Russian forces have recaptured Sudzha, the largest town that Ukraine once occupied in the Kursk region, according to Moscow, threatening Kyiv’s sole territorial bargaining chip amid pressure to negotiate an end to the war.

“In the course of the offensive operations, units of the North military group liberated the settlements of Melovoy, Podol and Sudzha,” the Russian defense ministry said Thursday.

The US-based conflict monitor the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also said footage from the ground indicated that Russian forces had seized Sudzha and advanced to southern Zaoleshenka, a settlement just northwest of the town.

Its recapture would represent a major symbolic victory for Russia. Although Sudzha is a small place, with a population of about 5,000 people before Ukraine’s incursion, it was one of the only key towns still held by Ukraine.

Speaking on the regular call with reporters Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed confidence that all parts of the Kursk region held by Ukraine will soon be liberated.

“President (Vladimir Putin) said that this needs to be done as quickly as possible. (It will take) as much time as is necessary to save the maximum number of lives of our military and civilians. But there is no doubt that the Kursk region will be liberated fairly soon,” Peskov said asked how long it might take to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the area.

Putin made a surprise visit to the Kursk region on Wednesday. Wearing military uniform in video broadcast by Russian state television, the Russian president told frontline troops that Moscow’s goal is to “completely liberate” Kursk as soon as possible, during his first trip to the western region since Ukraine’s unexpected incursion there last year.

The carefully choreographed visit appeared designed to boost morale as Russian forces advance on the final remnants of Ukraine’s holdouts inside Russia.

Putin delivered a speech to soldiers, in which he urged them to oust the remaining Ukrainian forces in the region and raised the possibility of creating a “buffer zone” along Russia’s border with Ukraine.

Ukrainian soldiers captured in Kursk should be treated as “terrorists,” Putin added.

Ukraine launched its shock incursion into Kursk in August, swiftly capturing territory in what was the first ground invasion of Russia by a foreign power since World War II. As well as capturing land that could potentially be swapped for Russian-occupied territory, the campaign aimed to divert Moscow’s resources from the frontlines in Ukraine’s east.

But Kyiv has struggled to hold onto its captured territory, with its grip on the region rapidly deteriorating in recent days.

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s top general Oleksandr Syrskyi hinted at further tactical retreats to “more favorable positions,” saying his priority was to “save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.” Russia had carried out airstrikes on its own land, including the town of Sudzha, which was “almost completely destroyed,” Syrskyi added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also told reporters on Wednesday: “The Russians are clearly trying to put maximum pressure on our troops. The military command is doing what it has to do, saving as many lives as possible.”

Russia’s top general Valery Gerasimov claimed Wednesday that Russian forces had recaptured more than 86% of the area taken by Ukraine, that 430 Ukrainian soldiers had been taken prisoner – and the remaining Ukrainians were surrounded.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

A Russian presidential aide has cast doubt on a US ceasefire proposal for Ukraine, as American special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to brief Kremlin officials on the peace plan.

Kremlin aide Yuriy Ushakov said Thursday that Moscow doesn’t want a temporary ceasefire as it would give a break to the Ukrainian army, saying that he explained Russia’s position to US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz in a Wednesday phone call.

“(I) outlined our position that this is nothing more than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military and nothing more,” Ushakov said in an interview with Russian state media, pouring cold water on the proposal before Thursday’s talks began. “We believe that our goal is a long-term peaceful settlement. That is what we are striving for.”

The Kremlin has previously ruled out a temporary ceasefire, but this is the first time a senior Russian official has outlined that position since the United States and Ukraine held talks in Saudi Arabia earlier this week, in which Kyiv accepted proposals for a 30-day US-backed ceasefire covering the entire frontline.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Thursday that Russia would formulate its position once it receives direct information from the American side.

Witkoff arrived in Moscow Thursday, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Ushakov also claimed ahead of Thursday’s talks in Moscow that “the Americans and we think that there can be no talk about NATO in the context of the Ukrainian settlement and in the context of Ukraine’s future.”

Previously, Moscow said it would be unacceptable for troops from NATO countries to be present in Ukraine, even under national flags. On Thursday, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova went further, rejecting “any” foreign military presence.

“For us, it is absolutely unacceptable to deploy units of the armed forces of other states in Ukraine under any flag, whether it be a foreign contingent, military bases, or some peacekeeping operations,” Zakharova said, adding that Russia would respond with “with all available means.”

When US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked Wednesday about the possibility of European troops acting as peacekeepers, the top US diplomat responded: “There’s different ways to construct a deterrent on the ground.”

