KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Wait. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's war chief, holding a puppy?
Yes, and it's no accident. In a collision of dog lovers, sports and ongoing war with Russia, the Ukrainian president on Tuesday was captured on video as never before — cuddling and cooing over a floppy, three-month-old American pit bull terrier, handed to him by U.S. former boxer Terence Crawford.
The cute and fluffy scene in Zelenskyy's office in Kyiv was the latest volley in a deadly serious battle of visuals that runs in parallel to Ukraine's fight against Russia's brutal four-year invasion.
Crawford, a longtime supporter of Ukraine and a devotee of the American pit bull terrier, came forward and handed a reddish-yellow puppy to Zelenskyy.
And for a few minutes in Kyiv, cultures, death and geopolitics yielded to the power of sweetness and puppy love, as well as the symbolism of resilience and protection.
It's a truism of the political world: If you want a friend, get a dog. Zelenskyy, weighed down by war and scandal, seemed to have found both in the light-eyed puppy that melted into his chest.
The president smiled and cooed something into the dog's fur. He cradled her as he was told the pup's name is Freya — after Zelenskyy's pet project, Freyja, Ukraine's proposed missile defense system with European allies.
He was further informed that Freya's grandfather survived the devastating Russian siege of Bucha in 2022. Zelenskyy cuddled the pup close as they posed for photos. She appeared to relax, letting two white-tipped paws dangle from Zelenskyy's arms.
“The president said he would accept" Freya, said Vadym Danylchenko, adviser to the minister of youth and sports in Ukraine, who helped organize the visit.
Politically and culturally, it might have been problematic to refuse. Animals have become a symbol of the nation's forbearance during the four-year war. One mural in a Kyiv park immortalizes a Jack Russell terrier named Patrone who is renowned for assisting mine-clearing teams in the northern Chernihiv district and became a mascot for Ukraine’s emergency services. Zelenskyy awarded him a state medal. UNICEF recognized the pup as the first “Goodwill AmbassaDOG.”
Another mural depicts volunteer fighter Oleksii Movchan, holding a grey-and-white cat. He and three fellow soldiers rescued 11 civilians and the cat in the eastern Donetsk region shortly before being killed by Russian shelling in 2022.
Stories abound of others going to great lengths to rescue Ukraine's animals during the Russian invasion, including one Ukrainian woman who worked to save hundreds from the war by shipping some to safer Western Ukraine and others overseas.
Then there's the fraught matter of American support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy was famously dressed down by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance last year in the Oval Office, though the leaders have appeared to have mended fences since then. But in Zelenskyy's office on Tuesday, an American sports hero was handing him an American dog breed. Zelenskyy embraced the love.
Freya is the granddaughter of Athos — a dog who survived the Russian brutality in Bucha and was found on the street where Ukrainian forces destroyed a large Russian convoy, Danylchenko told The Associated Press in an interview.
Through rescuers, Athos made his way to Crawford's friend Francisco Lopez, a professional breeder and longtime Ukraine supporter in America. Athos' daughter had been left behind in Ukraine. Lopez flew an unrelated male dog to Ukraine to mate with Athos' daughter. She gave birth to Freya.
The puppy's name has a particular resonance in Ukraine. European nations are developing the antiballistic missile defense system with Ukraine amid shortages, particularly of American-made Patriot interceptors. Patriot interceptors are in shorter supply as the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran continues to rage, and Trump last month appeared to back away from a recent commitment to give Ukraine a license to produce them.
“Terence really wanted to give the president this particular female puppy,” said Danylchenko, who said he wasn't initially supportive of giving the president a gift laden with such responsibility.
“They named her Freya. Obviously, from the perspective of our country's future, this was important,” he added. “This little girl is a symbol of the fact that her grandfather survived and was a direct witness to the events in Bucha. So it was very symbolic for them.”
Kellman reported from London.
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with boxer Terence Crawford in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, holds a puppy of American pit bull terrier named Freya, given to him by former American boxer Terence Crawford after their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a special gift from American boxer Terence Crawford - an American Pit Bull Terrier puppy named Freya, linked to the Ukrainian air defense system FREYJA, which is currently in development, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states, state attorneys general announced Wednesday.
The settlement resolves a pivotal legal case years in the making that sought to hold the tech giant accountable for the role its platforms played in undermining children’s mental health. The effort targeted features designed to hook young people’s attention.
