Words, Not Deals: Ukrainians disappointed by lack of peace agreement
People are worried not only that Russia has been brought out of international isolation – but that America seems intent on forcing Ukraine into giving up land. And a vague promise of security guarantees isn't proving terribly reassuring either.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
South Korean and US militaries begin annual summertime drills to cope with North Korean threats
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.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
India's stock benchmarks set to open higher on easing oil woes, GST reforms
Aug 18 (Reuters) - India's equity benchmarks are set to open higher on Monday, buoyed by cooling Russian oil supply concerns after a meeting between the U.S. and Russian Presidents and New Delhi's proposed goods and services tax reforms. Gift Nifty futures were trading at 24,984 as of 8:46 a.m. IST, indicating that the Nifty 50 (.NSEI), opens new tab will open about 1.4% above Thursday's close of 24,631.3. Indian markets were closed on Friday for a holiday. Following his meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared more aligned with Moscow on seeking a Ukraine peace deal instead of a ceasefire first. Trump will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders on Monday to hammer out details of possible security guarantees for Kyiv, though actual proposals are vague as yet. Oil prices slipped after the U.S. refrained from imposing new measures to curb Russian oil exports, following Trump-Putin's Friday meeting. Meanwhile, Trump said on Friday he did not need to consider retaliatory tariffs yet on countries buying Russian oil, such as China, but might "in two or three weeks", easing fears of supply disruption. China, the world's biggest oil importer, is the largest buyer of Russian oil, followed by India. A fall in prices is positive for importers of the commodity, such as India. Separately, shares of car makers could rise after Reuters reported the government proposed lowering the GST on small cars to 18% from 28%. Alongside easing worries over Russian oil imports, the Indian government's announcement of sweeping tax reforms to boost the economy amid the trade conflict with the U.S. also boosted sentiment, analysts said. The S&P Global's ratings upgrade, reiterating India's macro stability, is also likely to aid risk sentiment. Foreign portfolio investors (FPI) offloaded Indian stocks worth 19.27 billion rupees ($220.2 million) on Thursday, while domestic institutional investors (DII) purchased stocks worth 38.96 billion rupees, taking their buying streak to 29 sessions. ** Glenmark Pharma's ( opens new tab June-quarter profit drops on North America, European pricing woes. ** S&P Global Ratings upgrades, opens new tab State Bank of India's ( opens new tab issuer credit rating to "BBB/Stable/A-2" from "BBB/Positive/A-3". ** Vodafone Idea ( opens new tab posts smaller-than-expected loss in June quarter. ** Patanjali Foods ( opens new tab reports a drop in first-quarter profit. ($1 = 87.4970 Indian rupees)
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Starmer and European allies travel to Washington with Zelensky for crunch talks
Sir Keir Starmer will join European leaders in presenting a united front with Volodymyr Zelensky at his crunch meeting at the White House with Donald Trump. The Prime Minister and six other political leaders will travel to Washington DC on Monday, with the aim of protecting Ukraine from having to submit to Russian land grabs as a price for peace. Those joining Sir Keir include France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Alexander Stubb, president of Finland. Nato chief Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are also attending. Mr Zelensky is expecting to face calls from the US president to concede to full Russian control of Donetsk and Luhansk, two mineral-rich regions of Ukraine that are mostly occupied by Vladimir Putin's forces. In exchange for these demands, the Russian president would reportedly withdraw his forces from other areas of Ukraine and accept a Nato-like guarantee that Ukraine would be protected from further incursion. The European leaders have said it is up to Ukraine to decide how it wishes to end the war, and hailed Mr Zelensky's commitment to a peace that is both 'just and lasting'. Mr Trump has appeared to drop his calls for a ceasefire after a summit in Alaska with his Russian counterpart on Friday. Mr Putin has long refused to agree to a ceasefire as a precondition for talks to end the war, prompting fears that Russia could continue gaining ground in Ukraine as negotiations take place. The US president has instead said he wants to focus a long-term peace deal, though his secretary of state Marco Rubio has signalled a deal is 'still a long ways off'. There will be 'additional consequences' for Russia if it does not agree to a peace deal, Mr Rubio added, though he suggested fresh financial sanctions would be unlikely to force Mr Putin to the negotiating table. Ms von der Leyen suggested at a press conference on Sunday that both a ceasefire and a peace deal would have the same impact: to 'stop the killing'. Appearing alongside her, Ukraine's Mr Zelensky appeared to agree, though he also signalled his preference for a ceasefire. 'It's impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons. So it's necessary to cease fire and work quickly on a final deal,' he said. European leaders are also keen to hear from Mr Trump after he signalled he would provide a security guarantee to the coalition of the willing. The coalition, which is aimed at deterring future Russian aggression once peace is agreed, has argued it needs an American backstop, likely in the form of air support, to succeed. Over the weekend, Sir Keir was among the leaders who welcomed suggestions from Mr Trump that he was open to providing a guarantee, but details of what support would be provided were scant. Following a meeting of the coalition on Sunday afternoon, a Downing Street spokesman said Sir Keir praised Mr Zelensky's desire for a 'just and lasting peace' in Ukraine. Leaders of the coalition 'reaffirmed their continued support to Ukraine' at the meeting chaired by the PM and Mr Macron, No 10 added. The French president, meanwhile, said the European delegation will ask Mr Trump to back its plans to bolster Ukraine's armed forces. Ahead of their Oval Office encounter, the allies are likely to be mindful of the previous occasion Mr Zelensky visited Mr Trump in the White House. February's public spat, which saw Vice President JD Vance accuse Mr Zelensky of not being thankful enough to the US, resulted in American aid to Ukraine being temporarily halted.
