Latest news

Russian invasion  The world's response
White House: "Ukraine is winning the war right now - Zelensky is doing well"

Donald Trump praises Volodymyr Zelensky's efforts in the war against Russia, reports AFP.

- He is doing quite well. He is standing tall, at least. Many are dying on both sides, but I think he is doing quite well, the president tells reporters in the Oval Office.

These are unusually positive tones from Trump, who has criticized Zelensky on a number of occasions and accused him of standing in the way of a peace agreement.

The US State Department assesses that Ukraine has the upper hand, says Deputy Secretary of State Jeremy Levin according to the Kyiv Post.

- At the moment, our position is that Ukraine is winning the war.

Yesterday, a senior Ukrainian source told the Kyiv Independent that Trump, in private conversations with Zelensky, urged the Ukrainian president to act more offensively against Russia.

- Trump says he does not believe that Putin will do anything without pressure. President Trump believes in peace through strength, the source says.

Trump's USA  Mid-term elections in the US
Trump refuses to sign into law lower housing costs

US President Donald Trump is withdrawing his support for a bill that would lower housing costs, less than two hours before he was due to sign it, US media reports.

The bill has been approved in the Senate and House of Representatives, and has received broad support from both Democrats and Republicans. Trump writes in a post on Truth Social that he will not sign the bill until Congress passes a proposal to tighten requirements for proof of citizenship at the ballot box.

The proposal has been criticized as a violation of voting rights.

- They want a lot of communists to come in. This country should not have communists, Trump told reporters. He did not mention housing costs, according to the Washington Post. 

Trump disappointed with NATO in Iran war

US President Donald Trump reiterates that he is disappointed that members of the NATO defense alliance did not support the war against Iran.

– It would have been nice if they had said “we would like to help,” the president says during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, while claiming that the help was not needed.

However, Rutte defends the NATO countries and says that thousands of American planes took off from bases in Europe during the war.

Security in Europe
Swamps and overgrown roads to stop the Russians in Finland

So-called rewilding, i.e. letting nature grow again, could become one of Finland's defense strategies around the border with Russia. DN reports.

Restoring wetlands, tearing up road networks and bridges and letting the forest grow denser could hinder or slow down the advance of enemy forces. Therefore, Finnish authorities are investigating how a more wild nature could be of military assistance.

– If we can improve our defense by removing some forest roads, that is a pretty strong argument. It wouldn't bother anyone, says Aino Tuominen, chairwoman of Rewilding Finland.

She also mentions swamps and wetlands. They are not only good for biodiversity, but also difficult to drive over with a tank, she says.

Earthquake in Venezuela – panic in Caracas

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 has hit Venezuela, according to the US Geological Survey. According to the AFP news agency, it caused panic in the capital, Caracas.

People in Caracas evacuated buildings and homes that were swaying.

The quake was also felt in Colombia, and was followed by several aftershocks.

The USGS says the quake occurred around 28 kilometers west of Morón, which is located on the country's farthest coast. It occurred at a depth of 13 kilometers.

Right-wing candidate wins Colombian election

Right-wing politician Abelardo de la Espriella, who has been endorsed by US President Donald Trump, will become the president of Colombia after election authorities announced that he had won the country's presidential election, which was held on Sunday.

Left-wing senator Iván Cepeda conceded defeat in the election on Wednesday, losing by one percentage point.

The victory for businessman and lawyer de la Espriella was secured by a margin of almost 251,000 votes.