The following are the top stories in Malta's newspapers on Wednesday.

Times of Malta leads with news that Russia and the United States will name teams to negotiate a path to ending the war in Ukraine, the powers decided on Tuesday in discussions that drew a rebuke from Kyiv over its exclusion.

The newspaper also reports that one of three men convicted over a double murder in Sliema told a court on Tuesday how a “planned break-in” had “really escalated badly”.

MaltaToday also reports on the Sliema murder, while in a separate piece, it reports that Labour MPs blocked a request to publish who received Manchester United tickets as part of the Malta Tourism Authority’s sponsorship agreement.

The Malta Independent meanwhile reports that the defence representing a group of lawyers and adjudication committee members in the Vitals case called for the magisterial inquiry that prompted the arraignments to be dismissed.

In another court story, the newspaper reports that a court has acquitted businessman Christian Borg of perjury charges after the prosecution failed to provide enough evidence to sufficiently prove its case.

In-Nazzjon leads with comments by PN leader Bernard Grech at an EPP summit on Ukraine, during which he said Europe had a crucial role in bringing about peace and security in the region. 

L-orizzont leads with data showing hotel bookings remained strong in the last quarter of 2024. The newspaper also reports on the trial by jury of the 2017 murder of Brandon Pace in Ħamrun.