Venezuelan detainee Diógenes Angulo has been released from prison after a year and five months. He was detained for posting a video of an opposition demonstration. As he left the prison Saturday, he learned that former President Nicolás Maduro had been captured by U.S. forces on January 3rd. Venezuela’s government pledged to release a significant number of prisoners, but only 16 have been freed so far. Meanwhile, Venezuelans aligned with the government have been marching, demanding Maduro's return. The U.S. and Venezuela are evaluating the restoration of diplomatic relations, broken since 2019.

Russian officials say that a Ukrainian attack killed 24 people in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region, as tensions between the two nations continue to spike despite diplomats hailing productive peace talks. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the strike, which could not be independently verified by The Associated Press. The statement follows claims from Moscow that Ukraine launched a long-range drone attack against one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official residences in northwestern Russia on Tuesday. Kyiv has denounced the claims as a “lie.”

U.S. proposals for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia meet many of Kyiv's demands, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Monday, he said that while the drafts look solid, neither side is likely to get everything it wants. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff held what he called productive talks with Ukrainian and European representatives. President Donald Trump said talks were continuing and “going OK.” Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have struck deep inside Russia, targeting an oil terminal, pipeline, and military assets. These attacks aim to disrupt Russia's war effort. Russia continues targeting Ukraine's energy sector, trying to deprive civilians of heat and water during winter.

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has been drawn back into the foreign policy fold like he was during Trump's first term. It reflects a sense among Trump’s inner circle that Kushner complements special envoy Steve Witkoff’s negotiating style and can bridge seemingly intractable differences to close a deal. That's according to current and former administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Kushner worked on negotiating the Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations in Trump's first term.

A White House envoy says he held “productive and constructive” talks in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine. Steve Witkoff says Sunday the talks aimed at aligning a shared strategic approach between the United States, Ukraine and Europe. A Kremlin envoy says talks are proceeding “constructively,” while the Ukrainian president says they were moving “quickly.” The talks are part of the Trump administration’s push for peace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is warning that Moscow will extend its gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlin's demands in peace talks. Speaking at an annual meeting with top military officers Wednesday, Putin said Moscow would prefer to achieve its goals and “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” by diplomatic means. But he added that “if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means.” Putin was referring to Ukrainian territory seized by Russia — action widely condemned in the West as a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and an unprovoked act of aggression.

U.S. officials say Washington has agreed to provide unspecified security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a peace deal to end Russia’s nearly four-year war, and more talks are likely this weekend. The officials spoke Monday following the latest discussions with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin. European leaders there said they and the U.S. committed to work together to provide “robust security guarantees” including a European-led ”multinational force Ukraine” supported by the U.S. They said the force's work would include operating inside Ukraine. Questions over Ukraine’s postwar security and the fate of occupied territories have been the main obstacles in talks.