Ukraine's Zelenskyy wins non-military backing from Austria a day before visit to G7 gathering

VIENNA (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew pledges of non-military help from neutral Austria on Monday, a day before he was expected to press U.S. President Donald Trump for more military support in Ukraine's fight against Russia.

The Ukrainian leader, in his first visit to Austria since the full-blown Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, wrote on Telegram that the two countries signed agreements on issues like de-mining, energy and cybersecurity after meetings involving President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Christian Stocker.

Zelenskyy is expected to attend the G7 summit in Canada and was set to meet with Trump there on Tuesday, though the White House announced that Trump would be returning unexpectedly to Washington on Monday night instead of Tuesday night because of tensions in the Mideast. Shortly before the announcement, Trump urged everyone to evacuate Tehran, saying Iran should have agreed to a nuclear deal.

The Ukrainian leader said one of the topics up for discussion with Trump would be a defense package that Ukraine is ready to buy from the United States.

“We will discuss it with him,” Zelenskyy said. “I am sure we will have such opportunity, at least I count on it.”

At a joint news conference, Van der Bellen alluded to Austria's tradition of neutrality on military matters, but said his country was “by no means politically neutral” and sides with Ukraine in its defense against Russia — including through European Union sanctions against Moscow.

The Austrian leader, whose office is largely ceremonial, condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and called on the Kremlin to “end this illegal war and start serious and honest negotiations."

He pledged Austria's support for EU sanctions and support with the reconstruction of Ukraine when the war ends.

There's no immediate sign of that happening anytime soon. Earlier Monday, Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 138 strike and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, mainly at the eastern Donetsk region. Of those, 125 were either intercepted or jammed, while 10 reached their targets. Eight others caused damage as falling debris.

Zelenskyy thanked Austria and its president for their “continuous support of Ukraine’s just position in its fight for independence.”

Alluding to talks over possible prisoner exchanges with Russia, Zelenskyy that Russian negotiators at one point had suggested exchanging Ukrainian children for captured Russian soldiers, which he called “madness.”

“This is beyond comprehension, beyond international law, and, frankly, in line with (Russia's) usual behavior,” Zelenskyy said.

Austria is famously neutral — a stance it declared in 1955 after World War II — and Vienna has come under heavy criticism since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war for maintaining ties with Moscow.

Austria, which was annexed by Nazi Germany in the run-up to World War II, declared neutrality after the war under pressure from Western allies and the Soviet Union. It sought a role as a mediator between East and West, developing ties with Moscow that outlasted the Cold War.

The Austrian government has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but also stressed the need to maintain diplomatic relations with Moscow. Vienna has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine but no weapons.

Former Chancellor Karl Nehammer was the first EU leader to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face after the war started. Nehammer traveled to Moscow in April 2022 in a fruitless attempt to persuade the Russian leader to end the invasion.

Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.

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

CORRECTS NAME TO OLENA ZELENSKA - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 2nd right, his wife Olena Zelenska, 2nd left, Austrian President Alexander van Der Bellen, right, and his wife Doris Schmidauer stand together in Vienna, Austria, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 2nd right, his wife Elena Zelensky, 2nd left, Austrian President Alexander van Der Bellen, right, and his wife Doris Schmidauer stand together in Vienna, Austria, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Austrian President Alexander van Der Bellen stand together in Vienna, Austria, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and Austrian President Alexander van Der Bellen walk past the honour guard in Vienna, Austria, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Austrian President Alexander van Der Bellen shake hands in Vienna, Austria, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and Austrian President Alexander van Der Bellen walk past the honour guard in Vienna, Austria, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to journalists during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic as a crackdown on demonstrators has led to hundreds of deaths.

Trump said late Sunday his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act before then as reports of deaths mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

Iran did not acknowledge Trump’s comments immediately. It has previously warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has accurately reported on past unrest in Iran, said at least 572 people have been killed, including 503 protesters and 69 members of security forces. It said more than 10,600 people have been detained over the two weeks of protests. The group relies on supporters in Iran cross-checking information.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

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A senior Turkish official voiced opposition to foreign interventions in Iran, warning that such actions could worsen the country’s crisis.

