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Newly Freed American Describes His Years in Russian Prison

Stephen James Hubbard, the retired teacher arrested soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, said he sometimes lost hope.

© U.S. Government, via Reuters

Stephen James Hubbard with relatives and U.S. officials aboard a flight to the United States after his release from Russian prison, in a photo released by the U.S. government.
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Trump Explores Lifting Sanctions on Russia’s Flagship Investment Fund

The move would be the latest U.S. concession to Moscow as President Trump pursues economic incentives he hopes will secure an end to war in Ukraine.

© Ramil Sitdikov/Reuters

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s envoys, with Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, in Moscow last month.
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Ukraine’s Feeling of Moral Whiplash at the Hands of Trump

The United States once declared that Ukraine’s fight was the front line in a global battle for freedom. Now the Trump administration is sending money to Moscow.

© David Guttenfelder/The New York Times

Cars burning in the parking lot after a Russian drone strike on Friday in Dnipro, Ukraine.
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In U.S. Gas Talks With Kremlin, Hidden Financing for Alaska Project Emerges

Interviews and documents show a Russian energy giant secretly funded a U.S. firm. The deal has been discussed in talks to end the war in Ukraine.

© Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

Oil drilling rigs in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. The Polar LNG plan called for the company to tap into the giant load of natural gas available in the state’s northern reaches.
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Putin Nears a Prize: Restoring Ties With the U.S. While Giving Up Nothing

Russia has sought to separate the war in Ukraine from potential business deals and diplomacy with the United States. Its efforts now appear to be working.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times

President Trump with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Anchorage, Alaska, last year.
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In Trump’s Diplomacy, Insults Are a One-Way Street. Ukraine Is the Latest Example.

The latest rift with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine serves as a reminder that President Trump readily lashes out at other world leaders, only to grow outraged if they fight back.

© Alex Kent/The New York Times

President Trump’s belligerence leaves many world leaders reluctant to cross him for fear of blowback or even, depending on his mood, a fresh round of tariffs.
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