https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:05:44 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL US President Donald Trump held a “very good meeting” with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G7 summit in France, adding that “Russia should make a deal” while hinting that Europe’s largest conflict since World War II might be moving up his priority list. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-ukraine-focus-iran-russia/33782190.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-ukraine-focus-iran-russia/33782190.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:57:38 +0200 NewsIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Iranians say they have been warned by security officials not to speak to US-funded Persian-language media, such as RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, amid a crackdown in which the Iranian authorities say they have charged increasing numbers with espionage for “cooperation with the enemy.” https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-fear-crackdown-protests-dissent-media/33781430.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-fear-crackdown-protests-dissent-media/33781430.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:32:46 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Recent reports from Iran suggest that an intense crackdown on political opposition within the country that began during mass protests in January is continuing unabated. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-arrests-political-prisoners-protests/33780086.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-arrests-political-prisoners-protests/33780086.html Sun, 14 Jun 2026 09:43:57 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories A social media post by Pakistan's prime minister set a 24-hour clock ticking on July 13 as he said a deal between Washington and Tehran was closer “than ever before.” https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-peace-deal-conflicting-reports-fragile-cease-fire/33779736.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-peace-deal-conflicting-reports-fragile-cease-fire/33779736.html Sat, 13 Jun 2026 16:15:33 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Headline Ukraine’s ramped-up attacks on Russia's oil sector this year have led to production cuts and shortages, highlighting improved tactics and successes for Kyiv. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-fuel-crunch-ukraine-refineries-strikes/33778225.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-fuel-crunch-ukraine-refineries-strikes/33778225.html Sat, 13 Jun 2026 09:39:11 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Armenians go to the polls on June 7 in parliamentary elections in which the country’s basic foreign policy orientation is at stake. While Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has pulled the country towards the West, Russia has responded with multiple moves aimed at halting the shift. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-economy-armenia-westward-tilt-elections/33773229.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-economy-armenia-westward-tilt-elections/33773229.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:49:41 +0200 FeaturesArmeniaRussiaThe Rundown Stories Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written an open letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, urging him to attend a meeting between the two leaders at a neutral location to agree an end to the war. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-open-letter-putin-peace/33772829.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-open-letter-putin-peace/33772829.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:54:45 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The shaky video of the incident recalled the famous "Tank Man" protester on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, who single-handedly defied an armored column during pro-democracy protests in 1989 that were subsequently crushed by tanks. https://www.rferl.org/a/iranian-tehran-tiananmen-moment/33770299.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iranian-tehran-tiananmen-moment/33770299.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:03:37 +0200 NewsIranThe Rundown Headline US President Donald Trump has indicated that Iran's decision to end its unprecedented Internet blackout is a sign that the country wants to reach an agreement with the United States. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-internet-blackout-us-deal/33766937.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-internet-blackout-us-deal/33766937.html Wed, 27 May 2026 19:20:28 +0200 NewsIranThe Rundown Stories Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced strong support for Iran in its conflict with the United States as he greeted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi for talks in St Petersburg on April 27. https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-iran-strategic-relationship-araqchi-russia/33743629.html https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-iran-strategic-relationship-araqchi-russia/33743629.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:31:22 +0200 NewsIranRussiaThe Rundown Stories Forty years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Nobel Prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich says Belarus is still a "laboratory" in which the long-term effects of the massive radiation leak continue to play out. https://www.rferl.org/a/chernobyl-belarus-nobel-author-alexievich/33740662.html https://www.rferl.org/a/chernobyl-belarus-nobel-author-alexievich/33740662.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:00:36 +0200 UkraineFeaturesBelarusThe Rundown Stories Some analysts argue there’s a hidden struggle going on in the Kremlin between security structures and economic interests. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-politics-rift-putin-influencer-internet-economy/33740904.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-politics-rift-putin-influencer-internet-economy/33740904.html Thu, 23 Apr 2026 19:21:49 +0200 RussiaFeaturesThe Rundown Headline China is Iran’s most important ally, but it lacks the full diplomatic and economic leverage to force Tehran to make concessions, according to experts who spoke to RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-trump-xi-oil-middle-east-peace-cease-fire-talks/33734488.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-trump-xi-oil-middle-east-peace-cease-fire-talks/33734488.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:38:43 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesChina Russian influencer Victoria Bonya made a personal address to Russian President Vladimir Putin: In a country where political debate and criticism of the authorities is tightly controlled, she brought up problems people face in their everyday lives. Except the war in Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-influencers-make-up-ukraine-war/33733737.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-influencers-make-up-ukraine-war/33733737.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:09:01 +0200 FeaturesRussiaThe Rundown Stories A US blockade on ships entering Iranian ports and coastal areas has taken effect, following failed peace talks between the US and Iran. And it already poses a dilemma: risk attack from Iranian assets near the Strait of Hormuz or hold back and hope to catch vessels breaking out into the open seas. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-naval-blockade-iran/33731316.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-naval-blockade-iran/33731316.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:02:17 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Hungarians vote in elections on April 12 as war rages in neighboring Ukraine and the government’s relationship with Russia is under intense scrutiny. Polls suggest that after 16 years in office, Prime Minister Viktor Orban may lose power to opposition leader Peter Magyar. https://www.rferl.org/a/hungary-election-orban-magyar-opposition/33729297.html https://www.rferl.org/a/hungary-election-orban-magyar-opposition/33729297.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:13:37 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineHungaryThe Rundown Stories The US-Israeli war with Iran has continued following US President Donald Trump’s TV address to the nation, with a series of reported air strikes, defiant messaging from Tehran, and a US warning in Iraq of an imminent attack in Baghdad by Iranian proxy forces. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-speech-war-threats-iran-strikes/33723158.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-speech-war-threats-iran-strikes/33723158.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:37:13 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East It's not just oil and gas. Iran’s shipping blockade is also holding up supplies of other key commodities and causing price spikes on global markets that will affect everyone. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-blockade-chokes-global-trade-oil-gas-trump/33722449.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-blockade-chokes-global-trade-oil-gas-trump/33722449.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:18:02 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Iran announced the execution of two political prisoners on March 31, a day after the death penalty was also carried out on two others, in a sign that the clerical authorities are stepping up a crackdown on internal opposition in the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-executions-repression/33721498.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-executions-repression/33721498.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:03:42 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Iran is inviting children 12 and older to sign up under a new program “for combatants defending the homeland,” with applicants directed to mosques and registration booths. Iran has a track record of recruiting children for security and even combat roles, and used child soldiers in the war with Iraq. https://www.rferl.org/a/33718169.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33718169.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 22:37:16 +0100 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories