Saudi deputy FM receives UK ambassador in Riyadh
The ambassador visited to bid farewell on the occasion of the end of his tenure in the Kingdom, the Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X.
Al-Rassi praised the ambassador's efforts in strengthening and advancing relations between the two countries.
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Saudi Gazette
an hour ago
- Saudi Gazette
European leaders tentatively hopeful after call with Trump ahead of Putin summit
MUNICH — European leaders appeared cautiously optimistic after holding a virtual meeting with Donald Trump on Wednesday, two days before he meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Trump reportedly told the Europeans that his goal for the summit was to obtain a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. He also agreed that any territorial issues had to be decided with Volodymyr Zelensky's involvement, and that security guarantees had to be part of the deal, according to France's Emmanuel Macron. Speaking to Trump had allowed him to "clarify his intentions" and gave the Europeans a chance to "express our expectations," Macron said. Trump and Vice-President JD Vance spoke to the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Poland as well as EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Nato chief Mark Rutte. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will meet with Zelensky in London on Thursday talks will take place at No 10 Downing Street, just 24 hours before the summit between Trump and Europeans have been sidelined from the hastily organised summit in Alaska and their phone call on Wednesday was a last-ditch attempt to keep Ukraine's interests and the continent's security at the forefront of Trump's an extent, it seemed to work. On Wednesday evening Trump rated the meeting "a 10" and said Russia would face "very severe" consequences unless it halted its war in also said that if Friday's meeting went well he would try to organise a "quick second one" involving both Putin and in their statements European leaders restated the need for Kyiv to be involved in any final decision – betraying an underlying nervousness that Putin could ultimately persuade Trump to concede Ukrainian land in exchange for a ceasefire."It's most important thing that Europe convinces Donald Trump that one can't trust Russia," said Poland's Donald Tusk, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the leaders had "made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up meetings take place".If the Russian side refused to make any concessions, "then the United States and we Europeans should and must increase the pressure", Merz the US-Russia summit was announced last week, Trump has made several references to "land-swapping" between Kyiv and Moscow – sparking serious concerns in Ukraine and beyond that he could be preparing to give in to Putin's longstanding demand to seize large swathes of Ukrainian Wednesday morning Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexey Fadeev reiterated that Russia's stance had not changed since Putin set it out in June the time Putin said a ceasefire would start the minute the Ukrainian government withdrew from four regions partially occupied by Russia - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. He also said Ukraine would need to officially give up its efforts to join the Nato military are maximalist demands which neither Kyiv nor its European partners see as has said he is convinced that Russia would use any region it was allowed to keep as a springboard for future invasions.A way to counter this threat could be security guarantees - intended as commitments to ensure Ukraine's long-term statements issued after the phone call with Trump, several European leaders said such guarantees had been mentioned and Sir Keir said that "real progress" had been made in that also praised Trump's efforts to reach an agreement, saying: "For three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on and we haven't got anywhere near the prospect of an actually viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire."Now we do have that chance, because of the work the president has put in."Since the spring the UK and France have been spearheading efforts to create a so-called "Coalition of the Willing" - a group of nations who have pledged to deter Russia from further invading Wednesday the group said it stood "ready to play an active role" including by deploying "a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased" - although the shape, composition and role of such a force is yet on the front lines, Russia's summer offensive continues to press on. Referencing the sudden advance of Moscow's troops near Dobropillya, in the embattled Donetsk region, Zelensky said Putin was pretending that sanctions were not effective at damaging the Russian economy."I told Trump and our European allies that Putin is bluffing," the Ukrainian president said, urging them to apply "more pressure" on his part, Trump appeared to admit that even when he meets Putin face-to-face he may not be able to get him to stop killing civilians in Ukraine."I've had that conversation with then I go home and see that a rocket has hit a nursing home or an apartment building and people are lying dead in the street."So I guess the answer to that is probably no." — BBC
Al Arabiya
