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FILE - LGBT activists hold their flag at a rally to collect signatures to cancel the results of voting on amendments to the Constitution in Pushkin Square in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, July 15, 2020. Georgia’s ruling party on Tuesday introduced draft legislation curtailing LGBTQ+ rights. The proposals by the Georgian Dream are similar to laws enacted in Russia and come on the heels of the authorities adopting another law critics denounced as borrowed from Moscow’s playbook — the “foreign influence” law. (AP Photo, File)

Georgia’s ruling party introduces draft legislation curtailing LGBTQ+ rights

Georgia’s ruling party has introduced draft legislation curtailing LGBTQ+ rights. The proposals by the Georgian Dream are similar to laws enacted in Russia and come on the heels of the authorities adopting another law critics denounced as borrowed from Moscow’s playbook — the “foreign influence” law

FILE - Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a joint press-conference with Bolivian Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa Lunda in Moscow, Russia, Friday, April 26, 2024. Russia's foreign minister says any French military instructors in Ukraine would be “a legitimate target” for Russian armed forces. Sergey Lavrov spoke during his latest tour of Africa, where growing frustration with traditional Western allies has swayed several countries towards Moscow. (Yuri Kochetkov/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Any French military in Ukraine would be a ‘legitimate target’ for Russian forces, Lavrov says

A view of migrants behind the metal barrier border that Poland has erected along the border with Belarus, in Bialowieza Forest, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Poland says neighboring Belarus and its main supporter Russia are behind a surging push by migrants in Belarus toward the European Union. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Why Poland says Russia and Belarus are weaponizing migration to benefit Europe’s far-right

In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Guinea's foreign minister Morissanda Kouyate pose for a photo near a portrait of Guinea's President Mamadi Doumbouya during their meeting in Conakry, Guinea, Monday, June 3, 2024. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived Monday in Guinea on his latest visit to West Africa, where coups and growing discontent with traditional allies like France and the United States have contributed to some countries' shift towards Moscow. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

Russia’s foreign minister again visits Africa, this time in Guinea, as some ties cool with the West

A demonstrator argues with police officers during an opposition protest against the foreign influence bill at the Parliamentary building in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. The Georgian parliament has overridden a presidential veto of the "foreign agents" legislation that has fueled Western concerns and sparked massive protests for weeks. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Parliament speaker in Georgia signs into law a bill that critics say curbs media freedom

Funeral for Ukrainian journalist turned medic killed in action weeks before her 26th birthday

Nearly 1,000 people attended a ceremony Sunday honoring the memory of Ukrainian journalist Iryna Tsybukh, who was killed in action while serving as a volunteer combat medic a few days before her 26th birthday. Tsybukh was killed while on rotation in the Kharkiv area, where Russia started its offensive nearly a month ago. (AP video: Vasilisa Stepanenko)

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Zelenskyy says Russia using its influence on China to disrupt peace summit in Switzerland

Russia and Ukraine exchange bodies of fallen soldiers

Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russia return home as part of prisoner exchange

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UN monitor says Russia recognizes it would be unsafe now to restart Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog says Russia may eventually restart the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant that it seized in southeastern Ukraine but shares the view of international monitors that it’s not practical and possibly dangerous to do so now.

Representatives of the diplomatic corps look at U.S.-made M1 Abrams tank, and other U.S. military vehicles, hit and captured by Russian troops during the fighting in Ukraine as they visit an exhibition of Western military equipment seized from Ukrainian forces, in Moscow, on Friday, May 31, 2024. The exhibit, organized by the Russian Defense Ministry, features more than 30 pieces of Western-made heavy equipment, including a U.S.-made M1 Abrams tank and a Bradley armored fighting vehicle. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Energy shutdowns hit Ukraine after Russian attacks target infrastructure

Ukraine has imposed emergency power shutdowns in most of the country a day after Russia unleashed large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure and claimed it made gains in the eastern Donetsk province.

FILE - Oil workers stand on a new rig Tuesday, June 17, 2008, in the Sakhir, Bahrain, desert. Saudi Arabia and allied oil producing countries face a decision Sunday, June 2, 2024, on whether to extend production cuts set to expire next month — a move that could push oil prices higher as the summer travel season increases demand for fuel and as the U.S. presidential election contest heats up. (AP Photos/Hasan Jamali, File)

Oil producers led by Saudis extended supply cuts amid slack prices

Saudi Arabia and allied oil producing countries have extended their deep output cuts aimed at supporting slack prices.

