify higher defense spending and risk taking, then they will need to be much more vocal” about the dangers the region is facing.

For analyst Duclos, last week’s heated White House meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky offered an impetus to prepare Europeans for going it alone.

“What happened in the Oval Office last week was useful to make people understand we disagree not only on the means, instruments and policies, but on something more fundamental: on values, on the threat perception,” he said of growing transatlantic differences. “And for the French public, it was the most powerful of wake-up calls.”
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Rome — Pope Francis rested early Tuesday after he suffered further setbacks in his fight against double pneumonia: two new acute respiratory crises that required him to resume using noninvasive mechanical ventilation to breathe. 

In its early Tuesday update, the Vatican said: “The pope slept through the night, now rest continues.” 

Francis suffered the two crises Monday. Doctors extracted “copious” amounts of mucus that had accumulated in his lungs, the Vatican said in a late update. They performed two bronchoscopies, in which a camera-tipped tube was sent into his airways with a sucker at the tip to suction out fluid. 

The 88-year-old pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was put back on noninvasive mechanical ventilation: a mask that covers his nose and mouth and pumps oxygen into the lungs. 

Francis remained alert, oriented and cooperated with medical personnel, the Vatican said. The prognosis remained guarded, meaning he was not out of danger. Doctors didn’t say if he remained in stable condition, though they referred to the crises in the past tense, suggesting they were over. 

The crises were a new setback in what has become a more than two-week battle by the frail pope to overcome a complex respiratory infection. 

The Vatican said the mucus that had accumulated in Francis’ lungs was his body’s reaction to the original pneumonia infection and not a new infection, given laboratory tests don’t indicate any new bacteria. 

Dr. John Coleman, a pulmonary critical care doctor at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said the episodes were more concerning than the last one on Friday, in which Francis had a coughing fit, inhaled some vomit that needed to be extracted and then was put on the noninvasive mechanical ventilation for a day and then didn’t need it anymore. 

The use of bronchoscopies reflects a worrying level of mucus and phlegm in the lungs, Coleman said. “The fact that they had to go in there and remove it manually is concerning, because it means that he is not clearing the secretions on his own,” he said. 

“He’s taking little steps forward and then steps back,” said Coleman, who is not involved in Francis’ care. 

Francis, who is not physically active, uses a wheelchair and is overweight, had been undergoing respiratory physiotherapy to try to improve his lung function. But the accumulation of the secretions in his lungs was a sign that he doesn’t have the muscle tone to cough vigorously enough to expel the fluid. 

Doctors often use noninvasive ventilation to stave off an intubation, or the use of invasive mechanical ventilation. Francis has not been intubated during this hospitalization. It’s not clear if he has provided any advance directives about the limits of his care if he declines or loses consciousness. 

Catholic teaching holds that life must be defended from conception until natural death. It insists that chronically ill patients, including those in vegetative states, must receive “ordinary” care such as hydration and nutrition, but “extraordinary” or disproportionate care can be suspended if it is no longer beneficial or is only prolonging a precarious and painful life. 

Francis articulated that in a 2017 speech to a meeting of the Vatican’s bioethics think tank, the Pontifical Academy for Life. He said there was “no obligation to have recourse in all circumstances to every possible remedy.” He added: “It thus makes possible a decision that is morally qualified as withdrawal of ‘overzealous treatment.’” 

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who heads the academy which helps articulate the Catholic Church’s position on end-of-life care, said Francis is like any other Catholic and would follow church teaching, if it came to that. 

“Today the pope is giving us an extraordinary teaching on fragility,” he told reporters Monday. “Today the pope, not through words but with his body, is reminding all of us, we elderly people to begin with, that we are all fragile and therefore we need to take care of each other.” 

Francis’ hospitalization, which hits 18 nights Tuesday, is by no means reaching the papal record that was set during St. John Paul II’s numerous lengthy hospitalizations over a quarter century. The longest single hospitalization occurred in 1981, when John Paul spent 55 days in Gemelli for a minor operation and then to be treated for a serious infection that followed.
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As Ukraine’s war enters its fourth year, 6.8 million Ukrainians remain refugees. Researchers say fewer than half plan to return when the war ends. From Kyiv, Lesia Bakalets reports on what can be done to encourage more of them to return to their homeland.
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President Donald Trump has placed a pause on aid to Ukraine, the White House announced late Monday.