“For years, Meta intentionally deceived the public about the addictive and harmful design features that have wreaked havoc on youth mental health," Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said. The settlement "will put an end to these dangerous practices and deliver meaningful relief that will protect children from online harm.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the money would be paid out over 10 years, with the state getting at least $1.5 billion if the settlement is approved by the court. New Jersey expects to receive at least $525 million. Massachusetts said it was in line for at least $366 million. Virginia's share is worth $353 million.
Meta said in a blog post that it was “building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.”
“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” the company said. “We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that’s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard."
The company urged rivals TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar safety measures.
The $17 billion settlement is a fraction of Meta's 2025 revenue of $201 billion.
The agreement cuts short an ongoing court case involving California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, which were among 29 states that sued Meta in 2023. CEO Mark Zuckerberg was among those expected to take the stand before a jury in federal court in California.
The lawsuit accused Meta of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features that addict children to its platforms and hiding them from the public. The case also argued that Meta violated federal laws by routinely collecting data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent.
The trial kicked off last week in Oakland, California, with U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers overseeing the proceedings. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, began his testimony late Tuesday and defended Meta’s record and progress on child safety and privacy.
The cases in other states had been expected to go to trial later. In addition, nine attorneys general filed lawsuits in their respective states.
Under the proposed settlement, Meta agreed to adopt a series of safety features, including a “hard cap” on daily time limits and pauses for children using Instagram and Facebook.
It will eliminate push notifications during weekday school hours and bring in “robust” age-assurance measures and “age-appropriate” content controls to prevent bullying and harmful material about eating disorders and self-harm.
There will be stronger and more user-friendly parental controls and limits on social comparison features such as “like” counts.
An independent auditor will assess how Meta is implementing the safety features and how effective they are.
Meta put the settlement at $18 billion, a figure that apparently includes a large award for Texas.
The money is to be paid out annually over 10 years, to fund youth online safety initiatives. However, the company said 30% of that amount — about $5.3 billion — will only be released to states if rivals YouTube and TikTok meet two conditions: implementing similar safety features, including a one-hour daily time limit, a nighttime block and age-assurance measures; and paying the same amount, split between the two companies.
Neither YouTube owner Google nor TikTok responded immediately to requests for comments.
The federal lawsuit was the result of an investigation led by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont. It followed newspaper reports, first by The Wall Street Journal in 2021, that found that the company knew about the harm Instagram can cause teenagers — especially teen girls — when it comes to mental health and body image issues.
Meta has since added a host of safety features to Instagram, including separate accounts for teenagers with stronger protections around messaging and privacy, along with content restrictions.
But child safety experts, along with some former Meta employees, have long contended that the features are little more than window dressing.
Arturo Béjar, a former Meta engineering director, said during his testimony last week that Meta consistently prioritized profits over safety in designing its products, focusing on how often and for how long people used them, even if it was detrimental to their mental well-being.
“If you step away from the product, they are not going to make any money,” he said.
While the four states in the Oakland trial did not officially say how much they had been seeking, Meta said in a court filing that financial penalties in the case could amount to as much as $1.4 trillion — a figure legal experts said was unlikely, if not impossible.
Chan reported from London. Associated Press Writer Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.
Jason Slothouber, Senior Prosecutor for the Colorado Attorney General's Office, walks outside court after tech giant Meta agreed to pay $17 billion as part of a settlement to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Members of California's legal team gather outside court after a settlement was reached in a multi-state lawsuit accusing Meta of causing harm to children on social media outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Attorney for Meta, Paul W. Schmidt, right, walks out of court after tech giant Meta agreed to pay $17 billion as part of a settlement to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Victoria Hicks gets emotional after talking about her daughter with the media outside court after tech giant Meta agreed to pay $17 billion as part of a settlement to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Colorado Solicitor General Shannon Stevenson, right, hugs a colleague outside of court after tech giant Meta agreed to pay $17 billion as part of a settlement to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction in Oakland, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser discusses a lawsuit against Meta during a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
California Attorney General Rob Bonta discusses a lawsuit against Meta during a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. At right is New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser, right, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, left, join New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport as she discusses a lawsuit against Meta during a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
FILE - Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, arrives in court to testify in a landmark social media case that seeks to hold tech companies responsible for harms to children, in Los Angeles, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
Lennon Torres of Heat Initiative holds a banner with names of young people who advocates say died as a result of social media outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
