Putin emerges from the Alaska summit with increased stature and Trump echoing a Kremlin position
By Saturday morning Moscow time, Trump appeared to have abandoned the idea of a ceasefire as a step toward peace -– something he and Ukraine had pushed for months -– in favor of pursuing a full-fledged 'Peace Agreement' to end the war, echoing a long-held Kremlin position. The 'severe consequences' he threatened against Moscow for continuing hostilities were nowhere in sight. On Ukraine's battlefields, Russian troops slowly grinded on, with time on their side.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
South Korean and US militaries begin annual summertime drills to cope with North Korean threats
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and the United States began their annual large-scale joint military exercise on Monday to better cope with threats by nuclear-armed North Korea, which has warned the drills would deepen regional tensions and vowed to respond to 'any provocation' against its territory. The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield, the second of two large-scale exercises held annually in South Korea, after another set in March, will involve 21,000 soldiers, including 18,000 South Koreans, in computer-simulated command post operations and field training. The drills, which the allies describe as defensive, could trigger a response from North Korea, which has long portrayed the allies' exercises as invasion rehearsals and has often used them as a pretext for military demonstrations and weapons tests aimed at advancing its nuclear program. In a statement last week, North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang Chol said the drills show the allies' stance of 'military confrontation' with the North and declared that its forces would be ready to counteract 'any provocation going beyond the boundary line.' Ulchi Freedom Shield comes at a pivotal moment for South Korea's new liberal President Lee Jae Myung, who is preparing for an Aug. 25 summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington. Trump has raised concerns in Seoul that he may upend the decades-old alliance by demanding higher payments for the American troop presence in South Korea and possibly reducing it as Washington shifts its focus more toward China. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain high as North Korea has brushed aside Lee's calls to resume diplomacy with its war-divided rival, with relations having soured in recent years as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accelerated his weapons program and deepened alignment with Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Seoul's previous conservative government responded to North Korean threats by expanding military exercises with the United States and seeking stronger U.S. assurances for nuclear deterrence, drawing an angry reaction from Kim, who last year renounced long-term reconciliation goals and rewrote the North's constitution to label the South a permanent enemy. In his latest message to Pyongyang on Friday, Lee, who took office in June, said he would seek to restore a 2018-inter-Korean military agreement designed to reduce border tensions and called for North Korea to respond to the South's efforts to rebuild trust and revive talks. The 2018 military agreement, reached during a brief period of diplomacy between South Korea's former liberal President Moon Jae-in and Kim, created buffer zones on land and sea and no-fly zones above the border to prevent clashes. But South Korea suspended the deal in 2024, citing tensions over North Korea's launches of trash-laden balloons toward the South, and moved to resume frontline military activities and propaganda campaigns. The step came after North Korea had already declared it would no longer abide by the agreement. When asked whether the Lee government's steps to restore the agreement would affect the allies' drills, the South's Defense Ministry said Monday that there are no immediate plans to suspend live-fire training near the Koreas' disputed maritime border. While the allies have postponed half of Ulchi Freedom Shield's originally planned 44 field training programs to September, U.S. military officials denied South Korean media speculation that the scaled-back drills were meant to make room for diplomacy with the North, citing heat concerns and flood damage to some training fields. Dating back to his first term, Trump has regularly called for South Korea to pay more for the 28,500 American troops stationed on its soil. Public comments by senior Trump administration officials, including Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, have suggested a push to restructure the alliance, which some experts say could potentially affect the size and role of U.S. forces in South Korea. Under this approach, South Korea would take a greater role in countering North Korean threats while U.S. forces focus more on China, possibly leaving Seoul to face reduced benefits but increased costs and risks, experts say. In a recent meeting with reporters, Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, stressed the need to 'modernize' the alliance to address the evolving security environment, including North Korea's nuclear ambitions, its deepening alignment with Russia, and what he called Chinese threats to a 'free and open Indo-Pacific.'
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
European leaders to join Trump-Zelenskyy meeting
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Japan Forward
3 hours ago
- Japan Forward
Alaska Summit Leaves No Doubt Trump Was Played by Putin
このページを 日本語 で読む United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska on August 15, but failed to lay out a path to a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. At a joint press conference following the meeting, Putin maintained his hardline stance. A ceasefire, he said, requires that "We didn't get there." It will soon be three and a half years since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. Reaching a ceasefire agreement in a single meeting was too much to be expected, especially without participation by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Even so, it is unfortunate that prospects for a stop to the fighting appear as distant as ever. What is concerning is that Trump's appeasement stance in regards to Putin has become conspicuous. In Ukraine, Russian forces continue indiscriminate attacks on civilians. However, at the joint news conference, Trump voiced no criticism of the Russian invasion. To the contrary, both leaders repeatedly described the meeting as "useful" and "productive." Despite that, they did not mention any specific points of agreement. Moreover, they sought to emphasize their close personal ties, which leaves those looking on with a strong sense of discomfort. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to US President Donald Trump upon arriving at Fort Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15. (©Reuters via Kyodo) It is also outrageous that the two men discussed joint development of the Arctic and bilateral business cooperation. In an interview with Fox News that same day after the meeting, Trump revealed that he and Putin had discussed a "territorial swap" between Russia and Ukraine. "It's up to President Zelenskyy to get it done," he said, urging him to "make a deal." Establishing a ceasefire line is one thing. But Ukraine should not be asked to make concessions on territorial issues, which are fundamental to national sovereignty. Trump also stated that he would not immediately consider raising punitive tariffs (secondary tariffs) on countries such as China and India that continue to purchase Russian crude oil. However, he added that he might have to think about that in two or three weeks. Trump has clearly backed down. After all, he previously threatened to impose secondary tariffs if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire agreement. Putin must be laughing out loud now that he has succeeded in buying time to continue his invasion. Speaking in English, Putin also proposed that the two leaders next meet in Moscow. That would rule out participation by President Zelenskyy. President Trump should not accept such a duplicitous invitation. Instead of trying to charm him, Trump should be increasing pressure on the invader. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (©Kyodo) Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbu このページを 日本語 で読む
