Top US diplomat Wendy Sherman has refused to be drawn on exactly what Joe Biden’s vision of a Russian “pullout” of Ukraine would be.
The US president said last week, for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, that he would be willing to speak to Vladimir Putin if he truly wanted to end the war.
He said: “There’s one way for this war to end – the rational way. Putin to pull out of Ukraine, number one.”
But when pressed by Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby, US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman would not be drawn on whether a “pullout” also included withdrawal from Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
She reminded the diplomat that Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had made it clear that “territorial integrity” would include Crimea and asked her if the UK supported his ambition.
But speaking on the Beth Rigby Interviews… programme, Ms Sherman would only say: “We support President Zelenskyy, we support the Ukrainian people. It’s not for us to decide what any negotiated solution would be at the end. It is really up to the Ukrainians.”
Ms Sherman went on: “I think that we have always said nothing about Ukraine, without Ukraine and the United States and the United Kingdom.
“Great Britain have been side-by-side in this effort. I’m really just so grateful for everything that Britain has done to support the Ukrainians…. we have a lot ahead of us.
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“And what’s important here is there is one aggressor and that’s Vladimir Putin and one victim and that’s Ukraine.
“We’ve seen the Ukrainians will not be victims. They’re going to fight for their country. And it’s why we all support them in every way we possibly can… This can end if Vladimir Putin pulls his troops out.”
Crimea is a huge part of Russia’s history, and Russia has never believed the territory was not Russian.
Moscow shows no signs of yielding its control over Crimea.
The Kremlin has long said Ukraine must accept Russian conditions to end the fighting, which is now in its 10th month.
It has demanded that Kyiv recognises Crimea as part of Russia and also recognises other annexations by Moscow.
Mr Zelenskyy and his officials have repeatedly rejected those conditions, saying the war will end when the occupied territories are retaken or Russian forces leave them.
World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler says he was “rattled” and “in shock” after he was arrested and charged by police this morning.
The 27-year-old reportedly tried to get around a traffic jam caused by a fatal accident near the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, at around 6am local time (11am UK time) on Friday.
He is due to appear in court on Tuesday after being charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic.
Scheffler was released at 8:40am local time (1:40pm UK time) and allowed to return to the golf course to play his second round of the PGA Championship, where he currently sits three shots off the lead.
Speaking to reporters after his round, Scheffler said: “It was a chaotic situation and a big misunderstanding. My head is still spinning.
“I spent some time warming up in a jail cell, which was a first for me.
“I was pretty rattled, to say the least… I was never angry, I was just in shock. I was shaking for about an hour.
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“Coming out here and trying to play today was definitely a challenge, but I did my best to control my mind and control my breathing… just try to play golf.
“I knew there was going to be a lot of distractions… but to be honest, it was great having the fans behind me. I felt they were really glad to have me out here competing today.”
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Police earlier released a mugshot taken of Scheffler while he was wearing an orange jailed-issued jumpsuit.
The fatal crash occurred this morning when a bus struck and killed a man as he was crossing the road near the front gate of the Valhalla Golf Club.
Tournament officials said they were “devastated” by the death of local man John Mills, who was working for an on-site vendor at Valhalla.
Scheffler, who was not involved in the accident, was allegedly trying to drive around the crash site when he failed to stop for a police officer.
An officer is then said to have grabbed on to Scheffler’s car.
The golfer drove around 10 to 20 yards before stopping his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla, according to an ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington who was on the scene.
Darlington said: “At that point the police officer instructed Scheffler to get out of the car.
“He rolled down the window, the police officer grabbed his arm and started pulling at it. He reached inside, opened the car door, pulled Scheffler out, pushed him up against the car, immediately placed him in handcuffs.”
According to the police report, a detective stopped Scheffler’s car and “attempted to give instruction”.
The report continued: “Subject refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground. Detective Gillis suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knees.
“He was transported to the hospital for further medical treatment by emergency medical personnel. Detective Gillis’ uniform pants, valued at approximately $80, were damaged beyond repair.”
In a statement, Scheffler’s attorney Steve Romines said the player was proceeding as directed by a traffic officer and is alleged to have disregarded signals from another officer “in the confusion”.
“Multiple eyewitnesses have confirmed that he did not do anything wrong but was simply proceeding as directed,” the statement added.
“He stopped immediately upon being directed to and never at any point assaulted any officer with his vehicle. We will litigate this matter as needed.”
Speaking after a second round, Scheffler expressed his sympathies to the family of Mr Mills.
“I can’t imagine what they’re going through this morning,” Scheffler said.
“My situation will get handled… I can’t get into what transpired… my heart goes out to the family.”
“Gut-wrenching” CCTV footage which appears to show Sean Combs attacking singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel “has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour” of the rapper, her lawyer has said.
The 54-year-old, whose homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents in March, has faced a series of public allegations of physical and sexual violence.
Footage obtained by CNN appears to show Combs –also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy – wearing only a white towel as he punches and kicks Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway on 5 March 2016.
The R&B singer, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, was his protege and girlfriend at the time.
The footage also shows Combs shoving and dragging her across the floor, as well as throwing a vase in her direction.
It closely resembles the description of an incident at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles described in a lawsuit filed by Cassie in November that alleged years of sexual abuse and other violence from Combs.
Several more lawsuits were filed in the following months, along with a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led authorities to raid Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.
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Representatives for Combs did not immediately comment on the video. He has previously denied the allegations in the lawsuits and his lawyers have said he denies any wrongdoing.
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P Diddy’s homes raided
Cassie’s lawyer said: “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour of Mr Combs.
“Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”
According to NBC News, Sky News’ US partner, if Cassie were to make a complaint the LAPD could investigate, but charges would likely be declined by the district attorney because California law has a one-year statute of limitations for assault and the alleged incident happened nearly eight years ago.
CNN did not say how it obtained the video, but noted it verified the location it was shot by comparing the footage to publicly available images of the InterContinental Hotel.
A homeless man has been charged over the random attack on Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi on a New York Street earlier this month.
The 66-year-old Broadwalk Empire and Fargo star was punched in the face by a stranger while he was walking in midtown Manhattan on 8 May, city police said.
He was taken to hospital with bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye but was otherwise fine, his publicist said at the time.
A man wanted in connection with the attack was arrested on Friday, police said.
The 50-year-old homeless man was charged with second-degree assault in the same precinct where Buscemi was attacked.
Authorities announced on Tuesday they had identified the man as the suspect and were searching for him.
Buscemi’s publicist previously said the actor was “another victim of a random act of violence in the city” but he was OK.
The attack came after Buscemi’s Boardwalk Empire co-star Michael Stuhlbarg was hit in the back of the neck with a rock while walking in Manhattan’s Central Park in March.
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Stuhlbarg chased his attacker, who was arrested and charged over the incident.