#Pope meets Sinner: World No. 1 gives tennis fan Pope Leo XIV racket on Italian Open off-day.

The top-ranked tennis player visited the new pope on Wednesday, gave him a tennis racket and offered to play, during an off day for Sinner at the Italian Open.

Leo, the first American pope, is an avid tennis player and fan and had said earlier this week that he would be up for a charity match when it was suggested by a journalist.

But at the time, Leo joked “we can’t invite Sinner,” an apparent reference to the English meaning of Sinner’s last name.

By Wednesday, all seemed forgotten.

“It’s an honor,” Sinner said in Italian as he and his parents arrived in a reception room of the Vatican’s auditorium. Holding one of his rackets and giving Leo another and a ball, the three-time Grand Slam champion suggested a quick volley. But the pope looked around at the antiques and said, “Better not.”

Leo, a 69-year-old from Chicago, then appeared to joke about his white cassock and its appropriateness for Wimbledon, perhaps a reference to the All England Club’s all-white clothing rule.

He asked how the Italian Open was going. “Now I’m in the game,” Sinner said. “At the beginning of the tournament, it was a bit difficult.”

Sinner has a quarterfinal match on Thursday in his first tournament back after a three-month ban for doping that was judged to be an accidental contamination.

He will next face either freshly-crowned Madrid champion Casper Ruud or Jaume Munar. Sinner is attempting to become the first Italian man to win the Rome title since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

During the audience, Angelo Binaghi, the head of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, gave Leo an honorary federation card.

“We all felt the passion that Leo XIV has for our sport and this filled us with pride,” Binaghi said in a statement. “We hope to embrace the Holy Father again soon, maybe on a tennis court.”

The pope and Sinner posed for photos in front of the Davis Cup trophy that Sinner helped Italy win for the second consecutive time last year. Also on display in the room was the Billie Jean King Cup trophy won by Italy in 2024, the biggest women’s team event in tennis.

Earlier in the week, after Leo’s first quip about not wanting to invite him, Sinner said it was “a good thing for us tennis players” that the new pope likes to play the sport.

In addition to tennis, Leo is an avid Chicago White Sox baseball fan.

His predecessor, Pope Francis, was a lifelong fan of Buenos Aires soccer club San Lorenzo.

India disputes Trump’s claim that trade incentives led to the India-Pakistan ceasefire

#Trump arrives in Saudi Arabia as part of his first foreign tour — media
The US president is expected to meet with Saudi leaders on Tuesday and also take part in a Saudi-US investment forum.

US President Donald Trump has arrived in Saudi Arabia on his first state visit after taking the post of the head of state in January, Al Arabiya reported.

According to the channel, Trump's plane landed at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The US president is expected to meet with Saudi leaders on Tuesday and also take part in a Saudi-US investment forum.

Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates on May 13-16. Aside from a brief trip to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis in late April, this is the first full-fledged foreign tour by the US president since taking office on January 20. The US delegation includes State Secretary Marco Rubio, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, among others. During the trip, the delegation will focus on expanding investment cooperation with the Arabian monarchies and will also address defense and security issues, including those related to the settlement of conflicts in the Gaza Strip, Yemen, and Ukraine.

Russian troops liberated the community of Mirolyubovka in the Donetsk region over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"Battlegroup Center units liberated the settlement of Mirolyubovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic through decisive operations," the ministry said in a statement.
Kiev loses over 1,375 troops in all frontline areas in past day

