Without waiting for Washington, the European Union and the U.K. announced a new raft of sanctions against Russia.

The Vatican has a long history of conflict mediation, with varying degrees of success. An effort by the pope to end the war in Ukraine would face long odds.

Ukraine has launched a cross-border drone attack, striking a Russian semiconductor plant responsible for producing parts for ballistic missiles and warplanes. Ukraine’s military said in a statement that it had struck the Bolkhov semiconductor plant in Oryol Oblast overnight.

President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s Kursk region for the first time since Moscow claimed that it drove Ukrainian forces out of the area last month, the Kremlin said Wednesday. Putin visited the region bordering Ukraine the previous day, according to the Kremlin.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s phone calls with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine have deepened expectations that progress might soon be made on ending those countries’ more than three-year war

Currently, there are no signs of a swift end to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Pope’s offer to mediate peace talks is the "last earthly resort," states German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to Tagesspiegel.

Russia and its long-term former Soviet ally Armenia are drifting apart due to a series of defence commitments remaining unfulfilled by Moscow due to the war in Ukraine.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Kyiv’s European allies slapped new sanctions Tuesday on Moscow, a day after a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to produce a breakthrough on ending the 3-year-old war in Ukraine.