Russia ‘will not back down' on Ukraine war goals, Putin tells Trump
'Russia will not back down,' Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters although he added that Putin had also expressed a 'readiness' to 'seek a political and negotiated solution to the conflict' during his one-hour phone conversation with Trump on Thursday.
The phrase 'root causes' is shorthand for the Kremlin's argument that it was compelled to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to prevent the country from joining NATO and being used by the Western alliance as a launchpad to attack Russia – arguments rejected by Kyiv and its allies but supported in part by Trump.
The phone call, their sixth since Trump started his second term in January, came the day after the Pentagon confirmed it was halting some weapons deliveries to Kyiv, including air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery. They were promised under President Joe Biden's administration. The announcement was made as Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine
Trump and Putin did not broach the subject of the paused weapons deliveries, according to the Kremlin aide, who said the US president had raised the issue of bringing about a swift end to the war.
While the prospect of a face-to-face meeting was not discussed, the two leaders agreed to keep talking.
Although Trump has tried to mediate in the Ukraine war, he has little progress to show for it. Putin has thus far rejected Washington's proposal for an unconditional ceasefire, and there was nothing in the Kremlin readout to suggest any shift in his position. Ukraine supported the proposal.
Ushakov said that while Russia was open to continuing to speak with the US, any peace negotiations needed to occur between Moscow and Kyiv.
He made the comment amid some indications that Moscow is trying to avoid a trilateral format for any peace negotiations. Ukrainian officials have said Russian negotiators asked US diplomats to leave the room during a meeting in Istanbul in early June.
Putin and Trump last talked in mid-June when Putin offered to mediate in the recent 12-day Iran-Israel war. Trump responded to Putin's offer by switching the focus back to Ukraine, saying: 'No, I don't need help with Iran. I need help with you.'
Ushakov said that during Thursday's call, Putin emphasised the need to resolve all 'disputes, disagreements and conflict situations' regarding Iran through diplomatic means.
The US waded into the Israel-Iran conflict last month, bombing three of Iran's nuclear sites, a move condemned by Moscow as unprovoked and illegal.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met European Union leaders in Denmark, saying doubts over US military aid to Ukraine reinforced the need to 'strengthen our cooperation and coordination through the EU, NATO and also in our direct relations'.
Trump has in effect nixed Ukraine's attempts to join the NATO military alliance.
Zelenskyy told reporters he hopes to speak to Trump as soon as Friday about the pause in weapons shipments.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Live: Hamas seeks ceasefire guarantees as Israel intensifies Gaza attacks
US President Donald Trump says he wants 'safety' for people in Gaza, as he prepares to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week to push for a ceasefire. Hamas is seeking guarantees that a new US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza would lead to the war's end, a source close to the group said, as medics said Israeli strikes across the territory had killed dozens more people.
Qatar Tribune
8 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
UN conference reaffirms fight against poverty
MadridcTypeface:> The global community has agreed on intensified efforts in combating poverty, in open contradiction to the position of US President Donald Trump. The US government is sceptical of multilateral cooperation and the UN's sustainable development goals. Consequently, the United States did not endorse the 'Seville Commitment,' which was adopted by 192 countries at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in the southern Spanish metropolis on Thursday. After the start of his second term, Trump had US aid cut by around 80%, which accounts for about a quarter of all global development aid. According to estimates by the United Nations, the funding gap has now grown to at least $4 trillion annually. This gap was not nearly closed at the conference in Seville, but according to financial expert Bodo Ellmers from the non-governmental organization Global Policy Forum Europe, this was not the primary goal. Instead, he said that structural reforms in areas such as tax cooperation, debt crisis management, or reform of international financial institutions should be agreed upon. Currently, 3.4 billion people live in countries that have to spend more on interest payments than what remains for education and health. This reform project was 'only moderately successful' in Seville, Ellmers criticized, saying there are hardly any concrete measures or specific quantitative or time targets included. Whether the funding gap will continue to grow depends on the concrete implementation of the agreements. German Development Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan nevertheless praised the agreement as a 'powerful boost for a fairer world.' 'Despite the difficult global situation, conflicts, and nationalist tendencies, almost all states are pulling together here,' she stressed. (DPA)
Qatar Tribune
8 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Vietnam strikes US tariff deal, but risks Beijing backlash
Agencies Vietnam's newly announced trade deal with the U.S. averts the most punishing of President Donald Trump's 'reciprocal' levies, but analysts warned it could lead to a fresh standoff between Washington and Beijing. The Southeast Asian nation has the third-biggest trade surplus with the U.S. of any country after China and Mexico, and was targeted with one of the highest rates in the U.S. president's 'Liberation Day' tariff blitz on April 2. The deal announced Wednesday is the first full pact Trump has sealed with an Asian nation, and analysts say it may give a glimpse of the template Washington will use with other countries still scrambling for accords. The 46% tariff rate, which was due to take effect next week, has been averted, with Vietnam set to face a minimum 20% levy in return for opening its market to U.S. products, including cars. But a 40% tariff will hit goods passing through the country to circumvent steeper trade barriers – a practice called 'transshipping.' Washington has accused Hanoi of relabeling Chinese goods to skirt its tariffs, but raw materials from the world's number two economy are the lifeblood of Vietnam's manufacturing industries. 'From a global perspective, perhaps the most interesting point is that this deal again seems in large part to be about China,' said Capital Economics. It said the terms on transshipment 'will be seen as a provocation in Beijing, particularly if similar conditions are included in any other deals agreed over the coming days.' Shares in clothing companies and sports equipment manufacturers – which have a large footprint in Vietnam – rose on news of the deal in New York. But they later declined sharply as details were released. 'This is a much better outcome than a flat 46% tariff, but I wouldn't celebrate just yet,' said Hanoi-based Dan Martin of Asian business advisory firm Dezan Shira & Associates. 'Everything now depends on how the U.S. decides to interpret and enforce the idea of transshipment,' he added. 'If the U.S. takes a broader view and starts questioning products that use foreign parts, even when value is genuinely added in Vietnam, it could end up affecting a lot of companies that are playing by the rules.' Vietnam's government said in a statement late on Wednesday that under the deal, the country had promised 'preferential market access for U.S. goods, including large-engine cars.' But the statement gave scant detail about the transshipment arrangements in the deal, which Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. Bloomberg Economics forecast Vietnam could lose a quarter of its exports to the U.S. in the medium term, endangering more than 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP) as a result of the agreement. Uncertainty over how transshipping will be 'defined or enforced' is likely to have diplomatic repercussions, said Bloomberg Economics expert Rana Sajedi. 'The looming question now is how China will respond,' she said. 'Beijing has made clear that it would respond to deals that came at the expense of Chinese interests.' And on Thursday, China warned against trade deals that 'hurt third parties.' 'China has always advocated that all parties resolve economic and trade differences through equal dialogue and consultation,' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. 'At the same time, relevant negotiations and agreements should not target or harm the interests of third parties,' she said. The U.S. deal with Vietnam comes less than a week before Trump's self-imposed July 9 deadline for steeper tariffs on U.S. trade partners to take effect if agreements are not reached. Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro has called Vietnam a 'colony of China,' saying that one-third of Vietnamese products are, in fact, relabeled Chinese goods. Beijing's commerce ministry said on Thursday it had 'always firmly opposed' U.S. tariffs. 'China's position is consistent,' He Yongqian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce, told a briefing. 'We are happy to see all parties resolve economic and trade differences with the United States through equal consultations, but we firmly oppose any party reaching a deal at the expense of China's interests,' she said.