The Ukrainian army lost more than 1,375 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past day, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine released by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The latest figures show that the Ukrainian army lost over 195 troops and three tanks in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup North, more than 210 troops, a tank and three armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup West, over 290 troops and five armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup South, more than 470 troops and seven armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup Center, over 160 troops and two armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup East and more than 50 troops in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup Dnepr.
Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts over 195 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted more than 195 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy tanks in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup North units inflicted losses on massed manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Atinskoye, Ryzhevka, Pavlovka and Bessalovka in the Sumy Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 195 personnel, three tanks, 15 motor vehicles and seven field artillery guns, including two US-made 155mm M777 howitzers in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed two electronic warfare stations of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts over 210 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted more than 210 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and three armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup West units improved their tactical position and inflicted losses on formations of three mechanized and two assault brigades of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Monachinovka, Nechvolodovka and Kupyansk in the Kharkov Region, Kirovsk, Redkodub and Yampol in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 210 personnel, a tank, three armored combat vehicles, including two US-made HMMWV armored vehicles, 13 motor vehicles and two artillery guns in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed two ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts over 290 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted more than 290 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed five enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup South units gained better lines and positions and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades and an airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian army in areas near the settlements of Seversk, Serebryanka, Konstantinovka, Pleshcheyevka, Ilyinovka, Ivanopolye, Zarya and Chasov Yar in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 290 personnel, five armored combat vehicles, six motor vehicles and four field artillery guns in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed three electronic warfare stations and two ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts over 470 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 470 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed seven enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

During the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup Center units "inflicted losses on formations of four mechanized brigades, a jaeger brigade and two assault brigades of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade and three National Guard brigades in areas near the settlements of Aleksandropol, Novoaleksandrovka, Ulyanovka, Novoolenovka, Novaya Poltavka, Petrovskoye, Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeysk and Novosergeyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 470 personnel, seven armored combat vehicles, including two US-made HMMWV armored vehicles, 15 motor vehicles and an artillery gun in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts over 160 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted more than 160 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup East units kept advancing deep into the enemy’s defenses and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades and an airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade, two territorial defense brigades and a National Guard brigade in areas near the settlements of Voskresenka, Alekseyevka, Bogatyr, Komar and Volnoye Pole in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 160 personnel, two armored combat vehicles, six motor vehicles and three field artillery guns in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed an electronic warfare station of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr destroys over 50 Ukrainian troops in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr destroyed more than 50 Ukrainian troops and an enemy ammunition depot in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Dnepr units inflicted losses on formations of a mechanized brigade, a mountain assault brigade, two coastal defense brigades of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Stepovoye and Lukyanovskoye in the Zaporozhye Region, Ponyatovka, Tokarevka and Sadovoye in the Kherson Region," the ministry said.

"As many as 50 [Ukrainian] military personnel, 10 motor vehicles and an ammunition depot were destroyed," the ministry said.
Russian forces strike Ukrainian workshop producing self-propelled artillery guns

Russian forces struck a Ukrainian workshop producing Bogdana self-propelled artillery systems and deployment sites of Ukraine’s armed formations and foreign mercenaries over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck a workshop assembling Bogdana self-propelled artillery systems and also deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 132 locations," the ministry said.
Russian air defenses destroy 74 Ukrainian UAVs, eight JDAM smart bombs over day

Russian air defense forces shot down 74 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and eight American-made JDAM smart bombs over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Air defense capabilities shot down eight JDAM guided aerial bombs and a rocket of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system of US manufacture and 74 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said.

Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 662 Ukrainian warplanes, 283 helicopters, 56,944 unmanned aerial vehicles, 605 surface-to-air missile systems, 23,310 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,562 multiple rocket launchers, 24,791 field artillery guns and mortars and 35,394 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.

Peruvian historical site vandalized with obscene graffiti in viral video. LIMA, Peru — A vandal defaced Chan Chan, a #UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Peru, with obscene graffiti over the weekend, the Ministry of Culture said Monday.

In a video that went viral, a young man wearing a backpack can be seen spray-painting a giant penis on a wall of this fortified complex that is more than 600 years old.

“This act constitutes a grave disrespect toward our history and cultural heritage, as well as a violation of the regulations that protect archaeological heritage sites,” the ministry said.

The vandal faces up to six years in prison and has not been identified.

Chan Chan was the site of the largest earthen architectural city in pre-Columbian America, according to the United Nations.

