Russian Delegation Visits North Korea Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit Vantage with Palki Sharma
A Russian delegation arrived in North Korea, just days after the countries' leaders vowed to strengthen ties. The delegation, led by Russia's Culture Vice-Minister Andrei Maluishev , arrived in Pyongyang on August 14, to mark the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Friday. During the call, Putin thanked Kim for supporting his war on Ukraine, North Korea's state media reported. Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops and weapons to help Moscow in the Russia-Ukraine war.
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Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
US team scraps visit, trade talks with India stuck on agri hurdle
The India-US negotiations for a trade deal, which began in February after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United States, have come to a halt, and the US negotiators' scheduled visit to India later this month stands cancelled, a source aware of the development told The Indian Express. The breakdown in trade talks assumes significance as US President Donald Trump has announced 50 per cent tariff on Indian products, the highest on any country globally. While 25 per cent tariff has already come into effect, government officials have said the levy of another 25 per cent – for Russia oil trade — could depend on 'how geopolitical events unfold'. The Indian Express had first reported on August 8 that the negotiations for a trade agreement had hit a pause, and the arrival of the US trade team was uncertain, as no formal communication had been received from their side. The deal has been stuck over India's long-standing stance of protecting farmers in every trade agreement. The US, under Trump, is prioritising market access for its agricultural products. In his Independence Day speech on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that India would not compromise on the well-being of its farmers, fisherfolk and cattle keepers, amid the standoff with the US over access for American products in India's agriculture and dairy market. On August 7, too, after Trump announced the additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, Modi had said that he would not compromise 'even if it entailed paying a very heavy personal price'. The geopolitical factor The uncertainty over when the tariffs on India could ease may drag on, as Trump's high-stakes talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin did not result in a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. However, Trump said he and Putin had made progress during the meeting in Alaska. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that the secondary tariffs on India could increase if 'things don't go well' during the Trump-Putin talks. 'I think everyone has been frustrated with President Putin. We expected that he would come to the table in a more fulsome way. It looks like he may be ready to negotiate. And we put secondary tariffs on the Indians for buying Russian oil. I could see, if things don't go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up,' Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg earlier.
Mint
21 minutes ago
- Mint
Donald Trump conveys Putin's demand for more Ukrainian territory to Zelensky: Report
WASHINGTON/MOSCOW/KYIV (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday Ukraine should make a deal to end the war with Russia because "Russia is a very big power, and they're not", after hosting a summit where Vladimir Putin was reported to have demanded more Ukrainian land. In a subsequent briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a source familiar with the discussion cited Trump as saying the Russian leader had offered to freeze most front lines if Kyiv's forces ceded all of Donetsk, the industrial region that is one of Moscow's main targets. Zelenskiy rejected the demand, the source said. Russia already controls a fifth of Ukraine, including about three-quarters of Donetsk province, which it first entered in 2014. Trump also said he had agreed with Putin that a peace deal should be sought without the prior ceasefire that Ukraine and its European allies, until now with U.S. support, have demanded. Zelenskiy said he would meet Trump in Washington on Monday, while Kyiv's European allies welcomed Trump's efforts but vowed to back Ukraine and tighten sanctions on Russia. The source said European leaders had also been invited to attend Monday's talks. Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday, the first U.S.-Russia summit since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, lasted just three hours. "It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up," Trump posted on Truth Social. His various comments on the meeting will be welcomed in Moscow, which says it wants a full settlement - not a pause - but that this will be complex because positions are "diametrically opposed". Russia's forces have been gradually advancing for months. The war - the deadliest in Europe for 80 years - has killed or wounded well over a million people from both sides, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts. Before the summit, Trump had said he would not be happy unless a ceasefire was agreed on. But afterwards he said that, after Monday's talks with Zelenskiy, "if all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin". Monday's talks will evoke memories of a meeting in the White House Oval Office in February, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance gave Zelenskiy a brutal public dressing-down. Zelenskiy said he was willing to meet Putin. But Putin signalled no movement in Russia's long-held positions on the war, and made no mention in public of meeting Zelenskiy. His aide Yuri Ushakov told the Russian state news agency TASS a three-way summit had not been discussed. In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Trump signalled that he and Putin had discussed land transfers and security guarantees for Ukraine, and had "largely agreed". "I think we're pretty close to a deal," he said, adding: "Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they'll say 'no'." Asked what he would advise Zelenskiy to do, Trump said: "Gotta make a deal." "Look, Russia is a very big power, and they're not," he added. Zelenskiy has consistently said he cannot concede territory without changes to Ukraine's constitution, and Kyiv sees Donetsk's "fortress cities" such as Sloviansk and Kramatorsk as a bulwark against Russian advances into even more regions. Zelenskiy has also insisted on security guarantees for Kyiv, to deter Russia from invading again in the future. He said he and Trump had discussed "positive signals from the American side" on taking part, and that Ukraine needed a lasting peace, not "just another pause" between Russian invasions. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the most interesting developments of the summit concerned security guarantees - inspired by the transatlantic NATO alliance's Article 5. "The starting point of the proposal is the definition of a collective security clause that would allow Ukraine to benefit from the support of all its partners, including the USA, ready to take action in case it is attacked again," she said. Putin, who has hitherto opposed involving foreign ground forces, said he agreed with Trump that Ukraine's security must be "ensured". "I would like to hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to get closer to that goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine," Putin told a briefing where neither leader took questions. "We expect that Kyiv and the European capitals ... will not attempt to disrupt the emerging progress..." For Putin, the very fact of sitting down with Trump represented a victory. He had been ostracised by Western leaders since the start of the war, and just a week earlier had faced a threat of new sanctions from Trump. Trump also spoke to European leaders after returning to Washington. Several stressed the need to keep pressure on Russia. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said an end to the war was closer than ever, thanks to Trump, but added: "... until (Putin) stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions." A statement from European leaders said "Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees" and that no limits should be placed on its armed forces or right to seek NATO membership - key Russian demands. Some European politicians and commentators were scathing. "Putin got his red carpet treatment with Trump, while Trump got nothing. As feared: no ceasefire, no peace," Wolfgang Ischinger, former German ambassador to Washington, posted on X. "No real progress – a clear 1-0 for Putin – no new sanctions. For the Ukrainians: nothing. For Europe: deeply disappointing." Both Russia and Ukraine carried out overnight air attacks, a daily occurrence, while fighting raged on the front line. Trump told Fox he would postpone imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil, but that he might have to "think about it" in two or three weeks. He ended his remarks after the summit by telling Putin: "We'll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon." "Next time in Moscow," a smiling Putin responded in English. Trump said he might "get a little heat on that one" but that he could "possibly see it happening". (Additional reporting by Kanishka Singh, Trevor Hunnicutt, Jeff Mason, Lidia Kelly, Jasper Ward, Costas Pitas, Ismail Shakil, Bhargav Acharya, Alan Charlish, Yuliia Dysa, Pavel Polityuk, Gwladys Fouche, Dave Graham, Paul Sandle, Joshua McElwee, Andreas Rinke, Felix Light and Moscow bureau; Writing by Kevin Liffey, Mark Trevelyan, Joseph Ax and James Oliphant; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Gareth Jones)
Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
'Stop the Trump Takeover': Thousands protest across 34 states against President Donald-backed redistricting
Thousands of Americans are expected to gather across various cities, towns, and community spaces on August 16 as part of a coordinated National Day of Protest against Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas and beyond, reported The Guardian. President Donald Trump's request to redistrict and add five seats in the red state is currently being considered by Texas Republicans.(AP) According to another CNN report, organizers say more than 200 events in 34 states are taking place under the banner 'Stop the Trump Takeover'. The largest rally is anchored in Austin, Texas, where former Congressman Beto O'Rourke, labor leader Dolores Huerta, and other prominent speakers are scheduled to address demonstrators at the State Capitol. Also Read: Trump softens stance on India, China tariffs? What he said after meeting Putin Texas at the center of the protests The wave of protests comes as Texas Republicans consider a mid-decade redistricting plan, reportedly at President Donald Trump's request, that could hand the GOP five new congressional seats ahead of the 2026 midterms. In response, Texas House Democrats fled the state earlier this month to prevent a quorum and block the vote. They have demanded that Republicans end their special session and that Democrats in California advance their own offsetting maps before returning. According to CNN, the event page for the Austin rally stated, 'Texas is being used as a testing ground for extremist policies and partisan games that do not reflect our values.' Anti-Trump protests will be held from Texas to California The fight, The Guardian report added, has spilled beyond Texas. California Governor Gavin Newsom was quoted as saying that Democrats will push forward with their own redistricting plan, which will add five Democratic seats, but only if Republican states advance their efforts. Per the report, Democrats have argued that Trump and his allies are attempting to 'rig the system' by redrawing congressional maps. Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, was quoted as saying that Trump knows he cannot win on his ideas and is changing the rules. The DNC is helping coordinate the demonstrations. Inside the nationwide protests against Trump While the main spotlight is on Austin, demonstrations are spreading across the United States. Protestors are gathering at Central Park in New York City, and organizers are painting banners and signs across the city in Washington, DC. Protestors have planned 'Bridge brigades' across 16 bridges in North Carolina, including in Raleigh and Durham. Meanwhile, California will see creative protests in locations like a Tesla showroom in Palo Alto. Moreover, in Florida, Missouri, and Ohio, rallies are expected to be held in Sarasota, Jefferson City, and Cincinnati. Apart from speeches, events include teach-ins, banner drops, art-making, and musical performances. Also Read: Photos: Protesters oppose Putin's warm welcome on US soil, Alaskan summit with Trump Drucilla Tigner, executive director of the Texas For All coalition, framed the Trump Takeover protests as part of a broader struggle. He told CNN that even though the fight began in Texas, it does not end there. Tigner said, 'This isn't just about redistricting or one state's politics. It's about the future of our democracy.' Organizers have stressed a 'commitment to nonviolence' as demonstrations unfold. FAQs Q1. How many Trump Takeover protests are planned today? Over 200 events in 34 states are taking place across the US. Q2. Where is the main protest? The largest protest is scheduled for Austin, Texas, at the State Capitol. Q3. What is at the center of the protests? Protesters are opposing Republican-led redistricting plans in Texas and other states, backed by Donald Trump, that could give the GOP more congressional seats.
