The Security Service of Ukraine said Thursday that one of its members had been killed in central Kyiv, in the most recent apparent targeted attack of security personnel since Russia invaded Ukraine.

"A criminal investigation has been launched into the murder of an SBU employee in the Golosiivsky district of Kyiv," the SBU said in written comments to AFP.

Israel's foreign minister expressed optimism on Wednesday about reaching a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in Gaza, saying that if a temporary truce was sealed, Israel would negotiate on a permanent end to the hostilities.

"Israel is serious in its will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire. I believe it's achievable. If a temporary ceasefire is achieved, we will negotiate on a permanent ceasefire," Gideon Saar told a press conference in Bratislava with his Slovakian counterpart.

The European Union wants to strike a deal with the United States "in the coming days" to avoid sweeping tariffs, a spokesman said Wednesday.

"The United States has moved its deadline for finalizing deals with partner countries to the first of August. However, we aim to reach a deal before then, potentially even in the coming days, we have shown our readiness to reach an agreement in principle," EU trade spokesman Olof Gill said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over peace talks in Ukraine, as he hinted at interest in placing fresh sanctions on Moscow.

"We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin if you want to know the truth. He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless," he told reporters Tuesday during a cabinet meeting at the White House.

Human-caused climate change made the recent European heatwave up to 4C hotter in many cities, scientists said on Wednesday, pushing temperatures into deadly territory for thousands of vulnerable people.

Global warming "amplified this heatwave by approximately 2 to 4 degrees (Celsius) across most of the cities" studied, said Ben Clarke from Imperial College London, which led the research with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Syria's minister of emergencies and disaster management on Tuesday requested support from the European Union to battle wildfires that have swept through a vast stretch of forested land.

After months of fighting meter-by-meter towards the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, Russia announced this week that it had finally gained a foothold in the industrial territory.

Negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are continuing but "need time", host Qatar cautioned on Tuesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump voiced optimism about a possible breakthrough.

Iran said Tuesday it has not made any request for talks with the United States, after President Donald Trump said Tehran was seeking negotiations following last month's war with Israel.

An ongoing attack on a cargo vessel in the Red Sea has killed two people, an official and maritime monitors said Tuesday, after Yemen's Houthi rebels resumed their campaign against shipping in the vital waterway.