Putin discusses regional situation with Lukashenko, press service of Belarusian president
'Two Presidents discussed the situation in the region in the light of the talks in Alaska. Putin informed his Belarusian counterpart in detail about the results of the last Russia-US summit,' the press service said.
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Al Arabiya
12 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump tells Ukraine to give up on NATO and Crimea ahead of Zelenskyy meeting
US President Donald Trump told Ukraine to give up hopes of getting back annexed Crimea or joining NATO as he prepared to host President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in Washington on Monday to press Kyiv into accepting a peace deal with Russia. After rolling out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump is leaning on Ukraine to accept a deal to end Europe's deadliest war in 80 years, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Trump will meet first Zelenskyy and then the leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union and NATO, the White House said. The European leaders are flying to Washington to show solidarity with Ukraine and to press for strong security guarantees in any post-war settlement. Trump's team stressed on Sunday that there had to be compromises on both sides. But Trump put the burden on Zelenskyy to end the war that Russia began with its full-scale invasion in February 2022. That, along with his comments on NATO and Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014 during Barack Obama's presidency, suggested he would press Zelenskyy hard at Monday's meeting. Zelenskyy 'can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE.' Ukraine and its allies have long feared that Trump could press an agreement favorable to Moscow. However they have taken heart from some developments, including Trump's apparent willingness to provide post-settlement security guarantees for Ukraine. However, Zelenskyy has already all but rejected the outline of Putin's proposals from the Alaska meeting, including for Ukraine to give up the rest of its eastern Donetsk region, of which it currently controls a quarter. Zelenskyy is also seeking an immediate ceasefire to conduct deeper peace talks. Trump previously backed that but reversed course after the summit with Putin and indicated support for Russia's favored approach of negotiating a comprehensive deal while fighting rumbles on. Trump will meet first with Zelenskyy at 1:15 p.m. EDT (1715 GMT) in the Oval Office and then with all the European leaders together in the White House's East Room at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT), the White House said. The Ukrainian president, seeking to avoid a repeat of the bad-tempered Oval Office meeting he had with Trump in February, said after arriving in Washington late on Sunday he was grateful to Trump for the invitation. 'We all equally want to end this war swiftly and reliably,' Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app. 'Russia must end this war — the war it started. And I hope that our shared strength with America and with our European friends will compel Russia to real peace.' Russia launched missiles and drones in overnight attacks that included strikes on Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv, near the Russian border, which killed seven people, including two children, officials said. 'They hit an ordinary apartment block, many flats, many families were living here, small children, children's playground, residential compound, there are no offices here or anything else, we lived here peacefully in our homes,' said Olena Yakusheva, a local resident, as firefighters battled a blaze in the building and rescue workers dug in the rubble. On the battlefield Russia has been slowly grinding forward, pressing home its advantages in men and firepower. Putin says he is ready to continue fighting until his military objectives are achieved. Russian peace proposal The outline of Putin's proposals, reported by Reuters earlier, appears impossible for Zelenskyy to accept. Ukrainian forces are deeply dug into the Donetsk region, whose towns and hills serve as a crucial defensive zone to stymie Russian attacks. Concerned that they would be shut out of the conversation after a summit with Putin to which they were not invited, European leaders held a call with Zelenskyy on Sunday to align on a common strategy for the meetings with Trump. 'It's important for the Europeans to be there: (Trump) respects them, he behaves differently in their presence,' Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian lawmaker from Zelenskyy's ruling party, told Reuters. 'D-Day at the White House' said Britain's Daily Mail, while the Daily Mirror said 'Europe takes a stand' in its front page headline. Germany's Die Welt called it the 'moment of truth' for the US president. 'It is probably not an exaggeration to say the whole world is looking to Washington,' Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said at a press briefing. 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Asharq Al-Awsat
12 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Gold Gains on Soft Yields; Focus on Trump-Zelenskiy Meeting
Gold prices eked out gains on Monday, helped by lower US Treasury yields, while market players awaited US President Donald Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders later in the day. Spot gold gained 0.4% to $3,348.28 per ounce, as of 0840 GMT on Monday, after hitting its lowest level since August 1. US gold futures for December delivery rose 0.3% to $3,393.40. "The firm tone to gold prices has returned today with the market nudging the $3,350 level (as) the combination of soft yields and a weaker dollar would for sure create a tailwind for gold," said independent analyst Ross Norman. Benchmark 10-year US Treasury yields fell from more than two-week highs. On the geopolitical front, European leaders are set to join Zelenskiy for talks with Trump later on Monday to discuss how to approach a possible deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Russia would relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine and Kyiv would cede swathes of its eastern land which Moscow has been unable to capture, under peace proposals discussed by Russia's Vladimir Putin and Trump at their Alaska summit on Friday, sources briefed on Moscow's thinking said. "Front-running the geopolitical news would be unwise just now given that almost any outcome is conceivable. If there was a sense that tensions over Ukraine were easing, then we might expect some modest softness in gold prices," Norman added. Investors are also looking ahead to the Federal Reserve's annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for more cues on Fed's interest rate path. Economists polled by Reuters largely expect the Fed to announce a rate cut in September, its first this year, with a possible second cut by year-end. Non-yielding bullion, considered a safe-haven asset during periods of geopolitical and economic uncertainty, tends to perform well in a low-interest-rate environment. Elsewhere, spot silver was up 0.2% at $38.08 per ounce, platinum was steady at $1,335.06 and palladium was up 0.6% at $1,118.92.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Hungary says Russian oil flows to Hungary halted after Ukraine attack on pipeline
Russian crude oil flows to Hungary were halted after Ukraine attacked a transformer station of the pipeline leading to Hungary, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a Facebook post on Monday. Szijjarto said that he has talked to Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin who informed him that experts were working to restore the transformer station but it was unclear when deliveries will resume. Developing
