WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military forces boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea in an effort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

U.S. Southern Command said in a post on X that U.S. forces boarded the Bertha overnight, conducting “a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding.”

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“The vessel was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean and attempted to evade,” the post said. “From the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, we tracked it and stopped it.”

Venezuela had faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years, relying on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. President Donald Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December to pressure Venezuela’s then-President Nicolás Maduro before Maduro was apprehended in January during an American military operation.

The Bertha is a vessel flagged to the Cook Islands and is under U.S. sanctions related to Iran, according to the website of the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Video posted by the Pentagon shows U.S. military helicopters flying toward the tanker.

Trump’s Republican administration has been seizing tankers as part of its broader efforts to take control of Venezuela’s oil. The Pentagon’s post did not state whether the Bertha was formally seized and placed under U.S. control.

Maduro was brought to the U.S. to face charges of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. and has pleaded not guilty.

By ILLIA NOVIKOV

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Tuesday that Russia has not “broken Ukrainians” nor triumphed in its war, four years after an invasion that has severely tested the resolve of Kyiv and its allies and fueled European fears about the scale of Moscow’s ambitions.

In a show of support, more than a dozen senior European officials headed to the Ukrainian capital to mark the grim anniversary of the conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of people, upended life for millions of Ukrainians, and created instability far beyond its borders.

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Zelenskyy said his country has withstood the onslaught by Russia’s bigger and better equipped army, which over the past year of fighting captured just 0.79% of Ukraine’s territory, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank. Russia now holds nearly 20% of Ukraine.

“Looking back at the beginning of the invasion and reflecting on today, we have every right to say: We have defended our independence, we have not lost our statehood,” Zelenskyy said on social media, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “not achieved his goals.”

“He has not broken Ukrainians; he has not won this war,” Zelenskyy said.

Despite the show of defiance, Ukraine has struggled to hold off Russia’s onslaught, and the war has brought widespread hardship for Ukrainian civilians. Russia’s aerial attacks have devastated families and denied civilians power and running water.

As the war of attrition enters its fifth year, a U.S.-led diplomatic push to end the largest conflict on the continent since World War II appears no closer to finding compromises that might make a peace deal possible.

Negotiations are stuck on what happens to the Donbas, eastern Ukraine’s industrial heartland that Russian forces mostly occupy but have failed to seize completely, and the terms of a postwar security arrangement that Kyiv is demanding to deter any future Russian invasion.

Zelenskyy urges Trump to visit

At a makeshift memorial in Kyiv’s central square, where thousands of small flags and portraits show photos of fallen soldiers, Zelenskyy said he would like U.S. President Donald Trump to visit and witness for himself Ukrainian suffering.

“Only then can one truly understand what this war is really about,” Zelenskyy said.

Trump, who once vowed to end the war in a day, has repeatedly changed his tone toward Putin and Zelenskyy over the past year: sometimes criticizing the Ukrainian leader’s negotiating position while reaching out to the Russian leader and at others lashing out at Putin for heavy barrages and appearing more sympathetic to the Ukrainian predicament.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the invasion would continue in pursuit of Moscow’s goals. They include a demand that Ukraine renounce its bid to join NATO, sharply cut its army, and cede vast swaths of territory.

Zelenskyy said he expected a fresh round of U.S.-brokered talks with Russia within the next 10 days.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, centre, is welcomed by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska, left, before a service at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

A ‘nightmare’ for Ukrainians

The number of soldiers killed, injured or missing on both sides could reach 2 million by spring, with Russia sustaining the largest number of troop deaths for any major power in any conflict since World War II, a report last month from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated.

European leaders see their countries’ own security at stake in Ukraine amid concerns that Putin may target them next.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on X that “for four years, every day and every night has been a nightmare for the Ukrainians — and not just for them, but for us all. Because war is back in Europe.”

“We will only end it by being strong together, because the fate of Ukraine is our fate,” he added.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, left, European Council President Antonio Costa, center, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pass by St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Putin’s dangerous gamble

Putin believes that time is on the side of his bigger army, Western officials and analysts say — and that Western support will trail off and that Ukraine’s military resistance will eventually crumble. Already Trump has ended new military aid to Ukraine — though other NATO countries now buy American weapons and give them to Kyiv.

But French President Emmanuel Macron described the war was “a triple failure for Russia: military, economic, and strategic.”

The war “has strengthened NATO — the very expansion Russia sought to prevent — galvanized Europeans it hoped to weaken, and laid bare the fragility of an imperialism from another age,” Macron said on X.

The European Union has also sent financial aid, but has sometimes met with reluctance from members Hungary and Slovakia.

While NATO countries have come to Ukraine’s aid, Russia has been helped by North Korea, which has sent thousands of troops and artillery shells; Iran, which has provided drone technology; and China, which the United States and analysts say has provided machine tools and chips.

A woman place flowers at the memorial to the fallen Ukrainian soldiers on Independence Square to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A defining conflict

Among the European officials visiting Kyiv on Tuesday were the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, as well as seven prime ministers and four foreign ministers.

The only American listed among the official guests in Kyiv ceremonies was Lt. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, a U.S. officer who represents NATO in Ukraine.

British Armed Forces Minister Al Carns said Russia’s war on Ukraine was “the most defining conflict” in decades.

The war has brought a “revolution in military affairs,” especially through the rapid development of drone technology by both sides, according to Carns. Drones now cause the vast majority of battlefield casualties, he said.

Both sides face challenges in finding enough troops and are increasingly turning to uncrewed aerial drones that take the killing to areas far from the front lines, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said in its annual report on the global military situation.

European Commissioner for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Maria Virkkunen, left, and European Commissioner for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Stephane Sejourne, center, stand after an address by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via video link, during an extraordinary plenary session held for the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, at the European Parliament in Brussels, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Marius Burgelman)

“Given both sides’ reliance on external support for materiel, decisions taken in foreign capitals will play an important role in shaping the war’s trajectory,” the think tank added.

The United Kingdom on Tuesday announced a new package of military and humanitarian support for Ukraine, including sending teams of British military medics to instruct their Ukrainian counterparts.

The cost of rebuilding war-battered Ukraine would amount to almost $588 billion over the next decade, according to World Bank, the European Commission, the United Nations and the Ukrainian government.

That is nearly three times the estimated nominal GDP of Ukraine for last year, they said in a report Monday.

Associated Press reporters across Europe contributed to this story.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

By DANICA KIRKA

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. Parliament on Tuesday will debate calls for greater accountability from a member of the royal family as the arrest of the former Prince Andrew and his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein force British society to re-examine its deference to the monarchy.

Lawmakers will confront the issue when they consider a motion calling for the release of confidential documents related to Andrew’s appointment as Britain’s special envoy for international trade in 2001.

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King Charles III’s younger brother, who was stripped of his princely title last year due to revelations about his relationship with Epstein, was arrested last week on suspicion of misconduct in public office amid allegations that he shared confidential documents with Epstein during his time as trade envoy. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he is now known, was released without charge and the investigation continues.

A history of deference

Tuesday’s debate marks a departure for the House of Commons, where the rules of the house have historically prohibited members of Parliament from criticizing members of the royal family. Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats and the lawmaker who introduced the motion, wants to change that.

“One thing the Liberal Democrats stand for is to hold the powerful to account,” Davey told the BBC. “And I think we’ve seen too often in the past that people, because of their title or their friend or whatever, have not been properly held to account.”

The debate comes as the U.S. Justice Department’s release of millions of pages of documents related to Epstein exposes how the wealthy financier used an international web of rich, powerful friends to gain influence and sexually exploit young women. Nowhere has the fallout been felt more strongly than in the U.K., where the scandal has raised questions about the way power is wielded by the aristocracy, senior politicians and influential businessmen, known collectively as “the Establishment.”

Investigations continue

British police on Monday arrested Peter Mandelson, a one-time government minister who later served as ambassador to the United States, on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to allegations that he, too, shared confidential information with Epstein. Mandelson was released early Tuesday morning after more than nine hours of questioning. He hasn’t been charged, and the investigation is continuing.

While they haven’t spoken publicly about the investigations, both Mountbatten-Windsor and Mandelson have previously denied any wrongdoing. Epstein died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

For the House of Windsor, Tuesday’s debate is a reflection of a crisis that shows no sign of abating.

Buckingham Palace has tried to insulate the monarchy from the scandal, drawing a clear bold line between Mountbatten-Windsor and the rest of the royal family. In addition to removing his royal titles, Charles forced his brother to move out of the 30-room estate near Windsor Castle where he had lived rent free for more than 20 years.

