Zelensky says to meet Trump in Florida to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that he plans to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine during his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Zelensky told reporters that the meeting is scheduled to take place in the U.S. state of Florida on Sunday, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
He added that Ukraine intends to raise the questions of territorial issues and control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during the talks.
According to Zelensky, the 20-point peace plan is 90 percent ready and several documents outlining security guarantees have been drafted.
Russia, U.S. agree to continue dialogue: Kremlin
The Kremlin confirmed on Friday that a telephone conversation between Russian and U.S. officials had taken place and that both sides have agreed to continue their dialogue.
At the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the conversation took place after Moscow analyzed documents brought by Russia's top economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev from the United States, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peskov said that Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov and several White House officials had participated in the conversation, without providing further details.
Japan's defense budget tops record 9 trln yen for fiscal 2026
Japan's draft defense budget was set at a record 9.04 trillion yen (about 58 billion U.S. dollars) for fiscal 2026, local media reported Friday.
The figure exceeds the then record initial budget of 8.7 trillion yen for the current fiscal 2025 starting in April and is in line with Japan's defense buildup plan to allot about 43 trillion yen to defense outlays from fiscal 2023 through 2027.
Under the defense budget, 100.1 billion yen has been earmarked for building the "Shield" layered coastal defense system, which requires numerous aerial, surface and underwater vehicles, while 1.1 billion yen has been set aside to assess the use of long-endurance drones as a measure against airspace violations, Kyodo News reported.
Nigeria confirms U.S.-assisted airstrike on IS targets
The Nigerian government confirmed on Friday that its armed forces, in collaboration with the United States, have conducted airstrikes on identified Islamic State-linked (IS) elements operating in the country's northwestern region.
The operation was part of Nigeria's security cooperation with international partners, including the United States, targeting terrorism and violent extremism in the western African country, Kimiebi Ebienfa, a foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a statement.
"This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by airstrikes in the northwest," Ebienfa said, without disclosing the casualties.
2 killed in stabbing-ramming attack in N. Israel
Two people were killed and another one injured in a stabbing-ramming attack in northern Israel on Friday, according to Israeli police, emergency service and media reports.
The emergency service Magen David Adom said that an 18-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man were killed in the attack, adding that a teenager was injured in the incident and has been taken to hospital.
Following an initial investigation, local police confirmed that the incident was a "rolling terror attack" that began in Beit Shean, a northern Israeli city near the West Bank's northern border, and ended in Maonot Junction near the northern city of Afula, where the attacker was "neutralized."
Israeli gunfire injures UN peacekeeper in south Lebanon: UNIFIL
Israeli gunfire near United Nations peacekeeping patrols along the "Blue Line" border slightly injured one peacekeeper on Friday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said.
In a statement, UNIFIL said heavy machine-gun fire from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) positions south of the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon struck near a patrol inspecting a roadblock in the village of Bastarra. The fire followed a grenade explosion in the area. While no UN equipment was damaged, one peacekeeper sustained a minor ear concussion.
A separate incident occurred the same day in Kfarchouba, where another patrol on routine operations came under "close-range" machine-gun fire from the Israeli side.■
