Ukraine hosted European leaders on Monday to mark three years of all-out war with Russia. At the same time, top US officials stayed away in a clear illustration of President Donald Trump's lurch towards Moscow since returning to power.Still reeling from Trump denouncing President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a "dictator" and accusing him of starting the war, Kyiv said it was in the final stages of agreeing a deal with Washington to provide access to its mineral wealth.The visitors included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and the leaders of Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. Leaders of Albania, Britain, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, and Turkey spoke by video link. There was no sign of US representation.Washington has made clear it will not send troops as a security guarantee coveted by Kyiv if a peace deal emerges, placing the burden on European powers that are likely to struggle without US backing.

EU foreign ministers adopted a 16th package of sanctions against Russia, which targets a cryptocurrency exchange for the first time, a Council statement said.Diplomats last week said the sanctions would include a ban on primary aluminum imports and the sale of gaming consoles while also listing 73 vessels of the so-called shadow fleet used to evade sanctions.The aluminum ban will be phased in, with no more than 275,000 tonnes of imports allowed for one year before the ban takes effect on February 26 next year. A further exception is provided until the end of December 2026 for up to 50,000 tonnes contracted before February 25, the legislation showed.The EU is making an effort to crack down on Moscow's use of cryptocurrency to circumvent Western sanctions. In this package, the EU lists Garantex, a Russian crypto exchange, which is "closely associated with EU-sanctioned Russian banks."

An east Jerusalem resident attempted a ramming attack in east Jerusalem against Jerusalem Border Police during a joint Shin Bet operation, Israel Police announced on Monday evening.The Border Police chased the terrorist, arrested the suspect in his vehicle, and found two knives.The suspect was arrested and transferred to the Shin Bet for further questioning.There were no injuries reported.

The southern district police, together with emergency and rescue teams, will conduct an exercise on Tuesday in several locations in the south as part of preparations for Ramadan, Israel Police announced on Monday evening.There will be expected loud noise from police forces, Border Police, IDF, Prison Service, and medical and rescue teams.The drill will start at 7:00 a.m. and will continue into the afternoon in the areas of Rahat, Shoval, Segev, Dimona, Eliav, Omer, the Arava region, and Eilat.