“The President has been clear that he is focused on peace,” a senior administration official told VOA in an email. The official is not being named, as is customary when engaging with reporters. “We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”

Earlier Monday, Trump was pointed in saying a deal for rare earth minerals was key to continued U.S. support of Ukraine, and said he would make an announcement on the matter Tuesday when he speaks before a joint session of Congress.

There was fallout on both sides of the Atlantic Monday amid mounting European concerns about Ukraine’s future, as European leaders scrambled after Trump’s contentious Friday exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That Oval Office blow-up ended a minerals deal that Trump argued was key for continuing U.S. support for Ukraine.

Trump has pushed to end the fighting, but Zelenskyy has expressed fears that Trump is attempting to settle the conflict on terms more favorable to Moscow than Kyiv.

On Monday, the business-minded president hammered his increasingly blunt point: If Ukraine wants to survive, Zelenskyy needs to make a deal.

“It can be made very fast,” Trump said. “Now, maybe somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, and if somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, I think that person won’t be around very long. That person will not be listened to very long, because I believe that Russia wants to make a deal. I believe certainly the people of Ukraine want to make a deal. They’ve suffered more than anybody else.”

Earlier in the day in a social media posting, Trump derided Zelenskyy’s assessment that the end of Russia’s war with his country “is still very, very far away,” calling that “the worst statement.”

“America will not put up with it for much longer!” he added.

Analysts say they understand where Trump lands on major issues like Ukraine’s future membership in NATO and the prospect of U.S. troops on the ground — both hard nos from Trump.

But on this economic deal, they say, they can’t predict the president’s next move.

Even before Zelenskyy landed in Washington, the deal was painted in broad strokes. It was meant to allow U.S. investment in rare-earth mineral exploration in exchange for reinvestment.

But Zelenskyy had insisted on the need for U.S. security guarantees, which were not in the original draft.

“It’s still unclear what Trump’s plan really is,” Anna Borshchevskaya, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told VOA in a Zoom interview. “What we can also see what has emerged over the weekend is that Europe is stepping up to do more to deter Russia.”

After the White House meeting fell apart, Zelenskyy flew across the Atlantic to meet with European allies. He was warmly greeted by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

At Westminster on Monday, Starmer reiterated Britain’s offer of peacekeepers and announced $2 billion for 5,000 air defense missiles for Ukraine. He echoed the narrative that former President Joe Biden used to justify U.S. support — that the Belfast-made products would feed back into the British economy.

“Britain will play a leading role with, if necessary, and together with others, boots on the ground and planes in the air,” he said, speaking to Parliament. “Mr. Speaker, it is right that Europe do the heavy lifting to support peace on our continent. But to succeed, this effort must also have strong U.S. backing.”

That followed the talks Sunday in London during which Starmer told 18 allies that with the United States wavering in its support for Ukraine, Europe finds itself “at a crossroads in history.”

Also Monday, the two men at the center of the three-year-war delivered their messages to the world, which showed how far apart these neighbors are on ending the war.

Zelenskyy said his country remained ready to sign a rare-earth minerals deal with the U.S., and that he believes he can salvage relations with Trump.

“The failure of Ukraine is not just [the] success of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Zelenskyy said. “It is the failure of Europe. It is the failure of the United States of America. I think we are all interested in not giving Putin an opportunity to win.”

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Putin, told journalists, “What happened in the White House on Friday certainly showed how difficult it will be to get on the path to a settlement around Ukraine. The Kyiv regime and Zelenskyy do not want peace.”

“They want the war to continue. Therefore, in this situation, of course, Washington’s efforts and Moscow’s readiness alone will clearly not be enough. A crucial element is missing,” he said.

The day before, Peskov said Washington’s foreign policy shift toward Russia is largely aligned with Moscow’s vision.

“The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations,” he said, in an interview with Russian state television that was recorded last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Beijing also expressed wishes for a resolution.

“China is not the creator or a party to the Ukraine crisis, and we support all efforts conducive to peacefully resolving the issue, said Lin Jian, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. ”We hope all parties concerned will work out a lasting and sustainable solution that addresses each other’s concerns.”

Trump plans to make his next Ukraine pronouncement during his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.

Kim Lewis contributed to this article. Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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President Donald Trump says the Ukrainian leader’s assessment that the end of Russia’s war with his country “is still very, very far away” is “the worst statement” he could have made and that “America will not put up with it for much longer!”

After Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in a heated exchange in the White House last Friday, they sparred again Monday from a distance about a possible end to the conflict.

