Trump-Putin meeting due in coming days
"At the suggestion of the American side, an agreement has been reached in principle to hold a bilateral summit in the coming days," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying by the state RIA news agency.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had called for a face-to-face meeting with Mr Putin to end the war, after Mr Trump's special envoy held talks with the Russian leader in Moscow.
However, the Kremlin said it did not respond to a US proposal for a Trump-Putin-Zelensky meeting, according to state media, with the suggestion that the meeting will be between Mr Trump and Mr Putin.
Mr Trump had said he could meet with Mr Putin "very soon," following what the US president described as highly productive talks in Moscow between his special envoy and the Russian leader.
Mr Trump one day earlier hailed talks between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Putin as "highly productive" however, US officials still vowed to impose sanctions on Moscow's trading partners.
Mr Zelensky said later that he had spoken by phone with Mr Trump, who said he could meet with Mr Putin "very soon".
"We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that finding real solutions can be truly effective at the level of leaders," Mr Zelensky wrote on social media.
"It is necessary to determine the timing for such a format and the range of issues to be addressed," he added.
The Ukrainian leader said that he had planned to hold "several" conversations throughout the course of the day including with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as French and Italian officials.
"There will also be communication at the level of national security advisors," Zelensky added.
"The main thing is for Russia, which started this war, to take real steps to end its aggression," Zelensky added.
World leaders take part in call
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of Britain, Germany and Finland took part in a phone call between Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump last night, a senior Ukrainian source said.
The source told AFP that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Finnish President Alexander Stubb participated in the call alongside Rutte.
"There's a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon," Trump told reporters at the White House, when asked when he would meet the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.
He gave no indication where the meeting with Putin might take place. It would be the first US-Russia leadership summit since former president Joe Biden met with his counterpart in Geneva in June 2021.
"Great progress was made!" Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that afterward he had briefed some European allies.
"Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come," he said.
Minutes later, however, a senior US official said that "secondary sanctions" were still expected to be implemented in two days' time.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Witkoff was returning with a ceasefire proposal from Moscow that would have to be discussed with Ukraine and Washington's European allies.
Russian shelling kills three
Meanwhile, Russian artillery shelling killed three people and injured four yesterday in the southeastern Ukrainian town of Nikopol, the regional governor said.
Serhiy Lysak, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, said two men and a woman died in the attack. Nikopol, lying on the Ukrainian-held north side of the Dnipro River in the region, frequently comes under Russian attack.
The RBK-Ukraine media outlet said the strike hit a car belonging to the state emergency services and one of the victims killed was an emergency worker.
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RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Europe pushes for Ukraine role in Trump-Putin talks
A US official said Ukraine could be a part of negotiations between the United States and Russia, as European leaders pushed for Ukraine's inclusion ahead of talks between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. The two leaders will meet in the US state of Alaska on 15 August to try to resolve the three-year war, but the European Union has insisted that Ukraine and European powers should be part of any deal to end the conflict. EU foreign ministers will discuss the talks in a meeting by video link today, joined by their Ukrainian counterpart. It comes as Tánaiste Simon Harris is to warn that this week represents a "pivotal moment" for the war in Ukraine. Mr Harris will also attend the virtual Foreign Affairs Council meeting today, scheduled to discuss the conflict. He is expected to say that Ukraine must be involved in any talks that take place and that a ceasefire is more imperative now than ever. He will say that Ireland will continue to show "unwavering support" to Ukrainian people who have suffered "unimaginable violence and hardship". US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could attend this week's US-Russia summit in Alaska. The idea of a US-Russia meeting without Mr Zelensky has raised concerns that a deal would require Ukraine to cede swaths of territory, which the EU has rejected. "The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine," leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Britain and Finland and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement, urging Mr Trump to put more pressure on Russia. In a flurry of diplomacy, Mr Zelensky held calls with 13 counterparts over three days including Ukraine's main backers Germany, Britain and France. