World

(VANCOUVER, British Columbia) — Oleksii Tiunin, a Ukrainian soldier who lost his leg in Russia’s war, has become known in his adopted Canadian home as an undefeated sportsman.

He was the captain of this year’s Ukrainian national team at the Invictus Games, which included the largest-ever Ukrainian delegation in February in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

“If someone had told me during my rehabilitation about such an event as these games, I would not have believed it was possible at first,” said Tiunin, 37.

The veteran of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which participates it the most brutal battles with the Russian invaders, was badly injured by the enemy gunfire near Andriivka, Donetsk region, in August 2023.

Because of a delayed evacuation, he said, he lost his leg. He works today as a TV presenter.

But here, in British Columbia, this veteran from Kharkiv region is already known as a man of a strong spirit.

Earlier this year, a team of 35 injured Ukrainian soldiers won 30 medals, and finished on the fourth place in total medal count behind the U.S.’s 53, the United Kingdom’s 38 and Australia’s 36. The 12 gold, 11 silver and seven bronze medals marked the country’s second-best result at the Invictus Games.

“We came here to have fun and show the strength of Ukrainian people, get some medals, meet new people, chat with them, enjoy sightseeing and relax,” Tiunin told ABC News after the closing ceremony.

Due to his observations, the attitude towards the Ukrainian team was special: “Each of us got much more out of this trip than we expected — we had only good and positive emotions here.”

Tiunin describes the attitude to Ukrainian team as a combination of attention and respect, that has obviously close connection to the war in Ukraine that started over three years ago with the Russian full-scale invasion.

“I think people understand that a brutal war is currently going on in our country, and if we take into account other participants of the games, none of them was involved in such a war as we, Ukrainians are,” said the veteran.

According to Tiunin, the Ukrainian team was warmly supported not only by the representatives of the diaspora, but also by Canadians on the streets of Vancouver.

In late 2024, the Economist estimated that nearly 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers were injured and were unable to return to the front line.

One of the injured is Serhii Hordiievych, 38, the golden medalist in alpine skiing this year in Whistler.

A veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Volyn region in western Ukraine, he used to work as a physical education teacher at a local college and then as a repairman in France — before joining the military.

In May 2022, Hordiievych was injured during his battalion counteroffensive near the village of Vesele in the Kharkiv region.

“I fell on my back and felt that my legs are getting stiff – I only managed to look around to check if there was an enemy somewhere around and then called my comrades for help,” he recalls.

According to Hordiievych’s memories, from the very first seconds he was full of faith that he would survive: “I just closed my eyes and fainted with a smile on my face, in pure and sincere confidence that everything is going to be fine.”

He suffered a spinal cord injury, and despite the long rehabilitation process, Hordiievych is still unable to walk – quite a disaster for a young man with great passion to sport.

“Before joining the army, I used to play soccer for three or even five times a week – always ready and accepting any proposal to compete,” said the veteran.

But the Invictus Games 2025 in Whistler were his first-ever real competition or big games ever. Hordiievych said he was inspired by his friend, and Invictus Games 2022 Ukrainian team member, Serhii Kalytiuk. Despite a similar injury, Kalytiuk continues to excel in sports.

Now he practices archery, table tennis and even works as a coach of the national para-tennis team.

“At the very beginning I had no idea how I should live from now on,” said Hordiievych. “But my comrade visited me in the hospital and helped me a lot – although his injury was much worse in comparison to mine, he provided a personal example, proving that it is possible to overcome it.”

Kalytiuk showed Hordiievych how to drive a car – at that time, something unthinkable for people with traumas like theirs: “That is how I restarted myself once again to renew my will for life,” Hordiievych said.

And that is probably why his first-ever trip to the American continent brought him and Ukraine a gold medal on alpine skiing, although he was not even proposed to participate in these games.

It was Hordiievych’s wife, Tetiana, who literally forced him to join the national team. According to him, she said: “Let me have you registered, we will go to the national tryouts and check if it fits you or not and then you will decide it yourself if it is worth it.”

