Russian forces leave Snake Island, keep up eastern assault

SLOVIANSK, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces withdrew from a strategic Black Sea island Thursday, potentially easing the threat to the vital Ukrainian port city of Odesa, but kept up their push to encircle the last stronghold of resistance in the eastern province of Luhansk. The...

Biden notched gains at summit; returns to turmoil at home

MADRID (AP) — The dissonant realities of President Joe Biden’s second year in office were on display Thursday as he wound up a five-day trip to Europe that highlighted both the key U.S. role in mounting a strong allied response to Vladimir Putin’s aggression and the domestic turmoil that is...

Live updates | Trudeau: Canada to up Latvia troop presence

MADRID (AP) — The Latest on the final day of the NATO summit in Madrid: ___ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will increase Canada's troop presence in Latvia as part of NATO’s commitment to strengthen its deterrence measures along...

Italy's Draghi brushes off concerns his coalition could fold

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Mario Draghi brushed off concerns for his government’s survival on Thursday, a day after he returned early to Rome from the NATO summit in Madrid amid tensions boiling up among his key coalition allies. "The government doesn't risk (collapse), because...

NATO vows to guard 'every inch of territory' as Russia fumes

MADRID (AP) — An unstable world could get even more dangerous if NATO does not remain strong and united, the head of the alliance said Thursday at the end of a summit where Western leaders labeled Russia “a direct threat” to the security of their nations. During their...

Official: Russia could see West's sanctions as cause for war

MOSCOW (AP) — A senior Russian official warned Thursday that Moscow could see Western sanctions as a cause for war. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, denounced the Western restrictions as “boorish and...

'We cannot pause our lives': Ukrainians begin rebuilding

YAHIDNE, Ukraine (AP) — On the outskirts of a Ukrainian village stand the remnants of a small school that was partially destroyed in the early weeks of the Russian invasion. Surrounded by tall pine trees, the school's broken windows offer glimpses of abandoned classrooms that are...

Czech Republic to extend coal mining amid high demand

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic has decided to reverse plans to halt mining in a key black coal region to help the country safeguard its power supply amid high demand and the energy crunch prompted by the Russia's war in Ukraine. Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura said Thursday that...

Poland completes Belarus border wall to keep migrants out

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A year after migrants started crossing into the European Union from Belarus to Poland, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and top security officials visited the border area on Thursday to mark the completion of a new steel wall. On Friday, Polish...

The Russian military says its has withdrawn its forces from Snake Island, in the Black Sea near Odesa