Russia says it favours new round of peace talks with Ukraine, highlights gulf between them
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Kyiv has sent Moscow an offer to hold another round of peace talks this week, and that he wants to speed up negotiations for a ceasefire.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that as soon as there was a definitive understanding of the date for the next round of talks then Moscow would announce it.
"There is our draft memorandum, there is a draft memorandum that has been handed over by the Ukrainian side. There is to be an exchange of views and talks on these two drafts, which are diametrically opposed so far," Peskov said.
Ukraine and Russia have held two rounds of talks in Istanbul, on May 16 and June 2, that led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But the two sides have made no breakthrough towards a ceasefire or a settlement to end almost three and a half years of war.
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Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Italy to tell EU terms for UniCredit's BPM bid remain despite deal collapse
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The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Has Trump just become the very model of a modern liberal leader?
Giving an all-important green light to Keir Starmer for the UK to recognise Palestine… rejecting Netanyahu's claim that there is no food crisis in Gaza by saying there is 'real starvation'…giving Russia a '10 to 12 days' ultimatum over Ukraine… Was this the week that Donald J Trump became the kind of leader that liberals dream of? One day we may know the full story of this remarkable transformation – and, while there are many caveats, doubts and, very likely, disappointments to follow, we should at least cherish such unexpected developments as this. 'We have to get the kids fed' is as simple and powerful an instruction as we could possibly hope to get from the leader of the free world. No moral equivocation there, no 'both sides' – and no room for delay, is not a coincidence that, grudgingly and still inadequately, Israel is allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, and, as a result, lives will be saved. Trump isn't asinine enough to pretend that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip, and, loyal as he may be, neither is he so beholden to his friend BiBi that he is going to be taken in by the most audacious and shameful attempt at gaslighting to that effect in the history of the State of Israel. We can maybe see what is happening here, both with Israel and with Russia, where Trump's patience with Vladimir Putin, another strong man he wished to build a partnership with, has also been exhausted. First, there is that decision where Trump decides he wants to build that rapport with a counterpart. Usually, this is a strong guy – Putin, Netanyahu, even Kim Jong-un in the first term. Let's not forget that he has even tried to get on terms with the ayatollahs in (oil-rich) Iran, much to Israeli alarm. Starmer, unusually, is someone Trump should despise, but instead declares that he just can't stop praising and liking the guy. It surpasses human understanding. 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You may recall that in that unusually candid interview Trump recently gave to the BBC's Gary O'Donoghue, the president admitted that he trusts 'almost nobody', but that he wasn't yet 'done' with Putin. Well, now he is because, as Trump himself says, they are these nice, long, respectful conversations in which Trump listens sympathetically to Putin's case and Russia's wartime sacrifices – and then the Russians bomb a nursing home in Kyiv or something. The truth is that Trump has at times seemed too inclined to trust people he shouldn't, and all too ready to make enemies of natural allies – Justin Trudeau in Canada, Ishiba Shigeru in Japan – but when he finally works out that he's been played along, he will act accordingly. Hence the abandonment of Putin and the distancing of Netanyahu, whose policies, which Trump indulged, have destroyed Trump's plan for a lucrative new economic zone in the Middle East from the Gulf to the Mediterranean, based on his Abraham Accords programme. 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The plan for a Gaza beach resort is still, apparently, Trump administration policy, with the prospect that the Palestinians will be driven from their homes; reports suggest the Americans have been looking for places where refugees could be resettled, which would be near enough to a forced displacement as to be a crime against humanity. Trump is not going to switch sides again and have America support the restoration of full Ukrainian sovereignty – and the Trump White House will continue to deny climate change, and launch trade wars as it fancies. Yet these last few days have seen some extremely welcome signs that Trump is capable of doing some good every now and again. Trump says he's stopped wars between India and Pakistan, Rwanda and the DRC, and Cambodia and Thailand. Exaggerated or not, the United States is playing the right sort of role. If it is now pursuing ceasefires in Ukraine and Gaza, in each case a peace that passeth all understanding, we should just take the wins – even if it means Trump takes the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Welfare cuts will still plunge thousands into poverty despite U-turn, MPs warn
Tens of thousands of people are still at risk of being pushed into poverty due to Labour's welfare cuts despite last-minute changes to the plans, a group of MPs has warned. Around 50,000 people who become disabled or ill will face poverty by the end of the decade because of the remaining reforms, the cross-party Work and Pensions Committee has found. A cut to the health-related element of Universal Credit (UC health) which will take effect from April next year and will see monthly payments nearly halved for most new claimants, dropping from £423.27 to £217.26. At the same time, the standard rate of Universal Credit will increase for all claimants by £17.39 a month, from £400.14 to £417.53. This marks the first time the benefit has been uprated above the inflation rate (CPI). These extra-inflationary increases will continue until at least 2029/30, by which point they will amount to an extra £725 in cash terms for a single person aged 25 or over, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says. The committee welcomed this 'much-needed and long-overdue increase' but added that its MPs remain critical of the 'failure' to assess the impact of UC health cuts on poverty, health and employment. This is now the main measure that the bill will deliver after the government removed changes to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) following the threat of a major backbench rebellion by over 100 Labour MPs. The health and disability-linked benefit will instead by subject to a fully-consulted review by social security Minister Sir Stephen Timms, due to be completed in autumn 2026. Committee chair Debbie Abrahams said: 'We welcome the concessions that the government made to the UC and PIP Bill (now the UC Bill); but there are still issues with these welfare reforms not least with the cut in financial support that newly sick and disabled people will receive. 'The government's own analysis published in March indicates that from next April approximately 50,000 people who develop a health condition or become disabled – and those who live with them - will enter poverty by 2030 as a result of the reduction in support of the UC health premium. 'We agree in a reformed and sustainable welfare system, but we must ensure that the wellbeing of those who come into contact with it is protected. The lesson learned from last month should be that the impact of policy changes to health-related benefits must be assessed prior to policy changes being implemented to avoid potential risks to claimants.' A government spokesperson said: 'Our welfare reforms will support those who can work into jobs and ensure there is always a safety net for those that need it. The impact assessment shows our reforms will lift 50,000 children out of poverty – and our additional employment support will lift even more families out of poverty. 'The reforms will rebalance Universal Credit rates to reduce the perverse incentives that trap people out of work, alongside genuinely helping disabled people and those with long-term health conditions into good, secure work – backed by £3.8bn in employment support over this parliament. 'We are also tackling poverty by extending free school meals to all households on Universal Credit, helping to address holiday hunger with our Crisis and Resilience Fund, supporting over a million households by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions, and delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, as part of our Plan for Change.'
