Russian Duma speaker meets with North Korea's Kim ahead of Trump-Putin summit
Volodin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, conveyed greetings from the Russian leader and thanked Kim for North Korea's support of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.
Putin held a phone call with Kim on Tuesday and updated him on planned talks with US President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday.
Kim sent a reply to a letter from Putin that was delivered by Volodin to celebrate the 80th anniversary of liberation from Japan's colonial rule, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported on Friday.
In the letter to Putin, Kim said the soldiers of North Korea and Russia formed 'friendship and unity' in the battlefield to fight against 'a mutual enemy' which he didn't identify, according to KCNA.
Pyongyang and Moscow have both confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia's offensive against Ukraine to reclaim the Kursk region.
South Korea's intelligence agency said in June that North Korea was potentially ready to send more troops to Russia.
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Arab News
44 minutes ago
- Arab News
Putin says he and Trump reached an ‘understanding,' but neither offers details on Ukraine war talks
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska: President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin said they reached an understanding on ending the war in Ukraine after meeting for about 2 1/2 hours on Friday in Alaska, but offered no details on what they agreed and left without answering questions. In brief remarks, Putin said the pair had hammered out an 'understanding' on Ukraine and warned Europe not to 'torpedo the nascent progress.' Speaking moments later, Trump said he'd yet to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but that he'd be speaking to him and European leaders soon. He suggested there hasn't been a deal yet. The two leaders met for about 2 1/2 half hours on Friday at a summit in Alaska that started with a handshake, a smile and a ride in the presidential limousine — an unusually warm reception for a US adversary responsible for launching the largest land war in Europe since 1945. When they greeted each other, they gripped hands for an extended period of time on a red carpet rolled out at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. As they chatted, Putin grinned and pointed skyward, where B-2s and F-22s — military aircraft designed to oppose Russia during the Cold War — flew overhead. Reporters nearby yelled, 'President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?' and Russia's leader put his hand up to his ear as though to indicate he couldn't hear them. Trump and Putin then shared the US presidential limo known as 'The Beast' for a short ride to their meeting site, with Putin offering a broad smile as the vehicle rolled past the cameras. It was the kind of reception typically reserved for close US allies and belied the bloodshed and suffering in the war Putin started in Ukraine. Although not altogether surprising considering their longtime friendly relationship, such outward friendliness before hours of closed-door meetings is likely to raise concerns from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders, who fear that Trump is primarily focusing on furthering US interests and not pressing hard enough for Ukraine's. Zelensky and European leaders were excluded from Trump and Putin's discussions, and Ukraine's president was left posting a video address in which he expressed his hope for a 'strong position from the US' 'Everyone wants an honest end to the war. Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to end the war,' he said, later adding, 'The war continues and it continues precisely because there is no order, nor any signals from Moscow, that it is preparing to end this war.' The summit was a chance for Trump to prove he's a master dealmaker and peacemaker. He likes to brag about himself as a heavyweight negotiator and has boasted that he could easily find a way to bring the slaughter to a close — a promise he's been unable to keep so far. For Putin, it was an opportunity to try to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia's gains, block Kyiv's bid to join the NATO military alliance and eventually pull Ukraine back into Moscow's orbit. Not meeting one-on-one anymore White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said shortly before Air Force One touched down that the previously planned one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin was now a three-on-three discussion including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Putin was joined by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov. The change seemed to indicate that the White House was taking a more guarded approach than it did during a 2018 meeting in Helsinki, where Trump and Putin met privately with their interpreters and Trump then shocked the world by siding with the Russian leader over US intelligence officials on whether Russia meddled in the 2016 campaign. The two leaders began their meeting Friday by sitting with their aides in front of a blue backdrop printed with 'Alaska' and 'Pursuing Peace.' The pair are expected to hold a joint press conference at the end of the summit. There are significant risks for Trump. By bringing Putin onto US soil — America bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for roughly 2 cents per acre — the president is giving him the validation he desires after his ostracization following his invasion of Ukraine 3 1/2 years ago. Zelensky's exclusion is also a heavy blow to the West's policy of 'nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine' and