Putin Says Ukraine’s Statehood at Risk If Pattern of War Continues

 In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with heads of municipalities in the constituent entities of Russia as part of the All-Russian Municipal Forum "Small Motherland - the Strength of Russia", in the Moscow region on January 16, 2024. (Photo by Sergei Savostyanov / Pool / AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with heads of municipalities in the constituent entities of Russia as part of the All-Russian Municipal Forum "Small Motherland - the Strength of Russia", in the Moscow region on January 16, 2024. (Photo by Sergei Savostyanov / Pool / AFP)
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Putin Says Ukraine’s Statehood at Risk If Pattern of War Continues

 In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with heads of municipalities in the constituent entities of Russia as part of the All-Russian Municipal Forum "Small Motherland - the Strength of Russia", in the Moscow region on January 16, 2024. (Photo by Sergei Savostyanov / Pool / AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with heads of municipalities in the constituent entities of Russia as part of the All-Russian Municipal Forum "Small Motherland - the Strength of Russia", in the Moscow region on January 16, 2024. (Photo by Sergei Savostyanov / Pool / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Ukraine's statehood could suffer an "irreparable blow" if the pattern of the war continued, and Russia would never be forced to abandon the gains it had made.

Putin made his televised comments a day after Switzerland agreed to host a global summit at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Putin dismissed "so-called peace formulas" being discussed in the West and Ukraine and what he called the "prohibitive demands" they entailed.

"Well, if they don't want (to negotiate), then don't!" he said.

"Now it is quite obvious, not only (Ukraine's) counter-offensive failed, but the initiative is completely in the hands of the Russian armed forces. If this continues, Ukrainian statehood may suffer an irreparable, very serious blow."

Putin's statements about the course of the war have become increasingly confident and aggressive in recent months, with the failure of Ukraine's counter-offensive to deliver any substantial gains against well-entrenched Russian forces.

Russia currently controls 17.5% of the territory of Ukraine.

Putin said talk of negotiation was "an attempt to motivate us to abandon the gains that we have realized over the past year and a half. But this is impossible. Everyone understands that this is impossible."

A peace formula put forward by Zelenskiy calls for the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, cessation of hostilities and withdrawal of Russian troops, among other points.

Russia says any negotiation would have to take account of the "new realities" created by its forces on the ground.



US Military Strike on Alleged Drug Boat Kills 3 in Eastern Pacific

This screen grab from a video posted on the X account of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) on May 5, 2026, shows a vessel before being struck at the direction of Commander General Francis L. Donovan on May 5, 2026. (Photo by US Southern Command / AFP)
This screen grab from a video posted on the X account of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) on May 5, 2026, shows a vessel before being struck at the direction of Commander General Francis L. Donovan on May 5, 2026. (Photo by US Southern Command / AFP)
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US Military Strike on Alleged Drug Boat Kills 3 in Eastern Pacific

This screen grab from a video posted on the X account of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) on May 5, 2026, shows a vessel before being struck at the direction of Commander General Francis L. Donovan on May 5, 2026. (Photo by US Southern Command / AFP)
This screen grab from a video posted on the X account of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) on May 5, 2026, shows a vessel before being struck at the direction of Commander General Francis L. Donovan on May 5, 2026. (Photo by US Southern Command / AFP)

The US military launched another strike Tuesday on a vessel suspected of transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three men.

The attack came a day after US forces struck an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea, killing two people.

The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and killed at least 191 people in total.

Despite the Iran war, the strikes have ramped up again in recent weeks, showing that the administration’s aggressive measures to stop what it calls “narcoterrorism” in the Western Hemisphere are not letting up. The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.

The attacks began as the US built up its largest military presence in the region in generations and came months ahead of the raid in January that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He was brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.

In the attack Tuesday, US Southern Command once again said it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. According to The Associated Press, it posted a video on X showing a boat cruising along the water before a huge explosion left the vessel in flames.

President Donald Trump has said the US is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”

Critics, meanwhile, have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes.


French Shipping Firm Says Container Ship 'Target of Attack' in Hormuz

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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French Shipping Firm Says Container Ship 'Target of Attack' in Hormuz

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

A container ship owned by French shipping company CMA CGM was the "target of an attack" in the Strait of Hormuz, the major shipping firm said on Wednesday.

"The CMA CGM San Antonio was the target of an attack yesterday while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in injuries among crew members and damage to the vessel," the shipping firm told AFP, adding those injured had been evacuated for treatment.


Fire at Iran Commercial Complex Kills 8, Injures Dozens

Flames and smoke rise after a fire broke out at a shopping center in Tehran, Iran, May 5, 2026, in this screen grab taken from social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
Flames and smoke rise after a fire broke out at a shopping center in Tehran, Iran, May 5, 2026, in this screen grab taken from social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
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Fire at Iran Commercial Complex Kills 8, Injures Dozens

Flames and smoke rise after a fire broke out at a shopping center in Tehran, Iran, May 5, 2026, in this screen grab taken from social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
Flames and smoke rise after a fire broke out at a shopping center in Tehran, Iran, May 5, 2026, in this screen grab taken from social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS

A fire ripped through a commercial complex near Iran's capital Tehran, killing at least eight people and leaving dozens more wounded, state media reported on Wednesday.

The blaze erupted on Tuesday in Arghavan commercial complex in the city of Andisheh, west of Tehran, said AFP.

Footage broadcast by state television showed a multi-storey building on fire with thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

According to state television, the fire injured 41 people.

The complex had more than 250 commercial units and 50 office units, according to local officials.

The Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office of Shahriar called for an investigation into the incident, to identify possible culprits.

It also issued an arrest warrant for the building's constructor.

Fires are common in Iran, but they rarely cause casualties.

In June 2020, a powerful explosion caused by gas canisters that caught fire at a clinic in northern Tehran killed at least 19 people.

In January 2017, a fire at the 15-storey Plasco shopping center in Tehran killed at least 22 people, including 16 firefighters.