Zelenskyy offered his opinion that the war was unlikely to end soon as he left London Sunday night after winning wide support from European leaders for continued military assistance for Kyiv’s forces and said he expected the same from the United States, Ukraine’s biggest arms benefactor.

“I think our relationship [with the U.S.] will continue, because it’s more than an occasional relationship,” Zelenskyy said. “I believe that Ukraine has a strong enough partnership with the United States of America” to keep aid flowing.

But Trump balked at Zelenskyy’s conclusion, saying on the Truth Social media platform Monday, “It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S.”

“Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia,” Trump said, “What are they thinking?”

Zelenskyy later said on X, “It is very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive to end this war the soonest [as] possible.”

“We are working together with America and our European partners and very much hope for U.S. support on the path to peace,” Zelenskyy said. “Peace is needed as soon as possible.”

Trump has pushed to end the fighting, which has killed or wounded several hundred thousand Russian and Ukrainian fighters, along with Ukrainian civilians, but Zelenskyy has expressed fears that Trump is attempting to settle the conflict on terms more favorable to Moscow than Kyiv.

Russia currently holds about a fifth of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory and has been slowly capturing more land in fighting in eastern Ukraine. No peace negotiations have been scheduled. 

Zelenskyy also said Sunday his country remained ready to sign a rare earth minerals deal with the U.S., and that he believes he can salvage relations with Trump.

The two sides were expected to sign an agreement last week during Zelenskyy’s visit, but the arrangement fell apart after the heated exchanges with Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Zelenskyy said Sunday that Ukraine counts on U.S. aid in its fight against Russia’s three-year-old invasion.

“I think stopping such assistance will only help [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Zelenskyy said. “And because of that, I think that the United States and representatives of the civilized world, leaders of this world, definitely won’t help Putin.”

Trump cast Zelenskyy as ungrateful during their Friday meeting and had sought the minerals deal to reimburse the United States for the billions of dollars in aid it has provided to Ukraine.

Trump has promoted the need to end the war and has held a phone call with Putin in addition to senior U.S. officials meeting with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia to discuss the first stages of a potential peace deal without Ukrainian officials involved in the talks.

Trump said Sunday on Truth Social: “We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country – So that we don’t end up like Europe!” But after seeing Zelenskyy’s comment about peace prospects, Trump quickly pivoted back to assailing the Ukrainian leader.

That followed the talks Sunday in London during which British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told 18 allies that with the United States wavering in its support for Ukraine, Europe finds itself “at a crossroads in history.” 

The British leader said that with no guarantee of U.S. involvement to act as a backup military support for would-be peacekeeping forces, “Europe must do the heavy lifting” in securing peace in Ukraine.

Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, told reporters Monday, “We welcome the Europeans taking a lead in European security. … They have to invest in the capability to do that. They’ve certainly shown a will.”

But Waltz said White House officials remain perplexed why the U.S.-Ukraine minerals mining deal fell apart, saying Zelenskyy “could have been left with an economic guarantee that would have benefited Ukraine, and I think the world, for a generation. So, it’s really confounding to us why we had kind of such hostility coming in.”

Unlike in Washington, Zelenskyy was warmly embraced at the summit by many of the European heads of state, along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NATO chief Mark Rutte. Zelenskyy supporters rallied outside Starmer’s residence in support of Ukraine.  

As the leaders gathered Sunday, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen warned, “We urgently have to rearm Europe” and “prepare for the worst” on the continent. 

Starmer, when he first greeted Zelenskyy on Saturday, unveiled a $2.84 billion loan agreement to support Ukraine’s defense capabilities, to be paid back with the profits of immobilized sovereign Russian assets.  Starmer said Britain, France and Ukraine have agreed to work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States.

The Kremlin said in remarks aired Sunday that the United States’ dramatic shift in Europe foreign policy toward Russia is largely aligned with Moscow’s vision. 

“The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Russian state television that was recorded last Wednesday. 

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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A Russian drone attack cost 29-year-old Fedir Samborskyi a leg, an arm, and part of his vision. But after nine months of treatment, he started his own business in Kyiv – a coffee shop run by veterans like himself. Anna Kosstutschenko has the story. Camera: Pavel Suhodolskiy
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday his country remained ready to sign a rare earth minerals deal with the United States, and that he believes he can salvage relations with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Speaking to reporters after a gathering of European leaders in Britain, Zelenskyy said he thinks the United States will also be ready to sign the minerals deal, but may “need time to analyze some things.”

