Activists say aid vessel bound for Gaza was struck by drone

(LONDON) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the surprise drone operation over the weekend against Russia was a success that will “continue” if Moscow doesn’t halt its offensive.

Zelenskyy addressed reporters following the next round of U.S.-brokered peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul on Monday, intended to end Russia’s 3-year-old invasion of its neighbor. The talks came just one day after Ukraine launched an audacious drone attack on Russia’s strategic bomber fleet.

Asked by ABC News’ Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz on whether the attacks changed the dynamics of the war or at the negotiating table — and whether they might enrage Russia — Zelenskyy responded, “Russia’s being enraged or not enraged — this is something we’re not interested in,” citing Russia’s attack on Ukraine a day before “at night with over 480 drones.”

“This is happening on [a] daily basis,” the president said.

Zelenskyy called Ukraine’s drone attack a “strategic operation” that “is definitely reducing Russia’s potential, and demonstrates that Ukraine is working on certain steps.”

“Unless they will stop, we will continue,” he said.

Asked whether he was satisfied with President Donald Trump’s administration’s involvement, Zelenskyy told Raddatz, “We are looking for very strong steps on the part of President Trump to support the sanctions and to force President Putin to stop this war, or at least proceed with the first stage of putting an end to this war — that is the ceasefire.”

Monday’s revived talks so far have failed to reach a peace deal, or even achieve a sustained ceasefire, despite pressure on both sides by Trump’s administration. The last meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul in mid-May was the first direct contact between the two sides since spring 2022.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry confirmed to ABC News on Monday morning that talks resumed at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace, ending just over an hour later. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said the two sides agreed to swap all severely wounded and ill prisoners of war and to exchange the bodies of thousands of fallen soldiers.

They also discussed a meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Umerov.

Ukraine is calling for a full 30-day ceasefire during which time peace negotiations can take place. Russia has refused the request, with Putin and his top officials retaining maximalist war goals dating back to the opening days of the Russian invasion.

Vladimir Medinsky, a Putin aide and long-time member of Russia’s negotiating team, said Russia has proposed a ceasefire lasting two to three days, on separate sections of the front, to retrieve the bodies of fallen soldiers.

Among the Kremlin’s demands are the annexation of four Ukrainian regions — plus the retention of Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014 — Ukrainian demilitarization and a permanent block on the country’s accession to NATO.

Zelenskyy said in a Sunday social media post that Kyiv’s delegation would be led by Umerov.

The president set out Ukraine’s goals for the meeting. “First — a full and unconditional ceasefire,” he wrote. “Second — the release of prisoners. Third — the return of abducted children. And in order to establish a reliable and lasting peace and ensure security, preparation of the meeting at the highest level.”

Zelenskyy and his government have repeatedly accused Putin of intentionally sabotaging peace talks since Trump returned to office in January, having promised on the campaign trail to end the war within 24 hours. Trump’s threat of further sanctions on Russia does not appear to have softened the Kremlin’s war goals.

Zelenskyy and his European backers have pushed Trump to increase pressure on Putin by introducing new sanctions on Russia and providing Ukraine with more military support. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s Ukraine-Russia envoy, hinted at the president’s growing frustration with Moscow, telling ABC News last week that the president has “seen a level of unreasonableness that really frustrates him.”

In a phone conversation with Trump in May, Putin said Russia would provide a “peace memorandum” outlining a possible settlement. Moscow provided the document on Monday, according to Umerov. Medinsky said Sunday that the Russian team had received Ukraine’s version of the peace memorandum.

Umerov said Monday they will take a week to study the documents before deciding on next steps.

Since the last round of talks in Istanbul, Trump has hit out at Putin — calling him “absolutely crazy” — and again criticized Zelenskyy, saying of the Ukrainian leader, “Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop.”

Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament representing Zelenskyy’s party and the chair of the body’s foreign affairs committee, told ABC News, “Russia’s primary goal is to avoid sanctions by pretending that it negotiates.”

“Putin is not interested in negotiations and ceasefire, because he hopes to start an offensive during summer,” Merezhko added.

“On the one hand, he imitates negotiations to avoid Trump’s sanctions and simultaneously to demonstrate that Russia is not politically isolated. Yet, on the other hand, Putin hopes that if Trump will decide to withdraw from the negotiations, he will leave Ukraine without military support, one-on-one with Russia.”

