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(NEW YORK) — More than six months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose forces began an offensive in August, has vowed to take back all Russian-occupied territory. But Putin in September announced a mobilization of reservists, which is expected to call up as many as 300,000 additional troops.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Dec 02, 12:27 PM EST
Bloody packages with animal eyes sent to Ukrainian embassies

Packages believed to be blood-soaked and containing the eyes of animals, were sent to Ukrainian embassies worldwide, including in Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Croatia and Italy, the Ukrainian ministry of foreign affairs said Friday.

The entrance to the ambassador’s residence in the Vatican was also vandalized, according to the Ukrainian ministry of foreign affairs.

The Ukrainian embassy in the U.S. received a letter with a photocopy of a critical article about Ukraine. Like most other envelopes, the letter arrived along with others from the territory of an unnamed European country.

“We have reason to believe that a well-planned campaign of terror and intimidation of Ukrainian embassies and consulates is taking place. Not being able to stop Ukraine on the diplomatic front, they are trying to intimidate us. However, I can immediately say that these attempts are useless. We will continue to work effectively for the victory of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said in a statement.

The Ukrainian embassy in Spain received a letter-bomb on Wednesday which was opened and ignited, resulting in one slight injury.

A similar envelope was sent to the U.S. embassy in Madrid, but it was detected before going off, according to Spanish officials.

All Ukrainian embassies and consulates have been placed under heightened security. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on foreign governments to guarantee maximum protection of Ukraine’s diplomatic institutions.

Dec 01, 3:28 PM EST
Biden ‘prepared to speak with Putin’ if he wants to end war

Speaking at a joint press conference with France’s Emmanuel Macron, President Joe Biden said he would be open to speaking with Vladimir Putin if the Russian leader has legitimate interest in peace negotiations. Biden, however, said he has “no immediate plans to contact Mr. Putin.”

Biden also noted that Putin has “miscalculated every single thing” when it comes to this war.

“So the question is what is his — how does he get himself out of the circumstance he’s in? I’m prepared if he’s willing to talk to find out what he’s willing to do, but I’ll only do it in consultation with my NATO. I’m not going to do it on my own,” Biden said.

Meanwhile, President Macron, who has continued speaking with Putin, said it’s up to Ukraine to come to the negotiating table.

“So it’s only legitimate that President Zelenskyy sets some conditions to talk. We need to work on what could lead to a peace agreement. But it’s for him to tell us when the time comes and what the choices of the Ukrainians are,” Macron said.

-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky

Dec 01, 1:46 PM EST
Shelling in Kherson damages power lines as energy company works to finish repairs

Electricity was back for 60% of customers in the Ukrainian city of Kherson, but shelling overnight damaged power lines, according to the head of Ukraine’s regional energy company.

Workers are hoping to finish the repairs by the end of Thursday.

In Kyiv, 652,000 residents were subject to power outages throughout Thursday, according to the director of YASNO energy company, Serhiy Kovalenko. Kyiv’s main power grid is operating at less than 70% capacity and 20% of residents are still without power or heat.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Dec 01, 12:20 PM EST
Russia accuses US, NATO of direct involvement in war

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of being directly involved in the war in Ukraine by supplying the country with weapons and training its soldiers.

“You are training their military on your territory, on the territories of Britain, Germany, Italy and other countries,” Lavrov said at a press conference Thursday.

Lavrov also claimed that Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and other key infrastructure were intended to weaken Ukraine’s military potential and derail the shipments of weapons from the West.

Lavrov also said Moscow is open to peace talks to end the conflict.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Nov 29, 11:47 AM EST
US to send $53M in energy aid to help Ukraine through winter

The U.S. will provide Ukraine with more than $53 million to acquire critical electric grid equipment to help its citizens get through the winter, the State Department announced Tuesday.

The announcement comes amid Russia’s continued attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

“This new assistance is in addition to $55 million in emergency energy sector support for generators and other equipment to help restore emergency power and heat to local municipalities impacted by Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s power system,” the State Department said in a release.

-ABC News’ Matt Seyler

Nov 28, 4:36 PM EST
UN lays out ‘dire’ situation in southern Ukraine

Denise Brown, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, traveled to the Ukrainian cities of Kherson and Mykolaiv over the weekend to get an update on the humanitarian issues affecting the southern part of the country, according to the U.N.