invites the possibility that Trump could agree to a deal that Ukraine does not want. Any success is far from assured, meanwhile, since Russia and Ukraine remain far apart in their demands for peace. Putin has long resisted any temporary ceasefire, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies and a freeze on Ukraine's mobilization efforts, which are conditions rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies. Trump said earlier in the week there was a 25 percent chance that the summit would fail, but he also floated the idea that if the meeting succeeds he could bring Zelensky to Alaska for a subsequent meeting with himself and Putin. He said during an interview on Air Force One that he might walk out quickly if the meeting wasn't going well, but that didn't happen. Trump said before arriving in Alaska that he would push for an immediate ceasefire while expressing doubts about the possibility of achieving one. He has also suggested working for a broad peace deal to be done quickly. Russia has long favored a comprehensive deal to end the fighting, reflecting its demands, and not a temporary halt to hostilities. Trump has offered shifting explanations for his meeting goals Trump previously characterized the sit-down as ' really a feel-out meeting.' But he's also warned of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin doesn't agree to end the war. Trump said his talks with Putin will include Russian demands that Ukraine cede territory as part of a peace deal, and that Ukraine has to decide on those — but he also suggested Zelensky should accept concessions. 'I've got to let Ukraine make that decision. And I think they'll make a proper decision,' Trump told reporters traveling with him to Anchorage. Trump said there's 'a possibility' of the United States offering Ukraine security guarantees alongside European powers, 'but not in the form of NATO.' Putin has fiercely resisted Ukraine joining the trans-Atlantic security alliance, a long-term goal for Ukrainians seeking to forge stronger ties with the West. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe, is also in Alaska to provide 'military advice' to Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a senior NATO military official who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Grynkewich's presence is likely to be welcomed by European leaders who have tried to convince Trump to be firm with Putin and not deal over Kyiv's head. War still raging Foreign governments are watching closely to see how Trump reacts to Putin, likely gauging what the interaction might mean for their own dealings with the US president, who has eschewed traditional diplomacy for his own transactional approach to relationships. The meeting comes as the war has caused heavy losses on both sides and drained resources. Ukraine has held on far longer than some initially expected since the February 2022 invasion, but it is straining to hold off Russia's much larger army, grappling with bombardments of its cities and fighting for every inch on the over 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front line. Alaska is separated from Russia at its closest point by just 3 miles (less than 5 kilometers) and the international date line. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It continues to play a role today, as planes from the base still intercept Russian aircraft that regularly fly into US airspace.
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Putin, Trump sit down to discuss fate of Ukraine as summit gets underway
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met face-to-face in Alaska on Friday in a high-stakes meeting that could determine whether a ceasefire can be reached in the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two. Ahead of the summit, Trump greeted the Russian leader on a red carpet on the tarmac at a US Air Force base. The two shook hands warmly and touched each other on the arm before riding in Trump's limo to the summit site nearby. The two leaders sat silently with their respective delegations seated to the side in their first meeting since 2019. They were seated in front of a blue backdrop that had the words, 'Pursuing Peace' printed on it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict with Russia and recognizing - if only informally - Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine. Earlier, Trump sought to assuage such concerns as he boarded Air Force One, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial swaps. 'I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I'm here to get them at a table,' he said. Asked what would make the meeting a success, he told reporters: 'I want to see a ceasefire rapidly ... I'm not going to be happy if it's not today ... I want the killing to stop.' Trump was joined in his meeting with Putin by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's special envoy to Russia, Steve Witkoff. At a subsequent larger, bilateral meeting, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and chief of staff Susie Wiles will also join Trump, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The Russian officials accompanying Putin in the talks with the US delegation will be foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Trump hopes a truce in the 3-1/2-year-old war that Putin started will bring peace to the region as well as bolster his credentials as a global peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. For Putin, the summit is already a big win that he can portray as evidence that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have unraveled and that Moscow is retaking its rightful place at the top table of international diplomacy. Trump, who once said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher task than he had expected. He said if Friday's talks went well, quickly arranging a second, three-way summit with Zelenskyy would be even more important than his encounter with Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a three-way summit would be possible if the Alaska talks bore fruit, Interfax news agency reported. Peskov also said Friday's talks could last six to seven hours. Zelenskyy said the summit should open the way for a 'just peace' and three-way talks that included him, but added that Russia was continuing to wage war. A Russian ballistic missile earlier struck Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one person and wounding another. 