logo
Zelenskiy spoke with Trump ahead of peace deal deadline

Zelenskiy spoke with Trump ahead of peace deal deadline

Straits Timesa day ago
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 28, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that he had had a "productive" conversation with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump that covered ending the war, sanctions on Russia and the finalisation of a U.S.-Ukraine drone deal.
Trump, who has signalled frustration with Vladimir Putin in recent weeks, has given the Russian president until August 8 to make peace in Ukraine or face tougher sanctions.
"President Trump is fully informed about Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities and communities," Zelenskiy wrote on X, referring to intensifying drone and missile attacks.
He added that Ukraine was also ready to conclude a deal with the U.S. on the production of Ukrainian drones that would amount to "one of the strongest agreements".
Ukraine is increasingly seeking financing and investment from its foreign partners to bolster its burgeoning domestic arms industry. REUTERS
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US brings hate crime charges against suspect in killing of Israeli embassy staffers
US brings hate crime charges against suspect in killing of Israeli embassy staffers

Straits Times

time7 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

US brings hate crime charges against suspect in killing of Israeli embassy staffers

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox WASHINGTON - The U.S. on Wednesday brought federal hate crime charges against the suspect accused of gunning down two Israeli embassy staffers outside a museum in Washington in May, alleging he targeted them because they were Israelis, court papers showed. The nine-count indictment returned against Elias Rodriguez, 31, accuses him of carrying out a hate crime resulting in death motivated by the "actual and perceived national origin of any person." Rodriguez also faces charges of first-degree murder and murder of a foreign official. The indictment also includes special findings that would make Rodriguez eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Rodriguez was accused of fatally shooting Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, who were about to be engaged to be married. They were leaving a May 21 event for young professionals and diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum and hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel, when they were killed. Rodriguez told police at the scene: 'I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza,' according to a criminal complaint. Witnesses recounted hearing him chant "Free Palestine" after he was taken into custody. He has not yet entered a plea to the prior charges, which also include causing death with a firearm and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence. The killings in downtown Washington were widely condemned as an act of antisemitism and shook Jewish communities around the world. Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington said in May that the shooting would be investigated as a hate crime and the charges could carry the death penalty. The indictment by a federal grand jury comes ahead of a scheduled court appearance in Rodriguez's case on Friday. It alleges Rodriguez had a history of violent rhetoric online against Israelis, including a plea to "vaporize every Israeli 18 and above." Before the shooting, he scheduled a social media post to publish later that night with a document arguing that perpetrators and abettors of Israel's military actions in Gaza had "forfeited their humanity," according to the indictment. Rodriguez, who was born and raised in Chicago, flew to the Washington area from Chicago the day before the shooting. He was seen pacing outside the museum, little more than a mile (1.6 km) from the White House, shortly before the shooting, police said. Surveillance video footage showed Rodriguez firing about 20 rounds at Lischinsky and Milgrim, then leaning over them to fire several more rounds after they fell to the ground and after Milgrim tried to crawl away and sat up, according to an FBI affidavit in the criminal complaint. The gunman paused to reload, then resumed firing, it said. He then tossed away his gun, retreated into the museum and was arrested there after calling attention to himself as the suspect, pulling out a red Palestinian-style keffiyeh scarf and declaring that he "did it," the affidavit said. REUTERS

Britain asks China to clarify contested embassy plan
Britain asks China to clarify contested embassy plan

Straits Times

time7 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Britain asks China to clarify contested embassy plan