Omer Celik, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, acknowledged on Monday that Iran faces internal challenges but stressed they must be resolved through “its own dynamics and the will of the state.”

“We would never wish for any chaos to emerge in our neighbor Iran,” Celik said, adding that outside interference would only produce “worse outcomes.”

He cautioned that regional instability could escalate further if external involvement is driven by what he described as “Israeli provocations.”

Video circulating online purports to show dozens of bodies in a morgue on the outskirts of Iran’s capital.

People with knowledge of the facility and the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Monday that the video shows the Kahrizak Forensic Medicine Center.

People are seen walking by bodies in body bags laid out in a large room, attempting to identify them. Another video, widely shared by activists, purportedly shows people gathered around a television monitor at the morgue, looking at images of corpses’ faces. Outside, people can be heard wailing in grief. The footage matches other images of the facility online.

—- By Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem

A witness told the AP that the streets of Tehran empty at the sunset call to prayers each night.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, addressed “Dear parents,” which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

—- By Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Iran drew tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators to the streets Monday in a show of power after nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy.

Iranian state television showed images of demonstrators thronging Tehran toward Enghelab Square in the capital.

It called the demonstration an “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism,” without addressing the underlying anger in the country over the nation’s ailing economy. That sparked the protests over two weeks ago.

State television aired images of such demonstrations around the country, trying to signal it had overcome the protests, as claimed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier in the day.

China says it opposes the use of force in international relations and expressed hope the Iranian government and people are “able to overcome the current difficulties and maintain national stability.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday that Beijing “always opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs, maintains that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned “in the strongest terms the violence that the leadership in Iran is directing against its own people.”

He said it was a sign of weakness rather than strength, adding that “this violence must end.”

Merz said during a visit to India that the demonstrators deserve “the greatest respect” for the courage with which “they are resisting the disproportional, brutal violence of Iranian security forces.”

He said: “I call on the Iranian leadership to protect its population rather than threatening it.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday suggested that a channel remained open with the United States.

Esmail Baghaei made the comment during a news conference in Tehran.

“It is open and whenever needed, through that channel, the necessary messages are exchanged,” he said.

However, Baghaei said such talks needed to be “based on the acceptance of mutual interests and concerns, not a negotiation that is one-sided, unilateral and based on dictation.”

The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, on Monday began calling out Iranian celebrities and leaders on social media who have expressed support for the protests over the past two weeks, especially before the internet was shut down.

The threat comes as writers and other cultural leaders were targeted even before protests. The news agency highlighted specific celebrities who posted in solidarity with the protesters and scolded them for not condemning vandalism and destruction to public property or the deaths of security forces killed during clashes. The news agency accused those celebrities and leaders of inciting riots by expressing their support.

Canada said it “stands with the brave people of Iran” in a statement on social media that strongly condemned the killing of protesters during widespread protests that have rocked the country over the past two weeks.

“The Iranian regime must halt its horrific repression and intimidation and respect the human rights of its citizens,” Canada’s government said on Monday.

Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday that “the situation has come under total control” after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country.

Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim.

Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.

Iran’s foreign minister alleged Monday that nationwide protests in his nation “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.

Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim, which comes after over 500 have been reported killed by activists -- the vast majority coming from demonstrators.

Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.

Iran has summoned the British ambassador over protesters twice taking down the Iranian flag at their embassy in London.

Iranian state television also said Monday that it complained about “certain terrorist organization that, under the guise of media, spread lies and promote violence and terrorism.” The United Kingdom is home to offices of the BBC’s Persian service and Iran International, both which long have been targeted by Iran.

A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran, gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian government. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by early evening only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.

Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.

Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with the demonstrators, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver. A police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt.

The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.

Shiite Muslims hold placards and chant slogans during a protest against the U.S. and show solidarity with Iran in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Activists carrying a photograph of Reza Pahlavi take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Activists take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Protesters burn the Iranian national flag during a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)