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the ball is now in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s court in terms of bringing the war in Ukraine to a halt.

“We’re going to have to see. It’s up to Russia now,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, as he declined to comment on whether he has a meeting scheduled with the Russian leader.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Residents of Naples and its surrounding areas abandoned their homes and camped out in parks and cars after a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the Italian city early Thursday morning, rattling nerves after weeks of intense seismic activity.

There were several reports of homes damaged and cars hit by falling debris when the quake hit the densely populated area of Campi Flegrei, to the west of Naples, just before 1.30 a.m. local time. Fifteen people were treated in local hospitals, according to local authorities.

More than 1,813 earthquakes and tremors ranging between 0.3 and 3.9 magnitude were recorded in the area in February alone, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

Over the last week, nearly 300 quakes, some between 2 and 3 magnitude, have been detected.

The seismic activity is occurring across a vast caldera, formed by an eruption of the Campi Flegrei super volcano more than two million years ago. The caldera stretches 125 miles under the Bay of Naples to the city’s western limits, and out to the islands of Capri and Ischia. The most intensely affected area is the Campi Flegrei “red zone,” which is home to some 500,000 people.

The Italian Fire Brigade and Red Cross (INGV) said they assisted many people who had camped out overnight and were fearful of aftershocks. On Thursday morning, schools had been closed by local authorities.

The INGV said Thursday morning that there was no imminent risk of eruption of Mt. Vesuvius or the Campi Flegrei super volcano, which is dormant.

Mt. Vesuvius, famous for burying the city of Pompeii in 79 A.D., is not connected to the current seismic activity, the INGV said. It sits on the opposite side of Naples to Campi Flegrei.

The Campi Flegrei area is currently in a state of “positive bradyseism” – meaning the ground is slowly rising, which causes cracks in buildings and infrastructure, according to Giuseppe De Natale, a research director at the INGV in Naples.

“The shallow rocks cannot hold high levels of pressure, so if the pressure increases too much, there could happen complete fracturing of the rocks, which is generally the cause of the eruption of a volcano,” he said.

The last time the area experienced “positive bradyseism,” in 1984, the ground rose 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) before descending.

The recent increase in seismic activity has prompted some local restaurants to offer “seismic discounts” based on the magnitude of the quake (17 percent off for a 1.7 magnitude trembler).

Peppe Minieri, who owns A’ Scalinatell restaurant, told the Italian daily Corriere Della Sera that if his customers stay at their tables through the tremors, rather than running outside, they will get a free lunch or dinner.

“Obviously it’s a provocation to make light of the situation we’re experiencing,” Minieri said.

Meanwhile, there is concern for the safety of the local population, with vulcanologists warning that the “red zone” should be permanently evacuated.

The super volcano’s last eruption was in 1538, which resulted in a new bay on the coast.

While experts do not believe an eruption is imminent, the seismic swarms are worrying to locals, especially since the region has not been able to design an effective evacuation plan that would ensure the rapid escape of 500,000 people.

Armenian and Azerbaijani officials said Thursday that both countries have agreed to a peace agreement set to end nearly four decades of conflict between the two post-Soviet countries.

The neighboring countries have been engaged in a decades-long conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region in the Caucasus Mountains that was home to around 120,000 ethnic Armenians. The region is internationally considered part of Azerbaijan but for decades was under the control of Armenian separatists.

The breakthrough in the two nations’ protracted peace process came on Thursday, with Armenia’s foreign ministry saying in a statement that the Peace Agreement is “ready for signing.”

Armenia accepted Azerbaijan’s proposals on “the two unresolved articles” of the draft agreement, the Armenian foreign ministry statement detailed.

“One of the two articles concerns the issue of not deploying forces from third countries along the border. The other concerns the mutual withdrawal of claims from international instances and the commitment not to take actions against each other,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said to journalists Thursday, according to Armenia’s state news agency Armenpress.

Azerbaijan confirmed the success of the peace talks. “We note with satisfaction that the negotiations on the text of the draft Agreement on Peace and the Establishment of Interstate Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been concluded,” Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

However, hurdles remain. Azerbaijan also said Armenia’s constitution must “eliminate the claims against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” as a prerequisite to allow for the signing of the peace treaty.

“We are ready to continue the bilateral dialogue on these and other issues related to the normalization process between the two countries,” the statement said.

Armenia’s leader said Thursday there had been “no discussions” regarding Baku’s demand that Armenia amend its constitution, Armenpress reported.