The talks come a day after Ukraine launched one of the most stunning attacks of the war. In what a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told ABC News was an operation one and a half years in the making, operatives used attack drones concealed in containers carried by trucks to attack strategic bomber bases deep inside Russian territory.

Moscow has used long-range bombers and their cruise missile armaments to attack Ukrainian cities throughout the full-scale invasion. The SBU claimed to have hit more than 40 military aircraft in the attacks, which targeted multiple air bases thousands of miles from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Zelenskyy said that 34% of Russia’s cruise missile-carrying aircraft were hit.

Speaking at a summit of the Bucharest Nine and Nordic countries in Lithuania on Monday, Zelenskyy said of Sunday’s drone attack, “Russia must realize what it means to suffer losses. That is what will push it toward diplomacy.”

“This is a special moment,” Zelenskyy added. “On the one hand, Russia has started its summer offensive. But on the other, it is forced to participate in diplomacy. And this is at once a challenge and also a real opportunity for all of us. It is a chance to end this war.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry framed the operation as “a terrorist attack,” claiming that the strikes were “repelled” in three regions, but noting that several aircraft caught fire at airfields during the attacks in Irkutsk and Murmansk — videos of which the SBU published.

Also on Sunday, Russian authorities reported the collapse of two railway bridges and derailment of two trains in regions bordering Ukraine, which they blamed on “explosions.” At least seven people were killed, authorities said.

In an address on Sunday, Zelenskyy called the Ukrainian drone attack a “brilliant operation” and said Russia “suffered truly significant losses.” The president framed the attack as a defensive measure.

“We will defend ourselves by all means available to us,” Zelenskyy said. “Not for a single second did we want this war. We offered the Russians a ceasefire. Since March 11, the U.S. proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire has been on the table. It was the Russians who chose to continue the war.”

“Pressure is truly needed — pressure on Russia that should bring it back to reality,” Zelenskyy added. “Pressure through sanctions. Pressure from our forces. Pressure through diplomacy. All of it must work together.”

Ivan Stupak, a former officer in the SBU, told ABC News that Ukrainians expect a significant Russian response — “probably mass drone attacks on civilians or using Oreshnik ballistic missiles.”

“I think there will be zero impact on peace negotiations,” Stupak added, citing the ongoing Russian ground offensives grinding forward and capturing — even if at great cost — more territory in eastern Ukraine, which the Kremlin will hope to leverage.

Meanwhile, long-range drone and missile attacks continued overnight into Monday morning.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 80 drones and four missiles into the country overnight, of which 52 were shot down or neutralized. The air force reported impacts in 12 locations.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down 162 Ukrainian drones over nine Russian regions overnight.

ABC News’ Christopher Boccia, Ellie Kaufman and Patrick Reevell contributed to this report.

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(LONDON) —  An overnight fire at a shopping mall in Iraq has killed more than 60 people, according to the country’s interior ministry.

The massive fire broke out early Thursday in the new, five-story shopping center in Kut, the capital of the Wasit province in eastern Iraq.

Most of the 61 victims died from smoke inhalation in the building’s bathrooms, while 14 others were severely burned, according to the interior ministry. Forty-five people were rescued, it said.

Rescue teams worked for hours to recover bodies trapped inside the charred structure, battling dense smoke and debris.

Iraqi authorities have declared three days of national mourning as search and recovery operations continue.

The Wasit governor, Mohammed Mayahi, described the fire as a national disaster. Many of the victims are believed to be entire families caught in the fire, with Mayahi saying children were among those killed.

“The day is painful for all of Wasit,” he said.

An investigation committee has been formed to determine the cause of the fire, the interior ministry said. Investigators have been tasked with determining whether violations of fire codes or construction standards played a role.

The blaze erupted less than a week after the Corniche shopping mall opened.

Mayahi said legal complaints had been filed against the building owner, the mall operator and others involved in the case.

“There will be no leniency,” he said.

The Kut disaster follows a series of similar incidents in Iraq recent years. In 2023, more than 100 people died after a fire started by pyrotechnic devices swept through a wedding hall in Hamdaniyah. The incident drew national outrage, raising broader concerns about public venue safety and allegations of corruption in the approval of business licenses.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(ROME) — Cardinal Robert Prevost was chosen as Pope Francis’ successor on Thursday, taking the papal name Leo XIV. The world is wondering how the first American pope compares to his predecessor.