So, she registered Hordiievych and wrote him a motivational letter, which he read in front of the camera, and sent it out without any firm belief he would be added to the team’s roster. in success.

But Hordiievych was invited for the tryouts in Kyiv: “It was some special vibe there, I felt as if I was among my people, as if I belonged here, the atmosphere was very relaxing and I liked it,” he says.

And the results were announced on Hordiievych’s birthday. “On that day I received lots of calls with greetings – I was nonstop thanking everybody wondering, how they knew it was my birthday, as I have deleted my birthday information from my social media profiles everywhere,” he remembered.

At some point, when Hordiievych heard the next “My congratulations!” from the archery coach, who he didn’t know well, he asked her: “Ms. Lesia, how do you know that it is my birthday?” And the answer was: “I know nothing about your birthday – you’re on the national team!”

“That was how I became a member of the team,” Hordiievych says with a smile on his face.

Right before the games, during six days of practice in Bukovel, a ski resort in the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains, Hordiievych was facing a tremendous challenge – to learn how to ski.

“For the first  two days I was not able to make a simple turn or even balance myself properly, but thanks to my coaches and other joint efforts, we managed to help me overcome myself and we did it,” he said.

New sport discipline helped Hordiievych to feel the same positive emotions he used to feel when he was skiing before the war, and that was probably the turning point that made the champion in Whistler.

According to Hordiievych, it was an unforgettable moment, when he arrived at the finish line and his coach, leaning forward over the net, shouted: ‘Serhii, you are the winner!’

“At first, I thought that the coach was just cheering me up and supporting, because at the third turn I slowed down a bit, lost some speed and was almost sure that others will have much better results,” says Hordiievych.

But his coach then repeated: “You beat them all by three seconds.” And it was such an incredible feeling for Hordiievych once he understood that he is the champion.

Besides this moment of glory and fame, Hordiievych said, he will always remember Canadian Rockies: “It was unreal panoramic view when my coaches and the instructor took me to the peak over 2000 meters high here in BC.”

Another memorable moment for Hordiievych was his meeting with Prince Harry. As he recalls, “On the last day of the games he was sitting down near me with a child of my comrade on his knees, and that is how I get this memorable image.”

Now, after the Games, Hordiievych said he plans to continue alpine skiing, and he also started to play table tennis.

Although his spinal cord injury is a complicated trauma and needs a very sophisticated treatment and long adaptation, he still hopes for complete recovery.

“I am confident that one day I will walk again, because I must dance with my daughter – first at her graduation party and then at her wedding,” he said.

It looks as if the whole Invictus Games Ukrainian national team consists of people with strong faith and unbreakable will.

“A person with a disability because of war. A person with unlimited capabilities! Learning to live with a prosthesis!” – that is how Tiunin describes himself on his Instagram profile.

And that is how he is trying to help other injured veterans to deal with their traumas.

Tiunin clearly understands that not everyone will be able to accept new life immediately and be ready to compete with other veterans at the next Invictus Games.

As a captain of the National team and the veteran, he said, there should be not even a single chance for surrender.

“You don’t have to fall into despair, you just have to survive this difficult stage of treatment, rehabilitation, not give up, believe in yourself, train and strive for greater heights,” he said.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Activists are demanding an investigation after they say a humanitarian ship headed to Gaza was bombed by a drone in the Mediterranean Sea overnight Friday.

The passenger vessel Conscience made a mayday call shortly after midnight, reporting a fire on its bow, the government of Malta said.

The ship, located off the coast of Malta in international waters at the time, was being operated by activists with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which is campaigning to end Israel’s ongoing blockade of aid into Gaza.

Israel began the aid blockade on March 2 after the end of the temporary ceasefire deal, saying they were imposing the blockade to put pressure on Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.

Malta’s government said that 12 crew members and four civilian passengers were on board and none were injured.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the reported attack.

FFC spokesperson Yasemin Acar told ABC News in a video interview from Valletta, the capital of Malta, that most of those aboard were asleep when they awoke to the sound of an explosion, Acar said the vessel was struck twice “which why they knew they were under attack.”

