&w=3840&q=100)
Putin briefs Belarus, Kazakhstan leaders on Trump summit, calls talks ‘useful' for Ukraine peace
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday spoke with the leaders of Belarus and Kazakhstan to share details of his meeting with US President Donald Trump, which Moscow has described as an important step toward resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
The Alaska summit, the first US-Russia meeting at this level in more than four years, was followed by consultations with senior Russian officials in the Kremlin on Saturday. Putin called the discussions 'timely and very useful,' saying both sides explored the possibility of ending the war on what he termed a 'fair basis' while addressing its underlying causes.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
'We have not had direct negotiations of this kind at this level for a long time. I repeat once again: there was an opportunity to calmly and in detail once again set out our position,' Putin told Russian officials.
'We, of course, respect the position of the American administration, which sees the need for a speedy end to military action. Well, we would also like this and would like to move on to resolving all issues by peaceful means.'
The press service of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Putin had discussed the talks in Alaska.
'Putin informed his Belarusian counterpart in detail about the results of the last Russia-US summit,' the Lukashenko's press service said.
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's press service said that Russia-U.S. talks 'contributed to a better understanding of the American side of the Russian position on Ukraine.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
5 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Waiting for US citizenship? Immigration authorities to now scrutinize applicants' good moral character
In an effort to tighten access to U.S. immigration benefits, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a major policy shift, restoring a stricter and more comprehensive assessment of the 'good moral character' (GMC) requirement for foreign nationals seeking American citizenship. "Among other eligibility factors, aliens applying for naturalization must demonstrate that he or she has been and continues to be an individual of good moral character (GMC). Evaluating GMC involves more than a cursory mechanical review focused on the absence of wrongdoing. It entails a holistic assessment of an alien's behavior, adherence to societal norms, and positive contributions that affirmatively demonstrate good moral character," the policy memorandum, issued on August 15, read. The policy highlights that while certain offenses—such as murder, aggravated felonies, torture, or genocide—remain permanent and unconditional bars to naturalization, officials must now also assess evidence of rehabilitation and reformation in other cases. Read more: Trump's DOJ ramps up push to strip naturalized Americans of citizenship In fiscal 2024 (year ended Sept 30), 8.18 lakh foreign nationals acquired US citizenship. Mexicans led with as many as 1.07 lakh becoming American citizens (13% of the total), this was followed by Indians, with a little over 49,000 (or 6% of the total) acquiring US citizenship. Positive attributes and contributions such as sustained community involvement and contributions in the US; family caregiving, responsibility, and ties in the US; educational attainments; stable and lawful employment history and achievements; length of lawful residence in the US, compliance with tax obligations and financial responsibility in the US will carry greater weight. Read more: US tightens family immigration policy with stricter vetting and interview rules What are key features of the policy? As per the policy published by the USCIS, the officers must account for positive attributes and not simply the absence of misconduct. "In evaluating whether or not an alien has met the requirement of establishing GMC, the officer must take a holistic approach in evaluating whether or not an alien seeking naturalization has affirmatively established that he or she has met their burden of establishing that they are worthy of assuming the rights and responsibilities of United States Citizenship," according to the document. USCIS will place greater emphasis on the applicant's positive attributes and contributions in GMC determinations. These positive factors include, but are not limited to: • Sustained community involvement and contributions in the United States. • Family caregiving, responsibility, and ties in the United States. • Educational attainment. • Stable and lawful employment history and achievements. • Length of lawful residence in the United States. • Compliance with tax obligations and financial responsibility in the United States. Any hope for applicants with past 'wrongdoing'? However, there is a glimmer of hope for applicants with a record of past 'wrongdoing.' Under the new guidelines, USCIS officials will consider concrete evidence of rehabilitation—such as repayment of taxes, adherence to court-ordered conditions, or testimonials from community members. Such proof may still support a determination of good moral character, despite a negative history, as long as no permanent bar is in place.