In his first public remarks, Pope Leo XIV called for unity.

“We have to be a church that works together to build bridges and to keep our arms open, like this very piazza, welcoming,” he said.

The 69-year-old Chicago native, known for being reserved and private, brings a different style to the papacy compared to his predecessor, according to Time. While Francis was famous for his outgoing personality and spontaneous interactions with crowds, Leo is described by those who know him as more cautious and measured.

Before becoming pope, Leo played a key role in the church, leading Francis’ team that chose new bishops. He made history by adding three women to the group that recommends bishop appointments to the pope — a major change in church tradition, according to the Associated Press.

Many Catholics are watching closely to see how Leo will handle important issues that Francis championed during his time as pope. Francis took progressive positions on many issues, including allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples in December 2023 and strongly defending immigrants’ rights.

The contrast between the two leaders’ styles is already clear. While Francis was known for blessing babies and engaging with crowds until his death last month, Leo reportedly takes a more reserved approach.

“He does not have excesses,” the Rev. Michele Falcone told the New York Times about Leo. “Blessing babies, yes. Taking them in his arms, no.”

LGBTQ+ issues and role of women in the church

Leo’s past statements suggest he may take different positions on some social issues than his predecessor did.

In 2012, he expressed concern about Western media promoting what he called “beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel,” including same-sex relationships, according to the Times. As a bishop in Peru from 2015 through 2023, he opposed teaching gender studies in schools, stating that “gender ideology is confusing, because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist.”

That appears to mark a departure from Francis’s more welcoming approach to LGBTQ+ issues. Francis famously asked “Who am I to judge?” when discussing gay clerics, and made headlines with his decision to allow same-sex couple blessings.

In other areas, like women serving in leadership roles in the Catholic Church, Leo has taken a more progressive stance.

In a 2023 interview with Vatican Media, Leo XIV highlighted his experience with having women in church leadership, particularly discussing the three women appointed to help select bishops — a reform he oversaw under Francis.

“Their opinion introduces another perspective and becomes an important contribution to the process,” he told Vatican Media, emphasizing that their roles represent “real, genuine, and meaningful participation.”

Immigration and treatment of migrants

During his time in Peru, Leo earned praise for supporting Venezuelan immigrants, the Times reported.

Francis had been particularly vocal on this issue, recently condemning the Trump administration’s deportations of migrants in the U.S. after the president’s second inauguration, calling it a “major crisis.”

In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, Pope Leo’s brother John Prevost cited his brother’s missionary work.

“I think because he was trained in missionary work in South America for so many years, I think he will be looking out for the disenfranchised,” John Prevost said. “He will be looking out for the poor. He will be looking out for those who don’t have a voice.”John Prevost also said immigration is an important issue for his brother.

“I think because the way our country is going, I don’t think he necessarily will always agree [with] what’s happening. I think a big thing for him is immigration and is it right — what’s going on? I think that will be a challenge for him, because I think he’ll say something about it, too.”

Church sexual abuse scandals

Questions have emerged about Leo XIV’s handling of abuse cases in both the U.S. and Peru. In Chicago, activists raised concerns about his role in a case involving a monastery placement, the Times reported.

When discussing the ongoing challenge of sexual abuse in the church, Leo acknowledged there is “still much to learn” in handling these cases. He stressed the importance of supporting abuse victims, saying “silence is not the solution” and emphasized the need for transparency.

“We must be transparent and honest, we must accompany and assist the victims, because otherwise their wounds will never heal,” Leo told Vatican Media in 2023, adding that cultural differences often affect how abuse cases are handled in different regions.

The new pope’s more recent comments indicate he plans to continue addressing the abuse crisis that has plagued the church, while maintaining the reforms started under Francis’ leadership, though with his characteristically more measured approach.

Leadership style

Those who know Robert Prevost before he became Pope Leo XIV describe his communication style as more measured than Francis’, the Times reported.

“Where Francis might immediately speak his mind, Cardinal Prevost holds himself back a bit,” the Rev. Moral Antón, who succeeded Leo as leader of the Augustinian order, said.

Despite these differences in style, some expect Leo to maintain certain aspects of Francis’ legacy.

The Rev. Mark R. Francis, who knew Leo XIV as a classmate, told the Times he believes the new pope will continue Francis’s practice of including regular Catholics in church discussions.

“I know that Bob believes that everybody has a right and a duty to express themselves in the church,” he said.

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