For today, links to 10 reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, and Tass; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 5-20-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA entry for this date is HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russia denies stalling peace talks, says no decision yet on venue. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia today rejected Ukrainian and European accusations it was trying to drag out the peace process around Ukraine, but said that no decision had yet been made on a venue for talks when asked if they could be hosted by the Vatican. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Putin visited Russia’s Kursk region for first time since Moscow said it drove out Ukrainian forces. From AP. President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s Kursk region on Tuesday for the first time since Moscow claimed that it drove Ukrainian forces out of the area last month, the Kremlin said today. Ukrainian forces made a surprise incursion into the region bordering Ukraine in August 2024. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for second report from AP and others from the Moscow Times and Kyiv Post.

–   –   –

Moscow airports temporarily halt flights amid drone attacks. From the Moscow Times. Three of Moscow’s four airports temporarily suspended flights today as Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian capital, authorities said. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Ukrainian military says it hit Russian semiconductor device plant. From Reuters. KYIV — A Ukrainian drone attack hit a semiconductor devices plant in Russia’s western Oryol region that supplies Russian fighter jet and missile producers. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for report from Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Independent. 

–   –   –

Russian troops strike Ukrainian military airfield, army training camp. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops struck a Ukrainian military airfield and an army training camp over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

.

Links to four pieces of commentary and analysis, all from Consortium News: the first is from May 19, the others from the spring of 2014 and by CN founder Robert Parry; more current CN reports and commentary are accessible by clicking on its name below. (MEDIA 5-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM MAY 19  BBC’s shameful interview with UNRWA chief, by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan-Cook.net / Consortium News  There’s been yet more shameful reporting by BBC News at Ten, with international editor Jeremy Bowen the chief culprit this time. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MAY 4, 2025, and MAY 10, 2014  How Bob Parry covered Odessa fire that sparked a war. From Consortium News. This weekend [of May 3 and 4, 2025] marks the 11th anniversary of 48 ethnic Russians burnt alive by far-right thugs in Odessa, a massacre that spurred independence declarations in Donbass, leading to civil war in Ukraine and Russia’s eventual intervention. Click HERE for Robert Parry’s report of May 10, 2014, and related video.

–   –   –

FROM APRIL 16, 2014  Ukraine, through the U.S. looking glass, by Robert Parry | Consortium News  The acting president of the coup regime in Kiev announces that he is ordering an “anti-terrorist” operation against pro-Russian protesters in eastern Ukraine, while his national security chief says he has dispatched right-wing ultranationalist fighters . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM APRIL 14, 2014  What’s the matter with John Kerry? by Robert Parry | Consortium News  On Feb. 1, 2013, when John Kerry replaced Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, there might have been some reason to hope that the former Vietnam veteran against the war and the man who conducted serious investigations of U.S. national security crimes in the 1980s would bring some integrity and maturity to U.S. foreign policy . . . READ MORE . . .

.

For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press and Reuters; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their name or initials below, and to commentary from Jonathan-Cook.net. (GAZA 5-19-25 are HERE, or scroll down. MEDIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

–   –   –

Strikes on Gaza kill at least 60 people, local officials say, as criticism against Israel mounts, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Tia Goldenberg | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes pounded Gaza overnight and into today, hitting a family home and a school-turned-shelter, and killing at least 60 people, Palestinian health officials said, as Israel pressed its war against Hamas despite . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

–   –   –

FROM MAY 19  Britain, Canada, France threaten sanctions against Israel over Gaza, by Muvija M | Reuters  LONDON — The leaders of Britain, Canada and France on Monday threatened sanctions against Israel if it does not stop a renewed military offensive in Gaza and lift aid restrictions, piling further pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

–   –   –

FROM MAY 16  Why the wall of silence on the Gaza genocide is finally starting to crack, by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan-Cook.net  Who could have imagined 19 months ago that it would take more than a year and a half of Israel slaughtering and starving Gaza’s children for the first cracks to appear in what has been a rock-solid wall of support for Israel from western establishments. READ MORE . . .

.

For today, links to 13 reports: from Reuters, AP, National Public Radio, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass, and to commentary from Consortium News and Indian Punchline; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (UKRAINE 5-18-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  MEDIA and GAZA entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russia says Ukraine must decide if it will discuss peace accord memorandum, by Dmitry Antonov and Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters  MOSCOW — Russia said today that Ukraine had to decide whether or not it would cooperate in discussing a memorandum ahead of a potential future peace accord that Moscow has discussed with the United States. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Slow progress and no major breakthroughs dampen hopes for Russia-Ukraine peace deal, by Illia Novikov and Yehor Konovalov | AP  KYIV — “It is obvious,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today, “that Russia is trying to buy time to continue the war and occupation” — this after Monday’s phone calls . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and Kyiv Post.

