Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian officials want to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders next week to discuss recent developments in efforts to end the three-year war with Russia. The proposed meetings appear designed to add momentum to the push for peace. Zelenskyy expressed frustration Friday with what he called Russia’s lack of constructive engagement in the process while it continues to launch devastating aerial attacks on civilian areas. Trump has bristled at Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s stalling on an American proposal for direct peace talks with Zelenskyy. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Zelenskyy's top adviser on Friday in New York.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacts during his press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel “has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas.” He is speaking to foreign media in Jerusalem on Sunday and defending a planned military offensive. He asserts that “our goal is not to occupy Gaza, our goal is to free Gaza.” He is also pushing back against what he calls a “global campaign of lies” as condemnation of the plan grows both inside and outside Israel. Meanwhile, at least 26 Palestinians were killed on Sunday as they sought aid in the territory.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy has visited a food distribution site in the Gaza Strip operated by an Israeli-backed American contractor whose efforts to deliver food to the hunger-stricken territory have been marred by violence and controversy. International experts warned this week that a “worst-case scenario of famine” is playing out in Gaza. Israel’s nearly 22-month military offensive against Hamas has shattered security and made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food to starving people. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Friday toured a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution site in the city of Rafah, which has been almost completely destroyed and is now a largely depopulated Israeli military zone.
This handout photo from US Embassy Jerusalem shows White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, center, visiting a food distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization approved by Israel, in the Gaza Strip Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (David Azaguri/US Embassy Jerusalem via AP)