FILE - Former President Donald Trump walks to make comments to media after being found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree at Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. As Trump attacked the U.S. criminal justice system following his guilty verdict, analysts say that his allegations could be useful to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other autocrats. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool, File)

Trump’s attacks on US justice system after his conviction could be used by autocrats, say experts

Donald Trump attacked the U.S. criminal justice system after his historic guilty verdict. He made unfounded claims of a “rigged” trial that echoed remarks from the Kremlin.

Ukrainian servicemen search a target with a US Stinger air defence missile launcher on the front line in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

At least 19 injured as Russia hits Ukraine’s power grid with fresh barrage

Officials in Ukraine said Russia pummeled the country’s energy infrastructure with a large-scale drone and missile attack, injuring at least 19 people.

Russia declares a former presidential hopeful and others as ‘foreign agents’ as it presses crackdown

The Russian authorities have declared that a former presidential hopeful, a prominent human rights advocate and several others are “foreign agents.”

A Ukrainian serviceman reacts after returning from captivity during POWs exchange in Sumy region, Ukraine, Friday, May 31, 2024. Ukraine returned 75 prisoners, including four civilians, in the latest exchange of POWs with Russia. It's the fourth prisoner swap this year, and 52nd since Russia invaded Ukraine. In all, 3 210 Ukrainian servicemen and civilians were returned since the outbreak of the war. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Russia and Ukraine exchange POWs for the first time in months. Bodies of fallen are also swapped

Ukraine and Russia have exchanged prisoners of war, each sending back 75 POWs in the first such swap in the past three months.

Ukrainian servicemen search a target with a US Stinger air defence missile launcher on the front line in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

China says it’s ‘hard to meet’ discussions on Russia-Ukraine war, citing problems with arrangements

China says it will be “‘hard to meet” calls for discussions on the Russia-Ukraine war because of problems with arrangements.

Rare drone video shows scale of destruction in Vovchansk, Ukraine’s embattled front line town

The Associated Press has obtained rare drone footage of the destroyed ruins of the embattled town of Vovchansk in northeastern Ukraine.

Firefighters put out a fire an apartment building damaged in the Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, May, 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

Berlin lets Ukraine use German weapons against targets in Russia after the US also eases its stance

Germany has joined the United States in authorizing Ukraine to hit some targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying.

FILE - The symbol of the United Nations is displayed outside the Secretariat Building, Feb. 28, 2022, at United Nations Headquarters. The divided U.N. Security Council voted Thursday, May 30, 2024, to extend an arms embargo on South Sudan despite appeals from the world’s newest nation, the African Union and half a dozen countries including Russia and China to lift or at least ease the restrictive measure. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

UN extends arms embargo on South Sudan despite appeals from African Union, Russia and China

The divided U.N. Security Council has voted to extend an arms embargo on South Sudan despite appeals from the world’s newest nation, the African Union and half a dozen countries including Russia and China to lift or at least ease the restrictive measure.

Gen. Michael Langley, USMC, Commander, U.S. Africa Command, attends the 20th African Lion military exercise in Agadir, Morocco, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

US military defends Africa strategy in light of coups and a drift toward Russia

The head of the United States military’s Africa Command is pushing back against Russia’s efforts to broaden its influence in Africa, blaming the country’s disinformation efforts for the spate of military coups that has swept the region in recent years.

Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Levan S. Dzhagaryan, left, speaks sitting next to Hon. Tharaka Balasuriya, State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, at a press conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (AP Photo)

Colombo and Moscow discuss the issue of Sri Lankans fighting alongside Russians in Ukraine

Colombo and Moscow are starting talks to resolve the issue of Sri Lankans fighting alongside Russians in the war against Ukraine, after at least 16 people were reported missing in action.

President Joe Biden arrives on Air Force One at Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Del., Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Biden partially lifts ban on Ukraine using US arms in strikes on Russian territory, US officials say

President Joe Biden has given Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv.

Ukrainian servicemen search a target with a US Stinger air defence missile launcher on the front line in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

Ukraine’s army chief says Russia is augmenting its troops presence in the Kharkiv region

Ukraine’s air force says that Russia has conducted an array of aerial attacks on Ukraine with cruise missiles, drones and ballistic missiles.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Moldova's President Maia Sandu, right, arrive to give a joint press conference at the Moldovan Presidency in Chisinau, Moldova, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, Pool)

US pledges $135 million in aid to Western-leaning Moldova to counter Russian influence

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pledged $135 million in aid to Moldova for energy security and to counter Russian disinformation.

United States Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo walks in the city center during an official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

US Treasury official visits Ukraine to discuss sanctions on Moscow and seizing Russian assets

A senior U.S. Treasury official has meet with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv to discuss U.S. financial support, enforcing sanctions on Russia and using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s benefit in the war with Moscow.

