‘Massive’ Russian attack on Ukraine kills 16, injures at least 100, Ukrainian officials say
A large fire burns near a shopping center following an overnight Russian missile strike in the Podilskyi, Obolonskyi, Shevchenkivskyi and Desnianskyi districts, on April 16, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — At least 16 people were killed and another 100 were injured in Ukraine as Russia targeted the country with a “massive” drone and missile attack on Wednesday and into Thursday morning, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia launched almost 700 drones and 19 ballistic missiles, along with cruise missiles, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Ukraine shot down about 636 drones and “some” of the missiles, he added, saying, “Unfortunately, not all.”
At least 16 people were killed across Ukraine, officials said. Zelenskyy said at least 100 people had been reported wounded “as of now.”
“Tragically, there are fatalities in Odesa, Kyiv, and Dnipro,” he said in a social media post. “Among those killed is a boy — he was 12 years old. My condolences to the families and loved ones.”
Most of the missiles targeted Kyiv, the capital, the president said, but damage and deaths were also reported across the country. Some missiles or drones that made it through Ukraine’s defenses struck and damaged residential buildings, Zelenskyy said.
“Another night has proven that Russia does not deserve any easing of global policy or lifting of sanctions,” Zelenskyy said. “Russia is betting on war, and the response must be exactly that: we must defend lives with all available means, and we must also apply pressure for the sake of peace with the same full force.”
Russia has chosen to “deliberately terrorise civilians” with its attacks on residential areas, Antonio Costa, the European Council president, said on Thursday. The EU would continue to “increase pressure” on Moscow, he said.
“Russia must stop this war of terror,” Costa said. “A comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine based on the principles of the U.N. Charter and international law must be achieved.”
Russian officials said on Thursday that Ukraine launched its own barrage of drones targeting several areas in Russia. Moscow said its military downed more than 200 drones. At least one Ukrainian drone struck a port on Russia’s Black Sea coast, along with other coastal cities, the local governor said.
Greenland residents and political leaders have publicly rejected suggestions by U.S. President Donald Trump that the Arctic island could become part of the United States. Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has emphasized that its future will be decided by its own people, with officials stating that the island is not for sale and does not wish to become American. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — The heads of all 27 European Union member states will gather in Brussels on Thursday for what the body is calling an “extraordinary” summit regarding the recent crisis in transatlantic relations prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland.
European leaders “will discuss recent developments in transatlantic relations and their implications for the EU and coordinate on the way forward,” a notice posted to the website of the European Council — the body made up of EU national leaders — said.
The meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time, comes after several weeks of tensions between the U.S. and its European allies over the fate of Greenland, a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark which Trump has repeatedly said — across both his first and second terms in office — that he wants to acquire for the U.S.
The issue has dominated this week’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Trump addressed the event on Wednesday, swinging between apparent threats against NATO allies over Greenland while also ruling out the use of military force to seize the massive Arctic island.
Trump described Greenland as a “piece of ice” and framed his proposed acquisition of the territory — which he several times incorrectly referred to as Iceland, though the White House denied that he misspoke — as payment for decades of U.S. contributions to NATO and European security.
Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte after his address. Later, Trump wrote on social media that the “framework of a future deal” on Greenland had been reached on Greenland.
The president said he would shelve plans to impose tariffs on eight NATO allies who deployed small numbers of troops to Greenland earlier this month — a threat that prompted fierce criticism from European leaders and raised the prospect of a transatlantic trade war.
Neither Trump nor Rutte immediately revealed the details of the purported deal. Trump told CNN that the U.S. got “everything we wanted,” while Rutte told Fox News that the issue of Greenland’s sovereignty “did not come up” in his meeting with the president.
A NATO spokesperson told ABC News that trilateral talks between the U.S., Greenland and Denmark were ongoing.
Rutte told Reuters on Thursday, “We came to this understanding that collectively as NATO, we have to step up here, including the U.S.”
Rutte said that minerals exploitation in Greenland was not discussed during his talks with Trump on Wednesday, and that specific negotiations relating to Greenland will continue between Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk.
“You can always take Donald Trump at his word,” Rutte said. “He is the leader of the free world, and he is doing what I would love for a leader of the free world to do.”
On Thursday morning, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement that Copenhagen and Nuuk have been coordinating on discussions over Greenland. Denmark was in “close dialogue with NATO” and with Rutte before the latter’s meeting with Trump, she said.
“NATO is fully aware of the position of the Kingdom of Denmark. We can negotiate on everything political; security, investments, economy. But we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty,” the prime minister said.
“I have been informed that this has not been the case either. And of course, only Denmark and Greenland themselves can make decisions on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland,” Frederiksen said.
A European Council spokesperson told ABC News there had been “no change in the agenda” for Thursday’s meeting in Brussels following Trump’s announcement of a possible deal.
In a statement on the Council’s website, the body’s President Antonio Costa said that the key topics for discussions on Thursday will include “unity around the principles of international law, territorial integrity and national sovereignty” and “unity in full support and solidarity with Denmark and Greenland.”
Also to be discussed, Costa said, are a “shared transatlantic interest in peace and security in the Arctic, notably through NATO” and “concern that further tariffs would undermine relations and are incompatible with the EU-U.S. trade agreement.”
“The EU wants to continue engaging constructively with the United States on all issues of common interest,” the statement said.
Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea’s president, attends a hearing for his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(SEOUL)– The Seoul Central District Court sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison Thursday.
The court found him guilty of leading an insurrection linked to his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.
The court ruled that Yoon’s central offense was mobilizing military and police forces to seize control of the National Assembly and detain key political figures.
