WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Zelensky’s convoy narrowly avoids Russian missile A Russian missile nearly hit a convoy carrying Volodymyr Zelensky to a meeting with the Greek prime minister in Odesa. The strike landed “very close” to the Ukrainian president’s motorcade in the southern port city, Kyriakos Mitsotakis told reporters. A Greek official later said it exploded just 300 metres from the Ukrainian president. “We saw this strike today,” Mr Zelensky told an open-air news conference outside the ruins of the Transfiguration Cathedral, which was partially reduced to rubble in a Russian missile attack last summer. “You see who we’re dealing with. They…

Gaza cease-fire talks fail to achieve a breakthrough with Ramadan just days away, Egypt says Three days of negotiations with Hamas over a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages failed to achieve a breakthrough on Tuesday, Egyptian officials said, less than a week before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the informal deadline for a deal. The nearly five months of fighting left much of Gaza in ruins and created a worsening humanitarian catastrophe, with many, especially in the devastated northern region, scrambling for food to survive. “We must get more aid into Gaza,”…

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine says it has sunk a Russian patrol ship near Crimea Ukrainian sea drones hit and sank a Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship off occupied Crimea in an overnight attack, the Ukrainian military said on Tuesday. Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency said a special unit called Group 13 had fired Magura V5 maritime drones at the Sergey Kotov near the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. It said on the Telegram messaging app that the vessel had sustained damage to the stern, starboard and port sides, at an estimated cost of…

UN envoy says 'reasonable grounds' to believe Hamas committed sexual violence on Oct. 7 The U.N. envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict said in a new report Monday that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas committed rape, “sexualized torture,” and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women during its surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7. There are also “reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing,” said Pramila Patten, who visited Israel and the West Bank from Jan. 29 to Feb. 14 with a nine-member technical team. Based on first-hand accounts of released hostages,…