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he hoped and assumed that Mr Zelensky would attend the leaders' summit. Leaders of the Nordic and Baltic countries - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden - also said no decisions should be taken without Ukraine's involvement. Talks on ending the war could only take place during a ceasefire, they added in a joint statement. Asked on CNN if Mr Zelensky could be present, Mr Whitaker responded that "yes, I certainly think it's possible." "Certainly, there can't be a deal that everybody that's involved in it doesn't agree to. And, I mean, obviously, it's a high priority to get this war to end," he added. Mr Whitaker said the decision would ultimately be Mr Trump's to make, and there was no word yesterday from the White House. 'Testing Putin' Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said any deal between the United States and Russia to end the war in Ukraine had to include Ukraine and the bloc. "President Trump is right that Russia has to end its war against Ukraine," Ms Kallas said in a statement yesterday. "The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. Any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine's and the whole of Europe's security," she added. "I will convene an extraordinary meeting of the EU foreign ministers today to discuss our next steps," she said. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga will also take part in this afternoon's meeting, the ministry said. NATO chief Mark Rutte told ABC's "This Week" broadcast that Mr Trump was "putting pressure on Putin". "Next Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin, how serious he is on bringing this terrible war to an end," he added. Ukraine's military said it had taken back a village in the Sumy region from the Russian army, which has made significant recent gains. The village is on the frontline in the north of the country and about 20km west of the main fighting between the two armies in the northern region. A 'just peace' As a prerequisite to any peace settlement, Russia has demanded Ukraine pull its forces out of the regions and commit to being a neutral state, shun US and EU military support and be excluded from joining NATO. Ukraine said it would never recognise Russian control over its sovereign territory, though it acknowledged that getting land captured by Russia back would have to come through diplomacy, not on the battlefield. The EU's Ms Kallas backed Ukraine's position. "As we work towards a sustainable and just peace, international law is clear: All temporarily occupied territories belong to Ukraine," the EU foreign policy chief said. NATO's Mr Rutte said it was a reality that "Russia is controlling some of Ukrainian territory" and suggested a future deal could acknowledge this. "When it comes to acknowledging, for example, maybe in a future deal, that Russia is controlling, de facto, factually, some of the territory of Ukraine. It has to be effectual recognition and not a political de jure recognition," Mr Rutte told ABC. Mr Zelensky thanked those countries backing Ukraine's position in his evening address. "The war must be ended as soon as possible with a fair peace," he said. "A fair peace is needed." "Clear support for the fact that everything concerning Ukraine must be decided with Ukraine's participation. Just as it should be with every other independent state," he added.
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Change is not always for the better
It is sometimes said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes. The phrase, attributed to Mark Twain (he didn't coin it), means that while historical events may not repeat exactly, there will be similar circumstances. The rise of extreme nationalist movements deeply invested in a great leader has led to … well, we don't have to tell you, in the same way we don't have to tell you the current parallels. Still, having just marked two major milestones — the 80th anniversary of the dropping of the first nuclear bomb and, closer to home, the 250th anniversary of the birth of Daniel O'Connell — we are entitled to wonder what, in fact, any of us are learning from it all. Hiroshima taught us that nobody would win a nuclear war, and that once the genie is out of the bottle it is nigh impossible to put it back (despite the best efforts of the Irish-led nuclear non-proliferation treaty). That, and the obliteration of Japanese and German cities, will forever be a reminder that war is a pitiless, horrible thing, even when it's waged against equally pitiless, horrible regimes. And yet humankind never seems to truly learn that lesson — aerial footage of Gaza show it to have been flattened like the cities of previous wars. We will be picking over the crushing of Gaza for generations, asking ourselves how it came to this. Perhaps we will learn eventually. Perhaps only one of us needs to learn, given that O'Connell, despite his flaws as an individual, showed the power of one individual to drive positive change. Among other things, his example teaches that it is possible to resist overwhelming odds through peaceful political means, even if the path is long and difficult. Such is, all too often it seems, something that can go alongside social progress and civil rights (including the abolition of slavery, which O'Connell was influential in), no matter how much benefit they bring in the long term. One may, it is true, have to take comfort in knowing that succeeding generations could be the ones to benefit most. And while the study of history has, rightly, tended to move away from 'the great man', it is a reminder from our own past that an individual can achieve enormous things, even if nothing is ever in isolation. He galvanised all social classes in his drive for Catholic emancipation and the repeal of the Act of Union, even if he was unsuccessful in the latter. And yet, his mobilisation of great swathes