Russia is open to peace with Ukriane but insists on achieving its goals, says Kremlin spokesman
Peskov and other Russian officials have repeatedly rejected accusations from Kyiv and its Western partners of stalling peace talks. Meanwhile, Moscow continues to intensify its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, with more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate.
'President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy,' Peskov told state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin.
'The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear,' he added.
The Kremlin has insisted that any peace deal should see Ukraine withdraw from the four regions that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022 but never fully captured. It also wants Ukraine to renounce its bid to join NATO and accept strict limits on its armed forces, demands Kyiv and its Western allies have rejected.
President Donald Trump threatened Russia on July 14 with steep tariffs and announced a rejuvenated pipeline for American weapons to reach Ukraine, hardening his stance toward Moscow after months of frustration following unsuccessful negotiations aimed at ending the war. The direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul resulted in several rounds of prisoner exchanges, but little else.
Trump said he would implement 'severe tariffs' unless a peace deal is reached within 50 days. He provided few details on how they would be implemented, but suggested they would target Russia's trading partners in an effort to isolate Moscow in the global economy.
In addition, Trump said European allies would buy 'billions and billions' of dollars of U.S. military equipment to be transferred to Ukraine, replenishing the besieged country's supplies of weapons. Included in the plan are Patriot air defense systems, a top priority for Ukraine as it fends off Russian drones and missiles.
Doubts were recently raised about Trump's commitment to supply Ukraine when the Pentagon paused shipments over concerns that U.S. stockpiles were running low.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Verizon Surges as Trump Tax Breaks, Fiber Gains, and EPS Beat Shock Wall Street
Verizon (NYSE:VZ) is finally showing signs of life. The telecom giant just posted Q2 revenue of $34.5 billionup 5.2% year over year and ahead of the Street's $33.7 billion estimatewhile also raising full-year guidance on several fronts. Adjusted EPS came in at $1.22, beating the $1.19 consensus. Management pointed to stronger phone upgrade activity, higher monthly rates, and a $1.5$2 billion tailwind from President Donald Trump's newly enacted tax bill. The legislation allows immediate depreciation of capital investments, which could free up additional cash this year. Shares jumped as much as 4.7%, their best day since January. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 3 Warning Signs with VZ. But it wasn't all clean. Verizon lost 51,000 monthly wireless phone subscribers, missing expectations for a net gain. The company blamed that on an earlier pullback in holiday promos, but said it has since pivoted. New three-year price locks, satellite texting, and free device upgrades have been rolled out to entice users. CFO Tony Skiadas also emphasized upcoming AI tools aimed at reducing churn by offering smarter, more personalized customer service. While the competitive pressure remains intense, Verizon seems to be playing a more calculated gameonly countering rival promos when there's a clear ROI. One bright spot: broadband. Verizon added 293,000 new internet customerswell ahead of the 209,000 forecastas it keeps chipping away at cable's market share using bundled fiber and 5G home internet. The firm also just cleared a major regulatory hurdle to acquire Frontier Communications Parent Inc., which could meaningfully expand its fiber reach when the deal closes in early 2026. CEO Hans Vestberg said the company now sees a clear path forward, and investors are watching closely as the U.S. prepares to auction off new wireless spectrum licensesessential for the 6G future. Full-year EBITDA is now expected to grow 2.5%3.5%, with free cash flow landing between $19.5 billion and $20.5 billion. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's Washington Commanders threat: Can president actually block team's planned move to D.C.?