–   –   –

EU, UK unveil fresh sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet, banking firms, by Olena Hrazhdan | Kyiv Post  The EU has approved its 17th sanctions package against Russia, targeting nearly 200 shadow fleet vessels and “hybrid threats,” European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas announced. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

–   –   –

Putin confirms to Trump Russia’s focus on fair settlement in Ukraine — Lavrov.  From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed Moscow’s focus on a fair settlement of the conflict in Ukraine following a telephone conversation with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who recalled Russia’s firm position “on a fair settlement of the Ukrainian crisis created by the West.” READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated two communities in the Sumy Region and the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MAY  19  Trump says Russia, Ukraine to start ceasefire talks ‘immediately,’ by Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, Vladimir Soldatkin, Max Hunder, Tom Balmforth, Maxim Rodionov, Susan Heavey Rami Ayyub and David Brunstrom | Reuters  MOSCOW / KYIV / WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia and Ukraine “will immediately start negotiations” toward a ceasefire and an end to their three-year-old war, speaking after he held a call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, and Putin said efforts to end the war . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from AP and NPR.

–   –   –

FROM MAY  19  Zelensky responds to Putin’s call with Trump, by Tim Zadorozhnyy and Oleksiy Sorokin | The Kyiv Independent  President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday rejected Vladimir Putin’s demand to withdraw Ukrainian troops from four partially occupied regions, after the Russian president, after a call with U.S. President Donald Trump, once again failed to agree to a full ceasefire. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MAY  19  Moscow ready to work with Kiev on memorandum on potential peace treaty — Putin. From Tass. SIRIUS, Federal Territory, Russia —Russia is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum on a future peace agreement that may include ceasefire issues and principles of the conflict settlement, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “Russia is ready and . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MAY 19  Rooting out the root causes in Ukraine, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  It should be no mystery to Western leaders, media and the public what the root causes of the Russia-Unkraine war are. But the West appears too full of itself to bother . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MAY 17  Russia, Ukraine prepare for peace by getting ready for war, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  May 16 will stand out as a turning point, for good or bad, in the Ukraine conflict. The main thing is . . . READ MORE . . .

.

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Cradle, National Public Radio, and Middle East Eye; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-18-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

–   –   –

Netanyahu says he’ll allow some aid into Gaza under pressure, but none appears to have entered, by Tia Godenberg, Samy Magdy and Wafaa Shurafa | AP   TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today his decision to resume limited aid to the Gaza Strip after a two-and-a-half month blockade came after pressure from allies. None had entered by this afternoon. Meanwhile . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Netanyahu says Israel will control Gaza as aid trucks prepare to enter. From Reuters.  JERUSALEM / CAIRO — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today Israel would control the whole of Gaza despite mounting international pressure that forced it to lift a blockade on aid supplies, and the Israeli military warned residents of the southern city of Khan Younis to evacuate to the coast immediately as it prepared “an unprecedented attack.” READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from AP, the Cradle, NPR and Middle East Eye.

–   –   –

Palestinian group says commander killed in Israeli raid in Khan Younis. From Middle East Eye. Ahmed Sarhan, a leader of the Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, was killed in an Israeli special forces raid in Gaza today, the group said, according to Al Jazeera. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Palestinian writer Yousri Alghoul describes life in north Gaza. Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with Palestinian writer Yousri Alghoul about life in north Gaza where he lives with his wife and four children, as Israeli airstrikes continue and food remains scarce. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

.

For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Moscow Times; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE 5-18-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA entry for this date is HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russian attacks kill elderly man and woman in Kherson, Ukraine says. From Reuters. KYIV — A man and a woman in their seventies were killed in separate Russian attacks on the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, police and regional officials said today. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Ukrainian drone strike kills woman in Belgorod Region. From the Moscow Times. A woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s southwestern Belgorod region, local officials said this morning. READ MORE . . .

.