The two sides had been expected to sign an agreement last week during a Zelenskyy visit to the White House, but the arrangement fell apart after acrimonious verbal exchanges during a meeting with Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Zelenskyy said Sunday that Ukraine counts on U.S. aid in its fight against Russia’s three-year-old invasion.

“I think stopping such assistance will only help [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Zelenskyy said.  “And because of that, I think that the United States and representatives of the civilized world, leaders of this world, definitely won’t help Putin.”

Trump cast Zelenskyy as ungrateful during their Friday meeting and has sought the minerals deal as a way to reimburse the United States for the billions of dollars in aid it has provided to Ukraine.

Trump has promoted the need to end the war, and has held a phone call with Putin in addition to senior U.S. officials meeting with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia to discuss a potential peace deal without Ukrainian officials involved in the talks.

“We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country – So that we don’t end up like Europe!” Trump posted Sunday on his Truth Social platform.

That followed the talks Sunday in London during which British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told 18 allies that with the United States wavering in its support for Ukraine, Europe finds itself “at a crossroads in history.” 

“This is not a moment for more talk — it’s time to act. It’s time to step up and lead and unite around a new plan for a just and enduring peace,” Starmer said. 

The British leader said that with no guarantee of U.S. involvement to act as a support backup for would-be peacekeeping forces, “Europe must do the heavy lifting” in securing peace in Ukraine. He said there was a “coalition of the willing” ready to help defend any truce. 

Meanwhile, Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, speaking about Zelenskyy, told CNN’s “State of the Union” show Sunday, “What was not clear to us was whether he shared our goal of ending this war. It was not clear he was ready to go to peace.”  

Unlike in Washington, Zelenskyy was warmly embraced at the summit by many of the European heads of state, along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NATO chief Mark Rutte. Zelenskyy supporters rallied outside Starmer’s residence in support of Ukraine.  

As the leaders gathered Sunday, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen warned, “We urgently have to rearm Europe” and “prepare for the worst” on the continent.  

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, called for the United States and Europe to “speak with one voice” in showing Russian President Vladimir Putin “that the West has no intention of capitulating before his blackmail and aggression.”  

In addition to attending the security summit, Zelenskyy met with King Charles at his Sandringham estate in England. 

Starmer, when he first greeted Zelenskyy on Saturday, unveiled a $2.84 billion loan agreement to support Ukraine’s defense capabilities, to be paid back with the profits of immobilized sovereign Russian assets. 

The Kremlin said in remarks aired Sunday that the United States’ dramatic shift in Europe foreign policy toward Russia is largely aligned with Moscow’s vision. 

“The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Russian state television that was recorded last Wednesday. 

No peace negotiations are scheduled. 

Trump national security adviser Waltz said that eventually Russia and Ukraine will have to make negotiating concessions to reach a peace deal. “There will be all kinds of carrots and sticks to get this done,” he said.  

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also stressed the importance of both sides coming to the negotiating table.  

“We are trying to end a war,” Rubio said. “You cannot end a war unless both sides come to the table, starting with the Russians. And that is the point the president has made.”  

“I’m not promising you it’s possible,” he added. “I’m not telling you it’s 90% likely. I’m saying it’s 0% likely if we don’t get them to a negotiating table. And the sooner everyone grows up around here and figures out that this is a bad war that’s heading in a bad direction with death and destruction and all kinds of danger surrounding it that could spiral into a broader conflict, the sooner people grow up and realize that I think the more progress we’re going to be able to make.”  

Starmer said Britain, France and Ukraine have agreed to work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States. Some European countries have said they are willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine to help enforce a would-be peace agreement but need the U.S. to provide backup military support to confront Russia in the event Putin agrees to a ceasefire and then violates it or launches a new invasion.  

Trump has rejected sending such U.S. support and said he trusts Putin to honor any settlement of the war that he agrees to.  

Starmer said he does not trust Putin but does trust Trump.   

“Do I believe Donald Trump when he says he wants lasting peace? The answer to that is yes,” he said.   

Starmer said there are “intense discussions” to get a security guarantee from the U.S. as one of several components for a lasting peace.   

“If there is to be a deal, if there is to be a stopping of the fighting, then that agreement has to be defended, because the worst of all outcomes is that there is a temporary pause and then Putin comes again,” Starmer said. “That has happened in the past, I think it is a real risk, and that is why we must ensure that if there’s a deal, it is a lasting deal, not a temporary pause.”   