Although repairs to the area’s water system are finally able to commence, there is still a lot of work to be done to help the people in those cities, the U.N said.

“We continue to be concerned about the plight of civilians in Ukraine especially as winter sets in,” a U.N. spokesperson said in a statement.

Some heating points have already been established in Mykolaiv to help people who cannot heat their homes, according to the U.N.

“Aid workers are providing supplies and generators to make these places functional,” the U.N. said in a statement.

The agency added that donations and funding for humanitarian efforts are critical as the cold weather sets in.

Nov 25, 1:13 PM EST
Power restored in all regions, Ukraine grid operator says

All of Ukraine’s regions are now connected to the European Union’s energy system and all three nuclear power plants located in the Kyiv-controlled area are working, CEO of Ukrenergo grid operator Volodymyr Kudrytskyi announced.

“In one to two days, they will reach their normal planned capacity, and we expect to introduce planned rolling blackouts instead of emergency outages,” Kudrytskyi said.

Power is slowly returning to all Ukrainian cities, but blackouts and emergency shutdowns continue. Power issues are the worst in Kyiv, Kirivigrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Poltava and Lviv, according to Kudrytskyi.

Kyiv’s critical infrastructure receives electricity, the water supply is fully restored and heating is being restored, but 50% of residential houses remain without power. Only one-third of houses currently have heating, according to the mayor.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

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(NEW YORK) — A passenger on an Antarctic cruise died and four others were injured after their Viking ship was struck by a “rogue wave,” the cruise line said.

The incident happened on Tuesday around 10:40 p.m. local time while the Viking Polaris ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, Viking said.

A guest died following the incident, Viking said, though it did not share further details on the cause of death. The victim’s family has been notified, the company said. The identity or nationality of the passenger was not released.

Four other guests sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and were treated by the ship’s doctor and medical staff, Viking said.

“We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities,” Viking said in a statement Thursday. “Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel.”

The ship sustained “limited damage” from the rogue wave and arrived in Ushuaia on Wednesday “without further incident,” Viking said. Images taken of the docked ship showed several damaged windows.

Passengers on board the ship described choppy conditions leading up to the incident.

Californian Beverly Spiker told ABC News that a “huge smash” against the window of her and her husband’s cabin caused her window frame to break.

“Clearly something big had happened,” she said. “A lot of water came shooting in.”

“Luckily, our windows did hold,” she added, though she said other rooms on their side of the ship were “washed out.”

Spiker’s cousin, Suzie Gooding, of North Carolina, told ABC News that at the time, the ship was going through the Drake Passage, “which is well-known for having turbulent seas.”

Gooding said despite the conditions outside looking “horrible,” the inside was “like a normal cruise ship” leading up to the incident. She said she felt a “sudden shudder” that caused cabinets to open.

“It was just unbelievable,” she said. “At the time that it happened, we personally wondered if, you know, we knew that we weren’t by any icebergs, but it’s like, did we hit an iceberg? It just was so sudden.”

Spike said she and other passengers were “shook up” afterward.

“No matter what side of the boat you’re on, it was felt throughout the ship that clearly something bad had happened,” she said. “So everybody was pretty shook up.”

The ship is docked as passengers await further travel plans from Viking, according to Gooding, who said that two other ships in their bay in Ushuaia were also damaged, possibly by rouge waves.

The Viking Polaris ship’s next departure for the Antarctic, scheduled for Dec. 5, has been canceled “after careful consideration,” the cruise line said.

Rogue, or extreme storm waves, are “greater than twice the size of surrounding waves” and are “very unpredictable,” according to the National Ocean Service.

Ushuaia, at the southernmost tip of South America, is a common starting point for cruises to Antarctica.

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(NEW YORK) — The founder of nonprofit organization Sistah Space drew international attention after she detailed racist comments from a British royal aide while attending a Buckingham Palace reception on combatting violence against women hosted by Queen Consort Camilla.

