Europe will mark Victory in Europe Day’s 80th anniversary as once unbreakable bonds with the US are under pressure.

Behind the scenes, nervousness is rising among some members of the Russian elite that the deal could represent a new alignment between the U.S. and Ukraine which could close a window of opportunity for Russia to secure a peace deal over Ukraine on advantageous terms.

What’s emerged from the Washington-led effort to end the war in Ukraine suggests a deal that seems likely to be favorable to Russia. More recently though, President Donald Trump has offered mixed signals — social media posts that perhaps Russian President Vladimir Putin is stringing him along — and a deal has yet to materialize. While the optics so far have been in the Kremlin’s favor, no proposals that were put forth have been cemented.

Lead was not found in any of the school’s designated drinking fountains or bottle-filling stations, which are equipped with high-quality filters. Three family housing units at Katterbach Kaserne also registered lead levels above the EPA threshold and had their kitchen faucets replaced.

A Ukrainian drone attack left at least seven people dead and a Russian strike on Odesa killed two people Thursday, officials said, just hours after Kyiv and Washington signed a long-anticipated agreement granting U.S. access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.

The HIMARS delivery, which gives Estonia long-range strike capability, is the first to a Baltic state and comes amid heightened tensions in the region spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

The U.S. and Ukraine on Wednesday signed off on a deal that will give Washington access to Ukraine’s vast critical minerals and natural resources, finalizing an agreement weeks in the making to compensate the U.S. for its help in repelling Russia’s invasion.

AFN is cutting several of its radio programs and will stop offering commercially produced podcasts on its AFN Go streaming service, as part of broader Defense Department cost-saving measures, officials said.

The British military launched airstrikes with the United States targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials said, their first attack in Washington’s new intense campaign targeting the Iran-backed group.

President Donald Trump is pushing Ukraine to cede territory to Russia to end the war, threatening to walk away if a deal becomes too difficult — and causing alarm bells in Europe about how to fill the gap.