5 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump says will seek three-way meeting with Putin, Zelenskyy
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would seek a three-way meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin immediately after his Alaska summit with the Russian leader aimed at ending the three-year war in Ukraine. Trump spoke after what he described as a 'very good' call with European leaders, including Zelenskyy -- even as Russian forces made their biggest advance into the Ukrainian president's country in more than a year. 'If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one,' Trump told reporters as he was questioned about the face-to-face in the Alaskan city of Anchorage with his Russian counterpart, set for Friday. 'I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy and myself, if they'd like to have me there.' The high-stakes summit comes with Trump struggling to broker an end to the conflict, and Zelenskyy and his European allies earlier urged the Republican to push for a ceasefire. The stepped-up Russian offensive, and the fact Zelenskyy has not been invited to Anchorage, have heightened fears that Trump and Putin could strike a deal that forces painful concessions from Ukraine. The US leader promised dozens of times during his 2024 election campaign to end the conflict on his first day in office but has made scant progress towards securing a peace deal. He threatened 'secondary sanctions' on Russia's trading partners over its invasion of Ukraine but his deadline for action came and went last week with no measures announced. 'Severe consequences' Trump warned Wednesday that he would take a follow-up meeting off the table if he felt Putin was acting in bad faith. 'There may be no second meeting because, if I feel that it's not appropriate to have it because I didn't get the answers that we have to have, then we are not going to have a second meeting,' Trump said. According to an AFP analysis of battlefield data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces made their biggest 24-hour advance into Ukraine in more than a year on Tuesday. As the war rages on in eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy flew to Berlin and joined Chancellor Friedrich Merz on an online call with other European leaders, and the NATO and European Union chiefs, in which they talked to Trump and urged a united stance against Russia. The consensus was for Trump to secure a ceasefire, and Trump said Russia would face 'severe consequences' if it didn't halt its offensive. But Zelenskyy also voiced doubt about Moscow's intentions, saying: 'I have told my colleagues -- the US president and our European friends -- that Putin definitely does not want peace.' Trump on Monday played down the possibility of a breakthrough in Alaska but said he expected 'constructive conversations' with Putin. 'This is really a feel-out meeting a little bit,' Trump said. But he added that eventually 'there'll be some swapping, there'll be some changes in land'. Merz said Ukraine is ready to negotiate 'on territorial issues' but stressed that legal recognition of Russian occupations 'would not be up for debate'. After the call, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Europe, the United States and NATO had 'strengthened the common ground for Ukraine' while NATO head Mark Rutte declared: 'The ball is now in Putin's court.' 'Wool over our eyes' The Russian foreign ministry had earlier branded the frantic round of diplomacy 'politically and practically insignificant' and an attempt at 'sabotaging' US and Russian efforts to end the conflict. Despite the upbeat comments by European leaders, Russia's offensive in eastern Ukraine was gaining speed and seizing ground Wednesday. Russia has made rapid advances this week in a narrow but important section of the front line in Ukraine. The AFP data analysis showed that the Russian army took or claimed 110 square kilometers (42.5 square miles) on August 12 compared to the previous day. It was the most since late May 2024. Ukrainian soldiers in Kramatorsk, an eastern city about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the front, said they had low expectations for Trump's meeting with Putin. Artem, a 30-year-old serviceman, said the war would likely continue for 'a long time.' 'Putin is massing an army, his army is growing, he is stockpiling weapons, he is pulling the wool over our eyes.'
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump warns Russia to end war in Ukraine or face consequences
On Global News Today on Al Arabiya English, presented by Tom Burges Watson, we examine a rapidly shifting global landscape as tensions spike ahead of the much-anticipated Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. As the war in Ukraine grinds on, former US President Donald Trump issues a stark warning to Moscow: make peace or face serious consequences. In a surprise development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken directly with Trump in the lead-up to the summit, signaling potential new diplomatic dynamics. What could this mean for Ukraine's future? Can Trump's warning change Putin's course? And how is the battlefield evolving on the ground? We cover all angles with exclusive insight from leading military analysts, diplomatic insiders, and political experts, including a former US ambassador to Russia, on Global News Today.
