Former prime minister Robert Fico campaigned as a left-wing populist, opposing continued military support for Ukraine and aligning with Russia against the United States.
Millions of Ukrainians still worship in Orthodox churches deeply influenced by Russian clergy who support Moscow's invasion, sparking a clash of faith and national loyalty.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is making an effort to answer any legitimate questions concerning his administration and its conduct during the war in Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal reporter has been held in Russia since March. Thousands have written him letters for the Jewish new year, as the campaign for his release hones in on next week's U.N. meeting.
In a summit in Russia, President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un showed how geopolitical tensions have brought the two neighbors isolated by the West into closer alignment.
The leaders met at Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome for a summit that underscores how their interests are aligning in the face of their countries' separate, intensifying confrontations with the U.S.
U.S. officials announced last week that the two leaders would meet in Vladivostok, as Russian President Putin seeks more arms to supply his war in Ukraine.
Russia has occupied the massive Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which sits roughly 50 miles from the front lines. Ukraine's other reactors are also operating in a volatile war zone.
In talks in Sochi, Russia, President Vladimir Putin rejected efforts by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to revive a United Nations-backed deal to allow the safe passage of grain from Ukraine.
Swedish lawmakers had said they would boycott this year's Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm after the foundation initially invited representatives of the three countries to attend.
According to new U.S. intelligence, the potential agreement would allow North Korea to ship "significant quantities and multiple types" of weapons to Russia for deployment in Ukraine.