But that may not be enough to quell the voices demanding change. The loudest of those comes from the campaign group Republic, which has long called for the monarchy to be replaced by an elected head of state.

Soft power, and a lot of it

While the U.K.’s constitutional monarchy no longer wields political power, it remains hugely influential at the apex of British society. The king is a symbol of continuity who serves as head of state for Britain and 14 other independent countries with ties to the former British Empire. Working members of the royal family support him by making hundreds of public appearances each year, visiting charities, military bases and community groups that still clamor for their attention.

Commentators have compared the pressures facing the House of Windsor to 1936, when King Edward VIII abdicated the thrown to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

“Unlike the last significant family crisis of the modern monarchy, the abdication of 1936, this is not an immediate matter of constitutional crisis, yet its implications may well prove more significant for the monarchy, and so they should,’’ royal historian Anna Whitelock wrote this week in the Sunday Times newspaper. “It is the last of our public institutions to face the full glare of public scrutiny, with questions raised about its role, purpose, governance, financing and accountability.’’

By ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mixed Tuesday after U.S. stocks slumped on heavy selling of shares in companies that could be losers in the artificial-intelligence boom.

A report by Citrini Research, a New York-based financial services company, that outlined a future scenario in which AI’s dominance caused the “human-centric consumer economy,” to wither away with dire consequences for employment, was the latest hit to confidence for companies that might be displaced by fast expanding use of the technology.

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“Policy response has always lagged economic reality, but lack of a comprehensive plan is now threatening to accelerate a deflationary spiral,” the report says.

Still, Tuesday brought gains for computer-chip makers and other companies that profit from development of AI.

In early European trading, Germany’s DAX edged 0.2% lower to 24,952.11 and in Paris the CAC 40 was down less than 0.1% at 8,491.94. Britain’s FTSE 100 also lost less than 0.1%, to 10,673.99.

The futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were up less than 0.1%.

In Asian trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index surged 0.9% to 57,321.09. Chip testing equipment maker Advantest rose 4.5%, while machinery maker Disco Corp. added 2.1%.

Markets in mainland China advanced as they reopened following a weeklong holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell as traders locked in profits from recent gains, slipping 1.8% to 26,590.32.

The Shanghai Composite index rose 0.9% to 4,117.41.

In South Korea, the Kospi picked up 2.1% to 5,969.64, setting fresh records on gains for memory chipmaker Samsung Electronics, which jumped 3.6%. SK Hynix, another chipmaker, closed 5.7% higher.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 edged less than 0.1% lower, ending at 9,022.30, while Taiwan’s Taiex gained 2.8%.

India’s Sensex fell 1.3%.

Tuesday will bring President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

On Monday, U.S. stocks slumped after Trump ramped up his newest tariffs.

The S&P 500 fell 1% to 6,837.75 after the president said he would place temporary 15% tariffs on other countries following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down his sweeping “reciprocal” taxes on imports from around the world.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.7% to 48,804.06. The Nasdaq composite sank 1.1% to 22,627.27.

Trump’s quick shift toward more aggressive tariffs shows how much uncertainty still hangs over the global economy, even after the Supreme Court said the president lacked the legal authority to institute his sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs.

Investors may be sensing it will take a long time, as well as more court battles, before more clarity comes about how global trade will look.

On Wall Street, big losses hit companies under suspicion of getting undercut by AI-powered rivals.

CrowdStrike fell 9.8% to widen its loss for the young year so far to 25.3%. A new tool from Anthropic that scans codebases for security vulnerabilities and suggests targeted software patches for human review has been hitting stocks across the cybersecurity industry.

AppLovin sank 9.1% and took its loss for the year to date to 43.5%. It’s among the software companies hurt by worries that AI competition will steal customers and fundamentally reset their industries.

A profit report from Nvidia is due on Wednesday. Worries are rising that companies like Alphabet and Amazon may be spending so much on Nvidia’s chips that they’ll never be able to recoup their investments through higher productivity and future profits.

In other dealings early Tuesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 31 cents to $66.62 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, was up 30 cents at $71.41 per barrel.

Crude prices have been gaining on worries that President Donald Trump might take military action against Iran.

The U.S. dollar rose to 155.86 Japanese yen from 154.66 yen. The euro fell to $1.1783 from $1.1786.

The price of bitcoin fell 4.3% to $63,180.