Afghanistan's Karzai tells AP that US cash fed corruption

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s former president argued Tuesday that Washington helped fuel corruption in his nation by spending hundreds of millions of dollars over the past two decades without accountability. In an interview with The Associated Press, Hamid Karzai responded to findings...

Ukraine, Russia hope for progress after peace talks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday both hailed the outcome of peace talks in Paris even though they failed to solve the core issues blocking the resolution of the five-year separatist conflict in Ukraine's east. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy...

Russia, Ukraine to revive peace process amid little progress

PARIS (AP) — The presidents of Ukraine and Russia agreed Monday to revive the peace process on the bloody separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine and exchange all their prisoners, but they failed to resolve crucial issues such as a timeline on local elections and control of the borders in the rebel-held...

Leaders of Russia, Ukraine agree to try new cease-fire but fail to agree on timeline for elections in separatist east

Protesters: Ukraine's leader must defend nation at summit

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Several thousand people rallied Sunday in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv to demand that the president defend the country's interests in this week's summit with Russia, Germany and France on ending the war in eastern Ukraine. Many Ukrainians are concerned that President Volodymyr...

Ukraine's leader hopes for lasting truce, prisoner swap

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s new president has said he believes an international summit next week will help achieve a lasting cease-fire in the country’s separatist conflict. Volodymyr Zelenskiy said late Friday ahead of talks with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany in Paris on...

Israel: Hezbollah undeterred after recent setbacks

SHTULA, Israel (AP) — A year after uncovering a network of cross-border Hezbollah tunnels, the Israeli military says the Lebanese militant group has beefed up its presence along the volatile frontier. Military officials say that neither the destruction of the tunnels, nor Hezbollah’s recent domestic...

US’s Afghan peace envoy makes surprise stop in Kabul

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Washington’s special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday to launch an “accelerated effort” to get Afghans on both sides of the protracted conflict to the negotiation table to plot a roadmap to a post-war Afghanistan. His...

Hamas leader travels to Egypt, first time since February

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian militant group Hamas says its leader is visiting Egypt for the first time since February, in a potential sign of stepped-up efforts to shore up a Gaza cease-fire. The Islamic militant group ruling Gaza said on Monday that its politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh would...

Trump thanks troops in Afghanistan, says Taliban want a deal

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AP) — President Donald Trump paid a surprise Thanksgiving visit to Afghanistan, where he announced the U.S. and the Taliban have been engaged in ongoing peace talks and said he believes the Taliban want a cease-fire. Trump arrived at Bagram Air Field shortly after 8:30 p.m....