The executive director of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, ENISA, Juhan Lepassaar, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Lepassaar said the Athens-based agency had recorded a sharp rise in cybersecurity incidents in 2024. National and multinational cybersecurity agencies have stepped up activities and exercises globally ahead of elections in the European Union, the United States and other countries (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Europe’s cybersecurity chief says disruptive attacks have doubled in 2024, sees Russia behind many

The top European Union cybersecurity official says that disruptive digital attacks have doubled in the 27-member bloc in recent months and election-related services are also being targeted.

Russia’s wealthy elite could face higher income tax as authorities propose a new, progressive system

Russia’s wealthy elite could face higher income taxes. That’s according to a proposal from the country’s finance ministry on Tuesday.

Firefighters put out a fire after Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May, 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

The death toll in Kharkiv attack rises to 14 as Zelenskyy warns of Russian troop movements

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is preparing to intensify its offensive along Ukraine’s northern border as the death toll rose to 14 in an aerial bomb attack on a large construction supplies store in the city of Kharkiv.

At least 12 children injured after strong wind in Russia’s Krasnodar blew off a school’s roof

Local officials say strong wind has blown off the roof of a school in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, injuring at least 12 children.

Case dismissed against Maryland couple accused of patient privacy violations to help Russia

A federal judge has tossed a case against a Maryland couple accused of divulging patients’ medical records as part of a conspiracy to aid Russia.

FILE - Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, April 4, 2024. Blinken will travel to eastern Europe next week as concerns mount about Russia's advances in Ukraine, potential Russian interference in neighboring Moldova and pro-Moscow legislation being promoted in Georgia. The State Department said Friday, May 24, that Blinken would visit the Moldovan capital of Chisinau on Wednesday before attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Prague on Thursday and Friday. (Johanna Geron, Pool Photo via AP, File)

Blinken will head to eastern Europe as concerns mount about Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to eastern Europe next week as concerns mount about Russia’s advances in Ukraine, potential Russian interference in neighboring Moldova and pro-Moscow legislation being promoted in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shake hands during a welcome ceremony at the Palace of Independence in Minsk, Belarus, Friday, May 24, 2024. (Dmitriy Azarov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

On a visit to his Belarusian ally, Putin questions Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as Ukraine’s leader

Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited his Belarusian counterpart and close ally for talks in Minsk.

FILE - Men fish near the fortresses of Narva, left, in Estonia, and Ivangorod, right, in Russia, on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says the removal of 25 Estonian buoys by Russian border guards on a river separating the Baltic country from Russia was “unacceptable.” (AP Photo/Jim Heintz, File)

European Union criticizes Russia for removing Estonian buoys, demand an explanation from Moscow

The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says the removal of 25 Estonian buoys by Russian border guards on a river separating the Baltic country from Russia was “unacceptable.”

American soldier arrested in Russia over an alleged theft will remain in custody, state media report

Russian state media have reported that an American soldier arrested in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok on charges of stealing has lost an appeal against his detention and will remain in custody.

Rescuers carry a body after a Russian missile hit a large printing house in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Russian missiles slammed into Ukraine’s second-largest city in the northeast of the country and killed at least seven civilians early Thursday, officials said, as Kyiv’s army labored to hold off an intense cross-border offensive by the Kremlin’s larger and better-equipped forces. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

Russia smashes train tracks in a battered Ukrainian border region where children are being evacuated

Officials say a nighttime Russian attack has destroyed train tracks and rolling stock in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.

FILE - Gentoo penguins stand on rocks near the Chilean station Bernardo O'Higgins, Antarctica, Jan. 22, 2015. Members of Chile’s Defense Committee met on Thursday, May 23, 2024, in a special briefing in Antarctic to address “the prevailing geopolitical conditions”. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

In message to Russia, Chilean lawmakers meet in Antarctica to underline territorial claims

Defense officials from Chile have convened a meeting at the bottom of the planet, a bid to bolster their territorial claims in Antarctica as tensions escalate over Russia’s maneuvers in the polar region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, listens to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko as they walk upon his arrival at an international airport in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Putin arrives in neighboring Belarus for a two-day visit with a key ally

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday evening arrived in Belarus for a two-day visit. The Russian leader’s trip to the neighboring and allied country is one of several he is taking as he begins his fifth term in office.

This photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, shows Lt. Gen. Vadim Shamarin, deputy chief of the Russian military general staff, posing for an official photo in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. A deputy chief of the Russian military general staff has been arrested on charges of large-scale bribery, Russian news reports said Thursday, the latest in a series of bribery arrests of high-ranking military officials. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)

Deputy Russian military chief of staff jailed for bribery in latest arrest of high defense official

Russian news reports say a deputy chief of the military general staff has been arrested on charges of large-scale bribery. The arrest of Lt. Gen.