Francesca Ebel

1 week ago | washingtonpost.com | Francesca Ebel |Ellen Francis

Trump envoy Witkoff meets with Putin on war in Ukraine (washingtonpost.com) Trump envoy Witkoff meets with Putin on war in Ukraine By Francesca Ebel; Ellen Francis 2025041112535700 Trump envoy Steve Witkoff flew unannounced to St. Petersburg to meet with President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said Friday, as impatience appears to be growing within the Trump administration over stalling U.S.-Russia talks on the war in Ukraine and Putin's reticence to commit to a broad ceasefire. Video footage...

1 week ago | bostonglobe.com | Francesca Ebel |Warren Strobel

An American citizen jailed in Russia is returning home to the United States as part of a prisoner exchange, on the same day US and Russian diplomats began a round of talks on normalizing diplomatic relations. Last year, Ksenia Karelina, a dual US-Russian citizen, was sentenced to 12 years in a Russian prison colony for treason after she donated about $50 to a US-based Ukrainian charity.

2 weeks ago | washingtonpost.com | Francesca Ebel |Warren Strobel

American Ksenia Karelina arrives in U.S. after Russian prisoner swap (washingtonpost.com) American Ksenia Karelina arrives in U.S. after Russian prisoner swap By Francesca Ebel; Warren P. Strobel 2025041009293100 An American citizen jailed in Russia, Ksenia Karelina, has returned home to the United States as part of a prisoner exchange carried out on the same day that U.S. and Russian diplomats began a round of talks on normalizing diplomatic relations.

2 weeks ago | washingtonpost.com | Francesca Ebel

Putin praises Ovechkin after he breaks NHL all-time goal record (washingtonpost.com) Putin praises Ovechkin after he breaks NHL all-time goal record By Francesca Ebel 2025040715105200 Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin for breaking the NHL's goals record, the Kremlin said Monday. "I would like to congratulate you on this outstanding achievement.

1 month ago | washingtonpost.com | Francesca Ebel

NOVAYA GUTA, Belarus — Three years after Russia used Belarus as a launching pad for its brutal invasion of Ukraine, the border here between Belarus and Ukraine is eerily quiet. Gone are the days when the highway at this crossing was a bustling conduit between the port of St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea and the port of Odessa on the Black Sea. Now the crossing is used only for exchanges of prisoners of war and dead soldiers.