of society is also a reminder that the greatest imperial power can be resisted and changed. Apropos of nothing, in this vein one might take note how regularly autocratic regimes tend to collapse, either in on themselves through the weight of infighting or in the face of widespread resistance. But, in keeping with history rhyming rather than repeating, the death of one regime is no guarantee that a kinder one will be born, or even that if it is it will endure. Democracy, like a dream of spring, is a fragile thing. One hopes, in this case, that we won't leave it to succeeding generations to clean up the mess. Ireland must protect farm incomes Farmers, as we have noted on these pages previously — and indeed in special reports and in the weekly Irish Examiner Farming supplement — contributes an enormous amount to the country's economic success. It remains the case that they are caught between a rock and a hard place, in that their income is dependent on seasonal variations, including of the weather, while the sector as a whole is responsible for an outsized percentage of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions. So while, to an outsider, a drop in the number of cattle might seem a positive from an environmental view, economically, alarm bells are ringing in the farming sector. As reported in the most recent edition of 'Irish Examiner Farming', the national herd has shrunk by 276,000 cattle in 12 months, some 3.8%, with the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) saying it could double in the next year and should be 'a wake-up call'. It says government and EU policies, including changes to the common agricultural policy, are responsible, and that the decline 'is not sustainable, and it signals real danger for the future of our family farms and rural economies'. ICSA beef chairman John Cleary said: 'If policymakers don't act now to restore confidence and give farmers a reason to stay in business, the collapse of the national herd will become unstoppable, and, with it, the collapse of rural economies across the country.' Meanwhile, ICSA president Sean McNamara said 'farmers feel they have no voice and no protection' and feel 'constantly punished rather than supported' in their dealings with the Department of Agriculture. The department, in response, says it 'has the interests of farmers and farming in Ireland at its core'. It is possible for both things to be true, whereby farmers feel without backing even as the Government attempts to support them. It is also true that looming changes to CAP payments are causing significant stress for farmers, because of their importance to maintaining the viability of some Irish farms. And yet, farmers are willing to embrace change, with dairy sector discussion groups highlighting that technology is helping farmers in that area to reduce emissions and still remain sustainable. Naturally, the beef sector has a different set of challenges, but the point remains that where technological or economic solutions are available they are embraced — provided the farmers are given the right series of supports and encouragements. Change is a daunting thing at any time, especially when faced with increasingly tight and changing regulations depending on the wider economic and political landscape. And with the global outlook for both murky at best — between climate collapse and the decline and fall of the American empire — it is all the more important to protect what jobs, industry, and incomes we can.
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Tánaiste to warn this week is ‘pivotal moment' for Gaza and Ukraine as EU ministers meet before Trump-Putin summit
The meeting will focus on Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East in light of the recent Israeli security cabinet decision. On Russia, Ministers will discuss the latest developments with regard to Russia's ongoing illegal aggression against Ukraine, ahead of an expected meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin on Friday. Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Tánaiste said: 'We welcome all genuine efforts to arrive at a just and lasting peace, one that upholds the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty, and does not reward aggression. 'Ireland has always been clear that there can be no decisions about Ukraine, without Ukraine. 'This is also a matter of European security. I look forward to discussing with my EU counterparts how best we can continue to support Ukraine and ensure that it enters negotiations from a position of strength. 'We will also continue to engage with our US counterparts, at every level, and urge them to work for a negotiated and fair peace – one that ensures the future prosperity of Ukraine', Mr Harris said. Ministers will also discuss the situation in the Middle East and Mr Harris said the meeting comes at a critical moment for Gaza, 'where the humanitarian situation remains catastrophic'. "Since the last Council when the HRVP updated ministers on the steps she agreed with Israel to improve the humanitarian situation, we have not seen indications of any significant improvements. On the contrary, there is evidence that the worst-case famine scenario is unfolding in Gaza. In addition, Israel has recently announced plans to escalate its offensive in Gaza, which I have strongly condemned alongside other EU ministers. "I will be urging concrete EU action demanding that Israel immediately lift its blockade and allow the full, unimpeded resumption of humanitarian aid. I will also again press for appropriate follow-up action at EU level in response to Israel's breaches of its human rights obligations, which is all the more urgent as Israel repeatedly demonstrates that it is not listening to the concerns of its EU partners.'