“The deployment of martial law troops to the National Assembly during the state of emergency constitutes ‘rioting,’ a key legal element required to establish the crime of insurrection,” presiding judge Ji Gui-yeon said Thursday. Ji said declaring martial law can constitute insurrection if intended to obstruct or paralyze constitutional institutions.
The court acknowledged political tensions between Yoon’s administration and the opposition-controlled legislature. However, it said those circumstances did not justify declaring martial law under the constitution.
Judges also said Yoon showed no remorse or acknowledgment of wrongdoing during the proceedings, which they considered in determining his sentence.
Yoon’s attorneys criticized the ruling as “a mere formality for a predetermined conclusion.”
“Watching the rule of law collapse in reality, I question whether I should even pursue an appeal or continue participating in these criminal proceedings,” Yoon’s attorney, Yoon Gab-geun, told reporters after the ruling. “The truth will be revealed in the court of history.”
Yoon was taken into custody immediately after the ruling and transferred to the Seoul Detention Center. He will remain there unless the court grants release pending appeal.
If Yoon appeals, the case will move to the Seoul High Court, which can review legal interpretations and factual findings. A final appeal could be filed with the Supreme Court.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, arguing Yoon’s actions posed a grave threat to the constitutional order.
Thursday’s ruling addressed only the insurrection charge. Other criminal cases tied to the December 2024 martial law declaration, including abuse of power and obstruction of official duty, remain pending.
In a separate case last month, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for obstructing his arrest, the first criminal conviction tied to the crisis.
“Yoon’s sentencing does not represent a national catharsis since most Koreans have already emotionally moved on from the former president,” Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told ABC News. “Nor does this televised verdict mark closure because many cases and appeals related to Yoon’s martial law debacle have yet to be fully adjudicated.”
People gather in support of Ukraine as delegations from the United States, Ukraine and Russia meet for talks about a potential peace deal at the Intercontinental Hotel on February 17, 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland (Sedat Suna/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators convened again in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday for trilateral peace talks, with the second day of meetings concluding after around two hours.
The delegations met Tuesday for the opening sessions of the third round of U.S.-brokered trilateral talks, the first two rounds of which were held in the United Arab Emirates starting in late January.
In a post to X, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said both Ukraine and Russia had agreed to keep working towards a peace deal following Tuesday’s meetings.
“President Trump’s success in bringing both sides of this war together has brought about meaningful progress, and we are proud to work under his leadership to stop the killing in this terrible conflict,” Witkoff wrote.
“Both parties agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working towards a deal,” he added.
The Russian delegation to Geneva was led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin known for his ultraconservative and nationalistic messaging.
“The negotiations were difficult, but businesslike,” Medinsky said after the conclusion of Tuesday’s talks. Medinsky also said that a new round of negotiations are expected to be held soon.
Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council and the leader of Kyiv’s delegation, said in a post to Telegram before Wednesday’s meetings that the Ukrainian team was “focused on substantive work.”
Umerov also said Tuesday that the Ukrainian team held talks with European representatives from France, the U.K., Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that the first reports he had received from Kyiv’s delegation showed that the “military” aspect of the talks had been “constructive.”
“There are two tracks: military and political. Here I want to say that all three sides were constructive on the military track — in my view, based on the briefing I have just received,” Zelenskyy said.
“The military basically understand how to monitor a ceasefire and the end of the war, if there is political will. They have basically agreed on pretty much everything there,” the Ukrainian president added.
Before that, Zelenskyy had described the first day of talks on Tuesday as “difficult meetings” in another social media post.
“Russia is trying to drag out the negotiations, which could have already reached the final stage,” he wrote. “Thank you to the American side for their attention to details and patience in talks with the present representatives of Russia.”
Zelenskyy posted to social media on Tuesday after the first round of meetings, saying, “Ukraine is ready. We do not need war. And we always act symmetrically — we are defending our state and our independence.”
“Likewise, we are ready to move quickly toward a just agreement to end the war. The only question is for the Russians: what do they want?” Zelenskyy added.
The Ukrainian president again urged foreign partners to increase pressure and costs on Russia over Moscow’s continued long-range strike campaign against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.
The attacks have focused on energy targets throughout the war’s fourth winter, plunging millions of Ukrainians into periodic darkness amid bitterly cold weather.
“The team absolutely must raise the issue of these strikes — first of all with the American side, which proposed that both us and Russia refrain from attacks,” Zelenskyy said.
“‘Shaheds,’ missiles and fantasy chatter about history matter more to them than real diplomacy, diplomacy and lasting peace,” Zelenskyy said of Moscow.
Russian officials have said little about the latest round of talks. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, “There are no plans to make any announcements on this matter. Everything will be closed to the press.”
In an interview with Sputnik Radio published on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said of the talks, “Any step that could lead to, or lead down a path that leads to, a resolution to the situation is of great importance,” as quoted by the state-run Tass news agency.
Zakharova again accused Ukraine’s European partners of trying to sabotage the peace negotiations and pressuring Kyiv to continue the war, echoing a long-held Russian disinformation narrative.
Ukraine and Russia continued their nightly drone and missile exchanges despite the ongoing talks in Geneva.
Ukraine’s air force said in a post to Telegram on Wednesday morning that Russia launched one missile and 126 drones into the country overnight, of which 100 drones were shot down or suppressed. The missile and 23 attack drones impacted across 14 locations, the air force said.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES) said in posts to Telegram that six people were injured and one person killed in a Russian strike on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday evening. The SES also reported an overnight attack in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down at least 43 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Russia’s federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya, said in posts to Telegram that temporary flight restrictions were introduced at airports in Volgograd, Saratov, Cheboksary, Kazan and Kaluga.