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The project comes as the Labour government is looking to reset long-fraught ties with Beijing. LONDON - The British government on Aug 6 asked China to explain partially redacted plans it has submitted for its new London embassy project, which has fanned worries from residents and human rights advocates. China has sought for several years to move its embassy from the chic Marylebone district to a sprawling historic site in the shadow of the Tower of London. It would be the largest embassy complex in Britain, and the project comes as the Labour government is looking to reset long-fraught ties with Beijing. On Aug 6, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner sent a letter to the firm DP9 that represents the Chinese government, requesting details on some documents transmitted during a public inquiry. Ms Rayner sought in particular details on portions of the plans that had been 'greyed-out' or 'redacted for security reasons'. The letter was published online by Luke de Pulford of the Interparliamentary Alliance on China, an international body, one of its copied recipients. The British government gave China until Aug 20 to respond. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Some ageing condos in Singapore struggle with failing infrastructure, inadequate sinking funds World Trump eyes 100% chips tariff, but 0% for US investors like Apple World White House says Trump open to meeting Russia's Putin and Ukraine's Zelensky Singapore MRT track issue causes 5-hour delay; Jeffrey Siow says 'we can and will do better' Singapore ST Explains: What is a track point fault and why does it cause lengthy train disruptions? Singapore ST and Uniqlo launch design contest for Singapore stories T-shirt collection Sport Son Heung-min joins Los Angeles FC in record MLS deal Singapore S'pore and Indonesia have discussed jointly developing military training facilities: Chan Chun Sing The proposed embassy site, which Beijing bought in 2018 for a reported US$327 million (S$421 million), once housed the Royal Mint. It was earlier home to a Cistercian abbey built in 1348 but is currently derelict. In 2022, the local authority, Tower Hamlets Council, unanimously rejected China's plans, which include designs by the renowned firm David Chipperfield Architects. In July 2024, Beijing resubmitted the proposals almost entirely unchanged. AFP

Oil prices slide to 8-week low as US-Russia talks stir sanction uncertainty
Oil prices slide to 8-week low as US-Russia talks stir sanction uncertainty

Business Times

time7 minutes ago

  • Business Times

Oil prices slide to 8-week low as US-Russia talks stir sanction uncertainty

[NEW YORK] Oil prices slid about 1 per cent to an eight-week low on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump's remarks about progress in talks with Moscow created uncertainty on whether the US would impose new sanctions on Russia. Brent crude futures fell 75 cents, or 1.1 per cent, to settle at US$66.89 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 81 cents, or 1.2 per cent, to settle at US$64.35. Those moves marked a fifth consecutive day of losses for both crude benchmarks, with Brent closing at its lowest since June 10 and WTI closing at its lowest since June 5. Trump said on Wednesday that his special envoy Steve Witkoff made 'great progress' in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Washington continued its preparations to impose secondary sanctions on Friday. Trump has threatened additional sanctions on Moscow if no moves are made to end the war in Ukraine. 'Everyone agrees this war must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,' Trump said, without providing further details. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Russia is the world's second-biggest producer of crude after the US, so any potential deal that would reduce sanctions would make it easier for Russia to export more oil. Earlier in the day, oil prices rose after Trump issued an executive order imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on goods from India, saying it directly or indirectly imported Russian oil. The new import tax will go into effect 21 days after Aug 7. India, along with China, is a major buyer of Russian oil. 'For the time being, the 21-day start to the new Indian tariffs, while Russia tries to put together some kind of cease fire agreement ahead of President Trump's Aug 8 deadline, still leaves too much uncertainty around the situation,' Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho, said in a note. In addition to the tariff and sanction uncertainty, analysts said a planned Opec+ supply increase has weighed on the market in recent days. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, will visit China for the first time in over seven years, a government source said on Wednesday, in a further sign of a diplomatic thaw with Beijing as tensions with the US rise. In other news, Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, on Wednesday hiked its September crude oil prices for Asian buyers, the second monthly rise in a row, on tight supply and robust demand. Oil inventories Oil markets found support earlier in the day from a bigger-than-expected decline in US crude inventories last week. The US Energy Information Administration said energy firms pulled 3 million barrels of crude from inventories during the week ended Aug 1. That was much bigger than the 0.6-million-barrel draw analysts forecast in a Reuters poll, but was smaller than the decline of 4.2 million barrels that market sources said the American Petroleum Institute trade group cited in its figures on Tuesday. REUTERS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store