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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Sydney — A Lithuanian rower was rescued from storm-tossed seas off Australia on Monday after paddling into a tropical cyclone while trying to cross the Pacific Ocean alone.  

An Australian navy vessel plucked long-distance rower Aurimas Mockus from the Coral Sea, where Tropical Cyclone Alfred on Monday was whipping up 100-kilometer (60-mile) per hour winds and seven-meter (20-foot) swells.

Mockus first activated his emergency beacon Friday evening, enduring three nights at sea as the looming cyclone hampered rescue efforts.  

Vice Admiral Justin Jones said Mockus — who has used the attempt to drum up support for Ukraine’s war effort — was safely on board and undergoing medical checks.  

“The ship is on its way back to Australian shores,” said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in a statement.  

Aerial photos taken before the rescue showed his modified rowboat bobbing on white-capped waves in a turbulent, dark ocean.  

Mockus fell just short of his goal to row 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) across the Pacific Ocean from the United States to Australia.  

He started the grueling journey in September 2024, according to his website.  

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to bring damaging waves and strong winds as it moves toward Australia’s eastern coast later this week, the government weather bureau said.
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European leaders met in London Sunday to discuss the Ukraine-Russia war. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a warm welcome after being asked to leave the White House following a heated exchange with President Donald Trump Friday. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.
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VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis is in a stable condition as he fights double pneumonia in hospital for the 17th day, and is resting having had a peaceful night, the Vatican said on Sunday.

The Vatican said on Saturday evening that the 88-year-old pontiff’s condition had stabilized, following an “isolated” breathing crisis a day earlier.

“The night was peaceful, the pope is still resting,” said a one-line note from the Vatican on Sunday morning that did not provide more details. A full medical update on the pope’s condition is expected Sunday evening.

Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 with severe respiratory problems that swiftly degenerated into double pneumonia – a serious infection in both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe.

The pope suffered a constriction of his respiratory airways on Friday, akin to an asthma attack.

However, in a more upbeat tone on Saturday, the Vatican said the pope did not have a fever and did not show signs of an increased white blood cell count, adding that his blood flow and circulation remained stable.

An elevated white blood cell count often indicates the presence of an active infection or inflammation.

“The Holy Father’s clinical condition remained stable,” the Vatican said on Saturday, adding that the prognosis was still guarded, meaning he was not yet out of danger.

The Vatican added on Saturday that for a second day running the pope required noninvasive, mechanical ventilation, alternating between this and “long periods of high-flow oxygen therapy.”

Francis has experienced several bouts of ill health over the last two years and is prone to lung infections because he had pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.

The pope has not been seen in public since entering hospital, his longest absence from view since his papacy started in March 2013, and his doctors have not said how long his treatment might last.

Francis will not lead his usual Sunday prayer with pilgrims for the third week running. The text of the prayer will be published rather than read out by the pontiff. 
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LONDON — More than a dozen European leaders gather in London on Sunday for crisis talks, looking to boost security cooperation and support for Ukraine after an astonishing blowout between Kyiv and Washington.

Ukraine’s allies have been underscoring their steadfast commitment to counter growing concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump is about to sell Kyiv short in negotiations with Russia.

The day after he was kicked out of the White House, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was warmly welcomed to Downing Street on Saturday.

He twice embraced the British prime minister in front of cameras and secured a loan to strengthen defenses depleted by more than three years of fending off Russia’s invasion.

“I thank the people and government of the United Kingdom for their tremendous support from the very beginning of this war,” Zelenskyy said.

“We are happy to have such strategic partners and to share the same vision of what a secure future should look like for all.”

He is due to meet King Charles III on Sunday before joining a cohort of European allies at a security summit.

The meeting brings together leaders from around continental Europe, including France, Germany, Denmark and Italy as well as Turkey, NATO and the European Union.

“Now is the time for us to unite in order to guarantee the best outcome for Ukraine, protect European security, and secure our collective future,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

Downing Street said Sunday’s summit would again stress the need for a “strong lasting deal that delivers a permanent peace” and discuss “next steps on planning for strong security guarantees.”

With fears growing over whether the United States will continue to support NATO, the gathering in the U.K. will also address the need for Europe to increase defense cooperation.

‘Very welcome’

As Zelenskyy’s convoy swept into London on Saturday, a crowd of supporters cheered.