Ngozi Fulani, whose charity focuses on supporting women of African and Caribbean heritage affected by domestic violence, detailed her encounter with “Lady SH” in a viral tweet about her experience that took place Tuesday at an event to mark the international campaign, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

“Because of the work that we do at Sistah Space, we talk about domestic abuse, but we also look at the racism or, you know, barriers for Black women reporting domestic abuse,” Fulani said, addressing the controversy in an interview with ABC News Live on Friday. “So because of that work, that’s why we received the invitation in the first place. I did not expect that five minutes after I got into the palace, I was approached by a woman that I didn’t know and I still don’t know.”

The royal aide was later revealed to be Lady Susan Hussey, godmother to Prince William and lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Fulani, a British national, said that Hussey asked her repeatedly where she was from after moving her locs to see her name badge, allegedly responding, “No, what part of Africa are you from?” when Fulani said her organization is based in the U.K., continuing to question Fulani when she insisted that she was British.

“I know when someone’s asking me a question because they’re interested and when someone’s asking me a question because there’s a motive at the end,” Fulani told ABC News Live of the interaction she perceived as more than a case of genuine curiosity. “This is about her feeling comfortable that I can’t claim my British citizenship.”

Several commenters under the post mentioned the incident as a reminder of the racism and terroristic threats faced by Meghan Markle upon her entrance to the British Royal Family when she married Prince Harry in 2019. The duchess of Sussex, who is biracial, accused the Firm of ignoring her pleas for help when she suffered suicidal ideation and claimed an unnamed royal had concerns about her unborn baby’s skin color in a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Earlier this week, Neil Basu, the former head of counterterrorism for the Metropolitan Police, confirmed the Sussexes faced “disgusting and very real” threats when they lived in the United Kingdom.

In response to the allegations, Buckingham Palace said in a statement last March that the royal family was saddened to learn the “full extent” of Harry and Meghan’s experiences.

“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately,” the palace wrote.

The duchess of Sussex will make a trip to New York with Prince Harry next week, shortly after the prince and princess of Wales’ Boston travels this week.

Hussey has since resigned from her royal role and offered “her profound apologies for the hurt caused,” according to a statement from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.

“We take this incident extremely seriously and have investigated immediately to establish the full details. In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made,” the palace said in a statement. “We have reached out to Ngozi Fulani on this matter, and are inviting her to discuss all elements of her experience in person if she wishes.”

In the wake of Hussey’s resignation — something Fulani did not want, according to her friend and fellow activist Mandu Reid — Fulani told ABC News on Friday that she and the palace have not spoken directly, but “will have that discussion” on how the situation should have been handled once they do.

“I haven’t spoken directly to the palace and neither have they to me. And when that happens, we will have that discussion,” she said. “But I just want to make something clear: The palace appointed her or gave her that position. So it’s for her and the palace to sort out. It’s not for me.”

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(FAYOUM, Egypt) — A huge 2,300-year-old funerary building and a number of mummy portraits were discovered in Egypt’s southern province of Fayoum, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) south of Cairo, the country’s antiquities ministry said on Thursday.

The building and the paintings, which are famously known as the Fayoum portraits, date back to the Ptolemaic and Roman eras in the 3rd century B.C. They were found in Fayoum’s Gerza village, which was known as Philadelphia during the Roman period.

“The discovered structure is a large building styled as a funerary building with colored gypsum tiled floors,” Adel Okasha, who heads the antiquities department in Cairo and Giza, said in a statement. “To the south of it, there is colonnade hall where the remains of four columns were found.”

The uncovering of the paintings was also hailed as one of the most important archeological discoveries this year, as it marked the first time such portraits were found in more than 110 years.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, British egyptologist Flinders Petrie excavated at least 150 mummy portraits at a Roman necropolis in in Fayoum’s archeological site of Hawara.

“The discovery shows the diversity and difference in quality of the mummification process during the Ptolemaic and Roman times based on the financial status of the deceased,” said Mostafa Waziry, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Antiquities Council.

Waziry also said a “rare terracotta statue of [ancient deity] Isis Aphrodite was discovered inside one of the burials in a wooden coffin,” as well as “papyrus-made records” with Demotic and Greek inscriptions that show the economic and religious statuses of the inhabitants of the area at the time.