It once held temples, dwellings and storehouses, often decorated with abstract motifs.

Chan Chan reached its peak in the 15th century as a vast city that was home to about 30,000 people, and was 20 kilometres (12 miles) square.

It is located about 550 kilometres north of Lima near the coastal city of Trujillo, and has been a UNESCO site since 1986.

Along with the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu and the Sacred City of Caral-Supe, Chan Chan is one of the most beloved archaeological sites in Peru.

#Trump administration welcomes 49 white South Africans as refugees.

DULLES, Virginia — The Trump administration on Monday welcomed a small group of white South Africans as refugees, saying they face discrimination and violence at home, which the country’s government strongly denies.

The decision to admit the 49 people also has raised questions from refugee advocates about why the group should be admitted when the Trump administration has suspended efforts to resettle people who are fleeing war and persecution and have gone through years of vetting before coming to the United States.

The group from South Africa, including children holding small American flags, arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington on a private charter plane and was greeted by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar.

“I want you all to know that you are really welcome here and that we respect what you have had to deal with these last few years,” Landau told the group in a hangar at the airport, many of them holding U.S. flags. “We respect the long tradition of your people and what you have accomplished over the years.”

President Donald Trump told reporters earlier Monday that he’s admitting them as refugees because of the “genocide that’s taking place.” He said that in post-apartheid South Africa, white farmers are “being killed” and he plans to address the issue with South African leadership next week.

That characterization is strongly denied by the South African government and has been disputed by experts in the country and even an Afrikaner group.

South Africa’s government says the U.S. allegations that the white minority Afrikaners are being persecuted are “completely false,” the result of misinformation and an inaccurate view of its country. It cited the fact that Afrikaners are among the richest and most successful people in the country and said they are among “the most economically privileged.”

Speaking at a business conference in Ivory Coast, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday that he spoke with Trump by phone recently and told him that his administration had been fed false information by groups who were casting whites as victims because of efforts to right the historical wrongs of colonialism and South Africa’s previous apartheid system of forced racial segregation, which oppressed the Black majority.

“I had a conversation with President Trump on the phone and he asked me, `What’s going on down there?’ and I told him that what you are being told by those people who are opposed to transformation back in South Africa is not true,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa said he thought Trump “understood that.”

Afrikaners make up South Africa’s largest white group and were the leaders of the apartheid government, which brutally enforced racial segregation for nearly 50 years before ending it in 1994. While South Africa has been largely successful in reconciling its many races after apartheid ended, tensions between some Black political parties and some Afrikaner groups have remained.

Trump has promoted the allegation that white farmers in South Africa are being killed on a large scale because of their race as far back as 2018 during his first term.

Conservative commentators have promoted the allegation about a genocide against white farmers in South Africa, and South African-born Trump ally Elon Musk has posted on social media that some politicians in the country are “actively promoting white genocide.”

South Africa suffers from extremely high levels of violent crime and white farmers have been killed in rural Afrikaner communities. It has been a problem for decades. The government condemns those killings but says they are part of the country’s problems with crime.

“There is no data at all that backs that there is persecution of white South Africans or white Afrikaners in particular who are farmers,” South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Monday. “White farmers get affected by crime just like any other South Africans who do get affected by crime. So this is not factual, it is without basis.”

The white South Africans’ arrival comes after Trump indefinitely suspended the refugee resettlement program -- which historically had widespread bipartisan support -- on his first day in office. A month later, he announced a plan to resettle white South African farmers and their families as refugees.

According to the U.S. Embassy in South Africa, applicants to this program have to be South African citizens who are of Afrikaner ethnicity or a member of a racial minority in South Africa, and they have to be able to show a history of or a fear of persecution.

Afrikaners are the descendants of mainly Dutch and French colonial settlers who first came to South Africa in the 17th century. There are around 2.7 million Afrikaners among South Africa’s population of 62 million, which is more than 80% Black.