The Hindu
5 minutes ago
- The Hindu
New start: on the Alaska summit and the Ukraine war
The much-anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, did not yield a breakthrough on the Ukraine war but appeared to narrow the gaps between their positions on how to end the conflict. While Ukraine was the most contentious issue on the agenda, the summit was significant for several reasons. Relations between the world's two largest nuclear powers have been defined by hostility and mutual distrust. A stable, predictable relationship and the prospect of a new arms control pact — hinted at by Mr. Putin — are critical not just for stability in Eastern Europe but also for broader global stability. Yet, rebuilding Russo-American ties is inconceivable without peace in Ukraine. All sides in the Ukraine war publicly claim that they are committed to peace, but they differ sharply on how to achieve it. Ukraine and its European partners have called for an immediate ceasefire, a demand reiterated by Mr. Trump before meeting Mr. Putin. Russia has resisted calls for a ceasefire, insisting instead on a comprehensive peace agreement that addresses what Mr. Putin calls the conflict's 'root causes'. Mr. Trump appeared to endorse the Russian line when he said 'the best way to end the horrific war' is to go directly to a peace agreement. While the downside of the summit was its failure to deliver a breakthrough, the positive side is that it opened a diplomatic path that could lead to conflict resolution. Mr. Trump, who claimed that he and Mr. Putin agreed on 'many points', spoke with European, NATO and Ukrainian leaders after the meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to visit the White House on Monday to discuss Mr. Putin's proposal. Mr. Trump also suggested that it is now 'up to Zelenskyy' to strike a deal with Russia, 'a very big power'. Russia has consistently made three core demands to end the war — recognition for the Ukrainian territories it has annexed and Ukraine's 'neutrality' and 'demilitarisation'. Post-summit reports suggest that Mr. Putin is open to freezing the war along the frontlines in the south (Zaporizhzhia and Kherson) provided Russia retains full control of Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk). A settlement could also involve Russian withdrawal in the northeast (Kharkiv). Ukraine has so far said that it would not concede land for peace. The challenge before Mr. Trump is to sustain the talks aimed at narrowing the differences further to reach a workable compromise. While it makes perfect sense to end the war on practical terms, Mr. Trump should not impose an agreement on Kyiv. Peace would prevail in Eastern Europe only if Ukraine's security concerns are addressed and it is provided with credible assurances that Russia would not invade it again.
New Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Putin agrees that US, Europe could offer NATO-style security guarantees to Ukraine, Trump envoy says
NEW YORK: Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with US President Donald Trump that the United States and its European allies could offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the war, a US official said on Sunday. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, who took part in the talks Friday at a military base in Alaska, said it 'was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that' and called it 'game-changing.' 'We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO," Witkoff told CNN's 'State of the Union'. Witkoff offered few details on how such an arrangement would work. But it appeared to be a major shift for Putin and could serve as a workaround to his deep-seated objection to Ukraine's potential NATO membership, a step that Kyiv has long sought. It was expected to be a key topic on Monday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and major European leaders meet with Trump at the White House to discuss ending the 3 1/2-year conflict. 'BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA,' Trump said in a social media post. 'STAY TUNED!' Hammering out a plan for security guarantees Article 5, at the heart of the 32-member trans-Atlantic military alliance, says an armed attack against one or more member nations shall be considered an attack against them all. What needed to be hammered out at this week's talks were the contours of any security guarantees, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also participated in the summit. Ukraine and European allies have pushed the US to provide that backstop in any peace agreement to deter future attacks by Moscow. 'How that's constructed, what we call it, how it's built, what guarantees are built into it that are enforceable, that's what we'll be talking about over the next few days with our partners," Rubio said on NBC's 'Meet the Press'. It was unclear, however, whether Trump had fully committed to such a guarantee. Rubio said it would be 'a huge concession." The comments shed new light on what was discussed in Alaska. Before Sunday, US officials had offered few details even as both Trump and Putin said their meeting was a success. Witkoff also said Russia had agreed to enact a law that it would not 'go after any other European countries and violate their sovereignty.' 'The Russians agreed on enshrining legislatively language that would prevent them from — or that they would attest to not attempting to take any more land from Ukraine after a peace deal, where they would attest to not violating any European borders," he said on 'Fox News Sunday'.