The group claims the blasts were caused by a drone whose immediate origin the group did not know. ABC News has not been able to verify the group’s claims.

Video and photos provided by the FFC showed fire and smoke on board Conscience, as well as damage to the bow of the vessel in the aftermath of the reported attack.

ABC News showed the FCC photos showing the damaged sustained to the Conscience to Trevor Ball, a former U.S. Army explosive ordinance disposal specialist.

“The damage is consistent with two small blast munitions, which can be deployed by drone,” Ball said. “You’d need remnants to confirm that though, well as country of origin.”

Acar said the vessel had been carrying humanitarian aid, which Israel’s government is not allowing to enter Gaza.

In an online statement, the FFC called for an investigation into the reported attack and demanded that “Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters.”

ABC News has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. State Department for comment on the incident.

The moments after the reported strike are visible in ship tracking data from MarineTraffic. Shortly after midnight, the Conscience can be seen veering off its course. According to MarineTraffic, the vessel left Bizerte, Tunisia, on Wednesday and was scheduled to dock in Malta on Friday.

There, the FFC said, the vessel planned to bring aboard more passengers — including climate activist Greta Thunberg and retired US Army Colonel Mary Ann Wright — before continuing on to Gaza.

Data from online flight tracker ADSBExchange shows that a military transport plane operated by Israel’s military flew over Malta in the hours before the attack.

The Lockheed KC-130H plane entered Maltese airspace at around 3:25 p.m. local time. Data shows the plane flying in a zig-zag pattern around the eastern coast of Malta at an altitude as low as 4,350 feet before beginning its return to Israel at around 7:30 p.m. local time, nearly five hours before the reported attack on Conscience.

ABC News’ Dana Savir and Benjamin Siu contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — An estimated 50 people were hurt, including an 11-year-old child, when Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv with drones late Friday, officials said.

Calling it a “massive attack,” Kharkiv governor Oleg Synegubov wrote on Telegram that the drones hit four parts of the city while causing fires and damaging homes, buildings and cars.

The Kharkiv mayor said 12 different locations in those four districts were hit and that eight people are still in the hospital in moderate condition.

Even though there could be more attacks, emergency workers are on the ground putting out fires and cleaning up damage as medical staff worked hard to help the injured.

Only hours early, Russia had launched another attack, this time on Zaporizhzhia, hurting 29 people.

These attacks happened just before Russia’s planned three-day ceasefire for its World War II holiday as Ukraine says this “ceasefire” is just for show and not real, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying the drones hit homes, not military places.

“Russia attacks when people are in their homes, putting their children to bed,” he said.

Earlier this week, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned on Wednesday that “a whole series of nuances” needs to be addressed before Russia will agree to any U.S.-brokered peace deal to end Moscow’s 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said, “said that he supports this initiative — the establishment of a ceasefire, he supports it, but before going for it, a whole series of questions need to be answered and a whole series of nuances need to be resolved,” as quoted by the state-run Tass news agency.

Zelenskyy again urged greater international pressure on the Kremlin this week, citing the latest round of drone strikes a few days ago in which 45 people were injured in Kharkiv — including two children — and one person was killed in Dnipro.

“Russian drones continue flying over Ukrainian skies all morning,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “And this happens every single day. That’s why pressure on Russia is needed — strong, additional sanctions that actually work. Not just words or attempts at persuasion — only pressure can force Russia to agree to a ceasefire and end the war.”

ABC News’ David Brennan contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(ROTTERDAM, Netherlands) — Literally marked by a child’s hand, one of the Netherland’s most valuable paintings is now undergoing restoration after being accidentally damaged in a museum in Rotterdam.

The work in question — Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 (1960) by Mark Rothko — sustained several visible scratches in its unvarnished lower paint layer when a young child brushed against it during a visit to the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen — a publicly accessible art storage facility connected to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.

The incident occurred at the Depot, that allows visitors to view thousands of works in a visible-storage environment, where much of the collection is accessible without traditional exhibition barriers.

To many, it feels less like a formal gallery and more like a backstage pass to the museum’s inner workings — a space where masterpieces are visible, but not always protected in the traditional sense.