“After the Constitutional Court’s decision last year, it is clear that the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia does not contain territorial claims against Azerbaijan or any other country. Secondly, we believe that Azerbaijan’s Constitution includes claims toward the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said, according to Armenpress.

The Armenian leader stressed that the agreed text of the draft peace agreement “addresses and resolves all these concerns,” Armenpress reported.

While Armenia’s statement did not reference its constitution, last month Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called for a “national referendum” to adopt a new constitution without setting a date for the vote or specifying what changes would be contained in a new draft, Reuters reported.

Armenia and Azerbaijan had already fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and ceasefire agreements between them had proven brittle. The conflict flared again in September 2023, when a lightning 24-hour assault saw Azerbaijan regain total control of Nagorno-Karabakh, prompting the region’s ethnic Armenian population to flee to Armenia within a week.

The outgoing prime minister of Greenland on Thursday said he would summon party leaders to strengthen their rejection of US President Donald Trump’s plan to annex the island territory, following his most recent comments on the issue.

In an Oval Office news briefing with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte earlier Thursday, the president expressed confidence the US takeover of Greenland “will happen.”

Responding to a question from a journalist about his vision to annex the territory, Trump said, “I think it will happen.”

“We need that for international security. Not just security, international,” he continued.

Rutte did not comment directly on Trump’s statement, saying he did not “want to drag NATO” into the issue.

However, he did acknowledge the importance of securing the Arctic region. “We know things are changing there, and we have to be there.”

Greenland’s prime minister, Mute Egede, hit back at Trump’s comments in a post on Facebook, saying, “The U.S. president has once again aired the thought of annexing us,” Reuters reported.

“Enough is enough,” he added.

Egede said he had requested to summon party leaders to intensify their rejection of Trump’s plan.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the leader of the island’s pro-business Demokraatit party – which won Greenland’s closely-watched parliamentary election Tuesday – also rejected the comments.

“Trump’s statement from the US is inappropriate and just shows once again that we must stand together in such situations,” Nielsen wrote on Facebook, according to Reuters.

Greenland’s election this week followed a race dominated both by Trump’s annexation threat and growing calls from residents for independence from Denmark.

Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to annex Greenland, home to about 57,000 people. All dominant parties in Greenland’s parliament have said they do not want the territory to become part of the United States.

Denmark ruled Greenland as a colony until 1953, when the island achieved greater powers of self-governance. Then, in 2009, it gained more powers pertaining to minerals, policing and courts of law. But Denmark still controls security, defense, foreign and monetary policy. Greenland also benefits from Denmark’s European Union and NATO memberships.

Trump’s idea to annex the territory threw an international spotlight onto the territory’s election and has raised questions about its security as the United States, Russia and China vie for influence in the Arctic.

Measles cases in the European region surged last year to reach their highest levels since 1997, the World Health Organization and the UN’s children agency, UNICEF, said Thursday.

An analysis by WHO and UNICEF found the number of measles cases reported in European region reached 127,352 in 2024, double the reported number from the previous year.

Children younger than 5 accounted for 40% of those who contracted measles in the region, it said, adding that half a million children missed their first dose of the measles vaccine in 2023.

“Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call. Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security,” Dr. Hans P. Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, said in a statement.

The rise comes after a “backsliding in immunization coverage during the pandemic,” the report said. Vaccination rates in numerous countries have yet to return to pre-Covid levels, increasing the risk of further outbreaks, it warned.

The European region accounted for a third of all measles cases globally in 2024, the report said. Immunization coverage for most of the region, it added, has fallen “below the recommended level for herd immunity, which is a vaccination rate of 95 per cent or higher.”

The situation is acute in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania where, the report says, less than 80% of eligible children were vaccinated against measles in 2023.

It stresses vaccination remains the “best line of defense against the virus,” saying that a vaccinated person exposed to measles has at least a 97% percent chance of not contracting it.

China is hosting diplomats from Iran and Russia for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program Friday as Beijing aims to position itself as a power broker on an issue seen internationally as a pressing security concern.

China’s Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu will chair a meeting with counterparts from Iran and Russia in the Chinese capital “on the Iranian nuclear issue,” China’s Foreign Ministry announced earlier this week.

The meeting, expected to be attended by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, comes as countries face pressure to find diplomatic solutions – or trigger a return to sanctions – as a key deadline from a 2015 Iran nuclear deal looms.

President Donald Trump, who pulled the United States out of that agreement during his first term in office, is also pushing for a new deal, while European powers have held multiple rounds of talks with Tehran in recent months on the issue.