President Donald Trump posted on social media Sunday that he wants the Washington Commanders to switch back to their old "Washington Redskins" team name — and he threatened to block the Commanders' impending move back to D.C. and their new stadium unless they do. A Commanders spokesperson declined comment on the issue to the Washington Post on Sunday. Back in February, team owner Josh Harris committed to sticking with the new name, saying it's "embraced by our team." A poll conducted in May by the Post suggested it's embraced by the public too, with 50 percent of local people and 62 percent of Commanders fans saying they either "like" or "love" the name. But Trump appears insistent, so the next logical question is: Can Trump actually block a move? As with anything in politics, it's a tangled, complicated answer. We know this: The Commanders have submitted a proposal to move into a new stadium within D.C. limits built on the site of the old Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, which was the team's home from 1961 to 1996. But there are avenues the president could take, as laid out by Front Office Sports. These are the paths of least resistance, though each would still require Trump to steel himself for a political fight: Lobbying D.C. Council members This would perhaps be the most conventional path to take, though it presents numerous challenges. The District of Columbia is negotiating directly with the Commanders on the $3.7 billion stadium proposal through the D.C. Council, which is the 13-member legislative branch of the District's government. Trump could attempt to get them to vote no through various channels. The main problem? Eleven of the council members are Democrats, including chairman Phil Mendelson, who sounded confused by the president's threat. "I don't know what the restriction would be," he told the Post. Withhold funding since Congress controls D.C.'s budget Under the Home Rule Act of 1973, Washington D.C. residents can elect local officials, but the district's budget is subject to Congressional oversight. Right now, both the Senate and House of Representatives are controlled by Trump's Republican party, and would likely approve the blocking of funds for the Commanders' new stadium. From there, untangling the stadium money from government bureaucracy could prove difficult, though there's one potential countermove for the Commanders and D.C. Council, as noted by Front Office Sports: delay public disbursements for the stadium project until after the 2026 midterms, in which Democrats are projected to regain control of the House of Representatives. That would conceivably give the council some reinforcements in the battle for stadium money. Rescind control of the RFK Stadium property Former president Joe Biden signed a bill in January that transferred control of the RFK Stadium site from the federal government to Washington D.C. Section J of the bill, however, outlines grounds for a reversion of control to the federal government and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, a Trump appointee. If Burgum wants to exercise it, however, he would be required to provide written notice to the D.C. Council and give them 90 days to correct the non-compliance. So there appear to be options for Trump to follow through on his threat to prevent the Commanders from building their new stadium. It remains to be seen which one, if any, he'll take.
USA Today
16 minutes ago
- USA Today
How much more will you spend at the supermarket in 2025?
A majority of consumers describe themselves as financially stressed, and looming price hikes on many supermarket products, stoked by tariff policies, won't help. Food-price increases have been relatively mild so far this year, but some experts warn that could change soon. The national monthly inflation report that came out on July 15 reflects the first real signal of tariff inflation, "with almost all of the impact on consumer prices still to be seen in the months ahead," predicted David Kelly, chief global strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. That's one of the key midyear trends that bear watching. Other key ones involve competitive pressures among supermarkets and the pace of consumer spending. Tariff turmoil awaits President Donald Trump's efforts to raise import taxes on a slew of imported products could increase prices in supermarkets. It hasn't happened yet in a big way, but more food inflation could be coming. With the White House delaying many tariffs, importers have had time to prepare, helping to ease the impact. 'Retailers are working hard to stock up for the holiday season before the various tariffs that have been announced and paused actually take effect,' Jonathan Gold, a vice president at the National Retail Federation, told Progressive Grocer, a trade publication. 'Retailers have brought in as much merchandise as possible ahead of the reciprocal tariffs taking effect." In case you missed it: How will Trump's tariffs affect grocery store prices? We explain. Over the 12 months through May, food prices nationally rose 2.9%, higher than the overall 2.4% increase in the Consumer Price Index. Certain items have risen more than that. A 11.5% jump in the price of coffee, which is mainly grown in Latin America, Africa and Asia, is one example, along with increases for fruits, nuts, sugar and other sweeteners, plus various vegetables and fruits, much of it trucked up from Mexico. Other items like paper goods and aluminum foil could also be affected. But the most notable food jump lately, a 41.5% surge over the past 12 months in egg prices, reflects a nontariff cause, avian flu. Belt-tightening consumers In a slowing economy, with rising inflation concerns, millions of Americans remain wary of grocery-store prices and those for other items. Big Chalk Analytics estimates the percentage of Americans who have actively reduced spending had risen from 27.8% in the Spring of 2024 to 34.5% in the Spring of 2025. These consumers are characterized by prioritizing needs over wants and seeking out more affordable options. The Chicago research firm describes these as 'trade-off consumers,' and they aren't just lower-income families. Still, consumers have made some progress with their budgets, helped by wages that have been outpacing inflation, the company said. Even so, most people aren't feeling especially prosperous, with 32% describing their financial condition as 'healthy,' with the rest falling into the vulnerable, overextended or stressed categories. Those findings, as of May from J.D. Power, were elicited from the majority of consumers who have bank accounts. People lacking bank accounts tend to be worse off. Reach the writer at