The U.S. refugee program was created by Congress in 1980, and groups have sued to restart it after Trump’s order.

Traditionally, to qualify as a refugee, applicants must demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution due to certain categories: race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Refugees are distinct from asylum-seekers because refugees must be outside of the U.S. to qualify.

Once refugees arrive in the U.S., a network of resettlement agencies generally helps them settle in their new homes and they get 90 days of federal assistance for things like rent. The Episcopal Church’s migration service, however, is refusing a directive from the federal government to help resettle white South Africans granted refugee status, citing the church’s longstanding “commitment to racial justice and reconciliation.”

Santana reported from Washington and Magome in Johannesburg, and Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, contributed to this report.

Matthew Lee, Rebecca Santana And Mogomotsi Magome, The Associated Press

#Ukraine has been waiting for a ceasefire since May 12 and is ready to start negotiations with #Russia in Turkey on May 15, said Vladimir Zelensky in his Telegram channel.

"We are waiting for a full and lasting ceasefire tomorrow to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy," he wrote. "And I will be waiting for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's visit to Turkey on Thursday. Personally."

This statement came after US President Donald Trump called on Ukraine to immediately agree to the negotiations proposed by Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which could take place in Turkey on May 15. Prior to that, Zelensky conditioned negotiations with Moscow on the introduction of a 30-day cease-fire.

Putin, speaking to reporters in the Kremlin on the night of May 11, invited the authorities in Kiev to resume direct negotiations without preconditions interrupted in 2022. It is proposed to start the dialogue on May 15 in Istanbul.

Bomb targeting a vehicle carrying police killed 2 officers in northwest #Pakistan.

Pakistan — A powerful bomb exploded near a vehicle carrying police officers in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least two officers and injuring three others, police said.

The attack happened near a roadside open market in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a local police chief, Masood Khan, said.

He said the dead and wounded were transported to a nearby hospital.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, who often target security forces and civilians.

TTP is a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021.

Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuaries and have even been living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, which also emboldened the Pakistani Taliban.

#Ukrainian president welcomes Russian overtures, but says ceasefire must come before peace talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday welcomed Russia’s offer for direct peace talks, but insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before negotiations can start.

Zelenskyy’s comments came a few hours after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin effectively rejected a ceasefire offer made a day earlier by Ukraine and its European allies. Putin countered with a proposal to restart direct talks with Ukraine, during which a truce could be negotiated.

The exchange of proposals appeared to leave Kyiv and Moscow deadlocked over the next steps in Washington-led effort to end the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year

During his election campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump had promised to end the fighting swiftly but his administration recently indicated it might walk away from the peace process if there was no tangible progress.

Without directly mentioning either proposal, Trump said in a social media post several hours after Putin’s peace talks remarks that it was “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!”

“Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending `bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end,” Trump wrote. “I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!” he added.
Ukraine, allies insist on a ceasefire

Zelenskyy, writing on X on Sunday, said it was a “positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war” and said that “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time.”

He added, however, that “the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire,” in a reference to his proposal to start a 30-day unconditional truce on Monday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected that ceasefire offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions.” He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations -- but stressed that the Kremlin needs a truce that would lead to a “lasting peace” instead of one that would allow Ukraine to rearm and mobilize more men into its armed forces.

Putin’s counter-offer came after leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday and issued a coordinated call for the truce starting Monday. The plan has received backing from both the European Union and Trump.

The leaders pledged tougher sanctions on Russia if Putin did not accept the proposal.

Zelenskyy, in his Sunday remarks, reiterated that call. “There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire -- full, lasting, and reliable -- starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet,” the Ukrainian leader said on X.

Macron said Sunday that Putin’s offer of direct negotiations with Ukraine is “a first step, but not enough,” signaling continued Western skepticism toward Moscow’s intentions.

“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations,” Macron told reporters at the Polish-Ukrainian border, according to French media.

