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Russia Insists it is Observing Ukraine Ceasefire Despite Kyiv Attacks

Putin had unilaterally ordered his forces to pause attacks for 36 hours for the Orthodox Christmas. Reuters
Putin had unilaterally ordered his forces to pause attacks for 36 hours for the Orthodox Christmas. Reuters
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Russia Insists it is Observing Ukraine Ceasefire Despite Kyiv Attacks

Putin had unilaterally ordered his forces to pause attacks for 36 hours for the Orthodox Christmas. Reuters
Putin had unilaterally ordered his forces to pause attacks for 36 hours for the Orthodox Christmas. Reuters

Moscow insisted Saturday its army was observing a ceasefire it unilaterally declared in Ukraine to mark Orthodox Christmas despite artillery attacks by Kyiv troops.

"Despite the shelling of the armed forces of Ukraine of settlements and Russian positions, the implementation of the declared ceasefire will continue," the Russian defense ministry said in a statement.

The statement however added that over the past 24 hours Russian forces repelled a number of attacks by the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine and killed dozens of its troops.

AFP journalists in the town of Chasiv Yar south of the frontline city of Bakhmut on Saturday heard heavy artillery fire for much of Saturday morning.

On Saturday, the general staff of Ukraine's armed forces said that Russia launched one missile strike and fired 20 rounds from multiple rocket launchers over the past 24 hours.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had unilaterally ordered his forces to pause attacks for 36 hours for the Orthodox Christmas.

Ukraine has dismissed the halt -- due to last until the end of Saturday (2100 GMT) -- as a tactic by Russia to gain time to regroup its forces and bolster its defenses following a series of battlefield setbacks.

Orthodox Christians observe Christmas on January 7.

Also Saturday, Putin praised the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting Moscow's forces fighting in Ukraine in an Orthodox Christmas message designed to rally people behind his vision of modern Russia.

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World

Trump in Fresh Attack on Germany’s Merz Over Iran

03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. (dpa)
03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. (dpa)
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Trump in Fresh Attack on Germany’s Merz Over Iran

03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. (dpa)
03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. (dpa)

US President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, telling him to focus on ending the Ukraine war instead of "interfering" on Iran.

Trump's second broadside of the week against Merz came a day after he said he was considering the redeployment of some of the tens of thousands of US troops stationed in key NATO ally Germany.

"The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

He added that Merz should spend "less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat, thereby making the World, including Germany, a safer place!"

Trump was apparently infuriated by Merz's comments on Monday that Tehran was "humiliating" the United States in negotiations to end the US-Israeli war on Iran that has just entered its third month.

The US leader's comments also come a day after he had a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Trump said focused mostly on ending the war in Ukraine, which Moscow's forces invaded in February 2022.

Trump has long said he could bring a quick end to the war there but has made little progress.

World

Spain Blasts Israel's Interception of Gaza-bound Flotilla

Activists in orange life jackets sit aboard a Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla boat as Israeli navy soldiers sail it into the port of Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, after it was intercepted while approaching the Gaza coast. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Activists in orange life jackets sit aboard a Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla boat as Israeli navy soldiers sail it into the port of Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, after it was intercepted while approaching the Gaza coast. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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Spain Blasts Israel's Interception of Gaza-bound Flotilla

Activists in orange life jackets sit aboard a Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla boat as Israeli navy soldiers sail it into the port of Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, after it was intercepted while approaching the Gaza coast. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Activists in orange life jackets sit aboard a Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla boat as Israeli navy soldiers sail it into the port of Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, after it was intercepted while approaching the Gaza coast. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Spain on Thursday said it "energetically condemns" the seizure by Israeli forces of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla carrying Spanish nationals in international waters off Greece.

Madrid has summoned Israel's charge d'affaires in Spain to convey its protest over the detention of the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels, the foreign ministry added in a statement.

Spanish diplomatic staff in Israel are in contact with the organizers of the flotilla and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has spoken with his counterparts who also have nationals on board, the statement said.

The latest flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break Israel's blockade on Gaza set sail in recent weeks from Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain and Syracuse in Italy.

Organizers announced early on Thursday that their boats had been surrounded by Israeli military ships while off the coast of Crete.

Ties between Israel and Spain have nosedived since the Gaza war sparked by the October 2023 Hamas cross-border attacks, with Israel angered by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's unrelenting criticism of its bombardment of the Palestinian territory.

Spain's Socialist leader has also opposed the US-Israeli war with Iran, drawing a sharp Israeli reaction.

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred Madrid from joining the work of a US-led centre to stabilize post-war Gaza, accusing Spain of waging a diplomatic campaign against Israel. Both countries have withdrawn their ambassadors.

World

Trump Warns Iran Blockade Could Last Months, Sending Oil Prices Soaring

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he meets with NASA's Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he meets with NASA's Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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Trump Warns Iran Blockade Could Last Months, Sending Oil Prices Soaring

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he meets with NASA's Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he meets with NASA's Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

President Donald Trump said a US naval blockade against Iran could last months, leading oil prices to spike to their highest level in more than four years, which held into Thursday.

Trump is expected to receive a briefing on Thursday on new plans for potential military action in Iran from Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, two sources with knowledge told Axios.

With diplomacy between Iran and the United States at a standstill after false starts, Trump spoke by phone Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned him of "damaging consequences" if the United States and Israel resume their war on Iran.

Meeting oil executives, Trump contended that the blockade of Iranian ports -- which Tehran has demanded must end before any deal -- was more effective than bombing.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Wednesday on X that it had reached a "significant milestone after successfully redirecting the 42nd commercial vessel attempting to violate the blockade".

It said there are "41 tankers with 69 million barrels of oil that the Iranian regime can't sell", estimating the value at more than $6 billion.

Trump has faced intense political pressure to end the war, which is unpopular even with much of his base, having increased costs for American consumers and unnerved US allies.

Trump, speaking to Axios, said of the naval action on Iran: "They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them."

Oil prices soared to four-year highs, with US benchmark Brent spiking more than seven percent to $126.41 for June delivery, while West Texas Intermediate was up around three percent to $110.31. Both later pared the gains, AFP reported.

Top US officials including Vice President JD Vance twice turned back last week from trips to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, which has voiced doubts about Trump's sincerity for diplomacy.

US officials contend they do not know who is speaking for Iran, whether it is the hardline and increasingly empowered Revolutionary Guards or diplomats, after Israeli strikes killed a series of top leaders.

Iran has proposed easing its chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz as Washington lifts its blockade and broader negotiations take place. The Trump administration has been skeptical of the proposal.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has emerged as a key figure since the start of the war, said Wednesday the US naval blockade of the country aimed to create division and "make us collapse from within".