House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) delivered strong praise Monday for President Donald Trump’s recent diplomatic accomplishments, declaring that Trump “has accomplished what others have only talked about or tried and failed to do.” Speaking during a press conference, Johnson cited Trump’s address to Israel’s Knesset and his role in brokering a historic peace agreement as proof of America’s renewed global leadership.
Power has been restored to more than 800,000 residents in Kyiv after Russian missile and drone strikes targeted Ukraine’s power grid on Friday, causing widespread blackouts and injuring at least 20 people. The strikes marked one of the largest concentrated assaults on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the war began more than three years ago.
Russia launched a massive overnight air assault on Ukraine early Sunday, killing at least four people and injuring 70 others, with Kyiv suffering its worst bombardment in over a month. Among the dead was a 12-year-old girl, according to city officials.
Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel expressed support for former President Donald Trump’s position on Russian energy during a Tuesday interview with CNN International, acknowledging that continued reliance on Russian fossil fuels indirectly finances the war in Ukraine. Van Weel emphasized the need for both the United States and Europe to accelerate their transition away from Russian oil and gas.
Israel launched a surprise airstrike on Hamas targets in Doha, Qatar, early Tuesday after Hamas rejected a final ceasefire deal and claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Jerusalem that killed six Israeli civilians. The strike targeted senior Hamas leadership reportedly involved in the hostage negotiations, killing several individuals, including the son of a Hamas negotiator and a Qatari security officer.
President Donald Trump’s administration has floated a proposal to end the war in Gaza by securing the release of all remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for halting military operations. The deal has been conveyed to Hamas but has not yet been accepted.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Saturday that a precision airstrike last week in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, eliminated several senior members of the Houthi regime, including the group’s so-called Prime Minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi. The Israeli Air Force conducted the strike on Thursday, August 28, with targeting based on real-time intelligence from the IDF Intelligence Directorate.
Russia unleashed a massive assault on southern Ukraine overnight into Saturday, striking residential areas and leaving dozens of civilians wounded just days after a rare and deadly airstrike on central Kyiv. The escalation comes as U.S.-led peace efforts continue to falter.
Pope Leo XIV has called for global fasting and prayer on August 22, urging Christians to plead for peace in war-torn regions. His appeal coincides with diplomatic efforts led by President Donald Trump, who hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in separate meetings aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine.