“You’re very, very welcome here in Downing Street,” Starmer told Zelenskyy before their 75-minute closed-door talks.

The pair discussed Ukraine’s position and how to end the war “with a lasting and just peace … that will not allow Russia to use the ceasefire to rearm and attack again,” according to a statement released by Zelenskyy’s office.

They also unveiled a $2.84 billion loan agreement to support Ukraine’s defense capabilities, to be paid back with the profits of immobilized sovereign Russian assets.

“The funds will be directed toward weapons production in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “This is true justice — the one who started the war must be the one to pay.”

While in London he said he was “happy” to “have such strategic partners and to share the same vision of what a secure future should look like for all.”

Just hours earlier, Zelenskyy was being shouted down at the White House.

As cameras rolled in the Oval Office, Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance angrily accused Zelenskyy of not being “thankful” and refusing to accept their proposed truce terms.

Trump also accused him of ingratitude and gambling with the potential of World War III.

Zelenskyy meanwhile insisted there should be “no compromises” with Putin as the parties negotiate to end the war.

‘Strategic partners’

Trump has alarmed Kyiv and European allies with his abrupt pivoting of Washington’s yearslong support for Ukraine.

The recently inaugurated Republican has cast himself as a mediator between Putin and Zelenskyy, and has sidelined Kyiv and Europe while pursuing rapprochement with Putin.

In the Oval Office, Trump said that he had “spoken on numerous occasions” to Putin — more than has been publicly reported.

Last week, after meeting with Starmer in Washington, Trump said there had been “a lot of progress” toward a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine and that negotiations were at a crucial stage.

Though he refused to apologize after the White House clash, Zelenskyy indicated that he was still open to signing a deal on Ukraine’s mineral wealth that is coveted by Trump, insisting that “despite the tough dialogue” Ukraine and the United States “remain strategic partners.”

“But we need to be honest and direct with each other to truly understand our shared goals,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.

Russia’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev, meanwhile called Zelenskyy an “insolent pig” who had received “a proper slap down in the Oval Office.”

Moscow branded Zelenskyy’s Washington trip as a “complete failure” while Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accused Trump of “switching … the roles of victim and aggressor” in the conflict.

“Yesterday evening underlined that a new age of infamy has begun,” she said. 
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LONDON — Singer Charli XCX, whose album Brat inspired a cultural phenomenon last summer, was the big winner at the BRIT Awards, Britain’s pop music honors, in London on Saturday, picking up five prizes.

Brat, which inspired fans to film themselves dancing to its tracks and whose lime green cover look was adopted by U.S. presidential hopeful Kamala Harris’ campaign on social media after the singer referenced her in a post, won the coveted album of the year category.

Charli XCX, who had led nominations, was also named artist of the year and best dance act. Her single Guess, featuring Billie Eilish, won song of the year, beating tracks including the Beatles’ Now and Then. 

The 32-year-old pop star won her first BRIT, songwriter of the year, earlier this week.

“I’ve always felt like an outsider in the industry but particularly in the British music industry and so it feels really nice to be recognized on this album,” she said as she received the album of the year award.

“I would just like to share this with all artists who have ever felt that they need to compromise to be recognized and to have their moment in the sun because I think I’m living proof that maybe it takes a long time, but … you don’t need to compromise your vision.”

Jazz quintet Ezra Collective was named group of the year.

“This moment right here is because of the great youth clubs and great teachers and the great schools that support young people playing music,” drummer Femi Koleoso said in one of several of the night’s acceptance speeches that called for more support for young musicians and grassroots venues.

U.S. singer Chappell Roan won international artist of the year while her track Good Luck, Babe! won international song of the year.

Espresso singer Sabrina Carpenter was named as the first international recipient of the global success award, which recognizes artists with “phenomenal global sales,” following in the footsteps of One Direction, Adele, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith.

The ceremony also featured a tribute dedicated to late One Direction singer Liam Payne, who died in October after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, shocking fans of the boy band, one of the most popular of all time. 
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ROME — Pope Francis had coffee and was reading newspapers Saturday after an alarming setback in his two-week recovery from double pneumonia: Doctors had to put him on noninvasive mechanical ventilation following a coughing fit in which he inhaled vomit that needed to then be extracted.

Doctors said it would take a day or two to evaluate how and if the Friday afternoon episode affected Francis’ overall clinical condition. His prognosis remained guarded, meaning he wasn’t out of danger.