There is an increasing sense of urgency around finding a diplomatic path to rein in Iran’s nuclear program amid conflict in the Middle East. The United Nations nuclear watchdog warns that Iran has rapidly expanded its stock of what is considered near-bomb-grade uranium. Iran denies it wants a nuclear bomb and insists that its nuclear energy program is “entirely peaceful.”

It’s onto this stage that China now steps with its own diplomatic push, which observers say fits with Beijing’s aim to position itself as an alternative global leader to the US – a goal Chinese leaders see more opportunity to achieve as Trump shakes up foreign policy with his “America First” agenda.

“China is increasingly motivated to deepen its involvement (in the Iran nuclear issue) to safeguard its interests, expand its regional influence and reinforce its image as a responsible global power,” said Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank in Washington.

By having both Russia and Iran in the room, China “may also aim to highlight the significance of non-Western approaches to resolving global challenges,” he added.

‘Competing to solve the issue’

China has long been an advocate for the 2015 nuclear deal – or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The agreement, originally negotiated between all five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Tehran, restricts Iran’s nuclear program.

Beijing has criticized the US withdrawal from the pact, while opposing American sanctions on Iran. Tehran moved away from its nuclear-related commitments following the US withdrawal.

Under the 2015 deal, countries have until October to trigger a so-called “snapback” of international sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the JCPOA.

“We still hope that we can seize the limited time we have before the termination date in October this year, in order to have a deal, a new deal so that the JCPOA can be maintained,” China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong told reporters ahead of a special UN Security Council meeting on Iran’s nuclear program on Wednesday.

“Putting maximum pressure on a certain country is not going to achieve the goal,” he said, in a reference to Trump’s approach to isolate Iran economically and diplomatically to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Trump last week told Fox News he had written to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, adding: “there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran.”

But Iran has signaled in recent days it has no interest in speaking to Trump, with Khamenei criticizing efforts to negotiate from “bully states.”

It’s unclear what form a potential new agreement would take – or how it would be brokered. But not reaching a deal could lead to escalation of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that’s seen Israel and Iran exchange direct strikes or could see Tehran shift its position on nuclear weapons, observers say.

“Effectively, everyone’s competing to solve this issue,” said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the London-based Chatham House think tank. “In the climate of several parallel efforts, this was an opportunity for Russia and China to align and try to put forward their version of what a deal might look like.”

Both Beijing and Moscow are united in “not wanting to see Iran weaponize its nuclear program and trying to diplomatically look for a solution,” but may want a narrower deal focused around Tehran’s nuclear program, while Europe and perhaps the United States would like a broader agreement, according to Vakil.

Iran also sees China and Russia as potential allies in such discussions. Tehran and Moscow have heightened cooperation in recent years as Iranian drones help Russia wage war in Ukraine.

China remains a key economic and diplomatic backer for Iran, but also looks to balance its relationship with Tehran with growing ties to partners like Saudi Arabia. Last week, Russia, China and Iran held what Chinese state media said was their fifth joint naval drill since 2019.

“For Iran, (the meeting in China) is a symbolic opportunity. It can continue to show its alignment with Russia and China … (and) continue to message that it seeks engagement,” Vakil said.

China’s calculus

A show of the trio’s alignment may also benefit Beijing at a time when the Trump administration seeks to undercut Beijing and Moscow’s close ties and push back against what they view as an emerging “axis” between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

Russia has also offered to participate in nuclear talks between the US and Iran, a Kremlin spokesperson said, as Moscow-Washington ties warm under Trump.

“The future policy directions of Russia and Iran will significantly influence China’s strategic options in the Middle East and beyond,” said Carnegie Endowments’s Zhao, pointing to this as one reason for Beijing to enhance its communication with Moscow and Tehran on such issues.

“Such coordination also signals solidarity against potential US efforts to sow division among them,” he added.

Beijing has much at stake in the Middle East.

China relies on the region for energy and has worked to deepen its strategic ties there, including with wealthy Gulf states and traditional US allies. Beijing showed its ambitions to become a power player in the region in 2023 when it played a role in brokering a rapprochement between longtime rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.

China is also likely warily eying the potential that its own firms’ commercial ties to Iran could become entangled in Trump’s pressure tactics in Iran if no deal is reached, observers say.

The meeting in Beijing, however, “is not an indication that China is interested in giving Russia and Iran a free ride here or allowing them to continue to subvert proliferation norms,” said Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of the Bourse and Bazaar Foundation think tank.

“What this reflects is China’s serious concerns that this crisis could accelerate in the Middle East if the Iran nuclear program is not dealt with through negotiations,” he said.