Egypt, which has invested heavily in ancient discoveries in recent years, is hoping to revive its ailing tourism industry. The country also plans to inaugurate a state-of-the-art museum near the Giza Pyramids, which Egypt says will be the biggest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization.

 

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(NEW YORK) — Scientists have discovered a new predatory dinosaur fossil in Mongolia that was likely a semiaquatic diving predator.

A near-complete skeleton, found in the Omnogovi Province, depicts a bird-like specimen and was named “Natovenator polydontus,” or “Swimming hunter with many teeth,” according to a paper published in Communications Biology on Thursday.

Researchers from the Korea-Mongolia International Dinosaur Expedition located the fossils at the Baruungoyot Formation in 2008, Young-Nam Lee, a professor of vertebrate paleontology who led the dig, told ABC News.

During the expedition, 27 members of the team gathered 196 cataloged specimens. The Natovenator polydontus was found by Robin Sissons, a graduate student of the University of Alberta, Lee said.

The fossil was not fully exposed in the field, so Sissons, despite not knowing what it was at the time, made a plaster jacket for it, Lee said.

All of the fossils from that collection were then shipped to South Korea for preparation and study, where “a whole skeleton came to light” of the new species of dinosaur, Lee said.

The specimen “was so delicate but beautifully preserved,” Lee said.

It included a skull, spinal column, one forelimb and the remains of two hindlimbs. Its streamlined body, with ribs that point toward its tail, is similar to modern diving birds and its long neck resembles modern water birds such as geese, the researchers said. These adaptions may have reduced the drag that Natovenator would have been subjected to when swimming, helping it to catch prey.

The fossil also included an “unusually high number of teeth” compared to the size of the dinosaur’s jaw, indicating that it ate a fish or insect-based diet, according to the researchers.

“Instantly we realized it was something important,” Lee said. “It had a skull with many tiny teeth and a very long neck was distinct.”

This is the first time that a non-avian theropod — a type of carnivorous dinosaur that walked on two legs — was discovered with a streamlined body similar to some birds, according to the researchers.

Analysis of evolutionary relationships also indicate that the new species is closely related to halszkaraptorines, a group of non-avian theropods that previous research has suggested may have been adapted for a semiaquatic lifestyle.

“Natovenator is a valuable discovery,” Lee said. “Finding semi-aquatic dinosaurs means that the ecological diversity was very high in dinosaurs. Halszkaraptorines could change our prejudice about the lifestyle of dinosaurs.”

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(LVIV, Ukraine) — Officials have warned that the city of Lviv, Ukraine, home to over 150,000 internally displaced people, could face a winter without power as they anticipate another surge in refugee numbers.

The mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, told ABC News that the city, near the western border with Poland, is preparing to stay completely without power supply and natural gas supply because of Russian missile attacks which have devastated Ukrainian infrastructure in recent weeks.

To cope with the coming winter, a major construction project is now underway in the city in order to facilitate a new wave of people fleeing from regions badly targeted by Russian missile strikes which involves both renovating existing modular houses and building new ones.

Amongst the current refugee population, there is a mix of fear ahead of the expected drop in temperatures as well as overall hope in Ukraine’s long-term ability to secure a victory in the war.

“We hope that we will move to a different location as it becomes cold in here,” Ksenia, a 17-year-old from New York — a town in Donetsk region situated near the current frontline — told ABC News. She has been living in Lviv since this summer, when warmer temperatures did not pose such a challenge, with her mother, grandmother, brother and two cats.

Maria, 45, from Zaporizhzhia, has tried to retain her optimism. Asked by ABC News about her family’s plans for the future, she said: “Only victory and a way back home.”

Both Maria’s brother and son are currently serving in the Ukrainian army and her husband, also a military serviceman, has been missing since 2015.

Maria’s mother, Olga says, the conditions were different in the summer when they just moved into a temporary house designed for the families of four people. Due to the building’s thin walls, it can get very wet inside the home — the walls, doors and even their beds are covered with condensation and, sometimes, even with fungus.

These modular houses were a result of an urgent decision made in the early stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

According to Mayor Sadovyi, five million people have moved through the city since late February and there were days when upwards of two million refugees were staying in Lviv at once.