The Rothko work was on display as part of Lievelingen, an exhibition featuring 70 beloved collection highlights, from Bruegel to Dalí, while the main museum is currently closed for renovations until at least 2030.

“The work by Rothko has suffered damage: a number of visible scratches in the unvarnished paint layer,” confirmed museum spokesperson Vincent Cardinaal. “It happened because a child, in an unsupervised moment, touched the lower part of the work. There was no intent. This was not vandalism.”

The child, reportedly under the age of five years old, had simply waved a hand too close to the canvas during what the museum later called an “unguarded moment.” The painting has since been removed from view and transferred to the museum’s conservation lab.

“We are currently researching the next steps for treatment and expect that the work will be able to be shown again in the future,” Cardinaal added.

This is not the first time a Rothko painting has been damaged in a public museum. In 2012, a Polish man named Vladimir Umanets wrote on Black on Maroon (1958) at the Tate Modern in London, using black ink to sign his name and added the phrase “This is Yellowism.”

Umanets said it was part of his art movement, but he was arrested and sent to prison for two years. It took 18 months and about $250,000 to repair the painting, showing just how hard it is to fix even small black marker damage on a Rothko.

The museum has declined to release photos of the damage or reveal who will cover the costs.

“We never disclose information regarding valuation, security, or insurance,” Cardinaal said. “That is standard policy — not just here, but across most major museums in Europe.”

Though the painting has never been auctioned, one East European art collector has estimated its value between $50 and $60 million.

Acquired by the museum in 1970 — the year Rothko died — it is one of just two of his works held in public collections in the Netherlands.

Art crime expert Arthur Brand, known for recovering stolen masterpieces, said the damage — though minor — underscores the fragility of Rothko’s unvarnished surfaces.

“This wasn’t a protest or criminal act. It was a child being a child,” Brand said. “But Rothko’s surfaces are incredibly sensitive. A single swipe can mean months of restoration and tens of thousands in costs.”

Brand estimated the conservation work could range from $50,000 to $150,000 but explained that the bigger picture should not be lost.

“We should protect these works — absolutely — but we also need to let kids be around art. That’s how they fall in love with it,” he said.

A curator familiar with European museums and their display philosophy, who asked not to be named, offered a broader perspective.

“Given how exposed some of these works are, it’s almost surprising that these accidents don’t happen more often.”

The incident has revived questions about the risks of displaying high-value art in open-access settings. Still, the museum stands by its approach.

And as the scratched Rothko awaits restoration, Brand summed it simply.

“In every crowd of 100, there’s always one person — or in this case, one tiny hand — capable of a very big accident.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly oversaw the test of a supersonic cruise missile fired from a new battleship — the destroyer Choe Hyon — this week, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

In a report published on Wednesday, KCNA said the first test firing of the Choe Hyon’s weapons systems were conducted on Monday and Tuesday. The platforms tested included a supersonic cruise missile, a strategic cruise missile, an anti-aircraft missile and a 127mm shipboard automatic gun.

Kim toured the vessel and observed the weapons tests, KCNA reported. The North Korean leader said that “it is important to establish a proactive and aggressive defence system on the premise of powerful attack capability,” KCNA wrote.

Kim also said there was a need for “accelerating the nuclearization of the navy,” KCNA said.

The 5,000-ton destroyer was unveiled last week. During a ceremony to launch the vessel at the port of Nampo on the country’s western coast, Kim said the ship’s construction represented “a breakthrough” in North Korea’s naval modernization.

Kim also said he “intends to build a blue-water operational fleet” — meaning a force capable of operating in open ocean rather than solely in the coastal waters around the Korean Peninsula.

The launch of the Choe Hyon comes as North Korea — which has traditionally lagged behind its neighbor and rival South Korea in terms of naval technology — deepens military cooperation with Russia, amid the latter’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent standoff with the West.

U.S., Ukrainian and South Korean officials have warned that Moscow may repay Pyongyang’s support for its invasion — which over three years of war has graduated from ammunition supply to the deployment of frontline troops — by sharing military technology.