Still, there are limits to Beijing’s capacity to be a broker on this issue even as it looks to amplify its role. It’s a comparatively inexperienced player in a region where the US has long been the dominant power, and despite its economic links to Tehran, observers say it has little sway over the country’s policy.

“The Russians and Iranians understand that this is a relatively new role that China is taking as a mediator for these larger international disputes. There’s a lot of realism about the extent to which China can actually be the architect of these negotiations,” said Batmanghelidj.

But they’re both “very happy to participate in the spectacle of China emerging as this new player,” he said.

Editor’s Note: Warning: This story contains descriptions of rape and sexual violence.

Sixteen-year-old Darkuna watched, terrified, as six gun-wielding men ransacked her home. “For God’s sake, what do you really want?” she cried.

One of the fighters looked directly at the girl and responded: “I want you.”

After stealing the family’s valuables, each of the armed men raped Darkuna and her 18-year-old sister. Their parents, helpless, were forced to watch.

Darkuna is a pseudonym for the teenager, who provided this testimony to the United Nations’ children’s agency UNICEF via a partner organization on the ground in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Fighting has escalated in the mineral-rich region since the rebel coalition Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), of which the notorious M23 armed group is a key member, captured key territory earlier this year – including Goma, which as of late January was home to about 3 million people, of whom 1 million were displaced, according to a February Relief Web report.

The conflict has exacerbated what’s been described as an epidemic of rape and sexual violence that aid groups say often victimizes the youngest and most vulnerable.

Their accounts shed light on how rape is a horrifically common aspect of the conflict in the DRC, often committed with impunity against women and girls of all ages.

‘My grandmother could do nothing’

In January, the rampaging AFC rebel coalition stormed Goma and clashed with the Congolese military. Electricity, basic services and water were cut off, while running street battles plunged the city into days of unrelenting violence that claimed some 7,000 lives. The bodies of the dead filled the streets.

“Two men with guns forced their way into our home. My grandmother could do nothing but watch as they raped me. She cried, but she was powerless. We kept it a secret. I didn’t tell anyone. My grandmother was too ashamed and afraid,” Mudaralla’s account reads.

“My grandmother’s biggest fear is that I might be pregnant or have contracted an infection. I don’t know what the future holds.”

Mudaralla’s rape remained a secret until about a month after the assault, when a community outreach worker, affiliated with UNICEF, visited her neighborhood and encouraged her to receive treatment. Countless more girls suffer in silence and, even for those who seek help, medical care and psychological support are scant.

Some 400,000 people were displaced by the outbreak of fighting earlier this year, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

In the chaos, hundreds of children were separated from their families, leaving them even more at risk of sexual violence by parties to the conflict, according to UNICEF.

Children raped while fetching water

For families that managed to remain together, there is no safe place to go and little infrastructure to protect them from the armed factions. Aid workers with Save the Children say fetching water from a well is one of the most dangerous activities for children in the conflict zone.

“My two daughters, one aged 15 and the other aged 13, became victims of rape this morning,” a mother’s testimony reads. “When they were going to draw water, six armed men isolated them and raped them in turn. I wanted to intervene, but I had just escaped death after being shot at twice. My daughters are in very critical condition. Please pray for them.”

Another account received by Save the Children details the assault of a young girl who, while drawing water near her home, was captured by armed fighters who tried to force themselves on her. When she resisted, the men shot the girl twice in the back. She survived and received medical treatment.

The AFC rebel group, which is accused of serious human rights violations, continues its rapid advance in the eastern regions of the DRC, most recently claiming control of the strategic city of Bukavu, where aid workers say they are already receiving reports of more child rape victims.

For survivors there is little prospect of justice. While allegations of rape are skyrocketing amid the latest fighting, sexual violence has haunted the DRC through decades of conflict, particularly in its mineral-rich east. In 2024 alone, tens of thousands of children received support after surviving sexual violence or rape, according to Save the Children.

Rape is a weapon of war wielded by all parties to the conflict at a staggering rate, but most cases of sexual violence are never investigated or prosecuted, and very few are even reported, according to the UN.

Rights groups say impunity protects and encourages perpetrators, fueling a cycle of rape and violence that has been accelerated by the surge in fighting.

This year, with the conflict spiraling out of control, aid workers fear a generation of children will be physically and mentally scarred by such attacks.

“Every day, we witness the devastating impact of sexual violence on children – some too young to even understand what has happened to them. We are providing urgent essential care, but no one should remain indifferent,” Toure said.