“We were forced to come up with any decision to give these people an opportunity to sleep somewhere,” he said.

Now he plans to buy more powerful diesel generators to guarantee the city’s residents heating, even without complete electricity.

“Every medical facility and several boarding schools are supposed to have a generator as an alternative energy source, and a solid fuel boiler as a second heating source,” Sadovyi said.

A separate complex for young mothers and pregnant women was built in Lviv about three months earlier this year — a totally different type of accommodation that is resistant to low temperatures, is more comfortable and can house over 100 people at once.

Lilia Kilchytska, head of a charity called “Unbroken Mothers”, says that IDPs from Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and other partially occupied regions live there at the moment.

To provide electricity and heating for the children and their mothers, the center has been granted a power generator by an international charity organization. It has already saved the families during the several blackouts caused by the Russian missile strikes.

A large number of refugees have lost their homes because of the war. Besides temporary shelters placed at dormitories, malls, theaters, schools, hospitals and other social infrastructure facilities, the administration is actively searching for long-term housing projects for IDPs.

Officials are currently considering buying, building or renovating enough square meters for the forced newcomers to the region but money is scarce, and authorities have said they require more donations and financial support if they are going to scale up their efforts.

At the moment, there are only 1,733 places for refugees to stay in these renovated buildings in Lviv over the upcoming winter.

That number, according to the authorities, pales in comparison to the potential flood of people who may leave their homes in other parts of Ukraine as Russian strikes continue this winter.

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(BOSTON, Mass.) — Prince William thanked the “people of Boston” as he and his wife Kate arrived in the city to kick off their first U.S. tour in nearly a decade.

Their whirlwind tour ends with an awards ceremony for the Earthshot Prize, an initiative William launched in 2019 to create solutions for environmental problems.

This is William and Kate’s first visit to the United States since they visited New York City in 2014. It is also their first overseas trip since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September and their first overseas trip since taking on the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales.

“[William and Kate] are both excited for their first international trip since taking on their new roles,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson told ABC News. “Both appreciate the history associated to the titles but understandably want to look to the future and pave their own paths.”

Check back for updates throughout their trip.

Wednesday: Prince and princess of Wales sit courtside at Celtics game

Following their visit to city hall, William and Kate headed to TD Garden for a basketball game between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

Kate donned a blue blazer while William wore a blue button down and dark blue blazer. They were all smiles as they cheered on Celtics courtside alongside Governor-elect Maura Healey, Celtics co-owners Steve Pagliuca and Wyc Grousebeck, and Grousebeck’s wife Emilia Fazzalari.

William and Kate light Boston green

William and Kate’s first stop on their Boston trip was Boston City Hall.

They were greeted by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, the first woman and first person of color to be elected as mayor in the city last year, and U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy.

In honor of the Earthshot Prize, which was inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot Initiative, the couple helped light Boston buildings and landmarks green.

In his address to Mayor Wu and the crowd at Boston City Hall, Prince William thanked Wu and Reverend White-Hammond for their support for the Earthshot Prize. He also noted why Boston was the “obvious choice for the Earthshot Prize in its second year” and said he was inspired by President Kennedy’s moonshot speech to launch the Earthshot Prize.

“Sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy’s ‘moonshot’ speech laid down a challenge to American innovation and ingenuity,” Prince William began. “‘We chose to go to the moon,’ he said, ‘not because it is easy, but because it is hard.'”

“Where better to hold this year’s awards ceremony than in President Kennedy’s hometown, in partnership with his daughter and the foundation that continues in his name,” he added. “Boston was also the obvious choice because our universities, research centres and vibrant start-up scene make you a global leader in science, innovation and boundless ambition. Mayor Wu, you have also been a leader in putting climate policies at the heart of your administration. Thank you.”

“Like President Kennedy, Catherine and I firmly believe that we all have it in ourselves to achieve great things, and that human beings have the ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve,” William said. “We cannot wait to celebrate the Earthshot Prize later this week, and we are both looking forward to spending the next few days learning about the innovative ways the people of Massachusetts are tackling climate change.”