North Korea has also continued and expanded its ballistic missile testing program, intended to enhance its nuclear strike capabilities.

In March, Pyongyang fired a series of short-range ballistic missiles days after the conclusion of U.S.-South Korean military drills that Pyongyang said it considered an invasion rehearsal.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned Wednesday that “a whole series of nuances” needs to be addressed before Russia will agree to any U.S.-brokered peace deal to end Moscow’s 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking with journalists, Peskov appeared to downplay hopes of a quick peace agreement — which President Donald Trump said this weekend he wants to secure within two weeks.

President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said, “said that he supports this initiative — the establishment of a ceasefire, he supports it, but before going for it, a whole series of questions need to be answered and a whole series of nuances need to be resolved,” as quoted by the state-run Tass news agency.

Peskov was responding to suggestions — including from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — that Putin is not genuine about his professed desire to agree a peace deal.

Zelenskyy again urged greater international pressure on the Kremlin on Wednesday, citing the latest round of drone strikes in which 45 people were injured in Kharkiv — including two children — and one person was killed in Dnipro.

“Russian drones continue flying over Ukrainian skies all morning,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “And this happens every single day. That’s why pressure on Russia is needed — strong, additional sanctions that actually work. Not just words or attempts at persuasion — only pressure can force Russia to agree to a ceasefire and end the war.”

“Pressure from the United States, Europe and everyone in the world who believes war has no place on Earth,” the president wrote.

Zelenskyy said that more than 100 Russian attack drones were launched at Ukrainian targets overnight into Wednesday, with a total of 375 drones launched so far this week.

Ukraine’s air force said its forces shot down 50 of the 108 drones launched, with another 22 lost in flight without causing damage.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed 35 Ukrainian drones overnight into Wednesday morning.

ABC News Guy Davies and Oleksiy Pshemyskiy contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — A professional hockey player who was arrested in connection with the 2023 on-ice death of former NHL player Adam Johnson will not face charges, British prosecutors announced on Tuesday.

Johnson, 29, was killed during an October 2023 game between two British professional teams, the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers. Johnson, who was playing for the Panthers, suffered a fatal neck injury when he was slashed by a skate during the game.

A Steelers player was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter a month later in the incident. Following a “thorough” police investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service said Tuesday it has decided not to bring criminal charges against the player.

“This was a shocking and deeply upsetting incident,” Michael Quinn, deputy chief crown prosecutor, said in a statement.

“Following a thorough police investigation and a comprehensive review of all the evidence by the CPS, we have concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offence and so there will not be a prosecution,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Adam Johnson.”

Prosecutors did not identify the hockey player who was arrested in the case.

The Panthers, who play in England’s Elite Ice Hockey League, called Johnson’s death a “freak accident” at the time.

Prosecutors did not identify the hockey player who was arrested in the case.

The Panthers, who play in England’s Elite Ice Hockey League, called Johnson’s death a “freak accident” at the time.

ABC News’ Mark Osborne contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(VATICAN CITY) — The cardinal of Baghdad, Louis Raphael Sako, reportedly told journalists at the Vatican on Tuesday that he expects a “short conclave” that could select Pope Francis’ successor in as little as two days.

“It will be a short conclave, two, three days,” Sako said, as quoted by Italy’s ANSA news agency, speaking to reporters before today’s general congregation.

“There is a very fraternal atmosphere and a spirit of responsibility,” the cardinal said.

When asked if he had an idea of ​​who he would vote for to become the new pope, Sako replied: “I have a very clear idea but I cannot say it.”

The conclave to elect the Catholic Church’s 267th leader will begin Wednesday, May 7, the Vatican announced on Monday. Cardinals will convene at the Vatican to begin the process.

Francis, who died last Monday at the age of 88, was buried on Saturday in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

ABC News’ Kevin Shalvey contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — U.S. and Russian officials continued Ukraine peace discussions on Monday as the Kremlin announced a 3-day ceasefire during May’s Victory Day celebrations — and as Kyiv cited continued Russian missile and drone attacks as evidence that Moscow has no genuine interest in peace.