'It's time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,' Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app. 'Smart guy' Trump said before the summit that there is mutual respect between him and Putin. 'He is a smart guy, been doing it for a long time, but so have I ... We get along, there's a good respect level on both sides,' Trump said of Putin. He also welcomed Putin's decision to bring businesspeople to Alaska. 'But they're not doing business until we get the war settled,' he said, repeating a threat of 'economically severe' consequences for Russia if the summit goes badly. The United States has had internal discussions on using Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels to support the development of gas and LNG projects in Alaska as one of the possible deals to aim for, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. One source acquainted with Kremlin thinking said there were signs Moscow could be ready to strike a compromise on Ukraine, given that Putin understood Russia's economic vulnerability and costs of continuing the war. Reuters has previously reported that Putin might be willing to freeze the conflict along the frontlines, provided there was a legally binding pledge not to enlarge NATO eastwards and to lift some Western sanctions. NATO has said Ukraine's future is in the alliance. Russia, whose war economy is showing strain, is vulnerable to further US sanctions - and Trump has threatened tariffs on buyers of Russian crude, primarily China and India. 'For Putin, economic problems are secondary to goals, but he understands our vulnerability and costs,' the Russian source said. Putin this week held out the prospect of something else he knows Trump wants - a new nuclear arms control accord to replace the last surviving one, which is due to expire in February. Common ground? The source familiar with Kremlin thinking said it looked as if the two sides had been able to find some common ground. 'Apparently, some terms will be agreed upon ... because Trump cannot be refused, and we are not in a position to refuse (due to sanctions pressure),' said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity. Putin has said he is open to a full ceasefire but that issues of verification must first be sorted out. One compromise could be a truce in the air war. Zelenskyy has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory and is also seeking a security guarantee backed by the United States. Ukrainians who spoke to Reuters in central Kyiv on Friday were not optimistic about the summit. 'Nothing good will happen there, because war is war, it will not end. The territories - we're not going to give anything to anyone,' said Tetiana Harkavenko, a 65-year-old cleaner.
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan launches third Chinese-built Hangor-class submarine amid deepening defense ties
KARACHI: Pakistan on Friday launched its third Hangor-class submarine in China, the navy said in a statement, in the latest sign of the country's growing military ties with Beijing. The launch comes months after Pakistan's brief but intense military standoff with India, which saw the two nuclear-armed neighbors exchange air, missile, drone and artillery attacks. In recent years, Islamabad has strengthened its defence collaboration with China, inducting state-of-the-art Chinese hardware across all three services, including Z-10ME attack helicopters earlier this month and JF-17 fighter jets jointly developed with Beijing. The navy said the new vessel, equipped with modern sensors and weapons, will enhance its capabilities to safeguard national interests and contribute to a 'secure and cooperative maritime environment.' 'Their cutting-edge weaponry and advanced sensors would be instrumental in sustaining regional power equilibrium and ensuring maritime stability,' Vice Admiral Abdul Samad, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Project-2, said at the launch ceremony in Wuhan, according to a navy statement. The launch took place at Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group's Shuangliu Base and was attended by senior officials from both Pakistan and China, including representatives of China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Company Ltd (CSOC). Samad commended the steady progress of the project, praised the work of Chinese shipbuilders and said the Hangor-class program would 'bring a fresh dimension' to Pakistan-China naval cooperation. The submarines are a new generation of diesel-electric attack vessels and equipped with advanced sensors and modern weapon systems to strengthen the country's underwater warfare capabilities. Pakistan signed a contract with CSOC to acquire eight Hangor-class submarines. Four are being built in China, while the remaining four will be produced in Pakistan at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited under a transfer-of-technology program. The first two submarines in the series were launched in 2024, with deliveries expected over the next several years.