President Biden to greet Prince William and Kate in Boston on Friday

Earlier on Wednesday during a White House press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden “intends to greet the prince and princess of Wales” on Friday when he is in Boston. The White House previously announced that Biden would be in Boston this week for a fundraiser.

William and Kate arrive in Boston

Upon their arrival in Boston Wednesday morning, William said he and Kate are “delighted to be back in the United States.” He also used the moment to reflect about his grandmother, who celebrated her 1976 bicentennial in the U.S.

“On this, our first visit since the death of my grandmother, I would like to thank the people of Massachusetts and particularly of Boston for their many tributes to the late queen. She remembered her 1976 bicentennial visit with great fondness,” William said in a statement.

“My grandmother was one of life’s optimists. And so am I,” he added. “To the people of Boston, thank you. I’m so grateful to you for allowing us to host the second year of the Earthshot Prize in your great city. Catherine and I can’t wait to meet many of you in the days ahead.”

Spokesperson for William addresses racism accusations surrounding godmother

As William and Kate were making their way to Boston, a controversy erupted in the U.K. involving William’s godmother, Lady Susan Hussey.

Hussey, a longtime lady-in-waiting to the late queen, was accused of making racist remarks to an attendee at a reception hosted by Queen Escort Camilla on Tuesday at Buckingham Palace.

On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace said it had launched an investigation into the allegation and said Hussey had “stepped aside from her honorary role.”

A spokesperson for William commented on the incident while briefing reporters ahead of William and Kate’s arrival in Boston.

“This is a matter for Buckingham Palace but as the Prince of Wales’ spokesperson, I appreciate you’re all here and understand you’ll want to ask about it. So let me address it head on,” the spokesperson said. “I was really disappointed to hear about the guest’s experience at Buckingham Palace last night.”

He continued, “Obviously, I wasn’t there, but racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.”

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(WASHINGTON) — French President Emmanuel Macron told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he believes a negotiation is still “possible” with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which Macron called a “huge mistake.”

Macron spoke with Stephanopoulos ahead of meeting with President Joe Biden on Thursday for the first state dinner of Biden’s administration. In the interview, Macron talked about his visit to Washington and reinforcing France as the oldest ally of the U.S., especially during the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Stephanopoulos asked Macron about his vision for a “successful peace” in Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February.

The French president stressed that such peace would need to be “sustainable” and driven by the Ukrainians.

“A good peace is not a peace which will be imposed to the Ukrainians by others, No. 1,” Macron said, adding, “A good peace is not a peace which will not be accepted on the mid-to-long run by one of the two parties.”

During Macron’s U.S. visit, he and Biden plan to address issues including economic ties between the two countries, challenges from China, Iran and the Middle East, and aligning how to best support Ukraine against Russia, according to the White House.

“I think President Putin made a huge mistake by launching this war,” Macron told Stephanopoulos, mentioning the Minsk agreements made between Ukraine and Russia after 2014 in an effort to prevent war.

Putin has since said he doesn’t recognize that deal.

“There was a political and diplomatic process with involvement of the international community. And he decided on his own, based on a fake narrative, saying NATO will use Ukraine to attack Russia, which is totally wrong,” Macron said.

Stephanopoulos asked: “Is a man who’s capable of making a decision like that, a mistaken decision like that, capable of negotiating what you call a good peace?”

“This is exactly the question,” Macron said.

But still, he said he hopes Putin will be “rational” with a negotiated end to the war.

“[Putin] is in charge and he’s been in charge for quite a long time … He knows his people. I think he made mistake,” Macron said. “Is it impossible to come back [to] the table and negotiate something? I think it’s still possible.”

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(BOSTON) — Royal watchers hoping for a family reunion between Prince William and Prince Harry while William and Kate are visiting the United States may be left disappointed.

Sources close to William and his brother Prince Harry, who lives in the U.S. with his wife Meghan, confirm the two couples have no plans to meet while William and Kate are on their three-day visit to Boston.

William and Kate, the prince and princess of Wales, are visiting Boston to attend Friday’s awards ceremony for the Earthshot Prize, an initiative William launched in 2019 to create solutions for environmental problems.

While in Boston, the couple will meet with Caroline Kennedy and tour the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Just a few days later, on Dec. 6, the California-based Harry and Meghan will be in New York City to receive the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award from Kerry Kennedy, a cousin of Caroline Kennedy and niece of the late John F. Kennedy.