On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry released a transcript of an interview with Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov in the Brazilian Newspaper O Globo, in which he set out maximalist demands for a deal.

Among Moscow’s demands, Lavrov reportedly said, are Ukraine’s non-admission to NATO and future non-aligned status and international recognition of Russian control of all Ukrainian regions claimed annexed by the Kremlin — including Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, both of which are only partially occupied by Russian forces.

Lavrov also said Russia is still seeking the “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine, the lifting of international sanctions and the return of frozen Russian assets.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lavrov by phone “at Lavrov’s request” on Sunday, the State Department announced on Monday. Rubio has previously said that the U.S. is still evaluating whether the Kremlin is serious about reaching an agreement to end its 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

The conversation was a follow-on to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow last week, with Rubio and Lavrov discussing “next steps in Russia-Ukraine peace talks” and “the need to end the war now,” per the State Department’s readout.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, on Monday unilaterally announced a ceasefire to mark Victory Day — the 80th anniversary commemoration of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

The ceasefire will last from May 8 to May 10, the Kremlin said. “Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example,” its statement said. “In the event of violations of the truce by the Ukrainian side, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will give an adequate and effective response.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was dismissive of the proposal.

“Russia has consistently rejected everything and continues to manipulate the world, trying to deceive the United States,” he wrote in a statement posted to Telegram.

“Now, yet again, another attempt at manipulation: for some reason everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire — just to provide Putin with silence for his parade,” he continued.

“We value human lives, not parades,” Zelenskyy wrote. “That’s why we believe — and the world believes — that there is no reason to wait until May 8. The ceasefire should not be just for a few days, only to return to killing afterward. It must be immediate, full, and unconditional — for at least 30 days to ensure it is secure and guaranteed. This is the foundation that could lead to real diplomacy.”

Cross-border strikes continued into Tuesday morning, with Ukraine’s air force reporting 100 Russian drones launched into the country overnight. The air force said it shot down 37 of the drones with another 47 lost in flight without causing damage.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed 40 Ukrainian drones overnight.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with the slow progress being made on reaching a deal to end the war, an agreement he claimed on the campaign trail he would secure within 24 hours of returning to office.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters he wants a deal to end the war in “two weeks or less,” but later said a little more time might be acceptable. The president added he was “very disappointed” that Russia continued to carry out strikes in Ukraine days after he appealed to Putin to stop the attacks while negotiations continued.

Vice President JD Vance told conservative influencer Charlie Kirk on Monday that he is not certain that a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia will be reached, but that he remains optimistic.

“The biggest breakthrough is that we’ve got both of them talking about what they would need in order to stop fighting but what one side needs is different from what the other side needs,” Vance said.

“It’s the job of diplomacy to try to bring those two sides together,” Vance added. “I can’t say 100% certainty, Charlie, we’re going to be able to do it, but I do think that we’re trying very hard, and I feel more optimistic about it today than I did two weeks ago, and I feel more optimistic two weeks ago than I did two months ago.”

Vance added that the administration has found itself “frustrated” with Russians and Ukrainians during the peace talks.

“If I could bring people on the inside, I think what they see is that sometimes you’re incredibly frustrated with Ukrainians,” he said. “Sometimes you’re incredibly frustrated with the Russians.”

“You know, that is the nature of the negotiation as you’re going back and forth, and sometimes you just want to throw your hands up, but that’s what President Trump doesn’t let us do,” Vance said.

ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Fritz Farrow contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — At least 22 people have been killed and three others were injured in a fire at a restaurant in northern China on Tuesday afternoon, according to Chinese state media.

The blaze broke out at around 12:25 p.m. local time on Tuesday in the city of Liaoning, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency and national broadcaster CCTV.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all-out efforts to treat the injured, assist victims’ families and investigate the cause of the fire, Xinhua and CCTV reported.

Investigators have not yet discovered the cause of the fire but, according to the Associated Press, images from the scene showed huge flames spurting from the windows and doors of the two- or three-story building.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.