For today, links to eleven reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, the Cradle, and the Sunday Times; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-17-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

–   –   –

Israel launches ‘extensive’ new ground operations in Gaza as airstrikes kill at least 103 people, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Tia Goldenberg | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel launched “extensive” new ground operations in the Gaza Strip while airstrikes in its new offensive killed at least 103 people, including dozens of children, overnight and into today, hospitals and medics said. The strikes forced northern Gaza’s main hospital to close. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor.

–   –   –

Israel kills five journalists, over 100 civilians in one night as ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ begins in Gaza. From the Cradle. At least five Palestinian journalists and scores of civilians were killed by Israel in Gaza overnight, as Tel Aviv has intensified airstrikes on tents housing displaced people and escalated attacks on hospitals. Journalists Abdul Rahman al-Abadilah, Aziz al-Hajjar, Ahmed al-Zainati, Khaled Abu Seif, and Nour Qandeel and members of their families were killed in Israeli airstrikes on various parts of the Gaza Strip. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Leaked proposal reveals Israeli plan to trap civilians, divide Gaza into three isolated zones: report. From the Cradle. A leaked Israeli military proposal reveals plans to divide the Gaza Strip into three separate civilian zones, each cut off by military-occupied corridors, if ongoing ceasefire talks with Hamas do not go as planned. It outlines an extensive redesign of Gaza’s internal geography, consolidating Israeli control and heavily restricting Palestinian movement. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report, including map, from the Sunday Times.

–   –   –

FROM MAY 17  Arab League pushes for Gaza ceasefire, reconstruction at Baghdad summit. From the Cradle.  Israel’s war in Gaza dominated the agenda Saturday at the 34th Arab League Summit, which  marked a unifiedArab stance against the forced displacement of Palestinians and featured calls for a lasting ceasefire and post-war reconstruction of Gaza. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

–   –   –

FROM MAY 17  Israel launches a new military operation in Gaza. Netanyahu tells negotiating team to stay at talks, by Ibrahim Hazboun and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel said Saturday it launched a major military operation in the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a negotiating team to remain in Qatar for indirect talks with the militant group. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

.

For today, links to eight reports: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, Reuters, Anadolu Agency, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-16-25 is HERE, or scroll down,  WEST BANK, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

–   –   –

Israel expands north Gaza invasion killing over 150 in under 24 hours. From the Cradle. Overnight on May 17, the Israeli military announced the start of “extensive strikes” and troop mobilizations in Gaza as part of a new military operation named “Gideon’s Chariots. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP. 

–   –   –

Ceasefire talks resume as Israeli assault kills hundreds in 72 hours, by May Angel and Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  JERUSALEM / CAIRO —  Israel and Hamas resumed ceasefire talks today in Qatar, both sides said, even as Israeli forces ramped up a bombing campaign that has killed hundreds of people over 72 hours, and mobilised for . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Arab Summit in Baghdad calls for urgent aid delivery to Gaza, condemns Israeli attacks on Syria, by Rania R.a. Abushamala | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — The 34th Arab League Summit today called for the “urgent and unhindered” delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and condemned Israel’s ongoing attacks in Syria. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Gaza urges Arab summit to act against siege, stop Israeli genocide, by Ikrame Imane Kouachi | Anadolu Agency  GAZA CITY, Palestine / ANKARA — The Gaza government today issued an urgent call to Arab leaders attending the Arab League Summit in Baghdad, demanding immediate, practical steps to break Israel’s siege and halt its continuing war on the Palestinian enclave. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Top genocide scholars unanimous that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza: Dutch investigation. From Middle East Eye. A growing number of the world’s leading genocide scholars believe that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide, according to an investigation by Dutch newspaper NRC. The paper interviewed . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

UN chief condemns reported Israeli plans for Gaza ground operation, by Gizem Nisa Cebi | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern today over reports that Israel plans to expand its ground operations in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

‘We will not stay silent,’ 7 European countries say in response to Israeli attacks on Gaza. From Middle East Monitor Facing a “man-made humanitarian catastrophe taking place before our eyes in Gaza,” Ireland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Malta, Spain and Norway on Friday called upon the Israeli government . . . READ MORE . . .

.

For today, a link to a report from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (WEST BANK 5-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down. GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

–   –   –

Israeli army continues West Bank raid as settlers attack homes and burn vehicles, by Fayha Shalash | Middle East Eye  RAMALLAH, occupied Palestine  The Israeli army has continued to raid the town of Bruqin in the occupied West Bank in search of a gunman who killed a settler on Wednesday, even as other settlers carry out attacks in towns and cities across the territory. READ MORE . . .

.