Macron also warned that Putin is “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time.”
Moscow presses on with peace talks offer. Turkey says it’s ready to host

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments aired by Russian state TV on Sunday, called Putin’s proposal “very serious,” aimed at eliminating “the root causes of the conflict,” and said it “confirms a real intention to find a peaceful solution.”

Putin spoke Sunday to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who expressed readiness to host the talks, the Kremlin said.

According to the Kremlin’s readout of the phone call, Erdogan “fully supported the Russian proposal, emphasizing his readiness to provide” a platform for the talks in Istanbul, as well as “all possible assistance in organizing and holding the negotiations aimed at achieving sustainable peace.”

Erdogan also spoke to Macron on Sunday, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications office, and said that a “historic turning point” had been reached in efforts to end the war.
Russian attacks continue

Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared three-day pause expired.

Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions, Ukraine’s air force said. It said 60 drones were shot down and another 41 simulator drones failed to reach targets due to Ukrainian countermeasures.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday accused Ukraine of “violating” Moscow’s three-day ceasefire more than 14,000 times. Ukraine, which did not agree to the May 8-10 ceasefire, has also accused Russia of violating its own truce, with the Ukrainian foreign minister calling it a farce.

Article by Samya Kullab and Dasha Litvinova.

#India and #Pakistan ceasefire shaken by overnight border fighting in disputed Kashmir region.

India’s military strikes into Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan earlier this week killed more than 100 militants including their prominent leadership, India’s director general of military operations said on Sunday.

Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai said India’s armed forces stuck nine militant infrastructure and training facilities, including sites of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group that India blames for carrying out major militant strikes in India and the disputed region of Kashmir.

There was no way to independently verify these claims.

“We achieved total surprise,” Ghai said at a news conference in New Delhi, adding Pakistan’s response was “erratic and rattled.”

The two countries agreed to a truce a day earlier after talks to defuse the most serious military confrontation between them in decades. But the ceasefire was shaken just hours later by overnight fighting in disputed Kashmir, and both sides accused each other of repeatedly violating the deal. Drones were also spotted Saturday night over Indian-controlled Kashmir and the western state of Gujarat, according to Indian officials.

The escalation in violence began last week after a gun massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, which denied any involvement.

As part of the ceasefire, the nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to immediately stop all military action on land, in the air and at sea.

People on both sides of the Line of Control, which divides the territory, reported heavy exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops. The fighting subsided by Sunday morning.

In the Poonch area of Indian-controlled Kashmir, people said the intense shelling from the past few days had traumatized them.

“Most people ran as shells were being fired,” said college student Sosan Zehra, who returned home Sunday. “It was completely chaotic.”

In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir’s Neelum Valley, which is 3 kilometres (2 miles) from the Line of Control, residents said there were exchanges of fire and heavy shelling after the ceasefire began.

“We were happy about the announcement but, once again, the situation feels uncertain,” said Mohammad Zahid.

U.S. President Donald Trump was the first to post about the ceasefire deal, announcing it on his Truth Social platform. Indian and Pakistani officials confirmed the news shortly after.

Pakistan has thanked the U.S., and especially Trump, several times for facilitating the ceasefire.

India has not said anything about Trump or the U.S. since the deal was announced. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting on Sunday with top government and military officials.

A U.N. spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said on Sunday that Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the deal as a positive step toward easing tensions. “He hopes the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, longstanding issues between the two countries,” Dujarric said.

India and Pakistan’s top military officials are scheduled to speak on Monday.

India and Pakistan have fought daily since Wednesday along the rugged and mountainous Line of Control, which is marked by razor wire coils, watchtowers and bunkers that snake across foothills populated by villages, tangled bushes and forests.

They have routinely blamed the other for starting the skirmishes, while insisting they themselves were only retaliating.

Kashmir is split between the two countries and claimed by both in its entirety.

They have fought two of their three wars over the region and their ties have been shaped by conflict, aggressive diplomacy and mutual suspicion, mostly due to their competing claims.