Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

18/10/2025

Afghanistan and Pakistan began peace talks in Doha on October 18 to address escalating border violence.

Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to extend their fragile cease-fire as they prepare for critical peace talks in Doha on October 18. The negotiations aim to address escalating border violence and cross-border terrorism.

18/10/2025

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met US President Trump on October 17, but left without a commitment on procuring long-range Tomahawk missiles.

Analysts and Ukrainian lawmakers told RFE/RL that the lack of a commitment on Tomahawk missiles, another summit between Putin and Trump, and the US president’s apparent softening rhetoric towards Putin raises the anxiety level in Kyiv.

18/10/2025

The last time Saidazam Rahmonov’s family saw him alive was when he was at Dushanbe International Airport in early October.

A week later, members of Tajikistan’s security services handed his family the 29-year-old’s body, which bore signs of beating and torture, including electric shocks and broken bones.

A 29-year-old Tajik man has died in custody after he was detained at Dushanbe airport. Authorities accused of Islamic extremism, an allegation that his family vehemently denies.

18/10/2025

Former Russian diplomat Sergei Shestakov was sentenced to two months in jail for lying to US law enforcement in a sanctions-evasion case involving ex-FBI agent Charles McGonigal and Kremlin-linked oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

A former Russian diplomat, Sergei Shestakov, has been sentenced to two months in prison for lying to FBI agents in a sanctions-evasion case involving a top ex-FBI counterintelligence official and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

18/10/2025

The talks in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not produce any major breakthroughs, but nor did they break down in acrimony, and the diplomatic process has been kept on the road -- next stop Budapest.

The talks in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not produce any major breakthroughs, but nor did they break down in acrimony, and the diplomatic process has been kept on the road -- next stop Budapest.

18/10/2025

Serbia has become a magnet for migrant workers from Kyrgyzstan in recent years.

Serbia, which allows for 3-month visa-free travel for Kyrgyz citizens and relatively easy access for laborers, is increasingly viewed as a safer alternative to Russia following Moscow's crackdown on Central Asian migrants.

But many migrants lack legal protection and told RFE/RL they have been the victims of fraud and unpaid wages.

17/10/2025

US President Donald Trump welcomed Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on October 17. Zelenskyy suggested a potential deal in which Ukraine would provide the United States with drone technology in return for its long-range Tomahawk missiles, but Trump did not make any concrete offers to provide the military aid Ukraine is seeking.

17/10/2025

During a press conference just ahead of the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting in Washington, the US President said that sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine will be discussed. He also said sending them would be "an escalation."

This is the range of the Tomahawk missiles under question.

17/10/2025

Chaos on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border as hundreds of trucks are stranded on both sides, severely affecting cross-border trade.

As a result, fruit and vegetable prices have surged in Pakistan, with dealers reporting sharp increases.

17/10/2025

A viral video recorded a Russian-speaking man verbally and physically attacking a Ukrainian-speaking couple with a child on a train in Switzerland on October 13. The abusive man, who has been identified as Aleksandrs Vabiks of Latvia, threatened to kill them. The incident was called "appalling" by Ukrainian officials, and Swiss authorities have detained Vabiks.

17/10/2025

Russian President Putin and Hungary's Prime Minister Orban discussed hosting a potential summit with US President Trump in Budapest.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Hungary’s prime minister, the Kremlin said, as officials began laying the groundwork for a possible Budapest summit meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump.

17/10/2025

Chinese spy satellites reportedly observed Ukraine during Russian missile attacks, raising concerns about potential intelligence sharing with Russia.

The Kremlin has denied that China is providing it with battlefield information, saying it has its own satellites. But experts suggest that, in fact, Russia has a dire need for Chinese assistance.