The fact that the two couples will be so close to each other on the East Coast in a short time span but will not meet is a sign of their continued strained relationship, according to ABC News contributor Victoria Murphy.

“I think the fact that there isn’t going to be a meeting says it all — the fallout is still very real and raw,” said Murphy. “Yes, Boston is a long way from California but Harry and Meghan are making the trip to New York just a few days later, so citing distance as the reason for not meeting doesn’t feel like the full picture.”

The couples have seen each other only a handful of times since Harry and Meghan stepped down from their senior working royal roles in 2020 and moved from the U.K. to California.

The last time William, Kate, Harry and Meghan appeared publicly together in person was during the mourning period for the late Queen Elizabeth II in September. Prior to that, the two couples, once called the “Fab Four” by royal watchers, had not been seen together in public in over two years.

“The brothers put on a show of unity for the queen’s funeral but the reality is that the divisions and disagreements are very much still there and they could get bigger depending on what is in Harry’s book and the couple’s docuseries,” said Murphy.

Harry and Meghan will be featured in a docuseries airing on Netflix in December and the next month Harry’s memoir, titled Spare, will be published on Jan. 10.

When the book was announced last year, Harry said it would be a “firsthand account” of his life that is “accurate and wholly truthful.”

The spotlight on Harry and Meghan means William and Kate’s U.S. trip, their first in eight years, comes at an “interesting time,” according to Murphy.

“Since they stepped back from royal life, Harry and Meghan have, at times, been very visible, but at times they have had periods out of the limelight with their young family,” she said. “Right now, it feels like they are very visible with anticipation building around their docuseries and Harry’s book and an awards gala to attend in New York.”

Murphy continued, “So it’s an interesting time for William and Kate to be in the U.S. — the country Harry and Meghan have made their home — right at the moment when there is a particular buzz and anticipation around what Harry and Meghan might have to say next about the royals.”

William and Kate’s trip also comes at an important time for the couple, who have taken on new roles since the queen’s death.

The trip is their first international trip since taking on the new roles of prince and princess of Wales. It also comes at a time of change for the monarchy under King Charles III, William and Harry’s father.

It is also William and Kate’s first trip since their visit to the Caribbean, where they faced protests over colonialism.

“I think this trip will be an interesting one because the monarchy has had a lot of criticism in the past few years,” said Murphy. “The picture is very different to when William and Kate visited the U.S. in 2014, so this trip could be seen as an opportunity to gauge how the U.S. public feels about the working royals and the monarchy right now and what that might mean for the royal family globally.”

The trip is also of personal importance to William, the heir to the throne, who has made preserving the environment a central point of his royal work.

“This is William’s passion project and something he is dedicating himself to over a decade and that he wants to do so that he can look his children in the eye over climate change,” said Murphy. “Their biggest goal is absolutely to get more focus around the awards and what we can do for climate change.”

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(NEW YORK) — The Invictus Games are still less than a year away, but Prince Harry and Meghan, the duke and duchess of Sussex, are getting ready for the international event.

On Wednesday, the Invictus Games Foundation released a new promotional video for the paralympic-style competition featuring several Invictus competitors facing off in a ping-pong match — Prince Harry and Meghan appear in the video.

Are you ready? The incredible experience that is the #InvictusGames is coming ever closer.

Be a part of it to experience the power of sport in recovery in Düsseldorf 9-16 Sept 2023.

Tickets for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies are now available!

📲 https://t.co/t45kXQ5NB1 pic.twitter.com/ju6ScRTNEO

— Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 (@InvictusGamesDE) November 30, 2022

In the caption, the foundation shared information about the games, which will be held in September 2023 in Düsseldorf, Germany, and that tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are now available.

The Invictus Games were founded eight years ago by Prince Harry, who served in the British Army for 10 years and completed two tours in Afghanistan. He created the games as an international version of the Warrior Games, which is organized annually by the U.S. Department of Defense.

The first Invictus Games were held in London in 2014 and have been held in The Hague, Netherlands; Orlando, Florida; Toronto and Sydney since.

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