President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed on Wednesday to work towards ending Russia's war with Ukraine, as senior US officials suggested that Washington should take ownership of Ukrainian power plants.
In their first conversation since Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly scolded Mr Zelenskyy last month at the White House, the Ukrainian leader thanked Mr Trump for US support and the two leaders agreed that technical teams would meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.
During an hour-long call, Mr Zelenskyy asked Mr Trump for more air defence support to protect his country against Russian attacks and the US President said he would help to find the necessary military equipment in Europe, the White House said.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said much of the discussion focused on the call he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. “We are very much on track,” he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz issued a joint statement saying the presidents discussed the situation in Kursk, a part of western Russia that had been captured by Ukraine but which Russia has now mostly retaken.
They “agreed to share information closely between their defence staffs as the battlefield situation evolved”, the statement read.
For most of the past three years, Russia has relentlessly pounding Ukraine's power grid, saying civilian infrastructure is a legitimate target because it aids Kyiv's fighting capabilities. Ukrainians say such attacks have subsided in recent months.
Kyiv has steadily developed the ability to launch long-range attacks into Russia, frequently using drones to attack distant oil and gas sites, which it says provide fuel for Russia's troops and income to fund the war.
Mr Rubio and Mr Waltz said the US could be “helpful” in running Ukrainian electrical and nuclear power plants and suggested the US should own them.
“American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure,” they said in the statement.
Mr Zelenskyy said on X that his conversation with Mr Trump was “positive, very substantive and frank”. He confirmed Kyiv's readiness to halt strikes on Russian infrastructure and its commitment to an unconditional front-line ceasefire, as the US proposed earlier.
“One of the first steps toward fully ending the war could be ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. I supported this step, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it,” Mr Zelenskyy wrote.
In Mr Trump's phone call with Mr Putin, the leaders agreed to seek an energy infrastructure ceasefire. But early on Wednesday, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of launching air attacks that led to fires and damaged infrastructure.
Last week, Ukraine agreed to a 30-day truce proposed by the US during negotiations between American and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration now wants Russia to agree to sign the agreement. Discussions are expected to continue in the coming days in Jeddah.
Willy Lowry contributed to this report from Washington
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Match info
Huddersfield Town 0
Chelsea 3
Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80')
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The specs
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Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
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On sale: Now
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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
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