Sanctions were imposed on Russia’s VTB Bank in February 2022, and it was kicked off the interbank payment system called SWIFT. SWIFT is the global messaging network that enables banks worldwide to communicate and process international money transfers, and without access, VTB should have been isolated from global finance.

Potential security guarantees could end the three-year war between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday afternoon.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that large-scale Russian attacks overnight in various parts of Ukraine showed Moscow was avoiding negotiations about ending the more than three-year-old war.

Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky has accused Russia of "doing everything it can" to prevent a meeting with Vladimir Putin to try to end the war. US President Donald Trump has sought to bring the two leaders together, but he said on Friday "that's like oil and vinegar... they don't get along too well".

A festival was held at Ridge Road Baptist Church in Raleigh for the holiday, which is on Sunday. Ukrainians in the Carolinas hosted the festival to not only celebrate Ukraine's independence, but also educate the community about the ongoing war with Russia.

The second Oval Office meeting in six months between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went off smoothly, in sharp contrast to their disastrous encounter in February.

The war in Ukraine, raging since February 2022, has drained both Ukraine and Russia's economic reserves, forcing each side to commit every available resource to the conflict. Despite these efforts, the Russian military finds its arsenal woefully inadequate.

North Korea is "no longer content to have its nuclear weapons and be left alone," a former senior U.S. official told Newsweek.