In its morning update Saturday, the Vatican said the 88-year-old pope didn’t have any further respiratory crises overnight: “The night has passed quietly, the pope is resting.” He had coffee in the morning for breakfast, suggesting that he was not dependent on a ventilation mask to breathe and was still eating on his own.

In the late Friday update, the Vatican said Francis suffered an “isolated crisis of bronchial spasm,” a coughing fit in which Francis inhaled vomit, which resulted in a “sudden worsening of the respiratory picture.” Doctors aspirated the vomit and placed Francis on noninvasive mechanical ventilation.

The pope remained conscious and alert at all times and cooperated with the maneuvers to help him recover. He responded well, with a good level of oxygen exchange, and he was continuing to wear a mask to receive supplemental oxygen, the Vatican said.

The episode, which occurred in the early afternoon, marked a setback in what had been two successive days of increasingly upbeat reports from doctors treating Francis at Rome’s Gemelli hospital since Feb. 14. The pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has lung disease and was admitted after a bout of bronchitis worsened and turned into pneumonia in both lungs.

 

Doctors say episode is ‘concerning’

The Vatican said the episode was different from the prolonged respiratory crisis on Feb. 22 that was said to have caused Francis discomfort.

Dr. John Coleman, a pulmonary critical care doctor at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said the isolated episode Friday as relayed by the Vatican was nevertheless alarming and underscored Francis’ fragility and that his condition “can turn very quickly.”

“I think this is extremely concerning, given the fact that the pope has been in the hospital now for over two weeks, and now he’s continuing to have these respiratory events and now had this aspiration event that is requiring even higher levels of support,” he told The Associated Press.

“So given his age and his fragile state and his previous lung resection, this is very concerning,” said Coleman, who is not involved in Francis’ care.

Dr. William Feldman, a pulmonary specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said it was a good sign that the pope remained alert and oriented during the episode, but he concurred that it marked “a worrying turn.”

“Often we will use noninvasive ventilation as a way of trying to stave off an intubation, or the use of invasive mechanical ventilation,” Feldman said.

Types of noninvasive ventilation include a BiPAP machine, which helps people breathe by pushing air into their lungs. Doctors will often try such a machine for a while to see if the patient’s blood gas levels improve so they can eventually go back to using oxygen alone. Friday’s statement said Francis showed a “good response” to the gas exchange using the ventilation.

Doctors did not resume referring to Francis being in “critical condition,” which has been absent from their statements for three days now. But they say he isn’t out of danger, given the complexity of his case.

 

Prayers continue to pour in

Francis’ hospitalization has come as the Vatican is marking its Holy Year, which is drawing pilgrims to Rome from all over. They are walking through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica and making pilgrimages to the hilltop Umbrian town of Assisi to pray at the home of Francis’ namesake, St. Francis.

“Every day we’re praying for the pope,” said the Rev. Jacinto Bento, a priest visiting Assisi on Saturday with a group of 30 Jubilee pilgrims from the Azores Islands. “We’re very sad for his situation.”

Veronica Abraham, a catechist and Argentine native, came to Assisi on Saturday with her two children and other kids from her parish on Lake Garda and said the group had prayed for the pope at every church they’d visited.

“I’m sure that he’s hearing our prayers, that he feels our closeness,” she said.

Serena Barbon, visiting Assisi from Treviso on Saturday with her husband and three children, said she hoped that if Francis doesn’t make it, the next pope will be just like him.

“He’s been very charismatic, and we pray for him and that any new pope might also be someone who puts the poor in the center. Because we’re all a bit poor,” she said.
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MOSCOW — Moscow on Saturday said it seized two more villages in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv officials said Russian strikes killed one person and wounded 19.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces captured Sudne and Burlatske in the south of the eastern Donetsk region.

They lie near the town of Velyka Novossilka, which was seized by the Russian army at the end of January.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 154 drones overnight, of which 103 were downed and 51 disappeared from the radar without causing damage or casualties.

Ukrainian regional authorities reported one death and several injuries.

In the southern Odesa region, one person died and three were injured, according to Ukrainian prosecutors.

Twelve people were wounded in the northeastern Kharkiv region and two others in the southern Kherson region, local authorities said.

Two people were wounded in the rail and mining hub of Pokrovsk, where Russian forces are gaining ground, threatening this key logistical hub for Ukrainian troops.
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