Alert: Putin, Trump begin joint news conference after hours of talks on Russia-Ukraine war
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Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Congo rejects Kenya's diplomatic appointment to conflict-hit Goma
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The Congolese government on Saturday rejected Kenya's appointment of a consul general to its conflict-hit city of Goma, citing what it called a violation of international law and a lack of proper diplomatic process. Goma, located in eastern Congo, has been at the center of a conflict between the Congolese government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, which launched a lightning assault on the mineral-rich regional city in January. The city fell to the rebel group after days of fighting, and the Congolese army withdrew. The Congolese foreign ministry said in a statement Saturday that Kenya did not contact Congo's government in the capital, Kinshasa, before making the announcement, as required by international law and diplomatic practice. M23, which is one of about a hundred groups fighting in eastern Congo, has attempted to establish a parallel government in the region, saying it is freeing the region from what it alleges is misrule by Kinshasa. M23 has been accused of widespread abuses, and Congo's government argued that that the way Kenya nominated the diplomat to the occupied city of Goma without informing the Congolese government could appear to legitimize the rebel group's occupation. Kenya's announcement was made Friday as part of a raft of diplomatic appointments. Congo's foreign ministry called for 'caution and discernment in public communication to avoid any misunderstanding, speculation, or the appearance of legitimization of the ongoing illegal occupation.' Qatar has tried to mediate between the Congolese government and the rebel group, which led to the signing of a 'declaration of principles' to end the decades-long fighting, but talks have since faltered and fighting has resumed. The conflict has been a magnet for neighboring countries, including Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Kenya, all of which have had troops on the grounds, complicating regional efforts to end the fighting. Christian Moleka, a Congo-based political analyst, told The Associated Press that the appointment might have regional implications. He said it could reinforce Kinshasa's distrust of Kenya, which has been moving closer to Rwanda under President William Ruto, and weaken regional initiatives to establish peace. ___ Justin Kabumba in Goma, Congo, and Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed to this report. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
a minute ago
- New York Post
Macron says pro-Zelensky ‘Coalition of the Willing' will meet Sunday ahead of Ukraine leader's DC trip
WASHINGTON — French President Emmanuel Macron's office says an anti-Russian 'Coalition of the Willing' will convene Sunday ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's trip to the White House and on the heels of Friday's summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, co-chairs of the coalition, will be included in the virtual meeting. 4 French President Emmanuel Macron, photographed Thursday on a jet ski, is convening a pro-Ukraine group of European leaders Sunday. BACKGRID 4 President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met Friday in Anchorage. Getty Images Trump left Anchorage without a cease-fire deal with Putin and wrote early Saturday on social media that he prefers to 'go directly' to a full peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The US president has repeatedly said that Zelensky will need to cede land for peace, but the Ukrainian leader says that would be impossible without a national referendum in his country. Trump has attempted to force both sides into making a deal after the US provided about $200 billion in aid for Kyiv's defense over more than three years of war, causing unease among European leaders who fear concessions to Moscow. Zelensky previously visited the White House on Feb. 28 and was kicked out of the West Wing after an Oval Office argument with Vice President JD Vance, and with Trump accusing Zelensky of disrespecting America. 4 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit the White House on Monday. Getty Images The term 'Coalition of the Willing' is a throwback to the Iraq War, which began in 2003 when then-US President George W. Bush dismissed opposition from countries such as France and Germany to his plans to topple Saddam Hussein and forged ahead without them. The precise membership of the current coalition is unclear. Trump has dismissed the relevance of European leaders in ending the war between Russian and Ukraine. 'There are a lot of European leaders, but they rely on me, very much rely on me. If it wasn't for me, this thing would never get solved until the last person breathing is dead,' Trump said last week.
The Hill
a minute ago
- The Hill
Upset about DC's lack of voting rights? Look to the Democrats.
The deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. has led to a media and political meltdown. In the New York Times, a column lamented that the military had not revolted against the civilian president. Even, so, commentators declared a ' coup ' because the federal government reasserted its constitutional power over the federal district. A Justice Department employee went so far as to scream profanities at federal officers on the street and assault one of them with a submarine sandwich. He was declared a 'freedom fighter' against 'the Gestapo.' The utter lunacy of the left was again triggered by Trump with an almost Pavlovian predictability. Trump rang the bell, and suddenly thousands of Democratic leaders began to salivate. In addition to denying a very real crime crisis in the district, Democrats immediately pivoted on the issue to renew unpopular demands for D.C. statehood. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, insisted that this was only happening because 'American citizens lack the protections of statehood.' Ankit Jain echoed that view. Jain occupies a farcical position as 'D.C. shadow senator,' an unpaid position in which he pretends to be a member of the U.S. Senate. Jain wrote that 'it's entirely possible that people will die as a result' of the deployment. He insisted that this would not occur in states where democracy governs: 'We may not have it in Washington, but if you live in any of the other 50 states, you do.' Over the years, I have testified five times in the House and Senate to argue for the restoration of full representation for residents in Washington, D.C. Residents could have a governor, two real U.S. senators, a voting representative in the House, a state legislature, and every other trapping of statehood. It needs only to go back whence it came. D.C. needs to return to Maryland through 'retrocession.' In academic writings, I have advocated for what I called ' modified retrocession ' where Maryland would take back the land given initially to create what was called 'the federal city.' The Framers did not want the capital under the control of any state, so they created the federal enclave to be under the control of Congress as a whole. Originally, the outlines of the federal city were laid out by none other than George Washington as the surveyor. It was a diamond shape, with territory ceded by both Virginia and Maryland. Within a few decades, Virginians in what is now Arlington County and Alexandria came to regret not having direct representatives and were allowed to retrocede back to their state. That left the triangle of territory from Maryland. However, Marylanders did not agree with their Virginian counterparts. They liked living in the federal enclave and decided to remain without direct representation. Congress previously allowed retrocession and could do so again. Under my prior proposal, the federal enclave would be reduced to the small sliver of land upon which our Capitol, Supreme Court, and the White House rest. It would finally give every Washington resident full representation. Also, in a city notoriously mismanaged for years, D.C. residents would be part of a state that excels in areas like education that could materially improve their positions. So if the lack of representation is so intolerable, why wouldn't Washington return to Maryland? It would give every Washington resident a voting representative in the U.S. House, two senators, a governor in a sovereign state, and a state legislature. The reason is politics at its most cynical and hypocritical. Democrats only want two senators representing D.C. if it boosts their numbers. It's not good enough to give them Maryland's senators. What's more, Maryland Democrats will not suffer a shift in the center of their state's political gravity from Baltimore to Washington. Finally, D.C. Democratic leaders are not eager to share power with Maryland Democrats, as they might gain all the trappings of a state. This is why, for decades, Democrats have settled to leave D.C. voters without direct representation in Congress. They decided it is better to lament the lack of representation on license plates than to give residents such representation through retrocession of the residential sections of D.C. to Maryland. Polling shows that most Americans still oppose statehood for this one city — a Vatican-like city-state. That is why Democrats are not keen on attempting a new constitutional amendment to change the status of the city. They would rather bewail the lack of direct representation while, ironically, trying to achieve effective statehood without a direct vote of citizens on a constitutional amendment. The fact is, Trump has every right to deploy the National Guard in Washington and to take over the D.C. police. Those are entirely lawful and constitutional orders. Yet the New York Times appears to have changed its position on the danger of insurrection. The Times recently ran a bizarre column by former Obama officials Steven Simon and Jonathan Stevenson, ' We Used to Think the Military Would Stand Up to Trump. We Were Wrong.' They complain that 'it now seems clear to us that the military will not rescue Americans from Mr. Trump's misuse of the nation's military capabilities.' The 'rescue' would have meant military personnel disobeying a direct order from the commander-in-chief because they disagreed with the need for the deployment. In fairness to the New York Times, that is not exactly an insurrection — it is more of a mutiny. What is striking about this debate is how entirely untethered it is from anything that touches upon reality. Statehood remains easily attainable for Washington, if Democrats would only stop opposing retrocession. Meanwhile, the deployment is clearly constitutional, regardless of how many columns or submarine sandwiches you throw about in another furious fit. The only thing that is clear is that Washington residents are again being played. They remain political props left stateless because returning them to full representation is not politically advantageous. They are given make-believe 'shadow senators' and protest license plates rather than restoring their prior status. As with the debate over crime, few want to discuss how to solve this problem. Given the opposition of the Democrats, Trump should take the lead and order federal officials to develop a blueprint for retrocession. He should use his office to fully inform the American people, and particularly D.C. residents, of the benefits of returning to Maryland.
